PM Walking School Bus – Last Day October 31: This Thursday, October 31st is our last PM Walking School Bus until after winter. Please update your student’s School Dismissal Manager to reflect how your student will be getting home. The morning walking school bus will continue every day, rain or shine. Please join us at Burberry Park at 7:50 AM and begin walking promptly at 8:00 AM.

Bullying Prevention:  During the month of October we have focused on Bullying Prevention.  We kicked off this focus with an assembly presented by “The Power of One” where we learned about the definition of bullying. Our Explorers also participated in “Mix it up day” where they were challenged to step out of their comfort zone and connect with someone new during lunch, we have also celebrated students who are upstanders throughout the month! Please take this opportunity to continue the conversation at home and talk with your Explorer about the definition of bullying and what it means to be an upstander! 

October 31: Please be sure to send your explorers to school in uniform on Thursday, October 31st. This is not a free dress or costume day. Please also refrain from sending your students to school with candy as it can be a distraction. Thank you! 

AS Live CLubs: Thank you, again, to all of the volunteers who stepped up to lead or chaperone an AS Live Club: Michelle Padley, Antonia Elgamiel, Melony Harris, Lindsey Joyner, Ivy Jose, David Guzman, Katherine Taylor, Tita Tubon! Our fall session ended Friday, October 25. Keep an eye on the Westlake Weekly for winter session volunteer opportunities and student sign-ups when we return from break in January.

Red Ribbon Week: WCS will be celebrating National Red Ribbon Week October 28 – November 1, 2019.  Throughout the week students will be engaging in activities and discussions about making positive and healthy choices.  Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you have any questions about Red Ribbon Week.

Advisory Fishbowl Parent Sign Up: Please join us as our 6th-8th grade students hold a discussion. On November 14th from 8:15 AM – 8:57 AM, you will join a small group of 6th-8th grade students and a staff member and engage in a guided conversation. Click HERE to sign up to be a part of this event.

Whole School Morning Meeting: Whole School Morning meeting: Families are welcome to join us for our end of trimester whole school morning meeting! At the whole school morning meeting, celebrate students and build community in the same way we do in class each day.

• K-2: Wednesday, November 20th, 8:45 AM – 9:30 AM
• 3-5: Wednesday, November 20th, 9:45 AM – 10:30 AM

WAVE: Don’t forget to click the WAVE tab for more details on the Olympic Triathlon, Family Night Out at Chipotle, and our Parent mixer!

In Case You Missed It: 

Westlake Charter High School Update: We have a couple of exciting announcements about Westlake Charter High School! Click HERE to watch the video announcement.

BASE Newsletter: Click HERE for the BASE October Newsletter.

Missoula Children’s Theater Company: Tuesday, November 12th at 3:30 PM all students are welcome to audition for Missoula Theater Company’s production of The Tortoise versus the Hare. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be in a professional show. Click HERE for details.  Click HERE to RSVP to audition. 

Host Missoula Directors: We have the opportunity to give our two Missoula directors a “home away from home” experience by providing housing with host families. We need housing for Sunday, November 10th through Sunday, November 17th for two Directors who will each need a private room. Email [email protected] if you have any questions, or are interested in hosting one or both of our Missoula Directors.

Olympic Triathlon Fundraising: The Olympic Triathlon has raised over $16,000 so far! Way to go Explorers! Additionally, students have been extremely excited to learn which class receives the Olympic Torch for the highest donations that week. It has also been very exciting to award a donut party to students each week to share with their entire class. Students receive a raffle entry for every $10 collected with no maximum. Two donut parties (one Elementary and one Middle) will be awarded every week with the final drawing taking place on October 31st! There will be prizes for students meeting their personal goal; classes with 100% participation and top earners. We hope every student can raise at least $5 to get us to 100% participation and help their class win a party!

• Have you created your family online donation site? You are able to personalize a family donation site to email or text to friends and family, post on social media or show to coworkers. Please visit http://pledgestar.com/westlakecharter to set up your family donation page. You can customize it with student name(s), a photo and donation goal. You then quickly set it up to send an email explaining why WCS is amazing and how they can help us meet our goal this year. You can even send a reminder email to those who haven’t had a chance to donate yet! Families have been amazed by how quick and easy this online donation is for everyone!
• Our final in person collection is Tuesday, October 29th at the Maybrook entrance from 8-8:35am. You can also drop checks or cash into the lockbox located in the front office.

Olympic Triathlon Event Day: On Friday, November 1st our students will participate in a special day of learning on the Olympic Triathlon Event Day. This amazing day is a celebration of our Art, Spanish and P.E. programs and is completely staffed and planned by our parent volunteers alongside fabulous WCS staff members. We need your help to make this day fun and successful for ALL Explorers. Please click HERE to sign up to volunteer on November 1st. Thank you!

Parent Mixer: Join us for Westlake Charter School’s 1st Parent Mixer on November 2nd from 6-9pm at the Natomas Park Clubhouse. The Natomas Park Master Association has kindly donated the space but please keep in mind that this is an adult only event and no childcare will be provided at the event or by the clubhouse. This event is a fantastic way to meet and reconnect with other Westlake parents/guardians. There will be appetizers provided, a chance to win some raffle prizes and the opportunity to purchase adult beverages. Please click HERE to learn more and find out how to RSVP to reserve your spot for this fun evening out.

Family Science Night: Please join us on Wednesday, November 6th at 5:30pm for a fun and interactive Sierra Nevada Journeys Family Science Night. The first half of the event will be full of a dozen different hands on STEM stations for all ages to enjoy. Beginning at 6:15pm, families break up into teams for a friendly design challenge with the goal of building the tallest tower. What an incredible opportunity to experience hands on learning with the entire family! We need volunteers to make this fun night a success. Please click HERE to sign up!

Kudos: Families, our Chipotle Family Night Out Fundraiser was extremely successful! We raised over $450 for WAVE and filled the restaurant with Explorers! Thank you to everyone who enjoyed dinner at Chipotle, grabbed a quick dinner to go and shared the flyer with friends/family. Huge thanks to Cristi Rodda for organizing and letting our incredible community know about this fundraiser! We hope to see you at the next Family Night Out!