Westwood Elementary Newsletter

The end of the 3rd quarter was March 21st, and we have officially started the final quarter of the school year. Report cards will be sent home via School Messenger on Friday, April 5th. Students are continuing to grow the skills needed to transition to the next grade level. Please make sure you are checking Powerschool to stay current on grades and academics. Continue to talk with your child about what they are working on in school and work with them on any areas that they made need help with. If you are unsure of how to help, please reach out to your child's teacher for strategies and activities that will help your child grow.

Thank you to our families that were able to attend our "March Madness" that we held at Westwood Elementary. This was a really fun night for families to learn together. I posted photos on our Facebook page- if you have not seen them be sure to take a look! https://www.facebook.com/westwoodelementaryecsd

We do have printed copies of this newsletter 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.

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

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

Your Partner in Education,
Ms. Stacey Gatten
Principal

April

2- School resumes from spring break

8- Solar Eclipse- conference makeup day- no school

10- Marcos pizza night

16- Ohio State Testing (OST)- 4th grade ELA part 1

17- OST- 3rd grade ELA part 1

18- OST 4th grade part 2

19- OST- 3rd grade ELA part 2

26/27/28- Little Mermaid @ EHS (see flyer below)

30- OST- 4th grade Math part 1

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

· You may ONLY enter at 42101 Griswold to enter the car line. We will no longer be using Adelbert for drop off- Adelbert is only for Preschool now. 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.

· 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

First Student offers a live tracking app called FirstView that makes it easy for parents to follow the progress of their student's bus before and after school. This is helpful to allow you to see your students bus and in the event of a delay you could get the information quickly.

You can sign up here:

https://www.elyriaschools.org/departments/operations/transportation

Hello!

In our Second Step lessons during the month of March, we completed our Problem Solving unit. Students listened to songs, watched videos, and participated in games and activities that centered around the problem solving process. We learned the importance of naming the problem so that we can get help, thinking of both solutions and their outcomes, and then using that information to pick a good solution with a calm mind. In our lessons, we also talked about the importance of taking time to calm down before picking a solution with counting to ten, taking a deep breath, or walking away so that we do not make a choice that could hurt someone, whether that is with our words or actions. Your students were able to practice these skills both during our lessons as well as through our games which required them to use both problem solving and teamwork skills.

April begins our Child Protection unit through Second Step where your students will be taught a series of lessons regarding Personal Safety, Touching Safety, and Assertiveness. During our lessons, students will be presented with developmentally appropriate songs, videos, and examples through our Second Step curriculum to guide our conversations.

Below you will find a link for the Committee for Children to help guide any conversations that you would like to continue at home with your student along with a preview of the Never-Never Rules and Ways to Stay Safe. This is the same organization that is connected with our Second Step curriculum. You can also go online to SecondStep.org and log in with the activation key for your student’s grade below:

Kindergarten: CPUK FAMI LYGK

1st Grade: CPU1 FAMI LYG1

2nd Grade: CPU2 FAMI LYG2

3rd Grade: CPU3 FAMI LYG3

4th Grade: CPU4 FAMI LYG4

Committee for Children - Hot Chocolate Talk

Thank you!

Mrs. Stacey Yee

School Counselor

March is National Nutrition Month

A Word About Head Lice - This can happen to anyone, it’s not uncommon. They were even found in Egyption tombs. Most head lice are transmitted from head to head contact by crawling, they can not fly or jump. Check your children regularly, and if head lice are found, there are many lice treatments available in the stores. Follow package directions and comb out lice and nits thoroughly. While this is a time consuming task, it is also very effective at preventing repeat cycles. Lice will hatch every 2 weeks if the nits are not removed. Clean all items that may have been in contact with your child’s head (combs, brushes, linens, stuffed animals, coats, hats). Let your child’s close friends and parents know so they too can check regularly. Report all cases to the school. Tip: Nits can be seen well under a black light.

Immunization Schedules: Check with your health care provider to make sure you are properly immunized, especially children entering Kindergarten and rising 7th graders. All 11 year old students are required to have a TDap booster (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis) and Meningococcal prior to entering 7th grade. Please do not wait until school starts as most places are hard to get into during the last minute rush. Please send the new immunizations to the clinic with your student, fax, email, in person etc. so we know the student got them.

Immunizations can be given at the doctor’s office, the Lorain County Health Department, Lorain County Health and Dentistry and at some drug stores, such as Walgreens. If you need help finding resources please let me know and I can help.

Have a safe and healthy spring,

Thank you and for questions please contact me at hessrose@elyriaschools.org or @ 440-284-8153

Thank you,

Rose Hess RN. BSN. LSN.

School Nurse-Westwood Campus

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