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Ms. Haupt, Advocacy

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February

Dear Families,

This month, our school’s advocacy focus is Empathy and Kindness. Empathy is a key part of our school-wide RISE program and plays an important role in helping students grow both socially and emotionally.

When students practice empathy, they learn to understand different perspectives, show compassion, and respond to others with kindness. These skills help strengthen our school community, deepen relationships, and create a more respectful and supportive environment for everyone.

Throughout the month, students will participate in discussions and activities designed to help them recognize feelings in themselves and others, appreciate differences, and make thoughtful, caring choices. We encourage families to continue these conversations at home by talking about kindness, listening to others’ viewpoints, and modeling empathy in everyday situations.

Important Dates

  • Friday, February 13: Half-day for Professional Development
  • Friday, February 13: Students will take a field trip to deliver Kindness Cards (look for a digital permission slip)
  • Monday, February 16: No school for President’s Day
  • Friday, February 20: 7th Grade Field Trip to Nederland for Snow School with Wild Bear Nature Preserve (look for a digital permission slip)

 Kindness Week at Westgate: Feb 9–13 

We’re excited to celebrate Kindness Week with this year’s theme, Planting the Seed: An Acorn of Kindness. Students will take part in daily activities that grow compassion, connection, and community.

Our 7th and 8th graders are also leading a schoolwide food drive benefiting A Precious Child. Our goal is 2,000 non‑perishable items, with themed donation days to guide contributions:

  • Mon 2/9 – Protein Monday
  • Tue 2/10 – Pasta Tuesday
  • Wed 2/11 – Canned Veggies Wednesday
  • Thu 2/12 – Toiletries Thursday
  • Fri 2/13 – Canned Fruit Friday

 

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to help our students RISE and build a strong, connected community.

Warmly,

Mrs. Haupt

January

Dear Families,

Happy New Year! As we begin Semester 2, January’s Advocacy theme will focus on growth mindset.

We will be encouraging students to see learning as a process that involves perseverance, problem solving, and resilience. Students will be reminded that challenges are a natural and important part of learning, and that mistakes are not failures, but opportunities to learn, reflect, and grow. Through discussions and activities, we will help students practice strategies such as trying different approaches, asking for help when needed, and staying motivated even when tasks feel difficult.

Our goal is to empower students to believe in their ability to grow through effort and persistence. When students develop a growth mindset, they become more confident learners who are willing to take risks, learn from setbacks, and problem-solve independently.

You can support this theme at home by praising effort rather than perfection, encouraging your child to talk about challenges they faced, and asking what they learned from mistakes. Simple messages like “Keep trying,” “What can you do differently next time?” or “Mistakes help our brains grow” make a big impact.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to help students start Semester 2 strong and confident.

 

Important Dates

Monday, January 19th: No school to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day

 

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Warm regards,

Mrs. Haupt

November

November’s Advocacy Focus: Gratitude

Students will do the following:

  • Look at our skills, abilities, accomplishments, loved ones, and the many things we have, to identify what we are grateful for.
  • Work on increasing happiness with activities that promote a sense of togetherness and belonging with our advocacy, POD, friends, and family.

 Important Dates

Friday, November 14th : 8th Grade Field Trip to Front Range Community Collete

Friday, November 7: Professional Development - Half Day Dismiss at 11:30

Monday, November 10: Veterans Day – No School

Friday, November 14: 7/8 Dance 6-8 pm at Westgate $3 (DJ and light snacks provided)

Monday, November 24 – Friday, November 28 Thanksgiving Break – No School

Email with and questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Haupt

Let's Gogh! Fun Run

Don't forget the Let's Gogh! Fun Run will be happening on September 26th! Here are the run times for the different PODs:   
 
SCHEDULE OF RUN TIMES:
  • 5th & 6th Grade:  8:30 - 8:50
  • 3rd & 4th Grade:  9:00 - 9:15
  • 7th & 8th Grade:  9:25 - 9:50
  • Kindergarten: 10:00 - 10:15
  • 1st & 2nd Grade: 10:25 - 10:40
  • High School: 10:50 - 11:15 
Be sure to encourage your family and friend to sponsor your student and have them in before October 3rd to count toward your student's award achievement! Find more information on the Westgate FUN RUN page! 

September

Greetings Advocacy Families,

Welcome to September! This month our Advocacy theme is Self-Awareness. For this theme we have two learning goals that we want students to work towards.

Goal 1: Students will practice identifying their emotions and leveraging their strengths to overcome challenges.

Goal 2: Students will be able to name the things that make them unique, and how those character traits help them succeed in their personal and academic endeavors.

As we are over halfway through the first quarter, 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

Important Dates

  • Sept. 5th is Picture Day!  
  • Sept. 8th – 12th is Spirit Week
    • Monday: Rainbow day
    • Tuesday: Crazy Hat/Hair Day
    • Wednesday: Westgate Wednesday
    • Thursday: Throwback Thursday
    • Friday: Pajama Day
  • Sept 19th: Half Day
  • Sept. 24th: Student Count Day
  • Sept. 26 & 27th are Conferences. Sept. 26th is a Half Day- dismissal is at 11:30 am. 
  • Sept. 30- Oct. 13: Fall Break! 
  • Oct. 2nd: Half Day/Conferences
  • Oct. 3rd: No School/Conferences

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Haupt

August Advocacy

Hello Advocacy Families!
I am Marcella Haupt (the kids call me Mrs. Haupt) and I am your child’s Advocacy Teacher/ Advocate. Advocacy is more than a Homeroom. Advocacy classes are first and foremost a time for students to build supportive relationships with their peers and with an adult they can trust. It is a time for everyone to feel recognized and welcomed into the school community. As your child’s Advocate, I will be your primary point of communication, and I am committed to advocating for your child this year.
I have subscribed you to my Advocacy page and my classroom pages, so you will receive updates to your email automatically. You can use the link below to access my page.
On my pages, I will be posting academic information on my Edlio every week for you to review. Monthly, I will post Advocacy specific information.
We have sent home two documents that we would like you to read over with your student, sign, and send back.
  1. Behavior and Expectations
  2. Electronic Use Agreement
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 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 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.
I am excited for the new school year and getting to know you and your student!
Sincerely,
Marcella Haupt