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Mr. McGinnis, Advocacy, 5/6

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Week of November 18th - Advocacy

Greetings,
 
This week our class set Gratitude Goals. They pick one person to show gratitude towards. They will be reflecting on their goal on Friday. 
 
As of Monday November 18th, Rubix cubes of any kind and shape are banned. They will not be permitted as a fidget. They must remain at home. 
 
Thank you,
5/6 Team

Outdoor Education Information for Staying & Going

Hey Everyone!
 
It's almost Outdoor Ed time! This email has information for ALL students whether going or staying!
 
If your student is staying at Westgate please note the following:
-There will be alternative activities comparable to outdoor ed skills taught here in the classrooms (ex: how to set up a tent)
-There will be a 5/6 teacher here for the students not going
-Attendance is still being taken on those days and absences still count
 
If your student is going:
-Please review the attached packing list. (note there is an asterisk by seasonal clothing because it will be colder this year)
-Please keep all electronics at home- students are NOT allowed to bring any electronic items
-No food is allowed on the bus or needs to be sent with your student
-There is limited space for luggage- please pack your student's belongings in a small duffle bag, not a giant suitcase with wheels- it won't fit on the bus if everyone brings a big bag.
-Leave anything of value at home
 
Best Regards,
Mr. McGinnis

Halloween 5/6 Snack Party

On October 31, we will be doing our Service-Learning project by putting on the Halloween Carnival for the K - 4 students from 1:30 to 3:00.  The students are working so hard creating great activities!  Because the schedule of events has changed this year, we will not be having a specific Halloween party; however, we wanted the students to be relax and enjoy a snack after their hard work from 3:00 - 3:15.  If you are interested or would be so kind to sign up for a snack or drink, the students would appreciate it.   
 
Please bring your treats and drinks into the front desk or your child can bring it up to the POD Thursday, October 31.  
If you have any questions, please reach out to your Advocacy Teacher. 🙂
 
 
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094BA4AB2EA3FFC70-52510330-halloween

September 23 - 26

Greetings Advocacy Families

This week we will work on the Halloween Carnival during Advocacy.  

On Monday during Advocacy, we will preview the Scholastic Book Fair.  
 
The hours for the book far are as follows:
  • September 23-24, 3:30-5:00pm
  • September 25, 3:30-5:30pm
  • September 26, 11:30am-12:30pm
  • September 27, 8:00am-12:00pm and 1:00-4:00pm 
  • Students will also be able to shop during their lunchtime September 24-25
Parent Teacher Conferences signups close at 4:00 on Monday.
You should have received a signup from me for your Special Area Teachers signups, and you should have received an email signup from your child's ELA and Math teacher.  If you have any questions about conferences, please reach out to me.
 
Virtual Conferences will be from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Thursday, September 26.  The conferences will be sent out by the ELA and Math teacher that you signed up with. 
 
Conferences at Westgate will be on Friday, September 27 from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. 
 
The final reminder is that Fall Break will be from Thursday, September 26 at 12:00 pm to October 14.  I hope that you have a wonderful and fun filled break. 
 
REMINDER Thursday is a half day of school.  Carline will start at 11:30 am. 
 
REMINDER: Don't forget to sign up for Outdoor Ed before it's too late!!
 
Event: Outdoor Education 
Description: Outdoor Education is a great opportunity! Students will get to participate in team-building activities, learn outdoor skills, and work on communicating with others. 
Location: IDRAHJE  571 Co Rd 43, Bailey, CO 80421 
Date: Oct. 23-25 
Time: Drop off during regular school drop off Oct. 23rd during morning carline, no later than 8:30 am. 
Meeting Location: 5/6 pod, during school hours, only approved volunteers and students 
Pick-Up: Pickup during regular after-school carline Oct. 25th 
 
 
Outdoor Ed: Please Make sure you complete all of the following by September 30th to participate:  
  1. IDRAHAJE Online Enrollment Form HERE!  
Go to the red “Group Participants” button, then the “Register/Login” button 
  1. Westgate Digital Permission Slip  HERE!! 
This is where you can designate if you would like to volunteer.  
**Mrs. Dewar will email volunteers separately. If you do not have a confirmation email from her then you are not cleared to join the trip. 
  1. Completed Medication forms returned to Westgate (if applicable) found on the school website Here!  
  2. Pay $220/student fee (online in the payment portal, or drop cash or check in off the school lobby) found HERE!  
 

