Thursday
June 11
Graduation &
Spirit Awards,
6:30pm at
Grace Church
Friday
June 12
Last Day of School
11:45 PS/PK/K Dismissal;
Noon Dismissal, Grades 1-5
No Aftercare
Happy Summer!
See you next year!
School starts Wednesday, September 9th!
June 11, 2009
Remembering the Last 7 Years
Remembering the 5th Grade
Field Day - Everyone's a Winner
Summer Planning
Thank You to Room Parents
Thought You Were Just Having Fun?
Bring Out Your Dead
Make a Difference - Volunteer
Remembering the Last 7 Years
By Kimm and Dale Stammen, Westside Parents
In an effort to not cry too much at the upcoming graduation, I’m writing down and sending you some memories which I think illustrate what Westside School has meant to me and my family these past seven years. Feel free to share them with whomever you think appropriate.
When Emma was four, I walked in the front doors of Westside School. The office was overflowing with parents busy doing something with piles of papers, talking about what they were doing, laughing and bumping into each other. (The office was really small back then.) I said hello to someone and that I wasn’t there to help but to have a tour, and waited in a corner, trying to stay out of the way, until someone did eventually come and show me around. (The tour of the whole place consisted of five classrooms, one portable and about 90 kids. )
That first impression in the office of Westside, though it may seem unremarkable, struck me. This was a place where parents were not welcomed with a show of exuberance and given the grand tour, because parents were not visitors. They were a normal, everyday and vital part of the school.
Another early memory of our Westside experience was our first teacher conference with Claudia. It was our first year in any school; we’d never had a conference with a teacher before, and I was frankly skeptical that someone could know much about my very quiet daughter in just a month.
Claudia, in the conference, told us about Emma’s learning style, and that she listened very well and had a long attention span, which we’d already noticed. Then she described Emma as a girl who feels things deeply, and “holds them close.” And she made a gesture, two hands cupped together over her heart, her body hunched protectively around them. “That’s how she is, and she’ll open up more when she wants to,” said Claudia. I thought her comments impressive not just for their perception but for, I don’t know, the dispassionate caring and expertise with which she said them. I expect she knows all her students just as well.
Though I think Claudia’s understanding of her students is exceptional, I have always found that all the teachers at Westside are not only willing, but eager, to listen to my comments and concerns, in a genuine desire to know and help one of their students better.
I remember Emma’s first homework assignment, to draw a picture of where she was going to do her homework. Such a brilliant assignment! It forces the parents to make sure she has a place to do her homework. She drew a picture of her little purple desk, the pencils and crayons and the window and the chair, and got all excited and impatient for her first page of homework. And because each grade treated the doing of homework as a skill like any other, to be slowly expanded, now I barely know when Emma’s projects are due, because she organizes her work and plans out her schedule herself.
A more recent memory illustrates one of the most important qualities of Westside. At a 5th grade presentation early this year, I was listening to a boy explain what he had learned about electricity. He said, “we got to make a coil, and attach a wire, and we got to make a switch...” Not, “we had to,” or “we did,” but “we got to.” A small thing, a choice of word, but in it there is a world of difference. Between the schools I grew up with and unfortunately many today, where kids do what they have to do and get out, and a place where learning is fun, a natural result of curiosity, and a privilege kids actually appreciate.
I remember when Jo Ann and two other candidates came to speak to the WPO about why they should be hired as new Head of School. I don’t remember the other two candidates, but I do remember the open and clear way Jo Ann spoke, her understated energy that seemed a good match for our school, and the way she answered my question about how much the school should grow (as much as the parent community decided it should). I also remember all the nodding as the parents left the gym, and that someone said “that’s the one.”
I also remember when the school introduced the Second Step program.
I was skeptical again! I expected a school to teach academic skills, but leave the morals and the behavior to the parents, please. It helped a good bit to discover that the ideas of Second Step matched our ideas about how conflicts should be resolved. More than that, it gave a voice and framework to what was already and still is the expectation at Westside: that people behave with respect for each other. It may not always happen, but it’s expected.
