Westridge Wildcat Newsletter

Dear Westridge Community,

It is with mixed emotions that I announce my departure from Westridge Elementary. I have accepted a new position outside of the school district and my last day will be Monday, May 15th.

My four years at Westridge has been an incredible journey. I have made wonderful connections with you and your children. I have truly loved watching your children grow up and I feel so lucky to have been a part of their lives, if even for a small portion of it. The staff here has become like my family and I will miss the entire Westridge community with all my heart. Change is hard and I appreciate the support that I have received from parents, students and staff in this next step in my career.

Thank you all for making my time at Westridge memorable. I may not be at my desk anymore, but my family and I live in Lake Oswego, so if you see me out and about (usually with my two French Bulldogs Hank and Lulu), please say hello!

All my best,

Jodi Steward

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: Volunteer Appreciation Coffee 7:30am (Details to follow very soon - all parent volunteers are welcome!)

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!)

6/7: Field Day

6/12: Last Day of School - Early Dismissal at 11:00am

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

Today we celebrated School Lunch Hero Day! This is a special day of celebration to recognize school nutrition professionals and the difference they make every day! These nutrition professionals have a lot on their plate, from adhering to strict nutrition standards and preparing healthy food to navigating student food allergies. School nutrition professionals are true heroes.

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.

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!

It’s us again! 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.

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." Contact your student's school if you need clarification on whether you have a ParentVUE account. For assistance with the verification process, refer to the user guide on the LOSD website or contact your student's school.

Asthma/Allergy Medications at School

It is critical to the health and safety of your student to bring ALL doctor recommended medications to school. Over the summer, speak with your doctor to get the proper supplies for school and then go to the LOSD web page to find the proper forms to be completed with the medications. If your student is in Elementary or Secondary and will store their meds at school, watch for a medication drop off time for your particular school. If they are in secondary and keeping their medication in their possession, please submit the proper paperwork so we are aware of where to find their medication in case of an emergency.

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.

Immunizations

Please review the OHA requirements and information on required immunizations for students. Please make arrangements to complete immunizations and update Synergy over the summer to avoid exclusion in 2024.

If you would like to speak to your school’s district 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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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