Friday
September 25
Nancy’s PS/PK Coffee - 9am
Movie Night
featuring
Charlotte’s Web
5:45pm - Doors Open
Tuesday
September 29
Marsha’s Kindergarten Coffee - 9am
Wednesday
September 30
Claudia’s PK
Coffee - 9am
Thursday
October 1
Sarah’s K
Coffee - 9am
Friday
October 2
Spirit/Pizza Day
Thursday
October 8
Assembly
9:30am
Friday
October 9
Teacher In-Service
NO SCHOOL
Childcare available. Open to all school Thursday, Oct. 1
September 24, 2009
Family Movie Night Tomorrow!
What We Want for Westside Kids
From Jo Ann - Dismissal
Pioneer Days
Halloween Fest is almost here!
Pizza Allergy Info
Family Movie Night Tomorrow
Featuring: Charlotte’s Web
by Kate Petrich, WPO President
5:45pm Doors Open for Pizza, 6pm Charlotte’s Web
Free Admission! Pizza/Snacks for sale
For full details, please read last week’s Update. (They can all be found here)
The essentials:
- Friends, neighbors, and relatives - everyone’s invited
- Pizza Gallery Pizza, popcorn and snacks available for sale - come for dinner!
- Dress in whatever’s comfortable - PJ’s & bring sleeping bags, soccer gear, etc.
- Mats will be set-up on the gym floor; adult chairs will be set-up for parents
- Overflow parking at Grace Church, a block south of Westside
Questions? Contact Kate Petrich @ katepetrich@gmail.com.
What We Want for Westside Kids
By Linda Turner, 5th Grade Teacher
The week before classes begin, the staff returns to school for a week of organizing, planning and meeting. One meeting we had as a full staff this year was with members of the Westside Board, discussing the Westside mission, and brainstorming what we value about our school community.
The list was quite long, fleshing out our already-published values of high academic standards; joyful learning; and, having a caring and global community. In our meeting parents talked about our students knowing how to mediate problems; allowing kids to fail, then supporting them to ‘make it right’ for their success; and, that they value kids becoming communicators and presenters, starting the practice in preschool. As adults, we sometimes take these things for granted.
So, it was delightfully surprising a few days later when a parent of a now sixth grade student witnessed some of what we value at Westside School in action. Explorer West was hosting their sixth grade orientation. The mom shared that student after student would get up and introduce him/herself, and share a summer highlight. She said she strained to hear the students because they spoke too fast; or they spoke too softly; or, they spoke without enunciating their words.
Finally the introductions came to the Westside students who were flocked together. The parent reported that each one stood up, poised, speaking in a loud, enunciated voice. She told us that it was so very evident that our students had practiced public speaking for a long time. But it wasn’t until she saw and heard what ‘public speaking’ looked like, did she see and hear the differences between those who get that practice from year to year, and those who do not.
One of the things we value at Westside is that by the time students leave, they are able to demonstrate complex communications skills, in writing and in oral presentation. When we have had the good fortune to observe these values and skills in action as they are applied in other settings by our graduates, it is most gratifying to know that we are following through with what we value as a school community.
Additionally, teachers and administrators at schools that receive our students comment on how well prepared they are across the board—they’ve worked hard, and others notice.
From Jo Ann - Dismissal
It may seem like chaos, but the 3:15 dismissal does have a plan. To make this pick-up process as smooth as possible, each class has a designated place to wait.
Here’s the plan:
Children in PK or K who dismiss early but aren’t picked up until 3:15 meet their siblings at the back benches near the school door. Fourth and fifth graders wait next to them on the outer edge of the bench.
Second graders gather at the tree and the circular paved bench around it. First graders form lines on the pavement and third graders are next to them, as close to the flag pole as possible.
Parents who park and walk-in are requested to keep clear of the main door as children exit the building and move to their assigned places. If you wait to the far left facing the school, teachers can see you easily and help your children find you.
Each grade should have one teacher loading cars and the other helping with the parents on the lawn.
As the year goes on, this process will continue to get smoother. Thank you for your patience and help as we work out the kinks.
Drop-Off Reminder
Here are just a few drop-off reminders.
1. If you are dropping off for PS, PK, 1st or 3rd grade, please drop-off at the gate. Children who are dropped off in the middle of the parking lot are hard to see, especially when surrounded by big cars. Please help us keep everyone safe!
2. If you have children in both the main building and in the “cottages,” please drop-off twice, once at the main building and once at the gate. Children who run through the parking lot get “lost” among the cars and are hard to see.
Thank you for understanding. It’s for everyone’s safety!
Pioneer Days
By Joe Tutch, 3rd Grade Teacher
Last week, the third graders started their first unit of the year …Pioneer Times! They painted cabins and are now busy learning all about the Oregon Trail and the pioneer life. It will really sink in when they take their overnight field trip to the Pioneer Farm in Eatonville, September 24 – 25th. Each 3rd grader is identifying an important person from pioneer times, and, at the end of October, he or she will demonstrate his or her knowledge of their Pioneer by going through a biography interview with me. Students will truly personify their pioneer person by talking, acting, and dressing just like the real person did!
Each third grader also has a 3-part pioneer costume. The girls’ costume features a calico bonnet, black shawl, and a white apron, and the boys’ features a black vest, a colorful bandana, and a cowboy hat.
Every Friday, third grade has Pioneer Experience Day, where students get to be fully immersed into all things pioneer. Students rotate through three stations: cooking, a building project, and a game. During their latest Pioneer Experience Day, third grade experienced cooking/eating flapjacks, creating quilt squares, and testing six different pioneer toys.
Halloween is almost here and this year with it comes… Westside’s Halloween Fest 2009!!!
By Halloween Fest Chairs Krista Wassermann and Angie Graves
Be very afraid for the 2009 Halloween edition of Westside’s Halloween Fest! It’s hard to believe the ghastly tale but yes, it’s just about time for the Boil, Boil, Toil and Trouble of Halloween Fest from Noon until 4PM on Halloween, Saturday, October 31st. Come ready to enjoy a most 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... To make this year’s Halloween Fest the most frightful one yet, we’ll need the efforts of nearly all the Westside Community! So start conjuring up ideas about being a terrifying Tombstone Golf sentinel or perhaps you magically create shockingly fantastic Ghost Cookies… Be warned – your talents are wanted!
Keep your eyes peeled for online sign up sheets in next week’s update so you can choose the mysterious activity that suits your bones the best.
Questions or Suggestions? Please contact either: Angie Graves at add113@clearwire.net or Krista Wasserman at krista8everything@yahoo.com.
Pizza Allergy Info
Typically, Westside orders pizza from two different companies for its different events. For pizza day, we have ordered from Pizza Time. However, this year, there are new Pizza Time owners, and they’ve changed the name to Red Star Pizza. If you are concerned about allergies, you may contact this new company. It was recently mentioned in the West Seattle blog. (More information can be found here: http://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=20344) Also, Colette Prendergast, the mother of one of our most nut-allergic kids, made a call to the owners and was satisfied with what she learned. She can tell you more about what she was told; contact her at colette@wetdog.net.
For Movie Night, pizza is ordered from Pizza Gallery. They also seem to be okay with allergies, but if you would like to contact them, their number is 206-244-5025.