Westwood Intermediate/Middle School
August 31, 2022 - Newsletter
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AUGUST 31, 2022 - NEWSLETTER
Westwood Families,
We had a great turnout for our Meet and Greet events yesterday. It was amazing to see so many kids excited for the school year with smiling faces and parents talking with teachers and staff about the school year.
One of the biggest questions from last night was lockers for grades 7 and 8. Students will be assigned a locker in October. We have found when we focus the first month of school on coming prepared to each class, students are on time and ready to go.
The staff has been busy this week preparing their classrooms and engaging in professional learning. One of our focus areas is embedding academic, career and life competencies into the units we will be teaching this year. You will be able to hear more about these at our curriculum presentations in late September. More information will be coming about this opportunity.
This week, in the newsletter and via email, you will be asked to review our student behavior and attendance expectations. We’re asking families to acknowledge they have read and reviewed this information together with their student(s). Please take a few minutes to do this before school begins. We have high expectations for students, and reviewing our expectations sets the tone for a great start to the year – and especially after the disruptions we’ve all experienced over the last few years.
Attendance is critical to student growth and success. Thank you, in advance, families, for helping with the most important job – getting your student(s) to school on time each day and ready to learn. The start time for grades 7 and 8 is 7:45 a.m. and grades 5 and 6 is 8:40 a.m. As a reminder, in the middle school, four tardies to class is equal to one absence.
Here we are - just a few days away from our first day of school. We will see you next Tuesday, September 6. We can’t wait to see those first day pics and welcome our SLP students to this school year!
Have a wonderful holiday weekend,
Tom Larson
Principal
Before school starts: Complete your review of student behavior and attendance expectations
Each year, we ask students and families to review student behavior and attendance expectations. After reviewing together, we ask families to acknowledge they have done so. This process helps set the tone for students as they begin the year and clarifies for students how we all expect them to conduct themselves each day at school.
Please take five minutes to log into Campus Parent Portal and review these expectations with your student.
- Log in to Campus with your district username and password.
- Select your student in the upper right corner.
- On the main menu click on DOCUMENT.
- Locate the Parent Documents section.
- Click on the 2022-2023 Behavior and Attendance Agreement.
- Review the document with your student.
- Sign and submit.
- Repeat these steps if you have more than one student in the district.
In the coming days, you can also expect to receive a message directly from Campus reminding you to review and sign this document. Please review at your earliest convenience. If you have any questions about these expectations, reach out to Principal Larson.
From the very first day, attendance matters
Did you know missing 10 percent, or just two days of school per month, over the course of the school year, can affect a student’s academic success - and path to graduation? It's true at all ages. By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs a student may drop out of high school. By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores. Regular attendance in school is essential for learning and student success.
Parents and guardians play the most important role in a student's education by making sure students arrive at school each day on time and ready to learn. As we begin a new school year, we have the opportunity to develop important routines and expectations at school and at home.
Here are some things parents and guardians can do to support school attendance:
- Talk about the importance of going to school every day.
- Help your student develop and maintain daily routines such as getting a good night's sleep, preparing any materials the night before, supporting your older student in finishing homework.
- Try not to schedule dental, medical or other appointments during the school day.
- Take action to stay healthy and if your children must stay home because they are sick, help them connect to the missed learning.
- Ask family, friends or school staff for help if you need support.
If your student must be absent, please call the attendance line 763.600.5309. If a student is absent and we don't hear from a parent or guardian, we will be reaching out to check in.
Nutrition Services: School meal updates for a new year
As we enter a new school year, there are several important things to know about school meals:
- Meals are no longer free. School breakfast and lunches will no longer be free for all students due to the expiration of federal United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) waivers. This means, students will be charged full price for meals, unless their household has been approved for free or reduced meal benefits for the 2022-2023 school year.
- Free and Reduced-Price Meals and Education Benefits applications must be completed each year. Complete a Free and Reduced-Price Meals and Education Benefits Application online or via a paper copy from your school. If you qualify, both breakfast and lunch will be free. If you apply by Sept. 2, 2022, you may be eligible for additional funds through the P-EBT program. Applications are accepted throughout the school year.
- Add funds to your student's meal account online. You can add funds to a meal account through Campus Parent Portal, or by sending cash or check with your child or directly to your school.
- Meal changes are possible due to supply chain issues. Due to nationwide shortages of certain food items, menus may not accurately reflect what will be served that day. When possible, we will replace meals with similar choices and avoid any additional allergens.
- Meals policy includes what happens when an account has insufficient funds. See the full policy 534 Meals online. The policy includes payment of meals, charging of meals, negative balances and unpaid balances.
Schools will continue to offer nutritious meals to students each day. Learn more about school meals on the Nutrition Services webpage.
2022-2023 School Handbook
Find our Spring Lake Park Schools School Handbook for 2022-2023 at SpringLakeParkSchools.org/schoolhandbook. The handbook is a guide for families and students on the practical aspects of school – start and end times, procedures for absences, transportation, meals, policies and more. Please review the information and refer to it, as needed, throughout the year and contact your school as you have questions.
Important back-to-school notices
At the beginning of each year, we provide families with important notifications. Many of these notifications align to our school district policies and practices. Please take a few minutes to review the information and take any actions that align with your family’s preferences.
These notices cover:
- Media permission and directory information
- Technology responsible use policy
- Data privacy
- Supplemental student accident insurance
Review these notifications on the back-to-school hub under the heading Important back-to-school notices. Please direct any questions to the main office of your student's school.
Fall programs available for all!
Looking for fun and enriching programs for your child, your family or yourself this fall? Look no further! Browse and register for a variety of programs.
Program Highlights of the Week:
Youth:
- AKASPORT - Soccer (grades 1-4): This is a World Cup year (every 4 years) which means all eyes, and feet, will be on the ball. Our professional coaching staff will teach soccer fundamentals and provide a ton of games and scrimmages for all participants.
- Young Rembrandts - Anime Character Creation (grades 5-8): If you have Manga Mania, sign up for this class. Join Young Rembrandts for a five-day drawing workshop; we’ll be drawing and coloring all things ANIME!
Adult:
- Retirement Planning Today: In this course you will learn how to: manage investment risks, use new tax laws to your advantage, make informed decisions about your company retirement plan and adjust your estate plan to function under the new laws.
- Ballroom Dance for Beginners: Practice steps and turns in popular ballroom dances, including swing, waltz, foxtrot, salsa, and more. Enjoy dancing to music frequently played at weddings and most social gatherings.
Family:
- Cupcake Decorating with Paige - Paige Goehner, the winner of Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship, wants you to join her as she will be decorating wonderful winter-themed cupcakes!
Tuesday, September 6
- First day of school for grades K-8 and Lighthouse students
Monday, September 12
- PTO Meeting in the Den at 9:30 a.m.
Monday, September 19
- Fundraiser Kick-off
Thursday, September 22
- Picture Day
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