The Westgate Wire

Allie and I are looking forward to seeing you during Parent/Teacher Conferences! Below are a few things to put on your radar.

• Please stop by the lost and found when you are visiting Westgate for Parent/Teacher Conference. We have quite a collection of water bottles, masks, and sweatshirts. All unclaimed items will be donated to charity.
  
• We will have our required Bus Evacuation Drill on Monday, October 25th. During the drill, students will board buses parked in the circle drive to review evacuation procedures. All students will be masked and drills will be kept to 15 minutes with windows open to provide better ventilation.
• Students should not bring pop-its, or other small toys to school. Toys brought from home, no matter how small, lead to disagreements and lost toys. Please help us minimize any issues by reminding your child not to bring them to school.
• If you are participating in the Westgate LMC Book Character Pumpkin Contest, please be sure to drop off your pumpkin and form on the tables in the main foyer on Monday, October 25th. You can take your pumpkin home after school on Friday, October 29th.

Lunch Procedures:

• Due to the number of students going home for lunch, we will have one lunch shift at Westgate from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. on 10/29. This is a change from our normal lunch hours.

• Students who are going home for lunch will be dismissed through the front doors at 12:15 p.m. and should return to Westgate at 1:15 p.m.

• We will not have parents use the QR code to sign students in/out on 10/29. We will use the form sent by classroom teachers that parents should have completed. Please reach out to your teacher if you did not complete the form.

• Students will not be dismissed outside if the form was not completed. Please help us eliminate any confusion by being proactive!

• Students staying at Westgate for lunch recess will have an opportunity to eat, play outside and dress in their costumes before returning to their classrooms.

Parade:

• The parade will begin at 1:45 p.m. on Friday, October 29th (weather permitting) and follow the same route as in past years. Students will walk north on Dwyer, cross east at Sigwalt and then walk south on Dwyer back to Westgate. We are working on a live streaming option for parents who cannot attend or in the event we have poor weather.

• If you are viewing the parade, please be sure to social distance and keep the sidewalks clear.

• Morning kindergarten will have their parade at 9:10 a.m. Please see kindergarten teachers for details.

Costumes:

• Costumes should be appropriate for school with no overly bloody or scary images.

• They should also not have any weapons (knives, swords, guns).

• Students will need to wear non-costume masks when in the building. Costumes should accommodate the ability to wear a mask.

• Students will not need to wear masks while outside during the parade.

Parent Party Volunteers:

• Only parents assigned to help with classroom parties will be allowed in the building.

• Parent volunteers will need to wear a mask and maintain social distancing.

• Parents volunteers must bring a driver’s license or state-issued identification in order to enter the building.

• Feel free to stop by earlier in the day to run your identification through the system. This will allow us to minimize the lines before the party.

Mark your calendars for April 30, 2022 for the 10th ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge! We are looking forward to having our district students, families and staff together again for our 5K and 1 Mile events! The ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge is the only district wide event and raises money to provide grants to teachers and staff through the ABC/25 Foundation. Please follow ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge on Facebook or Twitter for all race information or visit us at abc25challenge.org. We hope to see everyone there!

The 2021-2022 theme is I will change the world by……

Reflections is a theme-based art competition, where students can be recognized and compete in one of 6 categories (see below). Enter your original artwork in the Primary (pre-K through 2nd grade) or Intermediate (3rd-5th grade) divisions. There is also a Special Artist Division for students who receive services under IDEA or ADA.

Student winners advance through council, region, and state Reflections programs, with the chance to win scholarship money at the national level! Be sure to follow the official rules and guidelines specific to each category, and it is especially important to submit an artist statement that includes the student’s inspiration and how their artwork relates to the theme.

The deadline for submissions will be Wednesday, November 3rd at 5 pm.

See the flyers and student entry form linked below. Please contact Westgate’s PTA Reflections chair, Karen Radek, at karenradek@gmail.com with questions.

Student Entry Form and Official Rules

Specific Category Guidelines:

• Dance Choreography
• Film Production
• Literature
• Music Composition
• Photography
• Visual Arts

• Bus Evacuation Drill-10/25
  
• Picture Retakes-10/26
• Halloween Parties/Parade- 10/29
• Fall Break-11/22-11/26
• Winter Break-12/20-12/31