West Side Newsletter

West Side Families,

Not that anybody is counting, but by the time this newsletter is published, there will be 36.5 days left of school. 😬 Yikes! When I think back to August and the start of the school year, I remember thinking that there will be an inevitable time crunch as we get into April and May when we are trying to jam the remnants of the curriculum into the few remaining weeks. Well, here we are! I will touch on our WY-TOPP testing below, and that is one of our biggest challenges as we finish up the school year, but there are other big rocks to climb in April as well. First, we need to make sure we teach and assess every single standard for our final report card. Second, the 5th graders finish up 2 pretty large learning opportunities with March Madness and Where the Red Fern Grows. Third, the 4th graders will be researching an indigenous tribe native to Wyoming for a writing project and visual display. Finally, both the 4th and 5th graders combat each other in our annual Battle of the Books competition. April is the month where we definitely see an increase in our urgency.

I'm sure you've noticed this, but since mid-February, we have had 3-day weekends every other week. After Easter, however, we won't have another day off before the end of the school year. That means 7 straight, 5-day weeks. For you and me, that's not an issue. For kids who are used to days off, it can be tough. For this reason (and many others, honestly), I ask parents and guardians to please make sure your young students are getting their 9-11 hours of nightly sleep. Increased work load plus increased days in school minus sleep is a horrible formula for success.

Finally, it is imperative that we have as close to perfect attendance as possible for the rest of the school year. We always want our kids in school, but as our makeup moments dwindle, we need to make sure we have every possible opportunity to teach and assess our students. The district gives us 175 days to make sure all of our students learn every single standard at a high level. That seems like a lot of days, doesn't it? Well, when we are teaching, assessing, reteaching, and reassessing each of our 45-50 report-card standards, it doesn't give us a lot of wiggle room when kids miss days. We know that kids are going to get sick, but, if at all possible, please make sure your students are attending as many days as possible these last two months. As always, thanks to all of our West Side family members. Without you, we would struggle to help our students grow. 🙂

Principal

West Side Elementary

307-347-4298 (office)

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!

TO: All PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF STUDENT(S) THAT ARE ELEVEN OR TWELVE YEARS OLD. The Wyoming Health Department is now aligned with the ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices). New guidelines state if your child has turned eleven or twelve they are ready to receive their booster Tdap (Tetanus, Diptheria, pertussis) immunization. Please be advised that your child needs to have their Tdap booster before their 13th birthday to be in compliance with the Wyoming law. Please call your medical provider or Washakie County Public Health Office at 347-3278 to schedule an appointment for this immunization. Medical or Religious waivers may be obtained through the State of Wyoming Health Department or County Public Health office.

Thank you,

Gina Miller, RN WCSD#1 School Nurse

Please be sure your student has PE shoes at school. If you do not want to pack them everyday they can be left at school.

Also, if you have tennis shoes you would like to donate to West Side we would appreciate it.

April 1 - PTO meeting at West Side 5:30

April 3: NO School - Easter Break

April 13: 4th Grade History Days at Washakie Museum 8:30 - 2:30

April 15: Battle of the Books

April 22: 4th WY-Topp Math (a.m.)

April 27: Bingo for Books at High School, 5:00

April 28: 5th WY-Topp Reading (a.m.)

April 29: 4th WY-Topp ELA (a.m.)

April 30: 5th WY-Topp Writing (a.m.)

April 1, 5:30 at West Side

May 6, 5:30 at West Side