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Ms. Chalstrom's Advocacy

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Chalstrom Last Week Of Kindergarten 2020

Hello Parents, 
Well, it's finally here. The last week of Kindergarten. This has definitely been an eventful year. I have loved every moment of it. I will remember the tears on the first day of school. The hugs each morning after that. I will cherish all of the "ah ha!" and "oh wow" moments that I was able to witness. I have loved spending my days leading your children to their own discoveries about themselves and the world around them. I am so grateful for all of the help, support, and patience you have provided during distance learning. Can you believe we made it through nearly 3 months of distance learning? It wasn't always easy...or pretty...or perfect. But darn it there was progress! I am so very proud of the grit, perseverance, and kindness that each student demonstrated during a time when their world was turned upside-down. Their smiles, giggles, silly faces, and sweet words brightened my day each time we met over Zoom. There were weeks that it was those moments that kept me motivated and driven. I will forever be grateful for the faith you placed in me when you entrusted me with your most precious possession, the hearts and minds of your children. 
Much Love,
 
Laura Chalstrom
 
**Please click the title of this post to download this week's schedule and additional resources. There are additional Zoom meetings and fun end of year activities that you won't want to miss out on. 
 
 
Thursday June 4th 10am - 11am Goodbye Parade at WCS Parking Lot, you can return school items at that time or on Friday
Friday June 5th - Last Day of School and Technology and School Items Returned to Westgate. 

May Advocacy Newsletter Wellness Week Four

For our final Advocacy newsletter, we would like to end our month-long focus on wellness with the themes of service and hope. Resiliency and empowerment grow when people are given the chance to help and make a difference. We have a unique opportunity to encourage students (and each other) to be helpers in our community. 

In Advocacy this year, students have learned about and practiced skills related to self-awareness, self-regulation, bullying prevention, optimism, gratitude, mindfulness, self-compassion, healthy relationships, growth mindset, environmental appreciation, and finally, wellness. As we conclude the school year, let’s take all of these lessons and put them into action! In this newsletter you will find a note from Ms. Novak and Ms. Valenza as well as links to local volunteer opportunities, a message of optimism and an article that makes the connection between "good deeds" and "feel goods." 

 

It has been an honor to share in social emotional learning with you all this year, and we wish you the best this summer. We can't wait to connect in the fall! Until then, remember that you can access the Social-Emotional Resources Page  for resources found in the May wellness newsletters. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Ms. Novak, Ms. Valenza, Ms. Washington, Mr. Chermak and Mr. Rowan

Week 8 Learning Mat and Resources

Hello Parents, 
It was so great to see you all at Parent Teacher Conferences last Friday! It is hard to believe we are rounding the bend to our final days of school. We will maintain our normal learning this week with Moby Max and the learning mat and additional resources. Please click on the title of this post to download the learning mat and resources including a fun new challenge...building a catapult! Please save a paper towel roll for our Friday field trip craft. Next week we will have alternative activities to celebrate our final week of Kindergarten. More details regarding our final week of school will be communicated later this week. If you have any pictures from school activities and field trips please feel free to share them with me via email [email protected]. 
If you have questions or need support please feel free to reach out via email or attend office hours via Zoom. 
Have a Great Week! 
 
June 4th - Goodbye Parade in WCS Parking Lot 10am - 11am.
June 5th - Last Day of School, Yearbook Pick Up, Return Equipment & Technology. 

May Advocacy Newsletter Wellness Week Three

As we continue to uncover the vast and complex topic of Wellness, it is important we continue to acknowledge that maintaining wellness during a global pandemic brings forth unique and unknown challenges. We are five weeks into distance learning and the routines are set, but even though there is a lot to do, we may be a feeling that things are getting to be “too routine” and the repetition is getting, well, boring. Boredom is not just a lack of something to do–because there is always something to do–but our inability to find meaning in a task and to pay attention to it.

With some of us now spending a lot of our time at or around home, where we used to find meaning– our friends, our work, school, clubs, going out to dinner, shopping or the movies–is no longer an option. But it’s just as likely that pandemic anxiety has also been shortening our attention spans. I like to think of boredom as a mindset where we are bogged down by our thoughts and can’t think of something fun to do. This can limit our thinking and lead to our attention wandering, having a lack of interest and feeling empty, tired and restless.

