Westchester Weekly
News from the Principal
Greetings WE Families,
It was a wonderful first week at Westchester. The students and staff are settling into the routines for the school year. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as everyone gets back into the flow.
Just a few reminders as we start the school year:
Buses will unload at 7:50 a.m., and car riders and walkers will enter at 8:00 a.m.
Afternoon car rider staff will help students into the car, but will not buckle car seats. Work with the children to buckle themselves. If they are not able to do that safely, please move to the head of the car rider lane, where you can take the time to buckle up safely.
All transportation changes should be communicated through Pick Up Patrol.
Student check-out must happen before 2:00 p.m. This ensures the school day wraps up and everyone gets to their destination safely.
We ask that parents wait to come for lunch until after Labor Day, unless it is your child’s birthday and you want to join them. Please refrain from bringing fast-food lunches.
Remember to mark your calendars for these upcoming Westchester events:
August 26th: Early Release 12:50 p.m.
August 27th: Curriculum Night 6:00 p.m.
August 28th: Community Circle - All invited at 8:15 a.m.
From your very grateful principal,
Christine Knox
Counting Collections
Dear WE Families,
We are beginning a fun and foundational math routine called Counting Collections, and we need your help! This routine is designed to help students build strong number sense, learn efficient counting strategies, and develop important early math skills.
What is the Counting Collections routine?
Students work in pairs to explore a baggie filled with a collection of objects. They will:
- Count the items to find out "how many".
- Practice grouping objects into sets (e.g., ones, twos, fives, or tens).
- Draw a picture and write numbers on a recording sheet to show how they counted their items.
What can I add to our Counting Collection?
We would love for each child to bring in a small collection of items from their home. Please place the items in a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Some great items to include:
- Small shells
- Small toy cars
- Buttons
- Blocks
- Beads
- Pasta
- Pennies, dimes or nickels
- Cotton balls
How many items should go in the bag?
Please make sure everything fits easily into the bag.
STAR Assessments
Dear Westchester Families,
During the weeks of August 3 through August 14, we will be administering the STAR Math (K-2), STAR Early Literacy (K-2), and STAR Reading (2nd grade) tests. STAR is a computerized adaptive test which helps teachers, parents, and administrators improve learning for all students and make informed decisions to promote a child's academic growth. Students take the STAR tests in the fall, winter, and spring. By taking it 3 times a year, teachers and parents are able to see how their student is growing in the areas of reading and math throughout the school year. We will use this data to help us make informed instructional decisions for our students. The tests will be administered by classroom teachers and proctors in their classrooms. STAR family reports will be shared through Thursday communication folders following the conclusion of testing..
If you have any questions please reach out to our Instructional Coach, Christie Manasso.
Westchester Birthday Book
The Westchester Birthday Book program gives you the opportunity to both honor your child on their birthday and help our book room collections to grow. This year, we are focusing on purchasing more yotos for our listening stations as well as more books for our book room.
To honor your child with a birthday book donation, pay with Square or simply send $20 cash or check (made payable to Westchester Elementary School) by Friday, August 14th.
We welcome friends or other family members to participate in this program, as well. Families are not limited to one book. A paper form will be sent home on August 6th in their communication folders.
Room Parent Sign up
Dear families,
Would you consider being a room parent? The role is a very important and fun one! Ideally 2-3 volunteers per class works best to divide the tasks. The responsibilities include:
~ support the teacher(s)
~ act as a liaison between the parents and teacher(s)
~ send communications to parents
~ create any necessary sign-ups
~ plan, organize and execute class celebrations
~ manage classroom funds provided by the Room Parent Coordinator
Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!
Westchester School Leadership Team (SLT)
Our SLT is an important team created and guided by CSD’s charter. SLT members serve as an advisory body to inform school-level decision-making. Parent representatives serve a two-year term. It is important to have our community voice included. This year, we will hold an election as all members have completed their second year.
Reminders
School Lunch Policy: Please be sure to maintain a positive lunch balance for your child. This will help us avoid any unexpected lunch changes for students. Check your Parent Portal frequently to make sure your child has adequate funds for the cafeteria. You may also find the Parent Portal app (for Apple or Android) to be more convenient.
