Westwood Intermediate/Middle School
August 24, 2022 - Newsletter
See translation information below / Consulte la información de traducción a continuación.
AUGUST 24, 2022 - NEWSLETTER
Westwood Families,
We are excited to start the school year – and the countdowns have begun:
- Two days until – Find teachers (grades 5-6), schedules (grades 7-8) – Friday, August 26: You will be able to find teachers and schedules in the Campus Parent Portal by the end of the day, Friday, August 26. See these instructions for accessing Campus Parent Portal. Students may have accessed preliminary schedules earlier via blackboard. The Campus Portal reflects final schedules.
- Five days until - Welcome Video posted in Schoology on Monday, August 29. Teachers will post a welcome video in Schoology.
- Six days until - Meet and Greet on Tuesday, August 30: We will host a Meet and Greet event for students and parents to meet the teacher(s) and visit classrooms, Tuesday, August 30. Students in grades 5-6 should bring supplies during this time or on the first day of school. Students in grades 7 and 8 will pick up their schedule and meet their teachers.
- 3–5 p.m. Grade 5 Meet and Greet – Stop in anytime 3-5 p.m. for a special welcome for our fifth graders. Pick up your Westwood swag, meet your teacher, and familiarize yourself with Westwood.
- 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Grades 6, 7, 8 Meet and Greet – Stop in anytime 5:30–7:30 p.m. to meet your teachers and/or walk your schedule. Please bring a copy of your student's schedule or have it available from Campus Parent Portal.
- 13 days until the first day of school on September 6:
- Grades 7 and 8 start at 7:45 a.m.
- Grades 5 and 6 start at 8:40 a.m.
For grades 5 and 6, class lists are built based on the input from staff and parents last spring. Schedules for grades 7 and 8 are built based on student requests. Any requests for changes will go through a request process after our Meet and Greet. There is little flexibility to make class changes.
We are welcoming new staff this week to Westwood:
- Jolene Blood – Behavior Specialist
- Jelani Jillo – Dean of Students
- Yvette Zeece – Social Emotional Behavior Services Provider
- Morgan Courneya – Special Education DCD
- Maddie Saucier – Grade 5 Teacher
- Mika Colson - Psychologist
Please take a few minutes to stay informed and stay connected. The Westwood newsletter has a lot of reminders as we gear up for the start of school. Please let us know if you have questions. Most important, enjoy these last few weeks of summer. We’re excited to see you soon!
Tom Larson
Principal
Updates from the Health office
As we begin the school year, the public health context is, thankfully, quite different than the past two school years. We have and continue to follow guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health and they align to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
COVID-19 related guidance has been significantly relaxed for schools as we enter a new school year. There are a few updates for families:
- Communicate illnesses: Please continue to update the school nurse if your child tests positive for a communicable illness such as flu or COVID-19. The nurse will provide information on return to school. Please stay home if you are sick.
- COVID-19 at-home tests: At-home COVID-19 antigen tests are available in the health office for those who request them. No other testing will be done at school.
- Immunizations and vaccines: Now is the time to make sure your child is up to date on all recommended immunizations. Getting vaccinated is an important tool to keep our students safe and healthy while they are in school. The pandemic has caused a number of disruptions in people’s lives, and many children have fallen behind on getting recommended vaccines. Children and teens can get COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines they need at the same visit. See the Minnesota Department of Health information on vaccines for infants, children and adolescents. See our website for more immunization information.
Find the Spring Lake Park Schools 2022-2023 Safe Return to In-Person Learning Plan online. Access Minnesota Department of Health's website for the latest guidance for schools, child care, parent and caregivers. MDH COVID-19 Public Hotline continues to be available at 1-833-431-2053.
Back to School hub
If you haven't done so already, make sure you check out the Back to School Hub to find important information and resources as you prepare for the year and answers to your frequently asked questions to help you stay on top of your back-to-school to do list.\
Hub highlights:
- School Supply Lists
- Meet and Greet dates and times
- First Day of School signs
- How to prepare your iPad for the new school year
- and more!
First Day of School Signs
We love to see students on the first day of school! Visit the Back to School hub to find downloadable signs. Signs can be printed or pulled up on an iPad screen. Option of English/Spanish, general first day design, or fill in the blank with student's grade and/or name. Don't forget to tag us and use #SLPPantherProud when you post your photos!
"Start Your Engines" - Big Trucks, Food Trucks & Automobiles event
Join us for the first-ever "Start Your Engines" school year kick-off events on Saturday, September 10 from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Spring Lake Park High School.
This family/community event will feature a variety of exhibits with engines – think big trucks, automobiles and recreational vehicles. Lunch from the food trucks is available for purchase. The event is free to attend and no registration is required - just show up!
Featured Food Trucks:
- Café Cairo
- Hockey Mom Brownies
- Pizza Karma
- Turkey King
Other event features:
- We are accepting bike donations from Bikes4Kids
- There will be a booth showcasing all our Community Education fall offerings for youth, families and adults. Make sure to stop by and sign up!
Fall programs available for all!
The start of a new school year brings new and exciting fall Community Education programming options for the entire family! As we kick off the new year, now is the perfect time to explore interests, discover passions, learn a new skill and connect with others within our Panther community. Registration is officially open. Browse and register for a variety of enrichment and learning youth, adult and family opportunities.
Program Highlights of the Week:
Youth:
- Pantherette Petite Dance Clinic (grades K-6): Students are invited to learn a dance routine from the award-winning Spring Lake Park High School Dance Team and perform it at the pre-game of a varsity football game!
- STEM Builders - Drones (grades 5-8): Code & Fly Drones camp allows students to watch their code come to life as they build and program their own drone!
Adult:
- Intro to Bonsai Workshop: Explore the ancient art of bonsai - Your own tree in miniature. This hands-on course will take away the mystique of the ancient art of Bonsai and show you how to create, maintain and shape your own tree.
- Chunky Yarn Knit Blanket: Have you been wanting to make your own Finger Knit Chunky Yarn Blanket? Sign up now and learn how. No experience is needed. The class includes all materials needed to make a body-size throw blanket with personalized 1:1 instruction at Invictus Brewery.
Family:
- Pizza Adventures: Join Jan for a morning of pizza making with your kid! Learn to make great pizzas with crispy crusts, splendid rise, and terrific toppings!
- Mini Cake Fondant Decorating: Are you looking for a creative Autumn activity to do with your child? Have fun learning how to color, roll, and cut colorful fondant into a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
Tuesday, August 30 - Meet and Greet, 3-7:30 p.m. See Principal Points for more details
Tuesday, September 6
- First day of school for grades K-8 and Lighthouse students
- Orientation for grade 9 students and grades 10-12 students new to the high school
Translate This Message / Traducir Este Mensaje
To translate this information to another language, please click anywhere on the message to open it in a web browser and at the top of the page, select your language from the dropdown menu.
Para traducir la información a otro idioma, por favor presionen en cualquier lugar del mensaje para abrirlo en un navegador web y en la parte superior de la página seleccione su idioma del menú.