Luckily, we have the ability change our mindset and think about boredom in a whole new way. Crisis can bring out hidden reserves of human resourcefulness and times of struggle can bring out innovative solutions; constraints activate flexibility and scarcity of resources increases our creativity. If we let it, our boredom can help us be resourceful with what we have, it can lead to finding creative ways of seeing the routine in new and different ways, we can unplug and daydream, we can check in with ourselves and reflect on who we are, how we are feeling and find ways we can practice ways of being more resilient when we want to give up. So remember, boredom is ok and can be a good thing! So if you are feeling bored, 1) try to say to yourself, ”It is ok to be bored. How might boredom be a good thing?" 2) Try something totally new this week. 3) Check in with our feelings and see what you need. Get creative and feel free to share a picture with me about what you did as a boredom buster at [email protected]

Week 7 Learning Mat and Resources

Hello parents! 
This week our learning resources should look familiar with our typical math word problems and fluency reading passages. (Just click the title of the post to download) I have also included two additional reading stories with pictures included to support students in practicing sequencing and retelling the events of a story. I have also included resources for this week's challenge: Invincible GRIT! Students will learn about various ways to make a paper airplane, practice flying it, and see if they can make any improvements that might make it fly farther. You can also make various styles of paper airplanes and see if one style flies farther than the other. Have fun with this and allow the entire family to join in! 
 
This week there will not be Field Trip Friday or Friday Closing Circle because I will be holding End of Year Parent Teacher Conferences instead.  If you have not yet, you can sign up for conferences by clicking the link below. Please only sign up for your student's advocacy teacher (me). 
 
 
You can also sign up to have a conference with the special's teachers by clicking the link below. 
 
No School Friday May 22nd - Conferences
No School Monday May 25th - Memorial Day
 
As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns via email or attend my weekly office hours via zoom. 
Have a great week! 

End of Year Conferences

It's that time again! Due to the social distancing requirements we will be doing things a little differently. All Conferences will be held on Friday May 22nd via Zoom online conferencing. Please sign up to meet with your student's ADVOCACY TEACHER ONLY (me). An email with the Zoom link and password will be sent out as conferences draw near. I look forward to meeting with you all soon. Thank you!
 
 
 
 
Have a great weekend!
 
Laura Chalstrom

 

May Advocacy Wellness Week 2

Thank you all for joining Westgate on our wellness journey in Advocacy this month! Advocacy is a cornerstone for Westgate’s program because we believe that all people thrive when their social emotional needs are being met. We hope to help our students build social emotional skills, learn to connect their bodies and brains through physical wellness, and build and maintain powerful community relationships. Physical, mental and emotional wellness is the foundation of this work.

In this newsletter, you will find a message from Ms. Novak around wellness and the changes we are all experiencing. You will also find links to different workbooks, cards and activities that can help you and your family identify and work through emotions and engage in self-care. I have also left links to the wellness BINGO cards and the Virtual Calming Room. We hope you have time to engage in these activities by yourself or together, and know that we can make it through the Pandemic and Distance Learning together. #bettertogether

 
Kind Regards,

David Rowan

Week 6 Learning Mat and Resources

Hello Parents, 
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed some time outside in the beautiful weather. This week there are a few small changes in our learning mats. I have mixed up some familiar activities and added a few new activities for students so be sure to check that out. Also, I have included a chore chart as part of this week's Glorious Kindness Challenge. To access all additional materials just click on the title of this post, download the PDF, and print at home! 
Enjoy your week and please reach out via email or during my Zoom Office Hours. 
Thank you for partnering with me in support of your child's learning! 

Week5 Learning Mat and Resources

Hello Parents!
Can you believe we have been chugging away at this distance learning thing for over a month now? I know there have been ups and downs. Days where kiddos are engaged and excited and days where it is a struggle with meltdowns. All of this is normal! Change is not easy in the best of circumstances and there is an ebb and flow as we power through this last full month of the school year together. I am so proud of the hard work and dedication students and parents are demonstrating during this time of uncertainty. 
Attached to this post is our weekly learning mat and additional learning resources. Just click on the title and download the file. These activities are not required, but are an additional source of learning and support for your student. If you have any questions or need support this week feel free to reach out via email or attend my Zoom Office Hours. 
Keep up the good work! 

May Advocacy Update: Wellness 5/4/2020

Hello Parents!
As we head into March, our Advocacy theme will focus on wellness. With Westgate’s focus on whole-child education, our idea of wellness includes the physical, mental, social and emotional aspects of wellness. We believe that when our physical, mental and social systems are working together in a healthy way, we are able to more fully achieve our goals and the vision we have of ourselves. This week we will provide you with various recourses that you can use to maintain or increase your overall wellness (just click on the title of this pst to download the file). Enjoy the interview, have fun with the Bingo cards and use the Virtual Calming Room when needed. Even if we can’t be together at school, we can still find ways to stay connected. #bettertogether
 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

 
  • Monday – Sunday, MAY 4 – MAY 10; Virtual Scholastic Book Fair
  • Monday – Friday, MAY 4 – MAY 8; Teacher Appreciation Week
  • Friday – May 8; Community Connect via Zoom
  • Tuesday – May 12; Board of Directors Meeting
  • Friday – May 15; Community Connect via Zoom
  • Friday – May 22; NO SCHOOL, Teacher Work Day
  • Monday – May 25; NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day
  • Thursday – June 4; Virtual Conferences with Advocacy Teacher
  • Friday – June 5; Last Day of School
 

SUNDAY, MAY 3rd = LAST DAY TO ORDER A YEARBOOK
Available for $30. Order online thru Entourage Yearbooks. 

