September Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to the start of another exciting school year! We have many new faces at Westlake school this year and we welcome each and everyone student. At Westlake, we are committed to creating a learning environment where all children feel safe, valued, and empowered to reach their fullest potential. Our dedicated teachers and staff have been working hard to prepare for a year filled with engaging, meaningful learning experiences. Whether your child is returning or just starting their journey with us, we are excited to foster their academic, social, and emotional growth.

In October, we will be celebrating the Week of Respect from October 7th - 11th. We have themed days scheduled throughout the week. We also have School Violence Awareness Week from October 16th - 20th, where we will discuss and promote a safe school environment.

We believe that collaboration and communication between school and home is essential for student success. Throughout the year, we encourage you to stay connected and actively participate in your child's educational experience. Back to school night will be held on Thursday, September 26, 2024 from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. We are looking forward to seeing everyone then!

Warm Regards,

Claudine Tantillo, Principal

Robert Peneno, Supervisor of Instruction

Stacey Kodack, Supervisor of Behavior Department

September, 26, 2024 - Back to School Night (6:30PM - 8:00PM)

October 3-4, 2024 - School Closed - Rosh Hashanah

October 7-11, 2024 - The Week of Respect (Theme days-information to be sent home)

October 8, 2024 - HIB Assembly with Omegaman

October 14, 2024 - School Closed for Students - PD Day for Staff

October 16-20, 2024 - School Violence Awareness Week

October 31, 2024 - Fall Dance and Halloween

L.P. is a new student at Westlake, during her first few days, she has been showing everyone her positive and friendly attitude! Awesome job!

M.K. was nominated for his hard work, his initiation, his respect and kindness for others. His willingness to learn new skills!

We welcomed our students back to school on September 6, 2024.

We were excited to meet new friends!

The staff of the Sunshine Cafe have been busy! They spent the first half of September getting inventory together, stocking the new display case, and baking lots of treats! They are still running the SNACK SHACK for Hillcrest Academy South and all staff everyday!

Ms. Mund's class has been taking care of the garden. They picked a few bunches of flowers and brought them to a local nursing home. She brought smiles to a lot of patients!

Welcome to the first edition of the Wolfpack press for the 2024-2025 school year.

We took a poll of our staff & students at Westlake.

Our question was: What was the best thing you did this summer?

Here is a sample of your answers: There were many family vacations to places like… Nantucket, Massachusetts, North Carolina, California, and places as far away as Portugal, Spain, Greece, and the Dominican Republic.

Others went to the beach, the zoo, a baseball game in Philadelphia, and Universal Studios in Orlando.

Others did Home Projects, went to church, rode a ferris wheel, played video games, and watched Netflix.

But the most exciting one was that a staff member got married in the Dominican Republic! Congratulations!

Interview by Elijah K. & Liam W.

Written by Jonathan D.

My name is Nazirah/Ms. Wilson and I am a new teacher here at Westlake School. I have been a teacher for 2 years with high school students, but this is my first year teaching elementary students. I am very excited to see what the school year will bring, but I can already say I love being a Westlake Wolf! I like to practice having a positive and optimistic attitude when I do most things because that typically helps my day get off to a good start and it usually helps to put others in a good mood, too. My teacher’s assistants and students share that same attitude, which has made the first couple weeks of school amazing! We have been having fun getting to know each other and the things we have in common. I can’t wait to see what else is in store as I continue getting to know my amazing bunch and everyone else here at Westlake!

The class in speech group!

We celebrated J.K's birthday!

Welcome back to 2024-25 Art with Miss Grace! I am super excited to kick the year off focusing on back-to-school and the start of fall crafts! In the classroom, we continue to work on our fine motor skills by practicing cutting, ripping, gluing, and drawing. All students attend art class once a week and never fail to impress me with their hard work and crafty abilities. Many of their projects get displayed at school, but they will all be sent home at some point so you can see all they can do too! I can’t wait to see all they create this year!

As a reminder, although we use temporary paint, art can get messy! Please consider sending in an old t-shirt to use as a smock during our painting days. I do supply some disposable smocks, but it would be greatly appreciated to have a more permanent solution so your kids can be limitless with their creativity!!!

My name is Jeffrey Shanfield the Health and Physical Education Teacher at Westlake School (GO WESTLAKE WOLVES!). As the Health and Physical Education teacher I will be guiding your child to learn healthy habits and foster a love of physical activity. The lessons will be tailored to your child’s needs all while being fun and engaging. Together I hope we can make a lasting impact in your child’s life that will reach far beyond the years they spent at Westlake School..

These past two years I wrote three Grants one from Provident Bank Foundation and two through the Union County Educational Services Foundation. These Grants have given our students access to an incredible amount of resources and activities for the students. Some of the new equipment I was able to obtain through the Grants include, obstacle course activities (gross and fine motor activities), speed stacking cups, half length bowling lanes, miniature golf, standing scooters (along with safety equipment), tennis and badminton equipment (multi-purpose nets, various size balls, various size rackets). I truly believe that it takes a “team” to develop and foster learning and that is why I love teaching at Westlake School.

Welcome to the 2024 - 2025 school year! The Occupational Therapy department is excited to work alongside our amazing colleagues and with our wonderful students and their families. In OT sessions, your child will be working on essential skills to increase their independence in the home and school settings, while also having fun! Examples of skills we work on include but are not limited to, fine motor, sensory organization, self regulation, visual perceptual, and activities of daily living skills. We are starting to see our students for OT sessions, welcoming them back to the motor and ADL rooms as well as establishing therapeutic rapport with our new students, making sure they get accustomed and comfortable with the therapy rooms to ensure positive therapeutic experiences. The OT department is looking forward to working on all the OT skills this year and shining a light on our students’ strengths!

Website: www.ucesc.org/schools/westlake_school

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

Phone: 908-232-4181

Visit us!