Thursday
December 6
Last day of Elementary Oscars (Thursday)
Friday
December 7
Tour 9:15am
Spirit/Pizza Day
Last day of Kindergarten Chess
Barnes & Noble Book Fair starts
Saturday
December 8
Barnes & Noble
Book Fair
Children activities Noon - 1pm
Open House
1-3pm
Monday
December 10
Last day of Elementary Oscars (Monday)
Tuesday
December 11
Tour 9:15am
Thursday
December 13
Winterfest
6:30pm
Friday
December 21
Early Dismissal
No Aftercare
December 6, 2007
Winterfest Baked Goods Needed!
From Jo Ann - Staying True
Winterfest Update 2007
Annual Giving Update
The Private School Edition of the Metropolitan Magazine
Toys for Tots
Barnes & Noble Books Fair This Weekend
Thanks for the Family Dance
Last Day of School Before Break is Half-Day Only
Winterfest Baked Goods Needed!
Winterfest is just a week away, and the WPO is looking for volunteers to bring treats for after the performance. With over 170 students and almost 140 families, we expect a full house. In our new venue at Grace Church, there is plenty of room to linger after the show and mingle with other families. And we’d love to have cookies or other goodies available for every guest and performer. Whether you enjoy baking or are willing to stop and pick up some treats already prepared, the WPO would appreciate your help. Please visit www.westsideschool.org/parents.htm and click on the link to sign up online and bring treats. We’re asking people to think of the quantity as one dozen, so if you’re signing up for 3, it means you’re bringing 3 dozen. And remember, we do have children with peanut and other nut allergies, so please read the labels carefully before buying. Questions? Email or call Amy Huber at amyhuber@comcast.net. Thank you!
From Jo Ann - Staying True
There are many things that I love about Westside School. One is our fabulous music program! Two times a year—WinterFest and SpringFling – our preschool through fifth grade students take the “stage” and sing. As I sit in the audience and experience each class sequentially performing, I am amazed to see how the classes grow in their musical experiences. In addition, I have never seen another music teacher use Cathy’s technique to keep the program vibrant during transitions. As every class switches places, Cathy has every student as well as the audience sing together. Rather than a set change, this becomes another opportunity to make us all feel connected to one another. This event helps build our caring community.
As Westside School grows in numbers, we want to keep the opportunity for the entire student body of 177 to celebrate together with parents and friends. Therefore, we have moved Winterfest and Spring Fling down the street. Our neighbor at Grace Church has opened their main auditorium to us to house these events. This space is close enough for us to take the children for a rehearsal, and the auditorium is large, with enough space for everyone to sit and enjoy the performance. There is a foyer for refreshments and a kitchen if needed for future events. Parking will not be a problem. We are happy that we have found a solution so close to Westside School.
Winterfest Update 2007
Thursday, December 13, 6:30pm
By Cathy Chutich, Music Teacher
People often ask me questions about Winterfest, so I thought this a good opportunity to set the record straight.
What is Winterfest? It’s a musical get together at dinner time (we always meet at Westside’s traditional 6:30 time). And while we don’t eat a meal together, we do share songs with the school and our families. It’s not a formal performance – although it might look like one – but more a way for everyone to hear music, sing together and then socialize afterward.
How did Winterfest begin? Laura Holmes’s husband Ted, Westside’s former 2/3 teacher, would produce a play before Winter break. Then, they added a few songs, performed by the upper classes, to the program. When I began at Westside I continued the song tradition, though we no longer do plays.
How is the music chosen? The songs that the entire school sings together are ones that both the lower and upper classes can sing, and which the kids enjoy doing every year. 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. This year we are adding Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, an Israeli song which means “We Bring Greetings of Peace,” as a substitute for Oh Hanukkah, a song which is so catchy that many children request to sing it all throughout the year. Colorful Boats is a well-known Chinese New Year song. It gives us the opportunity to hear and sing a traditional 5 note (pentatonic) melody. We will be doing a Kwanzaa song, Ujima, which means “work together”, something we practice at Westside. Please come ready to sing Auld Lang Syne and Winter Wonderland. Practice raising a cup of your beverage of choice for Old Times’ Sake. (It’s interesting explaining to 6-year-olds what “old times’ are).
