Westside Elementary
April 2024 Newsletter
Important Dates
April
- 1st: NO SCHOOL
- 4th: PTO Meeting in Westside Library - 6:30pm (rescheduled from March)
- 5th: Spirit Day - Wear Panther Apparel
- 17th: Kindergarten Roundup.
- 17th: NO SCHOOL for Kindergartners
- 19th-22nd: NO SCHOOL
- 23rd-26th: MAPs/NSCAS testing
- 29th: PTO Meeting in Westside Library - 6:30pm
May
- 3rd: Spirit Day - Wear Panther Apparel
- 3rd: Westside Carnival 5:30-7:30pm
- 6th-10th: Teacher Appreciation Week
- 10th: 4th Grade Track Meet
Spring is here!
Families,
We are staring the end of the school year in the face. The last seven weeks will go super fast. Having said that, we have a lot to accomplish before summer. The biggest of which is our spring MAPS and NSCAS testing. Testing will occur from April 23rd to April 26th. (Some of our Resource students will start earlier.) Please help us out by having your child well rested, fed, and to school on time. (Or to school early enough to eat breakfast here.) This is a super critical time for us. We place a lot of focus and make academic decisions based on the testing results.
Happy April!
Mr. Lichty
Solar Eclipse
Parents,
We will be viewing the Solar Eclipse on Monday April 8th. The school will be providing protective glasses for the Eclipse.
All students were given a consent form that gives permission for them to participate. Any student that does not have a consent form returned, will not be allowed to participate in the activity and will stay inside. Please return all consent forms by Friday April 5th.
Thank you
Mr. Lichty
Parents:
If you have a child who will reach the age of 5 on or before July 31 of this year, they are eligible to start Kindergarten next fall. A child who will be 6 years old before January 2025 is required to be enrolled in school.
We are limited to 25 students per classroom in Kindergarten. If we are full, any overflow students will go to a different school. To avoid that situation, please contact Penny as soon as possible to register your incoming Kindergartner for next year. We will need a completed census (enrollment) form (can pick up at Westside office) and a copy of your child’s birth certificate. Enrollment is not official until both of those documents are received.
Information regarding Kindergarten Roundup on April 17th is below.
Please call the office at 402-644-2561 with any questions or to request paperwork.
There will be NO SCHOOL for our Kindergartners on April 17th due to our Roundup.
Summer School
Families,
Summer School notes went home this week for our Priority 2 students. If you received an invitation to Summer School, please return the bottom portion of the invitation by Friday April 5th. We need it returned with either a yes or no checked as your decision. Please see to it that the form is returned on time. Thank you!
Mr. Lichty
Middle School registration for 4th graders
Bucket Fillers of the Month
For the month of March we focused on Behavior Expectations in the area of the Restroom.
I also included a few photos from our Minute to Win It game.
Minute to Win It Game: Stick the Landing
February Birthdays
Westside Carnival
The Westside Carnival is coming!
May 10th from 5:00pm-7:00pm.
The Carnival will run similar to last year with the event being held inside Westside Elementary. Be on the lookout for a sign up genius for helpers. Also, we will be asking for donations again. That info will be coming in the next couple of weeks.
Lost and Found
If you have noticed a few pieces of clothing missing from your child, it could be sitting in our Lost and Found. Please encourage your child to look through the items we have found. We will also have the Lost and Found items out for your viewing pleasure at our Carnival.
All New Loyalty Day Experience
Families,
The VFW has made an adjustment to our Loyalty Day activities. In the past we had a parade downtown and students could walk in the parade with their school. That is no longer happening. Now Loyalty Day will be more of an event at the Norfolk VFW building with games and activities. See the flyer below.
(Sorry, they didn't send one in Spanish)
Seesaw guidelines
Families,
We utilize Seesaw exclusively for our communication between home and school.
However, if you have any messages or appointment information for your child, please call the office at 402-644-2561. Penny will take down your information and make sure it gets to the proper people. As you can imagine, teachers are busy working with their students and will likely miss a message that needs to be delivered.
On the subject of contacting teachers, we love to utilize Seesaw for contact with families. However, please do not expect a response outside of school hours. Teachers are encouraged to avoid emails and Seesaw when not on duty. We want them to enjoy their time with their families. It is possible they may message you in the evening, though, it is not the expectation.
Also, please give them grace if they happen to check a message and forget about it. There are so many distractions in the course of a day, it is easy to forget about returning a message or checking on a request. It is always a good idea to follow up if you don't hear back in 48 hours. (excluding weekends)
Thank you for your understanding.
Mr. Lichty
Westside Social Media
Westside Twitter page. (maintained by Westside Elementary)
Westside Facebook page. (maintained by Westside PTO)
Drug free zone
Free and Reduced Lunch Applications still need to be filled out!
If you qualified for free or reduced priced lunches in the past (in the Norfolk Public Schools), you must fill out a new application every year. However, you may have had a new application mailed to you with info already filled in to make the task easier. Kindergarten and new students to the district will need to fill out a new form. If you have multiple students in our district, your family will only need to fill out one packet. If you lost your form, you can fill out a new one as well. Please fill these and all other forms out completely and remember to sign and include all Social Security numbers. This paperwork is also used for other programs and purposes like fee waivers for activity cards and fees for athletics participation.
Westside Calendar
https://www.norfolkpublicschools.org/calendars/
7:50 am - All students go to the blacktop in the back of the school. Breakfast served in gym.
8:05 am - Tardy bell rings
3:15 pm - Dismissal bell rings (M, T, Th, F)
2:00 pm - Dismissal bell rings (W)
Change of Information
If you have had a change of address, phone number, or place of employment, please send a note or contact the office at 402-644-2561 so we can keep our emergency information updated. This is for the safety of our students.
Thank you!
Classroom Rules
Prepackaged Treats
The safety of our children is of utmost importance. We have many students with a wide range of severe, life threatening allergies to various food products. To keep our children safe we are asking that any food products that are brought into the classroom as treats are prepackaged items with ingredients listed.
Thank you for your support in keeping our kids safe.
Toys, Trading Cards, Etc.
A little humor...
Fox Trot by Bill Amend
Westside Elementary School
Email: TracyLichty@npsne.org
Website: http://www.norfolkpublicschools.org/schools/westside-elementary/
Location: 1703 Phillip Avenue, Norfolk, NE, United States
Phone: (402) 644-2561
Twitter: @WestsideElem