Westridge Wildcat News
October 22, 2021
Message from the Principal
Dear Westridge Community,
This afternoon, as we prepare for conferences next week, we are filled with excitement for the opportunity to connect with you about your child/children. Conferences are a great time to strengthen the bridge between home and school. We appreciate your willingness to partner with us. Whether on Zoom or in person, this is a great chance to learn more about your child’s/children’s year and craft shared goals for their continued success. This is another way for us to grow in our theme, Better Together!
Please see more information about conferences below:
This year, parents-guardians have the opportunity to choose a virtual Zoom conference or an in-person conference.
If you choose an in-person conference please note that people inside school buildings are required to follow current state guidance, including:
Wear a properly fitted mask over your face and nose while indoors.
Maintain 6 or more feet of distance from other adults; except household partners may be within 6 feet of each other.
Visitors are not allowed in schools while children are present. We are able to have in-person conferences for adults only.
Please note that in a few pre-arranged circumstances a child may attend their own conference, but we need to limit siblings attending to decrease the possibility of exposure, particularly with the possibility of unvaccinated individuals in the building.
If you are unable to follow these guidelines, we ask that you sign up for a virtual conference instead.
Teachers are prepared to offer a quality conference experience no matter the format, and they are looking forward to talking with you about your child’s progress.
With excitement,
Jules Laaperi
she/her/hers
Principal
Save the Dates!
October 31- Deadline to donate to the Westridge Wildcat Fund (link and info below)
October 28-29: Conferences - No School
November 11- Veterans Day - No School
November 12: OBOB Registration Deadline (more info below)
November 22-26: No School (Inservice/Holiday)
Action Items:
- Tis' the season for mud and rain! Do you have any sweatpants or leggings in size 6 or 7 that your child has grown out of? We are taking donations of any comfy, pull on pants that are in good shape so that kids have something to change into if they need a change of clothes. We have plenty of shirts, but are also taking donations of coats and/or jackets. Thank you!
Message from the Counselor: Gary Kieser
During parent-teacher conferences, I am available to meet with you to discuss any concerns or questions you may have. All conversations are 100% confidential. To schedule a time with me, please choose a time on the Signup Genius link
Gary Kieser, MA, LPC
School Counselor
Westridge Elementary School
503-534-2371, ext. 3932
Student Attendance:
If you need to pick your child up early from school, please let the teacher and the office know ahead of time.
PTSO News!
OUR DIRECTORY SPOT APP IS UP AND RUNNING
If you have not checked out the App, please do so ASAP so that you have access to the full school directory as well as links to all necessary information from lunch menus, PTSO newsletters, links to spirit wear and our Westridge Wildcat Superfan Sponsors.
Download the Directory Spot App from your app store.
Launch DirectorySpot, enter your email address as your Username
click on "Reset Password."
FITNESS MONTH
We hope that you and your family enjoyed Fitness month as much as your PTSO enjoyed putting it on. We had over 250 people take part in National Bike/Walk to School Day, the entire student body took part in our first ever run, walk and roll, over 200 individuals signed on to watch their child on zoom as they ran the track and 50 families logged on yesterday to take part in our Virtual Sock Hop. Special Shout out to all of our volunteers who made it happen.
WESTRIDGE DINE OUT NIGHT
Join us for dinner at Panera on Nyberg Road where Westridge will get a 20% of all sales.
THURSDAY OCT. 28th
4:00-8:00pm
7149 SW Nyberg Street
RSVP & all details here: https://grouprai.se/f203316
WILDCAT FUND
We have 92 families that have contributed to our Wildcat Fundraiser! Can we count on your family to contribute to funding our Curriculum Enrichment, Classroom Events, Battle of the Books, Carnival and so much more... WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. https://bit.ly/FundourWildcats
STEM donations needed:
- fabric scraps
- shoe boxes
There is a box to place items in the vestibule near the office.
Thank you!
Mrs. Melton
Innovation Facilitator
Oregon Battle of the Books Competition:
It is time to start forming teams for Westridge's Oregon Battle of the Books Competition this school year!
Each year, Westridge participates in the Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) competition for all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. This is an optional, fun enrichment activity, and a good way to read some great books with a team of school friends.
What is OBOB?
