Progress toward reopening plans: According to the California Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the number of new COVID cases in Sacramento County continues to trend down. We are cautiously optimistic this means schools will be allowed to consider potential next steps toward reopening in a limited capacity. You may have read in the Sacramento Bee or seen some information on the news about potential reopening dates. These reports help our community better understand the information coming from the State and County, however, any reporting of reopening dates at this point are only estimates based on the hope that all continues to go well. We promise that we will continue to work with our partners at the Sacramento County Public Health, the Sacramento County Office of Education, and our education partners here in Natomas to best understand when we may be allowed to consider next steps. During the next several weeks, we will continue to watch the data and spend time planning for what next steps may look like. Within the next several weeks, we may ask families to complete a survey indicating each family’s plans if schools were to reopen in the coming months. Until then, please stay connected to our school, and let us know if there is anything we can do to support your family by emailing [email protected].

Progress Reports: Our first trimester Mid-Trimester Progress Reports will be mailed home the week of October 5th. 

Virtual Learning Lab:  Students, Parents or Teachers can sign up a student to meet with the grade level Instructional Aide between 2-2:30pm daily to receive additional time or support completing a specific assignment or assessment beginning Monday, September 28th.  To sign up, visit our Distance Learning website and go to your student’s grade level page.       

Drive Thru Picture Days: We are excited to be able to offer Drive Thru School Picture days for our students! Pictures will be by appointment only from 2:00-7:00 PM on Wednesday 9/30, Thursday 10/1, and Friday 10/2.  Click HERE to schedule an appointment (each student needs their own appointment). Click HERE to purchase portraits with gallery code WESTF20. Please follow these important instructions for a safe a smooth picture day: 

• Pictures will be taken by appointment only. Please arrive during your scheduled time.
• Students should wear uniforms for pictures.
• Please observe social distancing upon your arrival and wear a face covering. Students will remove face covering when they are photographed.
• Please pull into the parking lot in the dismissal lane. Parents can wait in the car, or wait with their students socially distanced in line. Please limit attendees to the scheduled student(s) and guardian.

Walktober: Walktober is back with even more ways to participate. Click HERE to join the Jibe Student Challenge to track your walking and biking trips, challenge friends, complete your Walktober Passport, and earn prizes. Complete 9 challenges to unlock letters for your Walktober Passport. Once you’ve unlocked all of your letters, unscramble them to uncover the mystery word. Click HERE to submit stories, poems, or essays about walking and biking on the Jibe The Write Way website. Participate in any or all of the opportunities and have a happy Walktober!

BASE will be Closed October Break: October 5th – October 9th our BASE Distance Learning Camps, as well as traditional, daily BASE services, will be closed for October Break.

Counselor’s Corner: Each month our School Counselor, Jessica Krivoy, will be publishing a newsletter intended to spark ideas, provide support and offer reassurance.  Click HERE to view October’s edition on the Counselor’s Corner page.

Office Appointments: During Distance Learning, our office is not open for visitors. If you need to pick up a device, headphones, or missed a Distance Learning Kit pick up, please click HERE to make an appointment to pick up your item. Without an appointment, we may not have your items prepared, or may not have staff available to help. For virtual support, you can call 916-567-5760 or email [email protected] 

Supply Donations: Great news! We are currently at 40% of our Supply Donations goal. These donations allow us to not only have individual supplies for students in their classroom when they return to campus, but also give us the ability to send home ongoing Distance Learning kits. Click HERE to donate today. 

High School Happenings:

Launch of our Academic and Social-Emotional Commitment Videos:

Our next video in our high school video series is ready to go. This week’s video unpacks our Academic and Social-Emotional Commitments, which are the foundation for our high school program. As you watch each video, think of them as one conversation or imaging that you are sitting in our cafeteria for a High School Town Hall Meeting. Click HERE to watch the next video! Click HERE to visit our WCHS communication site, where you will find all of the videos we have released and our FAQ page. 