And it is this expectation which contributes to another of the most important things about Westside, and one that I most appreciate: Westside is safe. A safe place to be accepted for who and how you are, a safe place to try things and make mistakes. A safe place for what is most precious in our lives. A safe place to grow from a shy 5 year old to an amazing 11 year old. I am deeply thankful that Emma, and we, had this place.
I see as I finish writing this that it’s not only my daughter who has grown an incredible amount in the past seven years. Westside has changed so much since we enrolled! Twice as many children, a new Head of School, new programs, and yes, a bigger office. Perhaps that’s why I fear I’ll have difficulty not crying at graduation: I’m not just celebrating the growth and achievement of the child at the center of my life, I’m also celebrating the school that grew and changed with her. And like my daughter, managed to stay as wonderful as when she was small.
Perhaps when Claudia described Emma as “feeling things deeply, and keeping them close,” she described her parents as well. That’s how we are, but let me now decide to open up and say: This place, the teachers, staff and parents, have meant a lot to us. Thank you.
Remembering the 5th Grade
By Steven Whiting, Chinese Teacher
Da Jia Hao! I would like to use this final Chinese Update of the 2008-09 school year to express my congratulations to the Fifth Grade class on their graduation from Westside School. It’s hard to believe that I have taught them Mandarin Chinese for three years.
I remember when I first entered what at that time was Mr. B’s Third Grade class. The group energy was palpable. At times it seemed like trying to keep the lid on a boiling pot. More than once Mr. B had to step in to “rescue” me as I struggled with controlling the classroom. I often wondered if this group was going to drive me crazy before I got a handle on them.
But as the months went by and I began to understand the kids (and they hopefully began to understand me), I came to realize what a truly special group they are. Their aptitude and enthusiasm never ceased to amaze me. They picked up concepts and vocabulary quickly. I feel that we really accomplished a lot in our three years together and for my part I have had a lot of fun teaching them and watching them grow.
The faces changed somewhat over the years as some kids left and others entered the class. The new additions quickly began to fit in at their own pace and assimilated amazingly well so that the group dynamic was consistent.
I have my own special memory of each of the Fifth Graders and I’m sure that having taught them will always remain one of the high points of my time at Westside School.
My goal is to have as much fun and accomplish just as much with each of the groups of students that I teach at Westside School. The graduating Fifth Graders have set a high bar for all the classes that follow them to work toward.
Once again I’d like to say Gong xi nimen (Congratulations to you!) on your achievement and Xie Xie (Thanks) for the happy memories.
As you move on to middle school, I hope you will take happy memories of studying Chinese at Westside School. Best of luck in middle school! I will miss you all! Bai Laoshi
Field Day - Everyone's a Winner!
By Kate Petrich, WPO President
A huge thank you to P.E. Enrichment Teacher Donna Jornlin and Field Day Chair Susan Oxholm for last Friday’s Field Day!
After our Pizza Day Chair, Kathleen Whitson, fueled-up the kids with an all-school pizza & milk lunch in the grass, our 5th grade team leaders ("chaperoned" by our parent volunteers) led groups of 11 multi-grade students around to 18 creative game stations. Next, students were electrified with a thrilling teacher water balloon toss, and the ever popular 5th grade donut-eating contest.
Lots of giggling: Some of the children were meeting and playing with each other for the first time, and it was a great opportunity to watch Donna's thoughtfully crafted games foster community building skills within the groups, including the older kids helping the younger kids - and some of us parents. (It's the Westside Way!)
Susan Oxholm handled the dizzying task of organizing team & game leaders, setting up games, coordinating the entire student body, and getting every child a ribbon and frozen popsicle in the heat of the day. Bravo Susan!
A sensational finish to a fabulous year, thank you also to all the parents that made the day possible - "Everyone's a Winner."
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Summer Planning
By Renee Smith, 1st Grade Teacher
As with all things, summer break is a mixed blessing. Its greatest strength (no school! schedule free!) is its greatest weakness, (No school!! No schedule!!) Children vacillate between euphoric freedom and debilitating boredom. And although school may disappear from a young student’s mind, it remains a concern for most parents. And so many families ask teachers, “What do you recommend we do at home this summer to help with math? Reading? Writing?”
