Thank you all for the lovely Teacher Appreciation treats and Gifts. Last week was absolutely amazing and it felt so good to be appreciated.  It is always surprising how the end of the year can creep up on us.

 

This week, students made beautiful tissue paper flower bouquets for our amazing Seniors as they proceeded through our hallowed halls of Westgate.  It is such a thrill to teach in a school where students go from K-12. I attended a K-12 school here in town, as well. Westgate is a phenomenal school and the joy that was seen on our proud graduates as the younger students celebrated them was incredible.

 

Monday May 11, the 5/6 pod has their health day. Tuesday, the 5th graders will be on an all day field trip, and Wednesday the 6th graders will be on their all day field trip. Students need to pack a sack lunch for their field trips.  

 

We have been preparing for out Service Learning Showcase which students will be presenting to a 3/4 class.  In turn, we will have a presentation given by the 7/8 learning about their Service Learning project.  It is wonderful how Mrs Kahn has developed a program that builds so much community and provides opportunities for students to learn from each other.  We are so grateful for Mrs. Kahn's leadership.

We will continue our SEL lessons on Social Awareness.

 

Have you signed the permission slip for your student for April 30 Washington Street pick up, yet? Thank you, if you have taken care of this. Ms. Calder sent out an e-mail a couple of weeks ago.  Please search it up and sign the permission slip if you haven't done so, yet.

 

Today is the last BUDDY PROJECT day for our 5/6 and 1/2 pods.  We will start preparing presentations for the younger kids about our experiences, the next few weeks.  It has been a wonderful experience for all.  

 

Can you believe we only have 6 weeks left this year? Where has time flown? We still have plenty to do.  Wishing you all WELL!

This week we will have our second week of CMAS testing on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Students will be taking English Language Arts. Makeups will be given in the afternoon and next week.  As always, students should be well rested and have a protein filled breakfast.  

 

Last week, Ms. Calder sent out a field trip permission slip for our April 30- Earth day activity.  If you have already signed it, thank you! The information about the activity and the permission slip are both contained in the e-mail from Ms. Calder. Please sign it so we can plan accordingly.

 

A few friendly reminders for lunch:  

-Only HOT LUNCH has utensils provided.  COLD Lunch must provide your own utensils. We do not have extras available.

-Only water in water bottles allowed during class.  Other drinks are permitted during lunch.  I have noticed some kids pour their soda or flavored drinks into their water bottles. We have this rule to help keep our classrooms clean.

-No Nutella

 

 

 

This month in Advocacy we will be focusing on Social Awarness.  Ms. Dewar sent an informative newsletter with a lot of information in it for you. Make sure to review the information.  

 

We start CMAS testing this week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It is important to have your student to school on time, please.  Also, NO electronics are allowed in the room during testing, Unless these devices are absolutely necessary, it is best to have your student leave them at home.  Please remind your student to turn in their devices to our lock boxes, One cell phone not in the lockbox can make all test invalid for the entire testing group in the room.

 

This week will have our service learning project on Monday.  The students have built some adorable relationships with their buddies.  The 1st graders in Mrs. Koenig's class light up when they see their buddies.  The 5/6 graders always reflect on how much they love working with the kids.  

 

In Advocacy, our theme for March will be Mindfulness.  We will explore mind-fullness and develop tools to help students stay more connected and present.

 

It is time for conference sign ups.  You will receive an e-mail from your child's ELA/Math teachers with links to sign up for conferences at the end of day on Monday 2/2.  Those e-mail's should also include links for your child's 2nd and 3rd quarter Specials. Please reach out to the respective teachers id you have questions about their sign-ups.

 

A few reminders:

-Students who bring lunch must bring their own eating utensils! We do not have extras to share.  

-Students who order lunch must take the lunch. If your child does not like something, please do not order it.

- No Nutella

-other than lunch, students may only have water in their water bottles.

-candy can only be consumed during lunch

-snacks can be eaten when hungry but should be small. 

 

 

We had a wonderful time visiting Murphy Company on Friday 2/13. It was so lovely to see the smiles on the faces of the employees receiving the handmade cards.  The children were also equally happy to hand them out.  We all go to sit in their big conference room on some pretty fancy chairs learning about all the amazing things the company does.  Be sure to ask your students who attended what they learned about.  They also had some sweet treats ready for the kids that made them all happy.  When we returned to school, Monty was back.  What a lovely miracle to have our beloved Monty back at Westgate.

