Family News

First Quarter Report Cards are available on the Parent Portal.

Students in grades K-4 receive standards based report cards. These share information about how your scholars are progress towards proficiency on grade level NYS Next Generation Standards. At the end of the first quarter you should not expect students to have reached mastery.

The following scale is used:

4 - Exceeding Proficiency of Grade Level Standards

3 - Meeting Proficiency of Grade Level Standards

2 - Approaching Proficiency of Grade Level Standards

1 - Below Proficiency of Grade Level Standards

N/A - Not Assessed (this standard has not yet been taught, so it is not assessed)

Students in grades 5-8 will receive percentage grades, that indicate how you child has performed on various grade-level assessments and assignments during the first quarter. The following is the breakdown of where their grades are averaged from.

Classwork: 40%

Assessments: 40%

Independent Work: 20%

All report cards are posted on the parent portal, if you still have not signed up and need help, please reach out to your child's teacher or the main office.

Directions for registering for the Parent Portal are below.

**Note: You will need the 900 number (ID number) for each child you will be adding to your account. Most students in grades 3 and higher know their number, If you need the 900 number, reach out to your child’s teacher, or call the office.**

1. Go to the Westminster website: www.westminsterccs.org. Under the “For Families” tab, click on “Parent Portal”.

2. If you already have a username and password, use them to log in here. If it is your first time logging in, click on “Online Registration”.

3. Fill in the boxes for “Account Information”. Note: the school district is ‘WestminsterCSD’. Be sure that the email address you provide is valid, you will be receiving an automated email at the end of the registration process.
4. Fill in the boxes on the ‘Personal Information’ page. This is information about the parent or guardian (the adult). Student information is in the next section.
   

5. Fill in the boxes for ‘Student Information’. You may add all students that you will need access for.

6. You will receive an auto-generated email sent to the email address you provided with your log-in credentials. Your account will be reviewed by the account administrator and will be available in about 2 business days.

7. Your registration process is complete! Once your account is activated by the account administrator, you can log in at any time to view your child’s assignments, discipline, attendance, grades, and report cards.

Phonemic Awareness:

• Play sound-based games like "I spy" focusing on initial sounds.
• Say a word and have your child clap for each sound they hear.
• Break words into individual sounds and blend them together

Phonics:

• Point out letter-sound relationships while reading.
• Practice sounding out new words together.
• Use flashcards with letter-sound pairings.

Fluency:

• Read books repeatedly to build fluency and expression.
• Have your child read a passage aloud and provide feedback.

Vocabulary:

• Discuss new words encountered in the story.

• Explain the meaning of words in context.

• Encourage children to use new words in conversation.

Comprehension:

• Ask open-ended questions about the story to check understanding.
• Have your child summarize key points of the story.
• Encourage predictions about what might happen next.

The YWCA Program, as well as Fall Clubs, is underway. Please see this week's lineup.

YWCA runs Monday-Thursday 3:00-5:30

CLUBS 3:00-4:30

Girls on the Run (Tuesday & Thursday)

Boys Basketball (Tuesday & Thursday) combination with YWCA 3:00-5:30

Girls Basketball (Monday & Wednesday) combination with YWCA 3:00-5:30

Spanish- Hidalgo (Wednesday)

Sports and Fitness(Thursday)

Passport to Adventure (Tuesday)

Book Club- (Monday)

Recycle Club- (Wednesday)

Hair Club - (Thursday) combination with the YWCA 3:00-5:00

Any club that is done in partnership with the YWCA needs a YWCA application along with a WCCS permission slip.

November 20th - Picture Retake Day, BPN Family Fun Night 4-5 pm, Board Meeting 3:30-5:00 pm

November 21st -Parent Meeting (PAC) 5:30-6:30

November 26th - Lockdown Drill

November 27th - Friendsgiving

November 28th and 29th - No School

December 2nd-6th - Scholastic Book Fair

December 5th - Literacy Night 5:00 pm

December 16th-19th - Santa's Workshop

December 17th - Winter Showcase 5:00 pm

December 17th - Winter Celebration 5:30-7:00 pm

December 19th - Parent Meeting (PAC) 5:30-6:30

December 20th - Last Day before Winter Break, December 23rd -Jan. 1st

Every student has a right to educational opportunities that will enable them to develop their fullest potential. Attendance policies are based on the principle that regular school attendance maximizes the student’s interaction with their teachers and peers and is a significant component of academic success. Improved school attendance generally increases student achievement.

