🤩 West Side Newsletter 🤩

West Side Families,

Folks, we are living through one of the mildest winters in recorded history. Climate change aside, I'm loving it! As an avid road cyclist, the thought of getting in some long rides in the month of March is truly exciting. I'm hoping winter doesn't wake up in March and sock us in with some big spring snows. I guess we'll just have to see.

I know one of the less popular aspects of March is "springing forward" with daylight saving time, and that comes at us pretty quickly starting March 8th. Nobody likes to lose an hour of sleep, but again, ever the optimist, I love the fact that the sun will be setting after 7:00 PM starting on March 8th.

Still, daylight saving time does bring up an important point, and I know I've talked about it before: sleep. How many hours of sleep do 4th and 5th graders need per night? Sleep experts tell us kids aged 9-13 need to sleep between 9 and 11 hours per night. Assuming your kids wake up at 6:30 AM, that means they should be in deep sleep by 9:30 PM at the very latest, which means they should be in bed with lights out by 9:00 PM at the very latest for the minimum recommended hours of sleep. As the days lengthen, this becomes more difficult for parents because kids will need to go to bed while it is still light outside. We have some intense learning coming up over the next few weeks, and we are going to need maximum effort from our kids to make the most of our time. We also need our kids in school, and one of the best ways to combat illness is by allowing our students to get the recommended amount of sleep every night. I hope you will commit to helping our kids have the best and healthiest experiences possible over the next couple of months. Thanks for reading our newsletter, West Side Families!

If you'd like more information on the science of sleep, here are a couple of great articles to read when you have the time:

• A Parent’s Guide to Sleep for Kids: Healthy Habits, Benefits, Screen Time and More

• The Importance of Good Sleep for Kids

Brian Gunderson

Principal

West Side Elementary

307-347-4298 (office)

Meet with your student's teacher Monday, March 9, Tuesday, March 10 or Wednesday, March 11. Go to Bloomz to sign up.

Monday, March 9: 3:30 - 6:00

Tuesday, March 10: 3:30 - 6:00

Wednesday, March 11: 3:30 - 5:00

TO: All PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF STUDENT(S) THAT ARE ELEVEN OR TWELVE YEARS OLD. The Wyoming Health Department is now aligned with the ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices). New guidelines state if your child has turned eleven or twelve they are ready to receive their booster Tdap (Tetanus, Diptheria, pertussis) immunization. Please be advised that your child needs to have their Tdap booster before their 13th birthday to be in compliance with the Wyoming law. Please call your medical provider or Washakie County Public Health Office at 347-3278 to schedule an appointment for this immunization. Medical or Religious waivers may be obtained through the State of Wyoming Health Department or County Public Health office.

Thank you,

Gina Miller, RN WCSD#1 School Nurse

Thunderbirds have started reading for their Battle of the Books with the competition set for April 8th.

This is a challenging competition in which teams read books from a given list. After each book, students write a summary of the book. Summaries are DUE Thursday, April 2nd in order to qualify.

At the end of six weeks, teams will compete in a "Family Feud," or "knowledge bowl-style" tournament by answering questions about the books. At the end of the preliminary rounds, the teams with the most points will proceed to the championship! We will send out information to parents about the competition day. Ready, set, read!

Thanks to our PTO for their help with West Side's annual Battle of the Books competition.

March 2 : Staff Inservice / NO students

March 6: End of 3rd Quarter

March 8: Daylight Savings Ends

March 9, 10, 11: Parent Teacher Conferences

March 11: 5th Grade Reward day fieldtrip to Cody Rec. Center

March 12: 4th Grade Reward day to be determined

March 16 - 20: SPRING BREAK / NO SCHOOL

March 4th - West Side

April 1st - West Side

May 6th - West Side