Friday
April 18
Spirit/Pizza Day!
Monday-Friday
April 21-15
ERB Testing
Friday
April 25
Parent
Appreciation
Breakfast
8:30am in the gym!
Friday
May 2
Assembly 9:30am
Spirit/Pizza Day
Monday-Friday
May 5-9
Teacher
Appreciation
Week
Tuesday
May 6
Town Meeting
6:30pm
Tuesday
May 13
Spring Fling
6:30pm
Friday
May 16
Spirit/Pizza Day
April 17, 2008
Parent Appreciation Breakfast
Town Meeting
ERB Testing Week
Teacher Appreciation Week
Earth Week
Learning about Garbage/Recycling in PS/PK
Major Transitions
Congrats 1st Grade Bakery
Original Rock Music
Lost & Found
Library Update
Afterschool Enrichment
Innerspark Summer Program
Parent Appreciation Breakfast
Friday, April 25th
Breakfast and Latte’s start at 8:30am in the gym
To go containers are available; stop by for a minute or stay awhile!
You’re all invited to our Parent Appreciation Breakfast! You make Westside great, and the staff and teachers can’t thank you enough for making this community such a special place. From volunteering in the classroom and around the school to supporting annual giving and the auction and everything in between, Westside School thanks you for creating this amazing community. Please join us for a Parent Appreciation Breakfast and Latte’s on Friday, April 25th in the gym.
Save the Date
Town Meeting May 6, 6:30pm
The Westside Board is looking forward to working together with the community and build the future of our school. The Board would like to share its plans and hear your thoughts at a town meeting on Tuesday, May 6th, at 6:30pm. Hope to see you all there!
ERB Testing April 21-25
It’s that time of year, spring rain, southern winds, and ERB testing week. The ERB test (Education Records Bureau) is a set of comprehensive tests that students grades 1-5 will take next week. Learning to take a standardized test is part of the educational experience, but beyond teaching our children to take tests, this instrument provides a lot of information. Next week, we hope students arrive to school well rested and request that you schedule appointments after school. Please speak with your classroom teacher if you would like further information about ERB week.
Teacher Appreciation Week
By Sue Winter and Karri DeJong, Teacher Appreciation Week Chairs
The week of May 5th is Teacher Appreciation Week - our chance to show our wonderful Westside teachers and staff how much we love them! Watch for more information about this year’s celebration coming soon from your room parents. We can use your help - contact your room parent or Sue Winter at suewinter@comcast.net or Karri DeJong at karridejong@gmail.com for more information.
Earth Week
Westside students will all work together next week to celebrate Earth Day; they will be involved in the following activities:
• Pick up litter around the school in the afternoon on Tuesday, April 22, Earth Day
• Bring a garbage free lunch to school on Wednesday, April 23. If your student has hot lunch that day we will brainstorm ways in the classroom to make as little garbage as possible. Our hot lunch company already uses real plates instead of paper!
Ideas to reduce garbage in lunches are to use a cloth instead of a paper napkin, tupperware instead of plastic bags, and, of course, a reusable lunch box instead of a bag or container that is thrown away.
• Every classroom will try to reduce the amount of paper used on April 24th.
•Classrooms will work on “Recycle Art” projects, reusing recycled stuff to make Recycle Art on April 25th!
Learning About Garbage/Recycling in Nancy’s Class
By Nancy Levine, PS/PK Teacher
Every year, Nancy’s PS/PK class learns about garbage and recycling. Nancy turns her play area into a mini-recycling center, and her students learn to sort trash in a variety of ways, including paper vs. non-paper, paper vs. plastic vs. metal, and plastics according to the number on the bottom of the container. Students make scratch pads from used copy paper and learn the paper making process by making new paper from old paper. And, to really mix things up, they turn garbage into art by making a collage of garbage and by doing easel paintings on old newspapers.
Major Transition Middle School
By Linda Turner, 5th Grade Teacher
By this time, 5th grade students and their families are preparing for the next big life transition - middle school! Often, as the uncertainty of this move sets in, students begin reminiscing about younger years, looking at “long ago” class photos, and asking for extra recess.
As in the past, this year’s Westside graduates are going to various programs, both independent and public. They’ve been invited to attend Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences, University Prep, Explorer West, Overlake, the Advanced Placement (APP) and Challenge programs of Seattle and Highline Schools. Some are wait-listed, nervously held in the limbo of uncertainty.
As in past years, each fifth grade student demonstrates that he/she is academically prepared to enter a new and challenging program. For the graduating families, what seemed like a long time off when their children were young (a few years ago), is now coming to pass. Congratulations fifth grade families.
Congratulations 1st Grade Bakery
The First Grade Bakery made $290.62! The class voted and decided to donate the money to the Audobon Society.
Original Rock Music
By Cathy Chutich, Music Teacher
What do you think the first musical instruments were? When I ask this in class, students come up with all kinds of answers, including familiar things like drums and the plastic egg shakers we use in class. I remind them this was long, long ago - before plastic, and even before metal (which many find hard to believe)! No one really knows how the first instruments came to be, but it’s sparked an interesting discussion.
Inevitably someone will mention our bodies (yes!) – we can stomp, pat, clap, snap, thump, and make all kinds of sounds. And then someone will mention the voice – our own individual instrument; it’s free, comes in an interesting case and is never the same as anyone else’s.
