Monday - Friday
April 2 - 6
Spirit Week
Thursday
April 5
WPO Meeting
ERB
Friday
April 6
4/5th grade
Assembly 9:30am
Spirit/Pizza Day
Contracts Due for NEW STUDENTS
Monday - Friday
April 9 - 13
Spring Vacation
No School
Wednesday
April 18
Board Meeting
6:30pm
Friday
April 20
Spirit/Pizza Day
Monday - Friday
April 23-27
ERB Testing
Grades 1-5
Friday
April 27
Volunteer Appreciation Day
March 29, 2007
Next Week is Spirit Week!
Toast of the Town Auction Recap
From Jo Ann - The WPO Meeting & Looking at the ERB
Mr. B is Star 101.5's Teacher of the Week
The WPO Wants You
Wonderful Whirligig
No Pizza Tomorrow
Auction Party Dates
Book Club Space Available
Other Parties Available
Photos Available
New Head Lice Policy
Welcome New Student
When Good People Park in Bad Places
Next Week is Spirit Week
By Sasha, 5th grade student
Monday: PJ Day
Tuesday: Famous Person Day
Wednesday: Raid your family’s closet day
Thursday: 60’s and 70’s Day
Friday: Wacky Hair Day
Every year, we have spirit week. The 5th grade class determines each day’s theme, and student’s can dress up in the spirit of the day. The 5th graders will take photos of the craziest outfits, and we will publish the best one in next week’s Update. On Friday, the 5th grade class will have an assembly to celebrate the entire week. We hope every student – and maybe even the parents - participates!
Toast of the Town
Auction Recap
Thank you for making this year’s auction the highest grossing auction ever! Every family that donated an item, procured an item, worked on a classroom project, participated in a teacher adventure, purchased a classroom or individual photo, attended the auction, made a dessert or spent time on a committee, you have make this auction fun and successful! Thanks to you, our teacher experiences together raised over $7,000, with the first grade alone donating over $2000! And, our fund-a-wish totals are record breaking! We raised over $55,000 for our first class classrooms and over $35,000 for tuition assistance. The final figures are still coming in, but we estimate that our net will be around $250,000! Thank you everyone for your commitment to Westside. We hope everyone had a great time!
From Jo Ann
WPO presents...
A Look at the ERB
Come join us Thursday, April 5, 6:00pm
Why do we test? What is a standardized test? What do the results mean? How does the school use the test results? And how should a parent interpret the results?
Our Westside first - fifth grade students will take the Education Record Bureau (ERB)’s battery of comprehensive tests (CTPIV) during the week of April 23- 27. Tests are taken Monday – Friday, only during the morning hours. After testing is complete, the tests are sent to ERB for scoring. Results are expected by the end of May, and these results will be shared with all of you.
Learning to take a standardized test is part of the educational experience, but beyond teaching our children to take tests, this instrument provides a lot of information. Sometimes, this information can be confusing. At my presentation, I will talk about the difference between a criteria-referenced test like the WASL and a norm-referenced test like the ERB. What is meant by national norms, suburban norms and independent norms? What do scale scores, stanines and percentiles mean?
The topic of testing is in the news almost daily as a “recipe for improving student achievement.” Join me on April 5 for a lively discussion.
Mr. B is Star 101.5’s Teacher of the Week
It seemed like a “normal” Friday morning at Westside School. Mr. B, along with his third graders, were buddy reading to Claudia’s Pre-K class. Suddenly, two Star 101.5 radio personalities walked into the room holding a plaque and an oversized check. Star 101.5’s Anna Kelly announced to the room that Mr. B was the Star Teacher of the Week. Ms Kelly said, “Jing Redman nominated you and here’s what she had to say.” “Mr. B is funny, kind, sweet, generous, loving, and a great teacher!!!” Later that afternoon Mr.B was interviewed on the Star 101.5 afternoon show. During his interview he remarked that this honor should be shared with all of the incredible teachers at Westside School. Each of the third graders received a Star 101.5 prize packet plus a cool t-shirt. Mr. B received a check for $100.00, a beautiful plaque, and a chance to compete with eleven other teachers for a brand new automobile this June.
The WPO Wants You!
Now that our record-breaking Annual Westside School Auction is over, it’s time to focus on the WPO and the last meeting of the school year, scheduled for next Thursday night, April 5th at 6pm. We’ll be discussing the ERB, and actively recruiting volunteers to help with NEXT year’s WPO events and fundraisers. Whether it’s the Back-to School Picnic, the Halloween Fest, Pizza Days, Logo wear sales, Movie Nights, Winterfest or Spring Fling, there are so many volunteer opportunities available. Help make next year’s line-up of events a success. Please sign up early to be an event chairperson or committee member! It’s a great way to support the Westside community, and more importantly, our children.
