Thursday
Oct. 4
1st to Camp Sealth
Friday
Oct. 5
3rd Grade Coffee
5th Grade Leadership Overnight will be rescheduled.
Friday
Oct. 12
PNAIS Conference
Teacher In-Service
No School
Childcare Available
Click here to
sign-up online
Wednesday
Oct. 17
Board Meeting
6:30pm
Thursday
Oct. 18
3rd to Pioneer Farm
Thursday
Oct. 25
WPO Meeting
6:30pm
October 4, 2007
Halloween Fest is Coming!
News from the 2nd Grade
Lost and Found
Roster Changes
Background Checks for Field Trip Drivers
Spanish Update
Cold and Flu
Afterschool Enrichment Classes
Halloween Fest is coming!
Halloween Fest is coming!
By Angie Graves and Krista Wassermann, Halloween Fest Chairs
Time to drag out the bats and don your brooms! Westside’s Halloween Fest is coming on Saturday, October 27th. It’s a horrifying afternoon of ghastly activities, spine-chilling games and slithers of pizza and gooey snacks for our little (or not so little) ghouls and monsters…. so start thinking about how you can help make this year the most dreadful one yet! We need the efforts of nearly all the Westside Community for this fun-filled and very spooky event! Are you a terrifying Tombstone Golfing sentinel or do you conjure up frighteningly fantastic Spider Cakes??
Keep your eyes peeled for sign up sheets next week both in the office and online so you can choose the ghostly activity that suits your bones the best.
Questions or Suggestions?
Please contact either:
Krista Wasserman at krista8everything@yahoo.com or Angie Graves at add113@clearwire.net.
News from the Second Grade
By Kathleen Thompson, 2nd grade teacher
During the month of September, the second graders studied nocturnal animals. The students did a fabulous job researching and creating a short project based on a nocturnal animal of their choice. Here are some fun facts for their reports!
Giant squid spit ink and have a beak. –Matthew K.
Sharks never stop moving.
–Grant C.
Koalas can weigh up to 30 pounds.
– Isabele H.
Leopards can jump over 45 feet. –Owen T.
Swans can live up to 50 years in captivity. –Anna C.
Porcupines are the second largest rodent. –Annika B.
Opossums have 5 fingers and sometimes rabies. –Anna N.
Vampire bats have four talons on each foot. –Andrew C.
A Flying Fox bat is a fruit bat. –Evan C.
The red fox is about 31 inches long with a tail that is 15 inches long. –Lucie O.
Porcupines have 30,000 quills! –Jordan W.
Porcupines walk slowly but nothing wants to attack them. –Kelvin
Foxes can hear a mouse 2 feet into the ground! –Amrine W.
Some people walk ferrets on leashes. –Will L.
Baby raccoons are called kits. –Caleigh H.
Opossums protect themselves by playing dead. –Lily S.
Tigers are endangered, -GyNeece R.
Flying squirrels have red eyes. –Larisa S.
Wolves move their tails in different directions. –Celina D.
Flying squirrels don’t fly, they glide. –Josh C.
The Iberian Lynx is the most endangered cat in the world. They are nearly extinct. – Rebecca W.
Lost and Found
We have started accumulating clothing in our lost and found and would like to remind parents to please label their children’s clothing, especially the spirit wear, since many children have identical items. If you don’t want to write a name, even initials would be helpful. Thank you.
Roster Changes, Corrections and Additions
Please check the roster on the website. You may want to print a new copy, as we have a new student in 3rd grade and there have been changes or corrections in addresses, phone numbers, or emails for the following families: Rodriguez, Silver, Dinh, Anderson, and Leber. If you are unable to print the roster, you may get one from the office.
Background Check for Field Trip Drivers
We ask parents who drive on Field Trips to please fill out a background check form. Many of you returning parents filled one out last year and do not need to fill out another one. If you are unsure whether you filled one out, just check with Kathy in the office and she can let you know if we have one for you already. All new parents who plan on driving for field trips will need to fill one out. The form is available here (on the first page of the parent/student network on the website). You only need to fill out Section C. If you have any problems printing the form, you can pick one up from the office. After completed, please return the form to the office. Thank you.
!Hola! Spanish Update
By Heidi Suarez, Spanish Teacher
As the new Spanish Enrichment teacher at Westside, I have enjoyed having the opportunity to get to know your children this last month. Transitioning from being a Westside parent to a Westside teacher has been exciting for me.
We spent September learning how to get to know each other by using simple greetings and introductory phrases. !Hola!, !Adiós!, ?Como estas?, ?Como te llamas? and ?Cuantos años tienes? are a few of the greetings and questions we learned last month. Quiz your child and see what answers they come up with! We also learned and practiced a few songs to reinforce these greetings/questions. Be sure to ask your child for an impromptu performance of Hola y Adios, Buenos Días and Hasta Luego! Be sure to have them accompany the song with their paper plate maracas that we made in class.
