Westridge Wildcat News
January 29, 2021
Message from the Principal
Dear Wildcat Families,
Our new dates for re-opening are posted in both The Current and below in our Save These Dates section of this newsletter. There are several things families can do at home to help prepare students for in-person school. On the district website under Roadmap to Reopening Health & Safety Protocols and listed below, are a number of guidelines, reminders and daily practices, including:
Preparing Your Student to Return to School
Daily Homescreening for Students During COVID-19
Please Keep Ill Students Out of School
In addition to our new safety protocols, there are a few additional points to remember:
1. Students will bring their chromebooks or ipads back and forth to school from home every day.
2. Devices will need to be charged every night and students should bring their cords daily.
3. While all students may benefit from having headphones, our math advanced students will need headphones to access their math instruction.
4. School playgrounds are closed during the school day.
Each week more information will be shared with you in both our school newsletter and classroom newsletters. We are very excited to bring your students back to school safely and look forward to partnering with you to do so.
With gratitude,
Principal Montgomery
Save These Dates!
2/1- PTSO Meeting 6pm (see link below)
2/1 - Youth Truth Survey window opens
2/3 - World Read Aloud Day
2/10 - Problem Solving Webinar with Mr. Kieser 6-7pm (see below for more info)
2/19 - Youth Truth Survey window closes
2/20 - PTSO fundraiser- MOD Pizza (see flyer below and click to register!)
2/23 - First Day for Kindergarten and 1st Grade students
2/24 - Registration opens for Kindergarten and Spanish Immersion Kindergarten
2/24 - Kinder Counts Information Night
3/1 - First Day for Grades 2 and 3 students
3/5 - First Day for Grades 4 and 5 students
A Message from Your Westridge School Advisory Committee (SAC)
Dear Families,
As we prepare for the return to in-person hybrid learning, our hope is that our community will collectively unite to prioritize our children's education by adhering to the best health and safety guidelines to mitigate the spread of this virus in our community.
In doing so, we are putting the health and safety of our students and teachers at the forefront of our mind. Please continue to adhere to public health guidance by continuing to be socially distant, wearing masks, practicing good hygiene and not congregating in large groups. If we wish to return with in-person hybrid instruction, it will require a unified effort to not only keep our metrics low enough, but also to inspire the confidence of our families, students and teachers.
With care,
Kari Montgomery
Angela Matteri
Jodi Steward
Brian Madden
Megan Busbee
Quinn Nieland
Cristina Cooper
Heather Romero
PTSO General Meeting
Please join us Monday, February 1, 6:00-7:00 p.m. for our next virtual PTSO General Meeting.
JOIN WITH ZOOM
Meeting ID: 847 5723 4026
Passcode: 589207
Returning to In-Person School Starts February 23rd
Description of models:
Hybrid Model:
- Students will return to in-person instruction at Westridge gradually (see Save These Dates)
- Students attend Westridge on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for Math and ELA
- Students will enter and exit the building from designated and dedicated doorways with appropriate social distancing
- Arrival and dismissal procedures will be designed to maintain social distancing with specified protocols
- AM Cohort will be at Westridge from 8 to 10:45 am
- PM Cohort will be at Westridge from 12:45 to 3:30 pm
- Wednesdays are multi-synchronous days, students will access classes online
- All Specials classes (PE, Music, STEM, Science, Health and SEL) will take place online
- There will be no recess or snack
Students and teachers are required to wear CDC recommended facemasks [covering noses and mouths] for the entire cohort session, including entering and departing the building.
Students will be at individual desks, 6 feet apart. Students can work at their desks and floor space within their 6 foot bubble.
Students will be allowed to bring water bottles and appropriate safety protocols will be followed
We have water bottle refill stations, but ALL drinking fountains are closed.
We will still have breaks in our 6 foot bubble.
Classrooms, desks, and all items left out will be sanitized using an electrostatic disinfectant in between cohorts and after school.
Students will have access to classroom books, though after use, will be “quarantined” for 24-hours. The library will offer delivery of library books to classrooms (either for in classroom use or for take-home)
There is a possibility a classroom can close down and go back to CDL. This will be in response to contact tracing of any cases of Covid.
Students MUST NOT come to school with illness symptoms listed on Please Keep Ill Students Out Of School. Kids must not be medicated to cover up symptoms.
If your family travels, you may be asked to quarantine.
There will be no drop off before 8am, and no families socializing out front of school.
