Thursday-Friday
February 4-5
Parent/Teacher Conferences
No School; Childcare Available
Monday-Thursday
February 8-11
4th and 5th grade to Islandwood
Wednesday
February 10
Moving Up Meetings for Current Grades PK-2, 4:30pm
Friday
February 12
Spirit/Pizza Day
2nd Grade to Pacific NW Ballet
Monday-Friday
February 15-19
Mid-Winter Break
NO SCHOOL
Tuesday
February 23
Chinese New
Year Assembly
9:30am
February 3, 2010
Once in a Blue Moon
Advertise in the Auction Catalog
Dessert Auction Volunteers Needed
Molecule Dance in 1st Grade
4th and 5th Grade to IslandWood
Teacher Conferences - Childcare Locations
Once in a Blue Moon...
By Kate Petrich, Auction Procurement Chair
A Blue Moon might actually come your way more frequently than some of the jewels awaiting you at this year’s auction. For instance:
1. Your own coffee brand? Si, Si, Ma Certamente! (Yes, yes, but of course!) Besides being an absolute, total thrill of a time, this can be a dazzling holiday gift, client “thank you” or party favor for a big celebration: First, you and your family will taste coffee with Caffé Umbria owner and Westside parents Emanuele and Katherine Bizzarri at his roasting plant in South Seattle to develop your perfect coffee blend (fantastico!). Then, fifty 12-ounce bags of your selected brew will be freshly roasted and packaged and labeled (you and Westside parent and graphic designer Megan Simmons will design the custom labels). There. Your holiday shopping is “finito”.
2. Race Car Driver Experience: Buckle up in a 600 horse-power race car and experience the rush of speed. The winning bidder will soar around the famed half mile Yakima Speedway in Westside parents Mark and Tracy Sundberg’s own late model stock car. You’ll learn racing techniques such as braking, passing, qualifying, green flag starts, pit stops, and taking the checkered flag in a multi-car heat race.
3. Grand Central’s Flour Lover’s Baking Class Package: Enjoy a baking class for 6 adults or kids at Grand Central’s new bakery in Burien. Includes gift certificate for a Baker’s Dozen pastries, a loaf a month, and $40 to use as you please! Thank you Grand Central owners and Westside parents, Gabby and Chris Moorhead.
4. Shadow a Vet: Animal lover in the family? Here’s your very own personal field-trip to the Vets! Your child and his/her friend will don a white coat for the morning and learn alongside Dr. Fukuzato at VCA West Seattle Veterinary Hospital! Get an individual, special behind-the-scenes tour of VCA West Seattle Veterinary Hospital, a lesson with a stethoscope, ask questions, take notes, observe Dr. Fukuzato treat a patient and experience what being a veterinarian is all about. It’s a wonderful opportunity for a child to learn the responsibilities of owning a pet, to learn “veterinary vocabulary,” to learn that one must do well in school to become a Veterinarian, and to learn about working to improve the lives of animals. (Thank you Tammi Johnson for procuring this item!)
Stay tuned next week for more sneak peeks of the auction treasures!
Luck is with the Koch Family
Congratulations to Siouxie & David Koch for winning the $100 Cactus Gift Certificate with their lucky donation (a two week StageStruck Musical Theatre Camp!). Cheers to the music!
Reach Our Community – Advertise in the Auction Catalog!
By Kristin Mariani, Advertising Chair
Are you still looking for ways to contribute to the Westside Auction? Interested in speaking to the Westside community? Consider placing an ad in the auction catalog!
Advertising in the auction catalog is an inexpensive, easy way to support Westside while communicating with parents and other Westside supporters. These advertising dollars help offset auction costs, and a catalog ad offers an opportunity to share a message – any message – with the Westside community.
Promote your own business or service: Seize this opportunity to spread the word (and let other parents know you’re a Westside parent or alum).
Congratulate a Sports Team or Coach: Westside families are so active in local youth sports – congratulate your team/coach on a great season, or wish them luck with their upcoming season (Little League is just around the corner!).
Thank Someone! Is there someone who’s gone above and beyond to contribute in your child’s classroom, at Westside School, or in the local community? Share your appreciation for their efforts with Westside parents and supporters.
Celebrate a Special Occasion: Surprise a friend or loved one with birthday or anniversary wishes.
You can also spread the word to others who might be interested, such as contacts at local businesses, charitable organizations you work with or extended family members. Ads can be purchased for as little as $50; non-profit organizations receive a 50% discount. The deadline for ad submission is Monday, February 22.
For complete pricing and ad submission details, please contact Kristin Mariani at 206-399-7840 or kmariani1@yahoo.com. Advertising forms are available online. Thank you for supporting the auction!
Dessert Auction Volunteers Needed
By Molly Woodruff, Dessert Chair
Being new to the Westside community, I am excited to be a first-time auction volunteer! I understand the dessert portion of the evening is quite popular, as a few parents are already volunteering some fancy desserts. Past auctions included desserts from bakeries like Eats Market Café, Grand Central Bakery, and Bakery Nouveau. Are you interested in making this year’s dessert auction just as delicious? If so, we’re looking for more volunteers. If you would like to make or buy a dessert for the auction and haven’t already contacted me, please do so at molly@collective-edit.com. You can also sign-up via the sign-up sheet on the table outside the office. Thank you!
It’s called the Molecule Dance
By Margie Carpenter, 1st Grade Teacher
Picture 19 first grade children pretending to be molecules in an ice cube. Molecules in a solid are close together and vibrating so the students are in one tight bunch on the rug and moving slightly. Then heat is added (through the use of my voice) so the ice cube begins to melt and turn into water. Molecules in a liquid are farther apart and move more than they do in a solid but they remain in a container. When first graders are a liquid they start slowly moving around and past each other but they stay within the borders of the classroom rug. After that, more heat is added so the water starts boiling and turns into steam and water vapor. Molecules in a gas are spread far apart and move rapidly so, at this point, the first graders begin to move around the classroom at a quick walk (there is no running in the classroom). If the molecules get a little too rambunctious then the temperature starts to drop and the gas turns back into a liquid and then a solid again. We go through the cycle of the molecule dance a few more times and, by the time we finish, the first graders have had a chance to move their always energetic bodies and they have a good understanding of how molecules move in a solid, liquid or gaseous state of matter.
IslandWood
By Judith Arvidson, 4th grade teacher
The Fourth and Fifth grades are continuing our studies of sustainability with our four day, three night trip to IslandWood- a School in the Woods ,February 8th through February 11th. This is Westside School’s ninth year attending this magical place.
IslandWood is located on Bainbridge Island. It is a 255-acre outdoor education center designed to provide exceptional learning experiences and inspire life-long environmental and community stewardship.
Inspiration for IslandWood came from Paul and Debbi Brainerd who learned in 1997 that over a thousand acres of land were being sold on the south end of Bainbridge Island. Debbi proposed the idea of a children’s outdoor education center to teach children about the natural and cultural history of the Puget Sound region.
IslandWood’s mission statement is to provide exceptional learning experiences and to inspire lifelong environmental and community stewardship. While we are there we experience “hands-on” education using the environment as a classroom. We engage our diverse learning styles by integrating science, technology and the arts to learn sustainable practices.
This amazing opportunity is always a highlight of the year for Fourth and Fifth Grade!
Childcare Locations for Teacher Conferences
Tomorrow and Friday are teacher conferences. Drop-in care during your child ’s conference is in the library. All day pre-registered care drop off for PK and K is in the PS/PK portable, and drop off for grades 1-5 is in the art room.