December 2023

December highlights.

• 11th -- 5-6 Holiday Band Concert 6 p.m. - 7-12 Holiday Band Concert 7 p.m.
• 19th - 7-12 Vocal Holiday Concert
• 20th - Board meeting 7 p.m.
• 22nd - 1:30 Dismissal
• 23-27th - Family Week: Building is closed, no practices
• 23-31 - Winter Break
• Jan. 3 - Teacher PD Day
• Jan. 4 - School Resumes

Congratulations to our re-elected school board member Dan Lee. Please help us welcome new board members Andy Clayton and Jeffery Berg. The new board members will be seated on the December 20th board meeting. Check out more information on that meeting on the district's new website "Westwood Board Website."

A special "thank you" goes out to Andy Brouillette and Elliott Johnson for their time on the board. Andy served for 8 years and Elliott served for 4 years. Their passion and commitment to the Westwood School District will not stop once they step off the board. Mr. Lutt states, "Mr. Brouillette and Mr. Johnson both served as vice-president and president of the board. They were involved with several committees and most recently they were both on the Educational Foundation Board. Most people do not see the countless hours of dedication that happens behind the scenes of the board. I can't say enough on how they helped me over the years. Their experience will be missed."

Steven Schaffer will be coaching a dozen students into the first season of eSports at Westwood. The students play in teams of 3 in Rocket League. Competition starts in December. All games are played online with no transportation of students. If the varsity team would make state, they would travel to West Des Moines to play against other teams in person. Iowa high school eSports is sanctioned by the Iowa High School eSports Association. These athletes follow the same attendance, grade and behavior rules as our other sports and activities. If you are interested in watching online, our competitions will be hosted on YouTube at @WestwoodRebelsEsports.

Student enrollment continues a gradual increase to 599 students this year. This is guided by our continual growth in Open Enrollment into the district. Our pride in the district shows as families choose our district!

The elementary and secondary continue to score well on the ISPP. The elementary scored above the state average with 55.54. This earns the rating of Commendable. The secondary scored 51.2 earning the rating of Acceptable. Each year the staff and students work hard to increase our scores!

The safety of students and staff is a priority for Westwood. The week of December 4-8 we will be testing this building's radon levels. Radon testing is now required at least once every 5 years for all Iowa public school attendance centers, licensed preschools and licensed child care centers.

An envelope will be hanging in classrooms, gyms and other rooms on M-F of that week. The envelope is not harmful in any way, it is just paper and charcoal. It will be testing for radon, which is naturally occurring everywhere, but if elevated, can cause an increased risk of lung cancer over the course of a person's lifetime. We are making sure that radon is not at an elevated level in our learning space.

Once testing is completed, I will communicate the overall final results to staff, parents and the community on our website. Any radon levels that exceed mandated maximums will be fixed.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

To: Vehicle Maintenance Contractors

Scope of work 1: Westwood Community Schools is seeking bids for Hourly Rate that includes providing the labor to service and repair minor issues with the transportation fleet. The district has a spreadsheet with all service information to keep track of maintenance. Said labor can be done at the bus barn or bidder’s local shop. Work to be completed will be on an as needed basis.

Sample Types of Vehicle Repairs Needed:

• Communicate with drivers on vehicle issues

• Performs routine vehicle maintenance for the purpose of maintaining vehicles in a safe operating condition and meeting mandated requirements.

• Windshield and glass repair, mirror adjustments

• Oil changes on vehicle fleet: diesel and gas buses; gas vehicles

• Replace bulbs

• Diagnose issues to refer on for warranty work

• Repairs all damaged bus seats for the purpose of maintaining seats and extending seat usability.

• Act as a resource to advise drivers on maintenance and operation issues

• Other duties as they arise.

Please include an hourly rate that will be charged if your company receives the Service Agreement Contract and an hourly rate your company will charge if your company does not receive the Service Agreement Contact.

All work needs to be scheduled with the district representative. As part of this contract, the school district expects to receive emergency and priority service if a route vehicle is out of service.

The bids for this project need to be received by the school district by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, December 15, 2023. Please send your bid to the attention of Jay Lutt, Superintendent, Westwood CSD, 1000 Rebel Way, Sloan, Iowa 51055.(jlutt@wcsdrebels.com)

We are asking interested vendors to provide bids for January 1, 2024-June 30, 2024. The board will decide the length of the agreement after all bids are received. The Westwood Community School Board of Directors has the right to refuse any or all bids.

Include as part of your proposal a list of references and an insurance certificate. Please let me know if you have any questions.

The Board of Education has approved new polices regarding threats and acts of violence. Districts around the state have been working on these policies in response to action by the Iowa Legislature last spring. That policy can be found the following link 503.08.

Are you looking for a quick and easy way to support our school? Box Tops for Education has been around for over 25 years, and it really can make a difference. In fact, the Box Tops program has helped give almost one billion dollars to schools since 1996.

The Box Tops app gives participants the ability to earn for any school across the country with just the touch of a button. Plus, the Box Tops app allows you to search for schools that could use a little extra help, so you can help give students in low-income schools the opportunity to succeed.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: Buy participating products and use the Box Tops app to scan your store receipt. The app identifies eligible products and earnings are credited to your designated school online. Even if you’re shopping online or doing grocery pickup, you can still submit your digital or email receipt with the Box Tops app and earn. Twice a year, our school gets a check!

See a list of participating products at BTFE.COM/PRODUCTS

Box Tops earnings really add up, and the more people that participate, the bigger the impact we can make. So let’s give our teachers the support they need and give more kids the opportunity to succeed. Together, we can help make a big difference.