Westside Elementary
November 2026 Newsletter
Important Dates
November
- 3rd: Pizza Hut Dine Out Night
- 6th: Spirit Day (Wear Westside or Panther apparel)
- 16th: PTO meeting 6:30pm in Westside Library.
- 23rd: Staff Holiday Lunch
- 25th-27th: NO SCHOOL-Thanksgiving Break
December
- 2nd-8th: Food Drive
- 4th: Spirit Day (Wear Westside or Panther apparel)
Westside Families,
October was a very fast month.
With only 3 and a half weeks until Thanksgiving and then only three weeks until Winter Break after that, November and December will go even faster. Enjoy this time of year.
Unfortunately, I suspect we will have a short time between leaves dropping and snow flying.
Let's have a wonderful month.
Mr. Lichty
Principal
Staff members going through tough times
Westside Families,
We have two staff members going through tragic events in the past few weeks. We have had some parents ask about ways they can help. Here are some details.
The brother of our 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Young, died from injuries sustained in a farming accident. He leaves behind a wife and two young children. Mrs. Young's family has a Go Fund Me page set up to help defray the cost of medical bills. That info can be found here.
Our school Secretary, Penny Pedersen, had a house fire last week that caused extensive damage to her home. She and her husband will be displaced for the next 8-12 months. Penny's family is still trying to figure out what is needing replaced or cleaned. St. John's Lutheran Church here in Norfolk (1300 West Benjamin Ave) has organized a drop off point for donations. However, you can also bring monetary donations or gift cards to Westside and let Penny know you are thinking about her.
It has been a rough couple of weeks.
The Ruzicka Family
Change of weather, change of clothes
Families,
Several of you send a change of clothes to school in case your child has an accident. As the weather turns cold, please change the clothes out from shorts and t-shirts to sweat pants and long sleeves. Also, please pay attention to the forecast. The temps can fluctuate greatly from day to day.
Thank you,
Mr. Lichty
Pizza Hut Night
Pizza Hut Night is coming up on November 3rd from 5:00pm-8:00pm. Dine in or Carry Out.
Please save the date and skip cooking that night. You can go to either Pizza Hut location in town.
The only requirement is to mention you are calling to support Westside Elementary!
Bucket Fillers of the Month
Each month we have an assembly to honor our Bucket Fillers of the Month. One student from each classroom is selected for the award. The students who are selected do a great job of following the Behavior Expectations in the area we are focusing on that month.
For the month of October we focused on Behavior Expectations on the Playground.
The Playground Behavior Expectations are below.
At Westside, we want to reinforce good behavior daily. To do that, students can earn bucket filler slips.
They put their slips in a basket and then each morning, Mr. Lichty will draw 5 names (one from each grade) and read off their achievement on the daily announcements. We also take all slips that have been drawn and add them to a bucket. At our assemblies, we play a "Minute To Win It" game. The participants are drawn from our bucket and invited to play. We draw four names per assembly.
Panther Pride group helps explain behavior expectations in the Cafeteria
October Birthdays
I have included photos of students receiving their Birthday Books for the month. I will make every effort to get photos of all students on their birthday. However, sometimes I am in a meeting or out of the building when the student comes down. I apologize if I miss getting a photo of your child.
Fun Run
We had a blast at the Fun Run. Students ran/walked for 30 min. Here are some photos from the event.
Westside PTO
The Westside PTO is always looking for more members.
We have a great group of parents leading the PTO this school year. Now we need your help with planning and running events. This includes assisting with small events like room parties or large events like the fundraiser or Grandparent's day.
If you would like information about upcoming PTO meetings or to help out with various school events, attend this month's PTO meeting on November 17th at 6:30 pm in the Westside Library. You could also contact PTO President, Lacy Kimes, at WestsideFast.gmail.com. Thank you for your consideration!
Go Westside!
Westside Social Media
In addition to our X (Twitter) page, we have an official Facebook page. We will be posting pictures and announcements throughout the year. There is also the Westside PTO page that is run by our PTO. They will post about upcoming PTO events and information.
NPS Lunch and Breakfast Information
Lunch Menus
Here is a link to the lunch menus for NPS.
Westside Calendar
https://www.norfolkpublicschools.org/calendars/
7:50 am - All students go to the blacktop in the back of the school. Breakfast served in gym.
8:05 am - Tardy bell rings
3:15 pm - Dismissal bell rings (M, T, Th, F)
2:00 pm - Dismissal bell rings (W)
Change of Information
If you have had a change of address, phone number, or place of employment, please send a note or contact the office at 402-644-2561 so we can keep our emergency information updated. This is for the safety of our students.
Thank you!
Classroom Rules
Casey's Cash for Classrooms!
Boxtops for Education
Prepackaged Treats
The safety of our children is of utmost importance. We have many students with a wide range of severe, life threatening allergies to various food products. To keep our children safe we are asking that any food products that are brought into the classroom as treats are prepackaged items with ingredients listed.
Thank you for your support in keeping our kids safe.
Toys, Trading Cards, Etc.
Interesting Fact
The average cloud weighs around 500,000 Kilograms or over 1,100,000 pounds.
A typical cumulus cloud contains roughly 500 million grams of water droplets. The reason it doesn't fall is that the droplets are so small and spread across such a large volume that the upward air pressure supports them. Clouds are deceptively heavy.
Westside Elementary School
Email: TracyLichty@npsne.org
Website: http://www.norfolkpublicschools.org/schools/westside-elementary/
Location: 1703 Phillip Avenue, Norfolk, NE, United States
Phone: (402) 644-2561
X (Twitter): @WestsideElem
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563256821533