“Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.” Our little pink friend was grateful for the abundance he had in his life; great friends, a warm place to sleep, and a few tasty “haycorns” to eat.

-A. A. Milne, ”Winnie The Pooh”

In the spirit of this holiday season, we would like to extend our thanks to our dedicated, nurturing and wonderful staff for everything that you do for our students, families and school community. And to our parents, thank you for entrusting us with your most precious gift of all as well as your continued commitment and support towards our program all in the name of a teamwork approach.

December tends to be a very busy month! The cold weather moves in as we try to fit in many tasks, projects and events before the ending of the 2024 calendar year. This month was filled with a great amount of optimism, holiday spirit and joy sharing special themed days such as wearing festive hats and socks, cozy pajamas and of course the beloved fav. wearing your traditional “Ugly Holiday Sweater”. Student created and staff donated gifts were sold by students for students to purchase during the “Holiday Winter Wonderland Extravaganza” held in the gym as well as a competitive and creative holiday door decorating contest with prizes. The Westlake Parent Association presented a holiday Movie Night with snacks and refreshments at the school showing a modern day classic, Elf. And to wrap this most eventful month up, Our kind and generous neighbors, Saint Helen’s Church displayed incredible acts of kindness by granting students “Wish list” gifts donated by their parishioners and given out by Santa Claus himself!

As we enjoy the upcoming holidays, it is our sincerest wish that each and everyone of you have a truly unforgettable and special holiday surrounded by loved ones!

Till next “year” my friends, be good to yourself and each other!

Claudine and Bobby P.

• December 20-January 1: Winter Recess (District Closed)

• January 2, 2025: School reopens

• January 7-10: Parent/Teacher Conferences

• January 10: School Spirit Day

• January 13: 1:00 Early dismissal

• January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (District Closed)

S.W. everyday shows kindness in everything he does! She works hard in the cafeteria, at the Sunshine Cafe, and the classroom!

We are so proud of J.G.! He was voted Principal Award Winner for his kindness to his friends and teachers!

Mr. Connor was voted Staff Member of the Month for his kindness to all. He not only supports his students but staff too. He helped redo all the Independent Work Schedule for his class!

We chose E.K. because he is a hard worker. He is always polite to everyone. And is always willing to jump in and help!

Our Holiday Sing-a-Long took place on December 19th. Mr. Patrick has been working with the students all month on our favorite holiday songs. Classes sang Jingle Bells, Let it Snow, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, All I Want for Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Jingle Bell Rock, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. We also sang and had a dance party to Westlake favorite Sweet Caroline! The finale is always The Tewlve Days of Christmas, with each class making decorations to represent their day!

Families were invited to join our sing-a-long. We were excited to show them all the songs we have been working on! Before and after the show the Sunshine Cafe and Christmas Pop Up Shop was open to families!

The Holiday Sale took place on December 13th. Each class made gifts to sell. Staff and students from Westlake and Lambert's Mill Academy shopped for their family and friends. Ms. Dattilo stopped by to buy some gifts. She bought beautiful earrings!

The Westfield Service League

The Westfield Service League is a non-profit organization and consignment shop right here in downtown Westfield. It is all organized by volunteers who the gift their profits through grants. Westlake was fortunate to receive a grant from the Westfield Service League in June of 2024, in the amount of $2,505.00 towards the purchase of a deli style refrigerator for our school's "Sunshine Cafe."

The Sunshine Cafe is a student run Cafe at Westlake School, demonstrating student abilities and independence to work in the Cafe.

We were lucky enough to invite our guests from the Westfield Service League to see our students run cafe in action and see how their contribution has impacted student learning. Claudine Tantillo, Principal and Phyllis Sandrock, Social Worker met with Jane Francz, Susan McClelland, and Gigi Tilocca who came from the Westfield Service League. We greatly appreciate the their grant donations over the years and the opportunity to work with our community partners.

Please visit the Westfield Service League for more information!

Congratulations!

Awesome Job!

I hope everyone made it to the Nice List!

J.D. and M.K. continue to make amazing progress at the accounting firm! We are so proud of all of their hard work!