Week of September 16 - 20

This week we be working more on self-awareness.  The students took a survey about characteristics, and it was fun for the students to see their top characteristic strengths. 
 
On Wednesday the students will find out what group they are in for the Halloween carnival and start preparing for the activity that they will run on Halloween for the K - 4 students on Halloween.  Ask them what their activity is and have them explain the activity to you. :)
 
Reminders:
Parent Teacher conference signups will be coming out your child's ELA and Math teacher today at 4:00 pm, and the window will close on September 20 at 4:00 pm. Please be sure to sign up to meet your child's teacher. 
 
Wednesday, September 18 will be Parent Connect night from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.  We look forward to seeing you! 
 
Friday, September 20 we will have the Washington street clean up from 12:45 pm to 2:00 pm.  Please make sure to complete the parent permission form that was emailed to you. 
 
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.  
Have a wonderful week! 

Volunteer Opportunity for Outdoor Education

Greetings 5/6 Families!
 
Don't forget to sign up!
**Volunteers to chaperone will be emailed on Sept. 27 during conferences and is first come, first serve.**
 
Event: Outdoor Education 
Description: Outdoor Education is a great opportunity! Students will get to participate in team-building activities, learn outdoor skills, and work on communicating with others. 
Location: IDRAHJE  571 Co Rd 43, Bailey, CO 80421 
Date: Oct. 23-25 
Time: Drop off during regular school drop off Oct. 23rd during morning carline, no later than 8:30 am. 
Meeting Location: 5/6 pod, during school hours, only approved volunteers and students 
Pick-Up: Pickup during regular after-school carline Oct. 25th 
 
 
Outdoor Ed: Please Make sure you complete all of the following by September 30th to participate:  
  1. IDRAHAJE Online Enrollment Form HERE!  
Go to the red “Group Participants” button, then the “Register/Login” button 
  1. Westgate Digital Permission Slip  HERE!! 
This is where you can designate if you would like to volunteer.  
**Mrs. Dewar will email volunteers separately. If you do not have a confirmation email from her then you are not cleared to join the trip. 
  1. Completed Medication forms returned to Westgate (if applicable) found on the school website Here!  
  2. Pay $220/student fee (online in the payment portal, or drop cash or check in off the school lobby) found HERE!  
 

Week of 9/9

Since we worked on our "Original Works" piece last week, we will begin working on this month's theme Self - Awareness. 
 
Reminders of upcoming events:

Sept. 10th is Skate City Spirit Night (Skate City Westminster 200 W. 121st Ave. Westminster, CO 80234) 

Sept. 18th is Student Count Day- make sure your student is present that day! & Spirit night at Qdoba (1005 W 120th Ave., Westminster, CO) 

Sept. 20 Washington Street Cleanup - please see additional information below and fill out the permission slip.

Sept 23-27th is the Scholastic Book Fair 

Sept. 26 & 27th are Conferences Sept. 26th is a Half Day- dismissal is at 11:30 am. 

Sept. 30- Oct. 13: Fall Break! 

Dear Families,

On Friday, September 20th our class is going to be celebrating World Cleanup Day by helping clean up trash along Washington Street from 12:45-2:00pm. Please complete the permission form by Tuesday, September 17th. On the 20th, send your student with comfortable walking shoes and a water bottle for the day.

Washington Street Cleanups are a regular part of our environmental education connection at Westgate. We are not in need of any chaperones for this event. If you have any questions, please email [email protected] 

 

Advocacy Week of 9/3/24

September 3 - 6

 

Welcome September!
 
This month the focus is on, Self-Awareness, a key part of our advocacy efforts. Through various activities and lessons, your child will develop essential skills like recognizing their emotions, understanding their strengths and challenges, and learning how their actions impact themselves and others. These skills are crucial for their personal growth and success, both in and out of the classroom. We encourage you to engage in conversations at home about what they’re learning to reinforce these important concepts. 
 
