Ms. Hamilton, Advocacy, 1st/2nd

Instructor: Kris Hamilton
Department: 1st and 2nd Grade

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Hamilton's Advocacy Update October 2026

Upcoming events:

Monday, October 16^th First Day of Quarter 2

Tuesday, October 20^th Dave and Busters Spirit Night

Monday, October 26^th Individual Retake Photo Day

Friday, October 30th Westgate Trunk or Treat

Friday, October 30^th Halloween Parties

Attendance:

In 1st Grade, our days are packed with hands-on learning, social growth, and discovery right from the moment the morning bell rings! When students are present and on time, they feel confident, prepared, and ready to take on the day.

Why Morning Arrival Matters: Our morning routine sets the tone for the entire day. Arriving on time allows your child to unpack calmly, greet their classmates during morning circle, and participate in our morning meeting without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.
Why Consistent Attendance Matters: Early literacy and math skills build on each other day by day. Missing school means missing direct instruction and collaborative group activities that are hard to replicate at home.

October Advocacy Focus: Using Your Voice & Bully Prevention

This month, our focus is on using your voice and bully prevention. Everyone can share their voice to prevent bullying. Whether you’re a student, educator, parent, or community member. Some key things to think about.

A focus on preventing bullying is important, as is promoting positive actions such as kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.

Bullying affects witnesses as well as targets. Those who witness bullying often report feeling unsafe, helpless, and afraid that they will be the next target.

Students who bully others can also be negatively affected by the behavior with higher rates of physical and emotional health issues.

Bullying is not only devastating while it’s happening; research shows that the negative effects can last a lifetime.

Students can be especially effective in bullying intervention. It’s important for adults to encourage youth to be supportive of anyone experiencing bullying and to educate youth on how to advocate for themselves and for others.

Everyone’s actions matter; we all have a role to play in bullying prevention. Our message to others is stronger when we are united by the common principle that bullying is never acceptable

Halloween Day at Westgate– 2026

K-8 Halloween Team Party Guidelines

These are student parties, no young children/siblings may accompany volunteers for Team Parties.

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 (after lunch for 5/6), 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.
Adults and HS students can wear their costume to school, but all above expectations must be followed.

Spot Curriculum for Social Emotional Learning

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 discovering 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!

Mrs. Hamilton's 1st Qtr Conference Sign Ups

Good Afternoon,

Our Fall Conferences will be held VIRTUALLY on Thursday, October 8th, from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM and IN-PERSON on Friday, October 9th, from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Please sign up for only one conference slot.

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!

Mrs. Hamilton's Sign Up Genius

I-lab Sign Up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FA8A922A5F5C07-65979703-ilab

PE Sign Up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FA8A82BA3F8CE9-65979802-pefall

Hamilton's September Advocacy Update

Dates and Announcements:

Friday, September 4 8:00-11:30 AM	Half Day – Dismissal begins at 11:30 AM
Friday, September 4	Westgate Fun Run for iLab
Friday, September 4 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM	Kidz Day In
Monday, September 7	NO SCHOOL – Labor Day
September 14-18	Book Fair
September 14-18	Spirit Week
Wednesday, September 16 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM	Westgate Spirit Night at Skate City
Wednesday, September 23 9:30 AM – 10:30 PM	Panda Express Spirit Day
Tuesday, September 29	Understanding Giftedness and the Six Profiles of the Gifted and Talented
Wednesday, September 30	Last Day of 1^st Quarter Clubs

Reminders:

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.

Specials: Our Special is I-Lab. We will switch to PE on September 7.

Kidz Day In - Need care for your K-6 kids on September 4^th(the half day)?
- Our High School Team and Mx. Catie are offering Kidz Day In from 12:00 to 4:00 PM.
- Only $50
- Fun, games, and pizza will be provided in the High School pod after school.
- Pick-up will start at 3:45 PM
- Space is limited, so be sure to sign up soon! Use the link below. https://campscui.active.com/or…
Spirit Week – More details to come.

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.

