WESTVIEW ELEMENTARY SC HOOL
MARCH/ APRIL 2016
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Principal’s Corner
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Important Dates—March & April 2016
MARCH
I have enjoyed connecting with so
many of you this year during
family events, conferences, PTO/
Site Council meetings, private
conversations and in the community. We have the
same goals in mind~to help our children learn,
growing academically and socially.
Tues, Mar. 15
8:15-9:15 am
Family Network Committee Meeting
Tues, Mar. 15
5:00-8:00 pm
Dairy Queen Night; Apple Valley
Tues, Mar. 15
6:15 pm
Grade 3 Specialist Showcase
Wed, Mar. 16
8:00 am
Band Rehearsal
Thurs, Mar. 17
8:15 am
Grade 5 REACH Two-Steps Girls Group
You hear the words testing, assessments, feedback
and data often in education. We are continuously
evaluating student progress and making ongoing
adjustments to be sure students are engaged and
learning. It is complicated to gather all types of
information, analyze and understand it and then
make decisions about teaching and learning from
it. Using “people” data involves so many
variables, and we thankfully have professionals
here who take the time to think about the
individual students and work together to find
productive solutions. We are grateful for the
extra staff days in the school year calendar to
have the time to work together looking at data
and students.
Thurs, Mar. 17
8:30 am
Guys Read Book Club
Thurs Mar. 17
8:30-9:10 am
Before-School Achievers
The last trimester of the year brings the Minnesota
Comprehensive Assessments (MCA-IIs) in math and
reading for 3rd-5th graders, MCA science for 5th
graders and our end of the year grade level
assessments for all students. While we prepare
all year at school for thinking and questioning
during reading, applying math skills and inquiring
about science, you can use a resource at home for
practice. This is an opportunity for students in
grades 3-5 to practice very similar test items in a
comfortable place at home to become familiar
with content and format. It gives you a chance to
see what is expected at each grade level and
support striving for the best at home. These
assessments are reported for school performance
across the state so the more we all understand it,
the better. These are also the tests that contribute
to our school rating so investing the time to
partner with us to ensure good preparation and
conditions for the testing experience is important.
The link for the MCA-II item samplers is:
http://minnesota.pearsonaccessnext.com/itemsamplers/
While this is an accountability measure for
learning, there are many other measures of a
school’s success. I often hear from parents,
substitute teachers and paraprofessionals that
Westview has such a kind, caring culture. They
mention how helpful staff and students are to
make them feel welcome and successful in their
day. We are fortunate to have some volunteers
from DARTS, Red Line Editorial, parent volunteers
and our Foster Grandparents who enjoy working
with our students and have become part of our
learning and caring community. I would be
interested to hear your insights about Westview at
Fri, Mar. 18
Westview Student Council Spirit Day
Fri, Mar. 18
Report cards go home with students today
Mon, Mar. 21- Fri, Mar. 25
No School Today! – Spring Break
Mon, Mar. 28
School resumes today!
Thurs, Mar. 31
8:15 am
Grade 5 REACH Two-Steps Girls Group
Tues, April 5
6:30-7:30 pm
All School Family Fun Night
Wed, April 6
8:00 am
Band Rehearsal
Thurs, April 7
8:15 am
Grade 5 REACH Two-Steps Girls Group
Thurs, April 7
8:15 am
Student Council Meeting
Mon, April 11
4:00 pm
PTO/Site Council Meeting
Wed, April 13
8:00 am
Band Rehearsal
Thurs, April 14
8:15 am
Grade 5 REACH Two-Steps Girls Group
Mon, April 18
6:00 pm
Carnival Planning Meeting
Tues, April 19
8:15-9:15 am
Westview Family Network Committee Meeting
Tues, April 19
5:00-8:00 pm
Dairy Queen Night; Apple Valley
Wed, April 20
8:00 am
LAST Band Rehearsal
Thurs, April 21
8:30 am
Guys Read Book Club
Thurs, April 21
8:15 am
Grade 5 REACH Two-Steps Girls Group
Fri, April 22
NO SCHOOL TODAY Data Analysis and Instructional Alignment Day
Sat, April 23
1:00-4:00 pm
50 Year Westview Celebration
Thurs, April 28
8:15 am
Grade 5 REACH Two-Steps Girls Group
Thurs, April 28
6:30pm
Grade 5 Band Concert
APRIL
Fri, April 29
Westview Student Council Spirit Day
any time. I want to be sure all the wonderful things happening here are part of our ongoing story of
rigor, relevance and relationships. We have many gatherings planned for families in the coming
months and I look forward to connecting further.
