Westridge Wildcat Newsletter

Dear Westridge Community,

Returning to Westridge was a great way to start the new year. To be greeted by hundreds of smiling (and a little sleepy) students, receiving warm welcomes from families, and watching our skilled teachers jump right back into cultivating caring learning communities felt so wonderful! I also want to share my gratitude again for the leadership of Noah Hurd in my absence. He did a stellar job and will be missed! Please continue to reach out to me when you have questions, concerns, or celebrations. I am excited to be back and partner with our community in making this a wonderful year!

Thank you,

Laura Weaver

New or Updated Information:

Save the Dates!

Registration for 2022-2023 School Year

Kindergarten Counts Information Night

Westridge: Our Heritage Celebration Info

Nurse Notes

Counseling Corner

Pacer Jr. Dance Clinic

Continuing Reminders:

Opt Out Form: State Assessments

STEM Newsletter and IG Page

Reporting Tardies and Absences

Statewide Assessment Notice

1/16: No School - MLK Jr. Day

1/18: Registration pens for 23-24 school year

1/18: Kindergarten Counts Information Night

1/19: PTSO Meeting 7pm at Westridge and on Zoom

1/27: No School - Grade Prep Day

2/5: (Sunday) Wildcats: Our Heritage Celebration 2-4pm at Westridge

2/20: No School - Presidents' Day

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

Kindergarten Information Night

January 18th 6-7 pm.

All resident elementary schools

Immersion Program Information Night

January 25th

Mandarin Chinese 6pm, Spanish 7 p.m.

Palisades World Language School

Online registration and more information can be found here

The Culture of Belonging Committee is excited to present Westridge's first ever "Wildcats: Our Heritage Celebration" event on Sunday, February 5th from 2-4:00pm in the gym. We invite you to experience the countries and cultures that are special to our Westridge community. Your child will have the opportunity to "travel the world" and experience these countries and cultures complete with a passport to be stamped! You can also expect entertainment throughout the event. Open to families! Would you like to participate in the event? Here are 3 different ways:

1. We are looking for volunteers who want to put together a table to represent a country. Sign up here:Volunteer Sign Up

2. International fashion show: would your student enjoy showing off traditional dress from a special country? Email us: Westridgecultureofbelonging@gmail.com

3. Story time: would you, your student, or a grandparent like to read a book that represents your culture? Email us: Westridgecultureofbelonging@gmail.com

Finally, we'd like to give you a glimpse into the countries you will have the opportunity to "visit" at Our Heritage Celebration. This week's spotlight is Japan! Please enjoy this highlight of how two Westridge families use their Japanese heritage to welcome the new year. Thank you Monica Yenokida and Chieri Morgan Kasahara:

Celebrating the New Year is popular all around the world. Some of our Westridge families celebrate by incorporating many Japanese traditions from their families heritage. In Japanese culture, celebrating “firsts” in the New Year is very important. In the Yenokida family (Lucy 3rd, Kingston 1st, and Marley in Kinder at Palisades), we celebrate the New Year by always gathering with our extended family on the first day of the year. The first toast is made by the eldest member of the family (which is our Jichan (grandfather)). Sake is warmed and served in small cups called ochoku and Jichan says “Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!” Which means “Happy New Year!” We make mochi from scratch which includes steaming the rice in wooden boxes over an open flame, pounding the cooked rice with wooden mallets in a large heavy bowl called uzo, and then hand rolling all the mochi into small hand held size balls. We also eat some traditional Japanese New Year foods such as ozoni (soup) and sushi.

Happy New Year to Westridge Families! I am Chieri Kasahara, and my daughter, Rina, is in second grade. In the Kasahara/Morgan family, we celebrate the New Year by sending out cards called “Nengajou” (New Year greeting card). Most people send them out before the new year, so that family and friends will receive them on the new year day or a little after. The design of the card usually includes the twelve zodiacal animals, for this year it is the rabbit. For our family, my husband usually carves a stamp of the animal from a rubber pad and stamps it on each card.
On New Year's Day, we eat ozoni (mochi soup) and also osechi (a traditional Japanese food enjoyed on New Year’s day), which each food item in the dish has significant meaning , such as shrimp representing longevity. My parents and grandparents also give otoshidama (a monetary gift ) to the kids. This year, Rina is competing for a calligraphy competition, including an item for the new year, which is called “kakizome” (first writing of the year to congratulate on the beginning of the year, and some people also write about their goals for the year). She is writing the word, “rabbit” in the picture below.

Mrs. Lang has created a newsletter so that families can follow along with the projects that are happening in STEM class! She also posts about donations needed for upcoming projects. Click here to check it out! You can also follow along on Instagram by scanning the QR code.

January 2023

Dear Wildcat Families,

As we start the new year of 2023, we will be spending the month

of January practicing the character trait of PERSEVERANCE

in our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons. The definition

we will be using for Perseverance is: pushing yourself to work

through challenges and obstacles.

A lot of research today is telling us that the highest indicators of success in our kids isn’t just about their grades or their IQ. The number one skill that helps people of all walks of life be successful is GRIT! Grit is the ability to persevere in the face of adversity or even failure.

Over the course of the month, we will talk about inspiring people who faced many failures before they found success. We will talk about what it means to navigate tough stuff, even when it feels overwhelming or really hard. We will talk about having a Growth Mindset; to see challenges and failure as an opportunity to grow instead of a brick wall. During my SEL time in each classroom we will also talk about Anxiety/Worries and how to push on through when things get tough.

Ways to reinforce our teaching hers at school is to let your child know it’s ok to not be perfect. Students are often expected to perform their best from tests to on the field. Complimenting their effort, determination and good character does much farther than the outcome!

Here are links for extension activities to explore PERSEVERANCE further as a family:

Kindergarten Perseverance Family Newsletter

1st Grade Perseverance Family Newsletter

2nd Grade Perseverance Family Newsletter

3rd Grade Perseverance Family Newsletter

4th Grade Perseverance family newsletter

5th Grade Perseverance Family Newsletter

As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns at kieserg@loswego.k12.or.us

Sincerely,

Gary Kieser

Westridge School Counselor

New Year's Day, January 1.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 16, honors Reverend King's life and commitment to equality and unity.

Lunar New Year, January 22, is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar.

It’s Time To Dance!

Lakeridge PDT Jr Dance Clinic

All youth grades PreK-8 are welcome

Saturday, Feb 18 10am-1pm

Join the Pacer Dance team for a fun clinic! We will learn a routine and perform together at the varsity boys basketball game on Feb 21.

Registration and details: www.lakeridgedance.com

What services does your school nurse provide?

School Nursing by Definition:

School nursing, a specialized practice of nursing, protects and promotes student health, facilitates optimal development, and advances academic success. School nurses, grounded in ethical and evidence-based practice, are the leaders who bridge health care and education, provide care coordination, advocate for quality student-centered care, and collaborate to design systems that allow individuals and communities to develop their full potential. (Adopted by the NASN Board of Directors February 2017.)

Some of the services provided by your school nurses:

• Provide first aid care and health assessment;

• Write care plans and coordinate the care of students with chronic or acute health conditions;

• Communicate with teachers and staff to ensure the safety and well-being of students;

• Administer medications and monitor delegated medication administration;

• Assist in the evaluation of students for Special Services (Special Education);

• Coordinate and provide vision screenings and vaccination clinics;

• Track and monitor immunizations and dental care and;

• Educate and train staff on: asthma, life threatening allergies, diabetes, and blood borne pathogens.

If you would like to speak to your school nurse, click the link below for contact information.

Contact your District Nurse

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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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: 503-534-2371