Weekend Wire
August 30, 2020
WESTWOOD ROADRUNNERS
Roadrunners, We Are Proud of YOU!
DATES TO NOTE:
09/01-- TK/Kindergarten Back to School Night 4:30
09/01--Materials Distribution (including Chromebooks)
09/02-- Materials Distribution (including Chromebooks)
09/02 -- First Day of School--VIRTUAL ONLY
09/08-- SPEECH Back to School Night 5:30
09/09-- Third Grade Back to School Night 4:30
09/09-- RSP Back to School Night 5:30
09/10 --First Grade Back to School Night 4:30
09/10-- Fourth Grade Back to School Night 5:30
09/15-- Fifth Grade Back to School Night 4:30
09/15-- Second Grade Back to School Night 5:30
Happy New Year!
We are so excited to get started and "see" our kids again! We hope we have covered all of the necessary information in this wire. We have been working feverishly to get everything ready and support students in the best way possible. Teachers returned to work this Friday - but have worked all summer together to ensure a great learning opportunity for students. Please join me in thanking them as you meet them during materials distribution. Please see schedule below for materials distribution as well as Back to School Night. As you can imagine, everything must be done differently this year. Thank you for your patience and support in trying to ensure staff and student safety - as well as offering a personal touch where we can.
This year you will receive an email on Monday afternoon notifying you of your child's teacher. Please be sure to make a note of it as you will pick up your child's materials from your new teacher. Please create a sign for your car with the teacher's name an your child's first name. Place the sign in the window. Teachers wanted time to say hello to each student and / or family in person as we start virtually. We realize this may be less convenient. However, we hope you understand our intention is to make connections.
Back to School Night will be done virtually as well. Teachers will be sending you a link to join them.
Back to School Nights will all be virtual this year. The schedule is as follows:
9/1 Kindergarten 4:30
9/8 SPEECH 5:30
9/9 Third Grade 4:30
9/9 RSP 5:30
9/10 First Grade 4:30
9/10 Fourth Grade 5:30
9/15 Fifth Grade 4:30
9/15 Second Grade 5:30
All the best,
Jennie Mikels, Principal
Student Planners for 4th and 5th Graders
Each year our 4th and 5th grade students refine their organizational skills and become more prepared for Middle School by using Student Planners.
Planners will be given to every 4th & 5th grader at their Distribution Day. In order for us to continue to provide planners to our students at a reduced cost, we are asking for a voluntary contribution* of $5.00 per student.
If you wish to contribute, please bring $5.00 cash when you come for materials distribution.
* A donation is not required to participate in any school activity.
Classroom Supply Lists
Materials Distribution
REGISTRATION PAPERWORK
If you did not turn in paperwork last year for Continuing Student Registration, please bring it to the Materials Distribution on September 1st & 2nd. We will have a spot to collect all of the paperwork. If you do not remember if you turned in paperwork, please turn it in again.
Here are the forms needed:
ALL: Signature Verification Form
NEW STUDENTS & 4TH GRADERS: Student Health Form
5TH GRADERS: Healthy Kids Survey
STUDENTS CHECKING OUT CHROMEBOOKS: Chromebook AgreementClass Lists
Back to School Night
Back to School Nights will all be virtual this year. The schedule is as follows:
9/1 Kindergarten 4:30
9/8 SPEECH 5:30
9/9 Third Grade 4:30
9/9 RSP 5:30
9/10 First Grade 4:30
9/10 Fourth Grade 5:30
9/15 Fifth Grade 4:30
9/15 Second Grade 5:30
A link will be sent to families before the scheduled Back to School Night
Counseling Corner
Welcome to the 2020-21 school year Westwood families! For those of you who are new to Westwood, my name is Teresa Zucchet and I am the school counselor and during a typical school year, I am on campus two days per week. This year I am thrilled to have a wonderful counseling intern, Teodora Dillard, working with me. Teodora and I are here to support all Westwood families throughout the year.
None of us have ever started a school year like this before. Like all of you, I am also a parent - my son (who is beginning his first year of high) and my daughter (beginning her senior year of high school) have both started the school year virtually much to their disappointment. These are very unique times and if we have learned anything in the past several months, it is that the weeks and months ahead are bound to be somewhat unpredictable. That can be an unsettling feeling for many kids and adults who aren’t comfortable with uncertainty and change. With that in mind, I thought I would offer two tips for how to help our children navigate this first month of school.
As our children transition to a new school year it is helpful to remember that we should always start from a place of empathy. Often when kids are exhibiting uncomfortable emotions, well intentioned adults will deny, dismiss or ignore a child’s feelings in the hopes that it will make the feelings go away. A parent might see that a child is frustrated with zoom classes and say, “You don’t need to feel so upset. Let’s go get some ice cream!” Or perhaps a child begins to cry and the parent says, “You’re overreacting. There’s no need to cry about this.” Or, the parent says nothing and just tries to distract the child saying something like, “Hey! Let’s play a board game!” When we do this, the feelings stay stuck inside the child and the child does not learn how to regulate their emotional world.
What is most helpful at a time like this is to acknowledge the child’s emotions and put a name to the feeling. For instance, we might say something like, "David, I see that you are really frustrated right now. Distance learning can be really difficult at times. I bet you wish that once in a while you had a magic wand and could wave it to make all of your school work magically get finished." A statement like this will help the child feel heard and understood which in turn helps the frustration dissipate much sooner. The child begins to understand their feelings and learns how to manage emotions.
Along with empathy, it is helpful to give our child as much choice as possible. When children have lots of choices it helps them to feel more in control of their world and as a result, they are more likely to be cooperative and less likely to enter into power struggles with adults. This is especially true during transitional times (like the start of a new school year) when kids are having to learn new routines and feel like they are being told what to do all day long (brush your teeth, time for breakfast, log into zoom now, get that math assignment done, etc.). Giving children choice will help them to regain their sense of control over their world. For instance, you could let your child choose if they want to work on the subject they enjoy the least before getting to the subjects they like, or if they might prefer to tackle the difficult subject first. Lots of small choices throughout the day will also go a long way. For instance, would your child like to skip or hop to the bathroom to brush teeth? Would they like to eat lunch at the kitchen table or have a picnic outside? Would they like to pick a song to play while picking up their toys?
Empathy coupled with choice can help keep emotions from building up throughout the day. And, with that said, keep in mind that adjusting to a new routine can take time. Many children struggle a bit at the beginning of a new school year. As parents, we can keep our emotions in check by reminding ourselves that this is temporary and that acclimating to change takes time. Our child will pick up on whether we feel anxious and stressed about how they are doing or calm and confident in our child’s ability to step into this new school year. So take good care of yourselves as well as your children and please feel free to reach out anytime this year to me at the email below should your child be in need of support.
Teresa Zucchet Teodora Dillard
In Wellness,
Teresa Zucchet
Westwood Elementary School Counselor
ENROLL NOW FOR ESS
ESS has a few spaces available for families interested. Our operating hours will be from 11am to 6pm Monday through Friday starting September 2nd. Please Email Robyn Simuong rsimuong@powayusd.com if you are interested in enrolling.
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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WWESRoadrunners