Skip to main content

Ms. Reeder, Advocacy, 2nd

Posts

Advocacy Reminders 9/30/25

Dates and Reminders:

Mon 9/29/25 – 10/3/25

Elementary Scholastic Book Fair

Tue. September 30

Evening Exploration with iLab

Wed. October 1

Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-Ups close

Student Test Score and Report Cards Emailed out

Thursday, October 2

1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Half-day – Carline begins at 11:30 AM

Quarter 1 Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences

Friday, October 3     

8:00 AM – 8:00 PM            

NO SCHOOL

Quarter 1  In-person Parent-Teacher Conferences

October 4 - October 19

Fall Break – No School

October 20

1st Day of 2nd Quarter

 

Parent-Teacher Conferences:

Our Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held VIRTUALLY on Thursday, October 2 from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM and IN-PERSON on Friday, October 3 from 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM. Please sign up for only one conference slot.

SIGN UP LINK

Please note that you may not request a virtual conference on the in-person day or an in-person conference on the virtual conference day. 

I look forward to meeting with you!



Scholastic Book Orders

This year, our class is excited to read with Scholastic Book Clubs! It’s a great way to build up your child’s book collection at home and help them improve their reading skills. And when you shop with Clubs, your orders earn points I can redeem for books and other classroom supplies we need.

 

Here’s how it works: I’ll send home flyers like these throughout the year. If you decide to place an order, you can do that through our class ordering page. Your books will arrive at school about 10 days after I submit our classroom order.

 

By teaming up with Scholastic, we’ll help your child become a more confident, independent reader—and we’ll build a classroom library all of my students are excited to explore!

 


Shop our class page: https://orders.scholastic.com/YGYPH

 

Happy reading!

NINA REEDER
Class code: YGYPH

September 2025 Advocacy Update

Dates and Announcements:

Friday, September 5

Individual Picture Day

September 8 – 12

Spirit Week

Monday, September 15

Hearing Screenings

Thursday, September 18

Spirit Night at Parry’s Pizza

Friday, September 19

Half Day – Dismissal at 11:30 AM

Friday, September 26

Fun Run

Mon 9/29 – 10/3

Elementary Scholastic Book Fair

 

Reminders

  • Picture Day is coming on Friday, September 5!
    • You can place your order on mylifetouch.com by using your Picture Day ID: EVT3GHHTT. Order before midnight on Picture Day to get FREE shipping! Your child can also bring their completed flyer with cash or a check on Picture Day.
    • Orders after Picture Day must be placed online only on mylifetouch.com
  • Westgate Spirit Week: September 8th
    • Monday: Rainbow Day
    • Tuesday:  Crazy Hair/Hat Day
    • Wednesday: Westgate Wednesday
    • Thursday: Throwback Thursday
    • Friday: Pajama Day
  • Specials: Our new special is iLab. We will stay in this special until Oct. 17. You can subscribe to Mr. Elliott’s Edlio page here.
  • Water and Snacks: Please remember to send your child a spill-proof, reusable water bottle that is labeled with their name. In addition, students eat snacks twice a day. Morning snack is at 9:15, and Afternoon snack is at 1:15. Healthy snacks are always the best option. Please make sure your child knows which food is for their lunch meal and which food is for their snacks. Please do not send cookies or candy for your child to eat during the morning snack time. Emergency snacks are provided to students who do not bring a snack from home (while supplies last).
  • Friday Folders - Your child should have a Friday folder that comes home each Friday. Please review the folder with your child and return it to school empty each Monday.
  • Toys are strictly prohibited for all students. To ensure a safe and focused learning environment for all students, please make sure that your child is not bringing toys to school.
  • Technology – Please do not send your child to school with any devices, such as phones, smart watches, tablets, air tags, etc. Per school policy, if these items are brought to school, they will be turned off and placed in a lock box in the morning and returned in the afternoon.
  • Infinite Campus Phone App: I would like to invite you all to regularly check Infinite Campus to check on your student's grades and identify any incomplete or missing assignments that may need to be finished.

