WESTVIEW ELEMENTARY SC HOOL
SEPT 201 5
The Bulldog
The
BulldogBulletin
Bulletin
Editor:
Heidi
Editor:
Shawnessy
Schwartz
Editor:
Heidi
LarsonLarson
thebulldogbulletin@yahoo.com
thebulldogbulletin@yahoo.com
thebulldogbulletin@yahoo.com
Important Dates—Sept 2015
Principal’s Corner
Mon, Sept. 14
4:00 pm
PTO/Site Council Meeting - All are welcome!
Tues, Sept. 15
8:30-9:00 am
Grade 5 Bulldog Breakfast with Families
Welcome to the 2015-2016
school year at Westview! We
are just a few days into the
school year with students in the
building and the positive energy is contagious.
I am grateful to have the role of being the
principal at Westview and to be working with
the staff, students and families in creating the
best learning environment we can. As we work
together, let’s be intentional in our conversations
and our actions towards the good of the whole
school. Our focus for this school year is showing
RESULTS. We look forward to working as a
team with parents to continue the education and
emotional growth of our students into leaders of
tomorrow.
Wed, Sept. 16
6:30-7:30 pm
Grade 1 Parent Curriculum Meeting
Thank you for helping us start off the school
year strong by bringing your child(ren) into
school during our assessment days. This allows
us that first personal connection and to collect
important information from both you and the
students. We are working on multiple ways to
effectively communicate with you including this
condensed newsletter. We also strongly encourage you to sign up for our Backpack OnLine so you receive updates, frequent news
from specialists and timely notices and reminders about school events and happenings. Many
teachers may also use emails or weekly/
monthly calendars to keep you informed. In
addition, this year students in 4th and 5th grade
will also use a student planner to facilitate
organization, communication, responsibility and
character development. Many of us as adults
live by our calendar to plan our lives and so we
are encouraging this tool for our students and
our parents as a natural way for you to have a
connection to the student day. Please look at
page 33 in our Westview Calendar Handbook
for many other ways information is communicated. Finally, we also encourage you to attend
PTO meetings which are held monthly on the 2nd
Monday of each month beginning at 4:00 in the
library. PTO is a wonderful way to be connected with our school.
Thurs, Oct. 1
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Safety is always a concern for schools and
students. We will only have one door open
during the school day once students are in and
need all visitors to check in at the office. Our
staff will be easy to identify by our district
identification badges and visitor badges will be
on lanyards in the office for similar ease. Now
that your child knows the routine, it’s time to let
them enter the school themselves. It will not be
necessary for you to walk your children to class
or breakfast after next week as we need them
to be able to understand the routine. There is
supervision in the hallways and cafeteria and
we want to foster independence skills.
Thurs, Sept. 17
Chip Shoppe Sales Kick-Off
Fri, Sept. 18
8:15-9:00 am
Grade 2 Parent Curriculum Meeting
Tues, Sept. 22
8:15-9:15 am
Family Network Committee Meeting
Tues, Sept. 22
8:30-9:00 am
Grade 4 Bulldog Breakfast with Families
Tues, Sept. 22
5:00-8:00 pm
Apple Valley Dairy Queen Night
Thurs, Sept. 24
8:30 am
Guys Read Book Club
Fri, Sept. 25
Tues, Sept. 29
Westview Student Council Spirit Day
8:30-9:00 am
Grade 3 Bulldog Breakfast with Families
Looking Ahead to October …
8:15 am
Mon, Oct. 5
Tues, Oct. 6
Student Council Meeting
Chip Shoppe Sales Orders Due
8:30-9:00 am
Grade 2 Bulldog Breakfast with Families
Wed, Oct. 7
International Walk & Bike to School Day
Thurs, Oct. 8
Lifetouch Fall Picture Day
Fri, Oct. 9
NO SCHOOL-Data Analysis Day
Mon, Oct. 12
4:00 pm
PTO/Site Council Meeting - All are welcome!
Tues, Oct. 13
8:30-9:00 am
Grade 1 Bulldog Breakfast with Families
Tues, Oct. 13
5:00-8:00 pm
Family Network Chianti Grill Spaghetti Dinner
Wed, Oct. 14
8:00 am
FIRST Band Rehearsal
Thurs, Oct 15 & Fri, Oct 16
NO SCHOOL—Teacher’s Convention
Tues, Oct. 20
Grade K Bulldog Breakfast with Families
8:30-9:00 am
We are excited to welcome many new staff members to our Westview community:
Christine Lema
Christina McDonald
Jodie Classen
Betsy Wallin
Heidi Mullin
Ian Gorton
Laurel Engquist
Erin Logan
