

Westwood Intermediate/Middle School

See translation information below / Consulte la información de traducción a continuación.
November 29, 2023 - NEWSLETTER
Westwood Families,
The first trimester is coming to an end tomorrow, Thursday, November 30. There is no school on Friday, December 1 or Monday, December 4. Our staff will be using these days for assessment, reporting, and learning design in advance of the beginning of the second trimester.
Trimester overviews – for the second trimester – will be posted in Schoology for parents by the end of the day on Monday, December 4. The trimester overviews provide a snapshot of what students are expected to learn in the trimester along with the core resources teachers will be using.
Trimester one report cards will be available to parents in December and will reflect learning in Trimester 1:
- Grades 7 and 8 report cards will be available in Campus Parent Portal on December 11.
- Grades 5 and 6 trimester report cards will be going home with students before winter break.
Starting December 5 at the beginning of the new trimester, we’ll be enforcing our published process for drop off and entry time for students arriving at school each day:
- Students in grades 7 and 8 can be dropped off starting at 7:15 a.m. If students arrive prior to 7:15 a.m., they will not be able to enter any part of the building and will need to wait outside until the doors open.
- Students in grades 5 and 6 can be dropped off starting at 8:20 a.m. If students arrive prior to 8:20 a.m., they will not be able to enter the building and will need to wait outside until the doors open.
All students are required to be picked up or go home on the bus at their dismissal time. If you need before or after school care for your child, there are options at the K-4 elementary schools with bus transportation to and from Westwood. Students can be registered through Community Ed for after school care or join a club or activity offered at Westwood.
The grade 5 and 6 fall play debuts this week. Catch “Funkyland” at the Spring Lake Park High School Fine Arts Center on Thursday, November 30, at 7 p.m. or Friday, December 1, at 7 p.m. Tickets are now on sale.
Thanks for your continued support, and we look forward to a great second trimester.
Sincerely,
Tom Larson
Principal
OEC hosts 27th annual Support a Family Fundraiser Drive
Want to join the Opportunities in Emergency Care (OEC) program in making a difference? OEC is kicking off its 27th annual Support a Family fundraiser drive to raise money to purchase gifts for students and families in Spring Lake Park Schools. Since it began in 1996, this annual fund drive has raised more than $107,000.
The program will be collecting fundraiser donations through a GoFundMe page. They are also taking donations of checks and cash. Checks can be sent to 1100 81st Ave. NE, Spring Lake Park, MN 55432 and written out to OEC Program-SLPHS.
The drive is open now until December 14. The OEC program thanks you in advance for your generosity!
Grades 7-12 Schoology Tips and Tricks – Daily Summary
Did you know Schoology is the place to monitor your child's daily work? Schoology offers the most up-to-date info regarding the specific activities and daily tasks your children are working on. The Schoology daily digest email is valuable in providing a quick reference into the activities and provides links into more detailed and specific information. While Schoology is used for grades 3-12, these tips are often the most relevant for families of students in grades 7-12
Daily Summary:
The daily summary email contains the following information for each of your children in grades 7-12:
- Grades in each course current to the moment the email message was sent.
- Overdue Submissions: Displays work that is overdue.
- Upcoming Assignments: Display work that will be worked on withing the next couple of days.
- Submission summary including links to assignment, assessment, and discussion submissions frm your child.
- Recent Activity: This section includes general messages that pertain to your children.
To turn on the Schoology Daily Summary Email:
- Login to Schoology
- Verify the Email Summary section is set to On
- Verify the Repeat Section is set to Daily
- Set the Time section to a time that is convenient for you to see the message, preferrable at the end of the school day.
- You can also receive notifications on overdue assignments but setting the Overdue Submissions Email to On
Schoology help:
- For account and login help, contact Technology Services at techsupport@district16.org.
- For help navigating Schoology, start with asking your child. They use it every day and can navigate it effectively. If you still have questions regarding assignments, contact your child's teacher.
Note, Schoology does not contain daily updates on attendance, behavior, and your student’s food service balance. These are available in the Campus Parent Portal app. The Campus Parent Portal app uses your same username and password as Schoology.
More helpful resources:
5th Grade Band will begin meeting next week!
All famillies who completed the online registration should have received an email from the band department about instrument selection. If you did not, pelase contact Dr. Marsolek at mmarso@district16.org
We will be emailing a band schedule to all registered 5th band families so that students will know which day to bring their instruments next week. Note: Students should still come to band class even if they do not yet have their instrument.
Vision and Hearing Screening
The health office will be conducting vision screening in the next few weeks. This year, we are excited to partner with the Spring Lake Park Lions Club. They will be bringing trained volunteers to use a vision spot screener to screen students for potential vision issues. If you do NOT want your child to participate in vision screening, please call the health office by 12/8/2023.
Mythology, Folklore and Legends
Students on the Red Team are independently reading graphic novels as part of a unit on mythology, folklore and legends. After reading, students show their understanding by taking quizzes and creating word art using symbols and character traits for a character of their choosing.
Jr. Panther Mentors
The 7th and 8th grade Jr. Panther Mentors met for the first time and the focus was on teamwork and communication. Being able to communicate accurately and clearly is an important skill while working with each other. For this activity, students were asked to describe a picture to their teammate who were actively listening to draw an image. Students enjoyed the final results of their drawings and then discussed on how they could have communicated more effectively.
