September 29 2019

Week of 09.30.19

Westlake Parents and Guardians:

We are half way through our Booster Bash Fundraiser and as of Friday our donation numbers took a big jump thanks to the generosity of our far reaching school community.  Below are our current stats as of Friday morning:
  • % of participating students: 17%
  • % of registered students: 37%
  • Number of States: 31
  • Current School Profit: $7,275
Thank you all so much for your support of our school in reaching our goal of raising $18,000.  We are excited to be hosting the culminating event on Friday and I know the kids are most excited for it.
Weekend Challenge-

Any student that earns $30 in donations or sends 10 easy emails, will earn a bungee rocket! They will get to take it home this week to practice and bring it back for a game at the Booster Bash. The winner of the game will win a grand prize! As a bonus, students that earn the Bungee Rocket will also be entered into a raffle for a personal COTTON CANDY MACHINE!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent Teacher Conferences are just around the corner.  We will have conferences on Tuesday, October 8th from 4:30 -7:30 pm and Wednesday, October 9th from 4:00-7: 00 pm. Conferences will be arena style in our gyms. This means that you will have an opportunity to talk with each of your child’s teachers for about 3-4 minutes. In order to make conferences as efficient as possible for families, we will be having families sign up for half-hour time slots. We will soon be sending out a sign-up for time slots. Please lookout for this email. If you need to contact teachers prior to conferences, you are always welcome to email or call teachers with questions or concerns.

Want to volunteer at the book fair?

Every year we hold a book fair in the library during the week of Parent Teacher Conferences.  If you would be interested in volunteering for this fun event please click on the link below to sign up.  Thank for your partnership and support of our school!

Sign-up for Book Fair Volunteers

Halloween Guidelines

Adams 12 Five Star Schools encourages the opportunity for students and families to engage in celebration that is respectful to all cultures, religions, races, and beliefs.  In our continued efforts to maintain a respectful, safe and secure learning environment, the following guidelines for Halloween celebrations have been developed. These guidelines apply to students, staff, and participants of all Halloween celebrations both during and after the school day.

Halloween Guidelines

  1. Costumes that would otherwise violate the Student Dress Code (Superintendent Policy 5060) will only be allowed if approved by an administrator prior to wearing to school.  For safety reasons, masks or makeup should not cover the student’s face in a manner that makes the student unrecognizable. Masks or makeup that conceal student’s identity may be worn only during designated times such as during a costume contest.  
  2. The following are considered not appropriate for school or school events:
  • Costumes that are overly graphic, promote violence or otherwise might logically be assumed to be offensive to others 
  • Costumes that are sexually suggestive and would otherwise violate the school’s dress code
  • Costumes with sound effects, lights or other components which would disrupt the classroom learning environment
  • Costumes that could be considered insensitive to various races, genders, cultures and religions
  • Toy or facsimile weapons of any kind (guns, knives, swords, bats, etc.) are not allowed
  • Costumes or dress of any kind that may be potentially disruptive to the educational or school environment

In alignment with Superintendent Policy 5060, school administrators may ask students or participants  to change into school appropriate attire and/or remove masks, makeup, or costumes.

Halloween Guidelines Addendum (RE:  Clown Costumes)

As you may recall, in 2016 the Five Star District prohibited students and staff from wearing clown costumes on school grounds due to social media threats nationwide. Although we have not been made aware of any similar threats this year, district  leadership made the decision to leave this prohibition in the 2019 Halloween guidelines, acknowledging the release of the movie, IT, and in anticipation of a social media response.  As always, the safety and security of students and staff is our first priority, therefore students and staff are prohibited from wearing clown masks or costumes on school grounds. This adjustment was made in the best interest of the school community and creates a safe environment for students and staff at Halloween celebrations this year. 

Keep in mind,  district and school leadership will reevaluate the guidelines each year and make adjustments as needed to ensure a safe celebration for the entire school community. Students who violate or are suspected to be in violation of this policy will be referred to school administration.

 

Upcoming Events

Click on each day to reveal the upcoming events.

[wmd-accordion tab_background=”#066196″ tab_color=”#fff” content_background=”#2196d1″ content_color=”#fff” border_radius=”4″ ls-id=”5d8ff90147348″][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Monday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EWear Red- World Heart Day%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ENewspaper Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ECoding Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EDrama Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EStudent Council %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Tuesday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EStudent Council Election Today%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EIntramural Soccer %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EDrama Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EWEB Leader Meeting %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Wednesday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EEarly Release Day%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ENational Walk to School Day%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3E7th Grade Jazz Band %40 7%3A30am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EArt Club 7%3A45am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Thursday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ERobotics Club %40 7%3A40am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ECreative Writing Club %40 7%3A30am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EGSA %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ELove and Logic Class %40 6pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Friday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3E8th Grade Jazz Band Club %40 7%3A30am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cspan style%3D%22color%3A %23ff6600%3B%22%3E%3Cem%3E%3Cstrong%3EBooster Bash Fun Day%21%21%21%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EFall Book Fair 8am-4pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EDrama Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][/wmd-accordion]

