A VISION OF PRIDE AND EXCELLENCE An Equal Opportunity Employer

A Message from Dr. Lau

The last month has been a good month for Westwood and the School District of West De Pere. Every day I am proud of the learning and the accomplishments of our teachers and students. The month of March was certainly a banner month. What a tremendous performance by the 4thand 5th grade students in their production of Aladdin, Kids! I could not have been more proud of the students, staff, and parents who dedicated so much time to the production. It was well worth it in the end and I hope it taught our students

that through hard work and dedication, anything is possible. In addition to the success of Aladdin, Kids, we had a district staff member, Angela Kelly, 7thGrade Language Arts teacher, recognized as a Golden Apple Winner. Westwood was honored to have Brittany Zellmer, Grade 1 teacher, recognized as a Teacher of Distinction. We are so proud! Once again, St. Baldrick’s was an amazing event. Westwood raised over $13,000.00 for the fight against childhood cancer! Many thanks go out to the students who participated, the parents who donated, and Ms. Hunter, for organizing the event again. It is truly one of my favorite days at Westwood.

As we reflect on the accomplishments of March, we look forward to the many events in April. We have a 2nd grade concert on the 24th, as well as Career Day for our 4th and 5th grade and we end the month with our Author’s Celebration. Please mark your calendar for April 30 to be part of the Author’s Celebration and PTO Book Fair. The end of the school year is rapidly approaching. Continue to remind your kids the importance of finishing strong. It is your help and partnership as parents that make Westwood a great elementary school! Dr. Lau

APRIL 2015 NEWSLETTER

April 1 Bellin Parent Meeting in library @ 3:30 April 2 Early Dismissal @ 11:40 No Lunch. No 4K April 3-10 Spring Break. No School. April 13 Classes Resume April 14 PTO Meeting @ 6:30 in library April 22 Earth Day April 24 4/5 Grade Career Day April 24 2nd Grade Concert @ 2:30 PM April 30 Author Celebration 4:30-6:00 April 30 PTO Book Fair 4:00-7:00

Dates to Remember

Westwood Elementary School

A VISION OF PRIDE AND EXCELLENCE An Equal Opportunity Employer

Early Dismissal on April 2 . Dismissal @ 11 :40. No lunch and No 4K.

Developmental Screening The West De Pere School District offers developmental screening for preschool-aged children. The school district uses census data to mail out the Ages and Stages developmental questionnaires throughout the year, asking parents to complete the questionnaire and return it promptly by mail. As the questionnaires are returned, school professionals score them and provide written feedback to parents on the general developmental readiness of their child(ren). In certain circumstances, the school district will invite children to participate in an additional on-site screening. If you would like to request a developmental questionnaire, please call the Department of Student Services at 337-1393 ext. 8012.

Open Enrollment February  2  –  April  30,  2015  

Wisconsin’s public school enrollment program allows parents to apply for their children to attend school districts other than the one in which they live. Open enrollment application dates for the 2015-2016 school year are February 2 – April 30. If you have moved out of the district, and wish for your child to remain at the West De Pere Schools, please pick up an Open Enrollment information and Change of Address form at the school office or at the District Office. By state law, the April 30 deadline cannot be extended. The State will not allow any exceptions to this timeline. For more information, please visit the open enrollment website (below) or pick up a brochure from the school office. http://sms.dpi.wi.gov/sms_psctoc. Please note the underscore between sms and psctoc.

Spring Break

Classes will not be in session Friday, April 3 through Friday, April 10. School resumes on Monday, April 13, 2015.

Author Celebration

Mark your calendars! Westwood will hold their Student Author Celebration on Thursday, April 30th in the multipurpose room from 4:30 – 6:00. Students’ talents will be on display through their published pieces of writing and artwork. Refreshments will be available. The PTO will also be hosting the Scholastic Book Fair

from 4:00-7:00. See you there!

A VISION OF PRIDE AND EXCELLENCE An Equal Opportunity Employer

Before/After School Program Good News! If you are a parent in need of school-age child care for the upcoming 2015-16 school year, the Green Bay YMCA will begin registration in mid-April. The YMCA has a before and after school child care program located right at Westwood School for children 5-12 years of age. The program runs from 7:00 a.m. until the start of school and then again from the time of school dismissal until 6:00 p.m. If you’re interested in this program or want more information, please call the YMCA School-Age Office at 436-9675.

TWITTER: Follow us at www.twitter.com/WDPWestwood

What is Twitter? - Twitter is a FREE social networking and micro-blogging service that enables users to send and read messages known as “tweets.” Why should I follow? - The Westwood Elementary Twitter account will be providing updates about school closings, PTO meetings, school events, and much more!!! Getting Started! - Go to www.twitter.com and create an account! Then, just go to WDPWestwood and follow us! If you do not wish to create an account, you can still follow us at the web address listed above!

News Summer Program

Good News! The Green Bay YMCA begins registration for their Summer School-Age Child Care (ages 5-12) and Teen Adventure Program (ages 11-14) begins on February 8, 2015. Weekly activities for both programs include field trips, games, swimming, physical activity and much more. Call the YMCA at 436-9675 for more information. Let your child(ren) experience the fun and excitement of YMCA Summer Programs.

Summer School 2015

This year, summer school will run from June 10, 2015 to June 30, 2015. Classes run from 8:00am to 12:00pm Monday thru Friday.

Booklet release date: Going home in Tuesday notes on April 14, 2015 Summer School On-line Registration Form (for WDP students only) release date April 14, 2015.

In addition, academic enrichment classes, per invitation will be offered.

Music Notes All concerts are held in the Westwood Gymnasium

2nd Grade “Spaced Out” – Friday, April 24, 2015 at 2:30pm. PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME FOR FOURTH GRADE CONCERT!