Fidgets: While toys are prohibited, students are welcome to use fidgets in the classroom as tools to help them focus and pay attention. We have reviewed our fidget expectations and discussed the difference between using a fidget as a tool and using it as a toy. Fidgets should stay in a student's hands or on their desk without distracting themselves or others. Students should continue listening, thinking about the lesson, and looking toward the teacher or group while using their fidget. Students may not touch another student's fidget or share fidgets with others. If a fidget becomes distracting or the expectations are not followed, it may be put away and tried again at another time. Acceptable fidgets should are quiet and handheld. Examples include: squishies, marble mesh fidgets, small pop-its, wacky tracks, snake cube, Tangle Jr, stress balls, Needoh Nice Cube, flippy chain, infinity cubes, etc.

Volunteers – Interested in volunteering?
- Complete an online Volunteer Interest Form
- Complete a background check. Cost is $20.95
- Complete a Volunteer Agreement Form
- Volunteer Opportunities:
  - Tear out pages from Math Workbooks and staple into packets.
  - Repair damaged books from my classroom library.
  - Help with Friday Folders on Thursdays or Fridays.
  - Work one-on-one with students to complete unfinished classwork.
Advocacy:
- Our September Advocacy theme is Self-Awareness. This month, our class will primarily concentrate on exploring feelings and emotions.
- This week, we will begin using the “Spots” to help us identify feelings and emotions. Our September learning objectives are:
  - Students will learn new vocabulary that describes their feelings and emotions.
  - Students will learn to recognize feelings and emotions in themselves and others.
  - Students will learn the benefits of emotion check-ins.
  - Students will learn how to identify emotions when they are happening simultaneously.
  - Students will learn how to associate colors with feelings and emotions.

August Advocacy Update

Dates and Announcements:

Monday, August 24th 1-2 Parent Engagement Night 6:30-7:30

Tuesday, September 1 Events Committee Meeting

Friday, September 4th Fun Run for I-Lab/ 11:30 dismissal

Reminders

1^st and 2^nd Grade Parent Engagement Night
- No students, please.
- Parents and Guardians of 1^st and 2^nd 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, the week of August 17. If you would like to sign up, visit the school’s clubs page. First Quarter Clubs will run August 17 – September 30.
Specials: Our current special is I-lab. We will stay in this special until September 4.
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 9:30, and Afternoon snack is at 1:30. 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). Donations of emergency snacks are always welcomed.
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, smartwatches, tablets, AirTags, 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 at the end of the day.
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
- 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 RRISE (Respect, Resilience, 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 show RRISE (Respect, Resilience, Integrity, Safety, Empathy).

Week 2

What does RESPECT mean?

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

Week 3

What does RESILIENCE mean?

To bounce back after working through hard things.

Week 4

What does INTEGRITY mean?

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

Week 5

What does it mean to be SAFE at school?

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

Week 6

What is EMPATHY?

Understanding and caring about the feelings of others.

We will be teaching students what these 5 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.

Mrs. Hamilton's Advocacy Update 8-3-26

Hello!

My name is Mrs. Hamilton, and I am your child’s Advocacy Teacher/ Advocate. Advocacy is more than just Homeroom. Advocacy classes are first and foremost 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 into the classroom and school community. As your child’s Advocate, I will be your primary point of communication, so feel free to reach out to me at any time especially if it will impact them at school. I am committed to advocating for your child this year.

I am a 1st-grade teacher here at Westgate. This will be my 18th year at this amazing school and my 27 year of teaching! I previously taught at Stargate Charter School in Thornton. I received my Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education and post-graduate hours in early literacy. My passion is helping students find their love for reading. The mission and vision of this amazing school keep me coming back year after year and being amongst a team of educators that put the social-emotional and educational needs of each student first is such a blessing! In my personal life, my husband and I have four amazing kids and one fabulous grandbaby that we love spending time with. We also love to travel and explore new places.

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.

Your child’s specials teachers for the first quarter are Mr. Elliott for I-lab and Mr. Anderson for PE. You are not pre-subscribed to their Edlio pages. To subscribe, you can click on their names in blue, and that will take you directly to their pages. Once you are one their page, you can click the button that says, “Subscribe by Email”.

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