Shawnessy Schwartz
Kim O’Brien
Carla Knutson
AM third grade teacher sharing a classroom with Patty Peetsch
5th grade teacher
3-5 CIP teacher (returning after a 4 year leave)
1-2 CIP teacher
.5 Resource teacher (shared with Parkview)
Art specialist
Reading Recovery and Title 1
EL teacher
10 month secretary
Food Service Manager
Evening custodian (4 hour)
I look forward to connecting with your over the next few weeks during our Bulldog Breakfast mornings, grade level curriculum meetings and PTO/Site Council meetings. This is going to be an awesome year.
Respectfully,
Tami Staloch-Schultz, Principal
S E PT E MBE R 2015
P AGE 2
Fall Conferences
Fall conferences will take place on
Wednesday, November 4 from 4:008:00 pm and Thursday, November 5
from 12:00-8:00 pm for all kindergarten
through grade 5 students. All students
will have school on Wednesday,
November 5. There will be no school on
Friday, November 6. Sign-ups for conferences will be similar to sign-ups for Summer Assessments. Please watch for more
information which will be going out to
parents in October.
Calling In Absences
Please call the school at
952-431-8380 if your child
is going to be absent or
tardy for any reason. It is
especially important that
you alert the school if your child is home
with a communicable disease. This would
include lice, strep, pertussis, influenza,
pink eye, chicken pox, scabies or fifth’s
disease. This will help other parents to
keep a watchful eye on their own children in that same class.
The Bulldog Bulletin
Each family will receive a condensed
paper copy of the monthly
newsletter; it is sent home
with the youngest child. Each
issue will include upcoming
dates and events, an article
from our Principal and other
timely information that we feel is
important to most Westview families.
Please consider signing up for our
Backpack On-Line Emails.
You will
receive additional information from
grade levels and other happenings at
our school.
Please go to the Westview Web Site:
http://www.district196.org/wv and look
under the Parent Resources tab. Use the
drop down tab to sign up for these
weekly emails.
Backdoor Drop-off/Pickup Congestion News!
Student Drop-Off &
Pick-Up Area
We listened to you as parents and we
listened to the neighbors about the traffic
concerns on Garden View Drive at
dismissal time. It started with a few of
the neighbors contacting the City of
Apple Valley to find out what could be
done to keep the traffic flowing smoothly
on Garden View Drive between 3:00PM
and 4:00PM during the school year. So
the process began. At the end of last
October, the city came and observed and
studied the situation. The city also met
with each of the homeowners along a
portion of Garden View Drive and
Westview’s principal, Tami StalochSchultz.
Finally, Dave Bennett, P.E.
Assistant City Engineer, recommended a
three-part plan that was presented to the
City of Apple Valley Traffic Safety
Advisory Committee and was approved
by the City Council in January.
Please follow the guidelines
below when dropping off or
picking up students in the back of
Westview. We realize the lines
of vehicles can be long at times,
especially on inclement weather
days, however, your PATIENCE is the key to
making the flow of traffic run smoothly.
Keeping students safe is our #1 priority in this
congested area. Pease follow these guidelines to help us with this process:
The plan is as follows:
1. No parking from 3-4 p.m. on the west
side of Garden View Drive (This will be
implemented from Walnut Lane to
144th Street).
2. A loading zone on the east side of
Garden View Drive adjacent to the
school (Garden View Drive lane marking
was redone to paint a right turn lane
along the school property) and signs that
say, Do Not Block Entrance were
installed.
3. The north entrance where the drop
off / pickup occurs, will provide lane
marking and arrows that delineate one
entrance lane and two exit lanes (a right
and left turn lane)
In addition, we have noticed parent
traffic entering the parking lot in our exit
only lane. This is a traffic violation and
safety concern. This is near the stop sign
and crosswalk and very dangerous for
our students and busses. Please use the
north entrance for all parent pick-up and
drop off in the morning and afternoon.
The other parking lot is only for busses
during the time of 9:00-9:25 and 3:303:50 daily.
Thank you for your
partnership in keeping our children safe
during these busy times of day.

