Westridge Wildcat News

Hello Westridge Community,

We've made it to the end of Week 1! And what an amazing week it was. My name is Noah Hurd, and I'm excited to jump in starting this week as the 'Lead Wildcat' through Winter Break, when Laura comes back. I've been at Lakeridge High School the last three years, and it's fun stepping into a building with short little chairs, short water faucets and big smiles. There is a lot of 'new' here for me, and there's a lot of 'new' for everyone this week. A few examples:

Every student here is settling into a new classroom, with a new teacher and new classmates. It's very typical for kids to be tired this week, so you can and should expect that. A lot of fun and learning for five days in a row will do that.

Ms. Weaver has a new baby! Early Thursday morning, Laura's baby girl came into the world. So I'm officially your principal at this point, and Laura will be on maternity leave until January. I've met a number of you already, and look forward to meeting more in the weeks and months to come.

We have a number of new students and Kindergarteners to our building. For those who aren't new, I have an ask: can you please talk to your kids about being proactive about welcoming our new students and our Kinders into the building? This is always a tricky time for new kids, and we can all have a hand in making that transition a little easier.

Thanks all, and enjoy your three day weekend!

Noah Hurd

Interim Principal

hurdn@loswego.k12.or.us

New or Updated Information:

Save the Dates

New Application for School Volunteers

Fall iReady

PTSO Raffle

Continuing Reminders:

Smart Start Survey

Westridge Daily Schedule

Reporting Tardies and absences

Clothing Closet

Medication Drop-Off

Beginning Strings & Elementary Orchestra

K-12 Student and Family Handbook

Meal Accounts and Information

Statewide Assessment Notice

Champions is Hiring

Student Info Verification

9/5: No School - Labor Day

9/6: Smart Start Survey Due

9/15 : PTSO General Meeting 7-8pm Westridge Library (and via the zoom link below)

9/20: Back to School Night 5:30-7:00

9/30: Welcome back Wildcats Night 5-7pm at Westridge (more info coming soon!)

For the safety of children, volunteers are required to have an approved background check when volunteering in schools.

To help streamline compliance with state and school board policies, which require that all volunteers have background checks and knowledge of other board policies -- as well as state-mandated proof of vaccination (or a qualified exemption) -- we are introducing a new all-in-one volunteer application and approval process through ou Raptor Visitor Management System.

Submitting an online application initiates the background check process. Once submitted, applicants will receive an email upon approval of your background check and you will be given access through the onsite Raptor System at all schools. Please allow up to three weeks to process your approval.

Volunteers need to submit only one application for volunteering in all LOSD schools. Applications need to be submitted annually to capture changes in background checks, policies, and/or vaccination requirements.

Volunteer Application for LOSD

Thank you for applying promptly, and for your service to our students and schools. We are grateful for our volunteers.

This Fall, all students in Grades 1-5 will complete two online i-Ready assessments in class. One is for math and the other is for reading. i-Ready is a diagnostic assessment that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform and tailor instruction to accelerate growth. This is the first of three i-Ready assessments we give each year. In Lake Oswego, the Fall i-Ready window is open through September 16.

The Westridge PTSO is holding two virtual raffles for this year's fall fundraising campaign. We are offering two reserved parking spots at Westridge and two chances for your child to be Principal, PE or Music teacher for the day! Entries can be purchased at https://go.rallyup.com/rockyraffle. You can also make direct donations on the site and incorporate your employer match. Our goal is to raise $15,000 for the 2022-23 school year. Prizes will be drawn at the Welcome Back Wildcats night on September 30th so purchase your entries today!

Thank you for participating in Smart Start. We hope your student and you feel welcome and prepared to start the school year.

Thank you to all who participated in Smart Start 2022. It was a wonderful opportunity specifically for our students with 504s and IEPs, and their parents/guardians, to make introductions with their teachers.

