The Science Fair will be held on March 20th from 4:15-5:00 PM for families. During this time you will be able to come in and see all the amazing work our students have done! We will post a flyer on edlio closer to the event with details. 

 

We are starting experiments on Monday, February 24. Please make sure your student comes to school with the supplies they need in order to do their experiment. I can hold this in my classroom but please put your students supplies in a labeled bag or any bag to ensure it does not get mixed up with other experiments. Students will have until March 14th to do their experiments. The following week students will be working on their tri-folds until the day of the Science Fair. 

 

*If your student needs some special for their experiment ( candy, bath bombs, fruits etc. ) that needs to be provided by the family/guardians of the student. If you student has a partner they should work out who is bringing what so one student is not getting all the materials. 

Dear Westgate Families, 

Kindness Week is Monday, February 10th through Friday February 14^th. A few things for you to know about: 

• We do not exchange Valentines cards, candy, or treats at school. If your student arrives with Valentine’s cards, candy, or treats, they will be asked to put them back into their backpack to be taken home.

• Get your Kindness Day permission slip (virtually emailed to families) signed by Wednesday February 12^th. Classes will be walking to different nearby businesses to deliver hand-made kindness cards to local businesses on Friday, February 14^th. We do not need any chaperones for these trips.  

• Be prepared to go rain or shine on Friday, February 14th (half day) – bring a warm jacket, gloves, beanies, etc. If needed because we will be walking outside. 

NEW this year – Kindness Week Food Drive! Let’s spread some kindness by collecting non-perishable food items for A Precious Child. The details: 

• Bring non-perishable food items to your advocacy class from Monday, February 10^th – Friday, February 14^th. 

• Last year in November we collected 1,100 non-perishable food items! Help us reach our goal of 1,500 this year! 

Monday, February 10^th: Spice it up Monday - Dried herbs and spices 

Tuesday, February 11^th: Pasta Tuesday - Dried pasta in boxes 

Wednesday, February 12^th: Veggie Wednesday - Canned vegetables 

Thursday, February 13^th: Toiletry Thursday - Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels 

Friday, February 14^th: Fruit-filled Friday - Canned fruits 

 

In addition, there are different advocacy themes for each day aligned with the different love languages. Here’s a list of things that you can do to support your student’s learning at home. 

Monday, February 10^th: Words of Affirmation 

Kindness Week Challenge #1 – Use kind words of affirmation with 3 or more other people you see today. It could be a family member, friend, teacher, grocery store worker, or anyone else. Set aside a few minutes daily where each person gives a positive word or phrase to another family member. 

Tuesday, February 11^th: Quality Time 

Kindness Week Challenge #2 – Spend at least 30 minutes of quality time with yourself or someone you love today after school. Have a family game night, movie or show night, cook or bake something as a family, enjoy story time, crafts, exercise, or even some yard work together. 

Wednesday, February 12^th: Acts of Service 

Kindness Week Challenge #3 – Do another act of service for someone when you get home! Cook a meal for the family, organize a shared space, help each other with chores, plan a relaxation evening, do a surprise improvement project, or care for a pet together. 

Thursday, February 13^th: Gift Giving 

Kindness Week Challenge #4: Deliver the gift you made today in class to the person you made it for. Talk about how giving someone a gift made you feel. Dedicate an evening to creating homemade gifts for each other, create a family shared photo album, playlist, or video.  

Friday, February 14^th: Kindness Day (Half Day) - various walking trips 

Kindness Week Challenge #5: Create a family “Compliment Jar”. Place a jar in a common area. Family members can write positive affirmations or compliments about each other on small pieces of paper and drop them in the jar. 

4th Grade only field trip on Friday and we will have our winter party on Friday during the afternoon

A few reminders as we come to the end of Q2:

Music: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090D45ACA823A0FD0-51389468-fall

 

P.E.: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FA8A82BA3F8CE9-51389816-pequarter  

Dear 3^rd and 4^th grade Families,

As part of our service-learning curriculum, our students will be doing an AM Tending shift with Mrs. Kahn, our Environmental Education Coordinator who helps take care of the school’s farm animals. Please be aware that each student from 3^rd and 4^th grade will have the opportunity to take care of the animals from 8:00-8:30am on one assigned day in groups of roughly 5 students. Your student will be informed of which day they will be assigned. On their tending day, please send them to school with weather appropriate clothing and closed toe shoes that can get messy. They should be prepared to go out to the Coop with Mrs. Kahn by 8:00am on their tending day. If you have any questions, feel free to contact [email protected] .

