Westridge Wildcat News
February 12, 2021
Message from the Principal
Dear Wildcat Families,
There is lots to celebrate this weekend. Happy Chinese New Year, Snow in Lake Oswego, Valentine's Day and President's Day Weekend. I hope you are able to enjoy this extended weekend with your families.
We are introducing a new information hub for our upcoming reopening. Below, you will see a button called Westridge Reopening Information.This will direct you to information that will help you and your child successfully navigate the transition back to in-person instruction. As new information comes out I will include these school website pages for your easy reference. I will also continue to include in the weekly Wildcat News so you are notified directly.
Visit the page for reopening timelines, videos for reopening, arrival and dismissal procedures and maps (coming soon!) and information on what our facilities teams are doing to ensure safety of our students and staff.
As always, you will also find it helpful information on the district's Roadmap to Reopening page.
Enjoy the long weekend,
Principal Montgomery
Save These Dates!
2/17 - Problem Solving Webinar with Mr. Kieser 6-7pm (see below for more info)
2/19 - Youth Truth Survey window closes
2/20 - PTSO fundraiser- MOD Pizza (see flyer below and click to register!)
2/23 - First Day for Kindergarten and 1st Grade students
2/24 - Registration opens for Kindergarten and Spanish Immersion Kindergarten
2/24 - Kinder Counts Information Night
3/1 - First Day for Grades 2 and 3 students
3/5 - First Day for Grades 4 and 5 students
Black History Month
February is Black History Month. Some classroom discussions and activities this month may connect to Black history throughout our school. Attention to Black history is not limited to this month as we continue growing as a community of learners committed to being anti-bias and anti-racist in all that we do. Read about districtwide efforts focused on Diversity Equity and Inclusion here .
Returning to In-Person School Starts February 23rd
Description of models:
Hybrid Model:
- Students will return to in-person instruction at Westridge gradually (see Save These Dates)
- Students attend Westridge on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for Math and ELA
- Students will enter and exit the building from designated and dedicated doorways with appropriate social distancing
- Arrival and dismissal procedures will be designed to maintain social distancing with specified protocols
- AM Cohort will be at Westridge from 8 to 10:45 am
- PM Cohort will be at Westridge from 12:45 to 3:30 pm
- Wednesdays are multi-synchronous days, students will access classes online
- All Specials classes (PE, Music, STEM, Science, Health and SEL) will take place online
- There will be no recess or snack
Students and teachers are required to wear CDC recommended facemasks [covering noses and mouths] for the entire cohort session, including entering and departing the building.
Students will be at individual desks, 6 feet apart. Students can work at their desks and floor space within their 6 foot bubble.
Students will be allowed to bring water bottles and appropriate safety protocols will be followed
We have water bottle refill stations, but ALL drinking fountains are closed.
We will still have breaks in our 6 foot bubble.
Classrooms, desks, and all items left out will be sanitized using an electrostatic disinfectant in between cohorts and after school.
Students will have access to classroom books, though after use, will be “quarantined” for 24-hours. The library will offer delivery of library books to classrooms (either for in classroom use or for take-home)
There is a possibility a classroom can close down and go back to CDL. This will be in response to contact tracing of any cases of Covid.
Students MUST NOT come to school with illness symptoms listed on Please Keep Ill Students Out Of School. Kids must not be medicated to cover up symptoms.
If your family travels, you may be asked to quarantine.
There will be no drop off before 8am, and no families socializing out front of school.
- Staff will expect and implement safety protocols
- AM/PM In-Person Cohort Schedule
If you need your child transported to school via the school bus, you MUST register with the district. You can go to the LOSD website for registration information, or click here to sign-up for Bus Transportation. The buses are working closely with the district nurse and staff to make it as safe as possible. Students will be in masks, sitting every other seat, alternating rows. Bus drivers will be doing visual checks for any symptoms. The buses (as always) have cameras for security purposes.
Our Online Model will continue:
- AM Cohort will be online from 8 to 10:45 am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
- PM Cohort will be online from 12:45 to 3:30 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
- Wednesdays are multi-synchronous days
- All Specials classes (PE, Music, STEM, Science, Health and SEL) will take place online
- AM/PM Online Cohort Schedule
Information about our reopening plans can be found on our district website under Roadmap to Reopening. and in the Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidelines. Specific information about our Health and Safety Protocols can be found here.
Current dates for returning to in person-hybrid school can be found in the schedule below. Both the District and we will continue to update you with more information as it becomes available. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Report cards are here!
