August 26 2018

Week of 08.27.18

Dear Westlake Parents and Guardians:

This past Friday we had our first all school assembly and it was a blast!  The agenda was full of energy boosting fun competitions with students and staff.  Our staff band shared a message with students through performing “Stand By Me.”  What a great way to start off of the school year!  Check out a portion of the staff performance below and follow me on Twitter:

Staff Performance

As parents it can be very challenging to raise children and middle school can be especially challenging.  Please know that at Westlake we are dedicated to supporting your child as a team with you, the parent, in order to produce the best possible outcomes.  I came across a resource that may be helpful to you and give you ideas on how to successfully navigate your child’s middle school experience.  Check out the link below from Parent Toolkit for creating your own customized kit.

Back to School Kit- Parent Toolkit

Thank you for your partnership and for sharing your children with us.  We are very fortunate to be a part of a school community as special as the one around Westlake Middle School!

Category: Weekly Blog Posts | Comments Off on Week of 08.27.18
August 19 2018

Week of 08.20.18

Dear Westlake Parents and Guardians:

From talking to many students and parents it sounds like the first few days have been a success!  Students have already been engaged in various learning across the school from collaborating on solving break out boxes (think escape room, but in the form of a box on the box), reading and playing rhythms in music, getting to know one another and classroom expectations through various activities, and so much more!  We are so fortunate to spend each day with your children.  Thank you so much for sharing them with us at Westlake.

Over the summer I heard a newscast on Colorado Public Radio that got me thinking and I’d like to share it with you.  Recently, a parent in our community brought this same newscast up as we were talking about technology and school.  I hope you find something useful from this for you and your family.

Follow this link to listen to the newscast.

 

Welcome our New Campus Supervisor!

Across the district all the middle schools were given a new position called Campus Supervisor in order to support our efforts around school safety.  The Campus Supervisor is a person who serves our school community by ensuring the safety of our students, staff, and campus.  We are extremely fortunate to have hired Chris Laws for this position!  Mr. Laws comes to our school community with a wealth of experience as a retired law enforcement officer with Adams County having served most recently as a Commander.  He has a heart for students and ensuring their safety in our school.  If you see Mr. Laws please be sure to stop by and say “hello.”

WLMS Wolverines Spirit Wear Store

Our wonderful PTO has set up a Spirit Wear store online and it is now open.  Check out the link below and stock up on your WLMS gear!

WLMS Spirit Wear Store

 

Mark Your Calendars!  Back to School Night and BBQ

This Wednesday is our Back to School Night and BBQ!   Parents and Guardians will have the opportunity to see each of your child’s teachers by running through your child’s schedule.  There will be two time frames available to you to go through your child’s schedule so please join us for the time frame that fits best for your schedule.  Please see the outline of the schedule below:

4:30-5:45 – Opportunity #1 to go through your child’s schedule

5:30-6:30 – BBQ- come enjoy some delicious food and chat with members of our school community

6:15-7:30 – Opportunity #2 to go through your child’s schedule

As you will be following your child’s schedule please take a moment to login to the parent portal on Infinite Campus so you know what schedule you are following.  Sixth grade parents, your child will receive their full schedule on the 22nd so be looking for that piece coming home.   This is a great opportunity to make sure you have what you need in terms of accessing Infinite Campus.  If you have any trouble with this or don’t have a login for Infinite Campus yet please reach out to Jeanne Morrison at 720.972.5200.

 

Dr. Heide, Principal Westlake Middle School

 

Category: Weekly Blog Posts | Comments Off on Week of 08.20.18
August 12 2018

Week of 08.13.18

Dear Westlake Parents and Guardians:

Welcome to the first week of school for the 2018-2019 school year!  We are so excited to welcome students to school on Wednesday.  Staff have been busy at work preparing the learning environment for students.  There is tremendous positive energy in the air at Westlake as we anxiously await the arrival of students!  We are grateful to be welcoming your children to school this week and know that through our partnership with you this looks to be the best year yet at Westlake.

For those of you new to Westlake my communication with you through this blog happens on a weekly basis.  On the top right hand corner you will see a yellow “post it” note that will link you to important upcoming events for the week.  You can also access past postings to this blog through the sidebar on the right.  I have linked a recent communication to families in a post titled “Welcome Back” so please check this link in the event you didn’t receive this recent communication.

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me via phone or e-mail.

720.972.5200

rachel.e.heide@adams12.org

Schedule for Wednesday

Please note that there is a special schedule for students on Wednesday for their first day.  We will not be serving lunch on this day, but there will be transportation services for students who utilize this district service.  Thursday and Friday will be full days of school for all students on a normal schedule.  Please see the schedule for Wednesday below:

  • 6th Grade- 8:30am- 11:15am
  • 7th and 8th Grade- 11:30am-2:15pm

Transitional Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

Over the past several months we have been sharing some communication with you in preparation for the transitional BYOD initiative at Westlake.  As you may know, students are encouraged to bring an approved device (see below) for use in the classroom.  The use of these devices is not to replace good teaching but to help teachers and students have access to learning strategies and experiences that this technology allows.  The plan is that teachers will use device-based strategies about 50% of the time while still mixing in more traditional methods of instruction.

Students and families who choose not to buy or bring a device will still be able to check one out on a class by class basis.  The learning experience should be the same for kids with and without a device, but the kids with a device will have the added convenience of being able to personalize their device, use it at home, get familiar with one device and develop the responsibility of taking care of one.  In addition, families who bring/buy a device have a shortened supply list.

This is an initiative that has broad support from both our staff and parent community.  We are excited for the opportunities this initiative opens for your students.

Supply List and Device Criteria (English)

Supply List and Device Criteria (Spanish)

 

WLMS Wolverines Spirit Wear Store

Our wonderful PTO has set up a Spirit Wear store online and it is now open.  Check out the link below and stock up on your WLMS gear!

WLMS Spirit Wear Store

 

Mark Your Calendars!  Back to School Night and BBQ

Please join us on August 22nd for our Back to School Night and BBQ!  For those of you who have been with us in previous years for our Back to School Night we will running the evening slightly differently.  Parents and Guardians will have the opportunity to see each of your child’s teachers by running through their schedule.  There will be two time frames available to you to go through your child’s schedule so please join us for the time frame that fits best for your schedule.  Please see the outline of the schedule below:

4:30-5:45 – Opportunity #1 to go through your child’s schedule

5:30-6:30 – BBQ- come enjoy some delicious food and chat with members of our school community

6:15-7:30 – Opportunity #2 to go through your child’s schedule

As you will be following your child’s schedule please take a moment to login to the parent portal on Infinite Campus so you know what schedule you are following.  Sixth grade parents, your child will receive their full schedule on the 22nd so be looking for that piece coming home.   This is a great opportunity to make sure you have what you need in terms of accessing Infinite Campus.  If you have any trouble with this or don’t have a login for Infinite Campus yet please reach out to Jeanne Morrison at 720.972.5200.

 

Dr. Heide, Principal Westlake Middle School

 

 

 

Category: Weekly Blog Posts | Comments Off on Week of 08.13.18