Tuesday
October 7
Town Meeting
6:30pm
Thursday
October 9
Jump Rope Assembly 9:30am
Friday
October 10
No School
PNAIS In-Service
Childcare Available
Sign-up Online
Wednesday
October 15
Board Meeting
6:30pm
Friday
October 17
Spirit/Pizza Day
Thursday
October 23
WPO Meeting 6:30pm Cyber Safety
Friday
October 24
School Pictures
Saturday
October 25
WPO Halloween Fest 12-4pm
Thursday-Friday
October 30-31
No School! Conferences
October 2, 2008
Town Meeting, Tuesday at 6:30pm
Allergies in the Classroom
Booster Seat Needed
Neighbor Concerns at Drop-off and Pick-up
Thanks to Gabby Moorhead
No Hiding! We're Seeking!
Nancy's Class Learns About the Children of the World
Childcare on Friday, Oct. 10
PS/PK/K Party
PE is Jumping!
Overdue Books
Enrichment Info
Jo Ann's article series will continue next week with an article on gifted education.
Town Meeting
Tuesday, October 7, 6:30pm
The board and Jo Ann invite you to join in our Town Meeting on Tuesday, October 7 from 6:30-8pm. This will be an informal discussion that will give us a chance to learn about what is important to you and for you to learn about our priorities for the year. It’s a great way for you to interact with the leadership of the school. We look forward to seeing you there.
Allergies in the Classrooms
Westside strives to accommodate students with allergies
By Jo Ann Yockey, Head of School
Recent conversations, and the need to have a consistent response from year to year and from classroom to classroom, have made it necessary for Westside to clarify our allergy guidelines. Westside School has a legal obligation to accommodate a child with an allergy.
We accommodate allergies by cleaning tables, washing hands, and separating children who have peanut products. We do not claim to be a nut free environment, but ask all parents to voluntarily comply. Not only do we ask for voluntary compliance, but we expect it.
The safety and well being of our students has always been a top priority at Westside. Making sure that all students are safe at all times includes taking careful precautions when a child has any type of allergy, particularly a food allergy. Some of our students have severe, life-threatening allergies to peanuts and/or other nuts. They are so allergic that eating, touching or being near foods made with nuts or any residue left from nuts or nut oil can cause a severe, life-threatening reaction.
We never want to knowingly place students in a dangerous situation where they are at risk. Each year, we meet with each allergic student’s family to identify and manage these allergies. Managing allergies includes staff training on how to recognize the signs of an anaphylaxis reaction and how to administer an epi-pen. This year, the staff has already participated in an anaphylaxis drill. Managing allergies also includes managing risk in the classroom. We want to avoid putting children in potentially unsafe situations; therefore, there are restrictions in the classrooms where there are life-threatening allergies.
Your child’s teacher has already notified you if children with allergies are in the classroom. These children’s parents take the ultimate responsibility for their child’s safety by providing their own treats and lunch for their children, but your help in this matter is greatly appreciated. Please be conscientious about the types of snacks and birthday treats you bring, taking careful precautions not to expose these students to any nuts. Also, as Westside School does not have a cafeteria where children with allergies are segregated at special tables clearly marked as peanut/tree nut-free, we need to make sure to monitor and exclude any nut or nut oils, as they cannot be allowed in the environment or air, on the table or trays, or on classroom materials. While there is potential beyond the obvious risky peanut, please specifically avoid peanut butter, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, nut oils, nut flavorings, etc. Merely touching or breathing these items may provoke a deadly reaction.
Despite all this, if you choose to still send peanut butter sandwiches and obvious allergens in your child’s lunch, please bring your student’s lunch to the office so we can be sure that the teacher is aware of the allergens and can take the necessary precautions.
Westside School appreciates that this is stressful for families who live with the anxiety of protecting their child and trusting the people around him or her. We also appreciate that it is stressful for parents who do not want the responsibility of keeping the environment completely nut-free. And it is stressful for the school in assuring we have done our due diligence to provide a safe environment.
We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding in this matter.
