Words To The Wise
March 2018
PRINCIPALS MESSAGE
Principal's Message
It is March 13 and suddenly spring seems so far away. Gone are those seventy degree days, only to be replaced by wet snow and sleet. The weather has certainly put the brakes on the start of lacrosse and baseball seasons. I guess this allows us all to look forward to the start of the Orioles season and the ability to watch some good college lacrosse in comfortable weather!
Spring proves to be a very busy time for the faculty and staff at Westowne. Winter MAP testing has been completed by all students, the Drama Club has enjoyed their end-of-performance party, and the PTA and teachers put on a great Super Family Literature Night, complete with the Scholastic Book Fair.
Planning for spring events as the office staff prepares for Pre-K and Kindergarten Round Up, Battle of the Books, PARCC Assessments, Pre-K and Kindergarten Conference Days, spring band and chorus concerts, and several grade level field trips.
Thank you to the PTA Executive Board, all PTA members, parent volunteers, and community members who support WES during this very busy time.
Each year there is considerable discussion about placement of children in classes for the next school year. This is a matter that we do not take lightly at Westowne, as we will spend countless hours forming well-balanced classes in which all children will have the opportunity to learn and grow in academic and social skills. Many factors are taken into consideration in this thoughtful process. Classes are organized by clustering reading ability groups so that there is a range of reading abilities within a classroom to allow for groups of students that need opportunities to be challenged, as well as those who need occasional reinforcement of skills. Extreme ranges are avoided, while teacher judgment, classroom performance, test performance, MAP performance, PARCC performance, and learning and teaching styles are all taken into consideration. Additionally, we consider boy/girl ratios, specific necessary services (i.e. speech, ESOL) and student to student chemistry.
As you can imagine, it is not possible to honor specific teacher requests. Based upon current and projected enrollment numbers, we expect some movement of teachers from one grade to another and several teachers new to Westowne.
As new students register, this may also impact student placement. Therefore, although we usually assign students to a particular class at the end of the school year, their placement and teacher may be changed based upon the number of new entrants.
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NURSES NOTES
Greetings from the health suite!
Our school population has been ridden with illness this month.
Please keep your child home for: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or severe upper respiratory symptoms. A fever is a temperature over 100 degrees.
Please do not give your child fever-reducing medication in the morning and then send him/her to school. The medication will wear off at some point, and the fever will return.
Students with fevers will be sent home.
Please do not send your child back to school until fever-free for 24 hours without using a fever-reducing medication (Tylenol/Ibuprofen/Motrin/Advil/Aleve).
Vision and Hearing Screenings were completed on February 20, 2018.
Letters were mailed via the US Postal Service to the parents of the children who did not pass the vision/hearing screening. If you received a failure letter, please take your child and the letter to a vision care professional or a hearing specialist to have a complete examination. The exam at school is a quick screening tool. The exam by the doctor is much more thorough.
Please return the form with the completed exam, signed and dated by the doctor, to the school nurse ASAP, but, definitely by April 15, 2018.
If your child passed the vision/hearing screening, you will not receive a letter.
Please call me at 443-809-0023 with any questions or concerns.
Clothing donations needed!
I am always accepting donations of shirts and elastic-waisted pants and shorts.
I am most in need of boys and girls pants sizes 8-20, but, will accept other sizes.
Clothing for students in PS, PK, or Kindergarten.
If your child is in PS, PK, or Kindergarten, please send in a weather-appropriate change of clothing (including underwear and socks) in a bag labeled with his/her name.
The bag will be kept in the classroom for your child in case of bathroom accidents, spills, vomit, etc. Your child’s clothes will be sent home with your child at the end of the school year.
Thank you!
Nurse Martin
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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT WESTOWNE
BCPS Calendar March & April 2018
March 2018
Thursday March 29, 2018
Third Marking Period Ends
Elementary and Middle School Schools Close 3 Hours Early for Students
High Schools in Session Full Day
Spring break begins at the end of the school day.
Friday March 30, 2018 Schools Closed - Spring Break
April 2018
Monday April 2, 2018 Schools Closed - Spring Break
Tuesday April 3, 2018 Schools Reopen
Thursday April 19, 2018 Distribution of Report Cards