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Mrs. Greder's Advocacy

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October Advocacy

 
 

Bully Prevention

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 6:00pm 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

MAP reports will be sent out by Friday, October 23rd.  Please look for this email.  

Office Hours

Office Hours will be held every Friday from 1:00 - 2:00pm.  Please join the Zoom link if you have any questions!

Halloween

Students can wear costumes on Thursday, October 29th in honor of Halloween. Students can only wear their COVID mask (no Halloween masks or full painted faces). We will not have a class party and students cannot bring snacks to share. Students must also wear their costumes to school.  There will be no opportunity to change into a costume.

Spirit Week:

Monday, Oct 26th Pajama Day

Tuesday, Oct 27th Crazy hair day

Wednesday. Oct 28th School Spirit: Wear your Westgate gear!

Thursday, Oct 29th wear your Halloween costume. The only mask your student can wear is the Covid face covering.

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. 

Important Original Works Dates: 

Now until October 16th – Kids will create their artwork. They may continue to work on this at home!

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. 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 

October

Welcome back!

Our theme for October is Bully Prevention.

Back to School

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

  • Students will be in school as normal from Monday - Thursday
  • Friday will be an at-home work day with no pre-recorded videos (just like first quarter)
  • Students will be allowed to attend office hours which are on Friday

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

  • Zoom Advocacy with Mrs. Valenza (see her email for details)
  • Pre-recorded lesson videos and independent assignments every day, Monday - Thursday. 
  • Friday will be an at-home work day with no pre-recorded videos (just like first quarter)
  • Students will be allowed to attend office hours which are on Friday

There will not be any birthday treats allowed this quarter.  Please leave toys at home as well.  

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. 

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 

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 

Advocacy 10/14 - 10/16

Please click on this file for this week's advocacy calendar. 
 
Note: Online students will be joining Mrs. Valenza for Advocacy Zoom meetings. Please check your email for information. This calendar does not pertain to the online students.
 
To Do (Advocacy):
Original Works Project
If Everybody Did
What Is Bullying?

Advocacy 9/28 - 10/2

To Do List:
1. Send Mrs. Maslen song requests for Wednesday
2. Mindful coloring
3. Set goals for quarter 2
 

Advocacy Announcements September 28

                                             Upcoming Events:

Oct 1st and 2nd                 No School – Parent/Teacher Conferences

Oct 1st and 2nd                 School Photos and Car Line Tag Pickup from 9 AM to 12 PM

Oct 3rd to Oct 13th               Fall Break!

October 14th                     Quarter 2 Return to Learn

 

Fall Virtual Conferences: 

Fall conferences for quarter 1 will be held on Thursday, Oct. 1st from 8 AM to 8 PM and Friday, Oct. 2nd from 8 AM to 12 PM.  You will be sent a zoom link and your conference time on Monday, September 28th. 

Fall Break will be from Thursday, October 1st through Tuesday, October 13th.  Quarter 2 will begin on Wednesday, October 14th.  All assignments will still be posted through Seesaw whether you chose online or in-person learning.  In-person students will be completing those assignments in class.  Friday’s will still be asynchronous learning. 

The  Parent Carline Norms and Procedures.docx contains a map along with a list of frequently asked questions addressing such things as carpool, what happens if you forget your tag, and more. 

Families must pick-up their carline car tag on Oct. 1st or Oct. 2nd between 9a -12p.  Don’t worry about having to remember it all now, we will send another reminder just prior to the return of students to campus. 

School Photos and Car Tag Pick-Up Dates/Times
Dates:   Oct. 1st and 2nd
Time:  9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Location:  North side of the building; staff will be waiting and directing traffic 

The Advocacy Theme for October will be Bullying Prevention. 

Advocacy Week 4 9/14 - 9/18

I feel that the service learning project has the potential to be large. As such, I am assigning work time during advocacy and science this week. Please turn the project in by Friday to the SCIENCE Teams.
 
This week's to do list in 3rd Grade Advocacy 
(by the end of the week, students should have completed the following items): 
 
1. Service Learning Research project on Waste

Social Zoom

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 3rd Grade, the Social Zooms will be from 10:30am-11:00am and 2:15pm-2:45pm
 
 
  • 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!

Westgate Community School Virtual Walk

Feeling tired?  Stressed? Overwhelmed? Lazy? Anxious? Feeling good? Drop everything and let’s take a nice little evening walk together.  Join Mr. Wise and Westgate Community School as we go on a ‘zoom walk’ together. Get your family, friends, pets, and neighbors together; go to your favorite walking spot (or around the block) and enjoy an evening filled with some physical activity.  

 

Zoom Link: Join Zoom Meeting 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81950066328 

 Meeting ID: 819 5006 6328 

Passcode: walk

Dates and Time:  
1) Thursday, September 10th, 2020.  5:30pm-6:30pm 

2) Thursday, September 24th, 2020.  5:30pm-6:30pm 

September Advocacy Update

Advocacy Focus 

This month’s advocacy theme is self-care! During September, we will be discussing what self-care is and practicing ways in which to practice self-care at home.  Please be on the lookout for more information from myself and the school! Mr. Wise has something cool planned, so stay tuned!  

