Westridge Wildcat News
May 14, 2021
Save these dates!
5/21 - NO SCHOOL - Grade Prep Day
5/21 - DEADLINE for Virtual Talent Show Submissions
5/24 - District Wide SAC 6pm - 7pm
5/31 - NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
SHOW US YOUR TALENT!
Westridge is “Virtually Talented” The Sequel: 2021
Calling all Wildcat performers to the digital stage! We are excited to offer our 2nd Annual Virtual Talent Show! We were impressed and proud of last year’s performers and know that our talent pool is even deeper this time around! Here is your chance to showcase your stunning skills (just as long as they are safe and appropriate) with your Wildcat family. Get out your cameras to document the unique or fun things you have been perfecting this year. Here's how you can participate:
Please upload a video or photo for submission by Friday, May 21st.
Videos can be 30 - 60 seconds in length. Any video clip longer than 60 seconds will get edited so keeping it short and sweet is best!
Your child’s video/music choice should be previewed and approved by parents before submission.
Parents, please submit videos in MP4 or MOV format or you may submit a photo to Catherine Melton at meltonc@loswego.k12.or.us
Please include in the Subject line when emailing your video:
Talent Show: Student’s First & Last Name, Grade, Teacher’s last name
Your submissions will be reviewed for appropriate content and music choices, then uploaded into a movie compilation for all Wildcats to enjoy together during our final week in school. It will also be sent out in the last Wildcat Newsletter.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Kelly Troike troikek@loswego.k12.or.us
Catherine Melton meltonc@loswego.k12.or.us
Arrival Time Reminders
It has been so amazing having all our hybrid students back in person! As the weather warms and the sun is out more and more, please remember that we do not have adult supervision outside of the school until 7:55 (AM cohort) and 12:40 (PM cohort). Please do not drop your child off unsupervised before those times.
Spring i-Ready Assessment
Dear Families,
Our Spring i-Ready diagnostic assessment will take place during the first two weeks in June. Similar to fall and winter, students will be testing in the areas of math and reading. As a reminder, the goal of i-Ready is to help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready also provides data to inform and tailor instruction. This is the third and final i-Ready assessment for this school year, and results will be sent home by Friday, June 18.
Hybrid students will take the assessments in person, and LO online students will be given time to complete the assessments at home. If hybrid students need more time to finish, they will have time to complete the assessments. If LO online students need more time, they will need to complete the assessments independently from home by June 11. Students who finish early will be offered asynchronous activities. Given that students completed the assessments in the fall and winter, they should be comfortable navigating the platform.
Students who receive accommodations via a 504 or IEP will receive additional communication from their learning specialist and/or counselor. All of the accessibility tools are outlined in detail on this document.
The purpose of the i-Ready assessment is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. We appreciate your partnership in supporting and encouraging your student(s) to do their best.
Please contact your child’s teacher or Learning Specialist/Counselor if you have any questions.
Free COVID testing Clinics:
Vaccination Sites :
- Go to our website now to learn how to get an appointment scheduled: https://bit.ly/3vbTief. If you need assistance with scheduling or if you want to be on standby list, call the amazing team at the Public Inquiry Center at 503-655-8224 (Monday-Friday, 8 am-5 pm); English and Spanish available
- Vaccine Finder: Get Vaccinated Oregon
- Salem FairGrounds:
- As of today, you can just walk in or you can register online at Salem Health Vaccine
Reminder - Closed Campus
TAG Testing Moved to the 2021-22 School Year
Please feel free to connect with our building TAG Coordinator, Mrs. Swanson at swansona@loswego.k12.or.us if you have any questions.
State Assessments:
Oregon school districts are required to administer state assessments this spring in English Language Arts (ELA), math, and science. The Oregon Department of Education’s request to waive these assessments due to the pandemic was denied by the federal government. However, a revised waiver has been conditionally approved to require fewer assessments at each grade level this year, per the below schedule. In addition, the ELA and math assessments have been shortened and will take less time to complete this year.
- Grade 3: ELA
- Grade 4: Math
- Grade 5: Science
- Grade 6: ELA
- Grade 7: ELA and Math
- Grade 8: Math and Science
- Grade 11: ELA and Math
- ELA and/or math (grades 3, 4, 6–8 and 11): submit the state opt-out form to your child’s school. The form is available on the State Assessments page of the District website.
- Science (grades 5 and 8 only): submit a written request for exemption to your child’s school (email or US mail).
