K-12 Announcements

Fall Food Drive – We need 500 cans by 12/2 to do our can-struction project at the Chili Cook-Off: Our Annual Fall Food Drive benefiting Joey’s Food Locker runs now through Wednesday, December 4th, concluding with a can-struction project during our Annual Chili Cook-Off.  In order to successfully build the can-struction, and make a sizable donation this season, we’ll need approximately 500 cans by Monday, December 2nd!  Food collection bins are located in the reception area of each campus. Thank you for helping us give back to our Natomas community!

Family Survey: The Family Survey is taken three times a year. CLICK HERE to answer six questions to rate your family’s experience at Westlake Charter School during the 2024-25 school year. The deadline is Sunday, December 1st.

Here for the Hot Cocoa Attendance Challenge:  Our Here for the Hot Cocoa Attendance Challenge is back!  From December 2nd – 20th grade levels will be competing to win a hot cocoa celebration.  The grade level with the highest attendance percentage from K-5, middle school, and high school will win a hot cocoa celebration! More important than the hot cocoa is knowing that students who don’t show up for school regularly miss out on fundamental reading and math skills and the chance to build a habit of good attendance that will carry them into college and careers. 

Chili Cook-Off: We are excited for the upcoming, and always popular, Chili Cook-Off on Wednesday, December 4th from 5:30 – 7:00 PM on our K-8 campus. We invite every family to come sample chili and vote for their favorite!  The cost is $5 per person to try as much chili as you’d like.  Families of four or more are just $20.00. The winner of the Chili Cook-Off will take the Golden Spoon to display with pride for the next year! Each grade level will decorate one shared booth and have several different chilis to sample.  See below for details about how each grade level is participating.

• Kindergarten – 5th Grade: CLICK HERE to sign up to bring Desserts, Drinks, Spoons, and Napkins.
• 6th – 12th Grade: CLICK HERE to sign up to bring Chili or Booth Decorations.

Supply/Field Lesson Donations: Families, we need a little help! We have paid for all of our field lessons and school supplies in advance, but family donations have not all come in.  We know the start of the school year can be a whirlwind, so we are sending out a reminder to please CLICK HERE to donate to the student supplies and field lesson campaigns. There are options for one time, or monthly donations.  Without your support, we are not able to send our students on field lessons, nor design such engaging in-class learning opportunities, so thank you for any support you can offer!

2025-26  Lottery Application Window – Open December 1st: Our 2025-26  lottery opens on December 1st, including our freshman, sophomore,  junior and senior classes at Westlake Charter High School! Current students do not need to fill out an application to continue their enrollment at WCS; however, siblings do need to fill out lottery applications to attend. Spread the word and encourage friends and family to visit JoinWestlake.com to apply today. 

Giving Tuesday: Does your employer participate in giving Tuesday?  Do you know a local business who loves to give back to their community?  Giving Tuesday is coming up on December 3rd.  All proceeds go towards our Explorer Field Lessons.  So far we’ve received 25% of our donation goal to support Field Lessons. CLICK HERE to learn more about Giving Tuesday and share with your employer and your community.

20th Year Celebration Spotlight

This 20th Year Celebration Spotlight brings us Kate Burwinkel, an #Explorer Founding Teacher whose dedication and vision during the early years of #WestlakeCharter School played a crucial role in shaping the school’s success over the past two decades. Tune in to hear about some of Kate’s fondest #JoyfulLearning memories!

K-8 Announcements

After School Live – Explorer Enrichment Sign-ups: Our winter Explorer Enrichment programs are starting soon! CLICK HERE to see the catalog of Explorer Enrichment course offerings and information about how to sign up.

Spelling Bee:  It’s time for the annual Spelling Bee! Over the next few weeks, teachers will be hosting classroom Spelling Bees. Families of class winners will be notified before we head off to Winter Break. Our school Spelling Bee will be held on Wednesday, January 22nd @ 5:30 PM.

Learning Lab: Middle School students who are in need of support with their classwork and/or homework are invited to come to the Learning Lab after school.  The Learning Lab is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 3:15 – 3:45 PM and is staffed by an instructional aide to assist 6-8th Grade students with any subject area.  Families can sign up their Middle School student(s) by using School Dismissal Manager.

