Westbrook School
September 4, 2020
From the Principal...
Dear Westbrook Families,
During the start of the school year, our students have been working on fostering classroom community, and teaching technology skills, for example, how to use speaker view or how to unmute/mute on Zoom, as well as teaching and reviewing classroom expectations. We initiated student assessments to learn more about students’ early literacy and numeracy skills, which will be used to inform teaching practices as we dive deeper into the curricula. I am so proud of our students for their perseverance and hard work! Thank you for your continued partnership! We feel so fortunate to work alongside you to help our students grow and flourish.
PTO
If you haven’t already joined the PTO, please consider doing so! Membership only costs $5 for a family membership. The PTO supports many outstanding programs for our students!
Only PTO members receive a Westbrook Student Directory, which is helpful when trying to connect with other families. The student directory will be online this year! This will allow you to access the directory anywhere, any time, and on any device, including your cell phone! The PTO is finalizing their directory orders, so don’t delay - click here to join the PTO.
*If you do not want your family’s contact information to be included in the 2020-2021 Westbrook Directory, please complete this opt-out from by Friday, September 11.
Our first PTO meeting is on Wednesday, September 16th at 7pm over Zoom. We would love to see you there! Please click on the link below to attend the PTO meetings on the scheduled dates.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81317163018?pwd=cjBXNmltOWdpVndmUkRkUHhYVmdndz09
Meeting ID: 813 1716 3018
Passcode: WBPTO
Here’s a list of this year’s PTO meetings for the school year:
Wednesday, September 16
Wednesday, October 14
Wednesday, November 18
Wednesday, December 16
Wednesday, January 20
Wednesday, February 16
Wednesday, March 17
Wednesday, April 21
Wednesday, May 19
Technology
If you experience a technical issue, please follow these steps to troubleshoot the problem:
Restart the Chromebook (make sure it turns all the way off before turning back on).
Quit any unused applications.
Sign out of an application if it's not working, and sign back in.
Move closer to your internet router if you are experiencing connectivity issues.
Turn off any accessibility features i.e., contrast mode, special cursor that may be set on the Chromebook. These can cause applications to run slow.
If you are still experiencing technical issues after trying the above steps, please submit a Remote Learning Technology Support form by clicking here. One of our District Technology Team Members will contact you to provide assistance.
Helpful technology resources:
If you would prefer to use your personal device for remote learning, please click here to learn how to access the technology needed for remote learning.
Benchmark Assessments
Our Literacy Support Services (LSS) and Math Support Services (MSS) teachers are working on individually assessing every first grader and every kindergartener on their early literacy and math skills. These assessments will be completed virtually, and your child will be placed into a breakout room to complete the assessments with members of our Westbrook staff.
The information teachers receive about each child’s reading and math ability will be used to inform their instruction and to monitor individual student growth. All K-1st students will be reassessed on these skills in the winter and spring in order to measure growth.
Early Literacy Skills
initial sounds (kindergarten only)
concepts of print (kindergarten only)
short vowel sounds
letter names and sounds
sight words
decodable words (1st grade only)
word segmenting (1st grade only)
sentence reading (1st grade only)
running records (1st grade only)
Early Math Skills
number identification
oral counting
numeral identification
number sequence (1st grade only)
decomposing numbers (1st grade only)
basic computation (1st grade only)
Follow Us on Instagram and Twitter
Please follow us on Instagram and Twitter! Our username is: westbrook_school_d57.
Thank you for your partnership! Have a beautiful long weekend!
Wishing you and your family well,
Kristin Vonder Haar
Tech Tidbits from Mrs. Stortz
District 57 Meal Program
Dear District 57 community:
Our district is offering a purchase meal program for all of our families during remote learning. Quest Food Management Services is busy reopening the kitchen and making modifications to the program to ensure safe serving. The menu has been modified and will include pre-packed meals for distribution for each school in District 57. Cold entrees will be offered; you will also have the choice to pre order a la carte items.
Although there will be modifications to the “way” we serve our food during this time, we want to assure you that the quality of “what” we serve will not change. We will be preparing meals daily, from fresh, high quality ingredients that adhere to Quest’s Food Philosophy. Modifications to the way we serve are outlined below:
Pre- Ordering with My Meal Order
Quest has made modifications to ensure your meal is served in the safest and freshest way possible. Because meals will be primarily served in a remote environment, the District is using an online ordering system (My Meal Order). Below are the steps for ordering weekly A la carte options.
Starting Tuesday September 8th the entire district will have the capability to order lunch and A la Carte items off of a new ordering platform.
• Please create an account with My Meal Order – Instruction attached. This will allow you to select the daily meals and/or a la carte options.
• Meal orders must be submitted by Thursday at Midnight for the next week.
• You will be required to create an account and transactions will happen at the point of order.
• It is highly recommended that the “low balance” notification is set up for your My Meal order account to ensure continuous food service. Insufficient funds will result in delayed ordering and may result in your order for the next week not being processed.
• First orders will be due September 8th at midnight for meal distribution on Tuesday the 15th and Thursday the 17th.
Meal Distribution
Meal Distribution will take place at Lincoln Middle School in D57 between 11:10-12:50pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week
• Orders for Tuesdays will be picked up Tuesday at Lincoln Middle School
• Orders for Thursday will be picked up Thursday at Lincoln Middle School
• Meals will be labeled with the student’s name and ID number
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Quest’s District Manager, Anthony Ferrazzuolo, at anthony@questfms.com or, Food Service Director at District 57. Donna Niesen at Donna.Niesen@questfms.com
Westbrook School for Young Learners
Email: wb-office@d57.org
Website: https://www.d57.org/westbrookschoolforyounglearners_home.aspx
Location: 103 Busse Road, Mount Prospect, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 394-7340
Twitter: @westbrook_d57