Dr. Heide, Principal Westlake Middle School

Category: Weekly Blog Posts | Comments Off on Week of 09.30.19
September 22 2019

Week of 09.23.19

Dear Westlake Parents and Guardians:

Parents and Families—this year’s main fundraiser is the Westlake Middle School Booster Bash! It’s a two-week fundraising campaign that kicks off with a Pep Rally on September 20th and ends on October 4th.  Throughout the fundraising campaign students will have the chance to qualify for our EPIC Booster Bash on October 4th.

Students qualify by earning $60 in donations or sending 20 emails using our easy emailer system on theboosterbash.com. After our Pep Rally kick off you will be able to register your students and use our donation tools on theboosterbash.com.

Our school goal is to raise $18,000 for PTO general fund, classroom furniture and staff mini-grants. So please help our school by getting connected to friends and family and asking them to help our school. We know your students won’t want to miss out on the Booster Bash filled with inflatables, games, giveaways and time out of class!

 

 

 

Grief Group

Judi’s House is a nonprofit organization that offers free group grief counseling for students during the school day. A grief counselor would lead a multi-grade level weekly group for about 10 weeks. If your child has experienced loss of a family member or friend and you feel like this could be a valuable fit for your child, please contact your grade level counselor in the next week to discuss further.
6th grade to Mr. Austin: danny.austin@adams12.org
7th grade to Ms. Smith: candice.s.smith@adams12.org
8th grade to Ms. Cochran: kathy.cochran@adams12.org

Parent Teacher Conferences

Believe it or not, parent-teacher conferences are less than a month away! We will have conferences on Tuesday, October 8th from 4:30 -7:30 pm and Wednesday, October 9th from 4:00-7: 00 pm. Conferences will be arena style in our gyms. This means that you will have an opportunity to talk with each of your child’s teachers for about 3-4 minutes. In order to make conferences as efficient as possible for families, we will be having families sign up for half-hour time slots. We will soon be sending out a sign-up for time slots. Please lookout for this email. If you need to contact teachers prior to conferences, you are always welcome to email or call teachers with questions or concerns.

Want to volunteer at the book fair?

Every year we hold a book fair in the library during the week of Parent Teacher Conferences.  If you would be interested in volunteering for this fun event please click on the link below to sign up.  Thank for your partnership and support of our school!

Sign-up for Book Fair Volunteers

Upcoming Events

Click on each day to reveal the upcoming events.

[wmd-accordion tab_background=”#066196″ tab_color=”#fff” content_background=”#2196d1″ content_color=”#fff” border_radius=”4″ ls-id=”5d86a3ace1f91″][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Monday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EPicture re-takes%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EStudent Council Endorsements due TODAY%21%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ENewspaper Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ECoding Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EDrama Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EStudent Council %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Tuesday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EDHH Field Trip%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EIntramural Soccer %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EDrama Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3E8th Grade Matters and HS Panel- 9 months to 9th Grade Event %40 6%3A30pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Wednesday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EEarly Release Day%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3E7th Grade Jazz Band %40 7%3A30am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EArt Club 7%3A45am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Thursday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ERobotics Club %40 7%3A40am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ECreative Writing Club %40 7%3A30am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EGSA %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ENJHS %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ELove and Logic Class %40 6pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Friday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3E8th Grade Jazz Band Club %40 7%3A30am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EDrama Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EFilm Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][/wmd-accordion]

Dr. Heide, Principal Westlake Middle School

Category: Weekly Blog Posts | Comments Off on Week of 09.23.19
September 8 2019

Week of 09.09.19

Dear Westlake Parents and Guardians:

Over the weekend I took my youngest son to the amazing playground area by the Premium Outlet Mall.  If you haven’t been there yet, this playground is kid heaven!  So many different areas to go and climb….it’s become a Heide family favorite.  While I was there and watching my son climb around there was a girl who was trying to get her dad’s attention.  She kept saying to him to put his phone away and watch her until she finally said, “Ok, I give up.”  I’ve been on the receiving end of those pleas by my own children to put my technology down and the guilt inducing question of, “Is your phone more important than me?!”

As adults we often complain or act surprised at how glued to phones and technology our teens have become and yet we don’t look in the mirror and see how we’ve modeled for our kids the time to be on our phones and the times to put it away.  After receiving many pleas from kids about being more present with them and not on my technology I’ve tried really hard to designate more time technology free when we’re together as a family.  I’m by far not perfect at protecting family time from technology, but it has made a difference.

Check out this article from Common Sense Media about ideas for getting our teens (and ourselves) to use our phones less and at more reasonable times.