Having spent twenty six summers home with school age children, I am willing to give a little guidance. What follows are a few suggestions to consider:
• Boredom is okay – usually they find their own groove.
• Keeping bedtime/wake up time similar daily helps regulate those little bodies and minds, and makes the return to school easier.
• Get a hold of a couple of grade-appropriate workbooks from a bookstore. Have your student work a prescribed number of pages daily, preferably at a consistent time of day (before getting dressed in the morning is good).
• The workbooks are not high level learning, but they keep skills fresh and the practice doesn’t hurt anyone. A huge plus is to continue the habit of work.
• Correct their work immediately, if possible. No lessons are necessary. Have them correct the mistakes. If they truly can’t get it, maybe you picked a workbook that is a little too hard. We’re not looking for hard work: just practice and success.
• Be aware of scheduling: yes, its summer break, but two sleepovers in a row makes for very grumpy, tired kids. None of us makes our best decisions when we are tired and grumpy.
• When kids are grown up, they tend to remember family trips and family meals. They don’t necessarily remember the great, enriching, expensive activities you so painstakingly arranged. This I know from personal experience. They remember “we always have iced tea in the summer” or “we always have a picnic on the 4th of July.” Quaint, but true.
• Have fun. Not always as easy as it sounds. Of my twenty six summers with my own school aged children, at least twenty followed a year of teaching. Therefore, I’ve had BIG plans for summer. Paint the house, redo the garden, lose 5, 10, 20 lbs (the number always goes up…), exercise, take a class for school, and…Oh yeah… enjoy my children!
Am I going to follow my own advice this summer? I’ll let you know in September. For now, I feel better just writing it down. It’s a step in the right direction! Have a great summer! See you at the pool!
Thank You Room Parents!
By Sue Winter, WPO Room Parent Coordinator
Please join the WPO officers in thanking all of our wonderful room parents! With their tireless efforts, they have organized field trips and class parties, kept all of us informed about Westside happenings, and made sure our teachers feel supported and appreciated. Thank you Room Parents for all you’ve done this year - you guys are great!
This year’s room parents were:
Nancy’s PreS/PreK - Christine Smith and Lindsay White
Claudia’s PreS - Rebecca Allen Chavez and Rachel Dory
Stuart’s K - Pam Allen and Alison Wallace
Marsha’s K - Cathy Howe and Ann Fosso
Renee’s 1st - Cindy Burke and Cynthia Jordan
Margie’s 1st - Emily Ann Hindle
Erin/Jill’s 2nd - Denise Edgar and Lori Lieske
Laura’s 2nd - Lori Freer and Angela Huntington
Joe’s 3rd - Sue Winter and Karri Boerner
Judith’s 4th - Janet Somero and Shannon Marsh
Linda’s 5th - Carol Loughlin and Tina Vickery
And You Thought You Were Just Having Fun...
By Kate Petrich, WPO President
As you may know, the Westside Parent Organization (WPO) uses funds raised from Pizza Days, Movie Nights and Halloween Fest to fund various community building events and assemblies. So while you were banking coveted family time, enjoying popcorn at Movie Night, buying tickets for the Halloween Fest Fortune Teller, writing checks for your child’s Pizza Day pizza, and toiling as one of our venerable volunteers, you made it possible to have:
• Assemblies: One World Taiko Drums, Ropeworks, and Chinese Acrobats (African Acrobats coming in the fall!)
• “Cyber Safety” WPO Meeting with free Childcare
• “Let’s Go to the Hop” Family Dance
• Popsicles and Pizza for Field Day (see this Update’s related article)
• An additional sign board for school announcements at the flag pole and/or the cottage areas.
