Family News

January 1st, 2025

Happy New Year

I hope everyone have had a wonderful break, and got lots of time to spend with your families and friends. We look forward to seeing everyone back tomorrow morning.

Applications for the 2025-2026 School Year are open

Please share the link with anyone looking for an excellent school for their students next year. As we shared with your scholars before Thanksgiving, Westminster is doing great in our Academics. When compared to the K-8 Buffalo Schools, Westminster scored 1st in Science, 2nd in ELA, and 3rd in Math. We also did better than many other Charter Schools, such as CSAT, Elmwood Village Hertel, Buffalo United, and King Center, to name a few. The application link is below. If you have a rising Kindergartener please apply for them to secure their spot. If your child is currently enrolled you do no need to complete an application.

https://forms.gle/sYyTWP8FzSbLJYESA

Canned Food Drive Success

Thank you to all who sent in cans for the food drive before Christmas Break. Due to your generosity our eighth grade volunteers were able to deliver nine boxes of food to the Salvation army across the street to help refill their food pantry. This is showing again that Westminster is a true Community School. This was a PAC event and it went extremely well.

Parent Advisory Council News

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with your family and friends. Thank you to

everyone who has attended our Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) meetings over the past couple

of months. Your participation truly makes a difference.

**At the last meeting, we had Mrs. Wind attend asking for parent(s) to volunteer to be a Girl Scout

Troop Leader. We have many girls in the school that want to participate. Please reach out to Mrs.

Wind for further information. Also, Brittany Higgs from the director of YWCA After School

program attended recruiting more students to join. After School is available up to 8th grade and

there are so many activities that the kids love for all ages. Please see Brittany for your application.

PAC has several activities planned for the near future, and we hope you can contribute your time

and efforts.

Here are some of the upcoming events:

Can/Bottle Drive (Proposed dates: January 6th–January 20th)

• Volunteers are needed to help collect and drop off donations.

School Dance (MAY– Grades 6–8)

• We are forming a planning committee.

• Chaperones will be needed on the night of the event.

• Proposal: Valentine’s Dance/ Flower Fundraiser.

Uniform Exchange (Ongoing)

• We are collecting gently used uniforms, including shirts, sweatshirts, and pants.

• Donations can be dropped off at the main office.

• Larger sizes are especially needed.

If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me,

Candice McFoy, at 716-846-9901 (text/call) or cmcfoy0609@gmail.com.

Our next PAC meeting will be held on Thursday, January 16th, from 5:30–6:30 PM. Your input

and feedback are always welcome.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to Westminster Community Charter

School. Wishing you a season filled with warmth, laughter, and cherished moments with your

loved ones.

Sincerely,

Candice McFoy

President, Parent Advisory Committee

Westminster Community Charter School

Literacy Tips for Home:

Strive for Five Interactions in Conversations!

The Science of Reading research proves the importance of the development of oral language in the foundational years. Oral language development directly impacts students' reading ability. To help at home, try to have 5 interactions in one conversation.

Turn 1: Ask an open-ended question to your child (How was your day today?)

Turn 2: Child responds (Good)

Turn 3: Based on child's response, give feedback/ask another question (What made your day good? What was your favorite part of your day?)

Turn 4: Child responds (Gym)

Turn 5: Adult expands upon the topic, adding in vocabulary if possible (Wow! I used to love physical education when I was little. We used to play kickball. I always liked playing in the outfield.)