Picture Retake Information

Hi,

Please see the attached picture retake information form. Please contact Ms. Garrick in the business office if you are interested in having either a retake or a picture taken if you could not be at the first picture day.

If your student had their picture taken in September, I have their student IDs. And will be passing them back each time we see the students including this Friday.

Week of October 19th

Welcome to the first full week of Q2!

This is one of the fastest and busiest quarters we have in the school year.

We will NOT Have in person learning for the high school next week; but instead we will be taking a trip as a high school team to EB Raines Park on Friday. Please complete the electronic permission slip if you want to participate. If you have misplaced the email with that permission slip please feel free to reach out to me and I am happy to resend it.

We will have a guest speaker in Advocacy this week to help us make progress on our service learning project.

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 28^th 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!

Week of October 14th

Welcome back from Fall Break! Quarter 1 is completed and you are a 1/4 of the way through your Freshman year, Congratulations!

Q2 is bringing a variety of changes.

1) New Schedule, please see TEAMS for a copy. All classes have been updated on your Outlook and TEAMS calendar.

2) We will not be doing face to face learning the week of October 19th. Instead, we will be offering a completely optional in person half day on October 23rd. During this day high school students will be walking with teachers over to EB Raines park for socialization and some trash pick up. The field trip permission form was emailed out on October 12th; please let me know if you did not receive this.

I know this is a lot of change happening; so please feel free to reach out should you have any questions or concerns as we move forward. Remember to watch your emails for up to date information.

Week of September 28th

Dates of Conferences:

Thursday, October 1^st from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Friday, October 2^nd from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM

*Please email your student’s advocate if you would like a conference and have not signed up. Our availability is quickly becoming limited.

Dates of Fall Break:

Westgate’s Fall Break is Monday, October 5^th through Tuesday, October 13^th.

You will still have your FRCC classes over Fall Break.

First Day of Quarter 2/PSAT Information:

All grades: Assignments will be posted on Wednesday, October 14^th. Due to the PSAT being held at Westgate on October 14th, virtual classes will resume on Thursday, October 15^th.

Quarter 2 Class Schedule:

During Quarter 2, High School will be continuing with distance learning. Class times have been extended by 15 minutes and begin slightly earlier. Please use the following schedule beginning on Thursday, October 15^th:

Q2 High School Distance Schedule (New Times!)

	Monday Schedule	Tuesday Schedule	Wednesday Schedule	Thursday Schedule	Friday Schedule
8:10-8:40am	Advocacy	Advocacy	Advocacy	Advocacy
8:45-9:30am	Algebra 1 US History English 11	Spanish 1 Geometry Forensics	Algebra 1 US History English 11	Spanish 1 Geometry Forensics	9:00-9:45am: Senior Seminar
9:45-10:30am	Economics English 10 Biology 11	Earth Science Spanish 2	Economics English 10 Biology 11	Earth Science Spanish 2
10:45-11:30am	English 9 Biology 10 Algebra 2	Pre-Calc World Lit Health 9	English 9 Biology 10 Algebra 2	Pre-Calc World Lit Health 9
11:30-1:00	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
1:00-1:45	Sociology	Spanish 3 Human Geo	Sociology	Spanish 3 Human Geo

Quarter 1 Conference Sign Up Link

Hi,

Here is the link for conferences for Quarter 1:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4DA9AF2AA2FE3-q12020

All conferences will be through Zoom. Feel free to reach out to me should you have any questions.

Week of September 21st

It really was great to see everyone again this week, I hope it recharged you as much as it recharged all of us teachers!

This week we have a lot going on:

Monday -- regular advocacy

Tuesday -- we will start diving into some organizational skills that will be a great item for our toolbox as we continue distance learning.

Wednesday -- NO ADVOCACY OR CLASSES; Seniors are taking the ACT

Thursday -- Service learning (If you have not completed your impact assessment we will complete it as a group during this time).

Friday -- Teams check in question.

As a high school team we made some decisions this week regarding second quarter; we will be sending out a lot of information as we get the details finalized. Friendly reminder, due to students also attending FRCC, the high school will remain in distance learning. We are finalizing a new schedule that will give us more face time with the students; so that

Additionally, be on the look out for a sign up genius for Parent Teacher Conferences which will held October 1st and 2nd.

As we move through this season of change continuously, please feel free to reach out to me should you have any questions or concerns.

Week of September 14th

Good evening everyone!

Next week is going to be an amazing in person week!

Friendly Reminders:

Monday -- Sophomores in person learning

Tuesday -- Freshman in person learning

Wednesday -- Juniors half day in person learning

Thursday -- teacher meetings

Friday -- Seniors half day in person learning

Students need to bring:

Computer

Paper

Writing utensil

Cold lunch -- no microwaves available

Water bottle

Mask

Flash light for Earth Science (flashlight on phones work perfectly well for this science lab)

Students and teachers will not be participating in Zoom meetings next week; nevertheless, students will still be receiving assignments in Teams that will be due on Monday September 21st.

The end of first quarter is approaching quickly, we as teachers will be reaching out soon with the conference sign up sheets. Conferences will be on Thursday October 1st and Friday October 2nd.

Information was just released today regarding learning options for Quarter 2. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, and I will make sure you have any information we as Westgate can provide.

Have a great weekend, and I will see you in person on Tuesday!

On Campus Day Information

Next week, September 14 – September 18, Westgate is holding our second round of in-person learning. Similar to orientation week, students will have the chance to come in for one day or morning in order to meet with their teachers for a day of in-school classes. As with orientation week, we will be following all state and district guidelines regarding safety around COVID-19. Your student’s orientation day will be Tuesday, September 15^th from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

Some important things to note:

1) Students need a cold lunch and a filled water bottle for orientation day. Microwaves and water fountains will not be available for use, and students cannot leave campus for lunch. You may order a cold lunch from Westgate's lunch provider or your student may bring a lunch that does not need to be microwaved.

