Westridge Wildcat News
September 10, 2021
Message from the Principal:
Dear Westridge Community,
As we learn more each day, we refine our practices to continue to ensure your child(ren)’s safety while at school. Because of this we will make two important shifts. First, will will have our 3rd grade students in Carter, Shambaugh, and Jaques line up under the covered play area, instead of by the gym doors. This will increase distancing for both second and third grade. Secondly, students will now wear masks outdoors for recess, with some exceptions. Please read the excerpt below:
On September 3, 2021, OHA updated OAR 333-019-1015 requiring face coverings in all K-12 indoor and outdoor settings. ODE has created an FAQ for this rule. The rules require the following: All individuals 5 years of age and older to wear a face covering outdoors when individuals cannot or do not consistently maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance from people not in their household.
This update means that when our students are outside for any school related activity (including recess) and cannot maintain at least 6 feet of distance between themselves, they will need to wear masks. Students will be told by their teachers that we will start implementing this rule immediately, effective September 10, 2021. If students should need a mask break they can have one if they are six feet from other individuals. This is a great opportunity to discuss safety protocols with your children this weekend. Thank you for your partnership!
Be well,
Jules Laaperi
she/her/hers
Principal
Arrival and Dismissal Reminders:
Reminders from our School Resource Officer:
Yesterday, our amazing school resource officer, James Euscher supported our school during dismissal. He reminded us of a few important points.
- Please do not park or stop along Royce Way. Please use the car line to drop off and pick up students.
- If at all possible, please arrive to Westridge by going up the hill on Royce, making a right turn into the parking lot.
At Arrival:
- CAR DROP OFF:
- Do not let your child out of the car until you reach the front of the car line at the cones.
- Pull into the most forward position in the car line (AT THE CONES), and keep moving forward as the cars in front of you leave the area.
- Do not get out of your car. We will help your student out of the, passenger side door.
- Pull close to the curb so other parents that have retrieved their student can pass you on the left and pull out of the car line.
- Please wait your turn to arrive in the front of the car line- do not jump the line if you see a spot open in front of the first car. This is how accidents happen.
At Dismissal:
- CAR RIDERS:
- To help expedite dismissal, please place the PikMyKid placard on the passenger side window with your student's name and their teacher name.
- Announce your arrival on PikMyKid using the Green Announce button.
- Pull into the most forward position in the car lines, and keep moving forward as the cars in front of you leave the area.
- Do not get out of your car. We will help your student into the back, passenger side door.
- If you see your child, please wait to load them until you are at the front of the line so a STAFF MEMBER can load the student into the car.
- We only allow students to load in the first three vehicles to limit traffic flow and ensure the safety of our students and staff.
- Please be patient and respectful. Our staff is doing everything we can to get your child to you safely.
If at all possible, please avoid driving to the school to pick your child up in the car line. If you can walk, bike or carpool, please do so!
Save the Dates!
September 16 - Early Release Thursday at 2 pm
September 23 - Early Release Thursday at 2 pm
September 30 - Early Release Thursday at 2 pm
October 4th: Back to School Night (more info coming soon!)
October 8 - Professional Day - No School
October 20th: School Picture Day
Playdates and Bus Passes:
Thank you for your understanding!
Action Items:
- Install the PikMyKid dismissal app and register on your smartphone. The primary pick up mode defaults to Car Line, so please change it if your child goes home by bus, aftercare or walks home.
- Car pick up: Please talk to your child about waiting for a staff member to load them into the car when they see you in the car line. This is VERY important for safety.
- Please walk, bike, or carpool to school as much as possible to alleviate traffic on Royce Way. Your neighbors thank you!
PikMyKid: Thank you!
Thank you so much for your participation in our dismissal platform, PikMyKid. This program has allowed us to focus on safety and accountability during a stressful time of the day. We could not do it without your support! We currently have 512 parents registered for the app and you are all doing a great job of making the program runs smoothly.
That being said, please understand that the program only works if parents are doing their part by changing the dismissal plan for their child. As a reminder, we will only be dismissing students by what it says on PikMyKid. It is the parents' responsibility to make sure the dismissal plan is in place for the day on the app. If there are discrepancies, it may result in a delay in dismissing your child or holding up an entire bus to clarify a go home plan. If you have any questions about how to use the app or if you have any concerns, please contact Jodi Steward at stewardj@loswego.k12.or.us
Thank you for your continued support and patience.
Student Attendance:
COVID-19 Information:
PTSO News:
Your 2021-2022 PTSO Board
Jen Singer, President
Crystal Metras, Treasurer
Katie McElhaney, Assist Treasurer/Fundraising Chair
Rebecca Weinstein, Volunteer Coordinator
Kristina Luther, Communications Chair
We can not do this alone. While we have an incredible board to lead the way, without parent support of both time and money we can not make this a success.
How to Get Involved:
1. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. Please go to this link and sign up to volunteer. We have many opportunities available throughout the year. Some are just for one day and some are ongoing. Sign up for the ones that best suit your family's availability. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQsXqlidzsBJSYNWrOrpgb-vt-BBkYdSUMbWgbSynQL-Tdrg/viewform
2. Attend PTSO meetings. The full calendar should be out soon but mark your calendar for Thursday September 23 at 7pm for our first meeting. While some will be in person, our goal is also to zoom them so that every family can be involved. We will be going over our goals as well as our spending plan for the year.
3. Show your School Spirit. We have partnered with a company this year to do all of our spiritwear online. Click the link here and you will be taken to the Westridge School Store. The items are awesome but you do have to browse to find them. You start by choosing the article of clothing, then the color of it and then one of the many designs. It is well worth the browse.
4. Fundraising: We have several sources for raising funds throughout the year but our goal is for the Wildcat Fundraiser to be our major fundraising event this year. The PTSO spends approximately $300.00 on each student, and so we ask that families contribute $300.00 for each Westridge student in their family. Every dollar counts and every dollar goes back to the student experience at Westridge. Though the ask is for a specific amount, we welcome any gift that fits your family’s budget.
https://westridge-elementary-ptso.snwbll.com/wildcat-fundraiser-2021-2022-2
5. Sponsorship Opportunities: We will also have sponsorship opportunities throughout the year. These opportunities will be available for our Fall Fitness Month as well as for Our School Directory Highlighted Businesses. The Sponsorship Opportunities can be found by clicking here.
6. School Directory: We will be introducing the school directory in October. This will be your source for all information regarding PTSO activities, school rosters, school calendar, etc. Be on the lookout for that coming next month.
We look forward to working with you throughout the year to make the best experience for you and your Wildcat Family.
i Ready:
This Fall, all students in Grades 1-8 will complete two online i-Ready assessments in class. One is for math and the other is for 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. This is the first of three i-Ready assessments we give each year, and results will be shared with parents in October.
The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s skill level. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning.
In Lake Oswego, the Fall i-Ready window is open from September 7 to October 8.
ODE Annual Notice
SafeOregon
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.)
Subscribe to Lake Oswego Schools App
Stay connected to the district and your school(s) and receive urgent notifications by subscribing to the Lake Oswego Schools App.
Westridge Elementary School
Email: laaperij@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/wr
Location: 3400 Royce Way, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: 5035342371