Thursday
December 4
Town Meeting
6:30pm
Friday
December 5
Spirit/Pizza Day
Saturday
December 6
Admission
Open House
1-3pm
Thursday-Friday
December 11-12
Barnes & Noble
Book Fair
Friday
December 12
Admission Tour
9:15am
Wednesday
December 17
Admission Tour
9:15am
Thursday
December 18
Winterfest
6:30pm
Friday
December 19
Early Dismissal;
No Aftercare
PS-K: 11:45am
1-5: Noon
December 4, 2008
Annual Giving Update
Holiday Shopping at Barnes & Noble
Summer Camp Survey
Food and Baby Supply Drive
From Jo Ann - The Homework Controversey
From Jo Ann - Keeping our Promise
What is Winterfest?
Baked Goods Needed for Winterfest
Library Update
Toxic Toys Website
New Marathon Record
Admissions at Westside
Annual Giving Update
100% participation = $1000 per classroom
Two students gave to annual giving that weren’t listed in our last Update. Thank you 1st grader Karl and 2nd grader Easton! It’s great to have so many children participating this year!
Congratulations to the following classes for reaching 100%: Erin’s 2nd grade class, the 3rd grade class, Marsha’s Kindergarten class and Renee’s 1st grade class. Each class has earned Westside $1000 for reaching our participation goal. That’s $4000 more for Westside School!
If your class hasn’t reached 100% yet, there’s still time. All it takes is a donation of any amount. Click here to donate.
In matching dollars, we’ve raised $19,000 for the first day match, over $5000 for the new sustainer match, and $4000 for classroom matching, plus another $2000 for staff and Board matching. Thank you!
Holiday Shopping at Barnes & Noble Supports Westside School
Thursday and Friday, December 11-12
Gift-wrapping from 3-7pm
If you are planning to purchase books this holiday season, consider shopping at Barnes & Noble on Thursday, December 11 or Friday, December 12. If you reference Book Fair Code #403741, Westside will get credit at any store! On those two days only, Barnes & Noble will donate 10% of in-store purchases (anywhere in the U.S.) that reference this code to Westside’s 4th & 5th grade classes. (Gift card purchases do not give Westside credit.)
We have also asked each teacher to give us a “wish-list” of books. If your family would like to purchase a book for your child’s classroom’s library, the wish-list will be available.
Any money raised during this Barnes & Noble book fair will help defray the cost of the 4th/5th annual trip to Islandwood. In return, the 4th and 5th grade students will be gift-wrapping customer purchases at the Westwood Village Barnes & Noble on December 11th and 12th from 3-7pm. They will also be helping entertain customers’ young children with craft projects in the Barnes & Noble café, so please stop by! Teachers’ wish lists will also be available.
Printed copies of the Bookfair information will be sent home with students. Please share Westside’s code number with family and friends. Thank you!
Summer Camp Survey
Did your child attend summer camp at Westside this year? Or did he or she want to but couldn’t for some reason? Are you planning on having your child attend summer camp this coming summer? Are you interested in what Westside is going to do?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, this survey is for you! It’s short, but will be very helpful as we plan for summer camp 2009. Click here to take the survey.
Westside School Food and Baby Supplies Drive
By Tatum Dahl and Danny Jones
The 5th graders are hosting a food and baby supply drive this year from December 5th-12th, 2008. We will be giving the food to the West Seattle Food Bank, and the baby supplies to Westside Baby.
We are looking for canned foods and baby supplies such as diapers, toys, formula, etc. We are doing this because it is our way to help our community and show empathy for people in need. We are also doing this because it is the season of giving and caring.
We will be setting out boxes, two outside each classroom, one for canned food and one for baby necessities. We will also put up posters all around the school to encourage all of Westside to participate.
Our class motto is ‘We are Capable and Caring.’ Let us turn this saying into an action so that we can help our community’s people in need.
