Hello Advocacy Families!

I am Marcella Haupt (I go by 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,

Mrs. Haupt

Dear Families,

Starting next week, our pod will be participating in a new school program called Nourish in Nature. As part of this environmental education initiative, students will enjoy lunch outdoors during their regular lunch block.

• 7th/8th Grade: Thursdays
• Lunch Time: 12:15–12:45 p.m.

To help students make the most of this experience, we ask that, if possible, lunches brought from home do not require microwaving only on Thursdays. This allows students to spend the entire lunch period outside, increases their daily time in nature, and gives our pod the opportunity to eat all together.

Students who receive a school lunch will have their meals brought outside and served as usual. At the end of lunch, students will clean up their eating area and return indoors to resume classes.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're excited to offer this new opportunity for our students!