Also, the Spanish Enrichment page of the Westside website is up and ready for you to read. There, you will find:
• Semimonthly updates by class
• Vocabulary that I encourage you to practice with your child(ren) at home
• Books we are reading in class
• Words to songs we are learning
• Upcoming community cultural events that you can attend with your child
• A different recipe each month centered around the holiday or theme we are learning about that month.
Last month was Fiestas Patrias (Mexican Independence Day) and October will be Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Look for a delicious recipe for Pan de Muertos (Bread of the Dead)!
The kids are enthusiastic learners and we are going to have a great year! !Los alumnos son muy entusiasmados y vamos a tener un año maravilloso!
Children Should Stay Home When Sick!
To keep everyone healthy we need your help. If your child is sick, the place to be is at home.
Flu and cold season are just around the corner. How can you stop germs from spreading throughout our school like wildfire? Sick individuals (staff and children) should NOT come to school. Frequent hand washing and sneezing and coughing into your own elbow are all good habits to develop since they do help prevent the spread of germs. But nothing is as effective as keeping the germs at home.
Bruce Epstein, PhD (nationally known as “The Ethics Guy” and a regular on CNN) says, “you owe it to your co-workers (and fellow students) not to make them sick. You also owe it to yourself to get better as quickly as possible.”
The Bottom Line
Teach Your Children To Always:
- Cover their mouth and nose
- Clean their hands often – either by washing with warm water and soap or with alcohol-based hand wipes or gels
- Cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away.
- Cough or sneeze into their elbow if they do not have a tissue.
- Clean their hands every time after every cough or sneeze.
Source: The Centers for Disease Control. For more information visit http://www.cdc.gov/
Sign-Up Online Now!
After School Enrichment Classes
The always popular after school enrichment classes will be returning the week of October 15th. We will be offering classes during three calendar cycles commencing in October, January, and April.
Sign-up for these classes by clicking here, then click the link on the first page of the parent/student network on our website.
Please bring payment into the office before the first class.
Elementary Oscars
An acting class for 1st through 5th grade
Time: 3:35 – 5:00pm
Dates: Monday, Starting October 15 (No class on Veteran’s Day, November 12)
Cost: $125 for eight weeks of class
Teacher: David Kelly is the drama teacher at Explorer West. He has been teaching acting and performing for the past ten years and specializing in Youth Theater for the past five.
Get on stage!
Be creative!
Learn how to be an actor!
Tell a story!
Use your imagination!
This introductory acting class will provide a safe and fun environment to get up on stage and be creative in character. Students will work on improvisation, acting and story telling through a series of engaging theater games. During the second half of the session, students will create and perform an original play for friends and family. The class will focus on having fun and performing for friends and family.
(Minimum enrollment: 5 students/Maximum enrollment: 12 students)
Chess
First through Fifth Grade
Time: 3:15-4:30
Dates: Tuesday, Starting October 16
Cost: $60 for five weeks of class
Teacher: The ever popular Elston Cloy returns to guide the chess class.
Learn to play chess, or practice what you already know! Chess can strengthen problem solving skills, teach children to make difficult and abstract decisions and enhance math abilities memory and critical thinking skills. (Maximum enrollment: 12)
Science Adventures
First through Fifth Grade
Time: 3:15-4:30pm
Date: Wednesday, Starting October 17
Cost: $75 for five weeks (No class on November 21)
Secret Formulas
Psst! Interested in learning the best-kept secrets of chemistry? Prepare to be amazed as we explore touchable bubbles and use a chemical polymer to make instant snow. Mix up your own batch of racing slime and pit it against ketchup in a sticky race to the finish. The next big creation could be locked inside your brain! Let it out!
(Maximum Enrollment: 26)
Yoga
Kindergarten through Fifth Grade
Time: 3:15-4:30pm
Date: Friday, Starting October 19
Teacher: Cynthia Voth and Joanna Bond
Cost: $60 for five weeks
(No classes on November 2 or November 23)
Yoga will help kids get in touch with their bodies, strengthen and relax their muscles, and develop coordination, focus and confidence. Each class will include sharing, breathing/centering (pranayama), postures(asana), games that incorporate the postures, and a closing relaxation. Yoga can be a fun exercise for kids. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing and bring a yoga mat. (Maximum Enrollment: 20)
Kindergarten Chess Club
Time: 2:45-3:30pm
Date: Friday, Starting October 19
Cost: $60 (No classes on November 2 or November 23)
Teacher: The ever popular Elston Cloy returns to guide the chess class.
Learn to play chess, or practice what you already know! Chess can strengthen problem solving skills, teach children to make difficult and abstract decisions and enhance math abilities memory and critical thinking skills. (Maximum Enrollment: 12)
Space is limited for many of these classes.
Please sign up by Wednesday, October 10 online. (Click here, then on the link on the first page of our parent/student network.)
Payment is due to the office by the first day of class.