Reminder, this year, the Lake Oswego School District shifts to a standards-based report card for students in elementary schools. This new report card measures a child’s progress toward proficiency or mastery of the priority standards in Reading, Writing, Language, Speaking, and Math.
This approach provides the means for communicating a child’s learning in more specific terms. Standards-based reporting articulates clear end-of-year grade-level standards for each subject. Using the scale below, teachers will communicate where a child resides on a learning continuum by indicating the student’s progress toward mastery of each identified grade-level standard.
This new, standards specific format provides more detailed information about your child’s progress, which means that you may notice fewer comments than you have on previous report cards.
The standards-based reporting scale:
4 = The student is highly proficient and works consistently at an in-depth and complex level within or beyond the end of year standard*
3 = The student is proficient and meets the grade-level expectation of the standard
2 = The student is nearly proficient and nearly meets the end of year standard
1 = The student is developing and demonstrates limited proficiency on the end of year standard
Important notes about the scale:
Reporting is based on the end-of-year grade-level expectation. Therefore, proficiency would not be expected in the middle of the school year.
A “2” represents the expected target for the majority of the school year as this indicates the child is progressing with the standard as expected. A “3” will be given when the student completely meets the grade-level standard.
Details of what is expected at mastery level can be found on the report card or on the list of assessed grade-level standards.
A “1” may prompt additional communication from the classroom teacher so parents will better understand their child’s learning journey.
*It is rare that a child will receive a “4” especially at the end of the first semester. A “4” score may prompt additional communication from the classroom teacher to discuss ways he/she is meeting the child’s unique learning needs.
Another new feature to our standards based report card is ‘Learning Progress’ at the end of each content area. The Learning Progress section provides an overall progress score for those specific content standards.
+ means your student is making significant progress in this content area/in these learning standards
= means your student is making steady progress in this content area/in these standards
- means your student is making minimal progress in this content area/in these standards
Behavior Learning Targets are approached differently than end-of-year standards. These targets will be measured with the following scale:
C = Consistently
G = Generally
R = Rarely/Sometimes (Needs Improvement)
Report cards are available in ParentVUE. If you are unsure how to access ParentVUE, please contact Jodi Steward or Andrea Murphy in our office. As always, if you have questions or for more information about your child’s progress in any area, contact the classroom teacher.
Click here for more information about Common Core State Standards.
Pizza and PTSO!
Please help us plan by spreading the word to your friends and family and by RSVPing at www.groupraise.com/events/175849. Thank you!
PTSO Fundraiser: Minted
Critical Message from the Westridge Office:
On that note, we are here to help make sure your child and you have the best year ever! Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We are in the office Monday through Friday from 7:30am - 3:00pm.
Jodi Steward and Andrea Murphy
Westridge Elementary School Office
503-534-5371
Coffee with Kari
Do you have questions about re-opening? Join me for coffee on Wednesday, February 17 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. Bring a cup of coffee, or just call in and let's connect!
ID: 89488956670
Password: 537256
(US) +1 929-205-6099
Passcode: 537256
YouthTruth Surveys
As part of our district diversity, equity, and inclusion work, we are excited to offer the opportunity for you to give us feedback on your school experience through the YouthTruth survey. Giving parents, staff, and students the opportunity to reflect on their school experience is vital to understanding where we are and where we want to go.
The YouthTruth School Experience Survey is scheduled to be administered to all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade elementary students between Monday, February 1 and Friday, February 19, 2020 during the school day. The survey will take 15-30 minutes to complete. Please note that parents may opt their child out of the survey if they would like - click here for more information.
Please use the link below to access the 15-minute survey from the District website. The YouthTruth survey is confidential. You and your 3rd, 4th and 5th grade child(ren) responses will be held in the strictest confidence.
We encourage everyone to participate. This will be an important piece of information for administrators to use in order to address school experience issues.
Spanish Immersion Kindergarten Registration & Lottery for 2021-22
For families interested in signing up their kindergarteners for the Spanish Immersion Program, please heed these important dates for the 2021-2022 school year:
- Application available on the District website: February 24, 2021
- Application Deadline: March 12, 2021, 3:30 p.m.
- Lottery Date: March 17, 2021, 3:00 p.m.*
- Lottery Notification: March 19, 2021
*Should the district receive more applications than spaces available, a lottery will be held. Those wishing to participate in the lottery must submit their application to the District Administration Office no later than 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 12, 2021.
