The Weekly News West Elementary

For the 2024-2025 school year, West Elementary will be working on targeted practice on some “life” skills in addition to academics. Every week, we will practice a skill that will help us all be a little better. This week’s skill is MAKING REQUESTS.

Most people are pretty good at MAKING REQUESTS but a reminder never hurts. This week we will be practicing.

9/23/24 -- Following Directions

9/30/24 -- Knowing your Feelings

10/7/24 -- Expressing your Feelings

10/14/24 -- Asking for Help

10/21/24 -- Ignoring Distractions

10/27/24 -- Self Talk - Flip the Script

11/4/24 -- Flexible Thinking

11/11/24 -- Reacting to Problems (AKA Size of the Problem)

11/18/24 -- Following the Group Plan

11/25/24 -- Being Grateful

12/10/24 -- Empathy

1/6/25 -- Sharing

1/13/25 -- Making Mistakes

1/20/25 -- Reacting to Problems (AKA Size of the Problem)

1/27/25 -- Accepting Consequences

2/3/25 -- Apologizing

2/10/25 -- Avoiding Trouble

2/24/25 -- Being a Good Sport

3/3/25 -- Understanding Autism and Neurodiversity

3/10/25 -- Joining In

3/17/25 -- What's the Topic?

3/24/25 -- Making Requests

3/31/25 -- Negotiations

4/6/25 -- The Power of Yet

"Nurturing Our Full Potential"

Science Night this year we will feature the Exotic Creature Encounters on the Main Stage, Star Lab, Penn Dixie, WildWood WNY, Hawk Creek, NY Power Authority, Lego Building and more!

This is a free event and all families are welcome!

Succulents for sale too -- our 8:1:2 program is selling beautifully potted succulents. Proceeds will be used to support the program's commitment to service learning projects like White Whiskers, Treats for Troops, and Socktober. Part of the proceeds will be used to support autism acceptance in the WNY area.

Spring Pictures -- Individual and/or Family Photos available!!!

Only those who preorder pictures will be photographed.

Please use the Sign-Up genius for family photos -- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4BAFA928A6FF2-56039837-sibling#/

FOR GROWN-UPS:
Presentation: Emotional regulation involves the ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences in a healthy and appropriate way. Having adequate emotional regulation skills allows children to cope with everyday demands and challenges, navigate social interactions, and maintain mental well-being. For many children emotional regulation skills are acquired and learned in various ways. For children, however, who demonstrate neurodiversity, differential methods may be useful and/or necessary to support the acquisition, demonstration, and generalization of these skills. This training will highlight key considerations, and offer specific strategies, to develop emotional regulation skills in neurodiverse and neurotypical children.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to identify proactive strategies to reduce instances of dysregulation.
• Participants will be able to identify strategies to implement as early warning signs emerge.
• Participants will be able to identify strategies to increase the acquisition and generalization of emotional regulation skills.
• 
  

FOR KIDS: Mindfulness Work

Learn some basic skills to help manage your feelings. Students will be working with staff members to practice some mindfulness strategies. Mindfulness is a technique that helps people stay in the present moment to avoid the anxiety that comes with worrying about the future and the past.

Dr. Meichenbaum is a licensed clinical psychologist from the Summit Center.

For all things "March Into Literacy

• VIDEO MONTAGE
• CLASSROOM "WE ARE FROM POEMS"
• SCHOOL-WIDE "WE ARE FROM POEM"

Thanks for a great month of reading, writing, laughing, and celebrating our West Elementary community!

Congratulations to our Grade 4 and Grade 5 winners in the district's 24 Game Math Tournament. Students from across the district practiced in their home buildings. While playing in their classrooms, the AIS math teachers along with their classroom teachers selected to fastest students to compete in the district tournament. West Elementary is very proud of our students who competed. You were selected from the best of the best!

Grade 4 Team -- Patricia Carroll, Emma Doyon, Henry Kobialka, Cole Wroblewski

This team took first place in the district tournament for Grade 4.

Grade 5 Team -- Jacob Farrar, Walker Hartmann, Reed Courteau, and Logan Beckman

Individual Winners:

2nd Place Grade 4 - Henry Kobialka

2nd Place Grade 5 - Logan Beckman

Special thanks to Mrs. Warren, Mrs. Drake, and Mrs, Casamassa for all of our great Charlotte's Web activities. They worked hard assembling materials, including our trivia and our Book Creator read-aloud. Thanks to the PTA as well for a copy of the book for every family.

