💛 Hello Advocacy Families!

Last week, our class explored how to show kindness, take turns, and help others when things feel tricky. We practiced using our words and calm-down tools to solve problems and make sure everyone feels safe and heard. Our classroom community is really growing! 🌱

This week, we’re learning about empathy with the book:
📘 A Little Spot of Empathy by Diane Alber
[ Story Link 🎧📖]

Through this story, we’ll discover how to:
✨ Recognize how someone else is feeling
✨ Understand how our words and actions affect others
✨ “Step into someone else’s shoes” to show care and compassion

Students will act out empathy scenarios, draw faces with feelings, and create “Empathy Spots” to remind us to lead with kindness. 💕

🧠 At-Home Connection

Keep the empathy growing at home with these simple, heartwarming ideas:

• Feelings Detective: Look at faces in books or movies and ask, “How do you think they feel? How can you tell?”
  
  
• Switch Shoes Challenge: Pretend to be each other for five minutes—what did you learn about how others feel?
  
  
• Kindness Chain: Add a new link every time someone shows empathy or kindness at home!
  
  

📅 Upcoming November Events

🕓 Thursday, Nov. 7 – Half Day
 

🎖️ Monday, Nov. 10 – No School (Veterans Day)
 

🍂 Thursday, Nov. 20 – Gratitude Grub
We’ll celebrate friendship and thankfulness with a cozy classroom meal! Look out for a sign-up sheet for snacks and sides. If you would like to donate items for this event, please sign up here. 

🚌 Friday, Nov. 21 – Field Trip to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS)
Please send a packed lunch and wear comfy shoes—it’s going to be an exciting day of discovery! We need chaperone’s for this field trip! Ms. Lane’s class has room for two more chaperone and Mr. Bakers class needs four chaperones. Please complete the permission slip here. 

🍁 Monday, Nov. 24–Friday, Nov. 28 – Thanksgiving Break
No school! Enjoy time with loved ones and share what you’re grateful for this season.

💬 Talk About It

Here are some great dinner-table questions to spark empathy conversations:
• “How can we show empathy to someone having a hard day?”
• “When was the last time someone showed empathy to you?”
• “What does it mean to ‘walk in someone else’s shoes’?”

Our class is learning that empathy makes our community stronger and our hearts a little bigger. 💛
Thank you for continuing to help your child practice kindness and understanding each day.

We will be talking about the Little Spot of Sadness this week, and how we can regulate our bodies when we are in this spot! Students will be able to recognize when they are feeling sad, as well as what to do when we need to make our sadness spot smaller! 

The story is linked here. 

Upcoming Events: 

On October 31st, we will have our Halloween Party!! Students will have their Halloween party in the afternoon and will be able to change into their costumes BEFORE the party. 

If you would like to donate an item or your time to our Halloween party (we are looking for 2 volunteers for each classroom), 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. 

Halloween Costume Expectations

Costume expectations for all Adults and students:

• No Masks or face coverings
• No Full Face Paint (partial face paint is allowed if a student can apply it themselves in the time they have to get ready before class parties). Face paint may not be worn to school.
• No Weapons or anything that can be used as a weapon
• No inappropriate or offensive costumes – all body parts must be covered
• Students K-8 may NOT WEAR THEIR COSTUMES TO SCHOOL. Students can bring their costumes and they should stay in their backpacks until they are allowed to change into them at 1:30, prior to the parties. Students will be in regular classes during the morning, and the costumes and their pieces and parts should not be a distraction.

We will also be continuing our work with the Little Spot Curriculum. This week, we will be taking a look at the Worry Spot and Anxiety Spot. Students will learn skills on how to shrink their spots of worry and anxiety. 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 and Worry Spot Book Read Aloud

Upcoming Events: 

On October 31st, we will have our Halloween Party!! Students will have their Halloween party in the afternoon and will be able to change into their costumes BEFORE the party. 

If you would like to donate an item or your time to our Halloween party (we are looking for 2 volunteers for each classroom), 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. 

Halloween Costume Expectations

Costume expectations for all Adults and students:

• No Masks or face coverings
• No Full Face Paint (partial face paint is allowed if a student can apply it themselves in the time they have to get ready before class parties). Face paint may not be worn to school.
• No Weapons or anything that can be used as a weapon
• No inappropriate or offensive costumes – all body parts must be covered
• Students K-8 may NOT WEAR THEIR COSTUMES TO SCHOOL. Students can bring their costumes and they should stay in their backpacks until they are allowed to change into them at 1:30, prior to the parties. Students will be in regular classes during the morning, and the costumes and their pieces and parts should not be a distraction.

Upcoming Events

🌟 Spirit Week: September 8–12 🌟

We are excited to celebrate Spirit Week! Here’s the schedule for each day:

• Monday, 9/8 – Rainbow Day
  Wear bright rainbow colors to school! 🌈
  
  
• Tuesday, 9/9 – Crazy Hat or Hair Day
  Show off your wildest hat or wackiest hairstyle. 🎩💇
  
  
• Wednesday, 9/10 – Westgate Wednesday
  Wear your Westgate gear or school colors to show your pride! 💙
  
  
• Thursday, 9/11 – Throwback Thursday
  Dress up from your favorite past decade. 🕺🎶
  
  
• Friday, 9/12 – Pajama Day
  Roll out of bed and head to school in your comfiest PJs. 💤
  
  

🚜 Field Trip: Thursday, September 25

We will be heading to Miller Farms for our first field trip of the year!

• Please pack your child a disposable sack lunch.
  
  
• Dress for outdoor activities (closed-toe shoes recommended).
  
  
• We are looking for four parent chaperones to join us—please let me know if you’re interested. Chaperones are required to fill out the background check as soon as possible. You can find that line here.

Welcome to Kindergarten at Westgate! We are so excited to have you! This year we are going to hit the ground running and begin with kindergarten norms, which include sharing (but not germs), hands to ourselves, respect for classmates/material, and all of the engaging routines we have to make a safe classroom. You might have noticed this is an Advocacy page. I am your students' advocacy teacher, which means I am one of your students' advocates. It is my job to have your students back, always look for positive intent, and overall find ways to support their needs. On our advocacy page, I will share updates, important information, and what we will be doing during our social emotional block. For the month of August, we will be taking a closer look at our school wide RISE values (Respect, Integrity, Safety, Empathy). Your students have the opportunity to earn a RISE ticket by showing these values in our classroom. These tickets are intentionally given and when your student receives one please celebrate with them.  

Here are some important reminders for next week: 

• Snack: Bring two healthy nut-free snacks (no candy please). We have a morning snack and an afternoon snack time. 
• Lunch: If you have not ordered a school lunch, please provide a student with a lunch from home. If you would like to start signing up for lunches for the next month, here is the link. 
• Water bottles: while we have a drinking fountain in our pod, it’s helpful for students to have water in the classroom. 
• Show and Share: starting next week, we will begin Show and Share! Students will bring in one item from home that can fit in their backpack to share with our class. Show and Share items must remain in their backpacks throughout the day until it’s time to present. Students will have a specific designated day to bring in their show and share. The schedule will be shared with families on Friday. 
• Extra Clothes: Please provide an extra set of clothes in their backpack in case of accidents. If your student has an accident, their clothes will be returned in their backpack in a plastic bag.