The students of w84 are looking forward to the Holidays. The class did not hesitate to dance and sing along at Holiday Express and especially loved visits by Elmo and Rudolph. In addition, we have been hard at work preparing for the December Holiday sale. They have been creating candy cane sleds and painting Santa pots to be filled with holiday hershey kisses. The students continue to participate in classroom work based learning by selling pizza and bagels to maintain a thriving business! Prior to winter break, we have introduced a new product, Make your own Duck Donuts. The first round of sales was a huge hit!

Our students have been engaging in community based instructional opportunities including weekly trips to Shoprite. Our students are excelling at using self check-out and learning to locate items by reading and identifying the appropriate isles. Our ability to follow visual recipes while cooking has also come a long way as we are becoming more independent during these tasks.

As we approach the holiday season, it’s been a busy and exciting month in speech therapy! We've been focusing on key communication skills, including the use of core words like "go" and "like," as well as engaging in holiday-themed activities that help reinforce these concepts in a fun and meaningful way. Using winter and holiday-themed books, we’ve been working on comprehension, sequencing, and answering questions about the story. In keeping with the theme of kindness this month, we’ve also been helping students create homemade holiday cards for classmates, teachers, and staff. This activity not only encourages creativity but also helps build social communication skills as students practice using kind words. As we head into the new year, we’ll continue to focus on expanding core vocabulary and using speech and language in functional, real-life contexts. We’ll also keep integrating seasonal themes and fun activities to keep students motivated and engaged in their speech and language learning.

Wishing everyone a joyful and peaceful holiday season!

Mrs. Mund’s class has been busy learning and growing over the past few months, making memories and discovering new skills in the process! From community-based learning trips to hands-on activities in the classroom, here's a look at what we've been up to.

We kicked off our adventures with two exciting trips that took us out of the classroom and into the community. First, we visited the bowling alley, where we learned about teamwork, coordination, and maybe even a little friendly competition. The second trip took us to the movies, where we enjoyed a film and reflected on the experience together, all while practicing good movie theater etiquette.

Back in the classroom, we explored the world of cooking! One of our favorite activities was making simple but delicious snacks. We learned to prepare bread with butter and jelly—a simple yet tasty treat. We also had a blast icing our own cupcakes, using our creativity to make them as colorful and fun as possible!

Some of our students have been enjoying quiet moments of focus while working on puzzles, a great way to develop problem-solving skills and patience. But it’s not all about calm activities! The class has been getting active, too. In Physical Education, we’ve been practicing our hockey skills, and some of us are already becoming expert players!

One of the highlights of our days is the visit from the Pet Therapy dogs. These lovable pups come to visit regularly, and we can’t get enough of the licks and cuddles they offer. It’s the perfect way to unwind and feel relaxed during our busy days.

This holiday season a local seventh grader, Rayna Davidson created “sensory fanny packs” for local students in need as a service project. She donated 30 fanny packs to Westlake School, and 250 in total to local schools as well as sending some overseas to Isreali children. The sensory packs include various items that our students use to help self regulate and refocus both in their classrooms as well as out in the community on community based field trips. Some of the items included stress balls, pop tubes and pop-it keyrings, putty, a timer, and bubbles. In addition, our students often use their fanny packs to carry individual reinforcing items to earn when traveling around the school or in the community. The students store important visual supports needed when they are on the go, allowing them to learn how to manage and utilize their own materials and increase independence.

For this edition of the Wolf Pack Press, I interviewed my friend Jacob.

We have a lot in common. I would like you to get to know Jacob too.

Jacob is 10 years old and has been at Westlake since 2023.

He likes watching videos on his Ipad & playing with a bouncing ball.

When I asked him what he likes about Westlake, he told me that it is fun.

During winter break, he plans to play video games with his sister and get the game Subnautica for Christmas.

Jacob recommends the movie, The Grinch, because it teaches you how to be kind, and how to have fun.

His favorite food is pizza & rice, and his favorite subject is math.

Jacob is Dominican, and he likes to be polite to people.

I hope you now know more about jacob.

I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday and enjoys the winter break!

Reporter, Recorder, Editor: Jonathan Diaz

Website: www.ucesc.org/schools/westlake_school

Location: 1571 Lamberts Mill Rd, Westfield, NJ, USA

Phone: 908-232-4181

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