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

Health and safety: Please see our Health and Safety Guidebook and our COVID Dashboard on the Return to Schools website.  

While the Omicron surge has presented some extreme challenges for our community in January, we are hopeful that the next several months are less stressful and more joyful. Just before the Omicron surge it felt like the community was beginning to rebuild, we had families on campus for our Olympic Triathlon Day, and gathered together for our staff  party. Each of these events made it feel like we were heading toward reconnecting as a community. While the Omicron surge has not yet fully subsided, we are thankful for high vaccination rates, the availability of testing, and the reduced ratios of severe illness associated with Omicron, when compared with previous variants. With all of this in mind, the CDPH has issued Mega Event guidelines for gatherings of 5000 or more to help mitigate the spread of the virus. While our school dance will certainly not qualify as a “mega-event” by CDPH standards, in an abundance of caution we have opted to follow these guidelines while planning upcoming events such as our Middle School and High School Dances.  We are hopeful that further guidelines such as these will help us facilitate more opportunities to safely connect our community and allow our students developmentally appropriate opportunities to thrive.

Reporting COVID-19 Positive Tests and Exposure: If your student has tested positive to COVID-19, or has been exposed to someone who tested positive off campus, please CLICK HERE to complete this form and our contact tracing team will follow up. 

Hearing/Vision: We will have our annual hearing and vision screening on February 17th and 18th. The screenings are for Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 8th grade students. Letters went home on Friday. If you would like your student to opt out, please email [email protected]. 

February Break and Staff workday: Westlake Charter School will be closed Monday, February 21st through Monday, February 28th for February Break. Monday, February 28th will be a staff work day, there will be no school for students. Students will return to school on Tuesday, March 1st. 

BASE over February break: Families, we want to hear from you: are you interested in sending your Explorer(s) to BASE over the upcoming February break? If so, please CLICK HERE to let us know. Your responses will help us decide if we offer a camp and what it would look like. If enough families are interested, we will share registration information in the coming weeks.

High School Winter Dance:  We are excited to announce our Winter Wonderland Formal! The Formal will be held on February 12, 2022 from 6:00-9:00 PM outdoors at the Natomas Park Clubhouse. Tickets will be on sale for $7 on campus in the commons during lunch. Current Westlake Charter High School students only can attend this event.  Attendees are required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or negative results test within 48 hours of the dance. The ticket interest/verification form must be filled out in advance  CLICK HERE to complete the proof of vaccine or negative test form for your student if they are planning to attend the dance. This dance is a formal dance but students do not need to rent tuxedos or purchase anything formal.  Dinner will not be served during the dance but we will have light refreshments.

Leading up to the dance we will also have a Spirit Week:

• Monday: Inside/Out Day- Come Dressed as your favorite character from Inside Out
• Tuesday: Beanie Day- Wear a beanie in honor of winter
• Wednesday: Summer Day- Say hello to the opposite of the Winter Months by coming dressed in summer clothes
• Thursday: Celebrity Day-  Come dressed as a celebrity or wear a t-shirt with your favorite celebrity
• Friday: Shades of Winter- Dress in the shades of winter

Middle School Dance:  We will have our middle school dance on Friday, February 18th.  The 6th and 7th Grade Dance will be at 5:00pm, while the  8th Grade Dance will take place at 6:30pm.  This dance will be held outside in covered dining and there will be some other opportunities to socialize by playing board games inside.  We will ask students to sign up to attend the dance during lunch the week before the event. Attendees are required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or negative results test within 48 hours of the dance. We are excited for this opportunity for our students! CLICK HERE if you are interested in volunteering to support the dance.  

8th Grade Families – Save the Date 3/4:  We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a High School Shadow Day for our 8th grade students.  The shadow day will be on Friday, March 4th. More details to follow.

In case you missed it…

Walking School Bus-Help Needed: We desperately need adult volunteers to join our daily Walking School Bus. Can you walk to school with your student and other Explorers 1-5 mornings a week? The walk begins at Burberry Park at 8am and adults arrive back to the park by 8:30am. It is a fantastic way to start the day and volunteer with students. Please email [email protected] to get started. 

Weekly Surveillance Testing  After School: It’s not too late to participate in the weekly surveillance testing for students. CLICK HERE to pre-register your student. Testing takes place on Wednesdays – at the high school from 1:00-1:30PM and at the K-8 from 1:30-2:00 PM. Email [email protected] with any questions. 

COVID Symptoms: If your student has any COVID-19 symptoms, please keep them home until they are symptom free for 24 hours. Symptoms include: Fever over 100.4, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle/body aches, cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell. If your student has any of those symptoms, please keep them home until they are symptom-free for 24 hours and email [email protected] to report their absence. 

Volunteer Opportunities:  Do you have a passion for planning events? Do you prefer focusing on fundraising? Can you help an hour a month from home? We have an opportunity for everyone to get involved! CLICK HERE to take a look at committee descriptions to decide which one is the best fit then send an email to [email protected] to learn more or get started. Not sure which committee sounds best? No problem, we can help! Just send an email to let us know what you are looking for. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Shopping to Educate: Westlake Charter School earns money when supporters submit receipts from select shopping centers in the Sacramento area. Shop at Loehmann’s Plaza, Lake Crest Village or Citrus Town Center and submit receipts online at marketingguru.com/receipts to earn points for WCS. This includes dining at any of the restaurants at the centers! Learn more by CLICKING HERE.

Kudos: Thank you to the families who have joined our WAVE meetings and Coffee Talks over the past few months. This is a great way to connect with other families, hear from our administration and ask questions. We hope to see you at our next Coffee Talk on February 15th and WAVE meeting on March 1st.