Thursday,
February 1
Math Night
6:30-7:30pm
Re-enrollment contracts mailed
Friday
February 2
Spirit/Pizza Day
No Movie Night
Wednesday
February 7
Tour 9:15am
Thursday
February 8
and Friday
February 9
Conferences
No Classes
Childcare Available
Tuesday
February 13
Tour 9:15am
Wednesday
February 14
All outside applications due
Friday
February 16
Tour 9:15am
Spirit/Pizza Day
February 1, 2007
From Jo Ann - Tuition Assistance
Item of the Week - Maui Jim Sunglasses
Procurement News
Winterfest DVD's are here!
Check your mail!
Graduate News
Integrated Curriculum in PE
Host a student from Belarus?
From Jo Ann
Tuition Assistance
In our recent survey, many of you mentioned that you knew very little about Westside School’s tuition assistance program. What you should know is that tuition assistance is available for both families who need ongoing assistance, and families who may need a little extra help during the school year.
The Board of Trustees wants Westside School to be affordable to as many families as possible. Tuition assistance helps make our school possible to families from all income levels. Applying for tuition assistance at Westside follows a formal process. Like most independent schools, we use a service called SSS or School and Student Service for Financial Aid. Families answer questions about their financial situation and send this information to SSS. They use this information to determine what the family can afford to pay, and send the results back to Westside. This information is evaluated by Westside’s financial aid committee, and assistance is granted based on the family’s need and the amount Westside has available to give for aid. Tuition assistance can reduce the amount of tuition paid by as much as 90%.
Tuition assistance must be managed responsibly; the committee considers the amount of aid given in any current year as well as the amounted needed for the duration of the student at Westside. When I first started at Westside, in 2003, we had given out too much aid, and the school was not making enough income through tuition and fundraising to cover all its expenses. Because of that large gap, the Board of Trustees and I made the hard decision of capping tuition assistance at 20%. In 2005, Westside was back on track financially and we were able to increase our aid. Current board policy approves gifts up to 90% of tuition.
The national average for independent schools is to support 15% of their families with tuition assistance. This Board would like to see Westside reach this average in years to come. This year, 9% of Westside students receive tuition assistance.
Eventually, Westside will also be able to offer a scholarship program to cover 100% of tuition. In 2004, we started an Endowment Fund; the scholarships funded would be merit and need based. This fund is still growing. Once it reaches its goal amount, the income can be used for scholarships. A percentage of surplus income from our operating budget is also to be allocated to this fund. Families who donate to the Endowment Fund help this dream become a reality sooner than anticipated.
If you are concerned about your family’s ability to continue to afford Westside School, please stop by the office to inquire about tuition assistance. Tuition Assistance forms must be submitted to School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) in Princeton, New Jersey by March 1, 2007. We inform families about their 2007-2008 awards by March 27. Though you must reapply for tuition assistance yearly, awards are to be determined with the goal of funding the student’s need for the duration of his or her time at the school.
Item of the Week -
Maui Jim
Sunglasses
Look cool in the sun with a new pair of Maui Jim sunglasses! Wearing these hip shades will eliminate all types of glare for unmatched visual acuity, comfort, protection and contrast.
Procurement News
We have 70 items, but we still need more! The winner of this week’s drawing will be announced tomorrow in the weekly email, and we’ll have a new drawing next week. Look for more information to come. Remember, our procurement deadline is February 10th, so turn in your forms as soon as you can. They’re available in the office and online. For more information about the auction, and to see what we have, visit the auction page on our website, at http://www.westsideschool.org/community/auction.htm.
Auction Contacts: Celesta Bjornson, chair | Jana Barber, procurement | Carolyn Comick, advertising | Theresa Schaefer, desserts
Winterfest DVD’s Are Here!
The Winterfest DVD’s from last month are here and available in the office. To cover our editing costs, we will charge $10 per DVD. Stop by and pick one (or more!) up from Kathy in the office.
Check Your Mail
Re-enrollment contracts will be mailed today and due back March 1 with a $1000 deposit.
Graduate News
One of our alumni students, Tommy Jones, was the December student of the month at Explorer West Middle School. To be named Student of the Month means that a student has embodied the valued and community standards that Explorer West faculty believes make up the ideal EW student.
The EW faculty described Tommy in the following ways:
- “Tommy is as smart and funny as he is tall.”
- he is “good-hearted and good-humored.”
- “his classmates cherish Tommy for his witticisms and pervasive smile.”
- “I have been most impressed this year with his steady improvement in study habits and work quality.”
- “He is becoming a powerful and reliable student, and his personal integrity is beyond question.”
Congratulations, Tommy!
Integrated Curriculum in P.E.
By Donna Jornlin, PE Teacher
Integrating subjects adds depth & energy to all subjects and classes, including a physical education class! Take, for example, pre-school. It’s great fun to identify the various shapes in the gym - rectangles (doors) to the circles (colored dots) we’re sitting on. We count how many jumps the children take on the trampoline and identify colors when our students pretend they’re pencils rolling down a mat.
As children move up to the primary grades, they love to play “Color Tag” and, as the year progresses, I add a challenge by asking the taggers to call the colors in Spanish. Another favorite is “Bokwele,” a game from Africa which incorporates a variety of motor movements as well as counting!
I always find it fascinating to discover the background of a sport, so geography and history are incorporated in the intermediate grade units when lacrosse & badminton are introduced. The term “serve” comes from the British, when the wealthy class would request that their servants begin a match with the first hit. We also play a modified version of cricket and talk about the countries around the world that play it, and discuss how it became part of that country’s culture.
The 4th & 5th graders keep portfolios, writing personal best scores, facts about a sport & valuable nutrition & exercise information. How many servings of fruits & vegetables do I need each day? How many minutes a day/times per week should I exercise and play? What’s my target heart rate? They assess their own skills in jump rope and work with a partner on practicing & mastering racquet skills. Mileage Club has been a terrific math tool, counting laps & miles at lunch recess. My next goal is adding Chinese!
National Girls in Sports Day is Saturday, February 3rd
The UW is sponsoring a fun event on Saturday, February 3rd! The National Girls in Sports Day, which my daughters enjoyed a few years ago, is a great event. Wear a uniform from any sports team you play on and participate in the half-time ceremony during the Husky women’s basketball game. Pre-game events (face-painting, sign making) begin at noon; the game is at 1 PM and there are more events post-game. This was a winner! Go to www.GoHuskies.com or call 543-2200 for more info.
Host a Student from Belarus?
By Cynthia Reid, Former Westside Parent
One of our alumni families, Bill and Cynthia Reid, host a family every summer from Belarus. The lingering radiation from Chernobyl continues to affect these children. Cynthia traveled to Belarus in December 2004, and it was truly an eye-opening experience for her. The poverty is heartbreaking, and everything these kids eat, drink – even the air they breathe – is filled with radiation, even after all this time.
You can help by being a host family for the summer. Over 60 children, ages 8-15, come to Washington State during the summer and need a home for six weeks. Bill and Cynthia Reid have hosted a gift, Akulina, for the last 3 summers and can’t wait for her return. You can choose to host a child for one summer only, or have that same child come back every year. Six weeks away from radiation can add 5-10 years to these children’s lives.
If you’re interested, please contact Cynthia Reid at 206.246.7208 or email her at reidpnwcomcast.net. For more information about this program, please visit www.forworldschildren.org