Monday
January 15
Martin Luther
King Jr. Day
No School
No Childcare
Tuesday
January 16
Tour 9:15am
Wednesday
January 17
Board Meeting 6:30pm
Thursday
January 18
Family Math Night
6:30pm
Friday
January 19
Assembly 9:30
(Earth Smart Adventures rescheduled)
Spirit/Pizza Day
Wednesday
January 24
Tour 9:15am
Saturday
January 27
Open House
1-3pm
Monday
January 29
Teacher
In-Service
No School.
Childcare
Available
January 12, 2007
Westside 25: Toast of the Town - Time for Procurement!
From Jo Ann: Annual Survey
Volunteer Opportunities
Thank You Sundbergs
What Does Integrated Curriculum Mean in First Grade?
Math Night - Wednesday, January 18, 6:30-7:30pm
Childcare for Jan. 29, Feb. 8 and 9
Second Science After-school Class Offered
Fall Admissions for Westside Siblings
Westside 25: Toast of the Town Time for Procurement!
Auction season is well underway. Even though March 24th seems a long way off, it will be here before we know it.
While many of the details of the big event shape up over the next couple of months and come together “magically” at the end, the big push for procurement is NOW. Turn your procurement forms in to Kathy in the office.
Donations from Westside families and the surrounding business community are the key to the financial success of the auction. Most of the funds raised auction night support our operating budget and help close the gap between the expenses not covered by annual tuition income.
Here’s how you can help:
1. Donate at least one item, service, dinner, event, stay in a vacation home etc. The possibilities are endless. A thorough list of ideas was included in the procurement packet sent home last week. Your procurement team is also available to help you think through your idea – feel free to reach out! We need a variety of donated values, so there’s something for everyone!
2. Don’t be afraid to ask your stylist, masseuse, trainer, favorite restaurant, photographer, best friend or mother-in-law for a donation. You’ll be surprised how often they will say YES!
3. Partner with another parent or even your child’s class to create a memorable party, dinner, or some other combination. Successful examples in past auctions include class donated “instant wine cellar,” country club pool party, and more!
4. Want to donate, but can’t think of a thing or don’t have time? A cash donation is always welcome. In the past, cash donations have enabled the auction committee to add additional value to a package – for example, purchasing air fare to combine with a vacation home donation. Cash also helps to underwrite the cost of the auction, ensuring that more of our dollars raised directly benefit our kids.
5. Say THANK YOU! A list of current donors/donations will be posted in the office; the next time you frequent a business that has supported Westside, please let them know how much your appreciate them!
6. Complete and turn in procurement forms by the January 31st deadline. Donations have to be catalogued, entered into our database, picked up, stored, and eventually included in the auction catalog (which has to be compiled, proofed, printed, and distributed.) Getting items in NOW helps the auction team avoid a ton of last minute work. It also helps the auction team know where the gaps are – we really want to make sure that we have a variety of interesting items that our community will want to buy! If needed, more procurement forms are available in the office from Jana Riggan or online at http://www.westsideschool.org/donation.htm.
Annual Survey
From Jo Ann
Every year we ask you to take a couple of minutes to participate in our annual Westside School Parent Survey. The online survey can be reached at this address: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=109853106510.
The survey is confidential and anonymous information, but it allows us to collect thoughts and opinions on how our program meets your expectations. You are asked what you like the most and what you like the least about your Westside experience. The survey provides year-to-year data and is part of our on-going efforts to recognize trends. Your feedback is useful as we plan for next year and beyond. Both the Board of Trustees and I appreciate hearing what you think. Thank you for your participation.
WPO Volunteer Opportunities
The WPO is currently seeking volunteers for the following school activities:
Pizza Co-Chair --
Join Shelley O’Clair and help implement Pizza Day, which occurs two times a month on the first and third Friday. The time commitment is only one Friday a month, for about 2 hours, and you get to have lunch with your child!
Movie Night --
Edd Vick and Tracy Sundberg are co-chairing our next Movie Night, scheduled for Friday, Feb. 2nd. We need committee volunteers to help set-up, sell food and beverages, and clean-up. This is a very popular Westside family event, and several volunteers are needed to support our co-chairs and ensure a successful Movie Night.
If you’re able to volunteer for any of these opportunities, please contact Tracy Leber, tlleber@comcast.net, as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for your help!
Thank You Sundbergs!
Thank you to Tracy and Mark Sundberg (Emily Sundberg’s parents) for cleaning the snow off our parking lot!
What does “Integrated Curriculum”
mean in First Grade?
