Westwood Updates
March, 2019
Principal’s Note
As I walk around Westwood every day, one of my favorite things to do is ask our students about their goals, hopes, & dreams. If they ask, I’m also willing to share with them what mine were when I was a kid & what mine are now! The end of February is that time of year when many of us start to think less & less about our New Year’s resolutions. I have yet to ask a student what their goals are & hear them say “nothing”. Consider talking to your child about their current goals? I find that it’s normal for them to change their goals quite frequently, even daily, for elementary-aged kids. If you want to start this conversation with your child, I’ll share a few suggestions! Ask them to identify the next challenge they will face & discuss how they will overcome it. Another one is, consider how great it would be if every student tries to make two new friends before the end of the school year?!? Lastly, simply reading a good book & talking to them about it is a great small & reachable goal for them to have! Goals are easy to make & harder to maintain, so maybe you could ask your child to pick one of these or maybe there is another one on their mind! Thank you for your continued support of Westwood. If you have any questions or want to know who to contact for certain concerns, please feel free to contact me directly at 815-206-7740.
Ryan Hart, Principal, Westwood Elementary School
Summer Jump Start Program
District 200 Loves to Read Day
Westwood STEM Night
“Coffee with the Principal”
Building Vocabulary With Your Children
A large vocabulary can turn your child into a better reader & writer. Try these everyday ways to help them learn new words.
Keep your ears open: When you & your child go places, point out the words that people use. Maybe a waiter describes an “entree” or the dentist talks about “molars”. Encourage your child to figure out what the words mean by the way they’re used.
Go beyond nouns: Help your child add adjectives and verbs to their vocabulary. Sports & games offer opportunities to use action words. Let your child hear you comment on the softball that “soars” or the runner who “sprints”. When they send thank you notes or greeting cards, suggest descriptive words (a “polka-dotted shirt”, a “fantastic birthday”).
Find new words at the library: Turn vocabulary into a family outing by heading over to the Woodstock Public Library. Ask the librarians for help while you’re there because they are always more than willing to help!Breakfast at School!
Washing Your Hands
A few things you can remind your child of when talking to them about washing their hands from our school nurse, Mrs. Tillman:
1. Get hands wet.
2. Add soap.
3. Wash hands for at least 20 seconds (sing the ABC's).
Don't forget between fingers and around cuticles.
4. Rinse hands.
5. Dry and turn off water. (Use paper towel to turn off if possible.)End of Day Dismissal Procedures
Band & Orchestra News
Westwood Band News from Mrs. Schweihs - Band T-shirt Order Forms are due March 1st, or as soon as possible. We will wear these for all of our upcoming concerts, with nice pants or a skirt. (click on the link for a copy)
Please mark your calendars for the spring concert dates
*Monday, April 15: District Band Festival @ WHS 7pm evening concert, morning field trip to prepare.
*Thursday, May 16: 7pm at Northwood MS (shared concert w/WWE, GWE, MEES and NMS)
Music Booster News: Mark your calendars for this fundraiser supporting our scholarship fund.…..Just in time for MOTHER’S DAY! “MUSIC IN BLOOM” fundraiser. Saturday, May 11th 8am-noon (Pre-orders due early May) Partnering with Kolze’s nursery, we will be selling hanging flower pots and annuals that day, and will take preorders for those plus 12 pot combinations (like Hummingbird Stew, and Herbs). Order forms available soon!
Westwood Orchestra News from Miss Forbes - Forms for Orchestra T-Shirts are due on March 8th!! Our huge Festival Concert will be of April 29th this year at Woodstock North High School at 6:30pm and we will all wear our School orchestra t-shirts for this event!! If you have a 5th grade student in orchestra we will be using the same shirts as last year but if your student grew out of their shirt in the past year feel free to order another! (An extra copy of this form can be found on the 4th grade orchestra canvas page as well as the 5th grade orchestra canvas page!)
2nd Grade Dental Exams
Lost & Found
Westwood Elementary School is on Facebook
Recognize a Staff Member
Young Authors
PTO Information
Fun Fair - Mark your calendar & get ready for a family night out on Friday, April 12, from 5:30-8:00pm. The Fun Fair is our biggest PTO sponsored event of the year & our biggest fundraiser by far. 100% of the funds raised during this event go directly towards the students of Westwood Elementary School so please come & enjoy games, prizes, music, 50/50 raffle, silent auction, & great food provided by Napoli’s Pizza & Kona Ice! Look for wristband sales to start soon!
Come Check out the PTO - We're just like you. We're parents, teachers, workers... you name it. And the one thing we all have in common is our dedication to the students at Westwood. And the more involvement we have, the bigger impact we can all make. Our next meeting is Wednesday, March 6, at 6:30pm in the Westwood library! See you there!
Spirit Days - Every Friday is Westwood Spirit Day! Show your school spirit & wear your favorite Westwood Spirit Wear! You can purchase Westwood Spirit Wear anytime by coming into our main office, filling out an order form, & paying by cash or check (made payable to the “Westwood PTO”). The Spirit Wear order will then be delivered to the classroom within a couple weeks!
School Store - The next school store dates are Friday, March 8, Friday, March 22, & Friday, April 12. Need a new pencil or pen? Your child can purchase items during their lunch/recess time. They only need to bring a dollar or two at most.
Boxtops - Keep cutting out & sending in those box tops each month! Your child can turn these into their teacher & the homeroom that brings in the most each month gets an animal cracker party!
Westwood PTO On Facebook – Follow us on Facebook by searching for “Westwood Elementary PTO”. We’re the one with the Westwood Wildcats logo! We make special announcements, post pictures, & more!
The Westwood PTO
https://www.woodstockschools.org/domain/370