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.