Thursday
January 8
Winterfest!
Students should
be at Grace Church
by 6:15pm
Friday
January 9
Spirit/Pizza Day
Monday
January 12
Admission Tour
9:15am
Tuesday
January 13
Kindergarten
Tour for Current
PK Families
9am
Monday
January 19
Martin Luther
King Jr. Day
NO SCHOOL
Wednesday
January 21
Board Meeting
6:30pm
Friday
January 23
Admission Tour 9:15am
Spirit/Pizza Day
Movie Night
Stay tuned for more info
January 8, 2009
Annual Giving Recap
Gung Ho for the Westside Community
The Key to Auction Success
Afterschool Enrichment Space Available
PS & PK Visit Grand Central Bakery
Technology in the Classrooms
Chinese Update
Movie Night Rescheduled
New Baby for Eltahir Family
Annual Giving Recap
By Jana Riggan, Development Director
Congratulations Westside on another successful annual giving fundraiser. While we will continue to accept and receive gifts through the remainder of the fiscal year, our big push is over.
Here’s where we ended up:
- With matching, we have raised $120,000, with 97% of our current families participating. We also received gifts from grandparents and alumni families.
- 16 families joined the sustainer group, promising to give at least $500 per child per year. 190 people gave on the first day, which made each $100 match add up to $19,000!
- Seven classes reached 100% participation!
Way to go everyone! You’re the key to our success! Now let’s get in the SPIRIT of Westside and be Gung-Ho for the 20th Annual Auction!
Gung-Ho for the Westside Community
By Celesta Bjornson, Auction Chair
The auction team is Gung-Ho for the Westside community because it takes the entire community to have a successful auction. Everyone plays a role whether it’s donating an item, donating money, attending the auction, making dessert, procuring an item from a business, working on the class art project, cleaning up after the party; whatever the role is, you play an important role and make the auction successful.
The auction committee is a team, made up of people from our community that take on more significant roles to help make the auction a success. They are Gung-Ho parents committed to our school, our community and our children and are available if you have questions, comments or need advice on donating or procuring an item.
- Celesta Bjornson, Auction Chair (1st grade, 3rd grade and 5th grade)
- Christine Smith, Auction Co-Chair/ Set – up (5th grade and preschool)
- Tracy Sundberg, Procurement (2nd grade and Pre-K)
- Terry Muench, Class Photos (1st grade)
- Janet Beeby Maglaque, Class Projects (2nd Grade)
- Cynthia Jordan, Decorations (1st grade and preschool)
- Theresa Schaefer, Dessert Auction (2nd grade)
- Megan Simmons, Graphics (1st grade and preschool)
- Bao-Tran Nguyen, Thank You Notes (Pre-K)
- Susan Viscon, Raffle (Kindergarten)
- Carol Loughlin, Bar (5th and 3rd grade)
- Angie Graves, Database (1st grade)
- Krista Wassermann, Database (2nd grade and Pre-K)
- Cindy Burke, Editor (1st grade)
- Phil and Alison Wallace, Clean Up (3rd grade and Kindergarten)
- Kati Petrich, Advertisement (2nd Grade and Preschool)
- Daniela Bernhard, On-line photographer (4th grade)
- Jana Riggan, Westside Development & Marketing Director
The auction team is here to help you create a successful auction.
You’re the Key to our Success!
Successful auctions have great people and great items. Luckily for Westside, we can have both! We already have you – our great parents, and now we need your help to have great items. Here’s how you can be Gung-Ho for Westside and help this year’s auction be a success.
- Donate an item this week
(Donations can be procured from businesses that you regularly patron) - Donate an item every week
- Donate before January 29th
Need help with an idea for a donation? We can help.
If you would like to donate an item but aren’t sure what to donate, talk to Procurement Chair, Tracy Sundberg or any of the Auction Team members to work through ideas. You can also look at auction catalogues from previous years to find ideas. (These are located in the admin house.) We will email more ideas next Tuesday in the “Auction Extra.” Look for this email weekly through March 7th.
Thank you for your help! All our best items will come from you, the Gung-Ho parents of Westside School, working together for our children.
*When filling out procurement forms, please include as much information as possible.
After School Enrichment Classes – space is still available in some classes!
Space is still available in some classes!
Kindergarten Chess Club
Tuesdays, 2:45-3:45pm
Five Week Session starts January 13th
$68.00, 5 SPACES OPEN
Learn to play chess, or practice what you already know! Chess can strengthen problem solving skills, teach children to make difficult and abstract decisions and enhance math abilities memory and critical thinking skills. The ever popular Elston Cloy (and former Washington State Youth Champion) returns to guide the chess
class.
Yoga (K through 5th Grade)
Thursdays, 3:20-4:30pm
Four Week Session begins January 15th (No class February 5th)
$58.00, 9 SPACES OPEN
Cynthia Voth & Joanna Bond return to help kids get in touch with their bodies, strengthen and relax their muscles, and develop coordination, focus and confidence. Each class will include sharing, breathing/centering (pranayama), postures (asana), games that incorporate the postures, and a closing relaxation. Yoga can be a fun exercise for kids. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing and bring a yoga mat.
Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten Visited the Grand Central Bakery
By Claudia Ross-Weston, Pre-K Teacher
In December, the Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten classes studied grains and bread making. We ground corn and wheat to make cornmeal and flour. Using these ingredients we made cornbread, whole wheat bread, pretzels and gingerbread. We also tied the bread theme into the holidays and talked about bread from around the world and some family traditions.
When Gabby Moorhead (Isabel’s Mom) discovered that we were studying breads she invited each of our classes to visit the Grand Central Bakery. It is a wonderful example of sharing community resources and of how one family helped enhance our school program. We began our visit with Gillian’s demonstration of the primary ingredients for the bread; flour, yeast, salt and warm water. Then we were given a tour of the bakery and met the head baker, Robert. We saw the three story high flour silo, a large mixing bowl that holds 600 pounds, huge ovens, people forming the many loaves and a machine that automatically slices and bags bread. After seeing all parts of the operation, we returned to the conference room to shape our small loaves of bread. We each made our own, the bakery cooked it and we received the individual loaves at school the next day. Very tasty indeed! Thanks to Gabby for offering us such a great experience.
Technology in the Classroom
By Kevin Jones, Educational Technology Coordinator
As technology becomes more and more part of our individual daily lives, teachers are finding that it’s becoming more and more useful in the classroom.
A couple years ago, Westside greatly improved its computers and other technology tools, thanks to our amazing parent community and the auction’s Fund-a-Wish. Here are just a few ways that Westside teachers and students are using the computers, laptops, and projectors in the classroom now.
The 2nd grade classroom received a laptop and projector, and students are benefiting from this equipment as they study social studies, current events, and science investigations. For example, when reading about the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska, students can track the actual Iditarod dogs and see live data.
The 3rd grade class received classroom computers. Students now enjoy their guided explorations of rocks and minerals by using web resources to help identify and classify samples. They are also improving their keyboarding and word processing proficiency as they develop their writing skills.
The 4th grade class received computers and a laptop and projector. Students are using this equipment to perform online research of current events, using sources such as www.earthwatch.org to enhance their scientific understanding of conservation and sustainability issues. Using a projector with these interactive tools helps enhance group discussions, and the classroom computers allow students to transition to independent work.
The 5th grade class also received computers and a laptop and projector. Students use their desktop computers and laptops as Linda guides them in their study of current events. As they gather data for their investigations, they also expand their critical thinking skills, helping them learn how to determine what information is useful to them and what is not. Learning to deal with the overwhelming amount of information available is helping to prepare them for middle school and beyond.
Teachers are continuing to explore the many different ways that technology can enhance learning, are getting excited by the endless possibilities.
Chinese Update
By Steven Whiting, Chinese Teacher
Dajia hao! It’s hard to believe that we are finished with the holiday season and have welcomed 2009! During the final days of 2008, the kids were very busy in Chinese class, reviewing old material, learning new vocabulary and expressions, doing their usual class activities as well as preparing a class song to perform at our first Westside School Chinese New Year Assembly in late January.
The Kindergarteners are learning the last few animals of the Chinese Zodiac and will soon put them all into a song so they will remember the order. The year 2009 is the year of the Ox. They are also learning fruits and are telling me which ones they like, as well as learning family members. They will be leading off the class songs at our assembly with Xin Nian Hao (Happy New Year), which is coming along nicely. It was great having our Special Friends come to watch the kindergarteners learn Chinese on Special Friends Day. The kids were on their best behavior.
The First Graders are learning vegetables and the song Old Mr. Wang has a Vegetable Garden. They have just finished the song Mama Duck and Her Little Ducklings. They will sing The Pedicab Song at the Chinese New Year Assembly.
The Second Graders have been learning flags, nations and nationalities and working hard on The Water Throwing Song which they sing with amazing gusto.
The Third Graders have been perfecting Where is Spring? for the Chinese New Year (also know as the Spring Festival) Assembly as well working on seasons, dates and days of the week.
The Fourth Graders have finished the Pinyin Song and are using their knowledge of pinyin to read Xiao Hong Mao (Little Red Riding Hood) in Chinese. They have also been practicing writing some Chinese characters and will soon learn shapes. They will sing the Snail Song at the Assembly.
The Fifth Graders have also finished the Pinyin Song and will soon put their pinyin to work. They are busy preparing for the Chinese New Year Assembly at which they will be the MC’s and play some Chinese music on traditional Chinese instruments. They will also sing The Little Donkey which they performed on Special Friends Day.
As you can imagine we often have to review old material to keep it fresh in the kids’ minds and as a building block for new learning. The kids are making good progress and through the various activities that we do, each child has a chance to demonstrate their own particular talents. Xie xie, Bai laoshi
Movie Night Save the Date!
Westside’s 2nd Movie Night has been rescheduled to Friday, January 23rd. Details to come next week. In the mean time, score one of Movie Night’s fun volunteer opportunities by contacting Jan Ellis at 206-244-9836 or jan326@comcast.net!
New Baby for Eltahir Family
Congratulations to 3rd grader Gy’Neece and the Eltahir family on their newest addition to the family! Leilaah Eltahir was born Dec. 31, 2008!