What's Up, Westies?! - Update #19

Students at West are taught about growth mindset, and how the brain can be developed like a muscle through putting forth effective effort.

Time, Persistence, Resourcefulness, Commitment, Focus and Feedback are qualities that we want to nurture and reinforce in every student.

Each week, teachers can nominate students for showing effective effort. All students nominated receive a certificate, and on Fridays, we draw two winners out of all of the nominees. Those two students receive a certificate, a West Elementary Effective Effort t-shirt, and "VIP" status on the following Monday!

Our students celebrated Kindness Week in many different ways this week, but we see evidence of kindness throughout our school everyday!

Food Backpacks for Kids is a non-profit community outreach program. There are families within our community which, for a number of reasons, aren’t able to completely maintain food supplies for their family. The Food Backpacks for Kids Program offers supplemental food for nutritious meals and snacks for children over their weekends and extended breaks. This program is free of charge and confidential. If you register for this program, bagged non-perishable food is discreetly distributed to your child’s backpack/locker. The supplemental food will be sent home on the last school day before the weekend or school break. If your child could benefit from this program, we encourage you to sign them up by filling the form out attached and returning it to the West office. Only one form is needed for your whole family.

Once your child is signed up, they will receive a bag of supplemental food each week for the rest of the school year or until there is no longer a need.

Please return the form below in a sealed envelope marked “FOOD BACKPACKS – Martha Deusser, Main Office." Or you may scan and email it back. Questions? Please contact Martha Deusser, Principal at West Elementary School mdeusser@plymouth.k12.ma.us or 508-830-4350.

We are happy to bring back "WESTIE AWARD" assemblies!

Our "WESTIE" acronym describes traits and qualities that we want our students to demonstrate during all parts of their school day: on the bus and in the hallways, in the classroom, in the cafeteria and at recess, or during assemblies and field trips.

Each month corresponds to a letter in the acronym, and each class will nominate a student who stands out in showing that trait.

January's trait is "E - Empathetic"

As long as temperatures allow us to safely send students outside, we make sure to get outside for recess whenever possible.

In the event there is snow on the ground, we block off the bus loop and use the blacktop for recess. If a student has appropriate footwear (snow boots) and snow gear (snow pants, etc.), they will be allowed to play in the snow.

As a reminder, your child should STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL with any of the following symptoms:

• fever greater than 100.0

• vomiting

• diarrhea (3 or more watery loose stools)

• persistent coughing

• any new rash with fever

• skin lesions with drainage that cannot be contained with a bandage

• diagnosed infections: strep throat, impetigo and conjunctivitis.

Your child may RETURN TO SCHOOL after an illness when:

• no fever for 24 hours WITHOUT on any medication (such as tylenol or ibuprofen)

• no vomiting in 24 hours

• no diarrhea in 24 hours

• on medication for a diagnosed infection (strep, impetigo, conjunctivitis) for 24 hours.

Please contact the health office at 508-830-4357 with any questions.

Attending school is mandatory. Students who are absent from school miss out on key learning opportunities as well as opportunities to grow socially. If your child is sick, it is important that you call the school to tell them, or enter it into Pickup Patrol.

Regular attendance in all classes is essential to the learning process and helps to establish good student work habits. Therefore, students are expected to be in attendance every day of the school year. Parents/guardians have a legal responsibility to ensure that their child or children are in attendance each day school is in session.