West Side Newsletter

May 2025

Principal's Corner

A note from our Principal

West Side Families,

We have reached the final month of the 2024-25 school year, and though this has been a marathon of a school year, the final couple of weeks are always an all-out sprint. Ms. Penny has included the list of West Side activities for these last couple of weeks, and that list is exhaustive.

Since this will serve as our final newsletter until the start of the 2025-26 school year in August, I want to take this time to encourage all of you to set up a reading schedule for your kiddos over the summer. Just 30 minutes of reading 5 days a week can be the difference between your student entering school next year on grade level or not. The benefits of summer reading are far reaching. Students who read in the summer develop a stronger love of reading (which benefits further education), maintain and improve their reading skills, are encouraged to become lifelong learners, and expand their reading comprehension / vocabulary. If you want more information on the benefits of summer reading, check out this article from Scholastic.

Okay, well what about the other 23.5 hours of each June, July, and August day? As a former child who lived for summer vacation, my hope is that all of our students have an enjoyable break from school. I hope they play outside from just after breakfast until just before supper like many of us used to do. I hope they forget their passwords to their devices because they just don't use them. I hope they learn how to use an air pump when they, inevitably, get flat bike tires from riding all through town. I hope every West Side student climbs at least one tree this summer. I hope they stay up way too late at a sleepover with friends. I hope they sleep in a tent or camper at least once either up on the mountain or just in the backyard. I hope the lifeguards at the Worland Aquatic Center learn the names of many West Side students because they visit so often. Finally, I hope our students return to school in August refreshed from all of their fun summer experiences.

From all of our staff at West Side, we hope for a strong finish to the school year and an amazing summer break for all of our kids! See you in August!

Principal

West Side Elementary

307-347-4298 (office)

All School Art Show

This school year our elementary students have worked their way through the principles of design while revisiting the elements of art. We have tackled each principle through a variety of mediums and projects. The principles of design that have inspired our projects include balance, emphasis/contrast, rhythm/movement, pattern, proportion, variety, and unity. Also on display will be projects from our Art PBL groups. They have used their imagination to create artwork from recycled goods. We are so excited to share these pieces with you through the "All School Art Show" from May 8 - 18th at the Washakie Museum. We hope you can come and see these amazing works of art that we have made throughout the school year and marvel at their artistic creations.

Mrs. Peterson

WY-TOPP Testing Information

Our mission statement for Washakie County School District #1: "Washakie No. 1 is here to ensure high levels of learning for all students in order that they are college and/or career ready when they graduate high school." Even though our kids are years away from graduation, we focus on making sure ALL STUDENTS LEARN at HIGH LEVELS. That is and has been our focus here at West Side for the past several years, and one of the best ways we can check our students' learning progress is through the WY-TOPP assessment. It is a tremendous letdown for us as teachers when our kids inadvertently sabotage their chances to prove what they know on assessments like the WY-TOPP by staying up late the previous night, eating poorly (or not at all) the night before, or arriving late on testing day. We hope that you, our West Side families, will join with us in our mission and help make sure our kids are prepared for our upcoming assessment dates. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Thanks!

Counselor's Corner

Parents/Guardians -

Happy Almost Summer Vacation!

May seems to fly by quickly and there are several field trips planned, which means I have very few Guidance classes left for this year. We will be finishing up our Career unit, and showing career videos, so if you haven't made one yet and would like to, please do so and send it to me ASAP. The students love to watch and learn about different careers, which gives them more ideas of options for their future. This time of year, drama seems to ramp up, so please have conversations with your kiddos about being kind, having patience with each other, and not spreading rumors/gossip. As I have gotten to know each of your students, I have treasured each one. They are amazing individuals who have ALOT going for them! Thank you for sharing them with us at West Side!

Thank you!

Heather Rollema

K-12 School Counselor

Message from the School Nurse

May is here, and that means summer break is just around the corner! Here are some ways to stay safe and healthy as the weather gets warmer and we spend more time outside!

● Wear sunscreen every time you’re outside for more than 30 minutes, reapply sunscreen every 2 hours.

● Drink at least 5 glasses of water a day to stay hydrated when playing outside.

● Wear a helmet every time you ride a bike or scooter.

● Only swim with an adult nearby– never alone.

Thank you,

Gina Miller, RN WCSD#1 School Nurse

News from the P.E. Office / Mile Run and Track Meet information

4th & 5th Grade Mile Run

The mile run will take place at the high school track on Wednesday, May 7th. All 4th and 5th grade boys will begin at 9:10 AM. The boys will return to West Side and then all 4th and 5th grade girls will begin around 9:35 AM. The mile run will not be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.

5th Grade Track Meet

The 5th grade track meet will take place on Friday, May 16th . Field events will begin at 11:35 AM. The field events are long jump, softball throw, and high jump. Running events will begin immediately after all field events have been completed. The running events are the 50 M Dash, 100 M Dash, 200 M Dash, 400 M Dash and 200 M Relay (each 5th grade class will have at least 1 relay team). Students will sign up for a minimum of 1 field and 1 throwing event. Students may sign up for a maximum of 1 field event and 5 running events. Students will be bussed back to West Side at 1:20 PM. Please let your classroom teacher or Mr. Mortimer know if you would like to help with any events (field and/or timer) by Wednesday, May 14th. The 5th grade track meet will not be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.