Weekend Wire
August 15, 2021
WESTWOOD ROADRUNNERS
Welcome to Westwood!
DATES TO NOTE:
8/17--New Student Welcome Tour 11:00 am
8/17--Kindergarten Meet and Greet 1:00-1:30
8/17--POSTING PARTY 4:00 - 6:00
8/18--FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL--7:55 am- 2:00 pm (TK/K ends at 12:10)
8/19--Back to School Night--Live and Virtual
Dear Roadrunner Families,
We hope you have all enjoyed a wonderful summer together and are recharged to begin a Game Changing year! We cannot wait to greet you back on campus and get the learning going with your children. I am looking forward to a new school year, and one in which we can resume our relationships with your families in person. We are planning for full-day, in-person instruction for all of our students here at Westwood, transitional kindergarten through Grade 5. (see instructional times noted) Our Poway Unified district team will continue to provide updates on safety protocols and they will be shared with you as they are finalized.
After the last year of functioning in a fully virtual, and then hybrid setting we are excited to return to five full days of in-person instruction in the building. Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic we will continue to implement mitigation measures as established by CDPH. This will include the requirement for all students to wear masks while indoors and on the buses, and regular handwashing and/or access to hand sanitizers. We will continue to implement mitigation measures as directed to ensure that our staff and students’ safety and well-being are prioritized.
Our goal is to be a community working hard toward excellence and academic success. At Westwood, our students and staff follow the Character Counts Pillars. This program promotes the characteristics that we want all of our students to learn and uphold to ensure that they are ready for success in school and beyond. We take time to teach the character traits and focus on one per month. We look forward to partnering with you each and every day in supporting your students.
This year we will renew our commitment to excellence in all that we do, as we seek to provide world class instruction daily with the expectation that all students can learn and succeed. We will continue to provide students with opportunities to address academic deficiencies, to build numeracy and literacy skills, to make take challenges while growing in our strengths to be college or work force prepared. We will continue to implement initiatives to promote teaching and learning, and to engage all our stakeholders in the process of educating our students. A major initiative for this year is to support each and every student in owning their learning. We look forward to partnering with our stakeholders in this effort which will positively impact student performance in every content area, and in their overall academic growth and development.
I am excited about all that this new school year has to offer and look forward to working collectively as a family to ensure that our students are provided with the best educational experience possible to be critical thinkers, responsible citizens, and prepared to be successful in their endeavors ahead. The Westwood Elementary School family will commit to excellence and being a world class institution of teaching and learning.
I look forward to building relationships with all stakeholders throughout this year and encourage you to become active members of the PTA, Foundation and the Roadrunner family. It is going to be an amazing year.
Please join us for the Posting Party hosted by our PTA on August 17th. This is your chance to find out what class your child is in and learn more about the Westwood community.
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 18, 2021. For student drop off and pick up, you can use our school parking lot. Please enter the parking lot south of the driveway entrance as we are only able to make a right turn in to the lot. For student safety, please do not use our bus lane for drop off and pick up (this is at the end of the unloading area in front of the multi-purpose room). We have a student crossing guard program called Safety Patrol crossing Matinal Rd. We do not have any other location with crossing guards. Our Safety Patrol 5th graders are in place from approximately 7:40 – 8:00 am and 2:00 – 2:15 pm each day. Our bike rack area, located south of our main office, is also open before and after school for students to use to secure their bicycle or scooter. This is for 3rd - 5th grade students only and students must wear helmets.
Happy New Year!
Jennie Mikels, Principal
Parent/Guardian Health and Safety Agreement
Please click on this link: The Parent/Guardian Health and Safety Agreement (Spanish Version) and print/sign a copy for each student to submit to their school at the beginning of the school year.
New Student Welcome (grades 1 - 5) 8/17 11 - 11:30 Meet in front of the school
Kindergarten Meet and Greet
8/17/21 1 - 1:30 Meet in front of the school
We are ready to welcome your TK and Kindergarten students to Westwood. We will be hosting a meet and greet. You will be able to meet your teacher at that time and get some of the basic information. Following current healthy and safety guidelines, all parties must be masked because we will be in large groups. Families will not be able to be in classrooms as only students and staff can be in classrooms. However, teachers will take their classes into the room for a short orientation. We realize you are anxious to see and feel it all. Please support this process as we really want our students to be comfortable.
You will find out the name of your child’s teacher upon your arrival at 1 p.m. Assemble in front of the school.
First Day Procedures
In adherence to local COVID protocols we will not be able to have families on campus, students only will be allowed past the gates. Kindergarten students are the only exception. Parents will be allowed to walk them to their line on the first day only. We will not be able to have any parents go to classrooms. We ask that all are masked up.
Health Office Updates
https://covid-19.sdcoe.net/Portals/covid-19/Documents/Health%20Practices/COVID-19-Decision-Tree.pdf
Symptoms:
Fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.
Does your student have known chronic illness/condition such as allergies that would cause frequent coughing, runny nose/congestion or a condition that would cause any of the listed symptoms? Please have your child's physician complete the Certification of Chronic Condition for those specific symptom(s) to keep on file at school. This will help keep your student in school if the symptom(s) occur while at school. Students with this form on file can remain at school as long as symptoms are not severe. Please use the link below for the form or pick one up in our office.
Please remember to self screen your students at home prior to leaving for school. Keep them home if they have any of the symptoms listed above. Please feel free to call Miss Mary in the Health Office with any questions or clarification.
We look forward to seeing our Roadrunners back on campus!
New to the Westwood Team
Westwood Needs YOU!
The Westwood PTA sponsors programs and activities for students to enrich the learning environment at our school. The PTA is also the link between parents and Westwood Elementary School. We invite you to join our PTA as we make a positive difference in the education and quality of life for the students at Westwood. The PTA is fully funded by membership dues and fundraisers. Membership is only $20.00 per person.
For more information and to join, please visit: http://www.westwoodelementarypta.com/membershipdonate.html
Westwood Popsicle Posting Party!
Welcome back Roadrunners! Can't wait to find out your teacher for the year? Join us in front of the school Tuesday Aug. 17th from 4pm - 6pm to find your class list. Enjoy a popsicle while you chat with classmates and browse some of the groups and events available this year. Start the year off with a good book or a gift for your teacher from the Scholastic Book Fair. Can't wait to see you there!
**Following school guidelines, masks are required in large group outdoor gatherings. **
Scholastic Book Fair returns in-person! Volunteer now!
Are you ready to shop? Our much-loved Scholastic Book Fair returns this year with in-person shopping! We open our outdoor store at Tuesday's posting party. Teacher Wish Buckets will be available for you to pick a present for your new teacher. Students will be able to shop during the first week of school. Check back for before and after school shopping dates. Click here to volunteer at the fair: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C45ACAE28A7F49-wwbook
Don't want to send kids with cash? Set them up with an eWallet! You set the amount and they learn to budget their spending. Click on the link to set up yours!
Amazon Smile
Amazon Smile
Does the Amazon driver know you by name? Got enough boxes to stack to the moon? Did you know that with every delivery you can raise money for Westwood Elementary?
1. Go to smile.amazon.com
2. Sign in to your Amazon account
3. Search for Westwood Elementary PTA San Diego
4. Sign up!
Or scan here:
About Us
Principal
Email: kholmes@powayusd.com
Website: https://powayusd.com/en-US/Schools/ES/WWES/Home
Location: 17449 Matinal Road, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: 858-487-2026
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WWESRoadrunners
Twitter: @RoadrunnersWwes