From Jo Ann
#1 The Homework Controversy
Recently, I asked you, our parents, what topics you would like to read about in the Update. Cynthia, Nikolas’s mom wrote, “Lately, I have been hearing about homework – it has come up in conversations, in magazine articles and elsewhere. Most of what I have heard argues against homework, saying that it can stifle a love of learning, is contraindicated by brain development research…I would be very interested to hear your views about this, and what Westside’s position is in regard to homework, the amount of homework, the reasons for homework, pros and cons on both sides.”
So here is the first of three articles on homework and Westside School.
Duke University Professor Harris Cooper says: “Elementary school students get no academic benefit from homework -- except reading and some basic skills practice -- and yet schools require more than ever. High school students studying until dawn probably are wasting their time because there is no academic benefit after two hours a night; for middle-schoolers, one and a half hours.”
While distracters are claiming there is little benefit, homework is a reality of our school system. When Westside School surveys our graduates, we get comments about the large amount of homework they are given in middle school. Therefore, Westside has a responsibility to prepare them for this reality. Our philosophy is to provide experiences during these elementary years which help both students and families create a homework routine at home. Our job is to encourage accountability by setting clear expectations for homework to guide students to successfully meet present and future expectations.
My personal belief is that homework is equally about developing good habits as well as supporting the current classroom experience. Homework plays a meaningful part in the process of practicing a skill or preparing for a lesson while at the same time communicating with the parent.
(Next week: #2 “Westside School’s Homework Expectations”)
From Jo Ann - Keeping our Promises
Whenever we talk about the value of building and maintaining a “caring community,” it begins with trust. Trust that we do what we say we do. With Annual Giving we trust that we respect each other’s gifts no matter how big or small, making everyone feel appreciated because they participate! With our auction, we look to our caring community to fund a wish. Two years ago, in March 2007, our fund-a-wish was the “First Class Classrooms.” We requested a total of $50,000 and got $58,000! That request was for 18 new flat-screen monitors and computers for grades 3 – 5 classrooms, 3 tablet PCs and LCD projectors, new molded plastic chairs for classrooms, new vertical blinds to replace the 1960 shades which hung on our main building windows, a die-cut machine for teacher-made materials and a new building security system for our main doors.
We quickly completed our promises and purchased chairs, blinds, a die-cut machine, our technology needs and part of our security system, spending $58, 900. However, the complete security system is still not a reality. Our building is older, and we’re running into problems because of its age. We had the intercoms installed at the front and side doors, but the corresponding door releases have been put on hold. I have learned a lot more than I care to know about door releases and meeting fire code requirements, sizes of doors connecting them to phones. The project has been put off to another day. In the meantime, the intercoms are connected to Kathy’s desk and are accessed by teachers on the playground who need to call the office. However, they are not connected to an automated door release, so we have not realized our complete wish. But as stewards of our promises, know that we achieved more than we wished for and haven’t forgotten the complete dream.
What is Winterfest?
Thursday, December 18, 6:30pm at Grace Church
People often ask questions about Winterfest, hopefully this article will help!
What is Winterfest? It’s a musical get together. It’s not a formal performance – although it might look like one – but more a way for everyone to hear music and sing together.
How is the music chosen? When the entire school sings, the songs are chosen because both the lower and upper classes know them. Some songs repeat year in and year out (Westside Song, Welcome Here), and others are given a rest as we build our repertoire. The songs come from many different cultures and traditions, and vary from year to year. Cathy tries to find music that fits with the class curriculum when possible, or fits a theme. She tries to choose high quality music and authentic songs that have lasted through the years, and songs that include many viewpoints, especially as our school has embraced a multicultural philosophy.
Where do the musicians come from? It’s not easy to get children to sing while conducting from a keyboard off to the side, so a Westside Dad, Joel Ross, volunteered to play guitar many years ago. Now his daughters are well beyond Westside but he continues to join in. And Cathy’s married to the bass player, Charlie Martin, so he has no choice.