*Younger siblings of students currently in kindergarten through 4th grade of the Spanish Immersion program have priority for enrollment only at the kindergarten level. Sibling priority does not apply to current siblings on the waitlist. If you currently have a child enrolled in LOSD’s kindergarten through 4th grade Spanish immersion program, you will have the first choice for enrollment in the kindergarten program. You will not be entered into the lottery, but you must submit an application to the program prior to the March 12, 2021 (3:30 p.m.) lottery deadline to be assured a slot. Slots not filled from sibling applications will be available in the general lottery.
Visit the LOSD Spanish Immersion Website for more details.
New Student Registration for 2021-22 School Year
Registration for the 2021-22 school year will begin soon.
- January 20, 2021 for registering new students enrolling into grades 1–12 who have never enrolled in Lake Oswego before and returning students enrolling into grades 1–12 who are not currently enrolled but will re-enroll for next year.
- February 24, 2021 for registering new students enrolling into kindergarten for the 2021-22 school year.
- Students who are currently attending LOSD during the 2020-21 school year do not need to register for the 2021-22 school year.
LOSD is pleased to offer online registration through its parent portal, ParentVUE (contact your resident school for help with logging in). See the Registration & Verification page of the LOSD website for guidance.
Kindergarten Counts 2021-2022:
- Kindergarten Information Night (Kindergarten Counts) is on February 24, 2021. Each elementary school will hold an incoming kindergarten information night for parents to learn about kindergarten and meet the school's staff. More information about Kindergarten Counts will be forthcoming.
Information about Kindergarten in LOSD can be found here
Read Aloud Club with Mr. Kieser:
Starting January 13th, Mr. Kieser will host a weekly book read-aloud on Wednesdays from 11:00-11:30 geared for students in grades K-2, but everyone is welcome. Come for a story and connection with peers!
You can access all of Mr. Kieser's groups at this link or directly though your student's Clever account with these instructions!
Grade 3-5 Scratch Coding Club
Do you like to play computer games? Have you ever wondered how they were made? Come to our 3rd-5th grade Scratch Coding Club. We will use the Scratch website https://scratch.mit.edu/ to learn how to move a spirit and create different games. Come learn how to code in Scratch and share projects with your friends.
We will meet in Mrs. Bates Zoom Room on Fridays at 11 Am. I hope to see you there.
Mindfulness Club
Hello Westridge parents and students! I am excited to offer a new opportunity for social connection and skill building. I will be hosting a drop-in Mindfulness Group open to all students at the following times:
7:45-7:55 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
12:30-12:45 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
In each group, we will do a quick check-in, a short mindfulness activity and a stretch or yoga pose. You can access the group at this link, or use these instructions to access the link through your student's Clever account.
Trivia Club with Ms. Montgomery
Do you enjoy knowing all kinds of random facts about different things? Come join the fun at our Wildcat Trivia Club! Each week, Ms. Montgomery hosts a lunchtime club where kids can hang out and enjoy lunch while we show what we know about a different theme.
Our topic this week will be trivia from Pokemon! Join me from 11:30 - 12pm on Thursday, February 4th. Bring your lunch and have some fun sharing what you know about Pokemon!
You can find my Bitmoji in your Clever Classroom or follow the steps below OR here is my link if you want to have it handy-
Social Time Munch and Crunch Lunch Clubs
Mr. Kieser hosts lunch groups for Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grades. This is a time for all students in each grade to come together to have lunch, chat and do an activity together. Lunch Group is from 12:00-12:25 on the following days:
Kindergarten-Tuesday
2nd Grade-Thursday
4th Grade-Friday
Use this link or click on Mr. Kieser in your Clever Classroom to access any of Mr. Kieser’s groups:
https://zoom.us/j/5036503078?pwd=czVkb0lSUDdOUDVSeFE1bjB1bkJUQT09
Mrs. Bates hosts lunch groups for 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades. This is a time for all students in each grade to come together to have lunch, chat and do an activity together. Lunch Group is from 12:00-12:25 on the following days:
1st grade-Tuesday
3rd Grade-Thursday
5th Grade-Friday
Use this link or click on Mrs. Bates Zoom Room in your Clever Classroom to access: https://loswego-k12-or-us.zoom.us/j/3737960708
Waste Less Wednesdays
This is an opportunity for 5th grade students to meet and learn with the Lake Oswego High School Green Team. In March, fifth graders will be learning about food waste and its impact in their science classes (March 3-5). They will also continue this learning in Innovation/STEM class with a project focused on helping to decrease food waste. In addition, they will have a chance to meet with the high school green team and learn more. See details below.
