Friday
September 26
Spirit/Pizza Day
Saturday
September 27
Wine Social
5-8pm in the
admin house
Adults only!
Thursday
October 2
1st to Camp Sealth
Tuesday
October 7
Town Meeting
6:30pm
Thursday
October 9
Jump Rope Assembly
9:30
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
September 25, 2008
Wine Social Saturday Night
Time to Show Your Halloween Spirit!
From Jo Ann, The History of Education Part 3
Family Tree
Spanish Update
Childcare for the In-Service Day - Oct. 10
Look Out Cineplex!
Afterschool Enrichment Update
Library Volunteers Still Needed
New Sister for Olivia
Wine Social
This Saturday, 5-8pm
Drop in before dinner, come by after, or stay the whole time. Grand Central Bakery is providing fresh bread, and we’ll serve cheese and have a few beverage choices. Stop by! It’s a great way to connect with friends and families from all grades! Hope to see you there! (Adults Only!)
Time to Show Your Halloween Fest “Spirit!”
By Halloween Chairs Tracy Beck and Angie Graves
Westside’s most “Spirited” event, Halloween Fest, is happening on Saturday, October 25th. It’s now time to volunteer your life away and join the morbid fun! The volunteer sign up sheet is available online NOW (volunteer position descriptions are available here) and in the “spirit” of being Green, will only be online but don’t fret - there will be a laptop available outside the office in the main school building if you need it. So, are you truly a jarring Jumper Slide Sentry or do you crave being a Creepy Cashier?? Do tell – we won’t bite! And each Halloween Fest volunteer is going to be entered into a drawing for one of four Westside Spiritwear items! How’s that for spine-chilling excitement?!
Speaking of excitement, Halloween Fest needs a spooky Mom or Dad to take the reins on the concession/bake sale so if you’re interested in organizing this super cool slice (yes, there’s pizza) of the fun, let us know! For more information on all the super sinister activities, visit the parent/student network.
Questions or Suggestions? Please contact either: Angie Graves at add113@clearwire.net or Tracy Beck at tracy@beckstailoring.com.
From Jo Ann
History Of Education, Part 3
Current Trends
In the last part of the 20th century, I have personally experienced several trends in trying to make education more effective. I have witnessed, but not necessarily endorse:
• Whole language: an approach to reading and writing in which children deal with language in real situations with mechanics of language taught only as secondary concerns.
• Cooperative learning: noncompetitive learning in small groups, with students taking responsibility for each other’s learning.
• Multicultural education: curricula include the study of the history of minority groups with less emphasis on male-dominated, Caucasian, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant America.
• Social curriculum: programs in behavior and social interaction, emphasizing consensual decision-making and conflict-resolution techniques.
• Developmental education: programs based on the idea that children move through definite developmental stages and not necessarily at the same rates. Class groupings are multi-aged.
• Open classroom: separate learning centers where children are free to work at the center and activity they choose and to move from one to another.
In August, 1981, Secretary of Education, T.H. Bell, created the national Commission on Excellence in Education to examine the quality of education in the United States. Its report, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, maintains that American schools are failing. E. D. Hirsch, who started the Core Knowledge Movement, is a proponent of the report’s proposed changes. Hirsch asserts that citizens of the United States share a common cultural heritage that is the basis of national life. Children must acquire a comprehensive view of history, geography, literature, science, mathematics, art and music. Core Knowledge agrees with Montessori and Dewey that young children exhibit a natural eagerness to learn. That through play, children develop basic cognitive activities into more integrated and complex thought processes. Hirsch believes that there is no age when a child is developmentally ready by nature to learn reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, he says, a child’s readiness for these secondary processes is not a matter of natural development, but of prior relevant learning.
The notion that our schools are failing, has led to the “No Child Left Behind,” signed by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002. This Act proposes educational reform for our nation, based on stronger accountability for results. Under the act’s accountability provisions, states must describe how they will close the so-called “achievement gap,” ensuring that all students, including the disadvantaged, achieve academic proficiency. States must produce annual state and district report cards that inform parents and communities about progress in each school and in the state as a whole. Schools that fail to make sufficient progress must take corrective actions and, if still not making adequate yearly progress after five years, make dramatic changes to the way the school is run.
In conclusion, by definition of an accredited independent school, Westside School is a school which:
• Is focused on its mission and on goals for its students.
• Is student-oriented, and examines its students’ performance continuously.
• Maintains a qualified faculty within an effectively organized school.
• Collaboratively assesses the quality of its educational programs on a regular basis.
• Plans for the future
We are empowered to stay current of the trends and take the best to give the best to our children.
Who’s On Your Family Tree?
By Marsha Lovely, Kindergarten Teacher
The world is changing and so is the traditional family tree that we all created in our primary school experience. Today we have an incredibly rich, diverse environment here at Westside. I am proud to be part of such a dynamic school.
I was having a discussion with my brother in San Francisco about the concept of the family tree. Sadly, it has been banned at the school his children attend. They said that since there are so many families that are non-traditional they felt that children could feel left out or different.
I wondered why they can’t discuss the family tree in a way that includes everyone such as the neighbor, family dog, or anyone that is considered special in a small child’s life. Who are we to say that the child’s favorite family friend isn’t special enough to be included on the tree? Life is wonderful and so are all the people that care about your child, whoever they are.
We will be doing our family trees in kindergarten and I look forward to the discussions that all of us will be having about the special people in our lives. Children that understand how different we all are will also be more tolerant of others as they go through their educational experience.
