The Westgate Wire

It has been a busy week at Westgate! Below are a few important pieces of information:

• Huge THANK YOU to the parents who helped to clean snow off the cars of staff members on Tuesday. It was so nice to go outside after school and see such an act of kindness!
• Please be sure to social distance and wear a mask when on school property. This applies to being outside when dropping off/picking up as well.
• We are working to improve our arrival and dismissal procedures. Look for more information about your child's specific grade-level on Monday.

We wish you a healthy and happy weekend!

~Ann and Scott

Westgate could not be happier to have many students back! For families that have selected in-person learning, it is extremely important that your child attends in person each day unless they are sick or need to quarantine. This helps us to continue to provide the highest level of instruction we know students need. This means rebuilding those morning routines to have them here and ready to learn. Families that wish to change to remote learning should reach out to Mrs. Buch or Mr. Walton.

WESTGATE Picture Day will be held in the LMC this year on Feb 1st, 2nd & 3rd

• Monday, Feb 1st - Remote students ONLY
  TIME: 7:30a.m-1:00p.m.
  Signup for a 5 min spot
  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B4BAEA92CA1FE3-picture

• Tuesday, Feb 2nd & Wednesday, Feb 3rd- (In-Person students will take photos with their classroom )
  TIME: 9:00-2:30 - in 30 min slots

Teachers will inform you of the day and time of your child's photo.

• Picture Re-Takes will be held on Friday, March 12th.

PAYMENT:

No forms will be given out at the photoshoot – all will be pre-paid and online ordering will take place. Visit: https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry Online Order Code: 56886X

Inter-State Photography is having difficulty with its website. Pictures can be ordered up to 72 hours after Picture Day.

District 25's Department of Student Learning teamed up with NSSEO, to plan a FREE 10-week "From Stress to Resilience: Parenting During Unprecedented Times" course for District 25 parents and caregivers. The course begins February 4th, and the content mirrors that of the 10-week District 25 staff course that began two weeks ago.

• Registration is open through February 3, 2021 at 1:00 pm.
• Click here to learn more and to register.

The move to expanded in-person learning has allowed D25’s Music for Youth program to offer a very limited number of openings for in-person instruction for families interested in cello or violin lessons. We have 4 openings for cello and 1-2 openings for violins. Classes will be held in a small-group format with a parent required to attend and participate in learning with their child. Classes will be held weekly on Thursdays in the early evening at South MS. Tuition is $275 plus instrument rental. Openings will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. If interested, please contact Karen Noorani at kcnoorani@gmail.com no later than Monday, Feb. 1. Once these available openings are filled, we will maintain a waiting list for families wanting to start later in 2021 when we can return to a full Beginner program.

I want to share this link with you that has all of our open positions throughout the district.

Some positions that we are actively looking to fill:

1. Administrative Assistant to the Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning - OPEN IMMEDIATELY
   
2. Guest Teacher - OPEN IMMEDIATELY
   
3. Classroom/Lunchroom/Playground Supervisor - OPEN IMMEDIATELY MULTIPLE BUILDINGS (**Need to be 18)
4. And many more! Spread the word!

Erin's Law presentations are beginning again here at Westgate. Your child's teacher will inform you of the date of your child's presentation.

Erin’s Law, or Illinois Public Act 097-­1147, requires public schools to provide child sexual abuse prevention education for children in pre­kindergarten through twelfth grades. District 25 began providing instruction in compliance with Erin’s Law during the 2015­-16 school year. Age­-appropriate instruction helps students recognize unsafe situations, keep themselves safe, and understand how to respond to unsafe situations. School social workers work with each grade level to provide age-­appropriate information on topics such as safe versus unsafe touching, the touching rule, secrets, and reporting.

The following link includes more information, including presentations and opt-out forms.

http://www.sd25.org/Page/663

1/21-2/3- Virtual Book Fair

2/1-2/3- School Pictures

2/11-2/12- Parent/ Teachers Conferences

3/12-Report Cards

3/22-3/26- No School- Spring Break

4/2- No School

4/19-SIP Day- No School

5/28-SIP Day-No School

5/31-Memorial Day- No School