2) As per state mandate, we will be enforcing masks and social distancing. If students do not wear masks or if they choose to take off their masks, they will not be allowed to stay for the day.

What your student should bring:

Facemask
Computer
Notebooks
Pens/Pencils
Cold lunch (no microwaves or off-campus lunch)
Water bottle

We can’t wait to see your student in class for a day next week!

Go for a walk with Mr. Wise

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

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

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

Week of August 31st

Hi,

We had a great first week in Advocacy and in the High School as a whole; I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

We have some big changes coming for September.

The theme for advocacy in September is Mindfulness and Self-Care. We will be having many discussions making sure we all have a full toolbox of things to help us deal with stress and anxiety; in addition to taking care of our minds and bodies.

Additionally, we will be starting service learning as an advocacy starting on Wednesdays; even though we can't be together physically we understand and appreciate the need to serve our communities. Stay tuned for updates on what our class project / topic will be.

Friendly reminder Freshman, I will be out on Monday and Tuesday and should return on Wednesday September 2nd. Ms. Ross will be covering my classes during my absence.

Please feel free to reach out should you need anything or if you have any questions! It is going to be an amazing month full of learning about ourselves.

HS Office Hours

Please review the attached file to see when the HS teachers are hosting office hours during distance learning.

Week of August 24th

Welcome to the first week of your Freshman Year of High School; it is going to be an amazing experience!

This week in advocacy we will be focusing on continuing to build our Advocacy community.

Zoom Meeting ID: 735 1648 2866

Password is in Teams and Outlook.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have questions and I look forward to getting into our routines.

Zoom Norm and Expectations

Zoom Norms and Expectations

Though the first quarter of the 2020-2021 school year will be virtual, students should still meet a certain level of professionalism. When taking part in a Zoom class or meeting, please do the following:

Log in with your first name and last initial. If we don’t recognize a name, we will not let that person in.
Do not share the password for your classes with anyone. If another student needs the password refer them to their Outlook Calendar or the teacher for that class.
When possible, please keep your camera on. We are running our virtual classrooms as similarly as we can to our school classrooms. If you are comfortable doing so, please be an active participant and visual member of the community. If you are uncomfortable having your living space shown, you can always use a virtual background (class appropriate, of course)

Should you need to turn your camera off due to internet lag or an active background, that is fine. Please send a notification through chat to your teacher.

Keep your backgrounds appropriate. Be aware of what is hanging on the wall behind you. If you use a virtual background, please keep it appropriate and choose something that isn’t distracting for other students.
Dress appropriately. Wear what you normally would for attending class. This will also help you to stay in the “school mentality” during the day, which can assist with your focus and work ethic. When your classes are done, feel free to switch back to “comfort mode.”
Keep language appropriate. Just like being in school, please watch your language.
Take turns. If you have question for the teacher, please raise your hand or put a message in the chat. This will help keep a level of respect and order during virtual classes.

Be respectful. Whether talking to a teacher or peer, be respectful. No form of bullying or harassment will be tolerated (see course syllabi for more details)

Important Information for Orientation Week

Happy Friday everyone, and welcome back for another wonderful year at Westgate! We hope you are as excited for the beginning of the quarter as we are. Here is everything you need to know about orientation next week:

Reminders (please read):

Students must wear masks. We will be following all district and state guidelines regarding COVID-19 safety. We will have disposable masks at the door if needed.
Arrival procedure: Your student should follow the Adams12 health screening at home before coming to school. If they do not, they will have their temperature checked before entering the building. When they arrive to school, they should find a high school teacher (we will have a sign) and wait with that teacher before being given permission to enter.
Most classes/activities will take place in small groups. Your students will be assigned to these groups upon arrival and remain with them for the duration of the day.
Your student should bring a cold lunch that does not need microwaved. To keep within state and district COVID-19 safety measures, we have removed all microwaves.
Students cannot leave campus for lunch.
Students should bring water bottles. The bottle-refilling feature on the water fountains is still functional, but the fountain part is not.
If your student has a personal computer, they may bring it to work on assignments and activities during the day. Otherwise, they will use a school computer for the day.
Students will be given supplies and, if needed, a computer to be taken home for the quarter.
IMPORTANT: If you need a computer and/or supplies, but your student will not be attending orientation, you may pick up both at the school on Friday, August 21^st between 9:00 AM and Noon.

Week Schedule: Your student will ONLY come to school on the day their class is listed:

Monday, August 17^th: Freshmen, 8:00 – 3:30
Tuesday, August 18^th: Sophomores, 8:00 – 3:30
Wednesday, August 19^th: Juniors, 8:00 – 3:30
Thursday 20^th: Seniors, 8:00 – 11:30 (academic material will occur during this time. If they would like to remain for social-emotional activities, they may let us know that they wish to stay until 3:30)

Orientation Schedule: Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors

Time	Activity
8:00 – 8:30	Go over COVID-19 safety policies
8:30 – 9:30	Advocacy/Welcome Back circle (outside)
9:30 – 10:00	Microsoft Teams training
10:00 – 11:30	Class Rotations (3 classes)
11:30 – 12:00	Lunch
12:00 – 1:00	Class Rotations (2 classes)
1:00 – 3:00	FRCC discussion with Ms. Washington, Electives rotation, Social-Emotional Learning activity (these will be rotations dependent on whether your student is attending FRCC or taking Westgate electives.)
3:00 – 3:30	Closing Circle

Advocacy

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