Westwood Community Update
News and Information for Distance Learning - Jan. 10, 2021
#WildcatPride
Dear Westwood Families,
Happy New Year to our Wildcat Community! I sincerely hope you all stayed healthy and were able to enjoy the holiday season, despite the many challenges we are facing with the pandemic and the political/social unrest in our nation. Recent events have stirred many emotions among us. Our children are watching and listening. At Westwood, we strive to provide classroom environments in which all children are given a safe space to express their feelings and opinions through daily Morning Meetings and the use of other social-emotional learning strategies. Our teachers have been given tools to help respond to students who are experiencing hard or strong emotions and/or who are eager to share their thoughts and opinions. If you haven't yet, I encourage you to take some time to check in with your child(ren) about how they are feeling or interpreting what they hearing/seeing. Below are a just a couple of resources you may find helpful:
- From National Association of School Psychologists: A disturbing outbreak of violence and breach of the U.S Capitol occurred today. Helping children understand the peaceful transfer of power is fundamental to our democracy. As parents, caregivers, and educators, we have a critical responsibility to help children and youth feel safe and secure and to help them learn how to engage with others of differing viewpoints in a peaceful, tolerant, and respectful manner (https://buff.ly/3s3BHTU). We developed resources in preparation for the November election that remain relevant and can assist adults helping children and youth navigate feelings of uncertainty and strong emotions, understand hate-based violence, and cope with threatening actions or speech. For Parents/Caregivers: https://buff.ly/399CVog
- Interactive site for teaching the constitution: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution
#ThisIsHowWeRoar: We started off the new year strong with 96% attendance rate the first 3 days of school after returning from break! Way to show up Wildcats! Let's keep it going! Please report any attendance related matters directly to the office using our new dedicated email address: westwoodattendance@mdusd.org or call us at 925-685-4202.
ParentSquare Reminders: We are excited about ParentSquare and how easy it makes it to communicate with our families. Although 95% of our families are successfully receiving our communications, only 30% have registered with ParentSquare and only 15% of our parents have downloaded the app. Unregistered parents should have recently received another notification with directions on how to register. The app gives you the opportunity to see all of your school communications in one place and easily exchange messages with your child's teachers! This is especially helpful when you have students at multiple MDUSD schools! Download the app today!
Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten Registration: Is your child age-appropriate for TK or K for the 2021-2022 School Year?
- Date of Birth: Sept. 2, 2015-Sept. 1, 2016 = Kindergarten
- Date of Birth: Sept. 2, 2016-Dec. 2, 2016 = Transitional Kindergarten
If so, you can start your enrollment process now with by submitting an application online. Click here for more information. Westwood Registration Packets will be available soon. Check our website for updates or email us with your questions at westwoodregistration@mdusd.org.
i-Ready Diagnostic Testing: Our testing window for the Winter i-Ready Diagnostic will open later this month. As teachers prepare for our students to take the assessment, please help your child prepare at home by ensuring that s/he is spending at least 45 minutes on i-Ready lessons weekly for math and reading. As critical partners in your child's education, please visit the i-Ready Family Center to learn more about how you can help your child get the most benefit out of i-Ready during Distance Learning!
Stay well and be safe,
Ms. Klinkner, Principal
Mark Your Calendars!
JANUARY
Weekly Virtual Recesses:
K/1 - Wednesdays; 11:15-11:30; Zoom
2/3 - Fridays; 11:10-11:30; Zoom
4/5 - Fridays; 11:15-11:45; Zoom
Wednesday, 1/13 - School Board Meeting (6:00 pm; More info)
Monday, 1/18 - MLK Jr. Holiday - NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, 1/20 - Inauguration Day
Thursday, 1/21 - District English Learner Advisory Committee Meeting (5:30)
Monday, 1/15 - Friday, 1/29 - The Great Kindness Challenge
Monday, 1/25 - School Site Council Meeting (3:00)
Tuesday, 1/26 - Parent-Faculty Club Meeting (6:00)
Thursday, 1/28 - 100th Day of School
FEBRUARY
2/2 - Office Staff Begins Accepting Kindergarten Registration Packets
2/12 - NO SCHOOL
2/15 - President's Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL
-Read-a-Thon Fundraiser (hosted by the Parent-Faculty Club)
Chromebooks Donated by the City of Concord!
Kindness Matters
January Birthdays
1 - Noemi Gonzalez Morales
3 - Rey Castaneda Gomez, Christian Gonzalez
4 - Ayetzi Barajas
6 - Katherin Mejia Aguilar
8 - Scarlett Crowe
12 - Hunter Childers
13 - Syrus Samoa
16 - Christopher Gutierrez
18 - Dante Freeman
19 - Rowan Binicki
20 - Pablo Cabrera
23 - Caydence Cordero, Colton Greer
24 - Jose Hernandez, David and Edgar Pangilinan
28 - Travis Cordero, Lexi Kulak
30 - Joshua Htut, Vivian Kohn, Jennifer Rodriguez Gomez
Get Your Wildcat Spirit On!