Kindergarten Transition Program:
Dates: Monday to Thursday, July 26 to August 5
Student Schedule: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Parent Schedule: July 27, July 29, August 3, and August 5 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Parent Topics include:
Meet the principal and PTO/PTA
School District Nurse and District Communications
Community School and Extended Day Program
Foundation and Transportation
Fee: $200
Schools:
Oak Creek Elementary
Rivergrove Elementary
Lake Grove Elementary*
Forest Hills Elementary*
Hallinan Elementary
Westridge Elementary
*Lake Grove & Forest Hills programs located at Oak Creek Elementary due to construction.
Registration Opens: Friday, April 16, 2021
Registration Instructions:
From Lake Oswego School District website: www.loswego.k12.or.us
Click on ‘Community School’ under the ‘Extended Programs’ tab on top of page
Click on ‘View and Register for Summer Programs’
Click on ‘Elementary Enrichment’
Click on ‘Kindergarten Transition Programs’
Choose your course and click REGISTER
Fee waivers/Fee Reductions
2020 - 2021 Fee Waiver and Registration Form: https://www.losdschools.org/Page/8017
Consistent with its mission to be an inclusive learning community, the Lake Oswego School District accepts requests for fee waivers or fee reductions for students currently enrolled within the Lake Oswego School District that participate in district extra-curricular or enrichment fee-based programs. Fee waivers/reductions may be granted, and are based on district policy and federal guidelines. For questions or to find out more information contact the Community School Office at 503-534-2302.
Crunch and Munch with Mrs. Taylor!
Starting on 5/4/2021, Crunch and Munch will be held with Mrs. Taylor in her Zoom Room.
Mrs. Taylor is excited to meet all of the 1st and 3rd-grade friends that like to attend our lunchtime meetings.
You will see her Bitmoji in Clever, or you can use this link to get to Crunch and Munch.
The schedule will stay the same.
1st grade- Tuesdays 11:30-11:50 am
3rd grade- Thursdays 11:30-11:50 am
Lunchtime Social Groups with Mr. Kieser
Kindergarten-Mondays 11:30-12:00
2nd grade-Tuesdays 11:30-12:00
4th grade-Thursdays 11:30-12:00
Students can use these instructions to access the Zoom link through their Clever account, or you can use this link directly:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i4cz2YAZa6bU9ufr5Tak98Umu-1Ge3_bPYMUizX9urA/edit
Counselor's Corner - News you can use from Mr. Kieser
Dear Westridge Families,
“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”
~Mr. Fred Rogers
During the month of May, Westridge will be investing our time and attention on the character trait: RESPONSIBILITY in our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons, classrooms, and throughout our school community. The dictionary defines Responsibility in a few ways: duty, accountability, and the independence to make decisions. At school, we will be referencing the following definition:
RESPONSIBILITY: to take action and understand how our
choices affect others, ourselves, and the world.
All the choices we make impact the world around us. The responsible person works to be aware of this impact and makes decisions based on what is good for as many people as possible which requires self-reflection, self-control, and a willingness to take ownership. As a school community, we will spend time talking about how to build and use these skills in order to earn more Responsibility in our lives, positively influencing our world. Further, we will learn about distinguished people, like Mr. Rogers, who modeled Responsibility in their daily lives. By demonstrating Responsibility in our daily activities and interactions, together we Wildcats can contribute to a more kind and generous world!
Here are links for extension activities to explore RESPONSIBILITY together as a family:
K-2 RESPONSIBILITY Family Letter (English) 3-5 RESPONSIBILITY Family Letter (English)
K-2 RESPONSABILIDAD para Familias (En Español) 3-5 RESPONSABILIDAD para Familias (En Español)
Asynchronous SEL lessons are posted weekly by 8a.m. each Monday morning on my google classroom. Students may complete these supplementary lessons at their convenience any time throughout the week. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to reach out to me via email at kieserg@loswego.K12.or.us.
Sincerely,
Gary Kieser
School Counselor- Westridge Elementary
LO Parks Gnome Hunt:
The LO Parks Gnome Hunt kicked off April 1st! The Parks Stewardship program invites families to explore 21 natural park areas in the city. Each month, look for Blossom, Greenie, and Oak, our 3 gnomes that hide in 3 different natural park areas. The Gnome Hunt runs from April to October.
Visit lo-stewardship.org for monthly clues, maps, gnome trivia and cool interactive links to learn about birds, animals and native species. Each month, the Gnome Hunt invites you to discover park features such as a 10 ft. bird nest, foot bridges and more!
