Our instructional school day will start at 8:30 a.m. Doors will be opened at 8:20 a.m. allowing students plenty of time to walk to classrooms, hang up backpacks, check in with teachers and peers, and be ready for those first important words of the day at 8:30 a.m. Give your students every advantage of a successful day by having them here at 8:20 a.m.!

The Omaha Food Bank offers The Backpack Program to students at our school. The Backpack Program provides ingredients for healthy meals for children for the weekend. These meals include protein, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. All of the food is child friendly (no preparation needed) and shelf stable. The food is delivered to the school for children to bring home in a bag on Fridays. In the event that there is no school on a Friday, the bags would be delivered to bring home on the last day of the school week for the entire school year.

If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact Mrs. Boyle at boyle.katie@westside66.net

Mrs. Boyle

PIZZA HUT PIZZA day is on Tuesdays this year! Students may purchase extra slices from their lunch accounts if they have a positive balance in his/her account. Parents, make sure you let your child know whether you want them to have an extra slice. Extra slices are $1.30.

Westside Community Schools continues the implementation of MTSS, which stands for Multi-Tiered System of Supports. MTSS in Westside assures that we regularly monitor student skills and follow-up with providing students what they need to be successful in learning. Beginning in August, this means that we first screen all students to determine their current skill levels and plan our instruction to meet their needs.

What is MTSS? MTSS is a framework for providing instruction and support to promote the academic and behavioral success of all children. Individual children’s progress & skills are measured, and these results are used to make decisions about further instruction and intervention. The MTSS process is flexible and allows for a continuum of supports designed to meet the needs of individual students. This support may be provided in a large or small group by the classroom teacher or other support staff, either within or outside the classroom.

What does this mean for my child? A key component of the MTSS process is that all children receive high quality instruction in their classroom. Universal screenings are brief tests used to measure the progress of all students and are given three times per year. As a result of the screenings, students may be identified as needing some degree of supplemental intervention in addition to the instruction they are receiving in their classroom. If your child is identified as needing intervention you will be notified. Please contact your child’s building principal with questions.

Nebraska Reading Improvement Act: The Nebraska Reading Improvement Act went into effect at the start of the 2019-2020 school year. The goal is that all Nebraska students are able to read at or above grade level by the end of third grade. This is accomplished by ensuring all students have access to high-quality instruction and for struggling readers to receive targeted support (intervention). Our current MTSS framework in Westside Community Schools already allows for us to meet these state requirements. Also, the more students continue to read, review math facts, and write/journal each day at home, in addition to their instruction from school, the more secure their skills may become.

Office personnel will notify parents/guardian when a student needs to be sent home from school due to illness. Conditions requiring a student be sent home include: temperature greater than 100.0°F, vomiting, diarrhea, unexplained rashes, or on determination by the school nurse that the child’s condition prevents meaningful participation in the educational program, presents a health risk to the child or others, or that medical consultation is warranted unless the condition resolves.

Parents should update the office with any emergency daytime phone numbers changes so that parents can be reached if their child becomes ill or is injured while at school. Parents should also inform the School Nurse or Health Assistant of health-related information they feel is important for each child’s safety and success at school.

When is My Child Too Sick for School

Send me to school if...

· I have a runny nose but no other symptoms.

· I haven't taken any fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours and I haven't had a fever during that time.

· I haven't thrown up or had any diarrhea for 24 hours

Keep me at home if...

· I have a temperature higher than 100 degrees even after taking medicine.

· I'm throwing up or have diarrhea.

· My eyes are pink and crusty.

*Have two or more symptoms.

Call the doctor if...

· I have a temperature higher than 100 degrees for more than two days.

· I have been throwing up or have diarrhea for more than two days

· I have the sniffles for more than a week and they aren't getting better.

· I still have asthma symptoms after using my asthma medicine (and call 911 if I'm having trouble breathing after using my inhaler.)

We're excited to share that you can now keep your important Westside and Swanson information right at your fingertips. The Westside Community Schools App is available for both iPhone and Android in the App Store. Using this app allows you to follow important information for our school and district, access calendars, and links to important resources. Be sure to download it and check it out!

CALL:

Office - 402-390-6485

(Available 24 hours a day)

You are welcome to leave a message with your child’s name and reason for the absence