Westwood Elementary Newsletter

It doesn't feel possible that we are halfway through the academic year and 2025 is here! Time sure does fly! Quarter 3 starts on January 6th, when we return from break. Make sure to check your email, Report cards will be sent home on Friday, January 10th via school messenger.

If you, or someone else drops off or picks up students, Please ONLY drop off students on the drop off zone that has staff available- stop signs and non drop off zones are prohibited. There has been an increase in drop off in areas that are not designated for this.

Please continue to talk with your student about the "3 Bees"- consistent language and expectations can help make the day go smoother- both at school and at home! We appreciate all you do to help your child be successful at school. Some of our students entered to win a "fancy table" at lunch with their Bee bucks- pictures were posted on our Facebook page- be sure to check it out!

This newsletter contains important information, and I will send only one each month. Please take the time to read it each month- it is packed full of information. We also will have printed copies in the main office, should you need one. Please make sure you have an email listed in PowerSchool that you check regularly- we frequently communicate electronically.

If you drop off or pick up your student- please make sure you are only doing so in the designated pickup and drop off area where staff are located. We do this to ensure your student is safe and supervised by an adult, thank you for your cooperation. You can see more details below in the drop off and pickup procedures.

Regular attendance at the elementary school level is crucial to each student’s success, as it sets up a good pattern for your child’s entire school career. Please make sure your child is here every day that it is possible.

Please follow us if you are not already: Westwood Elementary-Elyria City Schools;

https://www.facebook.com/westwoodelementaryecsd

Your Partner in Education,
Ms. Stacey Gatten
Principal

JANUARY

6- School resumes

8- Marcos' Pizza Night

10- Report Cards sent home through school messenger

16- TechE Club @ 8:00am

20- MLK Jr Day, no school

31- Professional Day, no school

To ensure drop-off and pickup run smooth and effective:

· You may ONLY enter at 42101 Griswold to enter the car line. Adelbert entrance is only for Preschool. Please do not cut through- this creates additional traffic for EECV, and we want ALL students to be safe. Also please only drop off and pick up in the designated area, do not use the visitor parking for drop off as it it not an area that is supervised by staff.

· Please do not plan to arrive earlier than 8:55 for Elementary School drop off in the morning. If Elementary students arrive early you will need to keep your student(s) in the vehicle with you until staff comes out to unload students at 8:55am.

· Please do not plan to arrive earlier than 3:00pm for Elementary pickup in the afternoon.

· Once in the lot, please pull up to the car in front of you, as this will allow more cars to enter the lot, and keep cars off the street.

· Please be ready and prepared so that we can keep cars moving efficiently in the lot.

· Follow all directions from staff, they are there to help.

· Please drive safe and slow- this is a school zone and we need to keep all students and staff safe. Please ONLY drop off students on the drop off zone that has staff available- stop signs and non drop off zones are prohibited.

· You will exit at Griswold also.

We appreciate your help in keeping our students safe.

School hours are 9:10am-3:10pm.

Doors do not open until 8:55- please do not drop off early or allow students to walk early.

If you are dropping off, please hold your child in the car with you until 8:55am.

Please call the office to report your child(ren)’s absence at 284-8002 before 9:30AM. Our phone has 24-hour voicemail so that you may call and leave a message anytime. Please leave a voicemail if no one answers the phone in the office; voicemails are frequently checked and the office will receive your message.

Please make sure you always have a photo ID with you, when you come to the school, this is for the safety of our students.

The Main Office of any school building is a hub of activity. Students and staff are always on the go, in and out of the space throughout the school day.

It’s an active place for regular check-ins and meetings with students, as well as staff conferences and daily interactions with school principals and counselors. The Main Office is also a confidential space at times for conversations and interactions between school personnel and students.

Parents and caregivers are part of the equation, too. For any number of reasons, parents may be asked to come to their child’s school during the day. When that happens, parents should follow the district’s visitor procedures by using the school’s main entrance buzzer and intercom system to gain entrance to the school, and then signing in at the front desk.

