West Elementary School
SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
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Our Pop! Step it Up!
Thank you for helping your student use their awesomeness to help others! We are grateful for all of the support and participation in our Step It UP! program so far. We've already raised over $37,000! Wow, thank you West Families! The Pop fun will continue this week! We have already earned some fabulous incentives: Bubble party at recess & Mrs. Klinsky and Mrs. Cruz will dye their hair blue for the Day of Awesomeness, and a snow cone party for the whole school! Our Day of Awesomeness is October 7th. Parents are welcome to attend. It will take place outside on the playground. The times are broken up by grade levels. Please see the times below:
9:10-10:10 First and Second Grades
10:15-11:15 Third and Fifth Grades
1:20-2:20 Kindergarten and Fourth Grade
If you would like to make a donation yourself, there is still time. Just click on this link: https://app.pop4kids.org/westelem60014. All online and cash/check donations are due by 10/4/2022. Please turn in cash and check donations in an envelope, with your students’ name on it, to the main office. Please make checks payable to West PTO. Thank you again for everything you are doing to make this Step It UP! program a HUGE success!
District 47 Parent Communications Survey
Volunteers Needed
Volunteers Needed for the Day of Awesomeness
- Session 1 (9:00-10:15) - 1st & 2nd Grade
- Session 2 (10:00-11:20) - 3rd & 5th Grade
- Session 3 (1:05-2:30) - Kindergarten & 4th Grade
Volunteers Needed for Halloween Parties on 10/31
We are in need of more volunteers for our upcoming Halloween parties. Please check if your child’s class is in need of help. You can sign up for a second party if you wish! Click on this link to sign up!
Classroom Party Volunteer Spots are NOW Open!
Click on this link and choose between Halloween, Winter or Valentine's Day to volunteer. Please read the descriptions for Party Planner/Party Volunteer and the Party Packet before signing up. Reminder: In order for all to have a chance to help with parties, we kindly ask you sign up for one party slot per classroom. As we get closer to an event and a class is still in need of volunteers, we will communicate the opportunity to sign up for an additional party.
Volunteers Needed for the "PAWS R US" Store
The PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System) at West has a "Paws R Us" store where kids can spend their earned "Paw Prides". There are many options for students to collect and spend Paw Prides such as being first in the lunch line, helping our custodian, reading to another class, etc. We're looking for volunteers to work the store one Friday each month from 11:00-1:30 pm. Parent volunteers will collect student's Paw Prides and help them make their selections. Mrs. Cruz will lead a training session on Wednesday, September 28th at 11:00 am. Group 1 volunteers start Sept. 30th and Group 2 volunteers start Oct. 14th. To become a volunteer, first visit this link to complete the volunteer application and then sign up here to volunteer.
Picture Day - 9/29
Our Color Portraits picture day is scheduled for Thursday, September 29th. Click on this link to see the Color Portraits Order Form.
Parent Night Out - Oct. 6th, 7-9 PM
FREE EVENT at Crystal Lake Brewing! On Thursday, October 6th from 7-9 pm, come meet other parents from West for a fun night out.
Food is not sold at the brewery, however you can bring your own! (Georgio’s Pizza or Fork It Grazing Boxes are great ideas.) Also, the Biker Dude food truck (smash burgers) will be on site. There will be raffle prizes and a 50/50 raffle!
West Happenings- September/October
- 9/29 - Picture Day
- 9/30 - PBIS: Class Sprit Day
- 10/4 - LAST DAY FOR POP! FUNDRAISER DONATIONS
- 10/6 - Parent Night Out - Crystal Lake Brewing 5-9 PM
- 10/7 - POP! Fundraiser DAY OF AWESOMENESS!
- 10/11 - Bubble Party at Recess 11 AM - 1:30 PM
- 10/11 - WPO Meeting at 7 PM
- 10/10 - No School - Columbus Day
- 10/13 - Family Library Night 6:30-7:30 PM
- 10/19 - Lou Malnati's Food Fundraiser 11 AM - 9 PM
- 10/19 - Early Release at 2 PM
- 10/21 - PBIS: Show and Tell Day
- 10/31 - Halloween Parade & Party 2- 3:30 PM
Elevate Staff Recognition Program
District 47's Elevate program recognizes District 47 employees who uphold and exemplify the district’s mission, vision and core values and who are making a difference in the lives of our students, schools and community. Any District 47 staff member is eligible for recognition and anyone (students, staff, parents and community members) can submit a nomination. Nominations are now open for the November 2022 recognition. Visit the D47 website at www.d47.org/elevate to learn more!
ParentVue
IMPORTANT: Parents, if you have not logged into ParentVue this year or have forgotten your password, please try to log in to ensure you have access. If you have forgotten your password, click the Forgot Password button. You may also contact the school main office or email hd@d47.org for assistance.
OLSAT and NNAT Assessments for 3rd and 5th Grade
Between October 3rd-October 21st, third and fifth grade students at all District 47 elementary schools will take the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT 8) or the Naglieri Nonverbal Test (NNAT). The OLSAT, a widely used measure of abstract thinking and reasoning ability, assesses students’ verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal skills. This year, the OLSAT test will be administered online (rather than paper/pencil) and will take approximately one hour. Teachers use test results to assess students’ learning strengths, predict success in school, and assist in the identification process for admission to the district's extended curriculum program. Based on language proficiency, some English Language Learner students may benefit from participating in the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) rather than OLSAT. Such determinations are made by individual school teams. The NNAT is a nonverbal measure of cognitive ability and reasoning used in the identification of gifted and talented students. This year, the NNAT will be administered online (rather than paper/pencil) and will take approximately 30 minutes. Additional information about specific OLSAT or NNAT assessment dates may be provided by your child’s teacher. Please contact the school should you have additional questions regarding OLSAT or NNAT assessments.