As we dive into the new year, we are excited to introduce our Advocacy Theme for January: Growth Mindset.

What is a Growth Mindset? A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication, hard work, and perseverance. It's about embracing challenges, learning from criticism, and understanding that effort is the path to mastery.

Skills Students Will Learn: In the upcoming weeks, your child will engage in various activities and discussions across different classes that aim to cultivate a growth mindset. Here's a glimpse of the skills they will be focusing on:

Resilience: Students will learn to bounce back from setbacks, viewing challenges as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles.

Perseverance: Embracing the idea that success often involves sustained effort, students will be encouraged to stay committed to their goals, even when faced with difficulties.

Adaptability: Developing the ability to adapt to new situations and learn from experiences will be a key focus, fostering a mindset that values continuous learning.

Embracing Feedback: Students will be taught to see feedback as constructive, using it to refine their skills and enhance their understanding, rather than viewing it as criticism.

Extending Growth Mindset to Personal Lives: It's essential to emphasize that the principles of a growth mindset extend beyond the classroom. Encourage your child to apply these concepts in their daily lives:

Goal Setting: Help your child set realistic goals and work with them to develop a plan to achieve those goals. Celebrate progress along the way, reinforcing the idea that improvement comes with effort.

Positive Self-Talk: Encourage your child to replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Remind them that their abilities are not fixed and that they can improve with dedication and hard work.

Embracing Challenges: Teach your child to see challenges as opportunities for growth. Encourage them to approach new experiences with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.

We believe that fostering a growth mindset will not only enhance your child's academic journey but will also contribute to their overall personal development. If you have any questions or would like to further discuss how to support your child in embracing a growth mindset, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Little spot of feelings: 

On top of continuing our talks about growth mindset with the students, we will also continue to explore our little spot of feelings curriculum. This week we will be diving into the Sadness spot, and how to help manage ourselves when we are sad. If you would like to watch the book, here is the link to a youtube read aloud of it! (Link to read Sadness Spot Book) 

Upcoming Events:

• Field Trip: On Thursday, January 23rd we will be going to the Hammond’s Candy Factory for a tour. Please fill out this field trip permission form so your student can attend. 
• Kindness Week: February 10th through February 14th. See below for more information about kindness week
• Half day of school February 14th, no school February 17th. 

All About Kindness Week:

Kindness Week is Monday, February 10th through Friday February 14th. A few things for you to know about: 

• We do not exchange Valentines cards, candy, or treats at school. If your student arrives with Valentine’s cards, candy, or treats, they will be asked to put them back into their backpack to be taken home.

• Get your Kindness Day permission slip (virtually emailed to families) signed by Wednesday February 12th. Classes will be walking to different nearby businesses to deliver hand-made kindness cards to local businesses on Friday, February 14th. We do not need any chaperones for these trips.  

• Be prepared to go rain or shine on Friday, February 14th (half day) – bring a warm jacket, gloves, beanies, etc. If needed because we will be walking outside. 

NEW this year – Kindness Week Food Drive! Let’s spread some kindness by collecting non-perishable food items for A Precious Child. The details: 

• Bring non-perishable food items to your advocacy class from Monday, February 10th – Friday, February 14th. 

• Last year in November we collected 1,100 non-perishable food items! Help us reach our goal of 1,500 this year! 

Monday, February 10th: Spice it up Monday - Dried herbs and spices 

Tuesday, February 11th: Pasta Tuesday - Dried pasta in boxes 

Wednesday, February 12th: Veggie Wednesday - Canned vegetables 

Thursday, February 13th: Toiletry Thursday - Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels 

Friday, February 14th: Fruit-filled Friday - Canned fruits 

In addition, there are different advocacy themes for each day aligned with the different love languages. Here’s a list of things that you can do to support your student’s learning at home. 

Monday, February 10th: Words of Affirmation 

Kindness Week Challenge #1 – Use kind words of affirmation with 3 or more other people you see today. It could be a family member, friend, teacher, grocery store worker, or anyone else. Set aside a few minutes daily where each person gives a positive word or phrase to another family member. 

Tuesday, February 11th: Quality Time 

Kindness Week Challenge #2 – Spend at least 30 minutes of quality time with yourself or someone you love today after school. Have a family game night, movie or show night, cook or bake something as a family, enjoy story time, crafts, exercise, or even some yard work together. 