Valentine's Fundraiser
Be on the lookout for more information coming soon!
Recycling Volunteers Needed!
Counseling Corner
Kindness Resources: In preparation for the Great Kindness Challenge, you can download the checklist and refer to detailed instructions regarding some of the activities/projects below:
Linked By Love: Help Kids for Peace set a new Guinness World Record by creating a 110+ mile inspirational paper-chain. We will collect 1.5 million links of recycled/reused paper each with a message of love & hope for the world.
Gather Recycled/Reused Paper – cereal boxes or used cardstock work great; something thin enough to easily mail/bend and thick enough to create a sturdy link in the paper-chain.
Measure & Cut Links – Each strip must be between 11-18in long and 1.5in wide. Make as many links as you’d like!
Decorate Links with Love & Hope – Get creative with markers, paint, crayons, sharpies, pencils or pens as you share messages of LOVE and HOPE for the world (please avoid gluing 3-dimensional objects).
Place Your Links In An Envelope – You may fold the links in half if needed to fit in your envelope. DO NOT turn your links into a chain – we will assemble the chain once the “social distancing” mandate is lifted.
Add An Optional Donation – If you’d like to help support Kids for Peace, we invite you to slip in a dollar bill with your links. Donations are not required to participate, but greatly appreciated to help support our two programs: The Great Kindness Challenge and The Peace Pledge Program. If you’d like to send a tax-deductible check, please make it out to: Kids for Peace. Thank you! Thank you!
Mail Your Links to Kids for Peace HQ – Put the finished links (and optional donation!) in an envelope addressed to Kids for Peace. Please include your return address on the envelope so we can track where all the links are coming from. Add the necessary postage.
The Great Toy Giveaway: Put your students' compassion into action through this peer-to-peer giving program that distributes toys to children in need. An uplifting, child-written note is attached to each toy. To participate, have your students write an uplifting note on any size paper (e.g. “You are awesome!”, “You are loved!”, “Your smile lights up the world.”). Mail the notes to: Kids for Peace, 1302 Pine Avenue, Carlsbad CA 92008.
Happy Heart: Make a heart from any object and tape it to a street-facing window to send your love out to the world. Encourage all your friends to do the same. Then, in a few days, take a family walk (keeping 6 feet distance from others!) to search for other hearts on houses. Watch the love grow!
Breather Break: Get comfortable in your chair. Take a long deep breath in through your nose. Hold it for 1-2 seconds. Exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat 4 more times. That’s it! This exercise can be completed as many times as you’d like throughout the day.
I Am Poster: Complete the sentence, “I am ___________________!” Write your “I Am” statement on paper or poster board and then decorate your poster. Share your finished poster with your classmates. Proudly hang your poster in your home.
Soul Shoppe: Soul Shoppe is back and is coming soon to a Zoom class near you! We are working to schedule our first in-class lessons and our parent workshop. Keep your eyes out for more information.
Attendance & Reporting Absences
If your child is unable participate in Distance Learning activities for any reason, please email our attendance secretary:
or, call the school office to report his/her absence:
- Call 925-685-4202
The following codes are used by teachers during Distance Learning to report attendance. These codes represent the highest level of student participation for that day:
P=Present: online 'live', 1:1 office hours6=Support Service Provided: Speech Therapy, OT, PT, Counseling
4=Online Activity: completed an online assignment/activity
3=Communication with Teachers: 2-way communication with student or parent via email or phone regarding learning activities (reporting absences is not counted as a 3)
A=Absent: None of the above engagement.
In the Case of a Power Outage
- read (silent reading, read aloud, and/or audio book)
- write (engage in a writing activity in any form - creative, journal, etc.)
- practice math facts
- complete unfinished assignments
- play board or card games
- engage in physical activity
Campus Safety Reminders
- if you are supposed to be under quarantine, DO NOT come to the campus.
- contact the office first by calling 925-685-4202 so we can effectively monitor the number of individuals who are in the office at one time.
- wear a mask at all times.
- maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others.
- sign in - if you have to connect with a staff member, you must report directly to the office. Do NOT walk through the hallways or go to the classrooms.
- minimize your time on site. Take care of as much business as possible through email.
Important Links
Nancy Klinkner, Principal
Westwood Elementary, established in 1958, is a K-5 public school in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, with an enrollment of 280 students. In addition to our 9 General Education classrooms, we also host 3 classes for students enrolled in our Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing program, and 2 classes for students with moderate/severe disabilities. We are a diverse and caring community, with a dedicated staff and amazing students!
Email: klinknern@mdusd.org
Website: westwood.mdusd.org
Location: 1748 West Street, Concord, CA, USA
Phone: 925-685-4202
Facebook: facebook.com/WestwoodElementarySchool
Twitter: @MDUSD_Wildcats