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Paddock Road Newsletter
February 2, 2024
Calendar February 2024
February 14 - 2PM Valentines Parties
February 19 - Teacher Work day, NO SCHOOL!
February 20 - Professional Learning day, NO SCHOOL
February 27 - Don & Millies Family Night
Paddock Road Calendar 2023-2024
Paddock Road Geography Contest Winners
Please take a moment to fill out the 2023-24 Paddock Road Parent Survey. This helps us to find out your views on how we educate students and engage our community. Click here to take the survey.
Golden Lunch Tray Competition
You may have heard your students buzzing about our Golden Lunch Tray Competition over the course of the last two months. We have been working hard as a building to tighten up lunchroom behaviors by focusing on arriving to the lunchroom quietly and respectfully, raising hands to get attention, using appropriate volumes and conduct at the lunch tables during lunch, keeping tables and surrounding areas clean and notifying staff of bigger messes, dumping trays calmly (also taking time to correctly sort trash from compost), and lining up calmly and quietly. Over the course of the last two months, we have seen huge improvements in cleanliness in the lunchroom and more attention to overall lunchroom expectations. We will be moving on to a secret hallway challenge to turn a similar focus to hallway behaviors and expectations; however, be prepared to hear about pop up challenges between grade levels for future Golden Lunch Tray Competitions this spring!
1st Grade Golden Tray
6th Grade Golden Tray
Kindergarten Golden Tray
2024-2025 ENROLLMENT
Kindergarten Enrollment for 2024-25
Kindergarten enrollment for District residents for the 2024-25 school year begins approximately late February 2024. Please check our website at westside66.org to start your enrollment online.
Children entering kindergarten must be 5 years old on or before July 31, 2024. Parents may wait to enroll their child(ren) in kindergarten for an additional year. However, Nebraska law requires that child(ren) who reach the age of six prior to Jan 1st of the then current school year must be enrolled in school.
For questions about enrollment, please contact the Westside Welcome Center at 402-390-2100 or
Kindergarten Option Enrollment
If you live outside of the Westside district and have a child eligible for kindergarten in 2024-25 who has a sibling attending our schools through the Option Enrollment program, you must submit an option application for your kindergartener. The deadline to apply for Option Enrollment is 4:00 pm on March 15th.
In addition to kindergarten, you can apply for any other grade level by the same deadline, 4:00 pm on March 15th.
Option Enrollment forms can be completed using this link:
https://forms.gle/FvsmAEBqRpcePEKg9
In District Transfers for 2024-2025
Are you a District resident and would like your K-6 grade child(ren) to attend an elementary school in Westside other than the area where you live? The deadline to submit an In-District Transfer request for the upcoming school year is 4:00 pm on March 15th.
An In-District Transfer request form must also be completed for any child starting kindergarten next
year who has a sibling attending an elementary school outside of their home attendance area. The
deadline to submit this request is also 4:00 pm on March 15th.
In district transfer forms can be completed using this link: https://forms.gle/EHgruZWb9MH1UBtH8
Questions about In-District Transfers, please contact Student Services at 402-390-2107.
Early Admission for Kindergarten
Children of District residents who wish to be tested for early entrance to kindergarten must turn 5 years old between August 1 and October 15, 2024.
For further information regarding early entrance testing, please contact Early Admissions at
402-390-2142.
Staff Member of the Month -
February Staff Member of the Month: Ms. Kaylee Godwin
Kaylee made a big jump this year from 6th grade to Kindergarten, although, we all knew how big her heart was for the littles, since she has made such a point to support them for the last two years, especially at dismissal, often staying in the office reading and playing games with students who are waiting to be picked up. While still being relatively new to teaching, in year 3 in a new grade, Kaylee has taken on a leadership role on our Sunshine Committee. The "We Got This Wednesdays" and "Feel Good Fridays," along with uplifting emails and activities for staff have really brought a renewed connection to our staff. With so many new staff to the building this year, it has been so cool to see our staff growing together so quickly, and the work of our Sunshine Committee definitely plays a role in that. Thank you Kaylee for everything you do at Paddock to continue to support our staff and students every day.
