Westlake Parents and Guardians:

As we look to end one year and begin another, we can reflect on the accomplishments of the year and set goals for the next.  One of the major areas of focus for the Westlake School community this year has been around literacy across all content areas.  Being able to read, write, listen, and speak are critical elements to learning any content area and we are committed to supporting students in gaining these very important skills.  One way to support this effort with your child is to engage in our school book.  Please consider being a part of this effort.

Students, parents and community members, this year, we have selected Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (the young adult version) to be our all school book.  This is the amazing story of Joe Rantz and the 1936 Olympic rowing team’s miraculous journey to win gold in Berlin.   A story of courage, perseverance and the power of teamwork, this will be a text to connect our whole community with our vision, Dream, Risk, Achieve.

We are asking students and families to get involved by reading this exciting text. You may also think about organizing a book discussion with your own family or pull together other families you know to discuss the ideas in this book. We have discussion questions and you can use this book club guide for tips on how to facilitate your conversation.

Here at school in January, we will be hosting grade level book clubs run by our administrators, and teachers will have some activities and discussions they can use in their classrooms. This event will be culminated on February 22nd with a movie night when we will be showing The Boys of ‘36 the PBS documentary about this inspiring story.

The book is available for a discounted price from both Amazon and Walmart. Many teachers here at school have copies to loan to students and books will be provided for students who are participating in grade level book clubs.

Happy Holidays!

On behalf of the Westlake Middle School staff, we want to wish you a very happy holiday season.  In whatever way your family celebrates the holidays, know we are grateful to be a part of your lives through educating your children.  Together, we are one community moving toward a common goal of creating pathways of success for the children of our community.  Happy Holidays!