Then we start thinking about what our ancestors had available to make sounds. Sticks and stones are suggested in every class, and we try the ones I have gathered. A few imaginative students suggested that bones might have been used, too (as they still are in some places).
We imagine shaking leaves, seed pods and gourds, and play a rattle made out of large African seed pods (gourds don’t dry well in the Seattle climate, by the way).
So much for percussion instruments! For strings, we talk about hair and vines. Conch shells and bamboo round out the instrument families. I hope there was some experimentation going on at home during the time we were doing this.
Some parents have asked me about introducing classical music to kids. Last year I told the story of Peer Gynt and played Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King. Rather than using pictures, we engaged our imaginations. Most of the students enjoyed the thrilling chase in the safety of the music room, although a few had bad dreams about the trolls, I was told later, and a few others said that the music was too scary. But isn’t that wonderful? All it took was music to imagine an entire world. More than a year later I still get requests to play it again.
There are many excellent pieces of music which tell stories, and there is music to dance to, relax to, clean the house to… Before buying music, check out the library – it’s your best resource. For a person to absorb, learn and appreciate a piece, it usually takes several hearings. Repetition is good, repetition is good.
Later in the year I will write about specific pieces and recordings. ‘Til then, keep singing!
Lost and Found
What happened to your child’s favorite coat? It might have been lost at school! Our Lost and Found items are in the hall. Please check it out and look for your child’s favorite lost item!
Library Update
Scaredy Squirrel Wins By A Landslide!
By Sarah Wildflower, Librarian
Since December, we have been reading nominees for the Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award. We read 13 of the books that were nominated and last week we finally got to vote! We talked about not influencing each other while voting and about voting anonymously. It was difficult not to shout out about the books we loved. We remembered each of the books we’d read and after everyone had voted, we talked about which books each of us liked. It was really hard to choose just one book.
Scaredy Squirrel won overwhelmingly – it got 42 votes from across the school. It got a few votes from Nancy’s class, but it didn’t win in her class; Fancy Nancy was the winner. The majority of second grade, Renee’s first grade class, and Claudia’s pre-kindergarten class voted for Scaredy Squirrel. Marsha’s kindergarten favored Chowder; Laura’s had Fluffy and Baron tie with Once I ate a pie. Margie’s first grade class also preferred Chowder. Third graders favored Once I ate a pie.
After I tallied the vote, I sent it in to be counted up by Washington Library Media Association with the rest of the votes from across Washington State. It’s great to be involved in something that so many other children are joining in as well. Hopefully we’ll find out who won Washington State soon.
After School Enrichment Classes
Final Session-Classes held weekly for five weeks
Tuesday Kindergarten Chess - $60
Date and Time: April 29-May 27, 2:45-3:45pm
Place: Laura’s Kindergarten Room
Learn to play chess, or practice what you already know! Chess can strengthen problem solving skills, teach children to make difficult and abstract decisions and enhance math abilities, memory and critical thinking skills. The ever popular Elston Cloy returns to guide the chess class. Minimum 8 students for class to go forward, maximum 12 students
Wednesday Science Adventures for Grades 1-5 - $75
Date and Time: April 30-May 28, 3:20-4:30pm
Place: Judith’s 4th grade room
The Wright Flight Celebrate a century of flight in this soaring science spectacular! Follow in the footsteps of the Wright Brothers while mastering motion through the air with flying machines of all shapes and sizes. Construct a kite, lift off with a rocket, and embark on a flight of fancy with propeller power. At Science Adventures, the sky’s the limit! Class limit: 14 students
Thursday Yoga for Grades K-5 - $60
Date and Time: May 1- May 29, 3:20-4:30pm
Place: Meet in Joe’s room, P/U in the gym
Joanna Bond returns to help kids get in touch with their bodies, strengthen and relax their muscles, and develop coordination, focus and confidence. Each class will include sharing, breathing/centering, postures, games that incorporate the postures, and a closing relaxation. Yoga can be a fun exercise for kids. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing and bring a yoga mat. Class limit: 12 Students
Friday Chess Club for Grades 1-5 - $60
Date and Time: May 2-May 30, 3:20-4:30pm
Place: 2nd grade classroom
Learn to play chess, or practice what you already know! Chess can strengthen problem solving skills, teach children to make difficult and abstract decisions and enhance math abilities, memory and critical thinking skills. The ever popular Elston Cloy returns to guide the chess class. Minimum 8 students for class to go forward, maximum 12 students
Summer Program
Inner Spark….Westside’s Journey Through the World of Art
Registration continues for Westside School’s first summer program. A total of twelve stimulating art classes connecting the children to their global community will be offered in July. Each week we will spotlight a couple of the classes in the Westside Update. Registration can be found on the Westside website linked to the Parent/Student Network page. Currently registration is available for students attending Westside School. Open enrollment will be offered to outside students commencing on May 1, 2008.
Many Moons, the Native
People of North America
July 21-25, 1:00-4:00pm
Incoming 1st and 2nd Grade
Our third grade teacher extraordinaire, Joe Tutch, will be the time traveler’s guide, and help campers create dream catchers, carvings, tools, and more.
The Magic of the Nile-Archeological Art
July 14-18, 1:00-4:00pm
Incoming 3-5th Grade
Artists will explore ancient Egypt with Margery Lamden. The textures and tones of this ancient culture will come to life during this exciting week, where explorers will recreate artifacts that heretofore have only been seen in museums (LOL).
Space is extremely limited for all classes.