Lightening Tournament Winners
Connor O. won the Red Team Panther Time lightening tournament last week, with Robert R. and Mallory M. rounding out the final three. It was a tough competition over several Panther Times, with all Red Team students participating!
Periodic Tables
Red Team scientists explored the concept of periodicity by creating their own Periodic Tables of different things (chocolates, aliens, etc.) before learning about the Periodic Table of Elements.
- Thursday, November 30 –
- End of Tri
- Westwood Fall Play - "Funkyland," 7 p.m., FAC – purchase tickets
- Friday, December 1 –
- No school for students
- Westwood Fall Play - "Funkyland," 7 p.m., FAC – purchase tickets
- Monday, December 4 – No school for students
- Thursday, December 7 – Live on 65: After Hours Big Band, 7 p.m., FAC – purchase tickets
- Saturday, December 9 – Winter Market & Gift Shop, Spring Lake Park High School, 10 a.m.-noon
-
Monday, December 11 – Grupo de Padres Hispanohablantes de SLP reunión, Woodcrest Spanish Immersion, 5-6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, December 12 – Symphonic Band Concert, 7 p.m., SLP High School Fine Arts Center
- Thursday, December 14 – 6th Grade Band Concert, SLP High School Fine Arts Center
- Monday, December 18 – PTO Meeting, 10 a.m., Den
- Tuesday, December 19 – 7/8 Choir Concert, 7 p.m. SLP High School Fine Arts Center
- Wednesday, December 20 –
- 5th Grade Choir Concert, SLP High School Fine Arts Center
- Let's Talk: Career, College and Life event series (grades 7-8), 7:30 a.m. in-person at SLP High School or 11:30 a.m. via WebEx
-
December 22-January 1 – Winter Break, no school
Westwood Spirit Wear Store is Now Open until Nov. 30
Once a year, the Westwood PTO organizes a Westwood spirit wear store as there is no other place to get Westwood items. Orders are taken online only until Nov. 30. Click here to order. If you need assistance with ordering, email us. Orders will be sent home with students unless other arrangements are made.
PTO Meeting Recap
- We are looking for a secretary to be on our board
- Art Adventure is coming to 5th and 6th grade art classrooms, January 22-26. All 28 classes will discuss six pieces of art from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts around the topic “Let’s Celebrate Life.” PTO needs to provide seven or eight fully-minded-art-loving volunteers who can be available during school that week to facilitate discussions. PTO sponsors MIA Training provided on January 16 from 12-1 p.m. for interested volunteers. For more information join the BAND group or email the PTO .
- Recess bins should be restocked next week. Each year some of our funds go towards balls, jump ropes and other equipment that can be used outside by all grade levels.
- Save the dates for Book Fair & Winter Family Fun Night Bookfair February 5-9, 2024 with another family night on February 9.
- Next PTO meeting is December 18 at 10 a.m.
What is WW PTO?
Westwood PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) is a group open to all staff and guardians of 5-8th grade students at Westwood. The goal of our PTO is to increase family involvement and enhance student learning and experiences at Westwood. We focus on family enrichment, staff/student support, and community engagement. We have monthly meetings during the school year and there are a wide variety of volunteer opportunities. We use the BAND app for sign ups and communications, please join here.
Encouraging Emerging Scientists
What happens to frozen bouncy ball? Will it change color? Will it still bounce? What about when it thaws? Fifth graders have been observing a variety of frozen objects and how they response to cold and heat. Chocolate. Bar soap. Balloons. Their study of matter reflects a new experience in science learning at Spring Lake Park Schools.
Spring Lake Park Schools has implemented a science specialist learning model at grades K-6. There is a new curricular resource for science at grades K-8, and new science competencies are guiding science learning. The goal is to support deep thinking and doing science, relate it to real life and ignite interest and engagement in science. Read the feature and watch a video of science in action.
Winter Market & Gift Shop, December 9
Join us Saturday, December 9 from 10 a.m.-noon at Spring Lake Park High School, door 29, for some holiday cheer. All are welcome.
Activities include:
- Panther Store Pop-up: Shop at our Panther Store pop-up and give the gift of Panther apparel and accessories this holiday season. Holiday discounts will be available.
- Entertainment & Treats: Guests will be treated to live music and treats provided by the Panther Foundation
- Kid Activities and Crafts: Young guests are invited to get creative at the activities and crafts table.
- Vendor Tables: Guests will be able to shop various vendor tables. If you are interested in hosting a vendor table to sell items such as baked goods, handmade products, etc. please contact us today.
Last chance: purchase tickets for “Funkyland”
Get ready to groove because 5th and 6th graders are turning up the funk for their upcoming musical, "Funkyland!" Rehearsals are in full swing, and students can't wait to bring this wacky musical to the Fine Arts Center stage at Spring Lake Park High School on November 30 and December 1. Tickets available here.
Translate This Message / Traducir Este Mensaje
To translate this information to another language, please click anywhere on the message to open it in a web browser and at the top of the page, select your language from the dropdown menu.
Para traducir la información a otro idioma, por favor presionen en cualquier lugar del mensaje para abrirlo en un navegador web y en la parte superior de la página seleccione su idioma del menú.