Westbrook News & Updates
October 2018
Westbrook Elementary
Email: muck.catherine@westside66.net
Website: http://westbrook.westside66.org/
Location: 1312 Robertson Drive, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: 402-390-6490
From the Desk of Mr Hottovy...
Westbrook Families,
We are continuing our focus of everyone getting on the same bus and being positive. The second rule of the Energy Bus is to Fuel Your Ride with Positive Energy. Success in school is a result of hard work and making good choices. Having a positive attitude about school can also help us to be more successful. Take some time over the next few weeks to talk with your Wildcat about what makes them feel happy and what makes them feel successful. Emphasize that the highlights and accomplishments of the day could be the one thing, person, or event that made them smile, laugh, and feel great.
Another way to fuel your ride with positive energy is to focus on what we are thankful for. The same part of our brain that is responsible for negative thoughts also responds to feeling thankful, and it cannot do both at once. If we encourage our wildcats to focus on the good things happening in their lives, negative thoughts have no time to fester. Being grateful floods the body and brain with endorphins and emotions. It is a powerful way to become more positive. It is physically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same moment.
Thank you for helping your Wildcat focus on the positive so that they can fuel our ride with positive energy!
From the Desk of Mrs Poell...
Westbrook Elementary school utilizes a positive approach for teaching and intervening with students’ social, emotional, and behavioral skills. Teaching these skills helps students be successful at school, home, and in their community. It also positively affects all students’ academic achievement.
Best practice for teaching and reinforcing social, emotional, and behavioral skills is to use a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBiS) framework. Under this framework, behavior is approached in a proactive rather than a reactive manner. There are school wide behavior expectations and all students’ behavior needs are targeted through various common practices, procedures, and plans. At Westbrook, we do the following:
Teach school-wide rules or expectations: Be Safe, Be Respectful, & Be Responsible
Have weekly classroom lessons from a social emotional learning curriculum
Target a social skill of the week to teach and reinforce. Each social skill has specific steps to follow
Improve classroom management skills by providing strategies and training on how to provide effective supports.
Use WOW cards to recognize and reward students for showing the 3 expectations and social skills
Celebrate success at assemblies
Use of data to screen all students’ social, emotional, and behavioral skills and to track intervention plans
Promoting open communication between home and school
Agreed upon guidelines for recess rules, school procedures, and discipline
And much more!
United Way Spirit Week
United Way Week
October 1st-October 5th
Please help our National Honor Society and Westbrook raise money for the United Way. The United Way is a health and human services organization that helps people in need. Each day will cost $0.25 to participate.
Monday-Slippers Day (make sure to bring extra shoes for PE and recess).
Tuesday-Unhealthy Snack Day
Wednesday-Wacky Wednesday: Crazy Hair and Clothes
Thursday-Hat Day
Friday-Favorite Sports Team Day
From the Main Office...
Just a few reminders...
Lunch applications need to be filled out every year. If you were getting free/reduced lunch last year and you have not filled out an application this year then please do so as soon as possible to avoid your student owing lunch money.
We are collecting Hy-Vee receipts, Box Tops and Pop Tabs from your pop cans. Please send these to school with your students and they will turn them into their teachers.
Please see the bottom of this newsletter for important dates of upcoming events such as FIELD TRIPS, CONFERENCES and other happenings at WESTBROOK.
Be a leaf peeper this month and go for a walk through your neighborhood and take in the changing colors! Thank you and have an outstanding October!
Hope to see you at conferences! Slips will be sent home with students today(Friday 9/28) with your time slot.
Support Our Teachers... Help Provide a Meal for our Teachers on Conference Nights
We need you! Please consider donating a soup or side dish for parent teacher conferences.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F044AAEA929A5F85-fall23
Sign up HERE
Fall Conferences this year will be held on October 15th and 17th. As our teachers work long hours preparing and taking the time to meet with us, it does not allow much time to plan dinner!
As a Community Club we work with parents each year to help provide dinner the nights of these
events. Below is a link for our online sign up – otherwise please feel free to e-mail
westbrookcc66@outlook.com with how you would like to help.
October 15th
We will be hosting a soup bar. We are hoping for a variety of 6-10 different soups in addition to salads, rolls, butter, bowls, spoons, napkins and drinks. October 17th.
Community Club will cater in dinner as this will also be the evening for the Fall fundraiser pick up.
Desserts and drinks however will be appreciated!
****All dishes need to be dropped off at or before 2:30 pm as some staff will need to eat between 2:45 & 3
****We recommend using disposable dishes but understand if that's not possible. To make sure your dishes are returned please be sure to label dishes with student’s name and grade. All dishes can be sent home the following day.
****Some staff need gluten free options, there is a separate sign up if your side or dessert is gluten free
Fall Parties in Your Student's Classroom
It is almost time to PARTY!!! Classroom parties are scheduled for October 31, 2018 and we are bringing back costumes and a parade. Students can bring their costumes to school. No make-up or accessories should be brought by your student, just the main portion of the costume. Additionally, NO WEAPONS will be allowed. If students do have weapons of any sort they will be taken to the principal’s office and be required to be picked up by a parent. Thank you to everyone for doing their part, ensuring this fun event is one we can keep around for future years!
Westbrook will be hosting a costume drive. Gently used full costumes can be donated starting October 1st! The costume drive information will be posted at a later date, as it is dependent upon what is received.
If you have not already, join us on Facebook. This is one of the easiest ways to remain in the NOW regarding school events and activities planned throughout the school year. Please keep in mind that our group is separate from the Westbrook Elementary page, we have included a link below for your convenience.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/386460274761390/
Thank you!!! - Westbrook Elementary Community Club
Notes from the Library...
Please call the office or send Ms Mejstrik an email at mejstrik.molly@westside66.net
Thank you for your support of Westbrook students and staff.
Battle of the Books Registration ...
Students can celebrate reading in Westside’s Battle of the Books! The Westside Community Council will once again organize a Battle of the Books event for the 2018-2019 school year. This event is open to all 4th through 6th grade students in the District. Registration will begin in October, and the battle will be held on the morning of March 30, 2019 at Westside Middle School.
Westside’s Battle of the Books is a quiz-bowl style competition. To participate, students will form teams of three or four students. Teams may have five students, but at most four students may compete in any round. Since this is a team event, individual students do not have to read all of the books on the list to participate.
Please note that this year, each team will be expected to provide at least one parent volunteer to assist during part of the competition in addition to a team parent to accompany the team on battle day. The Battle of the Books relies on parents and volunteers to make the day a success.
For this competition, students will read the 2019 Golden Sower nominees.
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Soar by Joan Bauer
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The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
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All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
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Moo: A Novel by Sharon Creech
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Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes
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Slacker by Gordan Korman
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Wish by Barbara O’Connor
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Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) by Lynn Plourde
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Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
All of these books are available to borrow from the Omaha Public Library and will be available in the school libraries. If you would like to purchase books, check out The Bookworm, Half Price Books, or Amazon.com.
Email: westsidebattleofthebooks@gmail.com
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/westsidebotb/home
It’s Time to Register for Battle of the Books!
Registration will run from October 5th - 26th.
To register and for more information, please visit:
https://sites.google.com/view/westsidebotb
Sponsored by Westside Community Council.
News from the Reading Nook
What is Happening in the Family Enrichment Center...
Good Morning Westbrook Families,
Please drop in with your preschooler to play and learn in Room 119. Every Tuesday & Thursday at 9:30!
*Remember Tuesday at 9:30 is story time(what a blast) and Thursday at 9:30 am is drop in and play.
Share this information with other Westbrook Families!
Can’t wait to see you,
Melba and Eileen