DISTANCE LEARNING INFORMATION AND REMINDERS 

Remember: We are now back in our Distance Learning model.  There are NO in person classes.  Please join me for our Zoom classes.  Schedule and login information were sent in email, on paper with hybrid students, and are posted in Teams. 

Please refer to class pages and Teams for daily To-Do Lists.  Assignment instructions will be provided during Zoom classes and/or attached to the assignment in Teams. 

If students are unable to attend a Zoom class, they need to watch the video recording on their own time.  They will be posted each day to the Stream tab in each class Team. 

PICTURE DAY(S) 

Picture days will be Wednesday, October 28, and Thursday, October 29. These days are for students and staff who did not get their picture taken in September, and for students who would like retakes. *Retakes will only be given if the student brings the original photo package back to the photographer.* In general, we will be photographing in-person learners on Wednesday (because that is not costume day!) and online learners on Thursday. Online learners need to contact me for a time slot for Thursday. A staff member will be coming to the classrooms on Wednesday with the list of those students who did not already get the picture taken. 

UPSTANDERS MOVIE SCREENING 

October is Bullying Prevention Month and we have the honor of doing a virtual screening of the documentary The Upstanders.  On Wednesday, October 28th at 6pm there will be a virtual screening of the documentary as well as a panelists discussion of the film.  Email [email protected] with any questions. We hope to see you there! 

Late/Missing Work:   

-All assignments close after two weeks on Teams. If it is being turned in past that you will need to reach out to me so that we can discuss why it is so late and so that I can open the assignment back up for you.   

-If you are absent on an in-person day or are sick at home on an online day, and you cannot do your schoolwork, then you need to watch the instructional videos and makeup the work within two weeks.    

Important Dates:  

Oct. 26th-30th- Spirit Week  

Oct. 27th- Board of Directors Meeting   

Oct. 28th and 29th- Picture Retakes  

Original Works:   

It is that time of year for our annual ‘Original Works’ fundraiser. For those who are new to the school or for those who have forgotten – because of all the things we have to remember these days – this is a fundraiser where kids create artwork in the “classroom”, and families have an opportunity to purchase products with their creative artwork on them. The school gets a percentage of all sales. This is typically our 3rd largest single fundraiser of the year, but with things being so different, it has the potential to be one of our largest fundraisers for the current school year.   

*Please see the Look What’s Coming and the Parent Ordering Form attachments for more details.   

Important Original Works Dates:   

Now until October 16th – Kids will create their artwork.   

October 19th through November 2nd – Families will be able to order products on the Original Works website.   

November 2nd – Order deadline date to guarantee all orders are turned around quickly and in plenty of time for the holidays.   

Late November to Early December – Products will be delivered directly to families’ homes.  

As always please email with any questions!

[email protected]

October is Bullying Prevention Month and we have the honor of doing a virtual screening of the documentary The Upstanders. Being an upstander is being someone who takes action when you see someone being bullied. You are bound to see some familiar faces as the documentary was filmed at Westgate.  

 On Wednesday, October 28th at 6pm there will be a virtual screening of the documentary as well as a panelists discussion of the film. These panelists include our very own Ms. Washington, Mrs. Novak, and Mrs. Collins as well as the director, Scilla Andreen. The link will be available through the newsletter in coming weeks. Email [email protected] with any questions. We hope to see you there! 

MAP Reports: 

Will be out by this Friday, October 23.  

Misc: 

-There will be office hours on Fridays 2-3 pm through Zoom and that information is posted in our Advocacy Team.  

-There will not be any birthday treats allowed this quarter.   

Late/Missing Work:  

-All assignments close after two weeks on Teams. If it is being turned in past that you will need to reach out to me so that we can discuss why it is so late and so that I can open the assignment back up for you.  

-If you are absent on an in-person day or are sick at home on an online day, and you cannot do your schoolwork, then you need to watch the instructional videos and makeup the work within two weeks.   