Stay tuned for a " farm-life" presentation on Friday with Daisy the Pig!

Please remember to be extra careful when driving on campus! We have a few students who walk, we have children on campus riding bikes, and we have lots of cars and buses.

With staff directing traffic and lots of children to supervise,

WE APPRECIATE YOU DRIVING SLOWLY AND BEING PATIENT!

The 2025 NYS ELA, MATH and SCIENCE assessments will take place in April and May.

Grades 3, 4 and 5 ELA - Makeups

Grades 3, 4, and 5 MATH -- April 23rd and 24th

Grade 5 SCIENCE -- May 6th (Make-Ups May 7th)

Classroom Placements for the Next School Year-Placement Input Survey

West Elementary School faculty members regard the placement of students into classroom groups one of our most important professional responsibilities. Our goal is to make the best possible decisions, not only for an individual child but also for groups of children. We are committed to developing classroom combinations that are balanced with regard to strengths and needs. It is our belief that balanced classes maximize learning opportunities and are in the best interests of children and teachers. We are professionally committed to creating heterogeneous classes for each grade level.

At West Elementary will work together to make the best possible educational decisions about each child’s placement for the 2025-2026 school year. We thoroughly consider the following variables to arrive at a decision for individual children and to achieve a balanced grouping for each classroom:

• Teaching Styles/Learning Styles
• Work Habits & Study Skills
• Gender
• Time-Intensive Needs
• Academic Achievement
• Social/Emotional Needs
• Behavior
• Special Education Services

While we encourage parental input about each of the above variables, parent requests for specific teachers can be problematic. Do not request a teacher by name. The best information you can provide to assist in our placement of students is a description of your child rather than a focus on the teacher. Please remember that we value your input, and it will be carefully considered in class placement; however, we do have an obligation to create educationally balanced classes based on the above criteria.

If you would like to provide some input about your child for consideration as teachers build classes for next year, please complete the Google Form below, Student Placement Survey, and submit no later than Friday, May 16, 2025. All surveys received by May 16th will be given serious consideration when based on the above guidelines. If you need assistance filling out this form, please contact your child’s teacher.

Please use the following link to fill out the West Seneca School District Volunteer Acknowledgement Presentation and Form. If you plan on coming in as a guest reader, to volunteer with PTA, or to work in your child's classroom for holiday parties, please adhere to the obligations and expectations of a responsible parent volunteer. The following guidelines/procedures shall serve as a review of your important role in our schools. Please be sure to fill out West Elementary's form.

https://www.wscschools.org/Page/23819

It is never too soon to start thinking about good school attendance.

There are only 180 days in the school year, and every one of these days matter!

And elementary school is just the beginning of a long educational career. Good habits start now!

Please give us a call or send an email if you are concerned about your child's attendance.

Ms. Elizabeth Caprio, School Social Worker

716-677-3166

ecaprio@wscschools.org

Ms. Lisa Gill, School Social Worker

716-677-3261

lgill@wscschools.org

Mrs. Nubia Cawthard, School Psychologist

716-677-3258

ncawthard@wscschools.org

Mrs. Lea O'Malley, School Counselor

716- 677-3671

lomalley@wscschools.org

April

April 23rd and 24th -- Grades 3, 4, and 5 MATH

Fri 25th Science Night 6:00pm-8:00pm

Fri 25th Dollar Day - Wear Blue or Red for Autism

Tue 29th -- Popcorn and Paws 3-5, Spring Pictures and Grade 5 Panoramic Picture

May

5th - 9th -- Teacher Appreciation Week

Tue 6th -- Popcorn and Paws K-2

Tue 13th Popcorn and Paws 3-5

Wed 14th -- Early Release, Dismissal begins at 12:15pm

Thurs 15th -- PTA Meeting 6:30 in Library

Tue 20th -- A Donut With A Grownup A-L

Wed 21st -- A Donut With A Grownup M-Z

Wed 21st -- Grade 5 Spring Concert, 7:00 pm, West Middle

Tues 27th -- Fine Arts Night

Fri 30th -- Dollar Day - Mix/Match

Fri 30th -- 5th Grade Fun Night

We are an educational community that encourages kindness, inspires confidence, and instills the belief that together we can achieve anything.