Dates and Announcements:

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

• 1^st and 2^nd Grade Parent Engagement Night
  • No students, please. 
  • Parents and Guardians of 1^st 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 1^st and 2^nd 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.
  • Click on the following link to create your Infinite Campus account if you do not already have one.
    • https://4.files.edl.io/8b72/09/15/22/164611-24e1a24a-402c-49de-9a50-97e1e60c66bd.pdf
  • The following link will help you set up the Infinite Campus App, which is nice to have as you can set it to notify you whenever a grade is entered for your student.
    • https://1.cdn.edl.io/X3X3DBQ7iIoHx1h6P5aI99A0RyC52XnQd9k5SnwDVIODKHgl.pdf

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

• Volunteers
  • Complete an online Volunteer Interest Form
  • Complete a background check. Cost is $20.95
  • Complete a Volunteer Agreement Form
  • Volunteer Opportunities:
    • Repair damaged books from my classroom library.
    • Help with Friday Folders on Thursdays or Fridays.
    • Facilitate class Scholastic Book orders.
    • Put labels on books for my classroom library.

• 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).

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!