Reopening School Update: In just a few short weeks the COVID19 case rate has dropped dramatically in Sacramento County, and that is GREAT news! While speaking with Dr. Kasariye, the head of Sacramento County Public Health, she said, “I am surprised by how fast the rate is dropping,” and, “I thought we had more time to prepare schools.” This month WCS has aligned our safety plans with the new recommendations from the governor’s office and will seek feedback from state health officials on the plan. However, there is some debate of whether the governor’s plan will actually be passed by the legislature, which may slow down the timeline. In the meantime, WCS continues to meet with all staff members to support what each person needs to feel prepared to reopen school safely based on the new elements included in the governor’s plan. Next, we will be surveying parents again in the coming weeks to determine what each family needs as well. We have no current targeted date for reopening, however, if the case rates continue to drop, and if our local, county, and state partners in health and education align resources, we may continue to make progress toward reopening. As we do each month, we will be presenting this information at our WCS Coffee Talk on February 9th and our WCS Board meeting on February 11th. Families, what we have been able to accomplish throughout this far has been done through incredible collaboration with our entire school community, and to take these next steps we will need to continue to work together. If you have any questions, thoughts or concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

Assessment Days: On assessment days, your teacher will launch the day with their class with Morning Meeting and take attendance and then release students to participate in asynchronous learning for the remainder of the school day.  During the day, your child will be pulled into small groups or 1 on 1 to do assessments for the end of the trimester report card.  Your teacher will share the schedule for individual or group assessments. 6-8th Grade students will launch each block with their teacher to take attendance and then be provided asynchronous work.  

• February 8th  – Kindergarten – 3rd Grade
• February 22nd  – Kindergarten – 8th Grade 

Talent Show: We are excited to announce that our annual Talent Show will be offered virtually this year! Click HERE to sign up to participate in this year’s Virtual Talent Show. The process this year is streamlined:

1. Click HERE to sign up to participate by Friday, February 12th.
2. Submit your final performance video by Friday, March 5th.
3. View the Talent Show on Friday, March 12th.

Get to Know your WCS Board: Our dynamic WCS Board is made of several committees that work hard to support WCS and its strategic goals. One of those committees is the WCS Development Committee. This committee launched WCS Explorers Partners last year. Explorers Partners seeks to build a robust group of partnerships within our community. This team also ensures that these partners are properly recognized and show gratitude for the support they have given to our school. 

• Click the link above and check out their new website. 
• Do you know a business or person who you think may need recognizing as an EP because of their contributions to our school. Choose the “Click to Partner” button on the WCS Explorers Partners site to share their information and how they have partnered with WCS.

February Break: Westlake Charter School and BASE will be closed Monday, February 15th through Friday, February 19th. For February Break.

Counselor’s Corner: Families, click HERE to check out the January newsletter from our counselor, Jessica Krivoy, on the Counselor’s Corner.

Progress Reports: Families, you should have received your student’s progress report in the mail.  If you did not receive it, please reach out to your student’s teacher. Please click HERE to confirm you have received and reviewed your student’s progress report.

High School Happenings:

We would like to say thank you to our entire community for liking, commenting and sharing all of our posts for our Kindergarten- 9th grade lottery. Your support helped us to ensure that all families had an opportunity to join the lottery.  Anyone who did not join the lottery before the January 31st deadline can still visit www.joinWestlake.com to be added to the waitlist starting March 2nd.  Any questions email [email protected]

Our Westlake Charter High School is 110 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, We look forward to hearing from you. 

In case you missed it: 

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].

Jibe Five Senses Bingo: Jibe student challenges are back! Get out for a walk or bike ride to play a fun game of Bingo and be entered to win a prize pack. Complete a row and email [email protected] by Friday, February 5th with your bingo card. No printer, no problem. Simply let us know what boxes you completed to make your bingo. Five people will win a prize pack with light up shoelaces! Go to https://jibe.org/school/five-senses-bingo to find your bingo card.

Monthly WAVE Meeting: Once a month we host a parent/guardian meeting to discuss community building activities, fundraising, events, and so much more. Please join us on Thursday, February 4th at 6:30pm by clicking https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83657758526. A copy of the meeting agenda can be found by clicking HERE.

International Festival: Each year Westlake Charter School celebrates our cultural diversity at our phenomenal International Festival. Families share food, traditions and information about their culture while taking a trip around the world to experience the cultures of other Explorer families. This year we are planning to do this virtually! Are you interested in sharing recipes, crafts, traditions or information about your culture? This can be a video, picture, recipe or just about anything else. We want to make sure as many cultures as possible are represented! Please send an email to [email protected] to sign up or learn more. 
Kudos: Shout out to each and every parent/guardian reaching out to Admin and WAVE to volunteer in one way or another. We are continuing to brainstorm ways for our families to volunteer and appreciate your willingness to jump in. Our community thrives on volunteerism and collaboration and we are looking forward to getting back to everyday opportunities to volunteer soon. Thank you for your support, Westlake Families!