Message from the Principal
Dear Wildcat Families,
Westridge is a special place with caring, dedicated professionals, fabulous parents and amazing students - there are times when it feels like home, and we all know There's No Place Like Home!
As you may know, every year we have a theme that we weave throughout our school year. This year I was excited to share the theme 'There's No Place Like Westridge', hoping that we would all be back in person this fall. Knowing what we know now, our theme has shifted just a bit to 'There's No Place Like Home', where our Wildcats will continue to build community while remaining part of our Westridge family.
Wildcats, COVID and Comprehensive Distance Learning, oh my! Just like Dorothy and her crew, we may have to weather a few storms and adapt to a lot of changes before we get back to Westridge, but we will persevere and keep moving forward on our journey. While clicking our heels won't get us back to the building, we can certainly get here faster by Masking Up, Washing Up, and Backing Up to a safe social distance.
There is a lot happening over these next couple of weeks. We'll do our best to keep you informed. And, we'll all get through this together. Westridge is home to me and I want it to feel that way to you and your family.
Have a great weekend!
Principal Montgomery
Device and Materials Pick Up - Tuesday, September 1st
Westridge Device & Materials Pick-Up (Drive-Through)
Tuesday, September 1st from 8am - 3:30pm
8am - 11am ~ Families with last names starting with A-K
11:30am - 3:30pm ~ Families with last names starting with L-Z
Parents/guardians must complete and submit The LOSD Student/Parental Consent & Technology Form prior to device pick up on 9/1.
Meet & Greet and Smart Start Meetings Now Virtual
We have a change in plans for our Meet and Greet and Smart Start meetings.
The latest ODE guidance does not allow us to host in-person meet and greet events at our schools, unfortunately. In particular, the requirement of no more than 250 people (students, parents, staff, etc) on campus in a week is a deal breaker. This guidance applies to events held inside and outside, so meetings on our fields or under the outside covered areas are not viable options.
Teachers will be reaching out with new information about virtual one-on-one meetings with students, and will send a link to schedule a time by Thursday, August 27th.
Distribution of devices, books and materials will happen on September 1st, as stated above, so students can have their materials before the start of school. If you do not have internet access, for a hotspot please contact John Parke parkej@loswego.k12.or.us.
Thank you again for your understanding as we navigate guidance for the safety, health and wellbeing of all in our learning community.
Class and Cohort Placement
Class Placement: You will receive teacher and cohort notification from your student's teacher on Tuesday evening, 8/25.
We have received over 100 requests for cohort placement. Our priority is to create balanced classrooms. Our placement teams consider many factors including, but not limited to: number of students, gender identity, TAG, students with IEPs/504s, program placement and siblings. This year, we are also considering cohort sizes based on ODE and OHA guidance as we maintain an even number of students in the AM/PM cohorts. As per School Board decision on July 27, students with last names starting with A-K will be in the AM cohort, and last names starting with L-Z will be in the PM cohort. Because we must maintain balanced classes, for some grade levels, the A-K and L-Z division may be heavier on one side vs the other, thus requiring a shift from one cohort to the next based on the number of students. NO new placement requests can be considered at this time.
Placement teams will be meeting on the first day of their teacher contract. Families will receive their class/cohort placement on the evening of Tuesday, August 25.
If your student will not be attending Westridge in the Fall, please email Jodi Steward at stewardj@loswego.k12.or.us (or reply to this newsletter) so we can plan accordingly and remove you from further communications.
Q & A with the Elementary Principals
PDF Presentation Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A2Tc1VAuBua83Y_ImG6EuDWxqT6yEV5O/view?usp=sharing
District Information - Verify Student Info Before Returning to School
Verify Student Info Before Returning to School
LOSD thanks all the parents who have already verified their students' information for the 2020-21 school year. If you haven't done so yet, please to log into ParentVUE and review/update your students' information through the Register/Verify tab. This benefits both families and schools by:
- Ensuring that schools have accurate information to reach parents and other contacts in both emergency and non-emergency situations. Verification is important even if your contact information has not changed over the past year because the school may have incorrect information from a previous year.
- Allowing parents to review the health conditions on file at your student's school.
- Enabling distribution of electronic devices covered by the district's Technology Agreement
The verification window closes September 18, 2020.
ODE State Assessment Notice
Student Services FAQ Now Available
In addition to the Student Services Plan for the 2020-2021 school year, LOSD has now posted an accompanying Frequently Asked Questions document. Both the plan and the FAQ can be accessed on the district website under Roadmap to Reopening/Student Services and Departments/Student Services.
This information is specifically for students with 504 Plans and Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), as well as students in our ACCESS, Delta, Pathways, and Community Transition programs.
If after reading the Student Services FAQ you have specific questions, please email the Executive Director of Student Services, Patrick Tomblin, at tomblinp@loswego.k12.or.us.
Save the Dates
- August 25th after 4pm ~ Cohort Placements Finalized and Shared
- September 1st ~ Device and Materials Pick UP - Pick up a device, curriculum resources, school supplies, and any other necessary school materials. Details regarding Smart Start will be forthcoming! *More details to come
- September 2nd, 3rd, 4th ~ Virtual Meet & Greet at Westridge and SMART START for students participating in Hybrid! Teachers will send out class communication and Meet & Greet sign-up links before August 27. During your individually scheduled Meet & Greet time, students will meet their WR teacher, and learn more about what the start of school will look like.
- September 8th ~ First Day of School! Hybrid and Online
Westridge Elementary
Email: kari.montgomery@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/wr
Location: 3400 Royce Way, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 534-2371