Smart Start is hosted every year, and feedback about your experience is very helpful for planning the event. Please share your input in the follow-up survey -- your responses are appreciated by Tuesday, Sept. 6. Smart Start 2022 Survey

Daily Schedule:

School is from 8:20-2:40 every weekday, EXCEPT Thursdays, which end at 2:00 so that teachers and staff can collaborate in their Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).

The ideal time to arrive to school is at 8:10 am. Students will wait outside of the building in designated areas, until they are released to walk to class after the first bell rings at 8:10 am.

K-5th Grade 2022-23 Schedule:

First Bell - 8:10 am: Students are welcome to enter their classroom

Tardy Bell - 8:20 am: If students arrive after 8:20 am, they must check in with the office before going to their classroom

Dismissal - 2:40 pm

Early Release on Thursdays - 2 pm

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)

The "I Love Lake Oswego Clothing Closet" is student managed, donation based clothing closet for residents in Lake Oswego. The Clothing Closet is a free resource for anyone who lives in Lake Oswego to come and shop for free clothes, sports equipment, and hygiene items. Generous donations of clothes from donors help with our inventory. We have a new location which is at Uplands Elementary School and we are open every Saturday from 9:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M and every Thursday from 3:30 P.M.-6:00 P.M..

For more information, here is our website: https://www.ilovelakeoswego.com

Parents-guardians who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal, and to 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.

https://www.safeoregon.com/

(Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense.)

If your child requires medication administration during the school day, please stop by to drop off meds in the front office. Our office hours are 7:00am-3:30pm.

Please review the Parent Guide to Student Medications at School

Please bring the following forms as they correspond with your child's' needs:

• A Parent authorization for school staff to administer medication

• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)

• Epinephrine (Epi-Pen, Auvi-Q)
  

• Inhaler - Albuterol
  

  
  

Questions about medication or medical needs while at school, please contact our district nurse, Lisa McBee mcbeel@loswego.k12.or.us

Registration is open for the beloved Elementary Strings and Orchestra after-school program for LOSD students in grades 4-5. Find detailed information about the program, including important dates for parents/guardians and interested young musicians, on the district website under Community Programs / Elementary Strings.

Click here to see the updated LOSD Elementary School Student and Family Handbook

The universal free meals waiver with USDA expired on June 30, 2022. That means starting this school year LOSD will be serving meals under the free, reduced, and paid categories.

Please be sure to set up your student's meal account or apply for free/reduced meals. Look for Meals under Find it Fast on district and school website homepages for account setup and application information, and more.

Menu for August and September are here!

We are excited to have Champions Learning Program joining the Westridge family, partnering with us to operate their Before and After School Program in our school. The enrollment, thus far, is more than double what was anticipated, so Champions is still needing to hire SEVERAL more staff members to ensure all enrolled families can be supported.

They have added large Cash Commitment Bonuses for staff hired between now and the start of school. In addition, they will provide 2 weeks of free tuition to a Champions family, for any referral hired. They even are offering donations to the Charity of your choice if you refer someone who is hired on to the Champions Team.

If you, or someone you know, loves connecting with children, this is a great Part Time Job with Full Time Benefits. Think about who you would recommend and trust with your own children - they might be the perfect person interested in working a few hours a day.

For more details on the above incentives, or to apply or send a referral, please reach out to the Area Manager, Stephanie Scanlon at stephanie.scanlon@discoverchampions.com

Links to job postings are below:

Lake Oswego Champions Teacher

Lake Oswego Champions Site Director

LOSD needs parents/guardians of all students enrolled for the 2022-23 school year 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 address or contact information has not changed over the past year because the school may have incorrect information from a previous year.
• Confirming parent email addresses for Google Classroom and other applications to participate in your student's learning.
• Enabling distribution of key information in the district's K-12 Family Handbook.

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.

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

The Oregon Department of Education publishes an annual notice regarding state assessments in English Language Arts and math. Please review the Annual Notice for Statewide Tests for information about why participation matters, the right to opt out, and test windows.

Shop Spirit Wear

Donate Now!

Zoom Link for PTSO Meetings

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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.

Email: weaverl@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/wr
Location: 3400 Royce Way, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: 5035342371