Friday
January 5
Spirit/Pizza Day
Tour 9:15am
Wednesday
January 10
Tour 9:15am
Friday
January 12
Assembly 9:30am
Monday
January 15
Martin Luther
King Jr. Day
No School
No Childcare
Wednesday
January 17
Board Meeting 6:30pm
Thursday
January 18
Family Math Night
6:30pm
Friday
January 19
Spirit/Pizza Day
Wednesday
January 24
Tour 9:15am
January 4, 2007
Westside 25: Toast of the Town
Make-up Days?
Music News
Long-term Spanish Substitute
Earth Smart Adventures Assembly and Workshops, Jan. 12
Afterschool Enrichment Flyer Out Today
Westside 25: Toast of the Town
This year’s auction theme was inspired by the celebration of Westside School’s 25th anniversary. Westside was started 25 years ago by Alice Howell as a small pre-school and has grown under strong leadership, fabulous teachers and loving parents into an accredited independent elementary school that is now one of West Seattle’s top schools. Not only are we celebrating 25 wonderful years of Westside School, but we are also celebrating the very exciting future of Westside. The auction is scheduled for Saturday, March 24th at the Hall at Fauntleroy and we are planning for a fun and eventful evening. You will be receiving an auction packet in your take home folders today that includes procurement forms, advertisement information and our new sponsorship program. We hope you will take some time to read the information included in the packet and give some serious thought to how or what you can contribute to make the auction a big success. Our auction is a critical part of our operating budget and helps to make up the gap between tuition and operating expenses. Mark you calendars for the 24th and join us for a toast in celebrating 25 years of a wonderful Westside School.
Make-up Days?
Some families have expressed concerns that we will have to add extra days on to the school year as a result of our missed days due to weather. We have extra days worked into our school calendar and so far, we will not have to add any extra days at the end of the year. The last day of school is still June 14.
Music News
By Cathy Chutich
Happy New Year to all! I was very pleased by what our children accomplished at our last Winterfest. What with the snow days and conference days we had fewer classes than usual to prepare, and nevertheless they performed like the little musicians they are. It was especially challenging since we learned many new songs for the program. Bravi!
You may have noticed that we made more use of the barred instruments (xylophone types) than before. Due to the last auction’s fund raising, we were able to buy another set of instruments. Now, instead of the 6 or 7 I had before to work with, I can get the entire class playing at once. This makes it more fun for everyone, and gives us new possibilities for learning and performing.
The Austrian composer Carl Orff developed these instruments in the 1920’s to use in his experimental children’s program. They consist of three families: the small metal glockenspiels, the thicker metallophones, and the wooden xylophones. Each family has different sizes: soprano, alto, and bass for the metallophones and xylophones, and soprano and alto for the glockenspiels. We also have 3 large wooden bass bars, too, which add depth to the sound.
These instruments put a lot of possibilities into the hands of relatively untrained players and are very satisfying to play. Right now we’re getting acquainted with them in the 1st and 2nd grade, and letting everyone get a chance to play them in the 3rd and 4/5 grades.
Playing them requires careful listening, one of the most important skills for musicians to acquire. It also takes good rhythm, again another musical fundamental, and proper mallet technique, which can be transferred later to other percussion instruments.
And of course, the instruments are only a subsidiary part of the Orff program and our program at Westside. The voice is our main instrument, and what an instrument it is! It comes in a wide range of sizes, colors, shapes, tones and personalities, is free, and can be taken anywhere!
Not to miss: there is a free installation by Trimpin at the Frye Museum. Trimpin is a musical sculptor with a wonderful sense of humor. The work, called Klompen, consists of wooden clogs that have been turned into electronic percussion instruments controlled by computer. Put a quarter in a slot and it plays a short composition on the wooden shoes. It’s imaginative, colorful and fun.
Long-term Spanish Substitute
Our Spanish teacher, Alexa Boss, started her maternity leave January 2. Please welcome Claudia Sibila, our Spanish substitute, who is taking her place until she returns. Claudia has lived in many different countries, including Peru, Costa Rica and the United States. She graduated from college in Peru, where she majored in math and minored in education. She taught high school math in Peru until she moved to Los Angeles, where she taught English and Spanish at a community college. While in the states, she also went to school and earned her Master of Arts with an English major from Farington University, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
She has lived in the Northwest for over six years, teaching Spanish in public and private elementary schools. She comes to Westside School after a long-term sub position at Meridian School. We’re happy to welcome her here as our long-term sub while Alexa is out on leave.
Earth Smart Adventures
Assembly and Workshops,
Friday January 12
On Friday, January 12, Earth Smart Adventures will come and present an assembly to our students (Kindergarten – 5), teaching us how our everyday choices impact the earth. The presenters will take the students through a fast-paced and interactive series of situations that demonstrate how advertising influences their choices, how those choices affect the environment, and how positive choices to reduce waste benefit the earth. Students will learn about smart shopping and proper recycling, and will learn that becoming “earth smart” at school and at home can contribute to a better, cleaner planet.
Some of our classes are taking a one-hour workshop after the assembly, taking an even closer look at being earth smart! Here’s what they’ll learn:
1st Grade - Healthy Habitat:
Our first graders will explore the basic components of habitat—food, water, shelter, and space—through a variety of discussion and examples. Students will play a game that introduces them to some native Northwest animals, the types of habitat they need, and simple ways to protect them. Students then make the connection between their actions and a healthy habitat.
2nd Grade –Recycling and Beyond:
In addition to sorting recyclables, students examine natural resources as the “source of our stuff” and discuss topics such as “closing the loop” and smart shopping choices. A game show allows students to discover more ways to recycle and reduce waste.
4th and 5th Grade - Recycling Leadership:
Our 4th and 5th graders will learn proper sorting of recyclables, discuss recycling problems within the school, and brainstorm ways to address them. Through research, skits, intercom announcements or posters, students will find ways to address and solve school recycling problems. A follow-up discussion will focus on the next steps to improvements.
Afterschool Enrichment Flyer Out Today
Check out your take-home folder for new afterschool enrichment classes. This quarter, we’re offering yoga, chess for Kindergarten and chess for 1st - 5th graders, and a new science club called Toyology. Both yoga and science have a limited number of spaces available, so if you’re interested in one of those classes, make sure you fill out your registration sheet, include your payment, and give it to Kathy in the office. She is making a class list for those two programs. Chess is a drop-in program and does not require registration. (If you miss the registration cut-off, we will put your name on the waiting list for the next session and give you first choice.)