​​​​​​​DRIVE -THRU STUDENT BELONGINGS PICK-UP – Monday, May 4th
If you receive an email from your student’s Advocacy teacher letting you know your student has some belongings at school, please follow the schedule below. 

Last Name

Timeframe

A-F

9a.m. – 10a.m.

G-L

10a.m. – 11a.m.

M-R

11.am. – 12p.m.

S-Z

12p.m. – 1p.m.

This is a drive-thru pick-up and there will be teachers and staff in the parking lot to direct traffic.

If you have been notified that you have belongings to pick-up but you can’t make it at your scheduled time, please email the Advocacy teacher to reschedule to another date/time when staff will be at school.

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK

These are suggestions; do what makes you happy and what you can!

Monday:  Send your teacher(s) a "silly face" selfie or draw them a picture.

Tuesday:  Send your teacher(s) a compliment.

Wednesday:  Send your teacher(s) your favorite joke to make them laugh.

Thursday:  Send your teacher(s) a nice poem or a note of gratitude.

Friday:  Send your teacher(s) a cute/funny gif, meme, or video clip (:10 sec or less).

Families can consider sending online/e-gift cards via email directly to teachers and staff!  See Staff Gratitude Surveys here: https://www.westgateschool.org/apps/pages/EventsAndFundraisingCommittee

​VIRTUAL CONFERENCES
Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, June 4th with your student’s Advocacy teacher.  Detailed information will be sent out as soon as it is finalized.  Students are encouraged to attend along with their family.

 

Week 4 Learning Mat and Resources

Hello Parents, 
Attached you will find this week's learning mat and additional resources (click on the title of this post or check you email). Remember that the additional resources are not required. I am excited to hear all of the positive feedback with the new learning board and fluency board games. This is an ever changing process and I know we are all doing the best we can. I appreciate your support and patience so much! 
 
We are doing "Field Trip Friday" on Fridays.   Your child can choose to either go on the "trip" or can choose to do MobyMax. I will also be emailing another read aloud and "project" later this week, so be on the lookout. 
 
This week Ms. Valenza has put together another round of engaging and informative learning experiences for students. Be sure to check out her classroom page or check your emails for more information!  
 
IMPORTANT! Personal Belongings Pick Up: Monday, May 4th
Also, Westgate has put together time for parents to come by the school to pick up personal belongings left in cubbies and classrooms. Your student's advocacy teacher will communicate with you if you have any belongings that need picked up. If so, please follow the directions below. If you do not hear from your student's advocacy teacher by Friday it is safe to assume that your student does not have anything to pick up at this time. 
You will find the specific time you can arrive at the school based on the first letter of your student's last name. Belongings that are not located or in the lost and found will not be available and will have to be picked up at a later date when it is safe for people to gather in larger numbers. Please understand that these precautions are in place to protect the health and safety of our community and staff. 
 
No need to call ahead or get out of your car. Upon arrival to Westgate, please pull your car to the front of the building and call Ms. Natalie at the school's main number of 303-452-0967. Ms. Natalie and volunteers will collect your student's belongings and a Westgate staff member will bring the items out to you. We ask that you please use personal protective health measures during the pick-up. And, if there is a line, please follow carline protocol.
 
Monday, May 4 Pick-up schedule:
 
9 - 10 AM - Last name A-F
10-11 AM Last Name G-L
11 AM - noon Last Name M-R
noon - 1 PM  Last Name S-Z
If you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to reach out via email or attend my weekly Zoom office hours.
 
Thanks so much for your hard work and support. Here is to another great week filled with fun and learning! 

Advocacy Activities 4/27/20-4/30/20

Dear Kinder families,  

This week is the end of April, the end “Earth Month.” I don’t see it like that. I see it as a path to greener ideas, simpler ways of living, and a heightened awareness of the beauty in our natural world.  

I hope you enjoyed doing these activities. It was a lot of fun to put together and I thoroughly enjoyed staying connected with you this month.  

I’m here if you need me. Nature is also always there if you need it.  

I hope you have a great week.  