Booster Seat Needed
Do you have a spare booster seat that you are no longer using? The preschool and pre-kindergarten is looking for some extra seats. Please contact Claudia or Nancy to determine whether we can use your spares. Thank you.
Safety and Neighborhood Concerns at Drop-Off and Pick-Up
As Westside grows and we have more and more cars involved in picking up and dropping off students, it is important that we remember to be safe and also to be respectful of our neighbors. We have had complaints from the neighbors about cars in the pick-up line actually lining up in the street and blocking traffic while trying to bypass cars parked on the side of the road. We do have a few neighbors that park their cars on the side of the road. If you are in the pick-up line, please do not pass a parked car until there is space for your car in front of it, and please do not block driveways. One neighbor was going to call the police and we do not want to lose the privilege of being allowed to have cars line up for pick-up. Thank you for your consideration.
Thank You Gabby Moorhead
Thank you to Gabby Moorhead and Grand Central Bakery for providing delicious bread for the wine social. Not only did she donate the bread, but she also arrived early to slice it! Thanks, Gabby, for all your calm presence and amazing help.
No Hiding – We’re Seeking!
By your Halloween Chairs Angie Graves & Tracy Beck
If you have not yet signed up for this year’s Halloween Fest, now is the time to do it! Westside’s most daunting Halloween Fest ever, is happening Saturday, October 25th and we need your help! Because this is a weekend event, it provides a great opportunity for parents who don’t have time during the week to push your sleeves up and show your Westside “Spirit” and the kids absolutely LOVE it when Mom or Dad gets to “work” at Halloween Fest… Remember, all volunteers will be put in a drawing for one of four free spirit wear items! Visit the website to learn more about the activities and to sign up.
Extra Extra!!! We are still in need of a Halloween Bake Sale/Concession organizer (this is totally fun – ask Tracy who did it last year, tracy@beckstailoring.com) and someone who would like to take photos using our oh-so creepy backdrop to capture frightening memories of those unbelievable costumes! Could you be our Official Halloween Fest photographer? If so, email Krista Wasserman at krista8everything@yahoo.com with your spooky ideas. Now – GO SIGN UP!!! Or else….
Nancy’s Class Discovers Children of the World
By Nancy Levine, PS/PK Teacher
A few weeks ago, my classroom topic was “Children of the World.” Thinking more globally is a difficult task for preschoolers as they are still very egocentric, and they lack life experiences with which to draw from. So where does one begin? Ann Morris has a wonderful series of books that use real photographs to depict people around the world performing similar tasks, or wearing similar clothing. There’s Shoes, Shoes, Shoes, Hats, Hats, Hats, Weddings and Tools, just to name a few that we read. After asking parents to contribute, I placed small hand held flags, coins and clothing from around the world on a “discovery table” where children were able to explore items on their own. We rubbed the coins, made our own personal flags and discussed how we as a class are alike and how we are different. The highlight of the week came when Orion brought to school some Hungarian picture books, which belonged to his father when he was a boy. I brought the books to Ildi (assistant teacher in Claudia’s Pre-K class) and asked her if she would mind reading one of them to my class in her native Hungarian. You could’ve heard a pin drop as she read one page at a time, then translated it for her young audience. That just shows you don’t have to travel the world to understand and experience other cultures. Sometimes you can find it in our own backyard!
Childcare on Friday, Oct. 10
Westside will be closed on October 10 for an in-service day. Childcare is available from 8-5pm for $40. Families who are contracted for childcare (not drop-in only contracts) will have priority sign-up through October 5. Sign-up will be open to all families starting October 6 on our website.
Welcome to Westside Party for PS, PK & K Parents
By Kindergarten Room Parents
Are you the parent of a Kindergartner, Preschooler or Pre-Kindergartner? If so, then please join us for the Welcome to Westside party, Saturday, October 18th, 7pm at Lori Freer and Peter Bocek’s home. This annual event is hosted by Kindergarten parents for the PS & PK parents. It’s a great way for new parents to meet fellow Westsiders and for returning parents to celebrate friendships and welcome newcomers. In addition to wonderful company, delectable appetizers, delicious desserts and a delightful array of wines/beverages will be available. Several veteran Westsiders have named this annual celebration one of the most special events on the calendar. Don’t miss it! Contact Ann Fosso (annmf@comcast.net) with any questions.
