Westwood Intermediate/Middle School
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February 8, 2023 - NEWSLETTER
Westwood Families,
We have been busy at Westwood. We welcomed new 4th graders and families to Westwood. We’ve enjoyed the fifth grade band concert, the sixth grade choir concert, and a visit from Uncle Sam, aka Mr. Clark, as students on Red team are studying propaganda and American History.
We hope our 8th graders and families are planning to attend the high school kickoff event at Spring Lake Park High School tomorrow, February 9, starting at 5:30 p.m. It’s a great opportunity to see the school, learn more about course offerings and activities and start to get used to the idea of your 8th grader going to high school!
Grade 6 to 7 families can tune in to a registration information session on February 28 via WebEx. We’ll offer two identical sessions covering the registration process and classes offered next year at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Stay tuned for more details.
Please remember there is no school Feb. 16-20. On February 23, Westwood staff will host the next session of Office Hours, 3:30-5 p.m. Staff are available for in person conferences and meetings, WebEx meetings, and phone calls. You can reach out to individual staff members and staff will also be reaching out to families to connect during this time.
Enjoy the warming trend this week!
Tom Larson
Principal
Let's Talk: Career, College and Life event series - next session is Feb. 14
Parents of grade 7-12 students, do you have your student's future career, college and life plans on your mind? Join us on Tuesday, February 14 at 7:30 a.m. at Spring Lake Park High School to warm up with a cup of coffee and engage in causal conversation with high school counselors about these important topics.
The Let's Talk: Career, College and Life event series is an informal way to connect and learn more about opportunities your student has at SLPHS and help prepare you and your student for career, college and life at - and after - high school.
Mark your calendar for event dates:
- Tuesday, March 7
All sessions are general and open discussion is welcomed and encouraged. You bring the questions; we bring the coffee. Please fill out this form to let us know you'll be joining us.
8th Grade Baby Photos for the Yearbook
Attention 8th grade families - It's time to turn in your student's adorable baby photos for the yearbook! Please find your student's favorite baby picture and fill out this form to submit the photo. Please make sure to only submit one photo per student. All photos must be received by February 20 to be included in the 2023 yearbook. Questions may be directed to Mrs. Powell, kpowel@district16.org.
Support the Spring Lake Park Baseball Association
Date: February 13, 2023
Time: 5 -7 p.m.
Where: Culver's in Blaine (10550 Baltimore St NE Blaine, MN 55449)
Why: SLP Baseball will receive 10% of your purchase as a donation from Culver's Blaine
How: Present the Culver's ticket image when ordering
Nominate a teacher for SLP Teacher of the Year
Do you know an educator who is dedicated, inspiring, and making a difference? Nominate them by Tuesday, February 28 for Spring Lake Park Schools' Teacher of the Year! This is an exciting way to recognize the amazing educators we have in Spring Lake Park Schools! Read more about the criteria and submit a nomination form.
Co-creating learning around student interests, passions
“Star Weaver” shows a young woman, eyes closed, holding the night sky in her hands. Look closer, and concepts of trigonometry appear. Unit circle, trig angles, Pythagorean theorem and others. The piece is a final project in senior Hanna Nur’s co-created trigonometry course, in which she’s mastering trigonometry concepts through a passion for art.
One high school student is learning physics through the lens of baseball. Another is learning math through art application. Another is learning biology and chemistry studying mascara. Another is applying an interest in graphic design to produce a magazine.
Co-created courses at Spring Lake Park High School work to pair a student’s passions outside of school and plans for career and college with credit needs in specific subject areas. Any student at Spring Lake Park High School can choose to co-create a course by working with a teacher to achieve identified academic and life competencies.
Learn more about the possibilities of co-creating learning.
MATHCOUNTS Chapter Competition
The Westwood Math Team quartet of (left to right) Vansh Dhalgara, Teddy Sanks, Jacob Levinshteyn, and Kellen Salek competed at the MATHCOUNTS Chapter Competition this past Saturday, February 4 at North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park. They did a wonderful job, placing 3rd out of 10 schools represented. This puts them in a wildcard position with other 3rd place teams from other chapters across the state to possibly enter the state competition in March, since the top two teams automatically qualify from each chapter and wildcard slots are filled from top-scoring third place chapter teams. Congratulations to these four and our entire Westwood Math Team for their great successes this year!
Collaboration Cycle
6AIM is working on a project that answers the driving question, “How can we build and maintain a positive classroom learning community?” While learning about the collaboration cycle, students participated in an escape room activity that incorporated reading, math, problem-solving, and collaboration with a small group to try and “escape” the room.
Snowbrawl!
7th grade science students participate in a virtual snowbrawl as a review for a unit test. Snowballs are earned by answering unit-related trivia questions and solving science problems. Students chase each other throughout the virtual play area to throw their snowballs at one another and eliminate peers (eliminated players repopulate in a different part of the map).
Grades 7-8: register for high school athletics
Students in grades 7-8 can try out for high school athletics offered as 7-12 programs. Registration for Minnesota State High School League athletics is now open for the spring. Visit the registration page to register today. Registration will remain open for the first few weeks of the season. There are many great opportunities for students to get involved.
Here's what is available for grades 7-8:
To learn more about grades 7-8 play-up guidelines, start dates, physicals and insurance, and reduced athletic fees, please refer to the email that went to families of students in grades 7-12 last week.
Panther Store Sale
The Panther Store is having a sale February 12-22! Save 20% in-store and online with code P4PSale
This is the perfect time to stock up for Spirit Week days during the Panthers for a Purpose Giving Week, February 18- 25!
Spirit Week themes:
Monday, February 20: Panther Fun Day at Urban Air
Tuesday, February 21: Blue Out
Wednesday, February 22: Red Out
Thursday, February 23: White Out
Friday, February 24: Panther Gear/Red, White and Blue school colors day
Panthers for a Purpose: Support Career and College Pathways
Each year, the Panther Foundation’s fundraising efforts include support for a special Fund-A-Dream project. This year, the Fund-A-Dream is Career and College Pathways, courses and programming to support students in exploring potential career paths.
Career and College Pathways provides students across grades with real-world experiences that develop skills within a field and support career exploration. Support of Pathways creates experiences beyond the core, including more:
- Real-world, hands-on learning and exploration with Legos, robotics and everything in between
- Specialized equipment and materials like 3D printers and construction materials
- Getting students into the community for worksite tours, internships and projects
You can support Pathways as this year’s Fund-A-Dream with a direct donation. Learn more and engage in the whole Week of Giving and Panther Party. Find all the information on the event website.
Book Fair Wrap-up!
Book Fair week is wrapping up tomorrow, Thursday, February 9. It will be open before and after school and students can come during the day with permission from a teacher. We will also have extended after school hours tomorrow, Thursday, February 9 from 3:15-6:30 p.m.
More information can be found here. There are also instructions for setting up an eWallet for a safe cash-free way for your child to shop the Fair!
- February 6-9: Westwood BookFair
- Thursday, February 9: High School Kickoff and Registration event for current 8th grade students and families at the high school, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
February 16-20: No school
February 23: Office Hours - 3:30-5 p.m.
- February 18-25: Panthers for a Purpose Week of Giving
- Saturday, February 25: Panthers for a Purpose Party
- Monday, February 27: PTO Meeting in the Den, 6 p.m.
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