6th and 7th Grade Family High School Meetings:

 6th and 7th Grade Families, Mrs. Battin, our high school principal, has been meeting with our 8th-grade families throughout September. She is excited to extend this opportunity to our 6th and 7th-grade families because we know that they are thinking about high school too!  Click HERE to select a time and date to join a group discussion about our high school! You will receive a confirmation as you sign up with a Google Meet Link. Mrs. Battin looks forward to meeting with all of our 6th and 8th-grade families.

In case you missed it:

Illuminate Portal:

• Our 4th-8th grade students have access to their Illuminate Portal where they can check their assessment grades and view formative data from their teachers. 
• We are also launching our Illuminate Parent Portal.
  • 5th-8th grade families: If you already have an Illuminate Parent Portal account from last school year, you can go to westlakecharter.illuminatehc.com and sign in using the email address that you used last school year. If you need support accessing your account, please email [email protected]. If your 5th-8th grade student is new to Westlake this year, you will be receiving an email in the coming week with information about setting up your Illuminate Parent Portal account.
  • 4th grade families: If you already have an Illuminate Parent Portal account from last school year with a 5th-8th grade student, your 4th grade student has been added to your account. If you are new to the Illuminate Parent Portal, you will be receiving an email in the coming week with information about setting up your account.

Free and Reduced Meal Application – RESPONSE REQUESTED: Each year, we ask families to complete a Free and Reduced Price School Meals (FRPSM) application. We need every family to complete the form below for each student. Even if you choose not to complete the FRPSM application, we still need the form completed for each student so that we can ensure every family had the opportunity to complete the application.

• Click HERE to apply for Free and Reduced Price School Meals
• Click HERE to complete the form for each student by 9/18/2020 to let us know you had the opportunity to apply for FRPSM.

Distance Learning Technical Help Desk – Now Open: Westlake Charter School has created a digital Help Desk to support our families during this time of Distance Learning. Our Help Desk can be contacted via chat, email or phone. For more information on how to contact our Help Desk, and our operating days and hours, please click HERE. 

Spirit Gear is Back: We are so excited to offer Westlake Charter School Spirit Gear this Fall! All items will be shipped directly to your family now. Don’t forget to plan for cooler temperatures by purchasing a hoody or beanie. We are also offering WCS masks for the first time! The Spirit Store will close on October 19th and items will be shipped in November. Visit https://westlake.spokencloth.com/ to purchase items today!

Chipotle Dinner Fundraiser: Pickup a delicious dinner at Chipotle between 4 & 8pm on Tuesday, September 29th to help support Westlake Charter School! 33% of sales will be donated to WAVE! Be sure to show the flyer (printed or digital) or tell the cashier you are with Westlake when you order dinner at the Chipotle located at 3830 Truxel Road. You can also order online using code Q67RV9E! Thank you for the support!

Monthly WAVE Meetings: Once a month we host a parent/guardian meeting to discuss building community, fundraising, events and so much more. Our meetings are now virtual! Please join us on Thursday, October 1st at 6:30pm to discuss virtual events, Olympic Triathlon, staff appreciation and more! Please join us by clicking

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83933349513?pwd=OUpoQk1oWVJQaVZ1RjhEVy9vaittZz09.

Celebrations: Westlake Charter School loves celebrating and we want to hear your celebrations! Please let us know what big or small celebration you have so we can showcase them on social media! Let us know what awesome things are happening at WCS by completing this form. We can’t wait to hear from you! 

Volunteers Needed: We need your help! WAVE is currently in need of a Fireworks Booth Team and Corporate Donations Coordinator. WAVE is only possible with incredible parents like you! To learn more please send an email to [email protected]. Thank you! 

Kudos: It has been incredible to see Westlake Charter School’s dedication to ensuring our students progress and grow while in Distance Learning. We have seen so many things already including benchmark assessments, field lessons, drive thru photos, social/emotional lessons and even science experiments. Many parents have been thrilled with the continued support, intervention and enrichment from Student Support Services and Instructional Aides. Thank you to our entire staff for continuing this important work during this challenging time. Thank you to families for supporting your child’s learning at home. We are in this together!