If parents/caregivers do not have a meeting at the school but still need to come to the school during the day to see their child or to speak to a staff member, call-ahead notice or an appointment is required.

This ensures parents will be seen in a timely manner and upholds the safety practices of the school. To contact the Main Office, please call 440-284-8002

Our school address is: Westwood Campus, 42350 Adelbert St, Elyria, OH 44035

Our phone number will stay the same: 284-8002

Hello Westwood families!

Happy New Year! One of the most common new year’s resolutions is to eat better. It's not always easy to make changes to what you eat. Making drastic changes so quickly can lead to goal fatigue and burn out, which leads to a return to prior eating habits. Instead, focus on making small, sustainable changes that can make a big difference over time. Here are some quick tips to help get you on the right track.

1. Increase your vegetable intake, add more to your sandwich or wrap. Swap out chips for carrot sticks. Have cut-up peppers with hummus as a snack. Try making half of your plate vegetables for lunch and dinner. Try roasting vegetables and experimenting with different spices.
2. Commit to eating 1-2 fruits a day. The sugar found in fruit is natural and fruit offers vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
3. Plan ahead when you go to the grocery store. It is important to make a list and stick with it. If you are unsure of your week, skip the fresh vegetables and go with frozen. Frozen vegetables take less time to prepare and won’t spoil.
4. Meal planning is a great way to save time and avoid last minute splurging on take out or fast food. You can include pre portioned options, like canned chicken and tuna.
5. Swap out refined grains like white bread and white pasta that lack fiber for whole grains like whole grain bread, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta.
6. Protein helps prolong feeling full between meals and help avoid snacking. Chicken, fish, beans, and soy are great lean protein choices. Eat less cheese, beef, and fried or processed meats.
7. Try keeping a food log. Track everything you eat for a few days and then review by asking yourself these questions: How often did I eat out of boredom? How many servings of fruits and vegetables did I eat? How many snacks did I have? The food log will give you a better idea of what, how, and why you are eating so you can identify what changes need to be made.

Please reach out with any questions,

Amanda McCall RN, BSN

Westwood Campus

mccallamanda@elyriaschools.org

440-284-8153

Hello!

During December, we wrapped up our Emotion Management unit with the completion of feelings journals, coping strategies, and safe people that we can share our emotions with both at school and home. However, the most important item that we discussed in all grade levels was that no emotion is “good” or “bad”. Instead, we focused on “comfortable” (happy, loved, proud, etc.) and “uncomfortable” (sad, angry, frustrated, etc.) emotions. In our lessons, we learned that no emotion lasts forever, and that even though we cannot control our emotions, we can control the actions we take when we are feeling them.

As we move into January, students will be beginning our Empathy and Kindness unit with Second Step. While Kindergarten and first grade will be learning about kindness and the power of kind acts, our second, third, and fourth graders will be learning about showing kindness through empathy. We will be completing activities, watching videos, and having discussions about the importance of kindness toward others and how we all like to feel heard and cared for.

This unit will tie directly in with our previous unit on Emotion Management where we discussed the range of emotions that we can feel and what makes us (and others) feel them. Showing empathy toward others is a major skill in making and keeping friendships and creating a caring environment within our classrooms and school. Students will also be continuing to learn about “I Messages” and how they can use them to tell someone else how they are feeling and why. These messages let someone else know exactly how you are feeling, why, and what they can do to help the situation.

Finally, we are planning to continue our visits from Henry the therapy dog. Again, if you do not wish for your student to be in contact with Henry, please reach out to me at yeestacey@elyriaschools.org or (440) 284-8244.

As usual, see below for some additional information to continue the conversation about emotions at home.

Thank you!

Stacey Yee

School Counselor

Westwood Elementary

yeestacey@elyriaschools.org

(440) 284-8244

See below for information from Food Services:

As we approach this time of year, we often notice an increase in illnesses. Recently, Lorain County Public Health has reported the spread of pertussis (whooping cough) within our community.