Mystery Science Kits still available!
New Student Registration for 2021-22 School Year
Registration for the 2021-22 school year is happening now!
- January 20, 2021 for registering new students enrolling into grades 1–12 who have never enrolled in Lake Oswego before and returning students enrolling into grades 1–12 who are not currently enrolled but will re-enroll for next year.
- February 24, 2021 for registering new students enrolling into kindergarten for the 2021-22 school year.
- Students who are currently attending LOSD during the 2020-21 school year do not need to register for the 2021-22 school year.
LOSD is pleased to offer online registration through its parent portal, ParentVUE (contact your resident school for help with logging in). See the Registration & Verification page of the LOSD website for guidance.
Wednesday Workshops for LOSD Elementary Students
Through a partnership with the Lake Oswego Schools Foundation, LOSD is pleased to offer another term of Wednesday Workshops enrichment classes to create more connection experiences for our LOSD elementary students only and offered free of charge.
Wednesday Workshops will run for 6 weeks from April 21, 2021 to May 26, 2021. Classes are scheduled from 9:15-10:15 a.m. and 10:30-11:30 a.m. and can accommodate both the AM and PM cohort schedules.
Wednesday Workshops sign up is through LOSD Community Schools and features fun, high-quality third-party instructors in science, robotics, engineering, art, world languages as well as activity classes in leadership, movement, writing, acting and more.
Please click here to go to the Wednesday Workshops landing page on the LOSD website for more information and to register for a class.
I Love Lake Oswego Clothing Closet
ParentVUE and Website History
Equity Summit: May 15th 9:00-1:00
Join our LO Equity Summit 2021, May 15th
As valued members of our community, the Lake Oswego School District, the City of Lake Oswego and the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce are pleased to invite you and your family to our first virtual Equity Summit: A Spirit of Unity. This event represents another step forward in ensuring equitable access, inclusion and opportunity for all our community members.
The morning will begin with keynote speaker Erin Jones who will share her story and talk about the power of inclusion. We will then break into three sessions where diverse voices will lead participants through conversations around inclusion, diversity, equity and access. We thank you for joining our Summit and being an essential part of our continued efforts to promote a “Spirit of Unity” in our Lake Oswego community.
RESTAURANT NIGHT: FUNDRAISER: PANDA EXPRESS
MINTED FUNDRAISING PROGRAM: DISCOUNT FOR YOU. DONATIONS FOR THE PTSO.
Donating to Westridge PTSO
The Westridge Elementary PTSO (Parent Teacher Student Organization) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization run by parent volunteers. Through parent and community donations, we help to fund field trips, technology, and over 30 school programs each year for the enrichment of Westridge students.
While in the midst of the ongoing COVID pandemic, we find ourselves in an especially unique position this year. Many of our community members have experienced financial hardships as a result of the pandemic. We realize that it may not be viable for your family to donate to our annual fundraiser, and thus, we are not hosting one during this academic year.
While our school year looks quite different this year, the need for resources to enrich the academic experience of each and every student is still very real. Therefore, we are still gratefully accepting donations. If you are in a position to donate and able to take advantage of your employer's corporate matching program, we encourage you to participate in giving. Your donations are incredibly valuable and allow us to support our teachers and students.
Thank you for considering donating to support our Westridge students. If you would like to donate at this time or at any time during the school year, please visit Tinyurl.com/wildcatfund.
No Dogs on Campus
Thank you for your cooperation.
Bias and Racial Incident Reporting Form and Information
On November 16, 2020, the LOSD School Board approved the ALL Students Belong Policy which prohibits the display of hate symbols and the use of hate speech in our school community. This is another step forward in our efforts of becoming an anti-bias and anti-racist organization and living up to the District’s core values of equity and inclusion. The All Students Belong Policy makes it clear that hate will not be tolerated nor accepted in our schools. We encourage students to stand against hate by interrupting and reporting any bias and/or racist incident that they witness or personally experience.
We want LOSD schools to be a safe, welcoming, and loving space where all students have the opportunity to be themselves and thrive socially and academically. If you have witnessed or experienced any harm directed to any student, teacher, or staff member based on perceived or actual identity, you can report to your administrator, a trusted staff member, by using the new elementary Incident Report or anonymously to SafeOregon.
ODE State Assessment Notice
Westridge Elementary
Email: kari.montgomery@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/wr
Location: 3400 Royce Way, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 534-2371