Thursday
May 1
Tuition Payments for 2008-2009 Begin
Yoga
Friday
May 2
Assembly (K) 9:30
Spirit/Pizza Day
Chess 1-5th
Mon.-Fri.
May 5-9
Teacher Appreciation Week
Tuesday
May 6
Kind. to SCT
Town Meeting
6:30pm
Tuesday
May 13
Spring Fling 6:30pm
Friday
May 16
Spirit/Pizza Day
Tuesday
May 20
Lemonade Event
for Kindergarten Class of 2008-2009
Wednesday
May 21
Board Mtg. 6:30pm
May 1, 2008
WPO Officer Elections
Spring Fling, May 13
Town Meeting, May 6
Inner Spark Summer Program
Kindergarten Asks a Question
WPO Officer Elections
By Carolyn Comick, WPO President
If you are interested in being a WPO officer for the 2008/2009 school year, nominations will be accepted through Friday, May 9th. Please refer to the WPO Handbook on our website at http://www.westsideschool.org/handbook0708.pdf to learn more about the WPO, and the events and activities that are organized and funded through the WPO. Officers meet weekly during September and October and then once a month throughout the school year. Below is a list of officer positions:
President-open
Vice-President
Secretary - open
Treasurer - open
Volunteer Coordinator
Room Parent Coordinator * - open
* New position created for the 2008/2009 school year.
We are very pleased to announce that Amy Huber and Megan Simmons will be returning next year in the capacity of Volunteer Coordinator and Vice President, respectively.
If you are interested in learning more about the time commitment and responsibilities of WPO officers, please direct all inquiries to volunteer coordinator Amy Huber at amyhuber@comcast.net. If you would like to be considered for a position, please sign up on the ‘Get Involved’ board outside the main office. If there is more than one candidate interested in the same officer position, the WPO will hold a general election.
Spring Fling, May 13, 6:30pm
By Cathy Chutich, Music Teacher
The theme for this year's Spring Fling is "Birds, Beasts and Rivers." Animals always seem to know when it's spring and our classes will be singing songs that celebrate rabbits, robins, lions and their fellow forest dwellers. We'll also pay tribute to the rivers that stretch across our country. come, listen, nibble, catch up with your friends - and be prepared, at times, to sing along!
Just like Winterfest, Spring Fling will be at Grace Church, just down the block from Westside at 10323 28th Ave. SW. The program starts at 6:30pm and the children should be at the church, sitting with their class at 6:15pm.
Town Meeting, May 6, 6:30pm
By Denise Tabbutt, Board of Trustees President
The Board of Trustees would like to encourage you to come to the Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 6 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.
Come for an hour and find out what the Board has been up to this year. We will share with you the feasibility study results and our long-range facilities plan. There will also be plenty of opportunity for questions.
Inner Spark, Westside's Unique Summer Program
By David Bergler
July 7-11
July 14-18
July 21-24
Inner Spark is not just another summer camp. Inner Spark connects children with the global community. Inner Spark combines the fun and creativity of art with the mysteries of history, the lure of geography, and the diversities of the cultures of the world.
Tell your friends and neighbors that the much anticipate “Open Enrollment” has begun for Inner Spark. There are a few spaces still available in all classes. Don’t wait too long. Sign up now and you won’t be billed until June. Current Westside School families may sign up on the student/parent network page of the school website. Children not currently enrolled at Westside School are also invited to attend Inner Spark. Simply email or call Westside School to enroll.
We live in a world of global connections. Children hear about world events; they go to school with children from around the world; they use products that are made all over the globe. Yet children learn best when their experiences are concrete and meaningful to their everyday lives. The cultural aspects of the program are meant to inspire and motivate the young artists. Art helps children discover how geography, history, and time link all the people of the world together. Although different, we are all connected to the cultural heritage of our past. Through a variety of art experiences children will explore the contributions of different cultures. Art is a language of understanding and respect for the diverse human spirit found throughout the world. Each learning opportunity offered during our Innerspark summer program will connect the global community with the joy of learning.
Each session will be unique and age appropriate. Students may sign up for half or full days, as well as one, two, or three sessions. The fee for each class will be $150 per week. Childcare will be offered from 8:00-9:00 and from 4:00-5:00 at $10 per hour. Children attending both morning and afternoon classes should bring a sack lunch.
Kindergarten Asks "What Do You Notice"?
By Laura Holmes
A frequently asked question in both of the Kindergarten classrooms is, “What do you notice?” This question is relevant to all curricular areas and other teachable moment times of the day. This question honors all types of learners and is open ended. When the answers are recorded, we often notice that the complexity of the thinking builds upon the previously discussed answer.
Here are a few examples. 1) One of the experiments in the FOSS Science Kit about Fabric involves putting water droplets on four different fabrics. The “What did you notice?” discussion featured comments about the droplet shape and size, about the feel of the fabric, about extending the experiment to include other fabrics and about clothing fabric and rainy weather. 2) Filling in a 5 x 6 grid with one number per box, repeating a 1-6 sequence and color coding it resulted in “noticing” that: six different colors were used, that the same numbers formed a diagonal, that the diagonals went from one through five and then back down to one and that it would look differently with a different grid size and a different number sequence. 3) At Choice Time, with the K’Nex, Kindergartners are comparing vehicle designs and the distances that they roll. 4) A favorite “noticing” during the Question and Comment portion of Calendar Time is to announce how many days until their leadership day and then connect it to the number of days we will have been in school for that day. 5) Literacy: We spend a lot of time noticing the sound-letter connection when reading and writing.
So, the next time you are with your child out exploring nature, assisting with homework, or baking a batch of cookies try asking, “What do you notice?”. I’m guessing that you will hear about animal behavior observations, patterns in nature, a classroom activity connection, different sizes of measuring tools and how the batter consistency has changed. I hope you enjoy your conversation as much as we enjoy them in the classroom!