Wednesday, February 12th: Acts of Service 

Kindness Week Challenge #3 – Do another act of service for someone when you get home! Cook a meal for the family, organize a shared space, help each other with chores, plan a relaxation evening, do a surprise improvement project, or care for a pet together. 

Thursday, February 13th: Gift Giving 

Kindness Week Challenge #4: Deliver the gift you made today in class to the person you made it for. Talk about how giving someone a gift made you feel. Dedicate an evening to creating homemade gifts for each other, create a family shared photo album, playlist, or video.  

Friday, February 14th: Kindness Day (Half Day) - various walking trips 

Kindness Week Challenge #5: Create a family “Compliment Jar”. Place a jar in a common area. Family members can write positive affirmations or compliments about each other on small pieces of paper and drop them in the jar. 

As we dive into the new year, we are excited to introduce our Advocacy Theme for January: Growth Mindset.

What is a Growth Mindset? A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication, hard work, and perseverance. It's about embracing challenges, learning from criticism, and understanding that effort is the path to mastery.

Skills Students Will Learn: In the upcoming weeks, your child will engage in various activities and discussions across different classes that aim to cultivate a growth mindset. Here's a glimpse of the skills they will be focusing on:

Resilience: Students will learn to bounce back from setbacks, viewing challenges as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles.

Perseverance: Embracing the idea that success often involves sustained effort, students will be encouraged to stay committed to their goals, even when faced with difficulties.

Adaptability: Developing the ability to adapt to new situations and learn from experiences will be a key focus, fostering a mindset that values continuous learning.

Embracing Feedback: Students will be taught to see feedback as constructive, using it to refine their skills and enhance their understanding, rather than viewing it as criticism.

Extending Growth Mindset to Personal Lives: It's essential to emphasize that the principles of a growth mindset extend beyond the classroom. Encourage your child to apply these concepts in their daily lives:

Goal Setting: Help your child set realistic goals and work with them to develop a plan to achieve those goals. Celebrate progress along the way, reinforcing the idea that improvement comes with effort.

Positive Self-Talk: Encourage your child to replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Remind them that their abilities are not fixed and that they can improve with dedication and hard work.

Embracing Challenges: Teach your child to see challenges as opportunities for growth. Encourage them to approach new experiences with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.

We believe that fostering a growth mindset will not only enhance your child's academic journey but will also contribute to their overall personal development. If you have any questions or would like to further discuss how to support your child in embracing a growth mindset, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Upcoming Events:

• January 20th: No school MLK day 
• Field Trip: On Thursday, January 23rd we will be going to the Hammond’s Candy Factory for a tour. Please fill out this field trip permission form so your student can attend. 
• Kindness Week: February 10th through February 14th. See below for more information about kindness week.

All About Kindness Week:

Kindness Week is Monday, February 10th through Friday February 14th. A few things for you to know about: 

• We do not exchange Valentines cards, candy, or treats at school. If your student arrives with Valentine’s cards, candy, or treats, they will be asked to put them back into their backpack to be taken home.

• Get your Kindness Day permission slip (virtually emailed to families) signed by Wednesday February 12th. Classes will be walking to different nearby businesses to deliver hand-made kindness cards to local businesses on Friday, February 14th. We do not need any chaperones for these trips.  

• Be prepared to go rain or shine on Friday, February 14th (half day) – bring a warm jacket, gloves, beanies, etc. If needed because we will be walking outside. 

NEW this year – Kindness Week Food Drive! Let’s spread some kindness by collecting non-perishable food items for A Precious Child. The details: 

• Bring non-perishable food items to your advocacy class from Monday, February 10th – Friday, February 14th. 

• Last year in November we collected 1,100 non-perishable food items! Help us reach our goal of 1,500 this year! 

Monday, February 10th: Spice it up Monday - Dried herbs and spices 

Tuesday, February 11th: Pasta Tuesday - Dried pasta in boxes 

Wednesday, February 12th: Veggie Wednesday - Canned vegetables 

Thursday, February 13th: Toiletry Thursday - Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels 

Friday, February 14th: Fruit-filled Friday - Canned fruits 

In addition, there are different advocacy themes for each day aligned with the different love languages. Here’s a list of things that you can do to support your student’s learning at home. 

Monday, February 10th: Words of Affirmation 

Kindness Week Challenge #1 – Use kind words of affirmation with 3 or more other people you see today. It could be a family member, friend, teacher, grocery store worker, or anyone else. Set aside a few minutes daily where each person gives a positive word or phrase to another family member. 

