Westridge Wildcat News
November 6, 2020
Message from the Principal
Hello Wildcat Families,
It's hard to believe it is already November! Our theme for the month is gratitude; in SEL lessons, students will be discussing ways they are grateful.
I am grateful for all of you! Thank you for attending our parent teacher conferences this week. I hope that you were provided valuable insight into your child's progress thus far this year. Thank you for your continued partnership supporting all of our students at Westridge.
To better assist our young learners and staff, we are adjusting our weekly schedule. As you may have read in district communications, starting November 18, Wednesdays will be multi-synchronous days, which will consist of a blend of some live online time with teachers and staff and some offline time. This will allow students time to have structured connection and review with their teachers, practice skills and receive reteaching with teachers and support staff and build relationships with their peers. This change is intended to provide additional support, reduce stress and allow catch up time. Participation is expected and attendance will be taken as usual.
The schedule for elementary students’ lessons for Music, PE or STEM is expected to remain the same, but if changes are necessary, we will provide you with updated information next week. We recognize that this is yet another adaption in a year of change and we thank you for your support and flexibility.
Enjoy your weekend!
Principal Montgomery
Counselor's Corner
Dear Westridge Families,
This month through our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons, we will be introducing the character trait of GRATITUDE. Gratitude has been shown to be one of the number one ways to reduce anxiety, increase happiness, & improve relationships. The practice of gratitude is a tool that both grounds us and also inspires hope, peace, and joy. For when we are grateful, we are stronger to “be the good” to our world.
We want to make sure we share with students that Gratitude is 1) a choice that we get to make over and over again on where we put our focus and 2) does not always have to be about something positive. We can feel grateful even for tough or challenging things in our life! There is plenty of research that shows a strong connection between Gratitude and reduced anxiety, increased happiness, and better relationships. Over the course of the month, we will talk about amazing people who demonstrate Gratitude in various ways. We will talk about what we are grateful for in ourselves and in others. And we will even find Gratitude in some things we would not expect to be thankful for!
The definition students will be learning this month is Gratitude: choosing to notice and appreciate things in our life, things in others, and things in the world.
Here are links for extension activities to explore GRATITUDE further as a family:
K-2 Gratitude Family Letter (English) 3-5 Gratitude Family Letter (English)
K-2 Gratitud para Familias (En Español) 3-5 Gratitud para Familias (En Español)
Asynchronous SEL lessons will be posted weekly by 8 a.m. each Monday morning on Google Classroom. Students may complete the one lesson at any time that week.
Westridge Counselor (K-2nd): K-2 Social Emotional learning- join code = 76wnd6p
Invite link: https://classroom.google.com/c/MTUzODYzNDMwODgz?cjc=76wnd6p
Westridge Counselor (3rd-5th) 3-5 Social Emotional LEarning - join code = q53zivt
Invite link: https://classroom.google.com/c/MTUzODYzNDMwOTI3?cjc=q53zivt
If you or your student would like to request a meeting or phone call with me, please do so here: Request to Talk to Mr. Kieser 2020-2021It is linked in our Google Classrooms and on my Clever page. I can also be reached via email at kieserg@loswego.k12.or.us.
Together,
Gary Kieser
Westrige School Counselor
Coffee & Connection
In honor and observance of the Veteran's Day holiday, our next coffee will be offered on Wednesday, November 18th from 9:00am - 9:30am. This is an informal time to just connect, ask questions, and learn together as we go through the school year. This next session, join myself and Mrs. Bates, our RTI Coordinator through the link below. Bring a cup of coffee, or just call in and let's connect!
ID: 89488956670
Password: 537256
(US) +1 929-205-6099
Passcode: 537256
Your Public Library is Coming to Visit on Thursday, November 19th!
With all of you in mind, we've continued to fill our library shelves with great new books and have been trying hard to figure out how to get them into your hands. We are so excited to start visiting your school library on "holds pick up day" once a month. In November we will have a few giveaways and information about how you can continue to use the public library. And beginning in December we'll bring books for you to check out, library card applications and more. See you soon and keep on reading!
PTSO News - Support Westridge Through Amazon Smile
As the holiday shopping season begins, please remember that supporting Westridge is easy with the AmazonSmile app! With every eligible purchase, AmazonSmile donates 0.5% to the school - same products, same prices, no cost to you! As every dollar helps benefit our teachers and students, please make sure you go to your account settings and select Westridge Elementary School PTSO as your charity of choice!
Westridge Elementary Fall Scholastic ONLINE Book Fair!
November 6th - 19th
Please feel free to share this link with family and friends:
LOHS Black Student Union Mentorship Program:
Tutoring Through Lakeridge High School Interact Available
Lakeridge High School Interact, a Rotary sponsored service club run by Lakeridge students, is offering elementary school tutoring.
We know there are always some students who struggle with classwork, so we would like to provide our assistance. We are offering free virtual tutoring sessions for elementary students grades 2-5. This includes help with homework, study tips, and general questions. The sessions will take place Tuesdays after school (4pm-6pm) on zoom from October 20th through the end of November. If you are interested, please fill out the attached form and a club member will contact you with more information. Any questions can be directed to the Interact Club email: lointeractclub@gmail.com
Tutoring Session Form: https://forms.gle/EZCKFpBYWF2Nq8Hm9
Tech Support:
Tech Information Sessions
LOSD hosted two Tech Information Sessions covering the “how tos'' for getting started with distance learning. The session recordings and presentations are posted on the district site under Resources/Tech Support for Families.
Tech Support Ticket
A majority of tech concerns can be resolved by submitting a Tech Support ticket -- the link is on all school and district homepages for easy access to help with passwords, log-ins, hardware fixes, etc.
Google Classroom Guardianship
By now all parents and guardians should have received an email requesting you to accept guardianship of your student's Google Classroom. If you need assistance with this request, please submit a request through the Tech Support button. Note: accepting guardianship simply gives you the option of selecting how often you would like to receive summaries (weekly, daily, or no summary) of your student's Google Classroom activity. Only student accounts have access to Google Classroom.
ODE State Assessment Notice
Westridge Elementary
Email: kari.montgomery@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/wr
Location: 3400 Royce Way, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 534-2371