In unity,
Tami Staloch-Schultz
M AR C H/ AP R I L 2016
P AGE 2
GRASP Returns for
Summer 2015
Report Cards–
Trimester II
Trimester II student report cards will
be sent home with students on Friday,
March 18th.
Parents, the GRASP summer math and
reading workbook program is back
for this summer.
Spring Break
More than 1,800 District 196 students
There will be no school
completed GRASP math and reading
packets last summer. Families say
they like the GRASP option – it’s portable and flexible.
March 21-25 for Spring break.
GRASP should not be considered as a
replacement for participating in summer school, if a child qualifies.
GRASP is not intended to replace
regular reading for enjoyment or
math activities that
strengthen a child’s fluency and love
for math.
You will receive a letter and enrollment forms the week of February 16,
and final registration is due March
31.
View sample GRASP workbooks
through the end of March in your
school office. Stop by and see why
the program has received rave reviews from parents, kids and teachers!
It is recommended that students work
on the grade level just completed, to
review and reinforce the skills
learned during the school year.
MCA Testing
ATTENTION PARENT(S) / GUARDIANS
OF STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-4-5!!
The MCA Reading, Math and Science
(grade 5 only) tests will be
administered to students in grades 3, 4
and 5 during the month of April. A
complete testing schedule will be
posted on the Westview elementary
School’s website.
We appreciate and thank you in
advance for your efforts to not
schedule any appointments or
vacations for your child during our
MCA Assessment dates and times.
Butter Braids
Thank yo u t o e veryo ne who
participated in the Butter
Braid fundraiser!
Specialist Showcase
Our annual Specialist Showcase for
3 rd Grade students and their
parents/guardians is scheduled for
Tuesday, March 15th from 6:15-7:45
p.m.
The showcase includes Music and
Physical Education activities, an Art
Show (and take home!) of all 3rd
grade work from the entire year, the
revealing of published 3rd grade
fractured fairy tales and
demonstrations of all of our free
ebooks.
Thank You!
Thank you to the PTO and WV parents
who provided a delicious dinner to
Westview teachers and staff on
Tuesday evening, February 9th. We
sincerely appreciate the delicious
dinner and your wonderful hospitality.
A special thanks to Vicki Truesdell for
organizing it and Jennifer Deviley for
the beautiful floral arrangements.
M AR C H/ AP R I L 2016
P AGE 3
Spring Carnival!
Spring is coming, that means the planning for our annual spring carnival held in
May is underway. This favorite event for our students cannot be done without
the help from our entire Westview Community. There is a volunteer position
designed for everyone from booth leader, shift worker, bakers to donations
needed!! It is our hope that the carnival will be a FUN raiser in addition to a
FUNDraiser to help raise money for programs and PTO supported events. If
you are interested in volunteering please contact Sarah Sutton at
Ssutton.ga@gmail.com or attend the next Carnival planning meeting on April
18 at 6:00pm in the library.
Attendance Letters
It is that time of the school year when
our computer starts sending out
attendance letters. District 196 is
serious about the importance of getting
children to school and on time. When
your child has three unexcused or ten
excused absences, a letter is
automatically generated to inform you
of their status. A second or third letter
comes when they miss or are late
again. Often letters can appear more
than two days in a row. If a child has
seven unexcused days, Minnesota
statutes require us to report to Dakota
County Social Services. In MN it is the
law for children to attend school until
the age of 16. For children ages 511, it is t he pare nt s’ le gal
responsibility to make sure their child
attends school. If your child will not be
in school, please call and report the
reason for the absence. Absences not
reported are considered unexcused. If
you have any questions or concerns,
please contact Patsy Ryan, School
Social Worker.
PLANNING FOR THE 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR
Please return to the Westview Office:
As we plan for the next school year, it is very important we know if students will not be returning to Westview in the fall. If your family
will be moving before the end of the summer, or if your child will be attending a different school, we urge you to inform the office as
soon as possible so our class lists will accurately reflect our enrollment.
Parent/Guardian: ____________________________________ Phone _______________________
Current Address: ___________________________________________________________________
Student: ________________________________ Grade/Teacher ‘15-16 _____________________
Student: ________________________________ Grade/Teacher ‘15-16 _____________________
Student: ________________________________ Grade/Teacher ‘15-16 _____________________
[ ]
We MAY BE MOVING (Please call WV as soon as you can confirm)
[ ]
We WILL BE MOVING to:
Address: ______________________________________________________________________
[ ]
New School: ___________________________________________________________________