October 25 2019

Week of 10.28.19

 

Dear Westlake Parents and Guardians:

As a parent it can be a real struggle to determine when to allow your child to have a phone, especially a smart phone.  We want to be able to communicate with and hear from our kids, which the smart phone allows, and its a battle to know where to draw the line in regard to access our kids have to the internet and social media through the smart phone.  Technology has changed so significantly since the time I was a teenager (i.e. cell phones just barely hitting the scene) to where we are now!  Our kids are still kids, though, and it’s important for us to help them navigate the tech scene as best we can.

One of the counselors here at Westlake found this website that encourages parents to “wait until 8th grade” to give our kids smart phones.  As a parent myself, it makes a lot of sense to me and I know I’ll be considering “wait until 8th” for my own kids.

Click HERE to get to the Wait Until 8th website

 

Spirit Week

This upcoming week is Spirit Week!  Let’s show some school spirit and enjoy dressing for the theme each day!  Check it out below:

Monday 10/28 – Hawaiian Shirt Day
 
Tuesday 10/29 – Twin Day
 
Wednesday 10/30 –  Disney Day (dress up like your favorite Disney character/Disney-themed shirt) 
 
Thursday 10/31 – Halloween Costume (See guidelines below)
 
Friday 11/1 – Era day (wear clothes from the 90s, 80s, etc.)

Tipi Event @ Westlake Middle School

Anyone at Westlake that would like to stay after school on Wednesday, October 30 from 2:30 until 4:30 is invited to attend a Native American tipi event. We’ll set up at the field nearest 135th Ave. The program will include a discussion and demonstration on how to set up a tipi with a discussion on it’s cultural, practical, and scientific design.  There will also be programming utilizing the tipi as a math lesson as well as discuss it’s cultural significance. The program will run at all the middle schools between now and the 11th Annual Adams 12 powwow that will occur Saturday, February 22 at Century Middle School.  All are invited to attend both the tipi program this week as well as the powwow in February so mark your calendars!

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.

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The Westlake Way

 

Category: Weekly Blog Posts | Comments Off on Week of 10.28.19
October 18 2019

Week of 10.21.19

Westlake Parents and Guardians:

Earlier this month you received an email announcing that all schools in the Five Star District will be administering the first Social-Emotional Learning Survey this year. I am writing to let you know that Westlake Middle School students will receive the survey between October 21st and November 8th. 

Our school is committed to increasing social-emotional resources and support for all students. In alignment with our community-driven strategic plan, ELEVATE, we are excited to provide students with a survey that will allow us to measure the impact of those resources on our students’ social-emotional learning. Although this survey does not collect personally identifiable information, it does allow us to view feedback trends and patterns across our school that will inform how we approach social-emotional learning for all students.   

If you have any questions regarding the survey, I encourage you to look at the following:

 

Thank you for your participation in this survey. We are excited to learn more about the social-emotional needs of our students in order to provide them with the best possible educational experience. 

Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions at: 720.972.5200

 

Rules of the Road

Thank you for your support in making our drop off and pick up times safe and efficient.  In order to best support our school community around how the drop off and pick up around the school works please see the visual below.  Also, if you have interest in supporting this process more consider signing up to volunteer as a crossing guard by clicking on the link below.

Crossing Guard Volunteer Sign Up 

 

Composer Works with Westlake Band Students

https://www.facebook.com/jeffherwigmusic/posts/2365644486878742
Jeff Herwig, a composer and music teacher in Pennsylvania, worked with our 7th grade bands recently as a way for our students to learn a new compositional technique.  Mr. Herwig was kind enough to devote some time with the class via video conferencing so that the students could ask questions directly to the composer and get feedback on their performance. He seemed impressed with how the students did and posted about it on his official Facebook page.  Check out the link above showcasing the work our 7th grade bands did!

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=”5daa141d17be3″][wmd-accordion-tab title=”Monday”]%3Cp%3E%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0D%0A%3Cul%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%3ESugar Fire PTO Dine Out%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EDrama Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EIntramural Soccer %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%3E7th Grade Jazz Band %40 7%3A30am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EPokeman Club %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%3ECreative Writing Club %40 7%3A30am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ERobotics Club %40 7%3A40am%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EGSA Club %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3ENJHS %40 3%3A45pm%3C%2Fli%3E%0D%0A%3Cli%3EDisc Golf Club %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 %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%3Cli%3ESaturday School- Tomorrow 8am-11am%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 10.21.19
October 4 2019

Week of 10.07.19

 

Westlake Parents and Guardians:

Thank you all so much for your support of our school through the PTO Booster Bash Fundraiser this past week!  The event was a lot of fun for our kids and we surpassed our fundraiser goal!  Through the fundraiser we will be able to purchase some furniture for the school as well as offer teachers mini-grant opportunities for the classroom.  Thank you to our PTO for your hardwork and putting on such an amazing event for our kids as well as to raise funds for our school.  We are grateful for our partnership with our families and look forward to the benefits our kids will experience thanks to the generosity of our community.  Be on the look out on the PTO Facebook page for photos from the event!

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 gymnasiums. 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. You should have received a link for the sign-ups in your email. If you need to contact teachers prior to conferences, you are always welcome to email or call teachers with questions or concerns. Kona Ice will be selling refreshments by the flagpole both nights, proceeds will benefit Westlake.

Conference Core Sign-Up Genius Links:

Phoenix Core https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444a4a729a46-fall5
Eagle Core https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444a4a729a46-fall6
Grizzly Core https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444a4a729a46-fall7
Wolf Pack Core https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444a4a729a46-fall8
Summit Core https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444a4a729a46-fall9
Mountaineer Core https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444a4a729a46-fall10
Timberline Core https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444a4a729a46-fall11
Fusion Core https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444a4a729a46-fall12
Avengers Core https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444a4a729a46-fall13
Galactic Core https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444a4a729a46-fall14

After you attend conferences, we would love to have feedback as we are always trying to improve upon our practices.

Book Fair!

Reading for pleasure inside and outside of school has real and long-lasting benefits. It unlocks the power of information and imagination and helps kids discover who they are.  Here’s what you can do to help kids develop stronger reading skills and a love for reading:

  • Set the example. Let your kids see you read.
  • Have a collection of books in the home. Update this collection routinely to keep pace with changing tastes and reading skills.
  • Support our school’s Book Fair. Allow your kids to choose their own books to read. 

Our Scholastic Book Fair is a reading event that brings to school the books kids want to read. It’s a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level. Please make plans to visit our Book Fair and be involved in shaping your child’s reading habits. 

Book Fair dates: October 4 – 9

Shopping hours: during school and conferences

Don’t forget to enter the trivia contest.

Before you visit the Book Fair, be sure to download the Book Fairs app to help you find the right books for your child.  For more information, visit: scholastic.com/apps/bookfairs. And if you are unable to attend the Fair in person, we invite you to visit our online Book Fair at scholastic.com/fair. Our online Fair is available from October 1 to October 11.

We look forward to seeing you and your family at our Book Fair! Remember, all purchases benefit our school. 

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 10.07.19