Friday
Sept. 5
Assembly
9:30am
Wednesday
Sept. 10
New Parent Orientation
5:30pm
Curriculum
Night
6:30pm
Thursday
Sept. 11
3rd Grade Coffee
Friday
Sept. 12
Spirit/Pizza Day
Laura’s 2nd
Grade Coffee
Monday
Sept. 15
4th Grade
Coffee
Tuesday
Sept. 16
5th Grade Coffee & Middle School Info
Wednesday
Sept. 17
Margie’s First Grade Coffee
Board Meeting
6:30pm
September 4, 2008
Thank You for the Back-to-School BBQ
Annual Report & Calendar
Turn In Your Pizza Forms
Car Pooling
From Jo Ann
Volunteer Opportunities
Curriculum Coffees & Curriculum Night
Thank You for the Back-to-School BBQ
Thank you to parent Peter Levine for the excellent food and the Westside Board of Trustees for hosting and serving the Back-to-School BBQ dinner. It was one of the best! This year, we estimate that we had around 400 people attend this event, our largest one yet.
For more information about the Board, click here. You will find recent minutes, a list of members and their committees, and more!
Annual Report and Calendar
Today in your take-home folder, you should receive a copy of Westside’s annual report and 2008-2009 school calendar. Please keep the calendar and use this as your official school calendar. If you need extra copies, please see Kathy in the office.
Turn In Your Pizza Forms
By Kathleen Whitson, Pizza Chair
As of Thursday, we have received pizza forms for just half of our students. Pizza Orders must be received by 4:00 this Friday in order for kids to get their slices on the first pizza day (next Friday). Order forms and checks should be placed in the Pizza folder on the table across the hall from the office. Lost your form? Extras are available on the same table or on the website. Click here. Questions or concerns? Contact Kathleen Whitson at kathleen.whitson@gmail.com or 206-933-1088.
Car Pooling
Last year, several parents were interested in making carpooling easier, and found a website to help us out: Divide the Ride. Some of you have had no problem accessing the information, while it appears that others have had a few issues. We’re still working out the bugs, and plan to use a few other features as well. Please be patient, and stay tuned for more information!
From Jo Ann
I love my job. I love Westside School. “Love” is not a very professional word. I could say I am passionate about education and passionate about Westside School. Or I could be more discrete and say I believe in what we are trying to accomplish at Westside School. Nevertheless, there is a lot about what I do and what Westside School does that I am excited about, and I want you as part of our community to share.
Communication is why we have this Update. Communication is why we have teacher web pages, why we have curriculum nights and curriculum coffees. Yet when I am introspective about what type of things are communicated and how often, I wonder if it is enough. I evaluate our efforts by your responses, because communication is a two way street. You should be an active participator, too. So please don’t skip reading our school communications, especially the weekly Update. And if you have a question, please ask.
Over the next nine weeks, I will share some thoughts with you in the form of a series of articles. The first three will deal with the History of Education. The second three will build on the understanding of our mission, and I will share how Westside School meets the needs of “gifted” learners. And the last one will examine the relationship between me, the Head of School, and the Board, and how Westside School is managed and governed.
This is going to be a fabulous year! I am looking forward to what your children will accomplish and what we will accomplish as a community. Don’t you just love the excitement of a new year, too?
Volunteering at Westside School
Many of you have been asking for the volunteer forms that normally come in the summer mailing. In an effort to reduce paper and make things generally easier, our volunteer opportunities will be online this year. We will post them as they come up, please go the parent/student section of the website (or click here) to see how you can become involved.
Pizza Days
Your time commitment can be as little as 30 minutes, from 11:45 to 12:15pm, and you are invited to eat lunch with your child after the pizza has been served. Please sign up for one, or both, of the options below. While we know that it’s sometimes hard to schedule so far in advance, we hope that you will be able to commit to at least 75% of these dates.
First Pizza Day of the Month (9/12, 11/7, 12/5, 1/9, 2/13, 3/13, 5/1, 6/5)
Second Pizza Day of the Month (9/26, 10/17, 11/21, 1/23, 2/27, 3/27, 4/17, 5/15)
Family Dance Coordinator
This person will organize a committee and plan the family dance, held this year on May 1!
Curriculum Night & Curriculum Coffees
Curriculum Night is Wednesday, September 10. Meet in the Gym, 6:30pm. Childcare is not available
Learn about the curriculum in your child’s classroom during Curriculum Night on Wednesday, September 10 at 6:30pm or at a curriculum/classroom coffee. Coffees will all be held in the admin house behind the school after drop-off.
Thursday, Sept. 11
3rd Grade coffee
Friday, Sept. 12
Laura’s 2nd Grade coffee
Monday, Sept. 15
4th Grade coffee
Tuesday, Sept. 16
5th Grade coffee & middle school info
Wednesday, Sept. 17
Margie’s First Grade coffee
Thursday, Sept. 18
Renee’s 1st Grade coffee
Friday, Sept. 19
Erin’s 2nd Grade coffee
Monday, Sept. 22
Nancy’s PS/PK coffee
Tuesday, Sept. 23
Stuart’s Kindergarten coffee
Wednesday, Sept. 24
Marsha’s Kindergarten coffee
Thursday, Sept. 25
Claudia’s PK Coffee