 

 

Advocacy: Little Spots of Feelings and Emotions Curriculum

We’re Learning with Little Spot of Feelings and Emotions!
We are so excited to introduce the Little Spot of Feelings and Emotions program in our classrooms! This curriculum uses colorful characters and engaging stories to help students learn about their feelings—like happy, sad, frustrated, and calm—and how to handle them in positive ways. Through fun activities and conversations, students discover how to recognize their emotions, express them kindly, and understand the feelings of others. These important skills help us create a caring, respectful classroom community where everyone feels safe and supported!

So far, we have learned about the scribble Spot, which is when you have more than one feeling at a time. For example, during back-to-school time you can feel excited and nervous. Last week, we read A Little Peaceful Spot and learned how to find and use a “peaceful spot” to help calm down when experiencing big feelings. Students practiced strategies such as taking deep breaths, imagining a calming place, and thinking kind thoughts. We discussed times during the day when using a peaceful spot can help them feel more in control and ready to learn.

Next, we will read A Little Spot of Anger and learn healthy ways to manage feelings of anger. Students will explore how anger feels in their body and practice strategies to calm down before acting—such as taking deep breaths, counting to ten, and walking away to cool off. We’ll talk about how expressing anger in safe, respectful ways can help solve problems and keep relationships strong.

Advocacy Update: August 2025

Dates and Announcements:

Thursday, August 14

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

1st & 2nd Grade Parent Engagement Night

Week of August 18

After School Clubs begin

Wednesday, August 20

11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Red Robin Spirit Day & Night

Tuesday, August 26

Westgate Spirit Night at Skate City

Friday, August 29

8:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Professional Development Day – Half Day. Dismissal is at 11:30

Monday, September 1

NO SCHOOL – Labor Day

 

We had a great first week getting to know each other! We learned about routines and expectations in our classroom and around the school. We did several activities to get to know each other. We began doing academic work on Wednesday.

 

Reminders

  • 1st and 2nd Grade Parent Engagement Night
    • No students, please. 
    • Parents and Guardians of 1st and 2nd-grade students only.
    • This is an opportunity for you to connect with and get to know other parents & guardians as well as the 1st and 2nd grade teachers.
    • Come for merriment and connections!
  • Clubs: After-school enrichment clubs begin NEXT week. If you would like to sign up, visit the school’s clubs page. First Quarter Clubs will run from August 18 – October 1.
  • Specials: Our current special is Art. We will stay in this special until Aug. 30.
  • Water and Snacks: Please remember to send your child a spill-proof, reusable water bottle that is labeled with their name. In addition, students eat a snack twice a day. Morning snack is at 9:15, and Afternoon snack is at 1:15. Healthy snacks are always the best option. Please make sure your child knows which food is for their lunch meal and which food is for their snacks. Please do not send cookies or candy for your child to eat during the morning snack time. Emergency snacks are provided to students who do not bring a snack from home (while supplies last).
  • Toys are strictly prohibited for all students. To ensure a safe and focused learning environment for all students, please make sure that your child is not bringing toys to school.
  • Morning and Afternoon carline are “hug and go” only. The staff asks that you please stay in your vehicle and allow your child to exit the vehicle on their own.  This will allow the flow of traffic to move quickly.
  • Friday Folders - Your child should have a Friday folder that comes home each Friday. Please review the folder with your child and return it to school empty each Monday.
  • Technology – Please do not send your child to school with any devices, such as phones, smart watches, tablets, air tags, etc. Per school policy, if these items are brought to school, they will be turned off and placed in a lock box in the morning and returned in the afternoon.
  • Infinite Campus Phone App: I would like to invite you all to regularly check Infinite Campus to check on your student's grades and identify any incomplete or missing assignments that may need to be finished.

 

ZERO WASTE WEDNESDAYS!

