Special Edition

Nov. 14, 2024

Hello Families

November 14, 2024

Dear Parents/Guardians of West Haven Students,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am calling for your help and support as we work through some increasing behaviors that we are trying to resolve. We have incredible students at West Haven and we want to ensure that they have a safe and positive learning environment. Lately we have been having increasing issues with students using discriminatory language and “put downs” that have been targeted, dehumanizing, and hurtful.

Today we hit a “reset button” for our upper grade students- particularly at recess. We reviewed district policies about bullying, (including cyberbullying), and harassment. Teachers will spend time this week reviewing policies and procedures. They will also be working to build and rebuild relationships within the grade.

We are asking for your help to work through these problems so that we can have a safe and strong learning environment for our students at West Haven. Please:

Have discussions with your child about being respectful of others.
Have discussions with your child about good sportsmanship-win or lose.
Encourage your child to stand up for others who may be being disrespected.- This could even look like reporting the concerns they see to an adult.
Remind your child that some of the language they might use at home may not be appropriate for the school setting.

In elementary school we use our mistakes as learning opportunities. We have been working through the reteaching process with many of our behavior concerns. Due to the increase and severity of the issues, we are reviewing the district policies and student discipline in regard to bullying and harassment. We hope that by implementing the above steps we will remedy the issues and avoid the disciplinary consequences as outlined in policy 4120 (attached below.)

Student Discrimination and Harassment Policy

Our goal is for all students to feel that they are a part of a safe and kind community. As a result we are confident that they will achieve high levels of learning this year.

Thank you for your support in this effort. We are grateful for our West Haven Community!

Sincerely,

Courtney Geisler
Principal
West Haven Elementary School
cogeisler@wsd.net

School Play-Parent Meeting Today at 3:30 in the gym

Parents, there will be a school play meeting for the PARETS of all interested 3rd-6th grade students on November 14th from 3:30-4:30. Since this is our first school play and we are just getting this off the ground, the play will be open to 3rd through 6th grade students. Audition sign ups and details will be made available at the meeting on the 14th. West Haven will be performing Seussical JR.

If you are unable to make the meeting, please send me an email and we will be sure the infomation makes it out to you. We can wait to see this program grow and can't wait to see our students perform this year.

If you are wondering how to support the play, a sign up genius for volunteer positions has been created. Take a look:

Seussical Volunteers