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Words To The Wise
November 2017
PRINCIPALS MESSAGE
The WES students, parents, and community members have certainly been busy over the last several weeks.
We have successfully navigated Fall Fest (thanks PTA), Faculty Professional Development Day, the first annual Westowne Turkey Trot, and some very beautiful, cool weather.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the parent volunteers who have donated their time working with students in the classrooms. It is nice to see students working with these volunteers to master sight words, math facts, or developing reading fluency. Moreover, those volunteers that assist with copying, laminating, and other tasks that support the office and teachers are extremely helpful! Your support is greatly appreciated!
Also, thank you to those families that have supported the PTA fundraising efforts as these funds go directly towards instruction. If you have not joined the PTA, please do so. Their efforts support all our students! We are lucky to live, work, and learn in such a supportive community!
The teachers have also been very busy finalizing grades on Engrade and entering grades and comments on student report cards. Yes, the first marking period ended on Friday, November 3, 2017 and first marking period report cards will be distributed at the end of the day on Thursday, November 16, 2017. It is important to note a change this year in grades 1, 2, and 3 report cards. Teachers in these grades will not provide written comments on the report card for quarter one. This is to place emphasis and importance on the first quarter teacher-student conference. Elementary Conference Day is scheduled for November 17, 2017. Teachers will be scheduling conferences in the near future.
Understandably, children are excited about their first report card of the school year. Here are some helpful hints to keep in mind:
- Report cards are designed to be an official communication of academic progress between school and home. Please be sure to take the time to review this document with your student. Thoroughly reviewing this document says a great deal to children when parents take the time to share in their child’s success.
- Try to maintain a positive outlook regarding this report. Although you are encouraged to identify goals for improvement, it is equally important to celebrate areas of success.
- All Baltimore County elementary schools will be closed on Friday, November 17, 2017 so that parents may have a convenient opportunity to conference with teachers. Students accompanying parents to school on conference day must be supervised by parents at all times.
- All students are required to bring back their report card envelopes signed by a parent/guardian. Envelopes are expected to be returned to school no later than back in school on Wednesday, November 22, 2017. Envelopes may be returned to teachers following scheduled conferences on November 16th.
After reviewing your student’s report card, please be sure to discuss the grades for each subject area and discuss how the student may continue to earn high marks and/or assist with the development of a plan to raise marks in needed areas. Goal setting for the next marking period is certainly appropriate as our students are able to meet high expectations. As always, thanks so much for your continued support! The following websites may provide options/assist with discussing the quarter one report card with your student (these sites are from a simple google search, but provide sound advice regarding discussions about grades).
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Dealing_with_Report_Cards/
Asking for your Assistance: The faculty and staff at Westowne has been working hard to develop strong classroom routines and easy-to-follow directions/rules to ensure student success. We are asking that all parents reinforce with their students the following actions to ensure a friendly, safe learning environment:
- Please smile and say hello to adults in the building. This is not only respectful, but allows for adults to get to know students beyond their classroom. We want to form strong relationships with our students!
- Please reinforce the need to talk politely to all students and adults. We are hearing student use negative language, curse words, and teasing others. We want all students to feel comfortable in our building and to treat everyone with respect. We want to continue to develop a supportive environment in which students may develop strong friendships with their classmates.
- Please discuss with your students the need for self-control. We have far too many situations where students kick, push, slap, etc., in order to hurt others or to simply tease others to hurt feelings. These actions will not be tolerated as students must be able to come to school and know that the building is a safe environment with a focus on friendship and learning. Students should never take matters into their own hands and be physically aggressive or fight others at school. They should immediately share their concerns with their teacher or other adults in the building.
- Please talk with your children about calling out and/or leaving their seats during classroom instruction. It is important to remind them to focus on the teacher and be fully engaged in the lesson. We have far too many students willing to disrupt instruction in order to gain individual attention. This takes valuable learning time from others.
- Last, but not least, please reinforce with students that when walking in the halls, all lines should be silent. A fair number of our students feel that they do not need to follow this direction and tend to interrupt learning in classrooms as they move throughout the building. Moreover, students should talk in a regular voice while at their table in the cafeteria. We want lunch to be relaxing for students and not a place to play.
Thank you in advance for your assistance. Westowne is a wonderful school to attend and we want to continue efforts to ensure that every student experiences a war, safe, and supportive learning environment!
BCPS Calendar 2017 - 2018
BCPS Calendar - November 2017
Friday 3, 2017 - First Marking Period Ends – Elementary and Middle Schools Close 3 Hours Early for Students – Grade Reporting and Data Analysis
Monday-Friday 13-17, 2017 - American Education Week
Friday 17, 2017 - Elementary Conference Day – Schools Closed for Elementary Students
Thursday-Friday 23-24, 2017 - Thanksgiving Holiday – Schools and Offices Closed
FALL BACK - SUNDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2017
When do the clocks fall back?
Sunday, November 5, 2017, marks the end of Daylight Saving Time — a twice-a-year occurrence that we, Americans, collectively partake in, changing our clocks forward an hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall. To remember, think "springing forward" and "falling back." The change on Nov. 5 this year will occur at 2 a.m.
NURSES NOTES
Happy Fall!
The colder weather is coming!
Please send in a weather appropriate change of clothing (including socks and a pair of shoes if you have a spare pair) for your child to keep in his/her locker in case of emergency, i.e., bathroom accident, food/drink spill, vomit, bloody nose, etc.
Every student has a locker or cubbie where their own clothing can be stored in case of emergency.
Please encourage your student to bring a water bottle to school every day. Proper hydration is essential to ward off headaches and tummy aches.
