Our teacher training week in January was extremely successful!  Thank you parents for allowing our staff the time to collaborate on Common Core! Teacher teams worked collaboratively to design thematic units of study using the new Common Core/Next Generation Science Standards.  The assessment projects developed are impressive! This work is the first step on an exciting road ahead of us.  Our teachers are motivated to continue their collaborative work creating innovative units.

We have been hard at work updating the school’s Strategic Plan.  Over the past 5 months, we’ve conducted community surveys, held Strategic Planning Meetings, spoke with teachers and staff, and have pulled all of this information to articulate the school’s focuses moving forward.  Our team is jazzed to continue this forward momentum, which will ensure that Westlake Charter’s K-8 program remains a pillar in our community. In addition over the past month, two teams traveled to visit another successful charter school (High Tech High Charter) to explore their successful Project Based Learning Program.  Our teams felt that the experience was invigorating!  A Project Based approach to learning compliments Common Core standards and prepares students for college and careers.  It guides students to think critically and creatively.  We are using a project based approach to further develop our middle school program. We look forward to supporting additional training opportunities and developing Project Based Learning at WCS.  Although there are a multitude of initiatives we’re working on right now (Common Core, Project Based Learning, defining Global Awareness in our program, Smarter Balanced Testing, enhancing our Special Education program, infusing tech into our program, Long-term Facilities, Renewing our Elementary Charter, just to name a few) we are excited about the direction! Thank you for your continued support!

Thank you to the community members and families who attended NUSD’s Facility Master Plan Meeting in February. The collaboration and input was very valuable as we work with the district to articulate the future facility needs for Westlake Charter School.  We are currently working on initial architectural drawings and look forward to sharing these with our community in the coming weeks.  We are also excited to participate in a Park Kickoff on April 5th in conjunction with Angelique Ashby’s office.  Valley Oak Park will be adjacent to our future permanent site on the corner of Maybry and Maybrook Drives.  They will begin construction of this park this spring.  Mark your calendars to attend!

There are several community events scheduled in the coming months.  Join the Westlake Charter Family and connect with fellow parents!

  • March 6th – Coffee Q&A Regarding NUSD and Westlake Charter (Maestro Coffee House 5:30 PM)
  • March 12th -WAVE Hospitality Coffee Social (Kindergarten and First Grades 7:45 AM Del Paso Campus)
  • March 13th -WAVE Hospitality Coffee Social (5th-8th Grades 7:00 AM Pebblewood Campus)
  • March 14th -WAVE Hospitality Coffee Social (2nd-4th Grades 7:45 AM Del Paso Campus)
  • March 14th – Night Under the Stars (7:30 PM Del Paso Campus)
  • March 8th –Art Exhibit Gala (Maestro Coffee House 5:00 PM)
  • March 24th– Soups and Stories Night (Del Paso Campus)

We are proud to announce Jenifer Wilhelm as the permanent principal of our Pebblewood Campus and Christina Eick as the Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Assessment.  Jenifer has been with our school since 2011 and has served as the Interim Principal since December.  Her unwavering passion for student success is evident in everything that she does.  She has high expectations for herself, her students and her staff, and she has created such a positive culture in our 5th-8th grade program in her short tenure. Christina is a founding teacher at Westlake Charter School and has been with the school since its inception back in 2005.  She is a big part of the school’s success today!  Christina has led the school’s curriculum committee, spearheaded the redesign of our writing assessments to align with common core, and worked to research and select NWEA as our assessment program back in 2007.  Christina will transition into full responsibilities of the Assistant Principal in the coming months.  Both Jenifer and Christina have a strong vision for our program moving forward and we know they will lead our school in great ways!

There are many exciting things happening at Westlake Charter School.  Thank you for supporting our school and continuing the Explorer legacy!