March 2022 Newsletter

3/11 No School

3/14 - 3/18 Spring Break

3/31 - 4/6 Music Spotlights for K & 2nd Grades

Congratulations to our Westwood students for earning enough Westwood Stars to celebrate with a whole school scavenger hunt. Students were partnered with their "buddy class" to search for special images hidden throughout the school. Keep up the great positive behavior, Westwood Students!

Book Fair

Thank you to everyone who visited our book fair! We were able to get hundreds of books for the library, into the classrooms, and into students’ hands!

Library Makerspace

All students have had an opportunity to use the Makerspace this year and have had so much fun problem solving and creating. We are in need of recyclable items and consumable items to help them keep making. The library will take items any time throughout the year. See the link below for items of what we use frequently in our makerspace. Thank you to everyone who has already donated.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/177OVyigjvlkqBiQkNdlZJPXURuKyamfUgGNDKSAxt5Q/edit?usp=sharing

In March, Westwood will be focusing on the 5th habit which is Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood. We can do this at school, home, or anywhere! When you seek first to understand, it means that you listen with your ears, eyes, and heart when in conversations. This will help you listen for understanding and to know how the other person is feeling before you try and respond. A great word to
describe this is EMPATHY. By seeking first to understand, you show others that you care about what they are saying and truly want to know how they are feeling and about their thoughts. People will also listen to what you have to say in a more caring way.

This month, kindergarten and first grade students will begin our problem solving and conflict resolution unit in Guidance. We will learn about how to identify if a problem is a small problem or a big problem. We will practice strategies like ignoring, walking away, taking turns, taking a break, talking it out, and apologizing.

In second through fifth grades, we are wrapping up our problem solving STEPs to help solve conflicts with others. After spring break, we will move on to bullying prevention. We will discuss recognizing, reporting, and refusing bullying and the power of Bystanders becoming Upstanders.

The spring thaw is around the corner and these warmer days mean MUD on the playground! Consider adding a change of clothes to your student's backpack.

Westwood uses a system called Dismissly to release students who are picked up in the car lane at the end of each day by. Every student at Westwood is assigned a number that is unique to their family, these numbers have been consistent for the last several years. If you are in need of a replacement tag, please click the button below.

We ask that you post this tag and placard on your rearview mirror so staff can clearly see the numbers.

Change of Transportation

While we understand that situations may come up last minute, we ask that you notify the front office staff by 2pm of any changes to your student's dismissal plan. This allows time to notify the teacher of the student's transportation change. You may call 515.965.9690 or email the front office staff, Monique or Laura.

Lunch menus will be available online, updated every two weeks. Please download the smartphone app, SchoolCafe and/or check the following link for available menus:

https://www.ankenyschools.org/departments/nutrition-services/menus/

The online payment system is available for families/guardians to add funds to lunch accounts, pay for school fees, etc. Click here to learn more.

Remember that the Ankeny Community School District will continue to offer free lunch and breakfast this year. Breakfast is served from 7:30-7:45am.

Please visit the Westwood PTO website to view the latest information!

https://www.wearewestwood.org/

The BackPack Program offers access to easy-to-prepare, single servings of food to school-aged children to support them over the weekend. Those students who participate receive a sack filled with kid-friendly foods every Thursday or Friday. There is no cost to participate in this program, we only ask parents to fill out a permission form yearly. All students are eligible for this program, including virtual learners.

If you and your family are interested in this program please reach out to your Westwood Social Worker, Shelby Helm at Shelby.helm@ankenyschools.org

The Ankeny Community School District has this resource available, as well as community connections to support with various needs. Please reach out to Shelby Helm with any questions.

Students should not be using cell phones and/or smart watches during the school day. If a student has forgotten an item or is not feeling well, they should report this to a staff member, who will direct them to the front office or the nurse.

Just an FYI, after Kindergarten, yearly immunization or physical forms are not required to be submitted to the school nurse. If there was change in these documents, please email a digital copy of the medical document to michele.wright@ankenyschools.org.

Attendance

• Please contact the school if your child is ill or will not be in school for the day due to vacation or other family plans. You may call 515.965.9690 or email the front office staff, Monique or Laura, and your student's teacher.
• If you do not notify the school of an absence, we will reach out to the primary and/or secondary contacts listed in Infinite Campus.

Appointments or Early Releases

• Please contact the front office to inform staff of appointments that will require your student to miss out on portions of the school day.
• Students will remain in their classes until an adult arrives to the front entrance and rings the buzzer. At this point, the student will be called from their class to join the adult outside. Please allow additional time if necessary for children to gather belongings.

Attention all Parents and Guardians!

Please make sure you have set up and are maintaining your Infinite Campus Parent Portal. This enables the district, as well as the school and teachers to communicate with you in a timely manner. Click the link below to access the Parent Portal information page.

https://www.ankenyschools.org/parents/infinite-campus/

Email: monique.otterbeck@ankenyschools.org
Website: https://westwood.ankenyschools.org/
Location: 2920 Northwest 9th Street, Ankeny, IA, USA
Phone: 515.965.9690
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnkenyWestwood/