Weekend Wire
February 9, 2020
WESTWOOD ROADRUNNERS
SUPER HEROES SHOW CHARACTER
FEBRUARY IS FOR CARING
DATES TO NOTE:
02/10--XPloration
02/11--Kids Heart Challenge Jump Rope Event
02/11--School Council Spirit Day--Wear red or pink
02/13--Twice Upon a Book Event
02/14--Friday Flag
02/17-02/21--February Break-- NO SCHOOL
02/24--Box Tops & Monetary donations due
02/29--Foundation Gala
Welcome Dr. Nelson!!
2020-2021 Enrollment and Continuing Registration
Continuing Student Registration will again be conducted online with some paper forms that require ink signatures to turn in to our school for registration to be complete. The online registration for 2020-2021 will be available at the end of April or the beginning of May. TK/K enrollment will be by appointment again this year and appointment scheduling will open at the end of April. Again, please review required documents and immunization requirements on our district website to be prepared. ALL immunization requirements should be completed PRIOR to enrollment. Schedule those doctor appointments now for immunization updates.
For the TK Interest List, please review the information/process on the district website at https://www.powayusd.com/en-US/Departments/Learning-Support/Enrollment/Transitional-Kindergarten
A Message From Our Middle Schools:
All middle schools are now required to check immunizations for all incoming 6th graders. In an effort to reduce your wait times at middle school registration, we are providing you this information so that you can get this information updated during this current school year.
Immunization requirements for all incoming 6th graders:
In addition to DPT (5 doses) and Polio (4 doses) and Hepatitis B (3 doses), your student must have MMR (2 doses both on or after their 1st birthday), and 2 Varicella. If your student had the chicken pox disease you must have a written medical exemption form completed and signed by the doctor to fulfill the varicella requirement.
COUNSELING CORNER
If you or anyone in your home is struggling with emotions, energy level, focus or productivity then you might want to consider the simple act of going outdoors for a brisk walk or even try to bring a little bit of what we find outside into your indoor environment.
Research consistently shows that increasing exposure to daylight reduces blood pressure and improves mood, alertness and productivity - both in children and adults. Employees who sit near windows report higher energy levels and tend to be more physically active both in and out of the office. And in a study of elementary schools, students in classrooms with the most daylight advanced as much as 26 percent faster in reading and 20 percent faster in math over the course of a year. Hospital patients assigned to sunnier rooms were discharged sooner and required less pain medication than those in rooms with less light.
Sunlight helps to regulate our circadian rhythm (the twenty-four clock that determines our energy levels) and it also modulates our immune system and influences levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate emotions.
School children in Finland have a mandatory 15 minute outdoor break every hour of every day. Fresh air, nature and movement breaks are considered engines of learning. Once this 15 minute outdoor break each hour was implemented, Finnish students improved in academics and behavior, quite dramatically. A school in Fort Worth, Texas was so impressed with the results in Finland that they started giving students four 15 minute outdoor breaks per day and educators reported that it improved both focus and behavior in children.
And while we may think that if a student sits near a window in class it might be distracting, research has actually shown that outdoor views improve students' attention while also decreasing stress. Views of natural settings let the eyes rest and refocus between periods of staring at screens or work materials and have what researchers call a "micro-restorative effect" on our minds, relieving fatigue and refreshing our ability to concentrate. Not surprisingly, studies show that employees who sit near a window report better overall health and job satisfaction.
Even small doses of nature can have significant effects. Just adding a few plants to a windowless room has been shown to decrease research subjects' blood pressure, improve their attention and productivity and prompt more generous behavior toward others.
So if emotions are running high after school or a battle over homework is ensuing, take a break and get outdoors and soon everyone will be feeling much better.
LCAP SURVEY 2020
Dear Families,
This weekend we launched our new District wide survey through Thoughtexchange. We’ve had 30 thoughts shared by our school so far. Thank you to everyone who has already participated.
If you haven’t had a chance yet, click here to participate. https://my.thoughtexchange.com/#p915330432
If you have already shared your thoughts, please return and add stars to the new thoughts that have been added since you participated. That will help us understand what’s most important to the group.
Your input is really important to us so we can set District goals and budget priorities to support our mission in providing college, career, and life readiness to all students.
Participation will be open until February 14, 2020
SCHOOL BOND MEASURE
Westwood Elementary's Teacher of the Year
Westwood Elementary's Classified Employee of the Year
Check It!
Before School Reading Program Ends
WWES Scholastic Book Fair
HEALTH OFFICE NOTES
New Immunization Regulations
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We would like all of our families to be aware of the new immunization regulations set forth by the California Department of Public Health that were effective in July, 2019. Parents and guardians are required to show vaccine records for all newly admitted students in TK/K through 12th grade, students advancing to 7th grade, and any student enrolling at a new campus (i.e. elementary to middle school and/or middle to high school). California schools are required to verify that students have received the specified number of doses for each vaccine; MMR, Varicella, DTaP, Polio, and Hep B . Additionally, temporary and permanent medical exemptions must also meet specified criteria for any missing vaccine and/or to show proof of history of Varicella disease. For more information about immunization dosages, frequently asked questions, and/or medical exemption requirements, please visit www.shotsforschool.org or contact your district resource nurse at (858) 521-2812.
If your child is missing any of the required vaccines or has a personal belief waiver that will be expiring, please provide an up-to-date immunization record at your earliest convenience to the health technician at your school site. This will help to prevent any delays during the Spring enrollment period.
Respectfully,
PUSD Health Services Team
FOUNDATION
SAVE THE DATE!
Don’t miss out on this fun night!
Get your tickets before they’re gone.
The Westwood Elementary Foundation’s Main Event of the year is coming up soon.
It’s a leap year party on February 29th at the Country Club of Rancho Bernardo.
BOX TOPS
Congratulations to Mrs. Barton's Kindergarten class for earning the most Box Tops/monetary donations for the month of January! They have earned a free kid’s cone from Baskin Robbins in 4S Ranch, a Super Recess (extra 10 minutes on the playground) and the traveling trophy presented to the class by Ms. Mikels!!!
1st Semester Box Tops winners are in!!! This includes Box Tops clippings, digital earnings and monetary donations from September to January.
1st place collecting 958 is Mrs. Barton's class!! They will be receiving a class PIZZA PARTY!!!
2nd place collecting 633 is Mrs. Gravin's class!! They will be receiving Rubio's certificates good for a free kid’s meal.
3rd place collecting 576 is Mrs. Williams class!! They will be receiving Wendy's certificates good for a free kid’s meal.
Keep up the fantastic work roadrunners!! Thank you for your dedication towards the Box Tops program here at Westwood Elementary!
SHOPAROO
The top 3 leaders on Shoparoo for January are:
El Pe with 825 roo points
Satoka Barnes with 735 roo points
Dani Grady with 695 roo points
Each winner can choose one of the following prizes:
Golden Spoon certificate good for a free mini yogurt
Baskin Robbins coupon good for one free kid's cone
Rubio's certificate good for a free kid’s meal
Wendy's certificate good for a free kid’s meal
PTA
TWICE UPON A BOOK
MULTI-CULTURAL FAIR
The Multi Cultural Fair is looking for participants to take part in the MCF Traditional Costume Parade please fill out the form and return to the PTA box or to your teacher.
About Us
Principal
Email: kholmes@powayusd.com
Website: https://powayusd.com/en-US/Schools/ES/WWES/Home
Location: 17449 Matinal Road, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: 858-487-2026