Hello Westside Family!
Can you believe that we are in the last weeks of the 2023/24 school year? Wow! Time sure does fly when you are having fun!! This has been such a wonderful year full of so many things to celebrate. From the academic and social emotional growth of our students to our identity work and commitment to Community Circles and Restorative Practices. I am so incredibly proud of our school and the success we have seen this year. Our Wildcats have grown so much, they amaze me each and every day!
We are planning some fun things in the weeks to come including the Fun Run, Field Day, Grade Level Field Trips, 5th Grade Promotion Celebration, and our end of the year Family Party on the Playground!. It should be a fun-filled couple of weeks as we celebrate our successes and just enjoy each other's company.
I hope that you all enjoy the month of May and we get lots of sunshine and warm days. As always, we are here for you if your family needs anything. Never hesitate to reach out!
With Love and Gratitude,
Nikki Harcus, Principal
May is National Speech-Language-Hearing Month! What does a SLP (Speech Language Pathologist) do in the schools? Check out this short handout. SLPs require a masters degree and DPI teaching license to work in the schools in WI. Westside's communication skills specialists (or SLPs) are Stephanie Armstrong (K-2) and Brian Rice (3-5).
Please take a moment to check out this information newsletter about your students "Specials", and all of the amazing things they do each day.
April and May have been busy months. The Nutrition Team is introducing May Heritage Day themed meals at all grade levels. Several times this month we will be serving meals featuring the different cultures (Hispanic, Indian, Asian and Hmong) here at SPASD.
Please click here for more information on menu items for May.
Kobussen has a Lost & Found for items left on the bus.
The driver keeps the lost item on the bus for a few days, then turns it in at the Kobussen terminal. If your child has a lost item don’t forget to check with Kobussen.
Feel free to stop by the terminal at 1500 Forward Drive, Sun Prairie or call (608) 825-8700.
Parents/Guardians may report a student absence to Westside Elementary 24 hours a day by calling our Attendance Line at
(608) 834-7500, press 1 to report a student absence.
Please leave a short message with the following information:
- Child's name
- Teacher's name or grade
- Reason for absence
- Who is calling
Please contact the office, 608-834-7509 before 7:30 a.m. any morning your child will not be in school, even if they will be joining us late. If we do not hear from you, a safe arrival call will be made to you at home and/or work. We want to make sure every child is safe!
- Name of Student
- Teacher's name or grade
- Time of pick up
- If the student will be returning to school
If you are picking up a student during the school day, you will need to sign them out in the main office and please bring your ID with you. We do ask that you give yourself adequate time for check out before your appointment.
If you are interested in volunteering and/or being a chaperone, please check out the District's Volunteer Procedure.
Here are the links from the District website to the Background Check Form(s).
Thank you for considering!
Who We Are & What We Do:
Westside OPTS is the parent-teacher organization at Westside Elementary School. All members are volunteers, made up of parents, grandparents and caregivers of Westside students, as well as teachers and school staff. Our mission is to support education for Westside Elementary School students by fostering relationships between the school, parents, and teachers.
How To Get Involved:
We are committed to supporting our teachers, students and families and we would love your help!
- Volunteer your time and/or talent! If you have a special skill, want to help with fundraising, or like to work on teacher appreciate activities, please let us know.
- Board Members:
Presidents - Chiquita Hall
Vice President - Matt Weyer
Secretary - Nikki Wachter
Treasurer - Cathy Weyer
Volunteer Coordinator - Holly DeGroot
OPTS Meetings
Westside OPTS meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month (except December) from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday May 14, 2024 at Westside Elementary.
We hope to see everyone there!
Let’s Connect!
Via Email: westsideopts@gmail.com
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/westsideOPTS/about/?ref=page_internal
Like and follow us here to keep current on all the wonderful things happening at Westside!