GATOR GAZETTE
Westgate Elementary Monthly Newsletter
Febuary 7, 2020
Office/Attendance 402-390-6495
mininni.patricia@westside66.net
Preschool/Club 402-390-8202
February
11 - CC Mtg. & Parent Advisory 6pm
14 - Spring Parties 2:30pm
17 - President's Day - NO SCHOOL
March
2 - Dr. Seuss Breakfast Westgate Gym 8am
5 - Spring Pictures 9am
6 - Book Fair/ Art Fair 5:30-7pm
6-11 Scholastic Book Fair
9-11 Parent/Teacher Conference Mon, Wed. 4-8pm
13 - Intersession - NO SCHOOl (Fri.)
16 - 6th grade Strings and Solo and Ensemble Night 6:30pm @ WMS PAC
26 - District 5/6 Band-o-rama Concert WHS @ 7pm
31 - 2020 Festival of Music 6th grade @ WHS 7pm
String Concert Date Change
Sixth Grade String Parents - please note that the date of our Solo and Small Ensemble performance opportunity has been changed from Feb. 18 to Monday, March 16. The event will be held at Westside Middle School at 6:30. More information from your strings teachers will be emailed to you. Please let your strings teacher know if you have any questions!
Strike up the band because our BAND-O-RAMA EXTRAVAGANZA is quickly approaching! Band-o-rama will feature our district wide fifth grade, sixth grade, seventh grade band students as well as our award winning WHS Concert Jazz Band! Students will have a rehearsal during the school day for this event on March 26 and the concert will be the same day at 7:00 pm at Westside High School. Detailed information will be sent home about this concert as the date approaches. For now, please mark your calendars and make this evening a priority for your entire family. Please let your child's band teacher know if you have any questions!
Making an Apology
Getting the Teacher's Attention
Accepting "No" for an Answer
Asking Permission
Expectations for February
Bathroom
Playground/Indoor Recess
Cafeteria
Assemblies
Attendance Alert
Studies show that chronic absenteeism is a red alert that students are headed for academic trouble and eventually for dropping out of high school. Chronic absenteeism: students who miss a total of 18 days of the entire school year.
Fact: Only 17 % of students absent 10% or more of the school year in Kindergarten and 1st grade can read at grade level after the 3rd grade.
Partner with us in increasing attendance and bring your child one step closer to realizing their UNLIMITED potential!
Here are some helpful tips you can use to help your child come to school on time every day.
- Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
- Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
- Don’t let your child stay home unless she is truly sick.
- If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, the school counselor, or other parents for advice on how to make him/her feel comfortable.
- Develop some backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent.
- Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.
Polar Plunge
“Polar Plunge is Coming” it’s time to #BeBoldGetCold to support Special Olympics Nebraska and Westside Unified. February 8th is the Omaha Polar Plunge, put on by Special Olympics Nebraska. Westside Unified will be represented with a team of “Polar Plungers” and funds raised and designated for the Westside Unified Team will be used to support the Unified Activities programs in Westside Community Schools such as our K-8 Unified Activities Program, WHS Unified Bowling, WHS Unified Track, WHS Sparkles, and much more. With your support, we hope to continue to expand these opportunities across our district and community.
You can show your support in several ways…
Join us to Plunge (we are requesting Polar Plungers be 16+yrs old, be sure to join the Westside Unified Team if signing up)
Join us to Cheer and Support - Join us at Lake Zorinsky on Feb 8th to cheer on the team!
Make a Donation - Click here to make a donation to the Westside Unified Team
Unified Activities - Unified Bowling
What Are Unified Activities?
The Special Olympics Unified Schools Program is a fast growing initiative that brings students with and without intellectual disabilities together.
Westside Community Schools is excited to offer our next Unified Activity this year, Unified Bowling.
Where: Mockingbird Lanes, 4870 S 96th St, Omaha, NE 68127
When: Feb 24th, 2020 - 4pm-6pm
What: A bowling event unlike any other! Come and enjoy a free game and shoes sponsored by Westside Unified Special Olympics.
RSVP Needed for Participation
If you and your child(ren) are interested in participating, please complete the RSVP Form. This helps us plan for how many to expect at the event. https://tinyurl.com/WCSUAR1920
Enrollment Information
Student In-District Transfer Requests for the 2020-2021 School Year
If you are a District resident who would like your K-6 child(ren) to attend an elementary school other than the school that serves your attendance area for next school year, you must submit a completed In-District Transfer (IDT) Request form to the Office of Student Services for review.
The District gives priority to families living within the District prior to placing Option Enrollment applicants who reside outside the District. We must receive a Student In-District Transfer Request form no later than 4:00 p.m. on March 15, 2020, for your request to be considered prior to our placement of Option Enrollment students.
IDT forms are available at the ABC Building and our District website. . An IDT request form must be completed for any child starting kindergarten next year who has one or more siblings currently attending a school outside their home attendance area. Transfers are approved or denied based on available space and other resources. If you have questions about the in- district transfer process, please call the Welcome Center at 402-390-2100.
Kindergarten Enrollment for District Residents: February 15th - March 15th
Do you live in the District and have a child who will be ready for Kindergarten this fall? Do you know of other Westside residents with children who will be ready to start school in August?
Kindergarten enrollment for 2020-2021 begins February 15th, 2020. Parents of eligible students should go to westside66.org to begin the enrollment process as early as possible on or after February 15th.
Students entering kindergarten for 2020-2021 must be five years old by July 31, 2020. Parents may opt to hold their children out of kindergarten for an additional year. However, Nebraska state law mandates that a child who reaches six years of age prior to January 1 of the then-current school year must be enrolled in school.
If you have questions, you may call the Westside Welcome Center at 402-390-2100.
Requirements for Early Admission to Kindergarten
In accordance with Nebraska Statute 79-214, the Westside Community Schools allows for admission of children residing in the District as early entrance kindergarteners through a locally designed testing program. Children of District residents who wish to be tested for early entrance must turn five between August 1 and October 15, 2020. For further information regarding early entrance to kindergarten, please call 402-390-3303.
Kindergarten Enrollment for Non-District Residents
If you live outside the District and have a child eligible for kindergarten who has a sibling currently attending a Westside elementary school through the Option Enrollment program, you must submit an Option Enrollment Application. Westside’s Office of Student Services must receive Option Enrollment Applications no later than 4:00 p.m. on March 15, 2020. The application form is available at the ABC Building (909 S. 76th Street) and our district website.
Under Option Enrollment statutes, first priority for admission is given to siblings who seek to attend in the District where an older sibling is already enrolled, provided an Option Enrollment form is submitted by March 15 and provided that there is space available in a requested building and grade level. In you have questions, you may call Julie Fumagalli at 402-390-2107.
If you click on the Titles below, it will take you to the form you need.
Enrolling NEW District student(s) for 2020-21:
Click here to be contacted once online enrollment link is available.
Student In-District Transfer Request
#WorkAtWestside
Registration for our Preschool/Pre-K programs.
9th Annual Westside Soccer Pancake Feed and Youth Soccer Clinic
Monthly Reminders
2nd - Tuesday of every month Community Club Mtg. 6pm
3rd - Saturday of every month 11am-9pm
Lunch Menus, Accounts & Free/Reduced Meal Applications All Online
Westside's award-winning Nutrition Services Team is dedicated to quality, nutritious meals for our learners throughout our buildings. We encourage you to CLICK HERE and save this link for access to daily menus at our elementary schools, Westside Middle School, and Westside High School. You can also fill out the Free/Reduced Meal Application, and load your child's MySchoolBucks account.