Friday
November 7
Spirit/Pizza Day
Tuesday
November 11
Veteran’s Day
No School;
No Childcare
Wednesday
November 12
Tour 9:15am
Friday
November 14
Annual Giving Kick-Off Breakfast
Doors Open - 7:30am
Tuesday
November 18
Tour 9:15am
Wednesday
November 19
Board Meeting
6:30pm
Friday
November 21
Spirit/Pizza Day
Wednesday
November 26
Special Friends’ Day
10:30am
Early Dismissal;
No Aftercare
November 6, 2008
Annual Giving Kick-Off Breakfast & Lattes
Annual Giving Impacts Tuition
Halloween Fest Pictures
Lost & Found Mystery
From Jo Ann - How the Head Works with the Board
Hola Families
Thoughts from Jo Ann
Annual Giving Kick-Off
Breakfast & Latte’s on
Friday,
November 14th,
Doors open at 7:30am
Our annual giving campaign officially launches on Friday, November 14th. We celebrate with a delicious breakfast from Bakery Nouveau and made-to-order lattes, starting at 7:30 and running though the start of school. Both children and parents are welcome. Please join us!
Every donation we receive on or before November 14th is matched at $100, thanks to a few generous Westside families. And every classroom that reaches 100% participation is matched at $1000. That makes every donation count for a lot, whether you give a little or a lot. Our goal is 100% participation!
As you will read in Julie’s (our Director of Finance) article, annual giving helps bridge the gap between the cost of tuition and the actual cost of sending your child to Westside. It’s about $2000 per student. We make up the difference between tuition and the gap through fundraising, and count on you, our parents, to give an amount that is meaningful to your family. Not only is this gift tax-deductible, but it also helps make tuition affordable to more families.
Consider making a monthly pledge. A gift of $50 a month is $500 after 10 months, and makes your family eligible to be a Sustainer. New Sustainers are matched at 50% of their gift. A gift of $100 is $1000 after 10 months, $200 is $2000 - that amount will bridge the gap. You can give monthly online, or by filling out your pledge envelope and turning it into the office.
Not a good time for your family to give? Pledges also qualify for matching. Just fill out the donation form, or send an email to Development Director Jana Riggan (janar@westsideschool.org) by November 14th and promise to pay by June 30, 2009. Your gift will still increase by $100 and help your classroom qualify for the $1000 match.
It’s easy to give. Take a minute to think about the amount that’s meaningful to your family, and fill out your donation form, give online or send an email.
Thank you in advance for helping us bridge this gap. Your participation is essential to the success of Westside.
Annual Giving Impacts Tuition
By Julie Jetland, Director of Finance
This is my first year as Westside’s Director of Finance, but I’m not new to Westside. My daughter Laura graduated last year; I have been a Westside parent since 1998. Seeing the school from the administrative side is very different than the parent side. It amazes me to see the intricacies of Westside from this vantage point and understand what goes on beyond the classrooms.
I am currently working with the Board of Trustees and the Head of School to manage the school’s budget. The amount of effort that goes into coming up with the “right tuition” amount which will allow us to go forward with our mission, yet still remain affordable, is remarkable. Every year, Jo Ann, the finance committee and the Director of Finance begin the three month budget process that takes into account the various needs of Westside. It’s a painstaking task, and our children’s classroom experience depends on keeping and attracting the best teachers, having the right classroom materials and making the learning experience joyful.
The success of annual giving can have a direct impact on our understanding of how much we can bridge the gap between tuition and our operating costs. The finance committee runs different scenarios as we look at the cost of living increases, program requirements and enhancements, fundraising, and how the economy impacts our families. In January, the board sets tuition for the next school year.
Your generosity makes this work. From a tax perspective, making a donation to the school is a good incentive because it is a tax deduction and tuition is not. While you can give at whatever level is meaningful to you, know that your gift helps keep our tuition affordable and gives you a break from taxes. I am looking forward to seeing the success of this campaign and factor these results into next year’s tuition plan.
It is wonderful to be involved with Westside School in my new role. Let me know if you have any financial questions and I will be happy to work with you.
Halloweenfest...Pictures!
If you had your picture taken at the halloweenfest picture station, you can view/purchase them at... www.westsidehalloweenfest2008.shutterfly.com.
They are spooktacular! Thanks again for making this such a fun event. If you have any questions or problems send those to Krista Wassermann at Krista8everything@yahoo.com.
Lost & Found Mystery
Our lost and found items mysteriously disappeared. Please let Kathy know if you have any information about these lost items. If you are looking for items in the lost and found, please be patient while we unravel this mystery.
From Jo Ann
How the Head of School Works with the
Board of Trustees
What is the relationship between the Board of Trustees and me, the Head of School? The Board of Trustees is my boss. Not each individually, but as a collective. The Board is responsible to hire, to evaluate and to either retain or discharge the Head of School. I am the Board’s only employee, and I work with the Board closely to manage the strategic direction of the school. As the Head of School, I sit on the Board, as a non-voting, ex officio, member of the Board of Trustees.