Tuesday, February 11th: Quality Time 

Kindness Week Challenge #2 – Spend at least 30 minutes of quality time with yourself or someone you love today after school. Have a family game night, movie or show night, cook or bake something as a family, enjoy story time, crafts, exercise, or even some yard work together. 

Wednesday, February 12th: Acts of Service 

Kindness Week Challenge #3 – Do another act of service for someone when you get home! Cook a meal for the family, organize a shared space, help each other with chores, plan a relaxation evening, do a surprise improvement project, or care for a pet together. 

Thursday, February 13th: Gift Giving 

Kindness Week Challenge #4: Deliver the gift you made today in class to the person you made it for. Talk about how giving someone a gift made you feel. Dedicate an evening to creating homemade gifts for each other, create a family shared photo album, playlist, or video.  

Friday, February 14th: Kindness Day (Half Day) - various walking trips 

Kindness Week Challenge #5: Create a family “Compliment Jar”. Place a jar in a common area. Family members can write positive affirmations or compliments about each other on small pieces of paper and drop them in the jar. 

The RISE theme for this month is generosity. Your students will define emotional generosity as the act of making others feel positive without expecting anything in return. They will learn the importance of generosity and ways they can show generosity to others. Below are some activities you can try at home with your student. Click on this link to find activities you can do at home with your student to show generosity. Link: K-3 Activities

We will also be continuing our work with the Little Spot Curriculum. This week, we will be taking a look back at the Worry Spot, Anxiety Spot, and Confidence spot. If you would like to read the books that we are reading to the students, you can find them on youtube right here! Anxiety Spot Book Read Aloud, Worry Spot Book Read Aloud, Confidence Spot Book Read Aloud 

Reminders:

• Please come into the front office to see if your student’s lost items are inside the lost and found. Our goal is to make sure all the items are returned before Winter Break. 
• Cold Weather is here, so please make sure you are sending your student to school with a warm jacket, gloves, and hat.

Upcoming Events:

• Holiday Shop: December 9th- December 13th
• The Holiday Shop will be open during recess/lunch (Tues- Fri) and after school starting Monday after school.  
• Winter Party: December 20th 
• For our Winter Party, we will have a polar express theme. On this day, we will also be wearing our pajamas all day, so please have your students wear their pajamas if you would like! If you’d like to donate items or your time to our Winter Party (December 20th), please check out our sign-up genius. 
• Winter Break 
• December 23rd- January 10th. Students will return to school on January 13th. 

The RISE theme for this month is generosity. Your students will define emotional generosity as the act of making others feel positive without expecting anything in return. They will learn the importance of generosity and ways they can show generosity to others. Below are some activities you can try at home with your student. Click on this link to find activities you can do at home with your student to show generosity. Link: K-3 Activities

Reminders:

• Please come into the front office to see if your student’s lost items are inside the lost and found. Our goal is to make sure all the items are returned before Winter Break. 
• Cold Weather is here, so please make sure you are sending your student to school with a warm jacket, gloves, and hat.

Upcoming Events:

• Holiday Shop: December 9th- December 13th
• The Holiday Shop will be open during recess/lunch (Tues- Fri) and after school starting Monday after school.  
• Field Trip: December 20th 
• We have a field trip to tour the Hammond Candy Factory. Please fill out this field trip permission form so your student can attend. If you would like to be a chaperone for this field trip, please email me. 
• Winter Party: December 20th 
• For our Winter Party, we will have a polar express theme. If you’d like to donate items or your time to our Winter Party  (December 20th), please check out our sign-up genius. 
• Winter Break 
• December 23rd- January 10th. Students will return to school on January 13th. 

This week we will continue working on our deep dive into our little spot of feelings by talking about how some feelings need other feelings. We will be talking about how our anger spot needs our peaceful spot to help it calm down. We are doing a fabulous job understanding how our spots impact how we are feeling, so we will be digging deeper and finding out how we should help our spots when they get too big.

When you get a chance, please fill out this permission slip for our field trip on November 22nd and if you’d like to donate items or your time to our Gratitude Grub (November 21st), please check out our sign-up genius. 

