Westwood Elementary Newsletter

Happy February,

Love is in the air, and Valentine's Day is right around the corner. This is an exciting day for students; and I didn't always know this. My first year as an Elementary principal I was unaware how exciting this day is for students, it wasn't as big of a deal for my former middle school students. That being said, I do look forward to it each year because many of the students love it so much (no pun intended).

I need to give another car line reminder, because it's very important. Please only drop off and pick up students in the drop off area (lined with staff, and there is a photo below). We do this for your child's safety. I will keep saying this, because your students safety is my priority.

If you, or someone else drops off or picks up students, Please ONLY drop off students on the drop off zone that has staff available- stop signs and non drop off zones are prohibited. There has been an increase in drop off in areas that are not designated for this.

Please continue to talk with your student about the "3 Bees"- consistent language and expectations can help make the day go smoother- both at school and at home! We appreciate all you do to help your child be successful at school.

This newsletter contains important information, and I will send only one each month. Please take the time to read it each month- it is packed full of information. We also will have printed copies 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.

If you drop off or pick up your student- please make sure you are only doing so in the designated pickup and drop off area where staff are located. We do this to ensure your student is safe and supervised by an adult, thank you for your cooperation. You can see more details below in the drop off and pickup procedures.

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

Your Partner in Education,
Ms. Stacey Gatten
Principal

February

3- School Counselor week

3- 100th day of school celebration

4- 4th grade music night @ EHS (flyer below)

6- Conferences (by appointment only)

7- Interims sent home electronically

12- Marco's Pizza Night

13- TechE Club @ 8:00am

14- Valentine's Day

17- President's Day- no school

18- Student council meeting @ 8:15am

27- TechE Club @ 8:00am

Reading and writing vocabulary are key to helping children succeed in school and beyond. A strong vocabulary allows students to better understand what they read, making it easier for them to grasp new ideas and concepts. In writing, having a rich vocabulary helps children express themselves clearly and creatively, improving the quality of their work. By learning new words and practicing using them in both reading and writing, children build confidence in their communication skills. Encouraging your child to read regularly and expand their vocabulary through writing will give them the tools they need for academic success.

Choose: To pick or select something from a group of options.

Support: To help or assist someone, or to show that you agree with or encourage something.

Similar: Things that are alike or have many characteristics in common.

Cause: The reason why something happens or the action that makes something occur.

Solution: An answer or fix to a problem or challenge.

Response: The answer or reply to a question, prompt, or statement.

Multi-paragraph: Writing that consists of more than one paragraph, often used to organize and develop a longer, more detailed idea.

Essay: A short piece of writing on a particular subject, where the writer presents their ideas or opinions in a structured format.

Organize: To arrange or order information or ideas in a clear and logical way to make it easier to understand.

Effect: The result or outcome of an action, event, or decision; how something influences or changes something else.

Main Idea: The central point or most important idea in a passage or story.

Theme: The underlying message or lesson the author wants to communicate in a text.

Context: The words or phrases surrounding a particular word or idea that help explain its meaning.

Inference: A conclusion or understanding drawn from evidence and reasoning, not directly stated in the text.

Sequence: The order in which events or steps happen or are presented.

Character: A person, animal, or figure in a story or text.

Plot: The sequence of events that make up a story, including the beginning, middle, and end.

Setting: The time and place in which a story takes place.

Point of View: The perspective from which a story is told, such as first-person or third-person.

Compare and Contrast: To find similarities and differences between two or more things.

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

· You may ONLY enter at 42101 Griswold to enter the car line. Adelbert entrance is only for Preschool. 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. Please ONLY drop off students on the drop off zone that has staff available- stop signs and non drop off zones are prohibited.

· You will exit at Griswold also.

We appreciate your help in keeping our students safe.

Hello WWES Families!,

This year one of the things our building has been focusing on is helping kids to learn the behaviors we want to see using PBIS. PBIS stands for positive behavioral interventions and supports. We have been using PAX, teaching behaviors clearly, and making the most of fun feedback programs like our “Bee Bucks”, to make an impact on student behavior. We are missing something important though… YOUR FEEDBACK!!!!

Below we are linking a survey that is used nationally to get feedback on how schools are using positive behavioral interventions to support students.

For each question there will be a section asking if you think the item is “In Place, Partially in Place, or Not in Place” in our school.

The next section will repeat, but will ask how important this is to you.

Do you think it is a “High Priority, Medium Priority, or a Low Priority.”

You may not have an answer for each question and that is OK. Any feedback is greatly appreciated and will help us to make WWES the best place it can be.

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

Hello Westwood families!

February is Children’s Dental Health Month. This allows time for reflection on good oral health practices. Tooth decay is the most common preventable chronic disease among U.S. children. If left untreated it can have a negative impact on a child’s physical and social development, and school performance. (www.ada.org)

On January 27th, Elyria Orthodontics visited our 3rd and 4th graders and provided an educational presentation on good oral health. Lorain County Health and Dentistry will be visiting 6th graders to provide dental sealants to those students that have turned in permission slips. They will also follow up on the students they saw last year to ensure the sealants are still in place. The dates for middle school are February 18th and 19th. A 2nd round of permission slips have been sent home with your 6th grade students. Dental sealant dates for 2nd grade and the follow up from students seen last year are March 10th and 11th. If you are interested in having your child have dental sealants in their respective grades, and have not received a permission slip, please reach out to the school clinic. We will also continue to have the mobile dentist visit the school and the next visit is in May. (Dates will be confirmed and will be shared at a later time.) Consent forms will be sent home in March.

Please reach out with any questions,

Amanda McCall RN, BSN

Westwood Campus

mccallamanda@elyriaschools.org

440-284-8153

Hello!

We are about to wrap up our Second Step Empathy/Kindness unit as we get into the month of February. Our students have learned about ways to show kindness throughout our school and home in our lesson discussions. We practiced giving compliments, working as teammates, creating kindness books, and learning about how each of us have different perspectives. Our third and fourth graders even had the opportunity to spread kindness to our community by decorating coffee sleeves that were generously donated by Biggby Coffee on Griswold Road. Students brainstormed ideas and then created colorful coffee sleeves that have pictures and kind messages on them to brighten someone’s day. Please watch for an announcement in the month of February on the day that Biggby Coffee will be passing out the coffee sleeves, and you might have a chance to get one yourself with a hot beverage!

Our students will be diving right into our Second Step Problem Solving unit as this month continues. We will be focusing on the importance of stating problems, listening to others, working together, and various problem solving strategies to put to use. All of these lessons will tie right into our Empathy/Kindness unit so that we make sure that we are solving problems in a fair and appropriate way.

As usual, see below for some additional information to continue the conversation at home.

Thank you!

Stacey Yee

School Counselor

Westwood Elementary

yeestacey@elyriaschools.org

(440) 284-8244

See below for information from Food Services:

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