Monday
April 13
Afterschool Enrichment Classes begin this week
Wednesday
April 15
Board Meeting
6:30pm
Thursday
April 16
Assembly
9:30am
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
Friday
May 1
First Tuition Payment Due for 2009-10
April 9, 2009
Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?
National Poetry Month
Explore the Environment in Afterschool Enrichment
Save the Date for the Westside Sock Hop!
Save the Earth & Recycle
Open WPO Positions
Where's Jo Ann?
Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award
“Which Came First,
the Chicken or the Egg?
By Nancy Levine, PS/PK Teacher
Well, in the Pre-S/Pre-K class recently, it was more a study of the animals that hatch from eggs. First the kids spent an entire week looking at birds of all species. They began by answering the following question:
What characteristics do all birds share? (or in preschool terms… What makes an animal, a bird?)We made a list. They fly, they have feathers, they have wings etc. From that list they were able to think about a few animals they knew by other names (such as a duck, a penguin and a chicken) and soon realized that based on the group’s definition, these animals were also actually birds.
What animal lays the eggs we buy at the grocery store? Are there other animals that also lay eggs? These were some of the questions we discussed the following week. Then we made another list (notice a pattern in our learning?) This list included 11 species of birds and 14 non-birds (alligators, spiders and turtles, to name a few).
Donna brought us a few eggs from her own chickens, which we compared to the store-bought kind, and Maggie gave us the opportunity to see duck and goose eggs, when she brought one of each to school.
“How do you like your eggs?” was a question asked of the group on another day. This time we made a graph. We charted 5 scrambled; 4 fried; 3 hard- boiled; 3 omelets and 1 “no thanks, I’m allergic”. Finally, we culminated this great unit allowing each child the opportunity to prepare their own egg and eat it for snack. Now that’s “egg”-cellent preschool learning…no yolk about it!
National Poetry Month
By Marsha Lovely, Kindergarten Teacher
Hello Spring
Winter is gone
With its ice and snow,
And now it’s off
To the park we’ll go
To race, to skate,
To slide, to swing,
And shout a loud
“Hello!” to spring
by Leland B. Jacobs
Westside School is celebrating National Poetry Month. Every grade level from kindergarten on up will be reciting poetry, reading poetry, and writing poetry. We will bind up the grade levels poems into books and place them into the school library for all to enjoy.
As part of our Language Arts program we teach a concept or skill such as poetry and adjust it to each grade level so it’s taught on a continuum. What’s appropriate for a Kindergartener is not the same as the Second Grade student. Next year the children will build on the skills that they have learned this year and so on until graduation day!
We will end the month by posting the children’s poetry in the halls so you can see how it changes from Kindergarten to Fifth grade.
Enjoy the poetry!
Explore the Environment in Afterschool Enrichment!
This spring, afterschool enrichment students have the opportunity to learn about the wetland in our own backyard. Westside is very fortunate to have Tara Potter guide this program. She has an extensive background in environmental education and is passionate about teaching children to be good stewards of our planet.
During this 5-week class students will explore the wild wetlands of the Roxhill bog! What is a bog and what types of animals live there? Get muddy, spot some wetland creatures, and learn why this bog is so important. Get up close with bog life in our neighborhood. Students will also work with Seattle Parks and Recreation to remove harmful plants and help the wetland thrive! Waterproof shoes are recommended but not necessary, there will be mud! Click here to sign up!
Westside Sock Hop!
Friday, May 1,
6:00-8:00pm
By Rhonda Watt, Family Dance Chair
“Let’s go to the Hop!”
Hey there Hip Westside Cats! Save the date to make a scene at the Family Dance! We’ll get you in orbit (in the know) next week so you can put your dibs on the coolest gigs (volunteer opportunities) in town.
Save the Earth & Recycle!
By Sam Foucault and Darien Sleeper, 4th Grade Students
Westside School participates in the Cartridges for Kids Program. This program allows our school to earn money and save the planet by recycling items that might be thrown away. Bring the following items to school and help Westside earn cash:
Video Game Console, Video Games, Empty Inkjet Cartridges, Empty laser Cartridges, Used Cell Phones, Digital Cameras, Laptop Computers, PDA’s/palm pilots,
IPods, DVD Movies
Drop any of these items in the large black plastic tub located next to the office titled “Recycling” and help support our great school!
Open WPO Positions for the 2009-2010 School Year
By Kate Petrich, WPO President
“Yes We Can!” Yes We ARE - With your help! We’re having a fabulous year so far, and we thank the many volunteers that have been helping make all of the Westside Parent Organization (WPO) activities go so successfully. Looking ahead, it’s time to line up our next year’s crew. We have both WPO officer positions and event chair positions available for the 2009/2010 school year. Volunteering is a fun way to meet fellow Westside parents and become involved in our community. There is something for everyone (dads and moms), and many jobs have a lot of flexibility for working parents. Please look over some of the volunteer opportunities available for next year and find one that’s right for you:
Open WPO Officer Positions: Below is a list of all the officer positions. Serving as an officer is a one year commitment, and officers meet approximately once a month throughout the school year.
- President
- Vice-President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Room Parent Coordinator
- Members at Large
We are very pleased to announce that Sue Winter, Melanie Leary & Pam Snider have volunteered to return as Room Parent Coordinator, Treasurer, and Secretary respectively. (If there is more than one candidate interested in the same officer position, the WPO will hold a general election.)
Other Volunteer & Event Chair Positions:
• School Tours and Open House Ambassadors
• Room Parents
• Library Assistants
• Cartridges for Kids Recycling Coordinator
• Pizza Day Chair
• Friday Movie Night Chair
• Halloween Fest Chair (filled)
• Family Dance Chair
• Teacher Appreciation Week Chair
• Field Day Chair
If you are interested in learning more about the WPO officer and event chair positions or would like to nominate yourself, please contact our volunteer coordinator Amy Huber at amyhuber@comcast.net, or Kate Petrich @ katepetrich@gmail.com, Tel: 206-988-5820. (you can also refer to the WPO Handbook on our website.) (P.S. Yes You Can!)
Where's Jo Ann?
By Jo Ann Yockey, Head of School
I will be joining the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, business leaders, and friends for an exciting trip to experience the wonders of China. I will leave Friday, April 17 and return to Westside School Tuesday, April 27. I am sorry to say that I have not learned Chinese as our students have, but maybe I will have a chance to pick up some words while I am there. I am looking forward to experiencing the culture in Beijing and in Shanghai.
Then I am off again Sunday, May 3, to Tuesday, May 5, for the Spring PNAIS Heads Meeting and conference. Hope that I am missed, but I will certainly feel that the school is great hands with our fantastic staff!
Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award (WCCPBA)
By Sarah Wildflower, Librarian
For the last several months, I have been reading WCCPBA nominated books to preschool-3rd grade. At the end of March, we all took a vote. Each child had a ballot and circled the picture of their favorite book. It was hard to choose just one. The overwhelming Westside School winner was Library Mouse, with 47 votes school-wide! Chester was the runner-up with 32 votes. I have sent Westside’s vote tally to be added up with the rest of Washington State; hopefully we will hear soon which book won statewide.
Everyone enjoyed voting and talking afterwards about their favorite books.