Return to School Update: In our October 11th letter to families, we announced that our next checkpoint would be Sunday, November 15th, and that reopening campus would not happen prior to November 30th and may take place as late as January. After an engaging meeting with our WCS Board, several meetings with our teacher leadership team, and collaborating with local educational and health agencies, we have decided that, if the state continues to allow schools to safely open, we will be reopening school in January. 

Our goal is to give our families as much information as we can so that they can make the best decision for their students about their return to campus. We are asking that our families watch the two important videos linked below. The first will give families an overview of what instruction will look like when we return in January using our Level 3: Baseline Schedule. While we may utilize a brief orientation schedule to begin, we wanted to be sure families had details about our Baseline schedule. The second video discusses the way our new health and safety practices will shape the way we return to school. 

After watching our two videos linked below, please complete the survey to inform our school if your student(s) will return to campus in January. 

• If you choose for your student(s) to not return in January, they will have another opportunity to return to campus on February 22nd, following President’s Week Break, and another after Spring Break in April. 
• Students who elect to come back as Cohorts A & B, and those who elect to remain in Distance Learning will remain with their current teacher and current classmates.

We are committed to keeping our community safe and together. 

• Click HERE to watch our Health and Safety Operational video  
• Click HERE to watch our Instructional Model Overview video  
• Click HERE for our 2 page Return to School Update Overview

Click HERE to complete the Return to School survey for each student by Monday, November 16th. 

Families, we know this is a lot of information to process, and that it will lead to even more questions. Please know that this is only a starting point. We are committed to starting school safely and in a place that is manageable for our students, families, and staff. However, we promise to continually gather feedback and innovate, just as we have done throughout Distance Learning.

The Westlake Team will spend the next two weeks creating details that will be published in an updated version of our Return to Schools Handbook on November 15th. This version of the handbook will include information such as exact starting dates in January, protocols for arrival and dismissal, as well as details regarding safety protocols and procedures. If you have any questions that you would like answered in the handbook or added to the Frequently Asked Questions page, please use this form.

Conference Week Schedule: Conference week is November 16th – November 20th. All grades will dismiss at 12:00 PM during conference week. Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place virtually. Click HERE to schedule your conference. The online scheduler is available October 25th – November 15th so reserve your meeting time now. Click HERE for instructions on how to use the online scheduler. Remember, families will log in with their student’s google account to access the conference.

Olympic Triathlon: The 13th Annual Olympic Triathlon is off to a great start! Check out our Fundraising, Event Day, and DL Kit updates below:

• Fundraising: Right now, Mrs. L. Poole’s class is in 1st Place, Mr. Hatch’s class is in 2nd, and Mrs. Harold-Jones’ class is in 3rd! It’s not too late to create your fundraising page. Please click HERE to create a fundraising page in just a couple minutes. You can also drop off donations on November 10th and 12th from 8am-6pm outside of the front office. Every dollar helps support Westlake Charter School and our amazing programs. 
• Event Day: Our Olympic Triathlon Event Day is Friday, November 13th. Students will start their day in morning meeting and advisory, then compete in the Olympic Triathlon asynchronously. This is a day that many families would come on campus to lead the events and this year, families will be leading them from their own homes. Click HERE to log your volunteer hours for the Olympic Triathlon event day! Check back next week for the Olympic Triathlon Event Day splash page with instructional videos for our Art, Spanish, and PE activities.
• DL Kit Pick Up: Save the date for either Tuesday 11/10 or Thursday 11/12 to pick up your Olympic Triathlon kit for supplies you will need for Event Day. 

Scholastic Book Fair: Our Online Scholastic Book Fair has been extended to November 16th! Support Westlake Charter School and discover new books, favorite characters, complete series, and more! You’ll love the fun new option to shop for Book Fair exclusives directly from the interactive booklist and enjoy free shipping on book-only purchases over $25. It’s a new school year… let’s instill a new-found love of reading and as always…Let’s Explore! 

• Click HERE to visit the Westlake Charter School Scholastic webpage. 

Save the Date – Coffee Talk: Tuesday, November 11th at 6PM, Westlake Charter School is hosting a Parent Coffee Talk live via YouTube. We will open the meeting with Celebrations and will answer questions live throughout the meeting. To enter a celebration or ask a question, we will be making this Google Form Link live during the broadcast. 

Counselor’s Corner:  Click HERE to view November’s newsletter on Motivation and Focus from our K-8 Counselor, Jessica Krivoy.

High School Happenings:

Our Westlake Charter High School is 173 days away from the first day of school with our first Freshman class!  If you haven’t had a chance to check out our High School Video Series click HERE.  Each video gives you a peek into our high school program, you can also submit your questions to our team on the video page. We look forward to hearing from you.  

In case you missed it:

City of Sacramento Offers Free Digital Resources: The City of Sacramento has launched a Digital Equity Response program which will provide internet connectivity, devices and hotspots to qualifying families. You may qualify to receive internet services, computers and digital training at no cost if you are eligible for public assistance programs and live in the City of Sacramento. Apply by calling 211 or visit sacramentocovidrelief.org/digital

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].

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. 

Amazon Smile Giveaway Winner: We had 30 parents enter our Amazon gift card giveaway. The winner is…Melinda Velayo. Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who entered and added WCS as their Amazon charity! 

Olympic Triathlon Volunteers: This year’s event may be virtual but we still need your help! We are looking for parents to collect donations during our two in person donation days. Please click HERE sign up today! 

Monthly WAVE Meeting: 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, November 5th at 6:30pm to discuss virtual events, Olympic Triathlon, staff appreciation and more! Please join the meeting by clicking https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83541804016?pwd=QXhiL0dWd1FTa1lPTW1EUXFKcXV6UT09.

Kudos: This week we are extra thankful for our teachers. Most of us didn’t expect to be in distance learning this long. Teachers, with the help of others, have reimagined school and then pivoted when things didn’t always go as expected. They are finding new ways for assessments, benchmarks and even conferences virtually. We appreciate the innovation, thoughtfulness and dedication of our fabulous Westlake Charter School teachers!