And as we mind our mission to “promote and support the academic, financial and social growth of Westside School,” we’re primarily committed to building community. However, if more funds are raised than needed, they become available to support the Westside teacher’s professional development beyond what Westside School already sponsors. This year with the combination of your enthusiastic participation and the prudent leadership of past years’ WPO Officers (we stand on their shoulders... thank you Carolyn Comick!), we’ve positioned ourselves to at least partially pay for:
• PK Teacher, Claudia Ross-Weston to attend the UW Early Learning Conference on the cutting edge of child development research.
• Kindergarten Teacher, Stuart Scolnik, to attend a NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans (with Bill Nye the Science Guy!)
• Director of Development, Jana Riggan, to attend Northwest Development Officers Association’s (NDOA’s) Spring Conference “Fundraising in Changing Times”
Lastly, we are very excited to be purchasing two document cameras and LCD projectors for each of the two kindergarten classes. These projectors can project documents onto the wall or screen without having to photocopy transparencies. For example, teachers can use them during story time to project storybook pages of text and pictures for all to see while modeling reading the lines, or in the case of science projects, they can project images of live spiders, coins, etc.
And we’ve purchased a new car! Just kidding! On behalf of the WPO, thank you for making it all happen. Best wishes to you this summer, and we look forward to more fun next year!
Bring Out Your Dead! Ink Cartridges and More!
Monty Python here for the Fourth and Fifth graders who continue to work hard to get you to recycle any and all old ink cartridges, cell phones, video consoles, digital cameras, laptop computers, PDAs, IPods, even DVD movies. You can even call us and we will come get them from your house if you have too many and/or don’t want to store over the summer. Otherwise you can drop them in the plastic bin in the main building hallway. The kids will bundle them up and send them off to be recycled- and get a bonus check back that will go towards funding the 4/5’s Islandwood experience next year. Help our kids clean up our environment and raise funds at the same time. Any questions? Hallidie.haid@gmail.com. Thanks! Come in and drop it off over the summer. Office hours are from 9am-3pm (you may want to call ahead of time to make sure it’s not closed for lunch!)
Make a Difference – Volunteer
By Lori Lieske, Westside Parent
I was asked to share an exciting community-involvement project that our family has decided to commit to. As we rang in the New Year, we knew that change was abound and we wanted to demonstrate to our kids that giving back does not have to involve money; it can be just as meaningful to volunteer your time. I had heard about a government program called The Presidential Service Award, an award that recognizes individuals, families, and groups that volunteer a certain number of hours over a year or over a lifetime. As the volunteer hours accumulate, medals are awarded. For example, a Bronze medal is earned if kids volunteer 50-74 hours, young adults volunteer 100-174 hours or adults volunteer 100-249 hours. As the hours increase beyond these numbers, a Silver or Gold medal can be earned! We thought “how perfect!” Our kids can feel good about volunteering their time in the community and they can also set a goal to volunteer enough hours to earn a medal.
The hardest part of this project was deciding where and when to volunteer. As I looked into our options, I found endless opportunities and many close to our home. We ended up choosing to volunteer at The Kenney Retirement Home because it was within walking distance to our house. Our idea was to host a game night, twice a month, for an hour each time. The volunteer coordinator was thrilled at the idea and very happy to have our entire family come be with the residents. So, every first and third Monday we go and play games or build a puzzle with our new extended family of grandmas and grandpas. After finishing our hour, we go home and log our volunteer time on our sheets and look forward to earning a medal.
Now, this is a time commitment for our family, but we are volunteering together and having fun doing it. It’s a win, win, and it’s just one example of how an entire family can volunteer. Another idea that is equally important and easy to do is to take a ½ hour at the end of a sports game or day at the park to clean up garbage. (Be sure to wear gloves!)
My kids are learning that The Kenney residents appreciate us being there and each week we gain a new grandparent! But the biggest lesson is that it doesn’t take a lot to make a difference!!
To find out more about the Presidential Service Award, visit http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov. This site also has additional links on volunteer opportunities close to your house. You may also check out these organizations: Children’s Hospital, Food Banks, Local YMCA (kids have to be a certain age though), Retirement Homes near you, REI (usually family friendly trail clean ups) and/or the West Seattle Blog or West Seattle Herald sometimes posts opportunities. Happy volunteering!