 

Also, thanks to all of you who helped out this past Kindness week.  It meant a lot to all of us to have such wonderful parental support for our amazing community.  

 

Enjoy Monday off and see you all back at school Tuesday February 17!

We kicked off Kindness Week Friday and explored our school wide theme with an adorable story about an Acorn.  Students also worked on the difference between sympathy and empathy.  We have a busy week of activities planned. 

 

We do not celebrate Valentine's day at Westgate so please have your students leave cards, candy, and other things like that at home.  Instead, we have many activities planned. Monday, we will focus of self-love. We also have another Buddy activity planned. Last week the older students helped the younger ones design their very special Pokemon.  It was so heartwarming to see the budding friendships developing.  

 

Don't forget about the food drive being put on by the 7/8 pod.  In addition, we will be walking to Murphy, a business near our school.  We will be spreading our kindness with homemade cards for the employees there.  If you still would like to join us this Friday (8:15-10:00), please e-mail me.  

 

Don't forget, Friday 2/13 is a half day!

We will meet with our buddies this week on Monday. During Advocacy, we are exploring self-awareness vs. self-control.  

Students should remember to pack eating utensils for their lunches and snacks brought from home. 

 

Welcome back from what I hope was a wonderful break for all.  Monday, we begin our Buddy program. Our advocacy is paired up with 1st graders in Ms. Koenig's class.

 

Our group will now have iLab as their special for the next 4 weeks.  

 

A few friendly reminders:

-Students should consume all beverages other than water before they enter the classroom.

-Please, no Nutella or Bananas in our classroom due to allergies.

-When Fidgets become toys, they will be asked to remain in the child's backpack.

-If your child is  bringing a lunch from home, please remember the eating utensils, too!

-Remind your student to turn in all electronics to our lockbox for the day. Please refer to the handbook for the policy on this.

 - Make. sure all water bottles and clothing items are labeled.  It makes it easier to get the items to their owners.

 

Students needing to take the ACCESS for ELD will begin this week.  Dibbels testing for Reading will take place, as well. 

 

As usual, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. If it is specific to an academic class, you can reach out directly to that teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

We made it to the last week of 2025! There is a lot planned for this week with SPIRIT week.  In addition, we will finish MAP testing and make-ups and wrap up the week with a 5/6 POD Winter Celebration Friday afternoon.There will be movies and a craft/room. A sign-up for bringing snacks for the entire POD to share is available.  

I just wanted to let you know that Saturday (today) is the Barnes and Noble Westgate Fundraiser.  As I have not met many of you yet, I wanted to let you know that I will be there around 11:30am if you would like to say hello and have a face to my name. 

I wish you all a wonderful week as we slide into the winter break. For all those celebrating holidays over the break, I wish you seasons’ greetings.  While this time of year can be hectic, it also can be filled with precious family moments.  

  

If you missed the e-mail about the celebration, here it is again!

Hello 5/6 families,

Thank you for your continued support this season. As Winter break approaches, we’re planning a Winter celebration on December 19th with one craft/coloring room and three G‑rated movies.

We would greatly appreciate help with snacks. Please sign up using the attached SignUpGenius. Remember:

• All food must be individually wrapped.
• All snacks must be banana‑free and nut‑free (including peanut, tree nut, coconut, hazelnut, or any other nut).

If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you so much for your help and generosity!

Sincerely,

5/6: Holiday Party - December 19, 2025

5/6 team

🫶 Advocacy

MAP testing for ELA and Math will take place this Thursday and Friday morning. 📝💻

On Monday, students will be presenting their activity ideas for our service learning project mentoring our Buddies. We will be paired up with Ms. Koenig’s first graders. 🌟👧🧒 The mentoring will begin when we return from Winter Break during the 3rd quarter. Students have already been paired with their first-grade Buddies and will meet them after Break. 💬🤝

We also invite you to join us at our Barnes & Noble event this Saturday, December 13, from 9:00am–9:00pm. 📚✨
It’s a wonderful opportunity to support our school community and celebrate a love of reading together while doing some Holiday shopping!