4th Grade Recorder Concert-Friday, May 1, 2015 at 10:45am 3rd Grade “I Need a Vacation”-Friday, May 15, 2015 at 9:45am

5th Grade band and Choir-Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at 6:30pm *Please have the students here at 6:15pm to put together their instrument or warm up their

voices.

A VISION OF PRIDE AND EXCELLENCE An Equal Opportunity Employer

Lost & Found

Please be sure to label your child’s clothing and other possessions. This makes it so much easier to return lost items to their rightful owner. Please encourage your student to take a look at the many items already in our Lost and Found. They may be surprised to find

something that belongs to them!

Student Fees 2014-15

We are still collecting student fees for all students (4K-5) whose parents have not paid, or have not received an approved fee waiver. Please make checks payable to West De Pere

School District. Thank you.

Change of Address and Phone Number

Please keep your address and telephone numbers up to date in the school office. You may notify us of a change in information by sending a note with your child, or by calling the office at 337-1087. In case of emergency, it is vital that we are able to contact you.

2015 Bellin Run

Students and parents lace up your shoes because we’re running again! Westwood was well represented in the 2014 Bellin Run. More than 100 students, staff, and parents trained after school and were part of the over 20,000

participants to run the 10K. With the success of last year’s program, an excited team of teachers have already begun the planning for this year’s training. Students, staff, and parents will begin running in early April and

continue through the end of the school year. Mark June 13th on your calendar to run or come down to cheer on our runners!

For all interested runners: There will be a parent meeting on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 3:30 P.M.

Four & Five Year Old Kindergarten

Registration 2015-2016

The School District of West De Pere recently held registration for children who are planning to attend 4K or Kindergarten in the fall of 2015. If you missed the Registration, and your child does not attend our 4K Program, please register your child as soon as possible at your school of residence: Hemlock Creek Elementary School or Westwood Elementary School. To be eligible for enrollment, your child must turn 4 (4K) or 5 (K) years of age on or before September 1, 2015, and live in the West De Pere School District.

Knights of Columbus For the fourth consecutive year, the Fifth Graders at Westwood competed in the Knights of Columbus Academic Contest. In December, our students competed with area schools in grades five through eight in the academic areas of Math and Spelling. Winners were announced in February, and we are proud to have a winner place in the contest. Camryn Baciak was awarded second in the Spelling Contest.

A VISION OF PRIDE AND EXCELLENCE An Equal Opportunity Employer

Splat the Cat visited all K-2 classrooms during Read Across America week. Ms. Zurawski read the book, Splat says Thank You, and then all students got to meet Splat. Each student had the opportunity to say thank you to someone special after Splat's visit! Ms. Schofield and Mrs. Corsten partnered with this project and helped the students make their own thank you cards. Teachers worked with their class to help students write thank you messages inside. Check out all of the pictures here - http://goo.gl/FIsp8j Our Read Across America project was a success! 32 of our elementary classrooms connected with another state around the country to talk about reading! Our students enjoyed sharing their favorite books and fun things about Wisconsin. You can check out all of the virtual meetings here - http://tinyurl.com/wdpraa The 3rd - 5th grade Gordon Korman Visit went so well that we can't keep his books on our shelf! Students seem most excited to get their hands on his latest book, Masterminds. Check out all of the event pictures here - http://goo.gl/LQy7v7 14 Westwood staff members volunteered in our first ever early literacy event on Saturday, March 7th. Next year's Westwood zoned 4K students, and their families, were invited in for a morning of fun reading activities! This pilot went so well that we are hoping to expand it district wide for next year! The library has a new fish tank! Reef's Aquatic donated another tank for us, and we decided to use it for freshwater fish. Right now we have two African Cichlids inside the tank, but we can't wait to get more! Stop by for a visit and check it out! Just a reminder...if you like eBooks, we have a great variety of books on Follett Shelf for our 3-5 graders. More info here -http://goo.gl/UjrJXi

Library Corner

A VISION OF PRIDE AND EXCELLENCE An Equal Opportunity Employer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Westwood  Mission  Statement  

Home,   School,   Community   working   together   will   create   a   quality   educational   program   for   our   children.    We   strive   to   create   a   learning   environment   that   is   safe,   challenging   and  supportive.    Together  we  empower  our  students  to  develop  sound  academic  skills,  positive  self-­‐esteem,  and  personal  responsibility.    In  this  way  we  prepare  them  to  become  meaningful  members  of  society.  

St. Baldrick's Foundation Shaving the Way to Conquer Kids’ Cancer On March 6, 2015, students and staff from Westwood and Hemlock Creek shaved their heads and donated their hair to raise money and make wigs for childhood cancer patients. Over $13,000 was

raised to donate to St. Baldrick's, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending childhood cancer. Thanks so much to West De Pere's Classic Dimension Salon, owner Lynn Sanders and her

entire staff, for donating their time and talent to make this happen at Westwood!

Notes from the Nurse Attention 5th grade Parents/Guardians:

Getting ready for 6th grade is exciting for you and your family. Changes in the Wisconsin Student Immunization Law now require a dose of Tdap vaccine in students entering the 6th grade. Parents are required to have their children vaccinated or claim a waiver. What is Tdap? Tdap is the adolescent combination vaccine that protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough). Only one dose is required. What do parents need to do? Have your child vaccinated with Tdap vaccine if he or she has not already received the vaccine(s). To claim a waiver for health, religious, or personal conviction reasons, follow the instructions on the Student Immunization Record and return the signed form to your child’s school. These vaccines are available from your student’s health care provider or at your local health department. Please call ahead for your appointment to ensure your student is up to date before the next school year. Please contact the school nurse if you have any questions at 337-1087 ext. 8031.