Best, 

Mrs. Valenza  

Kinder Advocacy Activities  

Monday - Nature is magic! Today’s nature craft is to make a stick wand. Go find a really good stick that feels right when you hold it in wand position. If you can find some small sticks, leaves, or pinecones those may be nice to have to add to the end of your wand. Then ask your parents for some string and get to decorating. Wrap the string around the stick however you’d like. You can use some of the string to hang leaves, sticks, pinecones, or flowers off the end. Once you’re wand is done, decide which powers your wand has and how can you use those powers for good. Send a picture to Mrs. Valenza with your wand.  

 

Tuesday – Head to Mrs. Valenza’s Staff Profile Page to hear her reading Not For Me, Please! I choose to act green by Maria Godsey.  

 

Wednesday It has been hard to not be able to go where you want, see who you want, when you want. Today make a list, journal, or draw a picture about all the places you want to visit once the “Stay at home” order has been lifted. Hopefully this will keep your spirits lifted and remind you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Share your list with someone you trust.  

                For Mrs. Valenza, she wants to go camping in Moab, have a picnic at Chautauqua, and buy a plane ticket to go see humpack whales in Hawaii. 

 

Thursday Today, go outside! Here are a few ideas: You could build a bee water station --> https://carolinahoneybees.com/diy-bee-waterer/ 

Add some pollinator plants to your yard or porch. Call your local nursery to see if they have any of these plants.  --> https://resourcecentral.org/5-plants-for-your-colorado-pollinator-garden/ 

Have a picnic outside.  

Just sit on your porch and watch the world pass by. 

 

Advocacy & Earth Day Activities

Monday- Mrs. Valenza will be doing a live Zoom with the chickens and goats at 12:30pm! Tune in to see the ladies and ask questions.  

                   Time: Apr 20, 2020 12:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada) 

                  Meeting ID: 951 417 9342        Password: check email

 

Tuesday - Westgate kids are natural problem solvers. There are 2 ways you can problem solve today.  

    1. Think of a problem you’ve seen in your house, your neighborhood, your city, Westgate, the world and create an invention to fix that problem. An app that tells people where their food came from? A drone that picks up trash along highways? Think big!  

    2. Create a way to get people to do something positive for the environment.  Hand out bee hives to every school? Give every house 3 new trees to plant? Give everyone who picks up trash $100? Think big! 

Wednesday- You have 2 options today...Join the Lorax and Mr. Rowan for a live reading of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Or head to Mrs. Valenza’s staff profile page to hear a pre-recorded reading of the story.  

                   Topic: The Lorax Read Aloud with Question and Answer 
                   Time: Apr 22, 2020 01:15 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada) 
                   https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79083049885?pwd=cXdiMk9vYjh6Z2Y4dGl5NHpvUVJHQT09 
                   Meeting ID: 790 8304 9885 

                   Password: check email 

 

Thursday – Today your walk is going to get a little interesting! Have your parent, your sibling, your dog, whoever you’re walking with say “Hot” or “cold.” If they say “hot” you have to run/walk to a sunny spot. If they say “cold” you have to run/walk to a shady spot. Have fun seeing how many different spots you can find for both hot and cold. Send a picture to Mrs. Valenza with the coolest shadow you can find!  

 

Friday - Today you’ll need a piece of paper, a pencil, and the “Directed Drawing” video from Mrs. Valenza’s Staff Profile Page. You can’t know what we’re drawing but it’s going to be good!  

Week 3 Learning Mat and Resources 4/20/20

Hi Parents, 
Over our first two weeks of distance learning I have received some really helpful feedback via Moby Max and parent emails. I appreciate your willingness to jump in and continue to use a resource that is new and pushes all of us out of our comfort zone.
 
I have made a few small changes and improvements to our weekly learning calendar to include more play based engaging learning opportunities in literacy, math, and general exploration. I have also included additional math, literacy, and online resources for those families that wish to print them off and use them. These additional resources are not required and will not be graded, but do provide learning opportunities for students struggling with being on the screen for extended periods of time. 
 
Also, I have made some small changes to Moby Max to include a more game based platform which will hopefully increase or maintain engagement. So, students will complete 10 minutes of the learning module (click on the books icon and select the subject area) followed by 10 minutes of Fluency Board Games (found in the assignments tab). 
 
This week I will also be emailing a link to a read aloud and fun activity that connects to our reading. Keep an eye out n your emails for that. 
Remember to check in on the classroom pages for our specials teachers as well! I know they have set up some fun learning activities and the chance to Zoom with them as well. 
 
Have a great week and feel free to reach out at any time. Thank you so much for partnering with me to support your child's learning!