The following topics will be covered throughout the month of September during advocacy classes--
  • Emotional Awareness: Recognizing and understanding their own emotions, which helps in managing reactions and building empathy for others.
  • Self-Reflection: Developing the habit of thinking about their actions, decisions, and behaviors, and how these affect themselves and others.
  • Strengths and Weaknesses Identification: Recognizing their strengths to build confidence and understanding areas for growth to set realistic goals.
  • Goal Setting: Learning to set personal and academic goals based on their self-assessment and developing a plan to achieve them.
  • Self-Regulation: Developing the ability to manage impulses, stay focused, and persevere through challenges.
  • Personal Values Identification: Understanding what they value and how it influences their behavior and choices.
 
Students will be working on an "Original Works" piece. The students will create a piece of art that will then be turned into mugs, keychains, and several more items that you can order to remember your child's year. Look for upcoming information in October for your ordering form. 
 
On Wednesday during our Service-Learning Day, we've started having the students process what group they are in for the Halloween Carnival preparation and begin working on the craft or game that they will create to share with the K-4 students during our Halloween Carnival. 
 
Upcoming events:

Sept. 10th is Skate City Spirit Night (Skate City Westminster 200 W. 121st Ave. Westminster, CO 80234) 

Sept. 18th is Student Count Day- make sure your student is present that day! & Spirit night at Qdoba (1005 W 120th Ave., Westminster, CO) 

Sept 23-27th is the Scholastic Book Fair 

Sept. 26 & 27th are Conferences Sept. 26th is a Half Day- dismissal is at 11:30 am. 

Sept. 30- Oct. 13: Fall Break! 

Outdoor Education Packet Sent Home Wednesday, August 28th

Greetings 5/6 Families,
 
You should have received an email, today, regarding Outdoor Education. Due to the email responses, we're sending information home today instead of Friday.
 
A hard copy of the Outdoor Education information was given to your student to bring home today. If they forgot it, let me know and I'll put the forgotten packets in their mailbox to go home in folders, Friday.
 
This is a really great experience for students to learn Science outdoors with their peers. Please read over it and get all your questions answered as soon as possible. 
 
Best Regards,
Travis McGinnis 

Advocacy Week of 8/26

It's Spriit Week at Westgate!!!
 

Monday: Team Day!! Wear your favorite sports team. 

Tuesday: Class Color Day!! Wear your pod’s color. 

Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday! 

Thursday: Crazy Hair/Hat Day!! 

Friday: PJ Day! 

Also, a reminder that...

* Don’t forget- Friday Aug. 30th is a half day! Carline starts @ 11:30am. 

This week the focus for Advocacy will be the "E" in R.I.S.E Empathy. We will learn what empathy is and who to incorporate this into the day in all environments at Westgate. 

On Thursday our Advocacy will be going out with Mrs. Kahn to enjoy some Coop time. :)

Best Regards,

Mr. McGinnis

Welcome Our Newest Westgate Member of the Family

Hi Westgate Families!
 
We are excited to announce that the Varela family has a new member! Please join us in expressing our heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Varela and his family!
 
The birth happened over the weekend and so Mr. Varela will out for the next three weeks as planned so he is able to get to know his new little one. Mr. Varela has provided plans and a long-term sub will be in his classes until he returns on Monday, September 9th.  Mrs. Dewar and the 5-6 team will be supporting the substitute along the way as well.
 
Please direct any specific questions or concerns during Mr. Varela's absence to Mrs. Dewar, our 5-8 Assistant Principal. Thank you for your understanding as Mr. Varela and his family adjust to their new normal. 

Zero Waste Wednesdays are Back!

Every Wednesday this year 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.

Welcome!

Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year!!!
 
I am excited for the upcoming year and honored to being your child's Advocacy teacher!
 
For the month of August, our focus will be R.I.S.E which stands for:
 
Respect
Integrity
Safety 
Empathy
 
Every month I will updating the Edlio post for Advocacy with the theme for the month and communicating with you about special events or activities that will be occurring for the month.
 
I am thrilled to Advocate for your child and be their home base teacher.  If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me.