Pertussis is an infection that affects the airways and is transmitted through coughing or sneezing. It may initially resemble a common cold, but it can escalate into a severe, lingering cough that lasts for weeks or even months. This illness poses a significant risk to pregnant woman, infants under 12 months and anyone with a weakened immune system or moderate to severe asthma.

As always, please take precautions if you or your child are feeling unwell, and consider the following recommendations:

• Keep your child at home if they are sick.
• If there is a fever, do not return to school until 24 hours after the fever has subsided (without the use of anti-fever medications) AND symptoms have improved for 24 hours.
• If symptoms do not improve, please seek medical attention.

Mensaje importante de Salud Pública del Condado de Lorain

Queridas familias,
A medida que nos acercamos a esta época del año, solemos notar un aumento de enfermedades. Recientemente, Salud Pública del Condado de Lorain ha informado sobre la propagación de la tos ferina dentro de nuestra comunidad.

La tos ferina es una infección que afecta las vías respiratorias y se transmite al toser o estornudar. Al principio puede parecerse a un resfriado común, pero puede evolucionar hasta convertirse en una tos intensa y persistente que dura semanas o incluso meses. Esta enfermedad representa un riesgo significativo para las mujeres embarazadas, los bebés menores de 12 meses y cualquier persona con un sistema inmunológico debilitado o asma de moderada a grave.

Como siempre, tome precauciones si usted o su hijo no se sienten bien y considere las siguientes recomendaciones:

Mantenga a su hijo en casa si está enfermo.

Si tiene fiebre, no regrese a la escuela hasta 24 horas después de que la fiebre haya disminuido (sin el uso de medicamentos contra la fiebre) Y los síntomas hayan mejorado durante 24 horas.

Si los síntomas no mejoran, busque atención médica.

Gracias por su atención a este importante mensaje.

Families may bring in prepackaged treats (with ingredients listed by the company that packaged it) BUT we are really encouraging non-food items. We have to be very careful of food allergies, to keep all students safe. Birthday treats ARE not required or encouraged, but okay, if you choose.

Birthday/Holiday treat ideas include:

Pencils, bookmarks, fidgets, pop-its, bracelets, crayons, squishes, pencil toppers or erasers, glow sticks, play dough, slinkies, stickers, prepackaged snack with ingredients listed (from the company that produces it).

Have you opted in to receive text messages from Elyria Schools?

If you haven't already, please take a moment to sign up to receive automatic text messages from Elyria Schools. This is a valuable tool in an emergency or when there's important, time-sensitive information to share.

The service is free and opting in is easy. Parents or guardians simply need to send a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our district's short code number at 67587.

Just as simple, you can opt out at any time by replying to one of our messages with “Stop.”

The text feature and the robocall system are tied directly a student's contact information that is on file with your child's school. Please make sure this information is kept up-to-date to ensure you continue receiving calls or texts from Elyria Schools.

Hoodies, and similar tops or jackets with hoods, are "fan favorites" when it comes to school attire. We like them, too, but not when they are worn up and over the head during the school day.

The district's Student Code of Conduct provides direction on headgear, stating that it may not be worn over a person's head or scalp (excluding headgear that's worn for religious or medical reasons.) Hoods can make it difficult to identify an individual in an emergency, and they can also be a distraction in class. Please remind students that hoods may not be worn up during the school day.

The Student Code of Conduct also offers guidance on attire. Clothing must be school appropriate and may not present a health or safety hazard or disrupt the educational environment. Pants and tops must fit properly and be in good repair; crop tops are not permitted.

Additionally, footwear must be school appropriate--slippers and slipper socks are not permitted. Blankets also may not be worn in school.

Students may bring their cell phones to school but they must be turned off and put away during the day unless they are used as a part of a teacher-directed lesson in class. Same rules apply to Bluetooth headphones--they may not be worn during the school day.

If you need to reach your student during the school day, please contact the main office and our staff will convey a message or assist you in reaching your student.

Website: https://www.elyriaschools.org/domain/30
Location: 42350 Adelbert St, Elyria, OH 44035, USA
Phone: 440-284-8002