Westgate News

Welcome to February! There are a lot of activities happening this month, both at Westgate and in within the CCS district. Please take a moment to read the below information and take note of some important dates and deadlines. Families that are interested in school choice information, deadlines are quickly approaching. Also, the Summer Opportunities & Engagement Fair is happening this weekend (2/8) along with registration for Summer Experience opens this Saturday. Please reach out to your student's teacher or the school office if you have any questions. We appreciate your continued partnership with our Westgate community!

Monday 2/3 - Friday, 2/7 - SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR! 📚

**PTA Read-A-Thon Begins**

Wednesday, 2/5 - NO SCHOOL - Professional Development Day

Thursday, 2/6 - Quarter 2 Awards Assemblies - 9:45 a.m. K - 2 & 2:00 p.m. 3-5

Thursday, 2/6 - Elementary Virtual School Choice Fair - 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Friday, 2/7 - Bagels & Books - 8:00 - 8:55 a.m. in Library

Friday, 2/7 - 4th Grade Field Trip to COSI

Saturday, 2/8 - Summer Opportunities & Engagement Fair @ East H.S. - 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Saturday, 2/8 - CCS Summer Experience Registration Opens

Monday, 2/10 - Friday, 2/14 - CCS Relationship Week

Wednesday, 2/12 - PTA Meeting via zoom @ 7 p.m.

Wednesday, 2/12 - Westmoor Preview Night for 5th Graders - 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.

Friday, 2/14 - Happy Valentine's Day

Monday, 2/17 - NO SCHOOL - President's Day

Wednesday, 2/19 - 5th Grade Field Trip to JA Biztown

Friday, 2/21 - Special Presentation about our new trees

Friday, 2/28 - The Lorax Presentation - PreK - 2nd grades

Friday, 2/28 - Middle & High School Lottery Application Deadline

Dear Westgate Families,

In an effort to ensure the safety of everyone in the school parking lot, we are once again asking for your assistance.

As you may be aware, the parking lot at Westgate Elementary School has limited space. Staff is expected to arrive at 8:15am. However, on some days when staff members arrive at their scheduled time of 8:15, there are no parking spots available. To help alleviate this problem, as a reminder, students and families should not arrive to school to drop off students before 8:35am.

Also, as a reminder there is only one entrance/exit to the parking lot. With this being said, we have noticed there has been an increase in the number of cars being side-swiped and individuals almost being hit while walking through the parking lot during arrival and dismissal.

We are asking, if there is a need to park your car when you bring your student to school or when picking up your student at dismissal, please either park in one of the visitor spots; park on the street along Huron Ave. or park in the Westgate Recreation Center parking lot. We greatly appreciate your assistance and support.

Angela R. Martin, Principal

Westgate Alternative Elementary School

614-365-5971

Our February Scholastic Book Fair is under way. Students are allowed to shop during their class's regularly scheduled library time. Also, if a student misses their library time and has money to spend, they can request permission from their classroom teacher to visit the library during a convenient time of day to make their purchases.

Also, parents are invited to attend our BAGELS & BOOKS event with their students, Friday, 2/7, in the library from 8:00 - 8:55 a.m. This is a great time to check out the selection of books, meet other families, all while enjoying a coffee/juice/bagel. Hope to see you there!

Flyers were sent home with students with information to guide parents on how to set up their personal read-a-thon accounts. This is a great way for our students to practice their reading AND support their school. All money raised will go to the many ways our PTA supports Westgate....field trip costs, classroom rewards, teacher wish lists, book fair scholarships, the new gaga ball pit, just to name a few. We appreciate everyone's support!

Below is a link to Ms. Marshall's PE newsletter. Click the link below to see what our students are currently doing in class.

Hello Parents/Guardians,

Please see the information below regarding the Smile Programs, a mobile dentist, who will be coming to Westgate on April 2. Permission slip forms will be coming home with your student this month and you can also sign up on their website. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Just a reminder of when is appropriate to keep your student home from school. These are the CCS guidelines posted here: https://www.ccsoh.us/Page/1219

· Temperature above 100° by mouth

· Students should have no temperature for 24 hours, without medication, before returning to school

· Vomiting or diarrhea

· Shortness of breath or wheezing during normal activity

· Cough that interrupts normal activity

· Pain from earache, sore throat, or recent injury

· Yellow or green drainage from eye(s)

· Rash or draining sores

I am available before school if you are unsure, give me a call (614-365-5971) or email kminrovic@columbus.k12.oh.us

-Nurse Kim

To help celebrate Black History month, our classrooms participated in a door decorating contest. Check out some our classrooms' creativity in honoring Black History.