Upcoming November Events: 

• November 8th: Half-Day
• November 11th: No school, Veterans Day
• November 21st: Gratitude Grub. All of Kindergarten will sit together and share a mini feast in honor of what they are grateful for. 
• November 22nd: Field Trip to Denver Museum of Nature and Science
• November 25th-29th: Thanksgiving Break (Students return on December 2nd)

This Month is following the theme of gratitude. Students will look at their skills, abilities, accomplishments, loved ones, and many things they do have to identify what they are grateful for.Students will be encouraged to promote togetherness and sense of belonging within the classroom, at home, and in the community. 

Upcoming November Events: 

• November 8th: Half-Day
• November 11th: No school, Veterans Day
• November 21st: Gratitude Grub. All of Kindergarten will sit together and share a mini feast in honor of what they are grateful for. 
• November 22nd: Field Trip to Denver Museum of Nature and Science
• November 25th-29th: Thanksgiving Break (Students return on December 2nd)

This week in advocacy we will explore a little spot of anger. Students will identify frustrations related to the situations or events when they are angry (what activates them), how people react differently to the same situation, and how to express anger without hurting oneself or others. 

This is a big topic for our kindergarteners, and we would love for you to practice these skills at home. On Friday, your student will receive a coloring sheet of practices they can use to calm their angry spot. If you have time, please ask them about it and color it in together. These skills are best learned when they are worked on at home as well as at school. 

Halloween Party

The day is upon us! We are so excited to get our costumes and carnival on! Students will have time on Thursday, October 31st to change into their costume. Please don’t send them to school wearing their fun clothes. Costumes should be school appropriate (no face coverings, violent images, etc.) If you’re unsure if the costume is school appropriate, feel free to send an email and I’d be happy to give you some guidance. 

At 1:30pm, students will attend the school carnival hosted by our 5th and 6th graders. At 2:30pm, we will have a Halloween party. If you prefer your student to not participate in Halloween festivities, please email me. 

If you would like to donate an item or your time to our Halloween party (we are looking for 2 volunteers), please check out our sign-up genius here.

Lastly, it is that time of year where it gets pretty cold. Please send our kindergarteners with jackets, gloves, and/or hats when needed. 

This Month, we will focus on the topic of “Using your Voice”. We want your students to feel confident advocating for their needs and the needs of others. We will encourage your students to practice setting boundaries and teach them the power of their voice.

Upcoming Events: 

-Field Trip: Mark your calendars for our very first field trip this year on October 16th. We will be going to MIller Farms and picking vegetables. This field trip is special because your students will get to see a community helper in action as well as see how plants live and grow. If you would like to chaperone, please fill out the background check as soon as possible. You can find that line here. Each class can have a maximum of three chaperones and this is a school event so unfortunately parents who chaperone are the only ones who can attend. If you would like to chaperone, please email me as soon as you can. There are two permission forms for this field trip. One for Westgate found here and one for Miller Farms found here. Students must have both permission slips to attend the field trip. Students will need a packed lunch for this field trip and if possible, wear a Westgate t-shirt. 

-Fun Run: The Rockin' Run Fun Run will support the Music Department this year. This event will be held on October 18th and kindergarten will run at 9:55-10:10 AM. Your student will wear a white westgate rock’n fun run shirt that we will decorate at school. You and your family are welcome to come cheer on your student! 

-Halloween Carnival and Class Party: October 31st: 1:30- if uncomfortable with celebrating this holiday, please reach out and we can find a separate activity for them to do.

Hi families! 

It was such a pleasure getting to speak with each of you! I’m looking forward to our next conference to share more of the awesome work your student is doing in the classroom! A few parents shared that they would like to volunteer in the classroom (yay!), so here's the link to schedule a volunteer time. Be sure to send in a request at least a week in advance. All volunteers must have a background check, which can be found here. I ask families to wait until we have been back for one week after break so we can focus on routines and getting back into a rhythm in our classroom. 

Families also shared that they would like a way to access sight words online, so I scanned our September and October sight words. They can be found here. 

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Here are some important upcoming October events below. Happy Fall Break! 

Upcoming October Events: 

-Field Trip: Mark your calendars for our very first field trip this year on October 16th. We will be going to Miller Farms and picking vegetables. This field trip is special because your students will get to see a community helper in action as well as see how plants live and grow. If you would like to chaperone, please fill out the background check as soon as possible. You can find that line here. Each class can have a maximum of three chaperones, and this is a school event so unfortunately parents who chaperone are the only ones who can attend. If you would like to chaperone, please email me as soon as you can. There are two permission forms for this field trip. One for Westgate found here and one for Miller Farms found here. Students must have both permission slips to attend the field trip. Students will need a packed lunch for this field trip and if possible, wear a Westgate t-shirt. 

