Westridge Wildcat Newsletter

Hello Westridge!

Thank goodness for the warm weather giving us a sneak peek of summer! The sunshine brought a wave of positive energy through the school this week!

On Wednesday, a small group of 2nd-5th graders were invited to join Chef Cris (our food services director) along with Ms. Reiko and Ms. Lisa (our kitchen staff) for a nutrition class where they made pizza in our school kitchen. They saw firsthand what goes into making lunch for hundreds of students every day. We hope to continue to offer and expand this opportunity over the years to come!

Have a beautiful weekend and enjoy this fabulous weather!

Laura Weaver

SCHOOL CALENDAR: LOSD SCHOOL CALENDAR 22-23

5/8-5/12: Teacher Appreciation Week

5/11: Salt & Straw Fundraiser - PTSO will receive 10% of all pint sales!

5/18: 5th Grade Musical 6:30

5/18: PTSO Meeting 7:30-8:30 IN PERSON ONLY Westridge Library. Parents will be voting for next year’s PTSO Executive Board. Please attend if you can!

5/19: 5th Grade Musical Assembly (Time TBD)

5/24: Coffee with the Principal at 5:00pm on Zoom

6/2: SAVE THE DATE! Carnival is coming! 5-8pm (We will need a lot of volunteers to run booths and help with set-up and clean-up. Sign-ups will be going out soon!)

PTSO Event's Page Calendar can be found here for more info on Parents Nights out and Meet Ups!

The walking path around Westridge is a popular place for our community to go for walks during the day, however it is school property and is not open to the public during the school day. We will be posting signs to this effect soon. Thank you for your understanding and diligence in keeping our students safe!

Parents are welcome to provide input regarding their child’s learning environment. Input on this form will be given to a team of teachers and staff who will work collaboratively to place students in well balanced classrooms for the 2023-2024 school year. Please understand that specific teacher requests will not be a part of this parent input form. If you choose to fill out this form, please click here to complete it by May 17th.

Time to verify your information in our system! Are you wondering if your information is complete? Eighty-six students have emergency contacts listed without phone numbers. It would be hard to reach them. Please check and verify your student's information.

Log into ParentVUE and review/update your students' information through the Register/Verify tab. If you have forgotten your ParentVUE password, go to the login page, click "I am a Parent," then click "Forgot Password." If you are unsure whether you have a ParentVUE account, contact your student's school. For assistance with the verification process, refer to the user guide on the LOSD website or contact your student's school.

Dear Westridge Families,

The month of May is MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS month. During the month, we will be investing our time and attention on the character trait of CREATIVITY as well as exploring MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS in our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons, classrooms, and throughout our school community. Practicing CREATIVITY can help us develop tools that allow us to use our imagination to get started which can feed positive mental health!

One way to think about CREATIVITY is “using your imagination to create something new or solve a problem.” CREATIVITY is one of three traits we have focused on throughout the year that helps students Be Well. Throughout the school, students have been developing skills like emotion regulation, self-advocacy, and friendship skills.

Through our School Counseling Lessons this month, students will learn about creative ways to be proactive in supporting mental wellness as well as supporting conversations around what mental wellness looks like for individuals.

Our monthly letters include activities to explore CREATIVITY further as a family.

Enjoy connecting together with the PurposeFull Pursuits inside the PreK - Grade 5

Creativity Letter

Thank you for partnering with us to engage our students in social-emotional learning and growth. Please reach out if you or your student would like more support.

Sincerely,

Gary Kieser, MA, LPC

kieserg@loswego.k12.or.us

Click here to see what Mrs. Lang is working on in the STEM lab with students!

Please join us for WaterAfrica’s 16th annual Walk4Water on Saturday, April 29!

Come down to Foothills Park in downtown Lake Oswego to “Finish the Job” in Zambia by 2025.

WaterAfrica raises money to provide clean water and sanitation for Zambians. On average, people in the developing world walk almost 4 miles every day to get water. 2023 is the 16th year for this fantastic family event for kids, parents, grandparents, and friends!

Gratitude Revealed

Thursday, May 4, 2023 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

**Doors open at 6:30 pm**

Hosted by LOHS parents and Gratitude Revealed film distributor, Kirt Eftekhar of Area 23a Films.

Q&A directly after the film

Suggested Donation: $8 for Students & $12 for Adults

Film Summary:

An epic journey forty years in the making, Gratitude Revealed from acclaimed filmmaker, Louie

Schwartzberg, the director of Fantastic Fungi, takes us on a transformational, cinematic experience of how to live a more meaningful life full of gratitude through his intimate conversations with everyday people, thought leaders, and personalities revealing gratitude is a proven pathway back from the disconnection we feel in our lives; disconnection from ourselves, our planet, and each other.

Bike Safety

As the weather improves, it’s a great time to consider getting outside. Your District Nurses want to remind and encourage your student to ride their bike safely and remember to wear a helmet. These resources can help your student get off to a great start.

Bike Safety

Reduced Cost Helmets

Sun Safety

While outside, be sure to protect yourself and your student from harmful UV. Visit this link to learn ways to safely enjoy the sun and what to do if your student gets a bit too much.

Individualized Health Plan? - Watch for an Email

If your child has a LOSD Individualized Health Plan (IHP) developed in consultation with your District Nurse, please watch for an email! Your response is needed to confirm or update your student's plan. We appreciate your prompt response..

If you would like to speak to your school nurse, click the link below for contact information.

Contact your District Nurse

Safe Oregon, Ways to Report Incidents

Parents-guardians who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal and maintain strong lines of communication and partnership between students, families, staff, and other resources. SafeOregon is also an effective way to report a tip regarding safety threats or potential acts of violence to our students or schools. Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense. https://www.safeoregon.com/

In addition, below are reporting methods for parents-guardians or students to use to report issues related to racist, bias, or harassment incidents.

· Incident Report for Elementary School

· Incident Report for Middle Schools

· Incident Report for High Schools

Stay connected to the district and your school(s) and receive urgent notifications by subscribing to the Lake Oswego Schools App.

For the safety of children, volunteers are required to have an approved background check when volunteering in schools. Please click here: Volunteer Application for LOSD to start the online application and background check process.

Please contact the office any time your student will be absent or be late for school. Anytime your child arrives at school after 8:20am, they will need to report to the office to get a tardy slip and report their lunch choices. When reporting absences, please email both Andrea and Jodi.

Office phone number and voicemail: 503-534-2371

Attendance Secretary: Andrea Murphy (murphya@loswego.k12.or.us)

Principal's Secretary: Jodi Steward (stewardj@loswego.k12.or.us)

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Follow us on Instagram @westridge.ptso

Email: westridgeptso@gmail.com

Yearbook Photos: yearbookwestridge@gmail.com

All members of our community are committed to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment that cultivates empathy, creates challenging opportunities, and fosters lifelong learning.

Principal Email: weaverl@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/wr
Location: 3400 Royce Way, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: 503-534-2371