Westridge Wildcat Newsletter
Friday, March 17, 2023
Message from the Principal
Hello Westridge,
The character trait we are promoting this month is cooperation. Our students are fortunate to observe examples of cooperation and compromise regularly within our school and our community. I'm excited to highlight some opportunities for you to cooperate too!
I'd like to ask for some additional cooperation today from our families whose students travel to and from school by car. It is very important that our students not be dropped off prior to 8:00am. There is no supervision from our staff until then and students may not be on campus without an adult present. This includes our playground and undercover area. Also, the back parking lot is a staff parking lot. Please do not drop or pick up your students in the back lot. Thank you for your consideration of others and your help with this.
You can further cooperate with us by ensuring that your child's first and last names are on all their belongings (coats, sweatshirts, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc.). Please come claim any items from our very full lost and found which is located by the gym.
Lastly, make sure your voice is heard by completing the YouthTruth survey by Friday, 3/24. A huge thank you to the families that have already completed the survey! For anyone that hasn't completed the survey, it's anonymous, there's still time and your opinion and comments are very important to me. I will be reviewing the survey results with our School Advisory Committee once they become available. The information gathered is valuable to me and will be used to plan for next year and the future.
I am thankful for your cooperation which makes Westridge such a wonderful place to learn, work, and play.
If you can't find what you need to know here, please feel free to email or call our office with questions.
Thank you and have a lovely weekend!
Laura Weaver
Save the Dates!
SCHOOL CALENDAR: LOSD SCHOOL CALENDAR 22-23
3/23: STEM Night! 5:30-7pm at Westridge
3/24: No School - Teacher Prep Day
3/27-3/31: Spring Break
4/10-4/14: Scholastic Book Fair (here's more information about the book fair and how to set up an eWallet for your student)
4/13-4/14: Conferences - No School
4/20: 3rd Grade Music Concert in the gym 5:30
4/20: PTSO General Meeting at Westridge Library and on Zoom 7-8pm
5/18: 5th Grade Musical 6:30
5/19: 5th grade musical assembly - Time TBD
6/2: SAVE THE DATE! Carnival is coming!
PTSO Event's Page Calendar can be found here for more info on Parents Nights out and Meet Ups!
First Grade Musical: Dinostars! 🦖🦕
Last night our first graders did a fabulous job with their musical: Dinostars! Thank you to Mrs. Finley, Mrs. Pauls and Ms. Solomon and especially Mrs. McMahon for a wonderful show! The kids had so much fun!
YouthTruth Survey
YouthTruth surveys are still open. We encourage you to participate in the survey as it is an incredibly valuable way to help us improve students’ experiences in our school. Please take the survey before it closes at midnight on March 24 by clicking this link.
Please note:
- The survey needs to be completed in one sitting; about 15 minutes to complete.
- We ask that one member of each household fill out the survey.
- If you have more than one child who attends the same school, you may respond to the survey multiple times - one time per child.
- If you write any comments, please do not include your name or anything else that might identify you. Your responses are anonymous, and they will be combined with the responses of other parents and guardians before being shared back with school and district leadership.
If you have any questions about the survey, or our plans for how we will use your feedback, please reach out. We sincerely thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Your response is incredibly valuable to us.
Holi Celebration
Holi (Indian Festival of Colors) Celebration!
Join Lake Oswego & Lakeridge High Schools’ Asian American Student Unions in celebrating Holi THIS SUNDAY, March 19th from 3-5 pm! Holi is the Indian Festival of Colors and they will be hosting a free community event open to all. The color packets will be provided free of cost; food and drink will be for sale! Be sure to wear white!
Lake Oswego Asian Cultural Festival
Lake Oswego Asian Cultural Festival on April 8th!
Mark your calendars! Lake Oswego High School’s Asian American Student Union is hosting their second annual Asian Cultural Festival on Saturday, April 8th! The event will feature free Asian food, music, and activities from over 30 organizations/restaurants between 2 pm and 6:15 pm, as well as cultural performances from 6:30 pm to 9 pm. The show features a variety of spectacular performances including lion dancers, taiko drumming, music, martial arts, and more!
