Monday-Friday
May 4-8
Teacher Appreciation Week
Thursday
May 14
Spring Fling 6:30pm
Friday
May 15
Spirit/Pizza Day
Monday-Thursday
May 18-21
4th & 5th Grade to Islandwood
Wednesday
May 20
Board Meeting
6:30pm
Monday
May 25
Memorial Day
NO SCHOOL
Thursday
May 28
Jo Ann presents
the ERB
4:30pm
Friday
June 6
Field Day
Pizza Day
May 7, 2009
Thank You for Teacher Appreciation Week
Math at Westside
Spring Fling Next Week
Sign Up for Summer Camp - Important Update
First Grade Bakery Update
Granola Bar Recall
Thank You Sock Hop Volunteers
Sick Children Should Stay HOme - Public Health Update
Thank You for Teacher Appreciation Week!
Teacher Appreciation week is pretty amazing here at Westside. Every teacher and staff member has their favorite part or a special memory. Here are some thank you’s for making this week so memorable:
I feel appreciated by Westside parents almost every day, when I see you on campus and receive your greetings and encouragement. It makes teaching the kids at Westside even more of a pleasure. Teacher Appreciate Week is icing on the cake. Thanks so much for all the goodies. Bai Laoshi (Steven)
It’s lovely to be remembered by your community & in such creative ways. Thank you for the terrific food, notes & gift cards! Donna, PE
Our deepest thanks for your gracious show of appreciation this week, and all year – it’s part of what makes Westside wonderful! Kevin, Technology
Thank you parents SO much for all that you have done for teachers at Westside this week. I have eaten so well at lunch time that I have not needed to worry about eating dinner all week long! Joe, 3rd Grade
This is one of the best week’s of the year-- flowers, food and gifts! Oh my! Thank you!! Laura, 2nd Grade
Thank you Westside Community for once again treating us like kings and queens. Everything has been delicious and so appreciated! Nancy, PS/PK
Thanks to all of you who helped make this week so special for all of us. We truly appreciate all the effort that was put into it. I especially enjoyed the “Coffee Cart”. That’s something I could get used to! Thanks again, Marsha, K
Lunches, coffee, pastries, flowers, pictures, gift cards and books
Delicious, beautiful, fragrant, touching, thoughtful, and fun
Thank you Westside parents for a wonderful week! Margie and Heidi, 1st
The flowers on Monday, so very sweet
The lunch that day a delicious treat.
Breakfast on Tuesday came to our door
The goodies and coffee over my jeans did pour.
The picture on Wednesday, a favorite scene,
The kids smiling faces with me in between.
Thanks for more goodies on Thursday p.m.
I worry I won’t need food aga-in.
And Friday will bring a smile, so many,
As we bid adieu to our week of plenty.
Linda, 5th
I deeply appreciate the chance to interact with my peers as well as parents in a different way. We are all able to view each other as individuals and friends during this week. That is a crucial connection for all of us! Thank you so much, parents and students, for bringing the community together. Renee, 1st
Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to make us feel pampered and appreciated. Having all the great meals and treats is fantastic but it is the effort and time spent on the part of the parents to make this such a great week for all the staff that makes it so special. Kathy, Office Manager
Thank you for the delicious lunches, the fabulous breakfast and the tasty desserts. This week is always so fun! And it’s nice to get the staff together in one place for lunch. Jana, Development & Marketing
The warmth and appreciation shown by the parents has been simply incredible (along with flavors). It is a privilege to be a small part of this fabulous community. Thank you! David, Studies & Admission
Thank you very much for the delicious meals, treats, and scrapbook! It is always a treat to have lunch/breakfast provided for us and the scrapbook was absolutely darling. Muchas gracias! Ashley, Spanish
As someone that worked in a place that did not have such an active parent teacher organization, appreciation was hard to come by. Westside’s generous families make me feel like I am appreciated and part of a family, part of something larger than just a paycheck. I am grateful for the things that have been done for me! Stuart, K
Math at Westside School
By Judith Arvidson, 4th Grade Teacher
Walk around Westside School and you will see evidence of math in many different ways. You can spy thermometers throughout the school that the 2nd graders are using to collect data and graph their weather unit. Not only 2nd grade, but Kindergarten, 1st, and 3rd graders are also observing, collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. Outside the 4th and 5th grade classrooms, students have timelines of the lives of scientists displayed. You can see how students experience learning and how math skills are applied to real life demonstrations.
But, how does your student gain these skills? At Westside School, teachers use Saxon curriculum as our baseline from year to year. We supplement this curriculum, guided by NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) recommended resources, to ensure success and confidence. The nine strands of math that are taught in each grade level include:
- Numbers and Operation
- Measurement
- Geometry
- Patterns, Algebra, and Functions
- Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability
- Problem Solving
- Communication
- Mathematical Reasoning
- Connections
Saxon’s curriculum is divided into concepts that are smaller and more easily grasped in incremental pieces. A new piece is introduced each day; students work only a few new problems each day and the rest of the problems cover previously covered material, making every assignment a cumulative review of material covered up to that point.
This is unlike the traditional textbooks that many of us used when we were in school. Then, students were taught and expected to learn an entire mathematical concept in a day. Often that concept did not reappear until perhaps the next year.
