Westlake Weekly – July 25, 2021

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

Health and Safety Update: Families, we are excited to see all of our Explorers back on campus for full in-person learning this year! The information provided below is just the first in a series of communications that will clarify the health and safety guidelines for California schools this fall. Our comprehensive Westlake Charter School Health and Safety Guidebook is being updated now and will be released in next week’s Westlake Weekly Newsletter.

Click HERE to see the recently published California Department of Public Health Guidelines, and click HERE to see the letter that was issued Tuesday, July 20, 2021, from Sacramento County Health Officer, Dr. Kasirye, that are being used to update our WCS Health and Safety Guidebook. Our guidebook, as it was during this past year, will be a living document that is continually updated as guidance evolves.

Updates for July 23, 2021 

Face Coverings
Following the guidance from Sacramento County Public Health (SCPH) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), all students, staff, and essential visitors at Westlake Charter will wear face coverings while indoors on campus. However, the current guidelines allow unmasking outdoors but recommend that we maintain some physical distancing while unmasked, especially for those who are unvaccinated.

On-Campus Structures
Westlake will use appropriate structures during all indoor and outdoor activities to assist in keeping our community safe. Structures will include the continued focus on hygiene and handwashing; continued use of hand sanitizer stations; and structured movement to and from outdoor activities such as recess and lunch. In the classroom, the previous guidelines including 6’ of social distancing have been removed, however, we will continue to utilize appropriate spacing of desks and forward facing chairs to reduce the likelihood of COVID transmission.

Vaccinations
We are asked by our partners at SCPH to strongly encourage all eligible students, staff, and essential visitors to get the COVID vaccination as our best protection against the spread of the virus. We will continue to partner with NUSD and SCPH to provide vaccination resources. Click HERE to obtain a vaccination through the CDPH MyTurn website and Click HERE to find the clinics offered by Natomas USD, or through your primary care physician.

Community Events: Since receiving the new guidelines for reopening schools from the California Department of Public Health, we have spent time collaborating with local district and charter leaders, as well as representatives from Sacramento County Public Health to make decisions about applying the new guidelines at our school. We are excited about the opportunity to fully reopen school and feel confident that we will be able to create a safe school environment. However, the guidelines provide less clarity around large events such as Meet the Teacher and Back to School Night, as well as helping schools determine safe on campus essential visitor policies. These are just a few of the areas we are still working on with our partners. As more clarity is provided, we will continue to collaborate and communicate about these topics.

First Day of School: Our first day of school is Wednesday, August 11th. This will be an early release day for all students. See grade level first-day dismissal times below:

• Kindergarten:  11:30am for kindergarten conferences 8/11, 8/12, 8/13

• 1st-8th grades: 1:30pm

• 9th grade: 1:02pm

School Hours: We are looking forward to returning to campus with full school days!

• Kindergarten: 8:30am to 2:45 pm; Wednesday 1:00pm

• 1st-5th grades: 8:30am to 3:15pm; Wednesday 1:30pm

• 6th-8th grades: 8:15am to 3:15pm; Wednesday 1:30pm

• 9th grade: 8:00am to 3:37pm; Wednesday 1:02pm

K-8 BASE After School Program: Our BASE staff has spent the summer preparing for the upcoming school year and they can’t wait to see our Explorers! BASE will be open until 6:00pm on school days and will accept drop-ins. Click HERE to register your child(ren) for the 2021-2022 school year.

Email [email protected] with any questions. We have a solid, enthusiastic team and are looking for a few more rock stars to join our team. If you’re interested, email [email protected].

Back to School Shopping: We know many families are starting to think about Back to School shopping. We wanted to give a few guidelines to help:

• School Supplies:   Each grade level has purchased all the school supplies that your students will need for the entire year. We get a great discount as a school, so we like to purchase everything in advance. Next week, we will share a link where families can donate $25 toward the purchased school supplies.

• Clothing:   Our detailed dress code will be included in our Family Handbook, but to get you started, here are a few details:

  • K-8 Students: Our K-8 campus is a uniform campus. Students should wear collared shirts that are navy, light blue or white, as well as khaki or navy blue bottoms.

  • 9th Grade Students: Our high school students will not wear a uniform. There will be a standard dress code for high school students.

9th Grade Fall Athletics: Conditioning is underway for co-ed Cross Country, Boys Soccer, and Girls Volleyball. It’s not too late to participate. Click HERE to complete the Sports Interest Form. Coaches for Fall Sports will reach out with practice information.

Welcome to the Westlake Association of Volunteer Explorers (WAVE), the parent group of Westlake Charter School. Every parent/guardian is a member and there are no dues or applications to fill out. We work together with the school to build community, hold interactive events, fundraise and support our students. WAVE encourages families to volunteer at least 30 hours a year, whether it is in the classroom, at an event, at home assembling kits, in a committee or any other way that works for you. We have meetings throughout the year to discuss volunteer needs, upcoming events, fundraising and so much more. We also have Coffee Talks with WCS Administration several times a year. The next Coffee Talk is coming up on August 10th and we hope you will join us (virtually).

WAVE Meetings: WAVE meetings have moved to a new day! This year our meetings will take place on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM. Be on the lookout for more information regarding our first meeting on August 17th! All families are members of WAVE and invited to the meeting. Please join us!

WAVE Facebook Page: WAVE has a private Facebook page which is a fantastic resource for our families. The page is full of questions, ideas, pictures and more. Please click HERE to join the page.

Kudos: Thank you for being a part of this incredible community. Whether you are a new family or returning family, we are so happy you are here and chose Westlake Charter School. The 2021/22 school year will be fantastic and we are so glad you are a part of it!