- Staff will expect and implement safety protocols
- AM/PM In-Person Cohort Schedule
If you need your child transported to school via the school bus, you MUST register with the district. You can go to the LOSD website for registration information, or click here to sign-up for Bus Transportation. The buses are working closely with the district nurse and staff to make it as safe as possible. Students will be in masks, sitting every other seat, alternating rows. Bus drivers will be doing visual checks for any symptoms. The buses (as always) have cameras for security purposes.
Our Online Model will continue:
- AM Cohort will be online from 8 to 10:45 am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
- PM Cohort will be online from 12:45 to 3:30 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
- Wednesdays are multi-synchronous days
- All Specials classes (PE, Music, STEM, Science, Health and SEL) will take place online
- AM/PM Online Cohort Schedule
Information about our reopening plans can be found on our district website under Roadmap to Reopening. and in the Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidelines. Specific information about our Health and Safety Protocols can be found here.
Current dates for returning to in person-hybrid school can be found in the schedule below. Both the District and we will continue to update you with more information as it becomes available. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Westridge Facilities Preparations
Our facilities department has been busy getting our building ready for students and staff! Here is a list of changes that have made to all buildings in the district to ensure we are taking every possible precaution. The biggest concern staff/parents have had is air filtration. Westridge has new ionization units that were installed. They contain and fight airborne particles passing through involving Covid and smoke. These new units are on all the time when the building is occupied.
Additional preparations include:
*Changed all air filters in units.
*Added Ionization units to all AHUs that provide air into building, univentilators, and MAUs.
*Placed hospital grade HEPA units in offices, classrooms, health rooms, and areas with not fresh outside air spaces.
*Increased fresh air flow from outside, recirculated less interior air, locked on exhaust fans, changed belts and filters.
*Added hands free hand sanitizer stations throughout.
*Placed disinfectant bottles and microfiber towels in classrooms, offices, and commonly used spaces.
*Provided wayfinding stickers and signs for students and visitors for building use.
*Placed daily disinfecting check off sheets for each room.
*Placed green/red disinfecting sticker at each space.
*Lockdown entrances for no visitors, volunteers, or unauthorized people.
*Purchased and trained all Facilities staff members with Electrostatic disinfecting handheld units.
*Purchased and placed Clorox 360 disinfecting machines for each site.
*Spaced furniture 6 feet apart in classrooms.
*Removed cloth chairs, couches, and such from use by students.
*Provided all schools with KN95 masks.
*Provided all offices, libraries, point of transactions with plexiglass.
*Provided hands free trash cans where needed for PPE and Nurses, health offices, and SPED rooms.
*Provided glove and gown box holders for health rooms.
*Turned off drinking fountains (students can bring their own water bottle).
*Added hospital grade separation curtain to health rooms to separate multiple student occupancy.
*Provide and launder microfiber towels for daily disinfecting.
*Provided washer and dryers for engineers/custodians to daily launder towels.
Critical Message from the Westridge Office:
On that note, we are here to help make sure your child and you have the best year ever! Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We are in the office Monday through Friday from 7:30am - 3:00pm.
Jodi Steward and Andrea Murphy
Westridge Elementary School Office
503-534-5371
Coffee with Kari
Do you have questions about re-opening? Join me for coffee on Wednesday, February 10 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. Bring a cup of coffee, or just call in and let's connect!
ID: 89488956670
Password: 537256
(US) +1 929-205-6099
Passcode: 537256
YouthTruth Surveys
As part of our district diversity, equity, and inclusion work, we are excited to offer the opportunity for you to give us feedback on your school experience through the YouthTruth survey. Giving parents, staff, and students the opportunity to reflect on their school experience is vital to understanding where we are and where we want to go.
The YouthTruth School Experience Survey is scheduled to be administered to all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade elementary students between Monday, February 1 and Friday, February 19, 2020 during the school day. The survey will take 15-30 minutes to complete. Please note that parents may opt their child out of the survey if they would like - click here for more information.
Families will receive an invitation to participate in the survey on February 1. Please look for this invitation to access the 15-minute survey from the District website. The YouthTruth survey is confidential. You and your 3rd, 4th and 5th grade child(ren) responses will be held in the strictest confidence.
We encourage everyone to participate. This will be an important piece of information for administrators to use in order to address school experience issues.
