West Families October Newsletter

Happy October! This seems to always be a busy month for us at West and this year is no exception. We have a ton of fun things going on and I'm excited to get started.

Below we have information on walk to school day, both homecoming parades, picture day, and more! It's going to be a great month.

We are also kicking off a district wide campaign on attendance. We've been working on celebrating attendance here at West with weekly surprises from Willy the Wildcat and we are preparing to give out our first certificates for perfect attendance for the month of September.

Please know that you may contact me with any questions or concerns via email: dawn.day@jcschools.us

See you soon!

Dr. Dawn Day

Principal

West Elementary

Office Hours: 7:00-3:30

School Begins at 7:45 a.m.

School Ends at 2:45 p.m.

Office Staff:

Dr. Dawn Day, Principal (dawn.day@jcschools.us)

Mrs. Kati Spencer, School Secretary (kati.spencer@jcschools.us)

Ms. Marinelle Madina, Clerk (marinelle.medina@jcschools.us)

Mrs. Amber Davis, School Nurse (amber.davis@jcschools.us)

Main Office: 573-659-3195

Website: https://www.jcschools.us/Domain/19

Email: west@jcschools.us

October 2-6 - CCHS Homecoming spirit week (see flyer below)

October 4 - Walk to school day (see info below)

October 6 - Picture Day

October 9 - No School

October 11 - Pizza fundraiser pick up (more information coming soon)

October 13 - PTO Movie Night (see info below)

October 16-20 - JCHS Homecoming spirit week (see flyer below)

October 17 - PTO Meeting in Library starting at 5pm

October 18 - Major Savers Sales Kick Off

October 20 - End of 1st Quarter, 8:30 (K-2 Assembly) 1:30 (3-5 Assembly) If students are receiving an award, the teacher will let you know a week ahead of time

October 23-27 - Red Ribbon Week (more information coming soon)

We are working on "Willy Great Attendance" this year. Your child may have come home talking to you about our Friday announcement with Willy the Wildcat. Each week, we calculate the class with the best attendance and they get a surprise visit from Willy and a prize. We present these live through Google and the students are having a lot of fun celebrating.

Last year our building percentage for attendance was 84% for the year. This year we have set a goal for 90% attendance. While we know illnesses and emergencies happen, we want to emphasize the importance of being at school and on time each day.

We will be celebrating perfect attendance both monthly and quarterly with certificates. Each month Willy the Wildcat will come around to deliver certificates to those that have perfect attendance for the month. Each quarter, Dr. Day will announce certificate winners during our quarterly assembly.

This year we are having a penny war to decided the movie for movie night. So...dig in those couches and cars and find pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters to vote for the movie! See the flyer below for more information.

PTO movie night is October 13th. Doors open at 7:00 pm. All students must have an adult with them to attend, sorry, middle or high school siblings won't be able to count as an adult.

Concessions will be available for purchase during movie night.

Infinite Campus Portal is a way for parents/guardians to access student information, register students for the upcoming school year, and receive school communications. The following student information can be found on Portal:

• Grades Assignments

• Attendance

• Report Cards

• Schedule (Note: Schedules for grades K-5 are not an accurate reflection of a student’s day. Specific

subject courses have been added for grading purposes.)

• Unofficial Transcript

• Messages from School Staff

• Immunizations

• Online Registration

Infinite Campus Portal also has a mobile application, where student information can be obtained via a mobile device. Parents can also enable notifications to be sent to their phone regarding changes in their student’s attendance, grades, and assignments.

Click the pdf below for detailed directions for accessing parent portal.

You may have heard that all grades will be standards based grading rather than letter grades this year. But what does this mean?

Below is a graphic and a link to a pdf enlarging the graphic to clarify and give you more information on how that will look this school year.

Below is a button to click that will redirect you to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's website. Through this link you can learn more about how you can apply for a grant to assist your family with allowable educational expenses for your K-12 public school district students.

The grant is for up to $1,500 for parents to use for . Applications opened yesterday and will be available through October 25th. Priority is given to families in poverty.

Click the orange button right below to learn more!

Below is the link sheet to sign up for parent teacher conferences for your child. Conferences are November 7 and November 9 from 4-7pm.

Mrs. Ambrose, Kindergarten https://signup.com/go/xKJrOqk

Mrs. Burns, Kindergarten https://signup.com/go/FJykgje

Mrs. Turpin, Kindergarten https://signup.com/go/zZGKMjo

Mrs. Adkins, 1st Grade https://signup.com/go/tdtVyyX

Mrs. Sherfield, 1st Grade https://signup.com/go/BrOXocE

Mrs. Stabenow, 1st Grade https://signup.com/go/vbBYeys

Mrs. Clark, 2nd Grade https://signup.com/go/VsSMALT

Mrs. Combs, 2nd Grade https://signup.com/go/ezqKNxy

Ms. Wright, 2nd Grade https://signup.com/go/QAhQyrR

Mrs. Eiken, 3rd Grade https://signup.com/go/EoVbSYW

Ms. Maddox, 3rd Grade https://signup.com/go/PDNitKP

Ms. Wilbers, 3rd Grade https://signup.com/go/zkEkGpT

Ms. Campbell, 4th Grade https://signup.com/go/iihWOqR

Mrs. Robinett, 4th Grade https://signup.com/go/JaTAjSL

Mrs. Shaw, 4th Grade https://signup.com/go/iGQhYpR

Ms. Kingery, 5th Grade https://signup.com/go/xmjvdeK

Ms. Lentz, 5th Grade https://signup.com/go/Mkmvhcd

Ms. Smith, 5th Grade https://signup.com/go/yUKLVdi

Click the pdf link below to access the flyer with information on ordering a yearbook.