Tickets for the performances ($5) are limited and can be purchased on their website, www.asianfestivallo.com. The first 100 tickets purchased with the promo code EARLYBIRD23 will get 20% off!
🔬🧪STEM Night has been rescheduled! ⚛️🔭
LMS Career Day: Volunteer Speakers Needed!
Dear Parents/Guardians & Community Members:
We are excited to announce our upcoming Career Day!
Career Day is an important part of the work our school counseling department does to help
students develop their academic, personal, social and career readiness skills. This will be a great
opportunity for our students to learn about a wide variety of careers they might like to pursue.
We are asking parents, guardians and community members to give a 25 minute presentation on
their occupation and roles in the career world for three short morning sessions. We will provide
a list of suggestions to help you plan your presentation, as well as student leaders to help you
throughout the day.
What: Lakeridge Middle School Career Day
When: Friday, April 7, 2023
Time: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Where: Lakeridge Middle School
If you can help support our students in their college and career readiness, please use the link
below to sign up by Monday, March 13th:
We would also appreciate it if you could spread the word to community members that might be
able to participate. We need at least 74 speakers to give all students six different career
experiences. Your help is needed and greatly appreciated!
If you have additional questions, please contact an LMS counselor:
Callie Charon, charonc@loswego.k12.or.us
Monica Binder, binderkm@loswego.k12.or.us
Marcy Watts, wattsm@loswego.k12.or.us
Sincerely,
Callie, Monica and Marcy
Lakeridge Middle School Counseling Department
Champions Spring Break & Summer Camp at Westridge
Seeking Volunteers for Our Advisory Committees
We need you! Please consider applying for our school or district advisory committee for terms starting next school year. There is one application for all committees -- please mark the committee that is of interest to you. Only committees with vacancies -- School Advisory Committees and Long Range Facility Planning -- are listed in the application for this period. See the charters posted on the School Board Advisory Committees web page for more information about each committee.
Applications are due Friday, April 7 at 5 p.m. Recommendations and selections will be made in April. All applicants will be notified by May 1. Thank you!
School Newspaper Contributions Wanted!
District Information
Oregon State Assessment Opt-Out Form
Each school year, Oregon students take assessments to meet federal requirements. The purpose of these assessments is to provide data that schools can use to ensure that every child is on track and achieving learning goals.
State law requires us to inform you that a form is available from the State Department of Education that allows you to opt your child out of the math and English Language Arts assessments for the current school year. Should you wish to opt out your child, fill out the form and submit it to the main office at your child’s school. Please note the submission deadlines listed on the form. Meeting the deadline will help the school with planning and preparation. If you wish your child not to participate in the science assessment for grades 5, 8, and 11, submit this request in writing to the principal of your child's school.
If you have questions or want more information about state assessments, please contact your child’s principal or teacher(s).
Click here for opt-out form for Math and English Language Arts.
Safe Oregon:
Parents-guardians who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal, and to maintain strong lines of communication and partnership between students, families, staff, and other resources.
SafeOregon is also an effective way to report a tip regarding safety threats or potential acts of violence to our students or schools.
(Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense.)
Stay connected with the LOSD AP:
Westridge Information
Register to Volunteer!
For the safety of children, volunteers are required to have an approved background check when volunteering in schools. Please click here: Volunteer Application for LOSD to start the online application and background check process.
Reporting tardies, absences and illnesses:
Office phone number and voicemail: 503-534-2371
Attendance Secretary: Andrea Murphy (murphya@loswego.k12.or.us)
Principal's Secretary: Jodi Steward (stewardj@loswego.k12.or.us)
Contact information for the Westridge PTSO
Find us on Facebook!
Follow us on Instagram @westridge.ptso
Email: westridgeptso@gmail.com
Yearbook Photos: yearbookwestridge@gmail.com
Westridge Elementary School
Email: weaverl@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/wr
Location: 3400 Royce Way, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: 503-534-2371