Westwood Elementary Newsletter

I hope you are enjoying this sunny and warm weather! Wednesday marked the halfway point of the 4th quarter. Interims will be sent home via School Messenger on Friday, May 3rd. Please make sure you are checking Powerschool to stay current on grades and academics.

Thank you so much for all of your support this year, I can hardly believe we are in the final month of school- our last day with students is May 31st. I sent a separate email about Staff and Teacher Appreciation week next week- make sure to check to see those details.

If you drop off or pick up your student- please make sure you are only doing so in the designated pickup and drop off area where staff are located. We do this to ensure your student is safe and supervised by an adult, thank you for your cooperation. You can see more details below in the drop off and pickup procedures.

We do have printed copies of this newsletter in the main office, should you need one. Please make sure you have an email listed in Powerschool that you check regularly- we frequently communicate electronically.

Regular attendance at the elementary school level is crucial to each student’s success, as it sets up a good pattern for your child’s entire school career. Please make sure your child is here every day that it is possible.

Please follow us if you are not already: Westwood Elementary-Elyria City Schools;

https://www.facebook.com/westwoodelementaryecsd

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

Your Partner in Education,
Ms. Stacey Gatten
Principal

MAY

1- Ohio state testing- Math Part 1 for Grade 3

2- WW Campus Culture Fest

2- KG field trip to library (2 classes)

2- Ohio state testing- Math Part 2 for Grade 4

2- TechE Club @ 8:00am

3- Ohio state testing- Math Part 2 for Grade 3

3- 1st grade fieldtrip to the zoo

6- Teacher and Staff Appreciation week

8- Marco's pizza night

9- KG field trip to library (3 classes)

10- Special Olympics @ the stadium

10- 4th grade farewell 5-7pm

16- Last TechE Club @ 8:00am

21- Flower Walk

23- Junior Achievement for grades 3 and 4

27- Memorial Day, no school

28- Field Day

31- End of Quarter 4, last day for students.

Boys Basketball Camp will take place June 4-6 @ Elyria High School. Please CLICK HERE for camp and registration information. For the registration link, CLICK HERE

Girls Basketball Camp will take place June 4-6 @ Elyria High School. Please CLICK HERE for camp and registration information. For the registration link, CLICK HERE

Football Youth Camp will take place July 10-12 @ Ely Stadium. Please CLICK HERE for camp and registration information For the registration link, CLICK HERE

Volleyball Summer Camp will take place June 24-27. Please CLICK HERE for camp and registration information. Please note, this camp will be held at the Westwood Middle School Campus. For the registration link, CLICK HERE

Girls Soccer Camp will be held July 8-11 @ Ely Stadium. Please CLICK HERE for camp and registration information. For the registration link, CLICK HERE

Boys Soccer Camp will be held July 23 -25@ Ely Stadium. Please CLICK HERE for camp and registration information. For the registration link, CLICK HERE

To ensure drop-off and pickup run smooth and effective:

· You may ONLY enter at 42101 Griswold to enter the car line. We will no longer be using Adelbert for drop off- Adelbert is only for Preschool now. Please do not cut through- this creates additional traffic for EECV, and we want ALL students to be safe. Also please only drop off and pick up in the designated area, do not use the visitor parking for drop off as it it not an area that is supervised by staff.

· Please do not plan to arrive earlier than 8:55 for Elementary School drop off in the morning. If Elementary students arrive early you will need to keep your student(s) in the vehicle with you until staff comes out to unload students at 8:55am.

· Please do not plan to arrive earlier than 3:00pm for Elementary pickup in the afternoon.

· Once in the lot, please pull up to the car in front of you, as this will allow more cars to enter the lot, and keep cars off the street.

· Please be ready and prepared so that we can keep cars moving efficiently in the lot.

· Follow all directions from staff, they are there to help.

· Please drive safe and slow- this is a school zone and we need to keep all students and staff safe.

· You will exit at Griswold also.

We appreciate your help in keeping our students safe.

School hours are 9:10am-3:10pm.

Doors do not open until 8:55- please do not drop off early or allow students to walk early.

If you are dropping off, please hold your child in the car with you until 8:55am.

Please call the office to report your child(ren)’s absence at 284-8002 before 9:30AM. Our phone has 24-hour voicemail so that you may call and leave a message anytime. Please leave a voicemail if no one answers the phone in the office; voicemails are frequently checked and the office will receive your message.

Please make sure you always have a photo ID with you, when you come to the school, this is for the safety of our students.

The Main Office of any school building is a hub of activity. Students and staff are always on the go, in and out of the space throughout the school day.

It’s an active place for regular check-ins and meetings with students, as well as staff conferences and daily interactions with school principals and counselors. The Main Office is also a confidential space at times for conversations and interactions between school personnel and students.

Parents and caregivers are part of the equation, too. For any number of reasons, parents may be asked to come to their child’s school during the day. When that happens, parents should follow the district’s visitor procedures by using the school’s main entrance buzzer and intercom system to gain entrance to the school, and then signing in at the front desk.