Pull your vehicle ahead as far around
the sidewalk as possible.

Have your child exit/enter your vehicle
from the curb side only.

Do not let children get out of our get
into your vehicle until you are parked
next to the yellow curb.

DO NOT leave your vehicle unattended.

Please do not pick-up or drop off your
child on Garden View Drive. This is not
a designated or safe area.

Finally, drive slowly and have patience!
We as adults serve as role models for
our children and future drivers. Respect
others who are entering or exiting the
area.
What’s a Bulldog
Breakfast?
Bulldog Breakfast with Families is a wonderful opportunity for you to meet and
connect with other families in your child’s
grade level. Each grade level is host to
one Tuesday morning in September or
October from 8:30-9:00 a.m. A light
breakfast is provided to everyone in your
family while you mingle with other parents
and children. The menu is usually a variety
of cereal, breads and pastries, milk, coffee and juice. Donations are accepted but
not required.
This is the fifth year of hosting this community building event which has been successful. Who else will be there? Teachers ~
classroom, art, music, phy. ed., library,
resource, Title I, EL, Speech, GT/YS and
other specialized staff; Wesley our mascot; custodians, food service and even
office staff. Look for invites and reminders
from your child’s teacher as your morning
approaches. All dates are noted on the
front page of this newsletter and in our
Westview Calendar Handbook. We hope
to see you there.
T HE B U LLD O G B U LLE T IN
P AGE 3
Valley Natural Foods Health & Wellness Night UPDATE
The Valley Natural Foods Health & Wellness Family Night on Tuesday, September 29 has been cancelled. Due to
some new staffing at Valley Natural Foods, the event has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.
Look for a new date in an upcoming Bulldog Bulletin!
Bond Referendum Addresses Safety, Space and Technology Needs
Our school district is conducting an important bond referendum election this fall to address facilities and equipment needs at Westview
Elementary and all 32 other schools and learning centers in District 196.
It has been more than 10 years since the last bond referendum election in District 196, in 2004. A lot has changed since then in terms of
expectations for school security, our needs for learning space and the importance of technology as a learning tool. The annual funding for
technology that our district received from the 2004 bond referendum expired last year, leaving the district with no dedicated source of
funding for ongoing technology needs.
Safety and Security
The proposed improvements to safety and security align with recommendations of the District Emergency Team, which conducted a comprehensive review of safety procedures and building security following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December
2012. As a result of that review, the team developed and implemented new safety procedures for building intruder scenarios, conducted
police-led training at every school and recommended the following security improvements that are included in the referendum:
-Modified entrances at all schools to improve control of visitor access;
-Upgraded security equipment in all schools (cameras, exterior door controls and emergency response buttons), and
-Improved pedestrian safety and traffic management at 16 sites with identified needs.
Space for Learning
A review of enrollment projections and building capacity for every school in the district revealed growing pressure for additional space
at the elementary level due to the addition of full-day kindergarten last year; the expansion of targeted, school-based preschool for
students with the greatest need, and housing growth in the southern part of the district.
The proposed improvements include:
A new elementary school to relieve overcrowding and free up space at existing elementary schools;
Additions to the elementary magnet schools to relieve overcrowding and increase school-choice options;
Expanded and renovated space for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at all six middle schools, Cedar Park
Elementary STEM School and Apple Valley High School, and
Renovation of substandard space and replacement of worn-out student furniture to meet district standards.
Technology for Learning
Proposed technology improvements are intended to provide all students with a dynamic learning experience that is enhanced by technology. They include:
Increasing access to technology by providing a district-owned device to all students in grades 4-12 (phased in over three years) and a 3to-1 student-to-computer ratio for pre-K through grade 3, and
Upgrading technology infrastructure district wide (telephone system, WIFI capacity and interactive classroom technology).
If approved, the referendum would cost the owner of the average-value home in District 196 approximately $12 per month. The school
district portion of local property taxes on the average-value home is less this year than it was seven years ago in
2008.
The bond referendum and School Board election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. Voters can cast their ballot
that day or can vote early by absentee ballot. For voting information and short videos about the bond referendum,
go to www.District196.org/Bond2015 or call the bond referendum information line at 651-423-7776.
S E PT E MBE R 20 15
P AGE 4
Westview is Bulldog STRONG!
Our Westview school community is reflecting some powerful positive behaviors based on a set of expectations called Bulldog STRONG.
Our staff has committed to using common language around positive behaviors in all areas of our school and encouraging and reinforcing
these across the building. Students are learning and being reminded about these in their classrooms and through specialists. We have a
school chant and school song that we are promoting to further build Westview Bulldog STRONG. Other recognitions for students include
earning blue tickets for witnessed actions, wall of fame and classroom celebrations. We will be expanding on the acronym STRONG in
clarifying the character traits of each letter during the school year in purposeful ways so ask your child(ren) about this throughout the year.
Strong mind, strong body, strong character all year long!
Teachers, Clerical and Paraprofessional
Substitutes Needed
Westview is always looking for qualified substitute teachers,
paraprofessionals and clerical support. If you have a teaching
degree, you may qualify to be a substitute teacher.
Paraprofessionals and clerical staff work with students in a classroom setting or assist staff and students in various ways.
Please visit the District website at district196.org and look under
Employment. There are several orientation meetings taking place
this fall to get you prepared. They are listed under each employment category on the website.
School Picture Day—October 8th
Picture Day will be held on Thursday, October 8th.
Lifetouch Portrait Studios will be here to
photograph students.
Watch for information
coming home towards the end of September!
Picture retake day is scheduled for Wednesday, November 511h.
This November date is for students who were either absent on the
original October 8th picture day or for students who would like to
have their portraits retaken. Group photos of the 5th grade band,
student council officers and patrols will also be taken on this
November date.