Spanish Immersion Kindergarten Registration & Lottery for 2021-22
For families interested in signing up their kindergarteners for the Spanish Immersion Program, please heed these important dates for the 2021-2022 school year:
- Application available on the District website: February 24, 2021
- Application Deadline: March 12, 2021, 3:30 p.m.
- Lottery Date: March 17, 2021, 3:00 p.m.*
- Lottery Notification: March 19, 2021
*Should the district receive more applications than spaces available, a lottery will be held. Those wishing to participate in the lottery must submit their application to the District Administration Office no later than 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 12, 2021.
*Younger siblings of students currently in kindergarten through 4th grade of the Spanish Immersion program have priority for enrollment only at the kindergarten level. Sibling priority does not apply to current siblings on the waitlist. If you currently have a child enrolled in LOSD’s kindergarten through 4th grade Spanish immersion program, you will have the first choice for enrollment in the kindergarten program. You will not be entered into the lottery, but you must submit an application to the program prior to the March 12, 2021 (3:30 p.m.) lottery deadline to be assured a slot. Slots not filled from sibling applications will be available in the general lottery.
Visit the LOSD Spanish Immersion Website for more details.
New Elementary Standards-Based Report Cards
This year, the Lake Oswego School District shifts to a standards-based report card for students in elementary schools. This new report card measures a child’s progress toward proficiency or mastery of the priority standards in Reading, Writing, Language, Speaking, and Math.
This approach provides the means for communicating a child’s learning in more specific terms. Standards-based reporting articulates clear end-of-year grade-level standards for each subject. Using the scale below, teachers will communicate where a child resides on a learning continuum by indicating the student’s progress toward mastery of each identified grade-level standard.
The standards-based reporting scale:
4 = The student is highly proficient and works consistently at an in-depth and complex level within or beyond the end of year standard*
3 = The student is proficient and meets the grade-level expectation of the standard
2 = The student is nearly proficient and nearly meets the end of year standard
1 = The student is developing and demonstrates limited proficiency on the end of year standard
Important notes about the scale:
- Reporting is based on the end-of-year grade-level expectation. Therefore, proficiency would not be expected in the middle of the school year.
- A “2” represents the expected target for the majority of the school year as this indicates the child is progressing with the standard as expected. A “3” will be given when the student completely meets the grade-level standard.
- Details of what is expected at mastery level can be found on the report card or on the list of assessed grade-level standards.
- A “1” may prompt additional communication from the classroom teacher so parents will better understand their child’s learning journey.
*It is rare that a child will receive a “4” especially at the end of the first semester. A “4” score may prompt additional communication from the classroom teacher to discuss ways he/she is meeting the child’s unique learning needs.
Behavior Learning Targets are approached differently than end-of-year standards. For more information about your child’s progress, contact the classroom teacher.
New Student Registration for 2021-22 School Year
Registration for the 2021-22 school year will begin soon.
- January 20, 2021 for registering new students enrolling into grades 1–12 who have never enrolled in Lake Oswego before and returning students enrolling into grades 1–12 who are not currently enrolled but will re-enroll for next year.
- February 24, 2021 for registering new students enrolling into kindergarten for the 2021-22 school year.
- Students who are currently attending LOSD during the 2020-21 school year do not need to register for the 2021-22 school year.
LOSD is pleased to offer online registration through its parent portal, ParentVUE (contact your resident school for help with logging in). See the Registration & Verification page of the LOSD website for guidance.
Kindergarten Counts 2021-2022:
- Kindergarten Information Night (Kindergarten Counts) is on February 24, 2021. Each elementary school will hold an incoming kindergarten information night for parents to learn about kindergarten and meet the school's staff. More information about Kindergarten Counts will be forthcoming.
Information about Kindergarten in LOSD can be found here
LO Public Library: Multicultural Children's Book Day live event!
This annual event celebrates the diversity in children’s literature and in our own community. Sharing stories from our own cultural backgrounds encourages us to discover similarities and to celebrate differences.
Join the Lake Oswego Public Library to celebrate our Fourth Annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day. Settle in to a cozy chair and listen to stories read by your neighbors, your friends, local celebrities and your librarians. Stories about people from all walks of life that celebrate the diversity of our own community. Stories read in English, Spanish, Japanese, Swedish, and many others from around the globe. Spend time listening to recommendations of our favorite picture books, chapter books and young adult novels from 2020 that elevate race, identity and ability. The celebration will be live on January 29th and available for additional viewing through February 12, 2021.
