Westchester Weekly
All-Star Newsletter September 30, 2021
Dear Westchester Families,
EL Learning Expeditions are the cornerstone of EL Education. Students dive into in-depth studies with real world connections. The Habits of Scholarship (i.e. collaboration, craftsmanship, kindness, and perseverance) are embedded throughout the expedition. This week, all grade levels kicked off some very exciting Learning Expeditions! Kindergartners watched their kindness ripple in the creek, second graders discovered their big idea through a mystery piece, and first graders will kick off with live animals on Friday! It’s a great time to be part of the Westchester Wolfpack!
Westchester is blessed with a great school staff. We feel it is important to acknowledge and introduce you to our Westchester Crew. Each week we will spotlight a Crew member. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to enhance your child’s thirst for learning. Check out the WE Staff Spotlight below!
Last but not least, winter is coming and when is the last time you added some Westchester gear to your closet? The amazing PTA will be hosting a popup shop tomorrow morning (10/1) during arrival at the back of the school (playground area). You can find all of your Westchester Swag! Come out and support this group of amazing parent volunteers! You can find more information below! Thank you PTA!
As always, stay safe and take care of yourselves. We are here if you need anything.
Sincerely,
Spotlights
Staff Spotlight: Jamie Montgomery
Jamie Montgomery
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Education/Background: Bachelor's of Science in Early Childhood Education, Endorsed in ESOL and Gifted Education
Family: I have two beautiful, wonderful and full of wisdom parents. I have 2 sisters and one brother who is my twin. I have one puppy niece who is full of love and joy.
Favorite Music: Jazz, Gospel/Inspirational, R&B Soul, Hip Hop
Hobbies: Painting, Exercising, watching movies, exploring the city, dancing and listening to music
Hero/inspiration: I don't have a particular hero/model/inspiration. I look up to those who inspire, teach, and motivate me to be a better person and spread positive insight to others.
Favorite thing about Westchester: Everyone is close knit like a family
Teacher of the Year
Employee of the Year
WE are Having so Much Fun learning!
Garden Maps in K
Recycle Art in K
Absorbing Information in 1st
Upcoming Calendar Events
September 15th-October- Hispanic Heritage month begins
October 1st- PTA Pop-Up shop @ 8:00am
October 1st - World ADHD Day
October 6th- International Walk and Roll Day
October 12th- BOE Meeting @ 6:30pm
October 14th- Picture Day
November 1st- Teacher Work Day- No school for students
IRLA Home Updates
*In your child’s Thursday folder today, you will find an IRLA Home Update. This reading assessment is administered throughout the year, and updates on your child’s reading level will be shared by your teacher. More information on this assessment is below. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you have any questions.
Information about ARC Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA)
Home Connection Updates
The American Reading Company (ARC) curriculum is designed to ensure success for all students by preparing them not only for college and career readiness, but to take their place as responsible citizens and lead in a changing world.
The Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA), a component of ARC, is an assessment tool that delivers specific and actionable data for the City Schools of Decatur K-5 teachers, that indicates where a student is, why, and the sequence of skills/behaviors needed to learn to accelerate in reading growth.
IRLA Home Connection Updates.pdf
Powerful dashboards and reports assess student performance in real time, allowing schools to use equity-driven data to transform instruction and outcomes through key metrics and drivers of success. The IRLA data empowers all stakeholders to identify where support and intervention are needed most for our students.
IRLA Home Connection Updates will be sent home to our K-5 CSD families after Terms 1, 4, and 6 to keep them informed of their child’s progress in reading.
TERM 1 TERM 4 TERM 6
8/3/21 - 9/10/21 1/4/22 - 2/11/212 4/11/22 - 5/27/22
Hispanic Heritage Month
Hola familia!
It’s Septiembre! The 15th will start a month of celebration for all Hispanic people who live in the United States. We celebrate our heritage, the significant presence and influence of Hispanics in our society, and our broad spectrum of traditions and culture.
We encourage you to explore and to join us to celebrate, in some way, “The Hispanic Heritage Month”! How? There are many ways to celebrate! Here, just a few of them:
Current Events:
Happening Now! https://www.visitdecaturgeorgia.com/visit/page/placita-latina
Listen to Music
A great way to teach children about Hispanic culture is by exposing them to music in Spanish. Choose age-appropriate music or music by key figures in Spanish music or just sing along with the 21 Speaking countries song in Rockalingua (username and password: westchester)
Get into the Kitchen
Food is always something that reminds people of home. Hispanic culture has a plethora of cuisine to enjoy from every Hispanic culture. Parents can get into the kitchen with their children and prepare recipes from diverse Hispanic cultures. Another option is to eat from a Hispanic restaurant and try something new. Nowadays, it is easy to find Argentinian empanadas, Cuban sandwiches, El Salvadorian pupusas, and Mexican tacos in the Metropolitan Atlanta area. Very close to us, here at 1365 Clairmont Rd we can find ”Buena gente”, another Cuban restaurant.
Read Spanish or Bilingual Books
Books and stories often tell a story that reflects the background of a certain culture. You can read Spanish language or bilingual books to your children to learn more about various Hispanic cultures. We are developing a virtual Spanish library here.
Have a great Hispanic Heritage Month celebration! Celebremos juntos!
Important Information about Gifted Review
Each fall semester the gifted review team looks at existing student data to discuss students’ needs and to determine if a further evaluation for possible gifted identification is needed. If you are interested in having the team discuss your child’s needs, you may complete a Recommendation for Review Form (found at the website below) and submit it to the Gifted Specialist at your child’s school by October 6th. No additional information is needed. The Gifted Specialist for Westchester is Wanda Nesbitt. For more detailed information about the review process and to obtain a copy of the Recommendation for Review Form, please contact the Gifted Specialist for your school at wnesbitt@csdecatur.net or visit the following website: https://www.csdecatur.net/Page/581.
