A note from our Principal
West Side Families,
We have made it to March, and I gotta say that it has felt like March for the better part of February. I hope that doesn't mean March will feel like February, but it's Wyoming, so I'm never shocked by what Mother Nature has instore for us.
March traditionally brings with it the wild mood swings of approaching spring. We'll have windy blizzards, followed by sunny days with temperatures approaching 60 degrees, followed again by three-day rainstorms. As a guy who loves being outside and road cycling in warm temperatures, March can be an extremely frustrating month. It can be extremely difficult for our kids too. I don't need to tell you how weather changes can bring mood swings to our kids.
As turbulent as March can seem, it is an extremely vital month for us as educators. The end of the 3rd quarter is on March 8th, which means we'll be wrapping up standards assessments for the quarter. Our WY-TOPP Writing Summative Assessment will be on March 12th for the 5th graders. This is a state assessment, and it is an important data marker for our kids. Our kids are also preparing for March Book Madness and our Battle of the Books. Both of these competitions culminate in April, but the heavy work begins in March.
Of course, the end of March has us in Spring Break which runs from March 23rd through March 31st. In that respect and the fact that we are so busy in the early part of the month, March truly enters in like a lion and exits like a lamb.
Brian Gunderson
Principal
West Side Elementary
307-347-4298 (office)
March 5: WE-PTO at South Side
March 8: Growth and Development Talk
March 8: End of 3rd Quarter
March 10: Daylight Savings Begins (Move clock forward 1 hour)🌞
March 11 - 14: Parent Teacher Conferences
March 12: 5th Grade WY-TOPP Writing Summative Test
March 15: Winter Break - NO SCHOOL
March 18: Kindergarten Registration at East Side from 3:30 to 6:00
March 19: Kindergarten Registration at East Side from 3:30 to 6:00
March 21: 5th Grade Music Program at 6:30, Middle School Auditorium
March 22: 5th Grade field trip to Meadowlark
March 25 - 29: Spring Break - NO SCHOOL
Thunderbirds have begun their Battle of the Books competition. This is a challenging competition in which teams of 4 read books from a given list. After each book, students write a summary of the book. At the end of six weeks, teams will compete in a "Family Feud," or "knowledge bowl-style" tournament by answering questions about the books. At the end of the preliminary rounds, the teams with the most points will proceed to the championship! We will send out information to parents about the competition day. Ready, set, read!
Thanks to our PTO for sponsoring shirts, prizes, and snacks for this and our upcoming March Madness reading!
Cheers to March and getting closer to spring!
Last month in guidance, I ended up shifting my lessons a bit and we talked about good coping skills, and what we can do to calm ourselves or to make ourselves feel better. So now, fourth graders are going to work on having a positive growth mindset and positive thoughts. At the end of the month, we will move into lessons on Responsibility. 5th graders have started DARE and will be continuing that with our Student Resource Officer (SRO).
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns!
Heather Rollema
K-12 School Counselor
4th Grade Math Club
The Math Club is an optional after-school program designed to help our 4th grade students fill in any gaps in their math skills and prepare them for the challenges of 5th grade. During the Math Club sessions Ms. Cooley and Ms. Douglas will provide targeted instruction engaging activities to reinforce key math concepts.
It will be held from 3:15 to 4:15 on Tuesdays and Thursday, from now until the end of 3rd quarter, (March 8th).