If you can’t make the meeting, but are interested in becoming involved, please email Tracy Leber at tlleber@comcast.net.
Wonderful Whirligig!
By Donna Jornlin
One of my favorite activities is happening at the Seattle Center. It’s the annual indoor carnival of fun at the Center House, running daily until April 15th. Whirligig, also in its 25th year, has free entertainment & activities from face painting to supersize, inflatable rides for kids to climb, slide, glide & bounce on. Check out seattlecenter.com for details.
A decade ago I had the good fortune to be invited to participate in a female masters athlete bone density study. Every 2 years I go in for a bone density scan & check-up, as well as a very informative discussion with a nutritionist. I was surprised to learn the timeframe for building healthy bones is fairly short; age 9 to 20. After that time we can maintain our bone health with weight-bearing exercise & a good diet, but we cannot go back & improve on what we did in those years. I’ve woven some of that good information into my curriculum & March is “build healthy bones with calcium” month in P.E. Most of the children answered “milk” when asked how to build a strong set of bones. We added to the dairy list with yogurt, string cheese & ice cream. A few responded with “orange juice,” & even fewer knew Popeye’s favorite food, spinach. I heard lots of giggles & “oooh, yuk” when Swiss chard, kale & tofu were mentioned! We talked about the importance of replacing a can of soda with a glass of bone-building milk or once in a while chocolate milk. Several high school coaches I’ve talked to recommend a glass of chocolate milk after a workout as a healthy snack. Children age 9-20 need 1300 mg of calcium a day which works out to 4-5 servings.
Our feet have been dancing through the fabric ladders learning balance, agility & coordination. Each grade has worked on the balance beam. Pre-school & primary ages balance a beanbag on their head or hand, intermediate dribbles a ball while walking or pivots down the length. 2nd-5th grade have learned a Filipino dance called Tingling, a high stepping movement between two rhythmic poles.
No Pizza
Remember, there is no Pizza Day this Friday, March 30. We had 5 Fridays in March, which can make it a little confusing. (We don’t do any make-up days, as the days are set with the pizza company several months in advance.) The next Pizza Day is April 6!
Auction Parties and Event Dates
Track Meet with Donna
April 19
Margie’s Book Club
May 4
Ladies Bunko Party
May 18
Men’s Poker Party
May 19
Motherfolk
May 20
Tennis Clinic for 12
June 9
Boat Scavenger Hunt
June 9
Pool Party
June 15
Pinot Patio Party
July 14
Mama Mixer
September 13
Carmelia’s Party
Nov 8
Karaoke Party
January 12
Girls Weekend
in Sun Valley
January 24-27
Book Club Space Available
Unable to go to the auction? Missed your chance to sign-up for Margie’s Book Club? You’re in luck! The Book Club for 10 with 1st grade teacher Margie has just expanded to 11. We have one more spot open for this sure-to-be enjoyable evening at Kit Cudahy’s house on Friday, May 4th. You will enjoy a lively discussion of Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos. And to ensure that the intellectual discussion flows freely, Bridgett and Bear will be providing the wine for the evening. The cost is $75.00. If you are interested, please see Kathy Winans in the office. All proceeds go to benefit Westside School.
Other Parties Available
We have other spots available for some of the sign-up parties! If you are interested in any of them, please check with Kathy in the office.
Photos Available
Student photos can be purchased for $15 and class photos can be ordered for $25. Photos are right outside the office. Additional student photo prints can be ordered for $5 (these will be unmatted). Kathy will take the orders in the office.
Head Lice Policy
We are continuing to have new head lice cases at the school. After doing some research and checking with other PNAIS schools, we have clarified our head lice policy as follows:
All children found with lice in their hair will be sent home and must be chemically treated and combed before returning to school.
Children with nits in their hair, who HAVE NOT been treated, will be sent home to be chemically treated and combed.
Children with only nits in their hair, who HAVE been chemically treated and combed, may remain at school.
It is very important to follow the directions on the medication, and thoroughly comb your child’s hair. Your home and bedding must also be thoroughly cleaned. Regular head checks AT HOME are essential to eliminating head lice. We have sent home a pamphlet on treating head lice and there is a lot of information on the internet.
Welcome New Student
Welcome new student Jacob, and parents Rebecca and Charles. Jacob starts today in Marsha’s kindergarten class.
When Good People Park in Bad Places
Each year the fire marshal comes to inspect the school for potentially hazardous situations. The day that he came to the school a couple of weeks ago, he noticed that several people had parked in places that were not designated parking spots. These people had actually parked and left their cars as opposed to waiting in their car for their child. In the event of fire, the fire professionals need to be able to maneuver their truck around the parking lot. They cannot do that if someone is parked in the fire lane.
Parking is definitely a challenge at our school; please make sure that when you are trying to park creatively you do not create a potential hazard.