Important Dates: 

Oct. 21st- Spirit Night at Freddy’s 4 PM – 8 PM (14255 Lincoln Street, Thornton, CO 80023)  

Oct. 26th-30th- Spirit Week 

Oct. 27th- Board of Directors Meeting  

Oct. 28th and 29th- Picture Retakes 

Original Works:  

It is that time of year for our annual ‘Original Works’ fundraiser. For those who are new to the school or for those who have forgotten – because of all the things we have to remember these days – this is a fundraiser where kids create artwork in the “classroom”, and families have an opportunity to purchase products with their creative artwork on them. The school gets a percentage of all sales. This is typically our 3rd largest single fundraiser of the year, but with things being so different, it has the potential to be one of our largest fundraisers for the current school year.  

*Please see the Look What’s Coming and the Parent Ordering Form attachments for more details.  

Important Original Works Dates:  

Now until October 16th – Kids will create their artwork.  

October 19th through November 2nd – Families will be able to order products on the Original Works website.  

November 2nd – Order deadline date to guarantee all orders are turned around quickly and in plenty of time for the holidays.  

Late November to Early December – Products will be delivered directly to families’ homes. 

As always please email me with any questions!

[email protected]

Hey everyone!!

Our theme for October is Bully Prevention 

-Watch Lesson Video: Notebook setup & Q2 expectations/procedures 

-Set up your notebook (according to directions in video): 

• Number the pages 
• Insert tabs 

• Paste Q2 calendars into each section (T/Th hybrid students will receive these at school on Thrs. 10/15) 
• Table of Contents 
• Weekly To-Do List for each subject 

-Watch Video: Using Flipgrid  

-No matter what style of learning you are part of this quarter, you are all full-time students.  That means you have lessons and assignments all 5 weekdays!   

-What does that mean if I’m a Hybrid student? 

• 2 days at school with in-person instruction and assignments 
• 3 days of online learning at home with prerecorded lesson videos and independent assignments 
• Things you need to have every day, at home and at school: Interactive Notebook, Travel Journal for Reading, colored folders with printed copies for notebooks 
• On school days – bring a lunch that’s ready to eat (NO MICROWAVE), a snack, and a water bottle 

• Do NOT bring computers between home and school 
• Do NOT bring any stuffies or toys 
• If I am sick and there is no sub to cover the day, you will be emailed as soon as I know, so please check emails daily! It will then be an online day for you.  

-What does that mean if I’m an Online student? 

• Zoom Advocacy with Valenza (see her email for details, let me know if you did not receive this) 
• Prerecorded lesson videos and independent assignments every day, Monday-Friday, all located on Teams. 

-There will be office hours on Fridays through Zoom and that information will be posted to our Advocacy Team. 

-There will not be any birthday treats allowed this quarter.  

Late/Missing Work: 

-All assignments close after two weeks on Teams. If it is being turned in past that you will need to reach out to me so that we can discuss why it is so late and so that I can open the assignment back up for you. 

-If you are absent on an in-person day or are sick at home on an online day, and you cannot do your schoolwork, then you need to watch the instructional videos and makeup the work within two weeks.  

Original Works: 

It is that time of year for our annual ‘Original Works’ fundraiser. For those who are new to the school or for those who have forgotten – because of all the things we have to remember these days – this is a fundraiser where kids create artwork in the “classroom”, and families have an opportunity to purchase products with their creative artwork on them. The school gets a percentage of all sales. This is typically our 3rd largest single fundraiser of the year, but with things being so different, it has the potential to be one of our largest fundraisers for the current school year. 

*Please see the Look What’s Coming and the Parent Ordering Form attachments for more details. 

Important Original Works Dates: 

Now until October 16th – Kids will create their artwork. 

October 19th through November 2nd – Families will be able to order products on the Original Works website. 

November 2nd – Order deadline date to guarantee all orders are turned around quickly and in plenty of time for the holidays. 

Late November to Early December – Products will be delivered directly to families’ homes. 

Important Dates for the Month: 

Oct. 14- First day of Quarter Two for ALL 

-Highschool takes PSATs 

Oct. 15th- School Accountability Committee meeting 

Oct. 21st- Spirit Night at Freddy’s 4 PM – 8 PM (14255 Lincoln Street, Thornton, CO 80023) 

Oct. 27th- Board of Directors Meeting 

Oct. 28th and 29th- Picture Retakes 

As always please email me with any questions!

