WESTSIDE NEWSLETTER
December, 2019
From the Principal
Dear Parents,
A shout out to the kindergarten through second grade students, along with music teacher, Mr. Wyatt, for the splendid winter performance earlier this week. I walked away impressed and with a big smile on my face following the show and hopefully you did as well. The students definitely rose to the occasion! I’m looking forward to the third through fifth grade performance coming up on December 19th.
I’d like to recognize our PTO for making a couple of investments that will support our students social and emotional well being at school. The first was directed towards sensory bins for each classroom, which are items that students can use to help calm themselves, while also helping them with their concentration and focus in the classroom. These items include fidget toys, a weighted blanket, kinetic sand, a rocker and coloring/drawing tools. The second purchase was a Buddy Bench, now located on the school playground. The intent of the Buddy Bench is to foster friendships on the playground by providing a place students can go to when they are in need of a friend. The ideas were generated by our student support specialist, Leah Yost, and our vice-principal, Amy McConnell. Generous donations made by parents to the PTO helped make the purchase of the Buddy Bench possible. Please check out the pictures below.
I encourage you to take advantage of a couple of fun and free PTO sponsored events that are coming up this month. The Family Clay Night will be on December 10, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Westside cafeteria. Then on December 14, a Family Movie Night will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Westside gym.
Thank you for your continuous support of Westside Elementary. May you enjoy the upcoming winter holiday with family and friends!
Sincerely,
Bill Newton
Principal
CANNED FOOD DRIVE
Students and families are encouraged to participate in Westside’s canned food drive, which supports FISH, our local food bank that strives to alleviate hunger by distributing food regularly and on an emergency basis in Hood River County. Items students can donate include canned and boxed food items, however unpreserved items such as meat and fruit are not accepted. Donations can be dropped off by the front office between now and December 20th.
WINTER COATS NEEDED!
We have many students who are without a warm winter coat. If your child has outgrown theirs and the coat is still in nice shape, please consider dropping it off at school and it will be shared with a student in need. Washed and ready to pass on is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Upcoming Dates To Remember
December 10: Family Clay Night 6:30-8:00 PM
December 14: Family Movie Night 6:00-8:00 PM
December 19: 3-5 Winter Music Program 6:30 PM
December 23 - January 6: Winter Break
Lost and Found
Items from our lost and found will be bagged up over Winter Break and donated, for we don’t have space to continue to hold onto these items. Over the next two weeks, please take a moment to go through the lost and found items for any clothes that may belong to your child(ren). Thank you.
State Assessments
Oregon’s State Tests
Challenge your child to think critically and apply his or her knowledge to real-world problems
Go beyond multiple choice and ask your child to explain his or her answers
Act as a snapshot of your child’s progress and may be considered along with other pieces of information to determine your child’s academic success.
Help identify schools and districts that need additional support to ensure more students are meeting higher standards
House Bill 2655 permits parents and adult students to annually opt-out of Oregon’s statewide summative tests in English Language Arts and Math by submitting the official form to the school the student attends.
You can locate Oregon Department Of Education’s official Opt Out form from your school’s front office or on our website at: http://www.hoodriver.k12.or.us/domain/1158 . To best support your school in planning, please submit this form to your child’s school by February 1, 2020.
Please talk to your child’s teacher or school principal if you have any questions or want to learn more.
Westside Elementary
Website: https://www.hoodriver.k12.or.us/Domain/511
Location: 3685 Belmont Drive, Hood River, OR, USA
Phone: 541-386-1535
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westsideelementaryhrcsd/
Twitter: @westsidehrcsd