Friday
April 17
Spirit/Pizza Day
Monday-Friday
April 20-24
ERB Testing for grades 1-5
Friday
April 24
Parent Appreciation Breakfast
Monday-Friday
April 27-May 1
SPIRIT Week
Thursday
April 30
1st Grade Bakery
Friday
May 1
First Tuition Payment Due for 2009-10
5th Grade
Assembly
9:30am
Spirit/Pizza Day
The Family Dance
“Sock Hop”
6pm-8pm
April 16, 2009
Parent Appreciation Breakfast, April 24
Thank You for Volunteering
Class Pictures Still Available
Auction Pics
ERB Testing
Sock Hop Volunteers Needed
5th Graders through History
3rd Grade Explores Medieval Times
Spanish Update
Recycling Logowear
Parent Appreciation Breakfast
Sponsored by the Westside Board of Trustees and the entire staff of Westside School
When? Friday, April 24 in the gym. Starts at 8am, ends when we’re done! Stop by after you drop off your children!
Featuring: Your favorite coffee beverage and delicious treats from Bakery Nouveau!
Why? To thank you, our parents, for everything you do for Westside School!
What makes Westside great? When we ask this question, one of the responses we often get is “our community.” And you, our parents, make up our community. The Parent Appreciation Breakfast is the Board and the school’s way of saying thank you for everything you do to make our school so wonderful. From volunteering in the classroom, to donating to annual giving, giving to tuition assistance, driving on a field trip, attending a WPO meeting or movie night, chairing an event, volunteering for pizza day, volunteering for the auction, donating an item to the auction, bringing in snacks, and everything in between. We couldn’t do it without you!
Stop by and grab something to go, or stay and socialize. We hope to see you there!
Thank You for Volunteering
By Amy Huber, Volunteer Coordinator
I would like to recognize and thank the many who have volunteered with their time, energy and dedication to our school. You’ve heard it before, but without you we can’t make this the wonderful community that Westside School is. There are so many families who volunteer in many ways, from Pizza Day, Room Parents, Movie Night, Library, Ambassadors, Open House and Scholastic Books, and I hope I haven’t missed anyone, but on behalf of the WPO Officers, I thank you!
Christine Smith, Lindsay White, Matt Davis, Mary Bohus, Stephen Petrich, Rebecca Allen Chavez, Rachel Dory, Bao-Tran Nguyen, Carolyn Comick, Alison Wallace, Ann Fosso, Cindy Burke, Cynthia Jordan, Denise Edgar, Lori Lieske, Lori Freer, Angela Huntington, Roger McMillan, Carola Meyer, Nahla Kintzer, Karri DeJong, Janet Cowles, Susan Jones, Kathleen Whitson, Cath Howe, Krista Means, Shawn White, Lisa Medina, Lisa Castanon, Maura Costello, Pam Allen, Bruce Brown, Phil Wallace, Kelvin W., Cluny McCaffrey, Amy Carrasco, Amy Eby, Brenda Haugaard, Shannon Marsh, Laura Ehret, Astrid Klopsch, Diane Honeyman, Darrin Stumpf, Katy Lloyd, Colette Prendergast, Carol Loughlin, Tina Vickery, , Amanda Cox, Shelli Park, Meg Halverson, Tim Frost, Dina Miller, Celesta Bjornson, April Sunderland, Preston Poythress, Jeff Kelsey, Shelly Gaddie, Matt K., Jordan W., Hallidie Haid, Caleigh H, Susan Silver and Lily S.
Class Pictures Still Available
We’ve displayed all the class photos in the front hallway, and a sample of the really fun class puzzle. Check it out. You still have a few more days to order. Deadline is April 24th. Pictures will be delivered shortly after….
Order a copy of the class picture by sending an email to janar@westsideschool.org or telling Kathy in the office.
- 8x10: $25 5 x 7: $10 Picture Puzzle: $40
Auction Pics - Check them out!
Pictures were taken the night of the auction. Check them out here!
ERB Testing Next Week
Next week April 20 through 24, Westside School’s first through fifth grade will take the Education Record Bureau’s CTP IV standardized test! You will receive your child’s test results in June. Jo Ann will host an information session for parents on May 28 from 4:30 to 5:30pm to explain how the school uses the data and what it means for your child.
Westside School uses the tests results to monitor student progress, to provide individual/group intervention and to monitor curriculum effectiveness and plan for materials, methods, and staff development. It’s also important for students to learn how to take a standardized test. For an elementary child, parents and teachers should understand the test is just a snapshot of the child’s progress on a given day.
You can help! Make sure your child is rested. The teachers are practicing this week, and helping students understand that these tests are just a part of school and how to do their best without developing “test anxiety.” Please make sure your child is not absent, as the test cannot be made-up.
Volunteers Needed for the Westside Sock Hop!
By Kate Petrich, WPO President
On Friday, May 1, it will be Fiftiesville at Westside - come hang out in the time of letter sweaters, bobby socks, hula hoops, greasers, duck tails & jelly roll nests (hairdos). The Hop is for both students and parents. Poodle skirts & leather jackets are optional. Light snacks will be available, but leave your Washingtons (dollars) at home - it’s free!
Rhonda Watt, our Family Dance Chair, is the jets (brains) behind this gig, and we need your brawn (muscles) ...or your 50’s style comfort food. (Did your grandmother have 101 ways to make jello salads and casserole dishes with instant French onion soup mix too?) Get cranked (excited) and sign-up to set-up, bring a 50’s style dish, serve punch or clean-up.