 

We are excited to announce that Spirit Week is just around the corner! From August 26th to 30th, we have a week full of fun and creativity planned for our students. Each day will have a unique theme, and we encourage all students to participate and show their school spirit. Here’s what we have lined up:

Monday, August 26th - Team Day Students can kick off the week by wearing their favorite sports team gear. Whether it’s a jersey, hat, or even socks, let’s see that team pride!

Tuesday, August 27th - Class Colors Day Each grade has its own color. Students are encouraged to wear their specific class color T-shirt if they have one, or simply dress in the colors of their grade group. Let’s paint the school in a rainbow of class pride!

• Kinder - Purple
• 1/2 Pod - Red
• 3/4 Pod - Green
• 5/6 Pod - Blue
• 7/8 Pod - Gray
• HS - Black

Wednesday, August 28th - Wacky Wednesday It’s time to get Westgate Wild! Students can wear something backwards, inside out, or come up with their own wild and wacky look. The wackier, the better!

Thursday, August 29th - Crazy Hair or Hat Day Let your creativity shine with the wildest hats or craziest hairdos you can imagine. It’s a day to let your hair down—or up, or sideways!

Friday, August 30th - Pajama Day We’ll wrap up Spirit Week with a cozy half-day. Students can roll out of bed and come to class in their pajamas.

Please ensure that all clothing is school-appropriate and follows the dress code.

The September lunch menu is now available. 

Be sure to add the Westgate lunch information page to your favorites to easily find menus and ordering links online: Lunch Program - Westgate Community School (westgateschool.org) 

Lunch Program Ordering

1. In order for your student to receive a hot lunch, orders must be placed using the links below. Although lunches are free this year, only students who have pre-ordered a lunch will receive a hot lunch.
2. Click on the links below to place an order for that week. Submit a separate order for each student.
3. Ordering closes at 9:00 PM on Monday for the following week.
   Week of August 26 - ordering is closed, please send a lunch from home if you missed the deadline

• Week of September 2 - ordering closes at 9:00 p.m. on August 26
• Week of September 9 - ordering closes at 9:00 p.m. on September 2
• Week of September 16 - ordering closes at 9:00 p.m. on September 9
• Week of September 23 - ordering closes at 9:00 p.m. on September 16​​​​​​​
• Week of September 30 - No School - Fall Break!
• Week of October 7 - No School - Fall Break!

Every Wednesday is “Zero Waste Wednesday” here at Westgate. What this means is that if students have a lunch that doesn’t use any waste AT ALL (i.e. nothing to throw away, like baggies, cans, plastic cups, lunch bags, etc.) then they will receive a stamp on their hand from the Zero Hero Team.

**students who have school lunch will qualify if they accurately sort their lunch into the appropriate bins – trash and recycling.

Why Focus on Lunches?

The goal is for families to start the conversation about alternatives to lunch waste, like glass or plastic lunch containers, reusable lunch bags and water bottles, and cloth napkins. If a student has any item that must be thrown away (at school or at home) then they will not receive a stamp. Hopefully, this will instill changes that will go far beyond Wednesdays during lunch time at Westgate.

Hello! My name is Alyssa Papiernik and I am your child’s Advocacy Teacher for the 2024-2025 school year! Advocacy is a time for students to build supportive relationships with their peers and with an adult they can trust. We will be focusing on the students’ social-emotional learning, which we incorporate into core academic subjects as well. It is a time for everyone to feel recognized and welcomed into the school community. As your child’s Advocate, I will be your primary point of communication, and I look forward to working with you and your child throughout the year.

This is my third-year teaching at Westgate Community School. I am so excited to be with the amazing 3^rd and 4^th grade team this year! I received a B.A. in Human and Educational Services at Illinois State University. I also received my masters in December of 2020 in Elementary Education from Lewis University.  This is my fifth-year teaching and my fifth-year teaching third grade! Third grade is my favorite grade, and I cannot wait to have an amazing school year getting to know and supporting your student.