9-12 Announcements

UC & CSU Applications Due December 2nd: Senior Families! This is a reminder that CSU and UC college applications are due Monday, December 2nd. Remember that this is the Monday that students return from Thanksgiving Break. If your student needs support completing their application, please have them connect with their counselor during this upcoming week!  Students with last names beginning with A-K can reach out to Ms. Daud and students with last names beginning with L-Z can reach out to Ms. Fabbri.

Financial Aid Night: Join our WCHS Counseling Team on Monday, December 2nd at 5:30 PM for our Senior Financial Aid Night in the WCHS Gym.  This session will cover the FAFSA/CADAA process/deadlines, scholarships, grants, and loans as well as an opportunity to ask questions. Looking forward to seeing you there! CLICK HERE to RSVP. 

Cal-SOAP Senior Meetings: On Tuesday, December 3rd, Cal-SOAP will be on campus to meet with seniors for financial aid application assistance. Cal-SOAP is a program funded and administered by the California Student Aid Commission and strives to effectively communicate information about college education and financial aid opportunities. To get the most out of this visit students should learn their social security number if they have one and also be prepared to start their financial aid application which will ask for family income information.

Fall Semester Arts Showcase : Join us on Friday, December 6th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM for an evening celebrating our students’ creativity! Enjoy a gallery display of visual arts from the fall semester, and don’t miss the theater students’ performance at 6:45 PM. Please note, tickets for the theater performance are limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. We look forward to seeing you there!

Senior Grad Night: Attention Seniors and Families! WCHS’s Grad Night at Disneyland is happening May 18 – 19th! This unforgettable celebration will be filled with magic, memories, and fun as our graduating class comes together to mark this milestone. Students will enjoy access to Disneyland and California Adventure. CLICK HERE for details and to register.

2024-25 WCHS Yearbook: Attention WCHS Families! Act now and save by purchasing your WCHS yearbook for just $65 before Winter Break!  Please note that the yearbook price will increase to $75 after December 20th, so don’t wait! Our tiered pricing system means the earlier you buy, the more you save.  Capture a year of unforgettable moments – CLICK HERE to order your yearbook today!

Call for Coaches: We are excited to announce opportunities for dedicated and passionate individuals within our team to step into key coaching roles for the 2024 – 2025 WCHS Spring Season. We are seeking:

• Boys Varsity Volleyball Assistant Coach (SPRING 2025)
• Boys Junior Varsity Volleyball Coach (SPRING 2025)

If you’re interested, please reach out to our high school athletics team at [email protected].

Tickets for Basketball:  We have launched our Winter Sports season with Girls and Boys Basketball.  Entry is free for Westlake students, however all other spectators will need to purchase tickets for games.  CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for single games or Individual/Family Season Passes.

Log Your Volunteer Hours: It is time to log all of your hard earned volunteer hours thus far for the 2024-25 school year. It doesn’t matter when the volunteer time occurred, just that you log it this month. Do not forget to log hours for meetings attended, field lessons, at home prep work, Coffee Talks, WAVE Meetings and so much more!  CLICK HERE to log all your hours at once in just a couple of minutes.

Olympic Triathlon T-Shirts: Olympic Triathlon shirts will be delivered the first week back from Thanksgiving break.  Check with your classroom or advisory teacher to make sure you receive it by December 6th. Thank you for your patience, our printing and shipping company had delays with the stock. Any questions or issues, please email WAVE at [email protected].

Movie Night: Save the date for WAVE’s annual Movie Night in the K-8 Gym on December 13th at 5:30 PM.  An RSVP link will be available in soon.  Admission is free; refreshments will be available for purchase.

Coffee Talk: Join us for the next Coffee Talk on Thursday, December 5th at 8:30 AM in the Cafeteria on our K-8 Campus. Join us for Admin updates and lively discussions with other Westlake families.

Open WAVE Board Positions: We are gearing up for  our spring activities! If you want to be part of a planning committee or take on an advisory role, here are some areas where we would love your support:

• Local business partnerships
• Event planning for Movie Night, the Family Dance, and the International Festival
• Marketing and Communications
• Planning for Staff Appreciation Week
• Volunteer appreciation events
• High School activities for students and families

If you’re interested or have any questions, please email us at [email protected].

Kudos: Thank you to the families that came out to our November WAVE General Meeting and Parent Mixer. It was great to see your smiles and positive energy, despite the weather not being our best friend on Thursday.  Big shout out to Travis Russ, who was a first-time attendee to a WAVE meeting.  We look forward to seeing everyone at our Coffee Talk on December 5th!