Dear Explorer Families, 

We are writing today to announce that we are extending our upcoming break by one day. We are terribly sorry for the short notice, and we will make sure BASE is open if you need child care during this non-student day on January 3rd.

We are going to use January 3rd as a teacher work day, we hope that you can understand our reasoning. Educator burnout is making national news headlines and while we are all so fortunate to work at a school we love, this year has been challenging. We know that teachers often work during these unpaid break times.This year, however, we are asking our teachers to rest and recharge. Each of our teachers have work that will tempt them over break. By offering a teacher work day on January 3rd, we believe that our students will benefit from a well rested and prepared staff so that we can have an incredible second half of the school year. 

We understand that non-student days place an extra burden on our families, and having short notice makes it even more difficult. I am sorry for this inconvenience, but I promise we would not do this if we did not feel it was a benefit to our students. 

Last night, at our WCS Board meeting, the board authorized a revised calendar, with three teacher work days: January 3rd (the day after winter break), February 28 (the day after February break), and April 19th (the day after spring break). 

Click here to read the board brief on this calendar modification and 

Click here to watch the board discussion on YouTube. 

Click here for the updated calendar. 

Families, today was our Olympic Triathlon Event, and we are so thankful to have had over 20 parent volunteers on campus. We appreciate your support and look forward to more opportunities to bring families on campus and collaborate during the new year. 

Thank you for supporting our teachers with these work days. It will help each of them better serve your students. If you have any questions, thoughts or concerns regarding this, please reach out to our team directly at [email protected].

Sincerely, 

John Eick

Executive Director
Westlake Charter School

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