Westwood Intermediate/Middle School
Westwood Families,
We had our first pep fest for our students this year. At the pep fest, we honored two students on each of our teams with Panther Awards. The Panther Awards represent the Panther Way and recognize students for being a supportive classmate and positive leader. We will be giving the Panther Awards out monthly.
Friday, October 13 is wear orange day for Westwood students. The orange is in honor of Unity Day, a day for Westwood students to come together and take action to stop bullying at school, online, and in the community. We will focus on:
- Treating others with kindness
- Supporting others who have been hurt or harmed
- Helping include those who are left out
- Being more accepting of people’s differences
5th Band Update & Parent Meeting Info: Students are currently trying different band instruments as we prepare to open band registration in November. Band registration will remain closed until all students have the opportunity to try band instruments. There will be optional parent band informational meetings during conferences on October 17 from 5-5:30 p.m. and 7-7:30 p.m. If you cannot make either meeting, a recording will be placed on the band website.
Next week is already fall break! Please remember there is no school Monday, October 16 – Friday, October 20. School will resume Monday, October 23.
Our staff look forward to conferencing conversations in the coming weeks.
Grades 7 and 8 Conferences (Webex Links for all staff - Click here)
- Tuesday, October 17 – 4-7:30 p.m., drop-in, in-person, no sign up necessary
- Wednesday, October 18 – 8-11:30 a.m., drop-in, in-person, no sign up necessary
- Wednesday, October 18 – 1-3:30 p.m., online via WebEx, sign up here
- Thursday, October 26 – 4-7:30 p.m., online via WebEx, sign up here
Grades 5 and 6 Conferences (Webex Links for all staff - Click here)
- Tuesday, October 17 – 4-7:30 p.m., in-person, sign up for homeroom, no sign up necessary for specialists (art, music, PE, band, academic supports)
- Wednesday, October 18 – 8-11:30 a.m. – in-person, sign up necessary for homeroom, no sign up necessary for specialists (art, music, PE, band, academic supports)
- Wednesday, October 18 – 1-3:30 p.m., online via WebEx, sign up necessary
- Thursday, October 26 – 4-7:30 p.m., online via WebEx, sign up necessary
Conferences for our fifth and sixth graders will include more information about competency-based learning. As a part of these conversations, our teachers look forward to learning more about your child, sharing examples of student work related to academic competencies and previewing information families will see as part of student progress reporting this year.
In addition to conferences, next week our staff also look forward to spending time learning and planning together. We will continue to focus on student learning experiences aligned to the academic and life competencies and to where each student is at in their learning.
Enjoy the fall break!
Tom Larson
Principal
Science Career/Research
7th period Red Team scientists met with synthetic biologist Jacob Parres-Gold to learn more about how cells communicate, pathways to college, what it means to get a PHD, and the careers/research occurring in the intersections of biology, engineering, computer science, and mathematics.
Practice Makes Proficient
The sticky note on the 4th grader’s math work shares her thoughts on what she needs to practice. The class is working on problem-solving – one of four math competencies. Student and teacher discuss choices and align on a plan for her personalized learning time. With each opportunity to practice she gets closer to proficiency.
Competency-based learning is an education-y mouthful of words for an approach to learning that is coming to life - specifically at grades K-6 - for our students this year. At its heart, competency-based learning is focused on developing each student’s knowledge and skills to gain proficiency versus simply covering a subject for a defined period to fulfill a requirement.
Read more about this approach to learning and hear from teachers.
Get your tickets to “Letters to Sala”
Get your tickets now for the Spring Lake Park High School fall play “Letters to Sala." This theatrical experience kicks off the 2023-2024 theater season! Purchase tickets online or day-of at the box office for a dollar more. "Letters to Sala" is a remarkable story of a young girl’s survival during wartime Germany. Sala Kirschner kept her secret for over fifty years, concealing her painful history in a box full of letters. See the show in the Spring Lake Park High School Fine Arts Center on Friday, October 27, 7 p.m.; Saturday, October 28, 7 p.m.; Friday, November 3, 7 p.m.; or. Saturday, November 4, 2 p.m.
