This month’s focus in advocacy is Bully Prevention. We will be talking about what bullying is and is not, including identifying between rude/inappropriate behavior vs. actual bullying behavior. We will also be coming back to re-learning and refocusing on using our school’s “Enough” Protocol. We will also be talking a lot about kindness. Please participate in these conversations with us by talking to your kids at home about what they are learning here.

Our pod will have a Halloween Celebration on October 31^st for Halloween. Look for a food and activity sign up for parents coming out soon. Also, remember to send costumes with your student and not have them wear it to school. They will be allowed to put them on prior to the party. Make sure costumes meet the school’s guidelines (this includes no masks) before sending them, please.

Starting on Friday, October 18th, we will be doing Service Learning. During quarter one, each student completed a survey and was able to choose from many options. Students will know which group they were placed into this week if they have not already been told. Service Learning will take place every other Friday from 10:15 - 11:15. High school students will facilitate this learning with a teacher present. The idea is that each group is working on a project throughout the entire year that they are passionate about and will help our community in some way. If you have additional questions, please contact your child’s advocacy teacher, or Chandra Valenza at [email protected]. Since this takes place during our math time, we will move math to 12:40 - 1:30 on these days. From 2:30 - 3:15 on these Fridays, we will be using this time to revisit & reinforce certain language arts & math concepts.

It is starting to get colder! Students will need to bring jackets outside for recess. Each student is responsible for bringing their jacket outside. Students will not be allowed to reenter the building to get their jackets if they forget. Please reinforce this responsibility with your child at home.

 

If you are interested in volunteering, please check the following link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f44ada923a2f58-34pod

We do need a volunteer parent to organize the Halloween Celebration – you can sign up for this using the link.

Upcoming:

Friday, October 18: Picture Retakes

Friday, October 25, 5-7 pm: Westgate Trunk or Treat

Thursday, October 31: Halloween Celebration Party

Over the break, I was married and am excited to share with the students my new name : Mrs. Maslen. 

We will be finishing up beginning of the year testing this week and will begin transitioning into needs based classes on Wednesday (tentative).  Please understand that placements are preliminary and are based on our best judgement using the data and knowledge of the kids that we have available to us, as well as scores from last year and input about what curriculum they have already been exposed to.  Adjustments may need to be made at a later date so each child is in the right class, so please be understanding if changes have to be made later.  
Plan to attend 3-4 Curriculum Night presentations on Thursday, August 29th from 6-7 to hear more specifically about what each teacher will be focusing on in their curriculum this year.  You will attend 20 minutes with your child's advocacy teacher to hear about advocacy, social studies, and science.  Then 20 minutes with your child's literacy teacher and 20 minutes with their math teacher.  

Welcome back!  We are excited to get started and get to know all of our students!

Important Dates

Tuesday, August 13th - Board of Directors Meeting: 6:30 - 8:30

Friday, August 16th - Picture Day

Thursday, August 29th - Curriculum Night: 6:00 - 8:00

Friday, August 30th - No School

Monday, September 2nd - No School (Labor Day)

Communication

The best method of communication for all 3-4 teachers is email.  You should always receive a response within 48 hours (excluding weekends).  We love communication and believe it is valuable for our students to know that their teachers and parents are working together for their benefit.  Please see the communication pathway in the Community Handbook which suggests always communicating with your child's advocacy or content area teacher regarding concerns first.

Advocacy

The school-wide advocacy focus for the month of August is Starting Strong & Self-Awareness!  This includes relationship and community building, social and emotional integration and regulation, academic tools, organization and time management, as well as the culture of school in general.  We will be talking a lot about procedures, expectations and class/school norms this first month in order to set the stage for a productive and successful school year. Please subscribe to your child’s advocacy teacher’s page so you can easily find and see updates!

Schedule

We will remain in advocacy classes this week for the morning only.  We will begin switching for Science and Social Studies in the afternoon this week.  3rd graders will have Mrs. Dorschner for Science & Mr. Hepner for Social Studies. 4th graders will have Ms. Tomlin for Science & Mr. Baldwin for Social Studies.

MAP Testing

This week, we will be MAP testing.  This is one tool that helps us to appropriately place students into proper content area classes.  Please speak with your child about ways in which they can do their best. Here is the schedule:

Monday, August 12: Math

Thursday, August 15: Reading

Friday, August 16: Language Usage 

Carline

Please remind your child to check out with their advocacy teacher during carline pickup.  In addition, please make sure your information is up-to-date with the front desk. Teachers can only dismiss students who are on the approved pick-up list.  Please contact Natalie or Rochelle to do this. In addition, if you have more than one child at Westgate, all children must wait with the youngest child at carline.  

In the event of inclement weather, we will do indoor dismissal.  All older siblings should go to the classroom of the youngest sibling.  We will dismiss students via radio and send them out to carline when their cars approach the front of the line.

Snack

Each class will have snack at some point in the morning.  Please do not send your child to school with candy or treats as a snack.  The snack should be (somewhat) healthy. Cookies, brownies, & similar items are considered treats.  A good snack to bring would be fruit/vegetables, cheese, jerky, etc...  

Birthdays

If it is your child’s birthday, please communicate with their advocacy teacher about bringing in a treat for the entire class.  

Recess

If your child brings roller skates, skateboards, or scooters, they must have a helmet to wear.  Shoes with rollers built into them are not allowed at school.  

Background Checks

If you are interested in volunteering or eating the occasional lunch with your child, you must complete a background check.  If you have already done this, please make sure your background check is up-to-date. Please contact Rochelle or Natalie at the front desk to do this.