If parents/caregivers do not have a meeting at the school but still need to come to the school during the day to see their child or to speak to a staff member, call-ahead notice or an appointment is required.

This ensures parents will be seen in a timely manner and upholds the safety practices of the school. To contact the Main Office, please call 440-284-8002

Our school address is: Westwood Campus, 42350 Adelbert St, Elyria, OH 44035

Our phone number will stay the same: 284-8002

First Student offers a live tracking app called FirstView that makes it easy for parents to follow the progress of their student's bus before and after school. This is helpful to allow you to see your students bus and in the event of a delay you could get the information quickly.

You can sign up here:

https://www.elyriaschools.org/departments/operations/transportation

Hello!

As the school year wraps up in the month of May, our students have completed our Child Safety unit where they participated in lessons regarding Personal Safety, Touching Safety, and Assertiveness including the importance of recognizing, reporting, and refusing as the three ways to stay safe. Again, if you wish to continue the conversation at home regarding these lessons, you can go online to www.SecondStep.org and log in with the activation key for your student’s grade below:

Kindergarten: CPUK FAMI LYGK

1st Grade: CPU1 FAMI LYG1

2nd Grade: CPU2 FAMI LYG2

3rd Grade: CPU3 FAMI LYG3

4th Grade: CPU4 FAMI LYG4

Our 4th graders will also be participating in a middle school transition lesson with the help of our Westwood campus social worker, Mrs. McCarthy. We will be discussing their feelings about moving to middle school, looking at what they are excited and nervous about, and answering questions along the way. The goal is to make this transition as smooth as possible next fall with the help of easing their fears and introducing them to a friendly face that they will see on that side of the campus next year.

I want to thank you for such an awesome first year at Westwood Elementary with your students and look forward to returning in August to continue working with them! Below you will find some local summer resources that can be used by families and students over the summer.

Thank you and have a great summer!☺

Thank you!

Mrs. Stacey Yee

School Counselor

Final Newsletter from Nurse Rose,

Well, after being a nurse for over 45 years, it is time to retire. I have always loved being a nurse and have especially enjoyed school nursing. It has filled my soul to take care of so many students and help heal not just their bodies, but their minds and hearts as well.

I have made many friends along the way and will miss being a part of the Westwood family. The kids have made me laugh, and cry at times, and I will miss them dearly. This has been the hardest decision of my life as I truly love my job and am not ready to go, but I need to step away to take care of my family. I am blessed to be a nurse and have had the ability to be able to care for my loved ones, but it doesn’t make it any easier to leave the job I love.

So, stay safe and have a great summer.

Have a safe and healthy spring,

Thank you and for questions please contact me at hessrose@elyriaschools.org or @ 440-284-8153

Thank you,

Rose Hess RN. BSN. LSN.

School Nurse-Westwood Campus

Families may bring in prepackaged treats (with ingredients listed by the company that packaged it) BUT we are really encouraging non-food items. We have to be very careful of food allergies, to keep all students safe. Birthday treats ARE not required or encouraged, but okay, if you choose.

Birthday/Holiday treat ideas include:

Pencils, bookmarks, fidgets, pop-its, bracelets, crayons, squishes, pencil toppers or erasers, glow sticks, play dough, slinkies, stickers, prepackaged snack with ingredients listed (from the company that produces it).

Have you opted in to receive text messages from Elyria Schools?

If you haven't already, please take a moment to sign up to receive automatic text messages from Elyria Schools.

This is a valuable tool in an emergency or when there's important, time-sensitive information to share.

The service is free and opting in is easy. Parents or guardians simply need to send a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our district's short code number at 67587.

Just as simple, you can opt out at any time by replying to one of our messages with “Stop.”

The text feature and the robocall system are tied directly a student's contact information that is on file with your child's school. Please make sure this information is kept up-to-date to ensure you continue receiving calls or texts from Elyria Schools.

Hoodies, and similar tops or jackets with hoods, are "fan favorites" when it comes to school attire. We like them, too, but not when they are worn up and over the head during the school day.

The district's Student Code of Conduct provides direction on headgear, stating that it may not be worn over a person's head or scalp (excluding headgear that's worn for religious or medical reasons.) Hoods can make it difficult to identify an individual in an emergency, and they can also be a distraction in class. Please remind students that hoods may not be worn up during the school day.

The Student Code of Conduct also offers guidance on attire. Clothing must be school appropriate and may not present a health or safety hazard or disrupt the educational environment. Pants and tops must fit properly and be in good repair; crop tops are not permitted.

Additionally, footwear must be school appropriate--slippers and slipper socks are not permitted. Blankets also may not be worn in school.

Students may bring their cell phones to school but they must be turned off and put away during the day unless they are used as a part of a teacher-directed lesson in class. Same rules apply to Bluetooth headphones--they may not be worn during the school day.

If you need to reach your student during the school day, please contact the main office and our staff will convey a message or assist you in reaching your student.

Website: https://www.elyriaschools.org/domain/30
Location: 42350 Adelbert St, Elyria, OH 44035, USA
Phone: 440-284-8002