Westridge Wildcat News
December 4, 2020
Message from the Principal
Hello Wildcat Families,
I hope you all enjoyed a Thanksgiving week full of laughter, lazy mornings, and quality time together. It is hard to believe we are dancing on the doorstep of winter break!
This week, I had a chance to see our kindergarten students learning how to read and I was able to participate in some of them sharing their treasures and practicing their speaking and listening skills. I was able to watch reading groups in first grade as students worked hard on phonics skills. Our second grade students were working hard on their narrative writing and math strategies for addition. I saw fifth graders learning about figurative language and using idioms in their writing, and I was able to watch the creative ways our students learn communication without using words in STEM! I know I've said it before, but my favorite part of the day is visiting classes and seeing your children engaged and learning.
As you may know, Westridge is collecting toy donations for foster children as well as items for Hunger Fighters. Thank you for your generosity and kindness to support those who are less fortunate. During this holiday season I hope your family is well and happy. If you or a loved one needs support, please reach out to me or our school counselor, Gary Kieser as we have numerous resources to assist our community.
All the best,
Principal Montgomery
Coffee with Kari and Gary
Our next coffee will be offered on Wednesday, December 16th from 9:00am - 9:30am. This is an informal time to just connect, ask questions, and learn together as we go through the school year. This next session, join myself and Mr. Kieser as we share strategies and tips on how to help your child (and your whole family) with managing anxiety and regulation. Bring a cup of coffee, or just call in and let's connect!
ID: 89488956670
Password: 537256
(US) +1 929-205-6099
Passcode: 537256
Hunger Fighters donations needed!
Westridge Helps Foster Kids in need: Toy Drive
Grade 3-5 Scratch Coding Club
Do you like to play computer games? Have you ever wondered how they were made? Come to our 3rd-5th grade Scratch Coding Club. We will use the Scratch website https://scratch.mit.edu/ to learn how to move a spirit and create different games. Come learn how to code in Scratch and share projects with your friends.
We will meet in Mrs. Bates Zoom Room on Fridays at 11 Am. Our first meeting is on 12/11. I hope to see you there.
To sign-up email Mrs. Bates batesb@loswego.k12.or.us by 12/10.
Zoom: Pro Tip!
Reminder: New Multi-synchronous Schedules on Wednesdays beginning November 18
Elementary Student Wednesday Schedule
8:00-8:30: Synchronous AM Cohort English Language Arts structured connection and review
8:35-9:05: Synchronous AM Cohort Math structured connection and review
12:45-1:15: Synchronous PM Cohort English Language Arts structured connection and review
1:20-1:50: Synchronous PM Cohort Math structured connection and review
Elementary Student Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday Schedule
8:00-10:45 a.m.: Synchronous AM Cohort English Language Arts & Math
12:45-3:30 p.m.: Synchronous PM Cohort English Language Arts & Math
Multi-synchronous Wednesdays will allow students time to have structured connection and review with their teachers, practice skills and receive reteaching with teachers and support staff and build relationships with their peers. This change is intended to provide additional support, reduce screen stress and allow catch up time. Participation is expected and attendance will be taken as usual. Please review Teacher Week-at-a-Glance for updated information.
Note that Thursdays are no longer early release PLC days. Students will be in class from 8am - 10:45am for AM cohort and 12:45pm - 3:30pm for PM cohort. You can view the weekly schedule here.
Need Based Mystery Science Kits Available NOW!
Questions? Contact Brian Toye at toyeb@loswego.k12.or.us
Counselor's Corner
Dear Westridge Families,
During the month of December, through our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons, I will be introducing the character trait of HONESTY. The definition we are using in class is: Honesty: living truthfully in your words and actions and thoughts. We will be examining how honesty looks, sounds, and feels.
Honesty is more than just truth-telling! It is about living a life that is thoughtful and clear about what we believe is good and just. It’s about making sure that what we think is kind and worthwhile lines up with what we say and what we do. Over the course of the month, we will talk about the cost of lying and what it does to our body and mind. We will connect how Honesty and Kindness are closely related traits. It’s going to be a powerful time - truly!
We have opportunities throughout each and every day where we can either choose to be truthful, or choose to be untruthful through either our words, actions or thoughts.
As we learn about the importance of Honesty, we can also understand that being Truthful isn’t always the easy choice, but it’s ALWAYS the right (expected) choice! Students will learn about integrity and the importance of being honest with ourselves!
Here are links for extension activities to explore HONESTY further as a family:
K-2 HONESTY Parent Letter (English) K-2 HONESTY Parent Letter (En Español ) 3-5 HONESTY Parent Letter (English) 3-5 HONESTY Parent Letter (En Español )
Please note: In order for your student to gain access to the weekly Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons, they must be a member of my Google Classroom. Please make sure your student is included in my classroom by using the codes listed below. Asynchronous SEL lessons will be available to students weekly. Students may complete these supplementary lessons at their convenience any time throughout the week.