“Crazy, Daddy-O!” sayings from the fifties:
“I don’t know about you, but if they raise the price of coffee to 15 cents I’ll have to drink mine at home.”
“I read that some scientist thinks it’s possible to put a man on the moon. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas.”
“Kids are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls.”
Fifth Graders through History
By Linda Turner, Fifth Grade Teacher
This past fall, the fifth graders began the journey of long-life learning. As school started, it was an election year. As the weeks went on, it was time to discuss branches of government, legislative process, and the election of a president. The students discussed issues facing America, with an understanding that in some cases, defied age. We watched an election and the class discussed historic symbols—Lincoln Bible being one. As a class we also talked about the notion of liberty, and everyone wrote.
It was during the dedication of the new Statue of Liberty Plaza down at Alki in August that I heard about the new time capsule to be buried on the steps of the Plaza. I had an idea that it would be meaningful to think about Liberty, from the perspective of kids, so I decided to have them write about what liberty meant to them. After all, I thought back in August, it was a historic election year.
January approached, and as a class we watched the inauguration. We had studied the inauguration so in-depth that when there was a flub-up by the Chief Justice in the swearing in of the President, the kids picked it up. They waited to see if the President would get out of his motorcade and walk, which he did. It was momentous with meanings that the students had applied because of their weeks of study. We are reminded that in two elections hence, these fifth graders will be voting. Their thoughtfulness and reflection made their ideas about liberty more important.
The class study of the Civil War came in time for the Inauguration, the commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln. It was a serendipitous ‘package’ in terms of Social Studies and historical timeline. And our students were immersed in long-term study.
Now, we’re heading into May. The fifth grade class will be studying the history of Seattle and will be exploring historic sites in person.
And, the cards the kids wrote about liberty…they are to be included in the time capsule to be buried on the steps of the Statue of Liberty plaza in May. We will go to the spot where the plaque will go, marking the capsule. That way, in 50 years, when our fifth graders are 60 or so, perhaps they will be a part of opening “their” time capsule. There will have been a lot of life. And perhaps in some glimmer of past memory, they will think about where they wrote their ideas of liberty and began their path of long-life learning.
A few fifth grade thoughts about liberty:
• To me liberty means freedom. I think liberty is everywhere, but nowhere. It cannot be touched, heard, or anything else. It can only be sensed. In countries, states and cities, we can, however, see the reactions to Liberty.
• Liberty means to choose for one’s self freedom, independence, then justice for all.
• When I think of liberty, I think of freedom and not being told what to do. I think of having rights and making my own decisions. Most of all I think of the Revolutionary War when we gained independence from England.
• To me liberty is freedom from being controlled. Liberty is being able to make your own decisions and act for yourself. I think liberty is beautiful and I am glad that I live in a country that is free and independent.
3rd Grade Visits Medieval Times
By Joe Tutch, 3rd Grade Teacher
Third graders have just started their final unit of the year this past week…Medieval Times! They built and painted their very own castles before spring break and now are busy filling their castle walls with medieval objects and artifacts they build during Medieval Bag Time every Wednesday. Some of the medieval items built already by third graders include catapults, lances, gargoyles, coat of arms, illuminations, shields, trebuchets, princess hats, toy soldiers, yarn dolls, tiaras, and crowns.
Each third grader also has a medieval costume. The girls’ costume is a dark green princess dress with a golden tiara. The boys’ costume is a dark green tunic with a red coat of arms and silver chain mail sleeves. They also have a yellow crown. Last Monday, each third grader spent some time decorating their medieval headgear with emeralds and sequins.
Every Friday, third grade has a 1 ½ hour Medieval Experience Day. This is a time where students get to be fully immersed into all things medieval. There are three stations that each student gets to rotate through during this experience time: cooking, building project, and a game. During their latest Medieval Experience Day, third grade got to cook/eat bangers, create illuminations, and play checkers, backgammon, and chess.
Spanish Update
By Ashley Kloess, Spanish Teacher
We have been busy in Spanish class this past month or so! Every class is taking part and preparing for our Spanish assembly on May 5. Each grade including preschool will present one song they have learned in Spanish. The fifth grade students have been hard at work creating obras de teatro, (plays). They are working in small groups to write their own plays which they will perform during our assembly. There are a total of four plays all pertaining to the same theme: Medieval times. Each play is uniquely different and all are excelente!
When they aren’t practicing new songs, students are busy learning new verbs, vocabulary, and other skills such as telling time in Spanish. The older grades have been learning new verbs and how to conjugate them while the younger grades have been learning new vocabulary.
Coming up, we will discuss the Mexican celebration of el Cinco de Mayo!
Recycled Logowear!
By Kate Petrich, WPO President
Wondering what to do with that outgrown Westside logowear? Donate it to our re-invented Logowear Exchange Program. In the interest of being “green,” we’re launching a recycling program to donate outgrown logowear in the marked bin in the main building. If you see an item your student could wear, take it! It’s free! The idea is to keep using each piece of logowear until it truly needs to “retire.” We need your logowear donations to start the exchange off and to keep it running, so please look through your child’s logowear periodically to see if the sleeves are getting short. (If the bin doesn’t have what you need, you can get new styles & sizes online. Click here. Thank you to Westside PS/PK Teacher Nancy Levine for this terrific suggestion, and to Megan Simmons for setting up the bin and sign.