 

Important Dates 

September 3rd: Picture Day - Check your email for a SignUp Genius Link 

September 4th: Teacher Workday - Students are not expected to work 

September 7th: Labor Day - No live lessons.  Students are not expected to work 

September 14th - 17th - In-Person Week (just like orientation) 

Monday, September 14th - Mr. Hepner’s Advocacy  

Tuesday, September 15th - Mrs. Maslen’s Advocacy 

Wednesday, September 16th - Mr. Baldwin’s Advocacy  

Thursday, September 17th - Mrs. Greder’s Advocacy 

October 1st & 2nd - Conferences 

October 5th – 13th Fall Break- no school 

 

MAP Testing 

We will be finishing up MAP testing soon! If your child did not attend orientation, please be on the lookout for communication regarding steps to take to complete MAP testing.  If your child did attend orientation, there is a chance they took the MAP tests, but did not finish.  Your child’s teacher will contact you within the next week or two if necessary steps need to be taken to complete MAP testing. 

 

Service Learning  

Service Learning will still be happening this year! We will be dedicating one day per week to focus on service learning during advocacy.  We will begin this week and start brainstorming potential ideas for our advocacy! The theme for our pod is “On Campus Projects”. 

Advocacy Week 8/31 - 9/4

Great work supporting your child during Week 1 of distance learning! We have heard many requests and suggestions during this week. Although we can't implement all suggestions, we are making a few changes. The first change has been brought on by the big red late notice that has caused some students anxiety. As such, we will be setting the official due date for the Friday of that week. Students still need to be completing work on a daily basis but we encourage breaks as needed.

The second change was brought on by the amount of questions from parents about completed work. The calendar breakdown is great but can be overwhelming. As such, we are providing a list of things that need to be accomplished by the end of the week. 

This week's to do list in 3rd Grade Advocacy 
(by the end of the week, students should have completed the following items): 
 
1. "Self-care List" (bring to class on Wednesday!)

Online Game Enrichment Community on Mondays from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for 3rd and 4th graders

Mrs. Maslen is hosting an Enrichment Community called Online Game Enrichment Community on Mondays from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for 3rd and 4th graders. During this Enrichment time, students will play Jackbox Games with Mrs. Maslen and other 3rd and 4th grade students. Students will need to have access to Zoom (to see the gameboard on Mrs. Maslen's screen) and the internet (this can be on a computer, tablet, or phone). Once on the internet, type jackbox.tv in the address box. Game playing spots are limited but there are unlimited audience spots in which students can also participate. First come- first served in terms of game playing spots. If your student would like to join the Online Game Enrichment Community, please email Mrs. Maslen at [email protected] and she will email you the Zoom password. 
 
Topic: Game Time with Mrs. Maslen
Time: Aug 24, 2020 04:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
        Every week on Mon, until Sep 21, 2020, 5 occurrence(s)
        Aug 24, 2020 04:00 PM
        Aug 31, 2020 04:00 PM
        Sep 7, 2020 HOLIDAY- no meeting today
        Sep 14, 2020 04:00 PM
        Sep 21, 2020 04:00 PM

Welcome To Third Grade

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

Zoom Link & Office Hours

All of our Zoom meetings, including office hours, can be accessed by clicking the link below. Please check your e-mail for the password. My office hours will be on Tuesday from 4:00 – 5:00pm and Thursday from 12:00 - 1:00pm. Office hours are a great time to ask questions, find clarification, or get additional instructions on an assignment.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76662069167?pwd=ajhzM1hGWTdSUXpPY0wvUjZPY3BLUT09 

Meeting ID: 766 6206 9167

Passcode: Please check your e-mail for the password

 

Orientation Schedule

Monday, August 17th - Mr. Hepner’s Advocacy

Tuesday, August 18th - Mrs. Maslen’s Advocacy

Wednesday, August 19th - Mr. Baldwin’s Advocacy

Thursday, August 20th - Mrs. Greder’s Advocacy

Friday, August 21st - 11:00am - First Advocacy meeting via Zoom for all teachers. Please check your e-mail for more details. Bring your homework from orientation day to this meeting!

We will primarily be working on teaching kids the skills they need to be independent at home through distance learning. This includes learning where all information and classes are, as well as how to use certain websites and programs. We will also be MAP testing during orientation week. This will be very important data for teachers moving forward, so please encourage your child to do their best!

Important Dates

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

Monday, September 7th - 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.

Zoom

We will be using Zoom to virtually conduct all of our classes. In order to run these classes as smoothly as possible, we have come up with a list of norms for students to follow. Please review these norms with your child.

· Their username should be their first name and last initial

· Ex: John S.

· Please do not use any distracting backgrounds

· All students’ cameras should be turned on at all times. If there is an issue, please communicate this privately with your child’s advocate.

· Students should have their microphone muted until it is their turn to speak

· Please use the chat function appropriately.

· Be present & engaged during meetings and lessons

· Eyes on the computer screen or material

· Raise your hand or click the “Raise Hand” button

· Be prepared to answer questions & participate in discussions

· Ask for permission to step out (i.e. water, bathroom, etc…)

· Bring necessary materials and have them ready

Students who do not follow these norms will receive redirection, but a failure to cooperate during class could result in removal from the room and communication home.

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.

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, which can be found in each child’s Microsoft Teams. The schedule for 3-4 is as follows:

Monday & Wednesday

· Advocacy - 8:30 - 9:00

· Language Arts - 9:30 - 10:00

· Math - 11:00 - 11:30

Tuesday & Thursday

· Advocacy - 8:30 - 9:00

· Social Studies - 9:30 - 10:00

· Science - 11:00 - 11:30

Friday

· Students will focus on assignments & activities from the teacher. There will be no live Zoom meetings o