How It Works:

  • Every Wednesday is “Zero Waste Wednesday” here at Westgate. What this means is that if students have lunch that doesn’t use any waste AT ALL (i.e., nothing to throw away, like baggies, cans, plastic cups, paper lunch bags, etc.), then their names will be entered into a raffle. Ten raffle winners will receive recognition over the intercom on Fridays for being the Zero Heroes of the Week.
  • *Students who have school lunch will qualify if they accurately sort their lunch into the appropriate trash and recycling AND have a reusable water bottle for the day*
  • Bonus Recognition: If there is an entire classroom that has zero waste lunch one day, the entire class will receive recognition automatically.
  • Extra Bonus Recognition: The class with the most days with all Zero Heroes at the end of the year will be considered the Zero Hero champions of the year!
  • Why:
    • The goal is for families to start the conversation about alternatives to lunch waste, like glass or plastic lunch containers, reusable lunch bags and water bottles, and cloth napkins. If a student has any item that must be thrown away (at school or at home) their names will not be entered, and they can try again next week and every week after that. Hopefully, this will instill changes that will go far beyond Wednesdays during lunchtime at Westgate. https://www.westgateschool.org/apps/pages/waste

 

 

  • Advocacy: Our August Advocacy theme is RISE (Respect, Integrity, Safety, Empathy)!
    • At Westgate, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a part of our Whole Child Education program. PBIS is a system in which students, staff and the community create a set of school-wide behavioral expectations/core values, we teach those expectations in all our various environments, and then we CELEBRATE when we see students doing those things! At Westgate, we RISE (Respect, Integrity, Safety, Empathy).

Week 1

R

What does RESPECT mean?

Being kind to people, property, and yourself. Being considerate of our community.

Week 2

I

What does INTEGRITY mean?

Telling the truth and doing the right thing even when nobody is looking.

Week 3

S

What does it mean to be SAFE at school?

Act in ways that won’t harm yourself or others.

Week 4

E

What is EMPATHY?

Understanding and caring about the feelings of others.

 

We will be teaching students what these 4 words mean—focusing on a different part of RISE each week—and what it looks like to live these values out during school and at home. We will use RISE all year to celebrate positive behaviors.

Welcome to the 2025-2026 School Year!

Hello! 

My name is Mrs. Reeder, and I am your child's teacher/Advocate.  Advocacy classes are, first and foremost, a time for students to build supportive relationships with their peers and with an adult they can trust, as well as learn about social and emotional health. It is a time for everyone to feel recognized and welcomed in the classroom and school community. As your child’s advocate, I will be your primary point of contact, so please feel free to reach out to me at any time. I am committed to advocating for your child this year. 

I have subscribed you to my Advocacy and Academic pages through Edlio. Edlio is our means of posting information to our class pages on the Westgate website. You will receive updates to your email automatically whenever I post to Edlio. You may also receive an email from me with the same information.   

  This quarter, your child will have Art with Ms. H and I-Lab with Mr. Elliott. You are not pre-subscribed to their Edlio pages, so please go to Ms. H’s and Mr. Elliott’s Edlio Pages on the Westgate Specials pages and subscribe.  

This month, our August Advocacy theme is RISE! 

At Westgate, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a part of our Whole Child Education program. PBIS is a system in which students, staff, and the community create a set of school-wide behavioral expectations/core values. We teach those expectations in all our various environments, and then we CELEBRATE when we see students doing those things! At Westgate, we RISE (Respect, Integrity, Safety, Empathy). 

 

Week 1 

R 

 

What does RESPECT mean? 

Being kind to people, property, and yourself. Being considerate of our community. 

Week 2 

I 

 

What does INTEGRITY mean? 

Telling the truth and doing the right thing even when nobody is looking. 

Week 3  

S 

 

What does it mean to be SAFE at school? 

Act in ways that won’t harm yourself or others. 

Week 4 

E 

 

What is EMPATHY? 

Understanding and caring about the feelings of others. 

 

We will teach students what these 4 words mean—focusing on a different part of RISE each week—and what it looks like to live these values out during school and at home. We will use RISE all year to celebrate positive behaviors. 

I am excited for the school year and am looking forward to working with you and your child to help them grow!