Cough drops are a medication. If your child doesn’t like the cough drops that the nurse provides, and, you send your child with his/her own cough drops, they must be stored in the health suite.
Please instruct your child to bring all cough drops to the health suite at the start of the day.
I will put them in an envelope, labeled with his/her name and dispense one, as needed, to your child.
The nurse does not have seasonal allergy or cold medication in the health suite.
All allergy and cold medicine is to be given at home.
Per BCPS policy, the nurse may dispense Acetaminophen (Tylenol), Tums, cough drops, and, Benadryl for allergic reactions only.
All other medications may only be given with a doctor’s order.
As always, please feel free to call me at 443-809-0023 or email me at jmartin13@bcps.org with any questions or concerns.
Thank you!
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT WESTOWNE
Parent Support to Understanding Your Child's Elementary Report Card
Parents and Guardians,
BCPS has posted a guide to help you understand your child’s elementary report card. This guide can be found at http://www.bcps.org/academics/grading/ and may be accessed directly by scanning the QR code.
Thank you!
CROSSING GUARD HOURS
8:50am - 9:15am & 3:40pm - 4:05pm
Asking for Your Assistance
1st Annual Turkey Trot - Friday November 3, 2017, 9:45 a.m.
GREEN THURSDAY NOVEMBER 9, 2017
Let’s Celebrate by Wearing Green and Raise Some Money for Our School!
Did you know that some of the items we accept at our Westowne Recycling Center can be traded in for CASH through TerraCycle, Planet Green, and Funding Factory?
Bring in these items between October 30th – November 9th:
· hair and make-up product containers (shampoo bottles, mascara and lipstick tubes, hair gel containers, lotion bottles, blush cases, etc.)
· toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, floss containers
· drink pouches
· ink and toner cartridges from printers
· any small electronics (GPS, phones, iPods, tables, Ereaders, cameras, etc.)
The recycling center is now collecting Entenmann’s Little Bites pouches! Your child can bring in clean, empty muffin or brownie pouches to their classroom.
The class who brings in the most items wins 10 minutes extra recess and
gets their picture on the announcements!
American Education Week - November 13 - 16, 2017
LIFETOUCH PICTURES RETAKE DAY - NOVEMBER 21, 2017
Tuesday November 21, 2017
If you need a order form for to pay for the pictures please ask your child's teacher.
Picture Day ID: MJ617314Q1
If you have any questions please contact lifetouch at:
410-644-7700 or 800-445-1189 or answers@lifetouch.com
Catonsville's 14th Annual Catonsville High School XC Turkey Trot - Thursday November 23, 2017
Catonsville's 14th Annual CHS XC Turkey Trot
5K Race and 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk
Thanksgiving Morning, Thursday November 23, 2017
8:10am Family Fun Run 8:30am 5K
Westowne is included on the registration page for Catonsville High School Turkey Trot website information is www.catonsvilleturkeytrot.net.
So all participants need to do is check that box as part of registration in order to be registered with Westowne.
Green Ambassadors
Hello Westowne!
We have begun our Green Ambassadors Program. Each quarter three students will be choose from each class.
- Our Green Ambassadors will wear Green lanyards to identify them.
- One Green Ambassadors will be choose per lunch table that will be responsible for collecting and placing recyclable items in the recycling bin during lunch.
- Our Green Ambassadors will take classroom recycle bin to sort items into the recycle bins in the Green Pod Stairway.
What Is a Green School?
There are many ways to describe a green school, but all share a commitment to environmental sustainability. Here at Westowne we do our best to contribute to the Green effort!
Who Says It's A Green School?
In April 2011, the U.S. Department of Education announced the creation of a new Green Ribbon Schools program, which seeks to identify exemplary schools nationwide that feature energy efficiency and sustainability, healthy school environments, and educational programs that prepare environmentally literate graduates.
St. Jude MATH-A-THON
EPIK Kids in Action
During the month of November, EPIK Kids in Action will be partnering with Westowne alum, Joey Stallings, to create comfort bags for pediatric patients ages 2 to teen at St. Agnes Hospital.
If you would like to help, please consider donating items such as new coloring books, colored pencils, crayons (regular and pre-k size), play dough, or card games such as Uno, Old Maid, Go Fish..etc.
EPIK Kids in Action-Westowne will then organize and stuff the bags to donate. Items can be dropped off in the marked boxes in the lobby or in the red pod.
Any questions can be directed to Mrs. Ritzes (mritzes@bcps.org)
Maryland Historical Society Virtual Field Trip
Our fifth graders recently attended a virtual field trip hosted by the Maryland Historical Society!
Via a webcam, they learned about what colonists may have packed in their trunk on their voyage to the New World in 1700. It was awesome!
Our students were able to examine actual artifacts from the 16th century to consider the choices these early colonists had to make when deciding what supplies to bring on their voyage.
Thank you to Mr. Palmer and Miss McBride for funding this rich learning opportunity for our fifth grade students!
PTA PARTNERS
HOLIDAY SHOPPE DECEMBER 5 - 7, 2017
Holiday Shoppe is coming December 5th-7th. We need donated items that students can buy as low-cost gifts for their families. Consider donating the following:
• used toys
• coffee mugs
• re-gifted gifts
• dad gifts
• neckties
• unopened spa products
• other gently used items cluttering your basement
• Please, no glass vases or wine glasses; they don’t survive the bus trip home.
• Are you crafty? Turn your artistic skills into donated Holiday Shoppe gifts!
Donations can be dropped off to the front office beginning now. Thanks so much for participating in this popular program.
Questions? You can reach the PTA at WestownePTA@gmail.com.