What should I bring? Bring your voice and a willingness to join in!
Winterfest Baked Goods Needed
Sign-Up Online Now
Winterfest Baked Goods Needed Sign-Up Online Now
Winterfest is just two weeks away, and the WPO is looking for volunteers to bring treats for after the performance. We have over 200 students and almost 160 families, and expect a full house. We’d love to have cookies or other goodies/snacks available for each guest and performer. Whether you enjoy baking or are willing to bring treats already prepared, the WPO would appreciate your help. Click here to sign up online to bring treats. Please note: We have children with peanut and other nut allergies, so please avoid all nuts and peanut butter in your recipes, and read labels carefully if you’re buying. Questions? Email or call Kate Petrich: katepetrich@gmail.com. Thank you!
1. No peanut ingredients - please read labels on store bought
2. Label your tray if you need it returned,
3. Label your item if it is a specialty item, i.e.,"Non-Dairy", "No Egg", "Gluten Free", "Vegan", etc.
4. Quantities are by the dozen, so if you're signing up for "2" that would be 2 dozen.
Library Update
By Sarah Wildflower, Librarian
The students are interested and involved in the library. Blake just started doing library challenges today, and found the Spanish section without asking anyone for help, “I’m not sure if it was the Spanish section, but it had a lot of books in Spanish.” Emily has decided to solve every library challenge (and she’s almost done!) Owen and Josh have been doing library challenges too, and they have to sort through each time to find the few they haven’t done!
This week I have been reading Ham the Astrochimp to PK-3rd grade. Children noticed a lot of interesting things in it. Will told us that fruit flies have also traveled to space. Everyone was amused to find out that every time Ham did something correctly, while flying in space, he was given a treat.
Toxic Toys? No More with HealthyToys.org
When you’re shopping this holiday season, and you’re thinking about buying toys, check out this website: healthytoys.org. It’s a free, easy-to-use guide to toxic chemicals with an online searchable database of chemical ingredients in over 1500 new toys. At the website you can search by the name of the toy, brand, or type of toy to find out if your toy contains lead, mercury, or other toxic chemicals.
New Marathon Record!
By Donna Jornlin, PE Teacher
A record sixteen Westside students finished their final 1.2 miles of the Kids Marathon around the Seattle Center last Saturday. Grant & Kelvin described the Expo as their favorite memory......”for all the free stuff!” Carson loved “everything about the finish line” & Alena & Maya enjoy the family tradition of brunch at the Space Needle afterwards. Awesome high fives to parents for leading the way! It was great to see you there. (Photo from the West Seattle Blog)
The following is a list of students that participated:
Maya & Alena (4th Grade)
Paisley (2nd)
Sophie & Will (5th and 3rd)
Will (1st Grade)
Gabriel & Tess (1st and K)
Axel (1st)
Jocelyn (1st)
Henry (1st)
Nathaniel (K)
Rohan & Kelvin (3rd year!) (K and 3rd)
Carson & Grant (2nd year!) (K and 3rd)
Admissions at Westside School
Getting into Westside and managing the admission process is a big deal. How many applications will we receive? How many people will tour? Inquire about our school? How many openings will we have available?
Every year, Jo Ann and David get busier and busier with admissions. Last year, we received over 110 applications and had to wait list over 60 potential students. It’s great to be busy and have so much interest in our school. Thank you for spreading the word…. you must be saying some amazing things! So far this year, we’ve sent out 144 packets, had 35 families tour and received 9 applications….. It’s only the beginning of December!
Our Open House is Saturday. Do you know any families that might be interested? Invite them to visit! It’s a great way to learn more about our school. Also, do you have a sibling that you’re planning on enrolling next year? Westside siblings have priority in admissions decisions, but they still need to go through the admissions process. If you plan on applying for fall, please come to the office and pick up an admissions packet. Application materials are not due until Feb. 13, but we’d like sibling applications turned in as soon as possible.