What about the songs each class sings? We do music that fits with the class curriculum when possible (this year the 2nd graders will sing a Chinese song they learned from our Chinese teacher, Steven, and the 4/5’s will concentrate on music from other countries). Sometimes we do music that fits a theme – the holidays, winter songs, lullabies, etc., or music chosen for what it teaches the kids (playing instruments, rhythmic exposure). I try to choose the highest quality music, authentic songs that have lasted through the years rather than commercial pieces composed for children, and we prefer songs that grow out of the focus of class. I try to include many viewpoints, especially as our school has embraced a multicultural philosophy.
Where do I get the musicians? 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 in middle school but he continues to join in. And I’m 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 DVD's will be available for $15. Reserve your copy (or copies) now. Visit www.westsideschool.org/parents.htm and click on the link. DVD's will be available for pick-up at the school on Friday, December 21st.
Annual Giving Update
Thanks to everyone who has participated in annual giving. As you can see from our graph, every class is really, really close to reaching 100% participation. We still have only two classes that have reached 100% - congratulations 2nd grade and Marsha’s Kindergarten class. Remember, each class that reaches 100% participation means Westside earns an additional $1000, so even a small gift means a lot! If you haven’t given yet, please pledge by email to janar@westsideschool.org or go online to www.westsideschool.org/annualgiving.htm. Thank You!
This year, we received a thank you picture from one of our families.
The Private School Edition of the Seattle Metropolitan Magazine
Many of you brought in a copy of the Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, and have commented about the section on Private Schools. Here’s a little background information: This is the second year that Seattle Metropolitan Magazine has been around; their first issue was the Private School edition last year. In that edition, several PNAIS schools weren’t listed, including Northwest, UCDS, Explorer West and more. In an effort to make up for this error, the magazine highlighted many of those missed schools this year. The magazine sends an email survey to the schools that asks a variety of general information questions. “Foreign language” was listed as our main focus; it appears that this might have come from a list of our enrichment classes. As a whole, the PNAIS schools have discussed this magazine at length, and we are doing what we can to work with them. At this point, we have not decided to advertise in the magazine because it is extremely expensive.
Toys for Tots
The kindergarten classes have started to collect new and unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots. The last collection day will be Wednesday, December 12th. Please drop off your toys in the decorated toy box in the hallway. Thank You!
First Ever Barnes & Noble
Book Fair, this Friday & Saturday, December 7 and 8
Check your take-home folders for a Barnes & Noble Book Fair voucher, and do your holiday shopping now, because using this voucher means Westside will receive a percentage of the proceeds! The 4th and 5th graders will be on-hand on Saturday to wrap gifts, and activities for all children – like Buddy Reading and Holiday Card Making - will be available from Noon – 1pm.
Vouchers are also available online by visiting www.westsideschool.org/WestsideUpdate/Vouchers.pdf. The Westside librarian and classroom teachers have put together book request lists, so if you would like to purchase a book for Westside, the information is available at Barnes & Noble.
Hope to see you there!
Thank You Family Dance Volunteers!
Many thanks to all the Family Dance volunteers! Chairperson Celesta Bjornson and her crew of parents did a wonderful job transforming the gym into the Wild, Wild West. And, thanks to everyone who brought treats for our young’uns to enjoy. It was a rip-roarin’ good time for all.
Last Day of School Before Break is Half-Day Only!
Remember, the last day of school before winter break is only a half day!
On Friday, December 21, School will dismiss at 11:45Am for PS/PK/K and Noon for Grades 1-5. There is no aftercare!