PTA Update
PTA BOARD ELECTIONS AND VOTING
PTA Board Elections are coming soon — so make sure you’re a member so your voice is heard. Join the PTA! You can join online at westchesterpta.org, fill out this form and send in your check payment in your child's school folder or drop it by one of our WE spirit gear pop-up shops!
WE SPIRIT GEAR POP-UP SHOP
Swing by the back of school this Friday, October 1st at drop-off for some free coffee and PTA spirit wear sale! We will also have PTA membership forms available for you to fill out to join!
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI) PTA BOARD MEMBER POSITION
We are currently looking to fill a new position on our Board this year — heading up our PTA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
The Board position and committee will work to:
- Educate our community of adults and children on the heart behind matters of race and diversity
- Initiate previously unexplored and enhance existing conversations around acceptance and understanding
- Strengthen empathy between families through sharing of traditions
- Advocate for families and students adversely affected by incidents and concerns of inequity or discrimination
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in or if you have any additional questions about the position and being on the PTA Board — please let us know by sending an email to ptawestchester@gmail.com.
News from the Bike Dudes
Wednesday, October 6th is International Walk and Roll to School Day! This event is held each fall to highlight the many benefits of walking and biking to school, whether by improving our students’ physical health, teaching pedestrian safety skills, impacting air quality, building a stronger community, or simply having fun! Westchester's Bike Dudes are inviting all Wolves to participate by walking, biking, or scooting to school and will be offering prizes for participation. Hope you see you out there! (WOLF SOUND)!!!
COVID Surveillance Testing
Some of you have opted to have your student participate in the district’s upcoming weekly surveillance testing program. At the current time, the district is tentatively expecting to begin during the week of October 11th. The day and time of testing for Westchester will be Wednesdays between 8:30-10:00. Below are some resources that may be helpful for preparing your child for the testing and to know what to expect. Please reach out with any questions.
District Website: Surveillance Testing Page
Information from the Mayo Clinic about how to help your child prepare for a COVID test
ROOM PARENTS/CONTACT INFORMATION REQUESTED
information to inform you of what is happening in the classrooms in
addition to your regular school communications. The information you
provide in this form will be shared with the room parents of the
specific homeroom.
WE Fall Book Fair
Special Education Department
Families Of Children Under Stress (FOCUS)
CSD Special Education Department welcomes Ms. Jaide Camacho, Program Director of FOCUS. Ms. Camacho will share the variety of ways her organization assists families with children who have special needs. FOCUS provides multi-levels of support for the whole family. Come and learn what this wonderful organization has to offer you and your family!
Audience: Families of Special Needs Students, K-12th grades & all Levels of impact.
Date: October 7, 2021
Time: 6pm-7pm
Location: Virtual
Click here to RSVP or email cgrant@csdecatur.net
The Power of the NOW & COMP Waivers
Jackie McNair, Parent Mentor of Gwinnett County, will present a detailed explanation of the New Options Waiver (NOW) and the Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP) for CSD families. These waivers can provide a financial bridge to assisting your student in having a positive outcome once they transition out of school. In this meeting, Ms. McNair will share how her family manages and utilizes the waiver to assist with sustainable supports for post-secondary transition.
*It is important for families to apply for these waivers while their child is in school.
Audience: Renfroe & DHS Parents of High to Mid. impact special needs students
Date: October 14, 2021
Time: 6pm-7pm
Location: Virtual
Click here to RSVP or email cgrant@csdecatur.net
Decatur Education Foundation
Decatur Education Foundation
Registration for the Derby ends on October 2nd! The Madison Ave Derby is happening on October 16th and you have until 10-2 to register at www.madisonavesoapboxderby.org! This year's Derby beneficiary is the Decatur Student Center, located in CSD Decatur High School and equipped to attend to our students' behavioral health and non-academic needs. To learn more about the Student Center, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation/behavioral-health. See you at the Derby!
Homework Help: We are continuing our Virtual Pals tutoring program in which we pair a 2nd-8th grade student with an upper high school student or adult volunteer to help with homework, time management, and motivation. If you would like to sign your student up for the program, you can go here: https://forms.gle/nLrKbwkXyvYjEAJB8
Could you be a mentor? We’re also seeking 15 women and 15 men volunteers to serve as mentors for our AIM Scholars mentoring program. Third-grade students are paired with an adult mentor who help them by supporting their Academics and explore their Interests; Mentors also help their students connect to educational and enrichment opportunities. For just 2-4 hours per month, you can have a meaningful impact in the life of a student. For more information, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org/mentoring
Beacon Hill Educational Advocacy for Empowerment Webinar Series
The Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights will host the First Session of its Educational Empowerment Series THIS SUNDAY, October 3 from 3:00-4:00.
Session 1: Advocacy 101 is an interactive webinar that will allow participants to share challenges and experiences in the school setting, discuss the characteristics of an effective advocate, learn who to contact at the schools and when and how to engage with CSD leadership, and what to say.
This virtual event is FREE and open to the entire community. Scan the QR code or visit tinyurl.com/3v8w7cbk to register. Registration is required.
Reminders from Last Week
Visit past newsletters for answers to your questions🤗
Westchester Elementary School
Email: bnation@csdecatur.net
Website: https://www.csdecatur.net/Westchester
Location: 758 Scott Boulevard, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404-370-4400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westchesterelementarycsd