Give your family the gift of science learning with a free membership to COSI! Thanks to the generosity of the Robert Weiler Company, Columbus City Schools 5th-grade students and their families can receive FREE year-round visits to COSI! Elementary School Family Ambassadors can also receive these memberships!

Memberships are limited. Don't wait. Apply today! First come, first served. Application closes on February 28th, 2025.

Please use the link below to register for your FREE membership.

For those families that were not able to attend the Summer Opportunities & Engagement Fair, please click the button below to check out the various resources that are available. All of the information for the summer resource book has been digitized, therefore you should be able to click on any link and it will take you to their homepage for additional information. This is a great resource to help families plan for summer activities.

During the week of February 10th, CCS will be celebrating it's 9th annual Relationship Week. Along with suggested themes, Westgate's school social worker, Ms. Fitzgerald and school counselor, Mrs. Gaddis, have put together some additional activities for students to participate with their classmates to go along with this year's theme of "Promoting Healthy Communities." Each day students will have the opportunity to participate in activities that will help foster caring communities. *Special note - on Wednesday, we are asking that everyone wears something green. Below is the list of each day's theme for you to discuss with your students at home.

• High School & Middle School Lottery Applications: Accepted via the Parent Portal for the lottery draw Monday, January 6, 2025 through Friday, February 28, 2025. Late applications are added to the bottom of the waitlist in the date/time order of receipt. The last date for the acceptance of late lottery applications for students who completed the 2024-25 school year with CCS is August 15, 2025. New students enrolling into Columbus City Schools can submit a lottery application for two weeks after their enrollment date until December 5, 2025.
• Elementary School Lottery Applications: On-time lottery applications accepted via the Parent Portal for the lottery draw Monday, February 3, 2025 through Monday, March 31, 2025. Late applications are added to the bottom of the waitlist in the date/time order of receipt. The last date for the acceptance of late lottery applications for students who completed the 2024-25 school year with CCS is August 15, 2025. New students enrolling into Columbus City Schools can submit a lottery application for two weeks after their enrollment date until December 5, 2025.
• Selective Admissions Applications: Applications available to eligible students Wednesday, January 8, 2025 with a submission deadline of Friday, January 31, 2025. Applications must be submitted via the Parent Portal.
• Request to Return to Homeschool Application: Accepted via the Parent Portal Monday, January 6, 2025, through Friday, March 21, 2025.
• Reservations: Accepted via the Parent Portal for eligible students from Monday, January 6, 2025, through Friday, January 31, 2025.
• ROTC: Accepted via the Parent Portal Monday, January 6, 2025 through Friday February 21, 2025.

Columbus City Schools (CCS) remains fully committed to providing safe learning environments for students regardless of immigration status, race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, color, national origin, age, gender identity or expression, ancestry, familial status, military status, disability, or genetic information. The safety of our students and staff will always be a key priority and responsibility of the District.

Please See the Smore link below for up to date information from Dr. Chapman regarding district policy and practices related to student safety and wellbeing.

The Educational Service Center of Central Ohio (ESC) has compiled a list of community resources in Central Ohio to help support undocumented students and families. Please feel free to share this information with staff in your school, and provide appropriate resources to families in need.

The Educational Service Center of Central Ohio (ESC) provides school districts and schools with professional development, technology, human resource, and administrative supports, and direct student services that help improve student learning, enhance the quality of instruction, expand equitable access to resources, and maximize operating and fiscal efficiencies.

Please see the list below for recourses.

REMINDERS:

• School hours are 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
• CCS provides FREE Breakfast and Lunch for all students.
• Students are able to eat breakfast each morning in the school cafeteria at 8:35 a.m.
• Students not eating breakfast are allowed to enter the building at 8:50 a.m.
• All students arriving to school on time or to eat breakfast, should be entering through the doors at the back entrance (by the staff parking lot).
• Parking Lot Safety - NO Vehicles are permitted to drive past the fence/gate in the staff parking lot during school hours. All of our students are walking onto the playground at this time to line up for arrival. It is not safe to have vehicles driving past the gate. Also, please be aware of students walking onto the school grounds around the building. It is best to park on Huron (behind the building) or across the street at the Westgate Recreation Center parking lot and walk your student up to the building.
• Please do not drop your student off at school earlier than 8:35 a.m. as there is NO supervision on the playground before that time.
• Only students arriving to school after 9:00 a.m. should enter the front doors to sign in at the office.
• Students should be lining up with their classrooms assigned line to enter the building.
• If your child will be absent from school, please call our office to let us know.

Email: attendancewestgatee@columbus.k12.oh.us

Website: ccsoh.us/WestgateES
Location: 3080 Wicklow Road, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: 614-365-5971