At Westside School we believe mathematics is not difficult, just different! Tasks that are different become familiar through practice. Through long-term practice students develop and maintain mastery! Remember if you only look at the Saxon homework, it is only a part of the rich math experience your child has at Westside.
Spring Fling
By Cathy Chutich, Music Teacher
Spring Alert! How can we tell? Birds are back chirping early in the mornings, days are much longer, flowers have sprung up, and next week is the Spring Fling. Come prepared to sing! The kids are doing a wonderful job getting ready for the evening and are looking forward to sharing their music with you.
Some of our favorite songs have been shelved this year – ones like Roll on Columbia, This Land is Your Land, and Take Me Out To The Ballgame. They’re being rested so that we can bring out some other favorites that we haven’t sung for a few years. We’ll be singing I’ve Been Working on the Railroad, De Colores, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Oh, What a Beautiful Morning and You Are My Sunshine for the “together” songs.
I’ve Been Working on the Railroad is a work song from over 100 years ago, a patchwork of at least 3 songs added at different times. I love the idea that railway workers sang it as they worked, just as Claudia’s PK classes do as they clean up.
De Colores is one of the most well-known and beloved Spanish folk songs and, although a mouthful for some, is very learnable and fun to sing.
When we sing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot I’m always amazed by the power of the song to change the mood in the room. It also ties in well with the 1st grade curriculum.
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning is one of those songs we need here in Seattle to celebrate those occasional gorgeous mornings. There’s nothing like putting yourself in your own musical.
As soon as we began You Are My Sunshine, I heard about all the parents who sing this one to their kids as a lullaby.
We’ll be singing Do Re Mi, using the hand signs (Curwen/Glover) to mark the steps of the scale, to give each note physical placement. In some of the classes, we’ve talked about how it is like a code, and how you can just “sing” with your hands.
(By the way, have you all seen the wonderful YouTube video of the Antwerp Railway Station? Here’s the link if not: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UE3CNu_rtY) or go to You Tube and search for “Antwerp Sound of Music.”)
There will be more music from each class, but start on these and you’ll be ready to join in next week.
Sign-Up Now for Summer Camp!
Important Update!
By David Bergler, Director of Studies
It is hard to believe that there are less than five weeks of school remaining. Many families are busily making plans for the summer. A number of you have signed up for Westside’s Innerspark summer camp. Unfortunately, registration has been light for all classes. We will keep the registration open until Friday, May 15. At that time we will make a decision about the viability of this summer’s camp (based on the enrollment). Thanks to those who have signed up; remember the camps are open to students who do not attend Westside. Click here to register! Please let me know if you have any questions at davidb@westsideschool.org.
First Grade Bakery Update
By Margie Carpenter, 1st Grade Teacher
The First Grade Nouveau Bakery was a huge success. Thank you to the Westside community for supporting this project. We made $250 and the first graders voted to donate the money to an animal shelter. Thank you Westside!
Granola Bar Recall
Leclerc Foods has recalled Market Pantry Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bar packages because the label does not list peanuts as an ingredient. The product was distributed in Target stores throughout Washington. Please see the FDA press release for specific details:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/leclerc05_09.html.
Thank You Sock Hop Volunteers!
By Kate Petrich, WPO President
Thank you Rhonda Watt, our Family Dance Chair, for taking us back to the time of greasers and bobby socks. Our first Westside Sock Hop was a blast (“radioactive Daddy-O”!). Along with 50’s music, our DJ led the dancers in Limbo dances, a hula hoop boogie, and tossed in an Electric Slide lesson. Despite the kids’ delirious excitement, he was impressed by how well behaved they were.
Setting the scene, we thank Devin & Andrew for facilitating the Aftercare Kids’ rockin’ Sock Hop decorations, and the following parents for bringing fun 50’s dishes (Twinkies, jello salad, tuna & tater tot casseroles, Chex party mix, pigs in a blanket, deviled eggs, party dip, strawberries, cheese, and grapes), setting-up, cleaning-up, and holding down the fort: Carl Guess, Katy Lloyd, Damon & Angie Graves, Tim Frost, Lauren Cole, Robert & Mary Doerflein-Bohus, Jeni & John Bartell, Keni Cohen, EmilyAnn Hindle, Cluny McCaffrey, Mollie Jensen, and Krista Wassermann. You’re the tops!
Public Health Info - Keeping Sick Children Home
Below is the latest, revised information on the question “Should I Keep My Child Home from School?” Please note that these guidelines are stricter than the ones you go by everyday. We are asking you to be extra vigilant about sending sick children to school at this time. Rather than closing individual schools, Public Health is implementing a county-wide policy that focuses on keeping sick children (and others) home.
When to Keep Your Child at Home
How can we limit the spread of swine flu? It’s important to keep sick people away from healthy people. If your child is sick, keep your child home.
Answer these questions every morning before sending your child to school:
1. Does your child have a fever (100ºF)?
2. Does your child have a sore throat, cough, body aches, vomiting, or diarrhea?
If you answer “yes” to both questions, it might be the flu. Keep your child home from school for 7 days or until your child has been symptom free for 24 hours, whichever is longer.
If you answer “yes” to only one question, keep your child home from school until your child has been symptom free for 24 hours.
When should my child go to the doctor?
Use the same judgment you would use during a normal flu season.
For more information...
• Call the Public Health Flu Hotline,
Mon – Fri 9am–5pm, 1-877-903-KING
• Public Health – Seattle & King County, www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1