September 24 2017

Week of 09.25.17

Dear Westlake Parents and Guardians:

Fall has arrived and we certainly felt it in the weather over the weekend!  Students have been really digging in to their learning across the school and, believe it or not, we are only few weeks away from the end of the first quarter.  Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up on October 11th and 12th where you will have the opportunity to talk with your student’s teachers about the progress your student is making this year.  More information about Parent/Teacher Conferences will be coming out shortly so stay tuned!

Grief group counseling opportunity

Here at Westlake we have a wonderful partner in Judi’s House. For the third year in a row, this organization will bring counselors to our school to provide free weekly group therapy during the school day for students who are in the grieving process.

“Judi’s House is the only free-standing organization in the Metro Denver area devoted solely to supporting grieving children and their families. Since 2002, Judi’s House has supported more than 8,000 youth, ages 3-25, and their caregivers, toward our vision that no child should be alone in grief.”

We have availability for 10 students to participate in the curriculum. If this feels like a valuable support for you now, we would like to offer this opportunity to your child.

Here is an article on Supporting Your Child in Grief.

Please email or call Kathy Cochran, WLMS counselor, for registration materials and information. 720-972-5212
kathy.cochran@adams12.org

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September 17 2017

Week of 09.18.2017

Read-a-Thon is here!

The Westlake school community is engaging in a day of reading on Wednesday September 20th to raise money for our classrooms as well as inspire the life long love of reading in all our members of the community.  Students will hear from guest speakers about the impact reading has had on their lives as well as have time to dig in to their own reading throughout the day!

This is a very important fundraiser for us in that the money raised goes directly back into the classrooms to benefit students through our teacher mini-grant process.  Please help support our school community by donating money for important event.

Resources for Parents/Guardians

There are a number of events and resources available to the Adams 12 Five Star parent/guardian community.  Please see the following for information about upcoming events and resources available to our community:

I’ve started listening to a podcast I found called Mind/Shift and wanted to share it with you.  As a school we are looking at how we support and nurture a growth mindset in ourselves and students.  I hope you find something of interest in this podcast.

Mind/Shift

 

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or comments please feel free to reach out to me at school 720.972.5200 or rachel.e.heide@adams12.org

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September 10 2017

Week of 09.11.17

Dear Westlake Middle School Community:

Last week, our Superintendent, Chris Gdowski, sent out a message to our district’s school communities regarding DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).  Below is a quote from his letter to all of us in the community:

“In Adams 12 — and throughout our public education system in Colorado — teachers and principals also take an oath to uphold the United States Constitution, though the risks and sacrifices associated with our service as staff members pale in comparison to those in our armed services. In that oath we make the same commitment General Milley shared in his remarks — to educate ALL students, and to uphold the rights that each of them hold under our Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment to our Constitution states that no person shall be denied equal protection under our laws, and more than 35 years ago the United States Supreme Court confirmed that all students — regardless of their immigration status — are entitled to a public education. Consistent with that decision, we educate all children within our community regardless of their immigration status. That was true for decades before adoption of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) order; is true today; and will be true in the future regardless of how the current issues around DACA and possible action by Congress take shape. “

I want to affirm that at Westlake Middle School we are committed to educating ALL students.  We are thankful for the privilege to educate the students of the Westlake community and to be partners with you, the parents and guardians.

School Accountability Committee

Please join us this Wednesday at 4:15pm at Westlake Middle School for our first School Accountability Committee meeting.  We will be looking at school wide data, school goals and associated action steps.  If you have any questions please feel free to call the school or e-mail Dr. Heide at rachel.e.heide@adams12.org.

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September 3 2017

Week of 09.04.17

Westlake Parents and Guardians:

September marks Attendance Awareness month across the nation in our schools.  According to Attendance Works, attendance is essential to school success, but too often students, parents and schools do not realize how quickly absences — excused and unexcused — can add up to academic trouble. Chronic absence — missing 10 percent of the school year, or just 2-3 days every month—can translate into third-graders unable to master reading, sixth-graders failing courses and ninth-graders dropping out of high school. Low-income students, who most depend on school for opportunities to learn, are especially harmed when they miss too much instruction.  While we don’t encourage you to bring students to school sick, we hope that giving our community information about the importance of attendance will lead to understanding how attendance can equal engagement. Please follow the links below to access information about attendance.

English- Attendance Awareness

en Espanol- Attendance Awareness

School Accountability Committee

We are looking for parents who are interested in participating on the School Accountability Committee.  In this committee we will be looking at school achievement and growth data, school goals, and reviewing the school’s Unified Improvement Plan.  If you’re interested in joining us for this very important committee please consider coming to our first meeting.  Below are the dates and times for this committee:

9/13 @ 4:15pm
11/15 @ 6:00pm
2/7 @ 4:15pm
4/25 @ 6:00pm

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Dr. Heide at 720.972.5200 or rachel.e.heide@adams12.org

Coffee with the Principal

New this year,  Westlake will be hosting a Coffee with the Principal event in order to share with our parents and guardians the various ways we are engaging our students in learning.  Coffee and light refreshments will be served. Please join us on the following dates and times for this event:

Oct. 3, 9:30am-11:00am
Nov. 7, 9:30am-11:00am
Jan. 23, 9:30am-11:00am
Feb. 27, 9:30am-11:00am
Apr. 17, 9:30am-11:00am
May 8, 9:30am-11:00am

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