[email protected]

This week during our Advocacy meetings, we will: 

• Self-Care final check in 
• Share the final research for our service-learning project and decide on project(s) and other next steps. 
• Play some Science choice project Kahoots! That classmates made  

Important Dates: 

• Sept. 28-30th- Regularly scheduled Zoom classes these days and work for students  
• October 1 & 2- No School, Conferences, and carline tag/picture pickup 
• October 1-13th- Student Fall Break 
• October 14th- First day of Quarter 2 (see email from Advocacy Teacher about Hybrid placement) Let me know if you do NOT receive this email from me on Friday, Sept. 25th 

As always please email me with any questions! 

[email protected] 

This week during our Advocacy meetings, we will: 

• Self Care check in 
• Self Care together- drawing tutorial to de-stress 
• Go over Any questions about late work/missing assignments 
• Share research for our service learning project and look at our next steps 

*I will be entering and updating grades all week long. ALL Q1 Late and missing work is due by WEDNESDAY. If an assignment is assigned on Wednesday or Thursday to be due on Thursday I will NOT take it past midnight Thursday.  

*I will be posting grades for you to view the following Monday, Sept. 28 before conferences.   

*The IC parent portal will be unavailable for the week due to district maintenance. Please email me if you would like a list of missing assignments. Also- check the assignments that have been returned on Teams. Several just because it was turned it doesn’t mean it was done or completed. I have returned a lot of 0’s.  

As always please email me with any questions!

[email protected]

Westgate knows that many of our students enjoy socializing and simply having the opportunity to be together... even virtually! Beginning next Friday, September 4th, Katie Goforth and Julie Ruhl will be hosting grade level Social Zooms for all students in [insert grade level]. Social Zooms are intended to be an unstructured space for kids to connect. Ms. Katie and Mrs. Ruhl are hosting the Zoom, but the purpose of the Social Zoom is to allow students to connect organically. They will ensure the Zoom remains school appropriate, safe and comfortable for all students! 

• There will be a 30 minute Social Zoom in the morning, and a 30 minute Social Zoom in the afternoon so that we can be flexible with family schedules. 
• In [insert grade level i.e. 3rd Grade], the Social Zooms will be from [10:30am-11:00am and 2:15pm-2:45pm]
• Here is the AM [10:30am] Link:
• Here is the PM [2:15pm] Link:
• Social Zooms are completely optional! You can join none, one, or both! 
• Ms. Katie and Mrs. Ruhl will be monitoring the Zoom to maintain school expectations. If there are concerns during the Zoom, they will provide warnings and redirect behavior, but if the behavior continues, the student may be removed from the Zoom. 
• If you have any questions, please email [email protected] - we hope to see your student Friday!

Welcome to our first week of full time Distance Learning!  It was great to get to see so many students in person during orientation, and I’m excited to continue working with you all online this quarter!

Here is an overview of what you need to know to support your 6^th grader as we begin this adventure:

• Class Pages for each subject include a detailed breakdown of day-by-day activities and assignments
• ALL assignments will posted in Microsoft Teams, where I have provided detailed instructions, due dates, and links to forms, OneNote pages, video resources, etc. that students will need to complete the assignments
• Students should attend all synchronous Zoom classes if possible
• Recorded Zoom classes for core content areas will be posted to our Stream Video Channel in Teams for students to watch if they can’t make it OR just want to see my lesson again as a review
• For reasons of students’ safety and privacy, they MUST use their First Name and only Last Initial when logging into Zoom classes. To make this easier, especially to those sharing devices at home, I encourage you to set up a free Zoom account for each family member.
• Class schedule with Zoom meeting IDs and passwords was emailed on Aug. 14 and 21st and is posted under Files in the Advocacy Team
• The email sent Aug. 19 includes numerous tutorial videos for accessing essential software and websites
• This is new for all of us – please be patient with yourself, your student, and with me. When we work together, we will rock this!
• If you aren’t sure, ask! [email protected]

This week during our Advocacy meetings, we will:

• review our essential software and website platforms
• share tips and tricks for planning a workspace
• work together to create individual work schedules
• start discussing our service learning project assigned to us by Ms. Valenza

Welcome back! We are excited to get started and get to know all our students! Since there is so much that will look different this year, please take the time to read the entire update. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to your child’s advocate. 

