Westlake Weekly Podcast: Click HERE for this week’s Westlake Weekly Podcast.

BASE Transition: Our BASE Director, Jen Holbrook, is embarking on a new career. We are incredibly proud of the program she and her team have developed over these years and we wish Mrs. Jen the very best! Ms. Margaret and the BASE staff are ready to finish out the school year strong. Considering the low demand from last month’s BASE survey and the need to transition our new leader into their role, our BASE program will not be open to families for the summer. We will use this time to reset the BASE rooms on our K8 campus, open our High School campus, and reimagine what is possible for our After-School Program that will launch on August 11th!.

Pfizer Vaccine Approval for 12+: It’s now official.  Pfizer is approved for ages 12 and up.  “The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, after a thorough review of the evidence from the clinical trial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for those 12-15 years of age, concludes the vaccine is safe and effective in this age group and supports its use. Expanding COVID-19 vaccination to anyone 12 years of age and above will both protect those who are vaccinated and contribute to control of the COVID-19 pandemic in our states.” Click HERE for the Vaccine Information Sheet that includes more information. 

Chromebook Return: School issued chromebooks and chargers should be returned June 7th to 11th. Click HERE to make an appointment. We are asking every family to choose an appointment to return their device by Monday, May 24th. 

Yearbook Order: Click HERE to order the 2020-2021 Westlake Charter School yearbook by Friday, June 4th. The cost is $25, which includes shipping directly to your home. Yearbooks will be delivered to your home this summer. 

Switching From On Campus to Distance Learning Process: For our on-campus students, there may be times when the student needs to temporarily switch to Distance Learning due to quarantine, symptoms, etc. Please email [email protected] and your teachers as soon as possible to request a temporary switch to Distance Learning. It is very important for teachers to know who to expect in their on-campus and their distance learning groups each day, and they need to adjust assignments accordingly. 

May is Bike Month: As we enter the final week of Bike Month, we want to make sure your family has had the opportunity to take advantage of the fun and free opportunities throughout the entire month. Check out all Bike Month activities at https://jibe.org/bike/may-is-bike-month-activities-2021.

• It is not too late to register for the Jibe Student Challenge! Please enroll your student and log all bike trips at https://jibe.org/mibm/mibm-main-page for a chance to win a prize pack. Let’s be sure to represent Westlake Charter on the leaderboard!
• Chill-dren’s Treat Wednesday-Students can bike to Valley Oak Park on Wednesday, May 26th from 5-7pm to receive a free dessert from Daisy’s Dessert Truck.

6-8 Advisory Fishbowl: Please join us as our 6-8th grade students hold a discussion about, Reflecting on the Year, on June 2nd from 8:40 AM – 9:10 AM, you will join a small group of 6-8th grade students and a staff member and engage in a guided conversation about this year. Click HERE to sign up to attend.

Explorer Mascot Scavenger Hunt:  We can’t wait for our Westlake Community to meet Everest the Explorer.  Everest recently went on a tour of important places in our community. Everest left a picture at each important place, and created a scavenger hunt for our families to play in order to get to know Everest.  Below are the Scavenger Hunt directions and clues. The Meet Everest Scavenger Hunt will begin on Sunday May 23rd and will run through Monday May 31st.  All participants in the Everest Scavenger Hunt will receive an Everest themed prize.  So get out there Westlake and meet Everest the Explorer!

• Click HERE for the Scavenger Hunt Directions
• Click HERE for the Scavenger Hunt Clue Sheet

High School Happenings:

Facts about our team: We can’t wait to introduce our entire Westlake Charter High School Team to our families in the coming weeks.  Two positions that we have recently filled that are very exciting are our on campus Athletics Director and our on campus Activities Director.  

• Abigail Grimaldi our High School Spanish Teacher will be leading our on campus Activities next year. She is eager to get involved with our high school leadership team to begin the planning for the 21/22 school year.  
• John O’Con, our High School PE teacher will be leading our high school sports program next year. He has already begun collaborating with Athletic Directors in the area and is building our competition calendar for next year. We are excited to hire our high school coaches in the coming weeks and begin building our teams!

In case you missed it:   

Notify of COVID-19 Exposure: If a member of your household has been exposed to COVID-19 or has tested positive to COVID-19 in the past 14 days, please be sure to email [email protected] so we can partner to follow the quarantine or isolation guidelines. Also, if you student has had any COVID-19 symptoms in the last 24 hours, please email [email protected] and your student’s teacher so your student can participate in Distance Learning until they have been symptom free for 24 hours.
Office Schedule: During Level 3: Baseline, our office is open and welcoming one family at a time from 8:00 am to 1:15pm. If you need to pick up a missed Distance Learning Kit pick up, please come to the office from 8:00 am to 1:15 pm. For virtual support, you can call 916-567-5760 or email [email protected].

2021/22 Grade Level Liaisons: We are excited to bring back our grade level liaison program. We are looking for one or two volunteers  from each grade level to communicate with room parents, set up grade level specific events and help facilitate volunteer and donation requests. Please click HERE to complete this form if interested. 

2021/22 WAVE Board and Committees: Are you looking for a way to get more involved next year? The WAVE Executive Board is in need of a Vice President to oversee fundraisers and community events. We are also forming several committees including Family Nights, Olympic Triathlon, International Festival, Staff Appreciation, Corporate Donations and Spirit Gear. Please send an email to [email protected] to learn more about these exciting opportunities. Together we can make the 21/22 school year fantastic! 

Volunteer Hour Log: Many of our fantastic families volunteered during the 20/21 school year. If you attended meetings, contributed to the International Festival, volunteered during the Olympic Triathlon or any other support activities, please log your hours today. Click HERE to log all hours at once. Thank you for all of the help and support this year!

Kudos: The Open House this week deserves extra kudos! It was fantastic to watch students reflect on the year, celebrate their favorite activities and share their work. Did you take a look at the Art, Spanish and P.E. Memories? The memories are full of Joyful Learning and Reflection. Thank you to our incredible teachers for putting together an Open House for all Explorer Families to enjoy!