Westwood Updates
Week of 2/2 - 2/6
This Week's Happenings
Monday- 2/2/15
MAPS
Tuesday- 2/3/15
MAPS
Wednesday- 2/4/15
100th Day of school
MAPS
* WEF Dining for Dollars- RB Soup Plantation
Thursday- 2/5/15
MAPS
Friday- 2/6/15
MAPS
8:00 Friday Flag / PTA Open Association Meeting
Book Fair Begins!
New News
Circle of Friends
Updated SAT forms ~
WANTED: Westwood Classfied Hero
The Book Fair is Coming ~
Book Fair dates are February 5-13th. The library will operate as usual on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week, and the Friday classes will be the first ones to shop the fair.
Reminders & Updates
Celebrating Student Writing
Reminder ~ We plan to display student writing in the office as a means to celebrate our student authors and build community. You can encourage your students to participate in the two options we have right now:
1. Participated in writing contest- students create a title that we will use to name our bulletin board. Contest ends 2/5/15. Winning title will be announced at Friday Flag 2/6. Please offer this opportunity to your students.
2- Share a favorite piece- You can encourage your students to share their writings (any poem, essay, joke, short story, or report) in the envelope on the board in the office. Each piece will be read and comments will be made. We will select several to display each month.
You can show this Tellegami message with your students as a way to encourage their writing . https://tellagami.com/gami/UMXZVL/
Jump for Heart & the Splatter Ducks
The "Splatter Duck" and lanyards are being delivered to classes on Monday. Just a quick reminder:
$1 = heart to sign and hang up
$5 = Splatter Duck and lanyard
Online orders/donations will be filled and delivered to classes after the event is over.
Flyers to be sent home today with students as well as copies of the hearts are in your boxes.
On February 10th please send all money and extra ducks/lanyards to Emily's room E12 as we need to return them to the American Heart Association.
Help our Lunch Team Out
The lunch ladies are preparing for the spring audit and they need your help. Please remind students that a healthy serving of lunch includes the main entrée and 1/2 cup of fruit or veggies - OR- one full cup of salad without an entrée.
Please remind students to pick up condiments and utensils before leaving the cafeteria. They should not be reentering the cafeteria.
Ms. Israni and the Playground League
Please send your selected superheroes out to the table by the cabins for lunch and games with Ms. Israni at your lunch:
Mondays- 4th and 5th
Tuesdays-Kinder and 3rd
Thursdays- 1st and 4th
Fridays- 2nd and 5th
T'is the Season for MAPS!
From LSS
Innovation in Education Awards Program ~
Classroom of the Future Foundation is pleased to invite nominations for the 2015 Innovation in Education Awards program. There is $25,000 available for the recipients of these awards and nominations are open until March 16, 2015 via the Classroom of the Future Foundation online application form. Nominations can be made by district educators, parents or business leaders and will be reviewed by a panel of judges. Winners will be selected and announced at the 12th annual Innovation Awards event on May 20, 2015. Please see http://www.classroomofthefuture.org/for more information.
Supporting our ELL Students
Guidance from the Departments of Education and Justice on Equitable Educational Access for English Learner Students:
The U.S. Departments of Education and Justice today released joint guidance reminding states, school districts, and schools of their obligations under federal law to ensure that English learner students have equal access to a high-quality education and the opportunity to achieve their full academic potential.
In addition to the guidance, the Departments also released additional tools and resources to help schools in serving English learner students and parents with limited English proficiency:
- A fact sheet in English and in other languages about schools’ obligations under federal law to ensure that English learner students can participate meaningfully and equally in school.
- A fact sheet in English and in other languages about schools’ obligations under federal law to communicate information to limited English proficient parents in a language they can understand.
- A toolkit to help school districts identify English learner students, prepared by the Education Department’s Office of English Language Acquisition. This is the first chapter in a series of chapters to help state education agencies and school districts meet their obligations to English learner students.
This is the first time that a single piece of guidance has addressed the array of federal laws that govern schools’ obligations to English learners. The guidance recognizes the recent milestone 40th anniversaries of Lau v. Nichols and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 (EEOA), as well as the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. The EEOA, similar to Lau, requires public schools to take appropriate action to help English learner students overcome language barriers and ensure their ability to participate equally in school.
The guidance explains schools’ obligations to:
- identify English learner students in a timely, valid and reliable manner;
- offer all English learner students an educationally sound language assistance program;
- provide qualified staff and sufficient resources for instructing English learner students;
- ensure English learner students have equitable access to school programs and activities
- avoid unnecessary segregation of English learner students from other students;
- monitor students’ progress in learning English and doing grade-level classwork;
- remedy any academic deficits English learner students incurred while in a language assistance program;
- move students out of language assistance programs when they are proficient in English and monitor those students to ensure they were not prematurely removed;
- evaluate the effectiveness of English learner programs; and
- provide limited English proficient parents with information about school programs, services, and activities in a language they understand
Upcoming Events
2/4/15 Staff Meeting
2/10/15 Jump for Heart (more to come)
2/10 & 12 Valentine Lap Cards at Running Club
2/13 Student Council Spirit Day- SUPERHEO DAY!
2/16 - 20 District Recess for Presidents' Break
2/23 Foundation Raffle ends and drawing at Friday Flag.
3/6 Second trimester ends
3/13 Progress Reports go home