Westridge SEL (K-2): 76wnd6p K-2 SEL Classroom invite link
Westridge SEL (3-5): q53zivt K-2 SEL Classroom invite link
Sincerely,
Gary Kieser
School Counselor, Westridge Elementary
Westridge School Counseling Family Resources
Hello Westridge parents! Comprehensive Distance Learning has been a challenge for both parents and students. We want to provide as much assistance to you as possible, I have condensed several useful resources into the Westridge School Counseling Family Resources folder. Here you will find:
- An archive of all Social Emotional Learning lessons from the year, organized by character trait.
- Family activities to build connection and character
- Tips for parent and family self-care
- Webinars by myself and other Westridge staff.
This folder will be updated on a regular basis, so feel free to check it once in a while. If you have any questions or suggestions for useful resources, please contact me at kieserg@loswego.k12.or.us.
Gary Kieser, MA, LPC
School Counselor
Westridge Elementary School
503-534-2371, ext. 3932
Holiday Support
Parent Tip
OBOB at Westridge!
Westridge's Oregon Battle of the Books Competition is going all Virtual this year!
Each year, Westridge participates in the Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) competition for all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. This is an optional, fun enrichment activity, and a good way to read some great books with a team of school friends.Registration:
It is now time to register your interested student. Please click the link here and fill in all parts of the registration and waiver / permission slip sections. Registrations are due by Friday, December 11th. https://tinyurl.com/wrOBOB21
What is OBOB?
The Oregon Battle of the Books is a reading and trivia competition that serves as a statewide celebration of literacy and good books. 3rd to 5th grade students form teams of three to five members, then read and study from a common list of 16 books selected by the State OBOB committee each year. Teams square off in a series of "Battles" to show off how much they have learned by answering questions about the books. Watch out if you get a question wrong -- the other team then gets a chance to steal the points! Find this year's book list here: https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/2020-2021-obob-book-titles/
- The OBOB competition at Westridge is funded by the PTSO, run by parent volunteers, and coordinated with Librarian Mrs. Calbreath and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers
- Students form teams of 3 to 5 players in the Fall and begin reading the books
- Parent volunteers may hold voluntary virtual practice sessions with the kids in January and February
- The battles will be held virtually during the period of time between AM and PM sessions in February and/or March via Zoom or other conferencing technology
- In each "Battle," two teams square off and answer questions in turn. Note that only a maximum of 4 players participate in each battle round. Teams of 5 will need to set a rotation
- The highest scoring teams in preliminary play move on to knock-out rounds to crown a school champion
- This year's competition is open to all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students regardless of whether your child is enrolled in LO Online or the Hybrid model
- Please look for a communication from your student's teacher for more details!
PTSO Meeting: December 7th
PTSO General Meeting
Monday, December 7th
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
JOIN WITH ZOOM:
Meeting ID: 894 7093 9593
Passcode: 312117
PTSO Fundraiser: Minted
With the holidays quickly approaching, we hope you’ll be just as excited as we are about this great discount being offered to our Westridge community! Use promo code FUNDRAISEWESTRIDGE to receive 20% off holiday cards and gifts through minted.com.
15% of your purchase amount will be donated back to Westridge PTSO!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
PTSO News - Support Westridge Through Amazon Smile
As the holiday shopping season begins, please remember that supporting Westridge is easy with the AmazonSmile app! With every eligible purchase, AmazonSmile donates 0.5% to the school - same products, same prices, no cost to you!
As every dollar helps benefit our teachers and students, please make sure you go to your account settings and select Westridge Elementary School PTSO as your charity of choice!
Tech Support:
Tech Information Sessions
LOSD hosted two Tech Information Sessions covering the “how tos'' for getting started with distance learning. The session recordings and presentations are posted on the district site under Resources/Tech Support for Families.
Tech Support Ticket
A majority of tech concerns can be resolved by submitting a Tech Support ticket -- the link is on all school and district homepages for easy access to help with passwords, log-ins, hardware fixes, etc.
Google Classroom Guardianship
By now all parents and guardians should have received an email requesting you to accept guardianship of your student's Google Classroom. If you need assistance with this request, please submit a request through the Tech Support button. Note: accepting guardianship simply gives you the option of selecting how often you would like to receive summaries (weekly, daily, or no summary) of your student's Google Classroom activity. Only student accounts have access to Google Classroom.
ODE State Assessment Notice
Westridge Elementary
Email: kari.montgomery@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/wr
Location: 3400 Royce Way, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 534-2371