By Margie Carpenter, first grade teacher
The First Grade Continent Reports and the Bakery are both examples of integrated curriculum. This means that we integrate the teaching and practice of writing, reading, and often math with a Social Studies or Science unit.
When we study Continents we are obviously teaching geography. We also talk about the diversity of different cultures around the world. Our discussions of diversity include the idea of accepting cultures different than our own, which, when brought to a first grade developmental level means that we’re discussing the idea that you can think differently from another person, even a friend and both still be “right”.
During our Continents study the first graders write a Continent Report. The current Continent Reports are displayed in the hall beside the first grade classroom. The maps are a small group project so the students practice skills of sharing ideas and compromising within a group to get the job done. They practice their best handwriting to label the map. They begin to read non-fiction text to find the facts they need for their report. When the maps are finished the students present an oral report to their classmates and parents. They learn how to share information in an oral presentation. This includes deciding which information to share, speaking so you can be heard, and, for some, finding the courage to speak in front of people.
The upcoming First Grade Bakery is another example of integrated curriculum. The culminating event of this study is Bakery Day where the First Graders sell the breads they have made to the Westside community. We spend 5-6 weeks before Bakery day learning how breads are made and making various types of bread. We have just finished studying matter, solids, liquids, and gasses at this point of the year and we further our understanding by seeing what happens when we mix different states of matter together to form bread. We do chemistry experiments with baking soda and different liquids and study the effect of temperature on yeast growth. Baking gives students lots of practice with volume measurement as well as experience with fractions (½ cup, ¼ cup, etc.) and multiplication as we sometimes double a recipe. Once again, the first graders must work together to make the bread, which requires cooperation and compromise. Some of the first graders are cashiers at the bakery so, during our math times, we study money to learn the value of coins and how to count and make change with money. As the big day approaches we introduce the students to persuasive writing when we ask them to apply for the job of cashier or seller at the bakery. They need to persuade their teachers that they have the skills to do well at their chosen task. We revisit our geography knowledge when we discuss where certain breads are from and why that part of the world makes that particular bread. The Bakery unit includes three field trips to three different community bakeries, two in the West Seattle Junction and one in White Center. The field trips give us a chance to visit our local community.
The next time someone asks you what integrated curriculum means think of all the learning contained in Continent Reports, the First Grade Bakery or any of the other amazing projects that Westside Students complete.
Math Night
Wednesday, Jan. 18, 6:30 – 7:30pm
Do you remember math in grade school? Well, it sure looks a lot different now! How different? Come and find out at Math Night! It’s a great opportunity for you to visit your child’s classroom and get a glimpse of how math is presented today. Math is more than numbers and operations. Our children learn algebraic thinking, geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability, and problem solving.
One of our goals is for children to construct mathematical concepts from meaningful experiences. Making math relevant helps students develop connections. As they see the necessity for knowing math, they build motivation. Playing games with your child at math night is an opportunity to share math together. That is just one more way that their appreciation of math can grow.
Due to the large number of people expected, we ask that each child bring only one adult to math night. We also request that you do not bring siblings. After you share the math in your classroom, please take a moment to visit other classrooms and see what challenges and fun await!
Childcare for Jan. 29, Feb. 8 and 9
Childcare for In Service Day, January 29 and Conference Days, Feb. 8 and 9 (for Westside students, 4 years and older)
Full or Part Day Childcare
Classes will not meet on Monday, January 29 due to the faculty having an in-service day to prepare for conferences, and there are also no classes on conference days, Feb. 8 and 9. We will offer childcare for children 4 and older from 8am-5pm. All families wishing to use the childcare must register with the office. You can email Kathy or call the office.
First priority is given to our families who are contracted for childcare (not drop-in only contracts) until January 17. We have a limit of 24 children from K-5 and 10 children from PK. If there is still space available, we will then open up the childcare to other families wishing care on those days first come, first serve. There will be a $35 fee for childcare. Please remember that childcare ends at 5pm. and there is a $1.00 per minute late fee for additional time past 5pm.
Second Science After-School Class Offered
We are happy to announce that Margie Carpenter, our first grade teacher, is going to teach another session of the very popular after-school science program, Toyology. At this moment we have six slots available. Class is on Wednesday, from 3:15-4:30pm. Click here for the registration form.
Please turn in your sign-up sheet to Kathy in the office. The students in the class will be sorted between the teachers after we have closed registration and we will send you an email with your child’s teacher’s name.
Fall Admissions for WS Siblings
Current Westside Families with siblings that they would like to have come to school in the fall should request an application packet from the office. The applications are due by February 14. We have had lots of interest in the school and may have more applications than spots, so be sure and get your applications in by the deadline. Current Westside families have priority over new families applying to the school.