Hello Westside Village Families!
Here are a few things to look out for this week:
Important Dates:
Mar 9: High School Info Night (times may vary, check school for time)
Mar 11: Elder Play Evening Performance, 6:00
Mar 12: Six Week Celebration & Elder Play 4:30-6:30
Mar 18-20: NO SCHOOL, District Conference Days
Mar 20: Choice Options Lottery Deadline for Kindergarten
Mar 23-27: NO SCHOOL, Spring Break
Mar 30: Whole School Field Trip to High Desert Museum
Apr 23: Save the Date: Village Rhythm & Bingo (VRB)!
Apr 28: Spring Picture Day
May 25: NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day Holiday
May 27-29: Coast Trip (4th-8th Graders)
Click here for the full WVMS School Year Calendar.
Recruitment
We need our families’ help; we want a full class of kindergarteners! We have room in other grades as well, especially our hard hit COVID years, 4th and 5th grade. Please send out flyers and postcards to family and friends!
Black History
We celebrated Black History Month by engaging in an activity to find people from the past and present that may have been overlooked using the lens of dangerous learners. We connected our theme of time travel and ancient learning to this activity. Students will continue to discover history’s biases in their tipping point research.
To be a Dangerous Learner means to believe that your mind is your greatest power. It means asking “Why?” when everyone else is silent. It means seeking the truth even when that truth makes powerful people uncomfortable.
For black learners throughout history, this path has had many extra hurdles. For centuries, racism was used as a tool to keep doors locked. Laws were passed to make it illegal for black people to read; “scientific” lies were told to claim black minds weren’t capable of complex math; and systems were built to ignore black discoveries. But as the author Tami Charles reminds us: “We break barriers, crush borders. We carry legacies of yesterday and today, and tomorrow.” Every person in this series didn’t just learn for themselves—they learned to prove the world wrong and to clear a path for you.
Elder Play: The Lion King, The Westside Way!
Our students have been hard at work on the Elder play: The Lion King, The Westside Way!
We invite you to the evening performance for the public, friends and family on Wednesday, March 11. Doors open at 5:30, Showtime 6:00. Suggested donation of $15 ages 12 and up. 11 and under, FREE. Please bring your family and friends! This donation goes towards our fabulous drama and music program. Cash is preferred, but a QR code will be available as well or make your donation ahead of time here.
Or, come see it during the 4th Six Week Celebration! Celebration is from 4:30-6:30, play will begin at 5:30.
Schedule for performers below:
Monday March 9: Tech rehearsal
Tuesday March 10: Full dress and tech rehearsal, please send your actor with costumes
Wednesday March 11: Outreach Daytime Performance, call time for actors 9:00am, showtime 10:15am. Evening Performance, call time for actors 5:00pm, showtime 6:00pm
Thursday March 12: Outreach Daytime Performance, call time for actors 9:00am, showtime 10:15am. Community Celebration Performance, call time for actors 4:30pm, showtime 5:30pm
4th Six Week Celebration & Elder Play, Mar 12
Join us for our 4th Six Week Celebration with a special showing of the Elder Play, “The Lion King” at WVMS Thursday, March 12th from 4:30-6:30pm. Check in with teachers, check the lost and found, grab a bite to eat and then get ready for the show! In lieu of selling tickets to the play, we are accepting donations to support our drama and music programs. Suggested donation of $15 ages 12 and up, 11 and under, free. Cash is preferred, but a QR code will be available as well or make your donation ahead of time here.
A Note From Mr. Ian:
Dear WVMS families,
I never imagined I’d be bringing music to kiddos’ lives. And, yet, in the past 4 years I have grown so much and had so much fun bringing song, music, and, yes, some dancing, to Westside’s music program. So, it is not without sadness that I inform you that I’ve accepted a new, full-time job as Community Support Coordinator at Bridge Meadows in Redmond. I am leaving my part-time role teaching music at WVMS, for now.
As a parting gift, I’ve compiled a document for you here with the best songs we’ve sung both for littles and the 3rd-6th grade choir. I hope you listen to them and sing them at home, (even if you think you cannot sing). I want to continue to create low-barrier spaces where kiddos can sing together in Central Oregon without the pressure of performance. If you’re interested in those kinds of opportunities, please drop me a line. As I work on finding a stellar replacement, especially for the K-2nd graders and choir program, I wonder if you know anyone who may be available and interested? My contact is [email protected]
I apologize for leaving in the middle of the school year. With a new baby at home, everything is changing and I’m riding the wave.
In gratitude and appreciation,
Ian Carrick
Reminder: Early Pick Up Policy/Limit Pick Ups After 2:45 Please
The end of the school day at Westside Village is an important time for fitness and community. Therefore, we ask that students not be picked up after fitness begins (between the hours of 2:45 and 3:35) unless it is an emergency. If your student leaves early for a regular sports practice, appointment or activity, please arrange to pick them up at or before 2:45. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
High Desert Museum Field Trip, Mar 30
We will be taking our entire village to the High Desert Museum the day we return from spring break! Permission slips will come home soon. If you know your student will not be here that day, please let us know.
Lost and Found will be Donated over Spring Break
Please come take a look! We want you to have your things back! Any items that are not claimed by 4:00pm on March 17th will be donated. Lost and Found is located in the front office lobby.
Lice
Unfortunately, it is the season for lice. Prevention is the best medicine. Remind your student that they should not share brushes, combs, hats, and/or headbands, etc. Sharing pillows or any place heads spend a lot of time (couches) can increase their chance of getting head lice. Because head lice live on heads, the most common ways to pick up these critters is with head to head contact. As a preventative measure, we encourage parents/guardians to check their student’s heads at least once per week. If your student or a close friend has had head lice, it may be a good idea to check your student’s head daily.
Over the counter treatments are effective if directions are followed exactly and parents/guardians are diligent about daily head checks. There is no medical evidence that homeopathic remedies are effective for killing lice. While certain non-medicated shampoos, oils, etc. may ward off head lice, these treatments will not kill them.
Bend-La Pine Schools follows the guidelines from the Deschutes County Public Health Department, regarding actions taken once active lice has been discovered on a student. If a student has a confirmed live lice infestation on their head, parents/guardians will be notified and directed to pick their student up from school for treatment. Upon return to school, a lice check will be done on the student to ensure active lice are no longer present. Once lice has been detected in two or more students in your child’s classroom, you will be notified.
NO SCHOOL Days in March
Mar 18-20: NO SCHOOL for District Conference Days (Westside will have had conferences already).
Mar 23-27: NO SCHOOL for Spring Break.
Friends of WVMS is offering camp on all of these non school days. Sign up through Bend Parks and Rec!
News From Friends
NexTrex Recycling Challenge, Collect Your Plastic Bags!
We’ve collected 83 pounds so far! Weigh your plastic at home and let us know how much you’ve taken to be recycled OR bring your plastic to school and we’ll weigh it for you.
Help us reach our goal of collecting 1,000 lbs of clean plastic bags and film in one year! Westside Village is participating in the NexTrex Recycling Challenge starting in February and we need your help! You can collect at home and bring to the school OR collect at home, weigh it, and take it to one of our participating drop-off retailer locations for recycling. Make sure to email Ms. Marcie your weights so that we can log it! [email protected]
Plastic bags and film packaging are important durable and lightweight protection for food and merchandise in transit. But these materials SHOULD NOT be recycled in most curbside carts or single stream programs. Thankfully, many grocers and retailers and some communities provide specific collection bins for bags and film to be recycled separately from other recyclables.
