Westwood Intermediate/Middle School
September 2, 2020 Newsletter
See translation information below / Consulte la información de traducción a continuación.
Happy Wednesday to all of our students and families!
Teachers are back at Westwood and working together to create a fun, safe, positive learning environment. They are engaging in training around safety protocols and reviewing routines and expectations. These are topics teachers will be working with students on during the first few days of school.
Teachers have also started designing the first units of learning. All of our teachers working in the Modified Campus Schedule (hybrid) and Extended Flexible Learning (distance learning) models have been working together to design the learning.
Overviews – What to expect
As we begin the year, we have put together brief, 1-page overviews to help you know what to expect for learning experiences, feedback, and communication as we get under way in each model:
- Grades 2-6: Modified Campus Schedule (Hybrid)
- Grades 7-8: Modified Campus Schedule (Hybrid)
- Kindergarten – Grade 6: Extended Flexible Learning (Distance Learning)
- Grades 7-12: Extended Flexible Learning (Distance Learning)
Teachers and schedules
This Thursday, September 3, after 3 p.m., students and parents will have access to teachers and schedules in Campus Parent Portal:
- Grades 5 and 6 will find their homeroom teacher assignments.
- Grades 7 and 8 students will find their classes they are registered for and classroom schedule. You will notice the schedules look different this year for grades 7 and 8.
- Flex / Lunch time is when students will go to lunch at various times by team.
- The four core classes (English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies) are all scheduled by team. The student schedules are listed with the same content area during the same time for all students on the team. The student will be divided into different groupings throughout the four hour team time to meet their needs as a learner.
- Elective classes are scheduled at the beginning of the day for grade 7 students and at the end of the day for grade 8 students.
Meet and Greet and the First Days of School
Students will be receiving a Meet and Greet video to watch in Schoology from their teacher(s).
We will also use September 10 and September 11 for transitions and orientation. The first day of instruction for all grades will be Monday, September 14.
For grade 5 and grade 7 who are attending in the Modified Campus Schedules (Hybrid) Model will come to school:
- Group A (last names A-L) will come to school September 10
- Group B (last names M-Z) will come to school September 11
- New students in grades 6 and 8 will have a scheduled time to come in for an orientation on September 10 or 11. Counselors will be reaching out to families to schedule the time.
When arriving at school:
- Grade 5 students will be greeted by staff and given a card with their classroom teacher’s name and room number. Staff will escort students to their classrooms where their teacher will greet them.
- Grade 7 students will enter through the main doors and go directly to their first period class. Please print your schedule at home or have a copy on your phone or iPad. If a student does not have a copy of their schedule, printed copies will be available in the locker bay area by alpha. Staff will be in the locker bay area to assist students.
For grade 6 and grade 8 students who are attending in the Modified Campus Schedule (Hybrid) Model will not be in the school building on September 10 and September 11.
- Thursday, September 10 – Students in Group A (Last names A- L) will have live meetings with your teacher(s) online.
- Friday, September 11 – Students in Group B (Last names M – Z) will have live meetings with your teacher(s) online.
For grade 5-8 students who are doing Extended Flexible Learning (Distance Learning)
September 10 and 11 will be used for online meet and greets and other orientation activities with more information coming from your teacher(s).
Students and families have one last long weekend before the start of the school year. I hope you and your family enjoy your time together. We are excited to see our students online and in person.
Tom Larson
Principal
Transportation for the 2020-2021 School Year
Getting to school and home again
Getting to and from school will be a little different as we start the school year as we continue to manage the impacts of COVID-19 in our communities.
Transportation by bus
If your student will be riding the bus, routes and confirmations were posted in Campus Parent Portal on Monday, August 31. That same day, postcards were mailed to homes. If you have questions about bussing, contact transportation@district16.org. View bus riding procedures.
Parent drop off and pick up
Many families have chosen to drive their students to school and home again this fall. In order to ease the flow of traffic and ensure we can meet social distancing guidelines, our buildings will be open earlier prior to school and later after school. Students may be dropped-off and picked-up at any time during this window.
Parents will need to stay in their vehicle and have students exit on the curbside of the vehicle. Staff will be on the curb to greet students and guide them on where to go.
Drop off starting at:
- 7:30 a.m. - Spring Lake Park High School (school starts at 8:10 a.m.
- 7:10 a.m. - Westwood grades 7-8 (school starts at 7:45 a.m.)
- 8 a.m. - Westwood grades 5-6 (school starts at 8:40 a.m.)
- 8:30 a.m. - Woodcrest Spanish Immersion Elementary (school starts at 9:10 a.m.)
- 8:45 a.m. - Centerview, Northpoint and Park Terrace Elementary Schools (schools starts at 9:20 a.m.)
Pick up until:
- 3:30 p.m. - Spring Lake Park High School (school ends at 2:55 p.m.)
- 3 p.m. - Westwood grades 7-8 (school ends at 2:30 p.m.)
- 3:45 p.m. - Westwood grades 5-6 (school ends at 3:15 p.m.)
- 4:15 p.m. - Woodcrest Spanish Immersion Elementary (school ends at 3:45 p.m.)
- 4:30 p.m. - Centerview, Northpoint and Park Terrace Elementary Schools (schools ends at 3:55 p.m.)
When picking up students during these later times you will be asked to call the school office and staff will notify your student(s) that you have arrived.
Supervision will be provided during these times before and after school. Students will have a designated place within the building where they can quietly read, use their devices or catch up on homework. They will be socially distanced and need to wear a mask.
Make sure your child's immunization records are up-to-date
All students in Spring Lake Park Schools must comply with Minnesota Immunization Laws. All immunizations need to be up-to-date, prior to the start of the school year. Students who are not up-to-date on immunizations will receive communication from our nurses in the near future. Minnesota School Immunization Laws require ALL students enrolled in school to be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, hepatitis B, meningitis and varicella.
The only exceptions are:
- A student has had the chickenpox virus
- Medical exemption with paperwork from your provider
- Conscientious exemption with notarized exemption form
If you believe your child's records need to be updated with proof of immunizations, please bring or send these to your school nurse or call for verification. Learn more about immunizations at SLP and find a downloadable immunization form.
Share your Do's and Don'ts for learning at home
In the spring, we all learned a lot while we learned from home. We learned what we can do to learn effectively from home - set up a dedicated workspace, establish a schedule, etc. We also learned what NOT to do.
As we prepare for a fall when almost all students will be learning at home for at least a few days each week, we want to learn from each other. What ideas and insights would you like to share with other SLP students and families to make this fall - and any days we're learning at home - productive, fulfilling and joyful.
Send your tips to communications@district16.org and we'll share our collective list of learning at home do's and don'ts in next week's newsletter.
Technology Toolkit: A one-stop shop for all SLP technology tools
At Spring Lake Park Schools, students and families will utilize a variety of technology tools. Whether you are paying a lunch bill or learning on your school-issued iPad, find technology information you need. Check out the Technology Toolkit page.
SLP Mailing Arriving Soon to your Household
- Visit the PTO Facebook page: Westwood Intermediate and Middle School PTO
- Click here to receive email notifications about Westwood PTO
In case you missed important information from last week's newsletter, check out the topics below and click to learn more.
Translate This Newsletter / Traducir Este Boletín
To translate this newsletter information to another language, please click anywhere on the newsletter to open it in a web browser and at the top of the page, select your language from the dropdown menu.
Para traducir este boletín de noticias a otro idioma, por favor presionen en cualquier lugar del boletín para abrir el boletín en un navegador web y en la parte superior de la página seleccione su idioma del menú.