Westridge Wildcat Newsletter

Hello Westridge,

I hope you all have a wonderful spring break and find time to relax and rejuvenate. When we return in April, we have ten very full weeks of state testing for grades 3-5, conferences, field trips, assemblies, PTSO Carnival, and so much more to wrap up this school year!

We look forward to you joining us for conferences on Thursday, April 13th and Friday, April 14th (either in person or on Zoom). Your classroom teachers sent out the schedule to sign up, so please reach out to them if you have any questions about scheduling. This is a great opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher to reflect on progress toward their goals and work as a team to support your child’s growth.

Happy Spring Break! Have fun, relax, and enjoy! We will see you Monday, April 3rd!

Laura Weaver

P.S. We hope to see you at STEM Night tonight from 5:30-7:00!

SCHOOL CALENDAR: LOSD SCHOOL CALENDAR 22-23

3/27-3/31: Spring Break

4/10-4/14: Scholastic Book Fair (eWallets are now open! Here's more information about the book fair and how to set up an eWallet for your child.)

4/13-4/14: Conferences - No School

4/15: Lost and Found Donated

4/20: 3rd Grade Music Concert in the gym 5:30

4/20: PTSO General Meeting at Westridge Library and on Zoom 7-8pm

5/18: 5th Grade Musical 6:30

5/19: 5th grade musical assembly - Time TBD

6/2: SAVE THE DATE! Carnival is coming 5-8pm

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

Looking for an opportunity to meet and work with other Westridge parents? Interested in creating student and school community events? Consider joining the PTSO Executive Board for the 2023-24 school year! We have 5 open positions: President, Communications Officer, Volunteer Coordinator, Treasurer, and Assistant Treasurer. Reach out to WestridgePTSO@gmail.com or any current board member to apply or if you would like more information about any of the roles. The application deadline is April 20th. Think you want to share a position with a friend? Co-officers are welcome!

Following conferences (April 13th and 14th), the lost and found will be cleaned out and donated. Please encourage your child to check the lost and found. It will also be available to access during conferences.

Dear Westridge Families,

As we enter April, we will be talking about the virtue of Courage - to help our children be courageous and learn to conquer things that frighten or scare them. Children need reassurance that fear is one of our feelings and to help them understand that it’s okay to feel afraid. Courage isn’t fearlessness, but instead our ability to choose the right thing even when we are scared! The definition we will be talking about is: Courage is to choose what is helpful, right, and kind - even when it is hard or scary.

Have some fun connecting as a family this month while practicing Courage. Here are 3 “PurposeFull Pursuits” for you to complete together. How many can you do this month?

1. Reflect, think, and discuss with your student things you both would like to do, but find intimidating or scary. Maybe it’s a new hobby, trying a new game, sharing your art or invention with others, or going on an adventure somewhere. Give 1 of these things a try together and take a selfie to capture the memory!

2. Review Courage as a family! Remember that Courage is choosing what is helpful, right, and kind - even when it’s hard or scary. What’s something that you’ve been afraid to discuss with your student? Something that might be difficult to explain about our community or the world. Chances are they will hear about it eventually and it may come from someone who is less informed or less supportive than you. Have a courageous conversation with your student. It could be about bullying, the environment, uncertainty, etc. Remind them that love and support are 2 tools that we can use to practice Courage. Discuss as a family ways they can practice Courage around the issue you discuss.

3. We have all demonstrated Courage in our lives. Many of us have seen people practice Courage in ways that have inspired us. Stories are powerful tools for connecting as a family. Protect time this week to share stories about Courage with each other (you can use the story prompts to get started). At the end of the conversation, think of 1 way you can practice Courage this week.

We believe involving families in our Social Emotional Learning is important. The letters linked below include activities and conversation starters for you to explore Courage as a family.

Courage Family Newsletters

Thank you for taking the time to engage your family in these activities.. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I can be reached at kieserg@loswego.k12.or.us or 503-534-2371.

Sincerely,

Gary Kieser, MA

School Counselor

What: Come celebrate and support our Pacer Baseball Community with dinner, drinks, friends, live and silent auction, wine wall, party boards and so much more...Tables and tickets are now available!

When: April 15, 2023

Where: Celebrate Catering Event Space, Lake Oswego

Tickets and Tables are now available!

Click here to learn more about sponsorships.

Click here to purchase a table or your individual tickets.

Interested in other ways you can support the auction? Reach out to the committee at Auction.Pacerbaseball@gmail.com

Lake Oswego Asian Cultural Festival on April 8th!

Mark your calendars! Lake Oswego High School’s Asian American Student Union is hosting their second annual Asian Cultural Festival on Saturday, April 8th! The event will feature free Asian food, music, and activities from over 30 organizations/restaurants between 2 pm and 6:15 pm, as well as cultural performances from 6:30 pm to 9 pm. The show features a variety of spectacular performances including lion dancers, taiko drumming, music, martial arts, and more!
Tickets for the performances ($5) are limited and can be purchased on their website, www.asianfestivallo.com. The first 100 tickets purchased with the promo code EARLYBIRD23 will get 20% off!

We need you! Please consider applying for our school or district advisory committee for terms starting next school year. There is one application for all committees -- please mark the committee that is of interest to you. Only committees with vacancies -- School Advisory Committees and Long Range Facility Planning -- are listed in the application for this period. See the charters posted on the School Board Advisory Committees web page for more information about each committee.

Applications are due Friday, April 7 at 5 p.m. Recommendations and selections will be made in April. All applicants will be notified by May 1. Thank you!

Each school year, Oregon students take assessments to meet federal requirements. The purpose of these assessments is to provide data that schools can use to ensure that every child is on track and achieving learning goals.

State law requires us to inform you that a form is available from the State Department of Education that allows you to opt your child out of the math and English Language Arts assessments for the current school year. Should you wish to opt out your child, fill out the form and submit it to the main office at your child’s school. Please note the submission deadlines listed on the form. Meeting the deadline will help the school with planning and preparation. If you wish your child not to participate in the science assessment for grades 5, 8, and 11, submit this request in writing to the principal of your child's school.

If you have questions or want more information about state assessments, please contact your child’s principal or teacher(s).

Click here for opt-out form for Math and English Language Arts.

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.)

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.

Email: weaverl@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/wr
Location: 3400 Royce Way, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: 503-534-2371