Therefore, this attendance policy provides for the early identification of attendance problems and

effective methods to address the issue(s). Successful implementation of any attendance policy requires cooperation among all education community members, including parents/guardians, students, teachers, administrators, and support staff. WCCS has committed to:

1. Maintain adequate attendance records on each student to ensure that each student maximizes achievement of academic standards.

2. Increase school completion for all students.

3. Identify general attendance patterns to design attendance improvement efforts.

4. Ensure that the student’s whereabouts can be accounted for.

5. Identify patterns of student behavior that may require student and /or parent/guardian attention.

Student Attendance Policy

Students must attend school all days that school is in session for the entire day, 8:00 a.m. – 2:45 p.m., unless they have a valid (excused) reason. Please remember that the New York State Department of Education has defined any student who misses 10% or more school days as chronically absent. This includes both excused and unexcused absences. Missing just two (2) days of school a month – for any reason – can be a problem for kids in several ways. Chronically absent students in kindergarten and first grade are less likely to read on grade level by the time they reach third grade. For older students, being chronically absent is strongly associated with failing to graduate high school – even more than low grades or test scores. When absences add up, these students are more likely to be suspended and drop out of high school. Chronic absenteeism is also linked with teen substance abuse, as well as poor health as adults. Please help support your scholar’s educational success by having them at school all day, every day.

Please get in touch with our main office if you need help getting your child to or from school.

Tardiness and early dismissal can significantly impact a student's academic performance by causing them to miss critical instructional time, leading to lower grades, difficulty keeping up with coursework, and potential disruptions to the classroom learning environment, ultimately affecting their overall academic achievement and potentially contributing to behavioral issues; frequent tardiness can also signal a larger problem with engagement or attendance patterns.

Key impacts of tardiness and early dismissal:

• Missed instruction:

  Students arriving late or leaving early miss important information and explanations from the teacher, making it harder to grasp concepts and complete assignments.

  
  

• Disruption to class flow:

  Entering or exiting a classroom late can distract other students and disrupt the teacher's lesson, impacting the learning of the entire class.

  
  

• Negative impact on academic performance:

  Studies show a correlation between frequent tardiness and lower grades, standardized test scores, and overall academic achievement.

  
  

• Social isolation:

  Students who are consistently tardy or leave early might miss out on social interactions with peers, potentially contributing to feelings of isolation.

  
  

• Potential behavior problems:

  Chronic tardiness can sometimes indicate underlying behavioral issues that need to be addressed.

  
  

• Negative perception by teachers:

  Frequent tardiness can create a negative impression of a student's commitment to learning and responsibility.

GRADES K – 8

Tops: Navy Blue School Logo Top

WCCS Embroidered short sleeve polo
WCCS Embroidered Sweatshirt

Bottoms: Khaki or Navy (color)

Uniform or Dress Pants*

Uniform or Dress Shorts*

Uniform Jumper

Uniform or Dress Skirt*

Dress Pants - do not include denim, ripped material, leggings, or jeggings. Dress pants would be made of cotton, polyester blend, or wool.

Dress Shorts - must be made of dress pant materials and have at least a 7-inch inseam; the bottom must be hemmed (no cut-offs).

Dress Skirts - must be made of dress pant materials and have at least a 9-inch inseam; the bottom must be hemmed (no cut-offs).

Short-Sleeve Polo shirts - students should not wear any visible shirt underneath their polo. If students are cold, they can wear a school sweatshirt.

Clothing that is ripped, cut, slashed, or has holes, is prohibited, even on dress-down days. Clothes with rips that are filled underneath are not allowed.

Footwear: Shoes or Sneakers

• Rubber Bottom Shoes - appropriate for running and playing

• Cotton, leather, or man-made leather, solid uppers

• Shoes must have enclosed heels and toes.

• No sandals, slides, slippers, high heels, house shoes, moccasins, boots, flip-flops, rubber body shoes, or Crocs are allowed.

• These footwear requirements are due to safety issues.

Shirts can be purchased at https://www.westminsterccs.org/ under at families tab, student will bring the shirts home.

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Scan the code to join all three.

Check out our updated website: https://www.westminsterccs.org/

With your support, we look forward to building on our school’s 30-year history

of educating our community’s children. With your help, we can grow our pride!