West Side Newsletter

A note from our Principal

Dear West Side Families,

We have made it to December, and wouldn't you know it? It FEELS like December! This morning, our first morning back from Thanksgiving break, it was 3 degrees above zero. That's cold! Luckily, most of our students dressed for the occasion, but some showed up in sweatshirts. I just want to take this moment to let you all know again that we have a fine assortment of winter coats, hats, gloves, and even boots. These are completely free. All I need from you is a note or a phone call from a parent/guardian asking for the specific item your student needs. If we don't have the right size, we can get that too. Please just let us know. We have a lot of cold/wet days ahead of us, and we want to make sure all of our students are prepared for these extreme temperature shifts.

The next three weeks are important weeks for us at West Side. Yes, we are getting ready for the Christmas season, and we are going to have a lot of fun for sure, but we have a lot of work to complete before we break at 12:45 PM on December 19. We ask that our West Side families would continue to help prepare our students be well prepared for school these next three weeks.

I said this last year, and I'll say it again: two weeks off is a heck of a long time for our students to go without picking up a book to read. I love Christmas family time and look forward to it every year. Please, though, when you aren't watching Christmas movies, putting together Christmas puzzles, snacking on Christmas cookies, or playing family games on an especially cold afternoon or evening, would you encourage your students to read for 15-to-30 minutes per day? We do a great job of providing time for our students to read each day, whether it be through silent reading or through book groups. That being said, long breaks (like summer break or Christmas break) can have adverse effects on our readers because they get out of practice. Believe it or not, reading is a diminishable skill: if you don't use it, you lose it.

Finally, we do look forward to a well-earned break starting on December 20! It really is the most wonderful time of the year. We hope that you will have a holiday filled with family time and fun. Enjoy the extra time with your kiddos, and we'll get ready to hit it hard again in January!

Merry Christmas.

Brian Gunderson

Principal

West Side Elementary

307-347-4298 (office)