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Zoom Link & Office Hours 

All our meetings will be on Zoom, including office hours. My office hours can be accessed by clicking the link below. Please check your e-mail for the password. My office hours will be on Mondays from 12:30-1:30 pm, and on Thursdays from 1:30-2:30 pm. Office hours are a great time to ask questions, find clarification, or get additional instructions on an assignment. 

Monday: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82150520888?pwd=L3JDcjRPUk1WTVpiNWZXVUx6YVFVQT09 

Meeting ID: 821 5052 0888  

Passcode: Please check your e-mail for the password 

Thursday: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86324204029?pwd=NjRMUlVHanZRV2VTWmhtT0lBZnhOZz09 

Meeting ID: 863 2420 4029 

Passcode: Please check your e-mail for the password 

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Orientation Schedule 

Remember to bring a lunch that does NOT require any heating. There are no microwaves, utensils, plates, etc. for students to use. Snacks are ok for the morning and between tests in the afternoon, too! 

Monday, August 17th – Mrs. Dewar’s Advocacy 

Tuesday, August 18th – Ms. Cooper’s Advocacy 

Wednesday, August 19th – Mrs. Cundari’s Advocacy 

Thursday, August 20th – Ms. Sander’s Advocacy 

*Please note that one whole Advocacy class will be split into the four rooms and not all will be with their teacher on that day to ensure social distancing requirements are followed. 

                                              *     *     *     *     * 

Look Out for the Following:

Before our first Advocacy meeting on Aug. 21, there will be 3 "Getting to Know You" pages coming home. Complete the student interest survey and one of both of the About Me pages. Please print and complete if your child is not attending orientation.

There will be a writing pre-assessment sent out to be completed BEFORE our first live Language Arts class on Monday, Aug. 24

There will be a couple discussion questions and a quick sorting game to be completed for Social Studies BEFORE our first live class on Aug. 25.

There will be an Earth's Layer's assignment for Science that is due BEFORE our first live class on Aug. 25. 

How to videos- a guided video on how to access all the platforms we are using this quarter.

Class updates will be individual per class on each page. 

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Important Dates 

Friday, September 4th - No School (Teacher Work Day) 

Monday, September 7th - No School (Labor Day) 

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Communication 

The best method of communication for all 5-6 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. 

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Zoom 

• Please take Live Zoom Classes seriously – just as if you were here at school! 
• Turn your camera on (if possible) – we want to see each other  
• Keep yourself muted unless it’s your turn to talk 
• No backgrounds or filters – it’s distracting!  No inversions/flipping screen 

• Listen respectfully to all speakers 
• Language and comments should be respectful and productive 
• Do not spam the chat or use it for off topic discussions 
• DO use the chat for affirmations, on-topic comments, or questions 
• Be on time (to the best of your ability) 

• Be prepared – have notebook, workbooks, or other required materials/supplies ready 
• You MUST sign in using your first name and last initial or you will not be admitted 
• All classes will be recorded and posted to Microsoft Teams 

Consequences for violating these expectations: 

• Verbal reminder (whole class) 

• Private warning through chat 
• Parent email 
• Removal from Zoom meeting 

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Advocacy 

The school-wide advocacy focus for the month of August is Coping with Transition & Change. We will focus on topics such as team building, embracing ambiguity, & learning how to be students and classmates during remote learning. 

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Schedule 

Students will be required to attend live Zoom classes Monday through Thursday. If a student is unable to attend a live Zoom session, they should watch the recorded lesson that will be posted to Microsoft Stream. A Zoom schedule with passwords will be emailed out separately. Our Specials right now is Art with Ms. Cox.  

The schedule for 5/6 is as follows: 

*Please note that there will be classwork available and assigned to students on Fridays, however, there will NOT be any live lessons. 

As always please email me with any questions!

[email protected]