PE is Jumping! And Running!
By Donna Jornlin, PE Teacher
Can your child run a marathon? Well, they can if it’s the Seattle Kids Marathon! Designed to encourage young students to set goals & complete a full marathon, children walk or run “one mile at a time.” Here’s how it works: students sign up on-line at www.seattlemarathon.org (click on KIDS). After registering, they begin to keep a log of the miles they complete BEFORE Saturday, November 29th. The goal is to complete 25 honor miles, then finish the final 1.2 miles with hundreds of other students from King County. They run around the Seattle Center and cross the finish line in Memorial Stadium. Westside students have been enthusiastic participants for the past several years, and the best part is that Mileage Club miles count towards their goal! Mileage Club is a voluntary walk, talk & run activity during lunch recess. Running or walking 11 laps of the grass field equals 1 mile, and students earn mini toe tokens as well as other prizes every 5 miles logged. Thanks to our teaching assistants who record the miles, the playground is buzzing.
The beginning of the school year is a great time to learn & review playground games & rules. Tetherball, Capture the Flag, Foursquare, Kickball & Wall Ball are old universal favorites. Primary grades are practicing fundamentals such as kicking, bouncing & catching soft balls, and large locomotor movements like skipping. Intermediate grades start their week with “Muscle Mat Monday,” focusing on core exercises such as plank, opposites & sit-ups. Every class has just started a jump rope unit, so they learn a life-long fitness skill. Look for pretzels, double-unders and scissor feet! There’s been great discussion about “How a compliment feels” and PE homework was to take one home!
Overdue Library Books
By Sarah Wildflower, Librarian
The library has many wonderful books, donated by some very generous donors. It’s important that this book collection is preserved. In order to do this, the library has a few rules. Not only do these rules help the library keep its books collection, but they also help teach students responsibility.
Students are limited to borrowing four books at one time. (There are exceptions for curriculum related materials for 3-5 grade students.)
If a book is two weeks overdue, I will send an email to parents (and students, if you request). I will ask you to email me back if:
1. You know this book was returned
2. You know this book never came home
3. You know the book is lost and you would like to pay for it.
The email will include a list of other books your child has checked out (which are not overdue) so that you know what your inventory of books is.
Two weeks later, if I have not either heard from you or received the overdue book, I will assume it is lost, and I will email you the cost of replacing the book (which includes both the price of the book and the cost of processing it).
It is important that we communicate to resolve the issue. If I have not heard from you at six weeks overdue, your child will not be able to borrow any more books until the issue is resolved. Then, at eight weeks, if nothing has been resolved, the cost of the book will be turned over to the accounting department.
We do not charge fines for overdue books, we only charge to replace books that are lost. Books which are a week or two overdue are a matter for the conscience of your children, not for their allowance.
Thank you for helping us preserve our wonderful library resource.
After School Enrichment News
The after school enrichment classes are off to a great start. Remember that there are five classes per activity. Here are a couple of important reminders:
Pick-up
If your child is not contracted for after-school care it is important to pick them up directly after class. For your child’s safety you must pick them up from the room where the class is held. You must sign your child out.
All children who normally go to after-school care will be taken directly to that area after class. Someone from our after school team will provide you with a sign-out sheet when you arrive.
Make-up Classes
Each activity includes five classes. Unfortunately, there are a few breaks in the schedule. There will be no school on October 10, 30, & 31. In addition, there are a few dates when the instructors will not be available. Below is the make-up schedule.
Yoga -There will be no class on Oct. 30th, a make-up class is scheduled on November 6th.
Kindergarten Chess – There will be no class on Oct. 16th & 30th. Make-up classes will be held on Nov. 6th and 20th.
Bangles, Bobbles, & Beads – There will be no class on Oct. 10th & 31st. Make-up classes will be held on Nov. 14th & 21st.