Read Aloud Club with Mr. Kieser:
Starting January 13th, Mr. Kieser will host a weekly book read-aloud on Wednesdays from 11:00-11:30 geared for students in grades K-2, but everyone is welcome. Come for a story and connection with peers!
You can access all of Mr. Kieser's groups at this link or directly though your student's Clever account with these instructions!
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. I hope to see you there.
Mindfulness Club
Hello Westridge parents and students! I am excited to offer a new opportunity for social connection and skill building. I will be hosting a drop-in Mindfulness Group open to all students at the following times:
7:45-7:55 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
12:30-12:45 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
In each group, we will do a quick check-in, a short mindfulness activity and a stretch or yoga pose. You can access the group at this link, or use these instructions to access the link through your student's Clever account.
Trivia Club with Ms. Montgomery
Do you enjoy knowing all kinds of random facts about different things? Come join the fun at our Wildcat Trivia Club! Each week, Ms. Montgomery hosts a lunchtime club where kids can hang out and enjoy lunch while we show what we know about a different theme.
Our topic this week will be trivia from Harry Potter! Join me from 11:30 - 12pm on Thursday, February 4th. Bring your lunch and have some fun sharing what you know about the wonderful world of Harry Potter !
You can find my Bitmoji in your Clever Classroom or follow the steps below OR here is my link if you want to have it handy-
Social Time Munch and Crunch Lunch Clubs
Mr. Kieser hosts lunch groups for Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grades. This is a time for all students in each grade to come together to have lunch, chat and do an activity together. Lunch Group is from 12:00-12:25 on the following days:
Kindergarten-Tuesday
2nd Grade-Thursday
4th Grade-Friday
Use this link or click on Mr. Kieser in your Clever Classroom to access any of Mr. Kieser’s groups:
https://zoom.us/j/5036503078?pwd=czVkb0lSUDdOUDVSeFE1bjB1bkJUQT09
Mrs. Bates hosts lunch groups for 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades. This is a time for all students in each grade to come together to have lunch, chat and do an activity together. Lunch Group is from 12:00-12:25 on the following days:
1st grade-Tuesday
3rd Grade-Thursday
5th Grade-Friday
Use this link or click on Mrs. Bates Zoom Room in your Clever Classroom to access: https://loswego-k12-or-us.zoom.us/j/3737960708
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
Februrary SEL: Kindness
Problem Solving Webinar:
On Wednesday, February 10th from 6-7 p.m. our School Counselor, Gary Kieser, will host a webinar called Problem Solving With Your Child: a Collaborative Approach. In this webinar we will cover how problem solving skills are learned, how to handle resistance to problem solving efforts, and ways to involve our children in the process. By the end of this webinar you will have practical tools and resources to help make problems solving a smoother process. If you have any questions, please contact Gary Kieser at kieserg@loswego.k12.or.us. The Zoom link is https://zoom.us/j/5036503078?pwd=czVkb0lSUDdOUDVSeFE1bjB1bkJUQT09
Donating to Westridge PTSO
The Westridge Elementary PTSO (Parent Teacher Student Organization) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization run by parent volunteers. Through parent and community donations, we help to fund field trips, technology, and over 30 school programs each year for the enrichment of Westridge students.
While in the midst of the ongoing COVID pandemic, we find ourselves in an especially unique position this year. Many of our community members have experienced financial hardships as a result of the pandemic. We realize that it may not be viable for your family to donate to our annual fundraiser, and thus, we are not hosting one during this academic year.
While our school year looks quite different this year, the need for resources to enrich the academic experience of each and every student is still very real. Therefore, we are still gratefully accepting donations. If you are in a position to donate and able to take advantage of your employer's corporate matching program, we encourage you to participate in giving. Your donations are incredibly valuable and allow us to support our teachers and students.
Thank you for considering donating to support our Westridge students. If you would like to donate at this time or at any time during the school year, please visit Tinyurl.com/wildcatfund.
i-Ready
It is time for our Winter iReady diagnostic assessment. Students will be testing in the areas of math and reading. i-Ready is a program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform and tailor instruction to accelerate growth.
At Westridge our window for i-Ready will open in February. Teachers will send specific testing dates and times one week prior to assessments. Additionally, all students on IEP or 504 will receive specific information regarding appropriate accommodations that are available to them. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. We appreciate your support and encouragement for your student to ensure that we gather accurate information about what they already know and what we can help them learn.
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