-Fun Run: The Rockin' Run Fun Run will support the Music Department this year. This event will be held on October 18th and kindergarten will run at 9:55-10:10 AM. Your student will wear a white westgate rock’n fun run shirt that we will decorate at school. You and your family are welcome to come cheer on your student! 

-Halloween Class Party: October 31st: 1:30- if uncomfortable with celebrating this holiday, please reach out and we can find a separate activity for them to do 

-Johnny Appleseed Day: September 25th is Johnny Appleseed Day! This is a long standing tradition for Westgate kindergarteners. Our festivities that day will include: making applesauce, graphing our favorite apples, writing apple sight words, making a Johnny Appleseed hat/pan, creating a Johnny Appleseed book, and adding an apple to our kindness tree (how can we show kindness?). To make the applesauce we need plenty of apples. Please donate 1 apple to our classroom and have your student bring them in on Monday, September 23rd so we can purchase any extras if needed. 

-Parent Teacher Conferences: They are coming up this week and  will be on September Sept. 26th (Half-Day) and Sept. 27th (Full Day). Each conference should last only 20 mins. The sign-up for conferences has been emailed but you can find the sign- up here and will close on Monday, September 23rd at 4:00 pm, so sign-up as soon as possible.

- Book Fair: The book fair is coming to Westgate! From September 23rd to September 27th, students can purchase books during lunch time. They can also visit with an adult after school and the book fair will be open during conferences! Here is a link to learn more about our book fair and if you don’t want to give your kiddo cash, you can upload money to an eWallet, which they can access at the book fair.

-Fall Break: September 30th through October 11th is our Fall Break, so kick back and enjoy the fall weather with your family and we will see you back on Monday, October 14th. 

As you know from our previous Edlio posts, our class is working on self-awareness. In class, we will be taking a deeper look at emotional awareness through our curriculum, A Little Spot of Feelings, and reread who is scribble spot and how we can become feelings detectives when all of our feelings are tangled together. Here are some awesome activities you can do at home to work on emotional awareness with your kiddos. 

Upcoming: 

-Parent Teacher Conferences: They are around the corner and will be held at the end of the month of September on Sept. 26th (Half-Day: ) and Sept. 27th (Full Day). Each conference should last only 20 mins. The sign-up for conferences will be sent out on Sept. 16th at 4:00pm and will close Sept. 23rd at 4:00 pm. Don't forget to sign up for Mr. Anderson (PE) and Mr. Hopson (music). 

- Book Fair: The book fair is coming to Westgate! From September 23rd to September 27th, students can purchase books during lunch time. They can also visit with an adult after school and the book fair will be open during conferences! Here is a link to learn more about our book fair and if you don’t want to give your kiddo cash, you can upload money to an eWallet, which they can access at the book fair. 

This month, our focus is on Self-Awareness, a key part of our advocacy efforts. Through various activities and lessons, your child will develop essential skills like recognizing their emotions, understanding their strengths and challenges, and learning how their actions impact themselves and others. These skills are crucial for their personal growth and success, both in and out of the classroom. We encourage you to engage in conversations at home about what they’re learning to reinforce these important concepts. 

The following topics will be covered throughout the month of September during advocacy classes--

Emotional Awareness: Recognizing and understanding their own emotions, which helps in managing reactions and building empathy for others.

Self-Reflection: Developing the habit of thinking about their actions, decisions, and behaviors, and how these affect themselves and others.

Strengths and Weaknesses Identification: Recognizing their strengths to build confidence and understanding areas for growth to set realistic goals.

Goal Setting: Learning to set personal and academic goals based on their self-assessment, and developing a plan to achieve them.

Self-Regulation: Developing the ability to manage impulses, stay focused, and persevere through challenges.

Personal Values Identification: Understanding what they value and how it influences their behavior and choices.

Upcoming: 

-Parent Engagement Night: Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 12th from 6:00pm to 7:30pm at Westgate. Come mingle with other kindergarten families and get to know  your student’s teachers. More information will come soon but please leave your kiddos at home for this adult only event.

-Parent Teacher Conferences: They are around the corner and will be held at the end of the month of September on Sept. 26th (Half-Day: ) and Sept. 27th (Full Day). Each conference should last only 20 mins. The sign-up for conferences will be sent out on Sept. 16th at 4:00pm and will close Sept. 23rd at 4:00 pm.