Coming to work each day would not be the same without Miss Godwin on the primary team. From her infectious laugh to her fierce love for her students, Miss Godwin goes above and beyond what it means to truly be a difference-maker in the lives of kids.
She takes on her role as a Kindergarten teacher passionately, checking in with Ms. Pepitone frequently about new skills she has introduced to her kinders through what she calls “First Grade Boot Camp”. So far, next year's first graders already know how to skip count, count by 5’s AND count by 10’s! I have never met a teacher so devoted to student success.
As a key member of the Sunshine Committee, Miss Godwin is endlessly brainstorming new ways to positively impact the culture for teachers at Paddock Road. Ranging from giant appreciation posters for teachers to We’ve Got This Wednesdays and Feel Good Fridays, Miss Godwin contributes inspiring ways to boost morale. She is always thinking of the next way to put a smile on someone’s face!
Students of the Month December
Theo, Weston, Rylee, Athena, Emma, Emmett, Gwynn, Annella, Manny, Josie, Mallory, Ben, Stella, Jacob, Prophet, Dominic, Chelsea, Leo, and Naively.
Jr Warriors Football Clinic
The Junior Warriors Football Program will be hosting a FREE clinic on Saturday, March 16th, from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Sign up by scanning the QR code on the flyer or use this link:
Student Reading Challenge
All students are invited to participate in Paddock's monthly reading challenge. Although it is voluntary, we hope that we can get all our students to join in the fun!
A calendar was sent home with students this week to start logging their daily minutes. Students should record how many minutes they read or are read to (outside of school hours) each day. The goal is for grades K-2 to read or be read to for 300 minutes total in the month, and for grades 3-6 to read or be read to for 500 minutes.
The last day of the month, participating students should turn in their calendars to the teachers. Parents will need to sign the calendar before it is turned in. Students who met the monthly goal will be entered into a raffle to win a gold coin for the book vending machine - we’ll pick a few each month. We hope your child will participate and join this opportunity to grow as Paddock readers!
To Visit the Specialist Newsletters click the button below.
Community Club Corner
Visitors at Breakfast and Lunch
Absences and Tardies
Attendance Matters!
We want to know that all our students are safe. Please notify the office at 402-390-6465 (available 24 hours a day) or email our Administrative Assistant, Mrs. Kathy Cordes (cordes.katherine@westside66.net) when your student is not coming to school or will be late for school. If we have not heard from you, it is our policy to call.
Students arriving after 8:30 am must come to the office and check in. Parents picking up or dropping off their students during the day for appointments, illness, etc., must sign them in and out through the office.
Weather Guidelines
We are lucky in Nebraska to get to enjoy all four seasons. This also means that at times the weather gets in the way of our fun and plans. Below is a brief description of our procedures when the weather is not cooperating:
Warm Weather: We will stay indoors for recess and safety patrol if the air temperature or heat index is 95° or higher.
Cold Weather: So long as the air temperature or wind chill factor is 10° or warmer, students will be outside for recess and safety patrol.
Air Quality: If the air quality index (AQI) is 101 or higher, we will remain indoors for recess.
Rain: When rain is heavy enough that students would get considerably wet, or when there is thunder or lightning, students will be kept inside or brought inside. In addition, if conditions have been such that fields are muddy, access to dirt and grass areas may be restricted as well as playground equipment if it is deemed too slick for safe play.
Severe Weather: If the National Weather Service issues a Thunderstorm Warning students are kept inside. In the event of a Tornado Warning, students are moved to our area of refuge in the shelters on the East side of the building. Families coming to the school during this time are encouraged to take shelter with us until the warning has passed.
To learn more about our Winter Weather Guidelines from the District Click the button below.
How Can We Help?
Additional Resources: https://www.smore.com/6zbs5-community-resources
Paddock Road Elementary
Email: mcguire.quinn@westside66.net
Website: https://www.westside66.org/Domain/14
Location: 3535 Paddock Road, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: (402) 390-6465
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Paddock-Road-Elementary-District-66-387637324662864
Twitter: @paddockroad66