Join our PTO- Get information about kids and vaping too!

Please join us for our first PTO meeting on Wednesday, September 18th from 6:30-7:30pm in the WLMS library.  
 
Meredith Warman from the Broomfield Public Health Department and Jessie Reeder from the Tri-County Health Department will be providing an overview of vaping (what is in e-cigarettes/vapes, harms), tips for how to talk with your kids about vaping, and give an update on what’s going on at the city/county level to help prevent youth from vaping.   They will present for 20 minutes and allow for 10 minutes of Q&A.
This presentation will be followed by a PTO update/overview of the school year and finally a school update from Dr. Heide.
We hope to see you there!

PTO Boosterbash!

We are excited to introduce this year’s new Fall Fundraiser. We are taking the Color Run up a notch and moving toward an EPIC during school event- The Booster Bash! Students will get donations to help our school and earn their ticket to the Booster Bash. This exclusive event will include games, giveaways, inflatable activities, freedom to socialize and more! This fundraiser will kick off with a Pep Rally on September 20th and will wrap up with the big event on October 4th!

This year our school goal is to raise $18,000 for general funds, teacher mini grants and school furniture. And we need your help! With your student, brainstorm a list of friend, family, coworkers and neighbors who would make a donation to our school! Stay tuned for more information via email and Facebook!

 

Parent/Guardian Opportunities- English classes, Cooking Matters classes, and Love and Logic

Please consider joining us for opportunities coming up at Westlake!  We will be starting a Conversational English class for parents for starting September, 16th 9:00am – 11:00am in the Teacher Planning room by the library.

Are you interested in learning how to:

  • Set kids up for success by allowing them to make small mistakes when the price tag is small.
  • End arguing and manipulation
  • Avoid power struggles
  • Guide kids to own and solve their problems
  • And more!

If so, you should join us for Love and Logic!  Class will start on Tuesday September 17th  6:00pm to 8:00pm in the Library.  Please contact Ms. Martinez for more information.  veronica.martinez@adams12.org

Westlake is going to be welcoming Cooking Matters in November! Stay tuned for more information about the Cooking Matters opportunity in the upcoming weeks.

Sign up for Code Red Updates

Are you signed up for Code Red updates yet?  If not, consider signing up Westlake’s address to receive updates for Westlake and the surrounding neighborhood.  You can sign up multiple addresses with Code Red to get updates for multiple areas.  Click on the link below to get information on how to sign up for Code Red updates.

Code Red Updates

Upcoming Events

Click on each day to reveal the upcoming events.

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Dr. Heide, Principal Westlake Middle School

 

Category: Weekly Blog Posts | Comments Off on Week of 09.09.19
September 1 2019

Week of 09.02.19

Dear Westlake Parents and Guardians:

Raising children is not easy.  I often think about how with my own personal children it isn’t just myself and my husband raising our children.  Our extended family is involved in day to day elements of raising our children such as pick up from school, help with homework, and going to extracurriculars to name a few.  Most of the day our kids spend their time at school with teachers and other educational support staff.  It seems to me, from my personal and professional experience, the best way for us to achieve the desired outcomes for our children is to partner together and work towards the same goals.  At Westlake, we are committed to our relationship with you (parents and guardians) in order to ensure students are being nurtured, cared for, and educated in partnership with you.

As a parent, it can be difficult to find ways to be involved when it feels like our children are pushing away.  There are a number of ways to be involved at Westlake such as getting involved with our PTO or by becoming a Watch DOG (Dads of Great Students).  In fact, this week we are holding our Fall Watch DOGS kick off event.  So, if you’re interested in learning more about becoming a Watch DOG at Westlake join us on Thursday at 5:30pm.  Anyone is welcome to attend this event….you don’t have to be a dad of a student to support our school through Watch DOGS.

Check out this article below from Edutopia that has a variety of resources to support parents in finding ways to partner with the school.  If you have any ideas of how you would like to be involved please let me know!  We welcome your involvement and look forward to continuing our partnership through this school year .

Parent Partnership in Education 

 

Upcoming Events

Click on each day to reveal the upcoming events.

[wmd-accordion tab_background=”#066196″ tab_color=”#fff” content_background=”#2196d1″ content_color=”#fff” border_radius=”4″ ls-id=”5d6bd8fbedfde”][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Monday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ELabor Day- No School%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Tuesday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EIntramural Soccer %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EWEB Meeting %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Wednesday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EEarly Release Day%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Thursday”]%3Cul%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ERobotics Club %40 7%3A40am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EWatch Dogs Fall Kickoff %40 5%3A30pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3C%2Ful%3E[/wmd-accordion-tab][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Friday”/][/wmd-accordion]

Dr. Heide, Principal Westlake Middle School

Category: Weekly Blog Posts | Comments Off on Week of 09.02.19