Advocacy Week of October 16th

Hi families!

I hope you had a restful fall break! Here are some upcoming events and what we will be discussing in advocacy during the month of October:

October 19th: We are going on our first field trip! We will be going to Miller Farms. Students will explore how vegetables are grown, and what they need to survive, and at the end of the trip, they get to pick their own vegetables to take home! We will need 4 chaperones for our field trip. Before you can join our classroom, you must have a background check. It will cost $20, but it is good for the entire school year. You can submit a background check here. Here is our electronic permission slip for our field trip. Please complete it by Tuesday, October 17th. We will be outdoors the entirety of the field trip, so please prepare for any weather changes (bring sunscreen, hats, close-toed shoes, and jackets as needed). Please feel free to bring gloves or reusable bags. In the past, the plastic bags provided broke quickly. Also, students will need lunch to bring on the field trip. We will not be having lunch at school, so school lunches are not accessible. Students will have time for a snack before and after the field trip, so 2 snacks are encouraged to bring as usual.
October 20th: Trunk or treat! Students will get to show off their Halloween costumes and check out some decorated car trunks as they get some candy. The event will be from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. in the parking lots at Westgate. A huge thank you to the families who donated candy for this event!

Halloween K-4 Carnival 1:30 – 2:30 PM - It is a Westgate tradition that each year the 5/6 Team hosts a Halloween Carnival for the K-4 students. This is a student-only event.
K-8 Halloween Party 2:30 – 3:15 PM - We will be having a Halloween party in our classroom. We will begin the party with Halloween Bingo, afterward, students will have the option to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, create a monster, make witch hands (made with vinyl gloves, candy corn, and popcorn), play pumpkin tic-tac-toe, or do all three! While we are celebrating together, we have the option to have snacks and treats. We welcome you to donate items on the following Sign-Up Genius. A friendly reminder that all of the snacks should be individually packaged and brought to the front office if the student has difficulty bringing them to our classroom. We also have an opportunity for two volunteers to join our classroom. Each volunteer must have a background check before joining us. Thank you for your support, we truly appreciate it!

No Masks
No Full Face Paint (except what a student can apply themselves in the time they have to get ready before class parties).
Face paint may not be worn to school.
No Weapons or anything that can be used as a weapon
No inappropriate or offensive costumes – all body parts must be covered
Students K-8 may NOT WEAR THEIR COSTUMES TO SCHOOL. All students will be given time to change into their Halloween costumes. Students will be in classes during the morning.
HS students can wear their costumes to school, but all expectations must be followed

Advocacy: In the month of October, we are focusing on the empowering theme of 'Using Your Voice' in our school community. As a community, we play a crucial role in helping our students navigate the challenges they may face at school, including bullying. This month, we encourage you to engage in open conversations with your students about the importance of using their voices to stand up against bullying. By teaching them to speak up, report incidents, and support their peers, we can create a safe and inclusive environment where every child feels heard and valued. Together, let's empower our children to be advocates for kindness, empathy, and respect, ensuring that our schools are places where everyone can thrive.

Our advocacy will cover a range of topics around Bully Prevention and Using Your Voice, including:

Posts