February 24, March 3, March 10 (11-11:30 am): Waste Less
Wednesday Adult-supervised meetings over Zoom. Activities will
include high student-led discussions (whole group and breakout
rooms, Kahoots, short videos, etc..)
Topics will include:
● Learn how to perform a home food waste audit;
● Discuss what we know about food waste and its impact
on the environment, as well as strategies for preventing food
waste at home
● Imagine how our food waste data can drive strategies
● Explore how small changes locally can add up to a big
difference
Join Zoom Meeting
https://loswego-k12-or-us.zoom.us/j/83896317784?pwd=UDJLcTJwbUl5WUhRQzdZU0pTMC83Zz09
Westridge School Counseling Family Resources
Dear Westridge Parents,
This year I've had the pleasure of hosting virtual social groups for students. With the upcoming transition to in-person hybrid learning, I will need to make changes to the group schedules. Friday, February 19th will be the last day for the groups that I host. I will publish a new schedule in the newsletter as soon as possible. Gary Kieser, MA, LPC School Counselor Westridge Elementary School 503-534-2371, ext. 3932
Counseling Corner:
Social Emotional Learning-Kindness
Hello Westridge parents! Our theme for February's Social Emotional Learning curriculum is Kindness. These lessons are posted in my Google Classroom every Monday morning. You can find more info on our theme, including great family connection activities and links to my Google Classroom in our February SEL Newsletter.
February 17th Problem-Solving Webinar
As part of our efforts to support you in these challenging times, our School Counselor, Mr. Kieser, is hosting a webinar on strategies for parent/child problem solving strategies on February 17th from 6:00-7:00 pm. This webinar will provide you with concrete tools to reduce stress and build problem solving skills in your child. The Zoom link for the webinar is https://zoom.us/j/5036503078?pwd=czVkb0lSUDdOUDVSeFE1bjB1bkJUQT09
LOSD CARES Website:
LOSD CARES is a Connection and Resilience in Education Series hosted by the LOSD Wellness team of our school counselors, social workers and psychologists. Working with community mental health partners LOSD has developed a workshop series for parents and guardians to support, inform, and empower families on issues surrounding mental health. On January 27th we hosted our first event titled Parenting in a Pandemic: Building Resilience in Children and Adolescents. You can access a recording of the event and related resources at the LOSD CARES website.
Problem Solving Webinar:
On Wednesday, February 17th from 6-7 p.m. our School Counselor, Gary Kieser, will host a webinar called Problem Solving With Your Child: a Collaborative Approach. In this webinar we will cover how problem solving skills are learned, how to handle resistance to problem solving efforts, and ways to involve our children in the process. By the end of this webinar you will have practical tools and resources to help make problems solving a smoother process. If you have any questions, please contact Gary Kieser at kieserg@loswego.k12.or.us. The Zoom link is https://zoom.us/j/5036503078?pwd=czVkb0lSUDdOUDVSeFE1bjB1bkJUQT09
Making Teacher and Class Placement Changes
While 194 families requested a change, our priority has been to limit the impact on other students to the greatest extent possible. As a result of the shifts and reassignments to LO Online, some students who did not request a change may also have a new teacher.
In early March, we will be asking our middle and high school families if they would like to make a change to their learning model for students’ fourth quarter. Please note these changes may result in class changes in their schedule. We are letting our secondary-level families know now so that you may start contemplating your choice.
We know the possibility of changes may be difficult to hear but we are confident students will be in good hands with LOSD teachers. Our learning community is dedicated to providing a warm and welcoming environment for all of our students.
Donating to Westridge PTSO
The Westridge Elementary PTSO (Parent Teacher Student Organization) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization run by parent volunteers. Through parent and community donations, we help to fund field trips, technology, and over 30 school programs each year for the enrichment of Westridge students.
While in the midst of the ongoing COVID pandemic, we find ourselves in an especially unique position this year. Many of our community members have experienced financial hardships as a result of the pandemic. We realize that it may not be viable for your family to donate to our annual fundraiser, and thus, we are not hosting one during this academic year.
While our school year looks quite different this year, the need for resources to enrich the academic experience of each and every student is still very real. Therefore, we are still gratefully accepting donations. If you are in a position to donate and able to take advantage of your employer's corporate matching program, we encourage you to participate in giving. Your donations are incredibly valuable and allow us to support our teachers and students.
Thank you for considering donating to support our Westridge students. If you would like to donate at this time or at any time during the school year, please visit Tinyurl.com/wildcatfund.
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