Spanish Update
By Ashley Kloess,Spanish Teacher
¡Hola Familias!
I am delighted to be the new Spanish teacher at Westside! It has been a joy getting to know your children and being able to watch them learn. I have seen our hard work paying off already! We have begun the year by learning and reviewing basic phrases called saludos (greetings) and despedidas (farewells). In all age levels, we worked on learning how to say, “What’s your name?” and “my name is”. This has also helped me to learn all these new names!
In kindergarten, we have learned about what it means to speak a foreign language. We read a poem called “El Doble de Amigos” that helped the children to learn about making friends with other kids who speak Spanish. Your kindergarteners know how to say “hello”, “how are you?” and “I’m very well”. We learned this through a song that I used to sing with the children I worked with in Mexico.
In first and second grades, we learned the same song as the kindergarteners. The students got so good at the song that they can now sing it without looking at the words! They know all actions that go with it as well! I sent the words home with the kids so they could practice if they wanted to. These age groups also learned to say, “see you later”, “see you soon”, “goodbye”, and “what’s up?”
In third thru fifth grade, we worked on the saludos and despedidos mentioned above and a few more. We use a song on a new Spanish CD that I got to use to teach many aspects of the language. They love this song! After hearing this song many times and practicing singing along, the students have these new phrases down cold! It’s amazing to see your students getting so excited about Spanish through learning with music. Many of them just can’t help themselves and dance along with the music!
In my experience, teaching language with music, games, and activities proves very successful and that is what I seek to do at Westside. So far the children have responded well to my teaching style. Every time I hear them saying how much they enjoy Spanish class, it just makes my day!
Just to give you a bit of background information about me: a native of Seattle, I graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a double major in Education and Spanish. I am certified to teach K-8th grade. In order to gain fluency in Spanish, I spent time studying abroad in Costa Rica and Mexico. Both proved to be powerful learning experiences in both the Spanish language and Latino way of life. I plan to share my passion for the Spanish language and Latino cultures with your children!
Childcare for In-Service Day,
Friday, October 10
Westside teachers will be attending a PNAIS conference on Friday, October 10; school is closed. As a service to families, childcare will be offered for full-day students, from 8am to 5pm. The entire day costs $40 per child. This fee applies whether you use the care for just a few hours or the whole time. You will be billed separately from your regular childcare contract invoices.
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. Click here to register.
Look Out Cineplex!
By Kate Petrich, WPO President
A million “thank you’s” to our Movie Night Chair Jan Ellis and her volunteers for making our first Movie Night of the year a fabulous success. Westside’s first ever, mini - double feature had the highest turnout to date (record pizza -216 pieces! - & popcorn sales). Thanks to Matt Davis and Melanie Leary who outfitted us with a quality sound system last year, we rival the professional outfits technically, but we clearly run circles around them in the “FUN” department (where else can you wear your Buzz Lightyear PJ’s, bring your stuffed chairs and all your friends?).
A round of applause goes out to our many volunteers who popped the popcorn, manned the concession stands, sold spirit wear, created art work, ran the DVD/sound system, and helped set-up/clean-up, including 4th Graders: John, Katie, Austin, Bailey, Reed, Caitlin, Mei Lee, Kellen, Gina, Sam, Madeleine; 5th Graders: Ellen, Sophia, Sophia, Zoe, Emma, Elaine; the 4th and 5th grade parents and other parent volunteers: Shawn White, Matt Davis, Melanie Leary, Roger McMillen, Tracy Beck, Melissa Dayka, John Hilgedick, Pam Snider, Heidi Suarez, and the countless other parents who pitched in. Thank you!
A tribute to the adage “More the Merrier,” thank you also to our audience, for starting out the year full of Westside Spirit.
After School Enrichment Update
After School Enrichment classes start next week. Students will be provided with a light snack. If your child has special dietary needs, please send a personal snack. Please pick up your child right after their class in the room where it was held as our after care program is extremely full. Space is still available in Science and Jewelry Making (Bangles, Bobbles, & Beads). Drama has been cancelled due to lack of students. Look for more drama in January.
After School Enrichment Room Assignment
- Chess Grades 1-5, Tuesday, 3:20-4:30 in Erin’s 2nd Grade Room
- Science Adventures, Wednesday, 3:30-4:30 in Judith’s 4th Grade Room
- Science Adventures, Wednesday, 3:30-4:3 in Stuart’s K Room
- Computer Workshop, Wednesday, 3:30-4:30 in the 3rd Grade Portable
- Yoga, Thursday, 3:20-4:30 starts in Erin’s 2nd Grade Room, then moves to the Gym
- Kindergarten Chess, Thursday, 2:45-3:45 in Stuart’s K Room
- Jewelry Making, Friday, 3:20-4:30 in the Art Room
Library Volunteers Needed
Do you like to read? Bet your kids do too. If you would like to foster that lifelong desire to read in your child, we are still looking for volunteers for Monday’s only:
Monday
9:30-12:00 (Renee’s class and 3rd)
1:30-2:45 (Nancy’s class and Margie’s)
The early morning shift each day would shelve books before checking out books for a class, the afternoon would only check out books.
If you are able to help, please contact Amy Huber amyhuber@comcast.net, WPO Volunteer Coordinator.
New Sister for Olivia!
Olivia in Nancy’s PS/PK class is a new big sister to baby sister, Harper, born on September 23. Congratulations!