You can click the first menu to link to our district webpage to view the breakfast and lunch menu.

Our monthly character trait for October is responsibility. Students will be learning how to be responsible in all areas of the building at West during a building wide assembly. Below are a few videos you can show to reinforce being respectful at home.

Below is a picture of our building matrix. Teachers and staff explicitly teach these expectations at the beginning of the year, review them after each lengthy break, and practice them as needed.

We believe that it is extremely important to teach, model, practice, reinforce, and repeat as needed.

Our students should know the general building expectations for being safe, respectful, and responsible.

Arrival:
Gates will be open around 6:45 to drive around back for drop-off. Beginning at 7:15, car riders between the cones will be released from their cars by a staff member to enter the side door. If students want breakfast, they will grab it from the cafeteria, then head to class. Cars will only be able to exit through the car rider line.

Students cannot be dropped off in front of the building or sent to walk across the parking lot to the front door. All drop off must go through the car rider line. Only bus riders and walkers come in through the front doors.

Dismissal:
We will continue our scan card system again this year. You will keep your same cards from the previous school year. If you lost your cards, you will have to purchase a new one from the office. They are $2 each. If you are new to West, you will receive your first two cards free.

This card must be presented to be able to pick up your child - no exceptions. This card must be kept for the entire time your child is at West.

Students will be dismissed from the classroom as parents enter the car line.

Gates open at 2:15 and car rider dismissal will begin at approximately 2:35. The line ends at approximately 3:05. The line is long and we go slow to ensure safety - especially at the beginning of the year.

All car rider pick up is required to come through the car rider line. To ensure the safety of all of our students, students will not be dismissed to walk out to a car in the parking lot. Only walkers and bus riders exit through the front doors. Students cannot be considered a walker to get into a parked car.

• Bus stops are sent out to parents prior to school starting from First Student.

• Busses will arrive at West at approximately 7:20 each morning.

• Buses will leave West by approximately 2:50 each afternoon.

• Routes will run slowly the first week or so. Please be patient.

• Students who walk to school will enter through the main entrance between 7:15 and 7:45.

• Students who walk home will be dismissed at approximately 2:45.

• Staff members will escort students down to the crosswalk.

• Parents can meet students on the sidewalk by the school to walk home together, but we ask that you gather away from the front doors to allow for bus riders to exit.

Please do not use walker processes if your child is a car rider. This process is reserved for students who walk home. If you are driving a car, please follow the car rider procedures outlined above.

Please have one main mode of transportation.

Any permanent changes in transportation must be sent into the office in written form.

If you need to make a change in transportation due to an emergency, please call the office prior to 2:00. You can always send in a note for planned changes in transportation.

We want to keep in contact! Anytime you have a phone number, email address, or mailing address change, please let the office know so you continue receiving important information.

Also, make sure you have opted in to our district notification systems to receive important information from JCSD and West Elementary. Following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are also great ways to stay in touch.

Please make sure you carry your child's scan card or a picture ID when coming to pick up your child. It is possible that someone may be at the window that does not recognize you. If that is the case, it will be required that we see a picture ID before we are able to release your child. We have a new process for signing students out through a computer in the vestibule. Kati in the office will walk parents through this process the first few times it's needed.

If you are dropping your child off late to school, all students must be signed in at the office by an adult. Please do not send a student in alone, please come in with them to sign them in.

Below is the cost for breakfast and lunch for this upcoming school year.

Breakfast - $1.25

Lunch - $3.00

We ask that each family complete a free and reduced lunch form, even if you are not interested in receiving free or reduced lunch. Below is a button to click to the link to complete online, or you can contact our front office for a paper copy to complete and return.

Thank you for helping get these forms completed.

All West and district flyers are in one convenient location, peachjar! Click the link below to view all flyers.

We will continue to allow store-purchased birthday treats to be sent in to school with students. We won't have in-class celebrations, but students are welcome to bring a treat for their class to enjoy. Thanks for understanding!

Please take some time to click the link below and read the parent/student handbook. It contains important information about district guidelines.

Below is our schedule for our monthly PTO meetings. All meetings will be held in the library and will begin at 5:00pm. We hope you are able to join us.

October 17

November 28

December 19

January 16

February 20

March 12

April 16

May 14

West Elementary is now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Please follow us on the platform that works best for you. We will routinely post announcements, important dates, and even photos of what's going on in classrooms.

Click the buttons below to be redirected to our various social media accounts.

Email: dawn.day@jcschools.us
Location: 100 Dix Rd, Jefferson City, MO, 65109
Phone: (5730 659-3195