The National Association of Independent Schools’ Trustee Handbook says the board of an independent school has the ultimate responsibility for the institution. School heads and trustees come and go – only the board is permanent. The board is responsible for the integrity of the school, to maintain and improve the standing and reputation built by its founders and leaders. The board holds in trust the school’s future as well as its present; the board’s collective judgment will affect how the institution can serve constituencies to come.
The Board sets general policy direction developing a long-range strategic plan and supervises the financial operation of the School. I submit a yearly budget to the Board which they review, discuss and adopt. The daily operation of the school is my responsibility. As Head of School, I am responsible for implementing Board policies, plans, and related goals/objectives, as well as the management and administration of school operations, academic programs, finances, personnel, and facilities. In this regard, the Board provides support to me through Board and Committee meetings.
Board committees serve as a “sounding board” for me regarding the administration of the school. Our Board has three standing committees: governance, finance and development. The Director of Finance works closely with the finance committee, and the Director of Development works closely with the development committee. Currently, we also have a facilities analysis committee that is evaluating our facility needs as we grow. The Board can establish task forces as needed; for example, we have had task forces which looked at diversity, special needs, code of conduct and education policies. Non-board members may serve on committees and task forces.
In 2003, I started as Head of School. I found Westside through the following process: If the Head of School is not returning, the Board will establish a search committee, chaired by a current Trustee, and consisting of other Trustees, staff, and parents. They will evaluate and screen potential applicants. The finalists will meet personally with the Board, staff, and parent community, and will be rated by feedback of the constituent groups, reference checks, and overall impressions. The Board will approve the hire and negotiate terms of employment.
When I started as the Head of School in 2003, I began my relationship with the Board. Each year we begin with the Board setting its annual goals. These are formulated to move forward the work of the Board’s long range plan as well as the work of the committees. After the Board goals are approved, I formulate my annual goals to support the Board’s goals. My goals are submitted to the full Board for approval at the September meeting. This relationship – Head and Board – is crucial to the health of our organization.
The Westside School Board of Trustees is composed of very dedicated Trustees, whose time commitment and dedication to Westside is admirable. For more information about our Board, please visit the parent/student network, Board of Trustees link. You will find minutes and a list of the current Board.
As we, the Head and Board, communicate with you, our community, we hope that we can continue to build on our successes and plan for our dreams.
Save the Date for the Town Meeting on Thursday, December 4 at 6:30pm.
¡Hola Familias!
By Ashley Kloess, Spanish Teacher
We are continuing to learn lots of new words and songs in Spanish! I see lots of enthusiasm to learn from the students and they always have an esfuerzo fuerte (they know this means that they have to put their best effort into each class).
In preschool we learned some new songs about the words we are talking about in Spanish. Each day we begin with the “Buenos días” song that goes to the tune of “happy birthday.” Then we begin with new words. The students have learned the words “fuego” and “bombero” (fire and firefighter), the basic farm animals, a song called “el pollo” (the chicken), to count to 10, manzana (apple), and, calabaza (pumpkin). We always end with the “Adiós” song.
In prekindergarten, we learned some of the same things as preschool and some different. We always begin with the “Buenos días” song. This group learned fruits, counting 1-10, colors, “fuego” and “bombero” (fire/fireman), “vaquero” (cowboy/cowgirl), “me llamo…” (my name is…). Also, ask them about all the new Spanish songs we have been working on! We end with the “Adiós” song.
In kindergarten we focused on colors and on counting from 1-30. We play lots of silly games and sing songs to learn these new words! A highlight for the students was learning “De Colores” by watching a video of beautiful colors in nature while listening to Raffi (a Canadian children’s singer), singing the song in the background.
In 1st and 2nd grade, we also worked on colors and saw the “De Colores” video. Then we practiced counting from 1-100 by ones and tens.
In 3rd-5th grade, we learned the Spanish alphabet and reviewed letter sounds by practicing pronouncing really tricky words! Then we reviewed colors and practiced counting 1-100 by ones and tens. We have begun working on days of the week, months, and seasons.
In kindergarten through 5th grade, we learned about “el día de los muertos,” the Day of the Dead. This is a holiday commonly celebrated in México. This week on Monday and Tuesday, your students are having a cultural experience as we take an imaginary “viaje a México” and sample the special hot chocolate and pan del muerto (bread of the dead) traditionally eaten during this fiesta. The students are experiencing using an authentic Molino to mix the chocolate (this is a wooden mixer that is rubbed between the hands so it turns in the hot chocolate and blends it). Look for pictures of this on the website in the near future!
Thoughts from Jo Ann
Today, Wednesday, it was my pleasure to introduce the Assembly. We hosted the Chinese acrobats. The acrobats are truly amazing! Thanks to the WPO for funding the school assemblies. It was nice to see a nice number of parents join us. I shared with Emily Klapmust’s grandparents that I have the best job in the world – coming together to promote Westside spirit and share so many talents.
Thank you for the positive response to my recent articles. I am enjoying the opportunity to put my thoughts into the discipline of these brief articles. So I hope to continue. I’d like to share my thoughts about our parent partnership and what that means, as well as my view on other topics of our curriculum including differentiated instruction. If there are other topics you would like me discuss just drop me an email.