Stinger Stories

Dear West Side Families,

I hope each of you had a restful Thanksgiving break! We have jumped into a busy, yet festive, month at West Side. As we are nearing the end of Quarter 2, students are hard at work concluding reading/writing and math units. Mid-year assessments will begin next week, including Winter MAP and literacy diagnostic assessments (LDAs). These valuable assessments will provide teachers with data to aide in the development of instructional plans to support the academic growth of every student. MAP assessment dates for all grade levels are listed below. Results from MAP and LDAs will be made available to families in early January, along with Quarter 2 report cards.

Kindergarten-2nd Grade: December 9 (Reading); December 11 (Math)

3rd Grade: December 9 (Math); December 11 (Reading)

4th-5th Grade: December 10 (Math); December 11 (Reading)

Next week, we will also host our annual school-wide day of service, Stingers Serve, on December 13th. This event gives every student an opportunity to participate in a service project to benefit local organizations including, MUST Ministries, Hope House, Cobb Collaborative, Blue Skies Ministry, Center for Family Resources, and Park Street Elementary. The little hands in our school will make a big impact in our local community.

We look forward to the next two weeks at West Side, with so much joy and thrill brought to school during the holiday season! As always, if we can better support your child please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly. I am incredibly grateful for the trust you place in the West Side staff to be part of your child's elementary school years - there's no place like West Side!

Warm regards,

Christina

Christina Wagoner, Ed.D.

Principal

Greetings Westside Families! December is a month full of excitement, celebrations, and opportunities to reflect on the importance of kindness, gratitude, and community. This month our counseling lessons focus on managing holiday stress and fostering positive relationships. Read on to learn more about upcoming counseling events and tips to support your child at home.

Warm wishes this holiday season,

T'Shunta Rambert & Carrie Woityra

School Counseling Team

Supporting Holiday Stress:

● Stick To Routines: Maintain consistent meal and bedtimes schedules to keep your child grounded.

● Encourage Open Communication: Check in with your child about how they’re feeling during the holidays

● Practice Gratitude: Take time as a family to reflect on things you’re thankful for.

● Embrace Quiet Moments: Balance busy schedules with downtown to recharge.

Book recommendations on coping with big feelings:

· A Little Spot of Feelings by: Diane Alber

· Ruby Finds a Worry by: Tom Percival

· B Is for Breathe by: Dr. Melissa Munro Boyd

Small Group Counseling Wrap-Ups:

We are wrapping up fall small groups. Be on the lookout for the spring sign-up link in January’s newsletter.

Upcoming Events:

We are excited for Career Day on January 24, 2025. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to explore different careers and learn about the wide range of possibilities for their future! If you are interested in volunteering your time to share your career experiences, please sign-up using the link below.

We loved beginning the Thanksgiving holiday with the annual tradition of the Kindergarten First Thanksgiving program! Bravo to our brave Kindergarten students!

Room Parents will coordinate a festive holiday party for students on Friday, December 20th. Holiday party times are listed below. Look for your child's teacher to communicate if the classroom party is open to parents, or limited to a student only celebration.

Kindergarten: 11:40- 12:10

1st Grade: 1:00-1:30

2nd Grade: 10:40-11:10

3rd Grade: 1:40-2:10

4th Grade: 12:15-12:45

5th Grade: 10:00 -10:30

Thank you to everyone who has joined PTA, supported the Direct Donation Campaign, or purchased WS Spirit Wear! You can continue to make donations and buy spirit wear at the link below.

Make your Direct Donation to West Side PTA! Any amount of giving helps support our students, teachers and school community. Our Givebacks store is open for Direct Donations!

Order West Side Spirit Wear! The West Side PTA Givebacks store is OPEN! Check out our new and RE-STOCKED items! Order anytime and it will come home with your Stinger.

Follow West Side PTA on Instagram and Facebook!

Instagram - @westsideelementarypta

Facebook Group - West Side Elementary PTA

Thank you for your amazing support of this year's PTA Silent Auction! Your support directly helps our school and students. There are several auction items still available for purchase at a special "BUY NOW" value. Shop the silent auction website to snag these items before it's too late!

Thank you to Sessions Stand for hosting a fabulous event. Special thank you to the PTA Silent Auction committee chairs, Kate Hill and Loree Anne Paradise, for making this year's event a great success!

Stingers Serve is December 13th! We are still in need of a few donations and volunteers. Please see the links below to help out. All students should wear their field trip shirt on Stingers Serve.

Interested in partnering with West Side PTA at the corporate level? E-mail westsideelementarystinger@gmail.com to request a Corporate Sponsor packet and learn more!

We invite you to come and run, walk, or just come out and support our Stingerette Running Club as they cap off their wonderful enrichment season with the 5K Sleighbells on the Sqaure on Saturday, December 14th.

5K starts at 8:00 am (5K is a chip-timed Peachtree Qualifying race)

1K starts at approximately 9:10 am

Tot Trot starts at approximately 9:20 am

Awards Ceremony, starts at 9:30 am

Proceeds benefit the Cobb County Bar's Children’s Emergency Fund, a 501c3: The Fund provides emergency grants to Cobb County households facing financial emergencies or crises. The Fund provides support for Cobb families in need in areas that are often not addressed by traditional charities, assisting with utility bills, clothing, medicine, housing, to help local families get back on track.

The City of Marietta's Annual Christmas Tree Lighting returns!! Let's kick off this holiday season with Santa's arrival to the square. The fun begins at 4PM with performances by local school and church choirs, then Santa makes his Grand Entrance to help the Mayor and the City of Marietta light the tree! The West Side Singing Stingers chorus will perform at 7:05 PM!

Email: cwagoner@marietta-city.k12.ga.us
Website: https://www.marietta-city.org/Domain/14
Location: 344 Polk Street Northwest, Marietta, GA, USA
Phone: 7704293172