The Oregon Battle of the Books is a reading and trivia competition that serves as a statewide celebration of literacy and good books. 3rd to 5th grade students form teams of three to five members, then read and study from a common list of 16 books selected by the State OBOB committee each year. Teams square off in a series of "Battles" to show off how much they have learned by answering questions about the books. Watch out if you get a question wrong -- the other team then gets a chance to steal the points! Find this year's book list here: https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/2021-2022-obob-title-lists/
Uncertainty for the 2021-2022 OBOB Season
Because we cannot know at this time what the health and safety protocols will be in the winter for LOSD, we do not yet know if we will be able to hold in-person battles or if the competition will happen virtually again, as it did last year. That said, we are committed to holding a competition sometime between the end of January and mid-February either way, and working out the details as we approach that time. Now is the time to form teams and start reading!
Registration
Follow this link to register your player for OBOB. Form
The Registration Deadline is Friday, November 12th.
We have found over time that it is best to have the children form their own teams (sometimes with parent assistance), but every year there are some interested kids who do not have friends interested in OBOB. Please still register your child if that is the case! We will do our best to match up players who want to participate.
How does OBOB work at Westridge?
- The OBOB competition at Westridge is funded by the PTSO, run by parent volunteers, and coordinated with Librarian Mrs. Calbreath and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers
- Students form teams of 3 to 5 players in the Fall and begin reading the books
- Parent volunteers may hold voluntary practice sessions with the kids in December and January
- In each "Battle," two teams square off and answer questions in turn. Note that only a maximum of 4 players participate in each battle round. Teams of 5 will need to set a rotation
- The highest scoring teams in preliminary play move on to knock-out rounds to crown a school champion
- This year's competition is open to all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students
Important update on Westridge Student Newspaper!
Calling all journalists!
WE ARE RESUMING WORK on What's Up, Westridge?, the Westridge student newspaper, written by the kids, for the kids! This year the Westridge student newspaper is open to writers in 5th grade. We meet twice a month (approximately 1x every other week) and publish one issue per month. Our FIRST MEETING IS OCTOBER 27th DURING RECESS (12:10-12:40). Questions? Please contact Stef Fogarty at svfogarty@gmail.com.
Equity Audit
The Lake Oswego School District has engaged the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC) from the Metropolitan State University of Denver for a review of our practices, policies, and protocols in relation to instruction and educational equity. Between November 15-18, the WEEAC staff will be conducting virtual interviews and surveys with administrators, staff, teachers, students, and parents. Each interview will take 45-60 minutes with a WEEAC interviewer.
We are looking for parents to participate in a focus group. If you are interested, please complete this survey form: https://forms.gle/Z6ApYuhe1siXkVUB6
This information collected by the WEEAC Team is anonymous. Questions about the process can be directed to Colleen Toomey, Analyst at WEEAC (ctoomey1@msudenver.edu).
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month
Userway is Lake Oswego School District’s primary accessibility tool. When you see this graphic (or “widget”) on our district webpages, click on it to view a variety of accessibility tools, e.g., keyboard navigation, screen reader, pause animations, text spacing or color options. You can add this tool to your own computer at WCAG 2.1 AA Website Accessibility - Accessible Websites with UserWay | UserWay. Userway does not store information on users and is COPPA, FERPA, HIPAA, GDPR and ADA compliant.
Assistive Technology … Did you know?
Technology is changing and improving the school experience for students with dyslexia. Text-to-speech and speech-to-text software, calculators, and note-taking apps are common examples of “assistive technology”. Many of us enjoy audiobooks for pleasure reading, but audiobooks also can serve as a vital piece of assistive technology for those with learning differences such as dyslexia.
With audiobooks everyone can acquire new vocabulary, expand their knowledge and love of books, and enjoy complex or intriguing storylines. Because dyslexics have great listening comprehension, audiobooks enable independent access to school curriculum through “ear-reading” of complex or voluminous textbooks and novels.
The Lake Oswego Public Library has many audiobook services here:
LOSD assistive technology and audiobook resource information can be found here:
LOSD Audiobooks & Read-Aloud Tools
If you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s learning, please contact the school principal and/or literacy specialist. Another great parent resource would be to contact your school’s Student Services Parent Advisory Committee (SSPAC) representative. Please see here to learn how to contact your school representative.
Get your Wildcat merch here!
COVID-19 Information:
Chromebook or iPad Problems?
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