WESTGATE WEEKLY
WESTGATE ELEMENTARY 500 S. Dwyer Ave. Arlington Heights, Illinois 60005 847 398-4292
February 28, 2014 Volume VII
WEEKLY CALENDAR Monday, 3/3 Fifth Grade Act Practice until 4:45 Tuesday, 3/4 - PTA Parent to Parent 7:00 pm Wednesday, 3/5 - Band practice - 8:15 am Art Club for 2nd Grade until 5:00 pm Amazing Minds until 4:45 pm - Room 169 Thursday, 3/6 Young Rembrandts until 4:45 pm - Room 118
Last call to order Yearbooks.... Yearbooks are available only through preorder no extras are printed! If you would like one for your student, forms and money ($15.00) must be received in the front office no later than Monday, March 3rd!
Westgate Electronics Recycling Drive Come out in support of the Westgate PTA and Girl Scout Troop 40096 with a donation of your recyclable electronic. On Saturday, March 1, from 9am-12. Acceptable items include: Computers/laptops Printers/scanners/fax Cell phones and PDA A/V equipment Appliances Batteries For a more comprehensive list go to www.naerecycling.com If you have a large pick up or cannot make the event call New Age Electronics Recycling (800)591-5697. They will pick up, but be sure to mention it’s for the Westgate If you have any further questions email Daniella Sents (PTA Ecology Committee Chair and Brownie Troop Leader; 40096)
[email protected]
LMC news... Since December, many of our students have been busy reading the nominees for the Illinois Readers' Choice Awards. Children in grades K-2 are eligible to vote for the Monarch Award, and children in grades 3-5 are eligible to vote for the Bluestem Award. Primary students must have read (or have read to them) at least 3 of the 20 titles, and Intermediate students must have read (or have read to them) at least 4 of the 20 titles. We vote during the lunch periods on
A special thanks to all the Movie Night volunteers! We have had two successful movies nights this year, and it could not have been done without the support of our volunteers. Jill Collins PTA VP Ways and Means
Monday, March 3rd!!
Our Heart of Gold - Tracy Marchetti On Saturday, February 8, 2014, the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce honored citizens who contribute their time and talent to better the world around them. There were eleven honorees and our own Tracy Marchetti, PTA Beautification Chair, was the recipient of the Beautification Heart of Gold! Tracy has spent countless hours working to improve the landscaping at Westgate. We very much appreciate all her efforts and were thrilled to have her recognized by the Village of Arlington Heights. Thank you to Karen Wenzel for beginning the nominating process. It was a heart warming evening of unselfish acts performed by our neighbors to better the community. Congratulations, Tracy, and thank you so much from your Westgate family!
The results are in! The counting of the Boxtops and Campbells soup labels is complete. We collected 6586 boxtops, earning $628.60 for the school to buy cool things. We have collected 3,465 Campbells Labels For Education, which can be redeemed for sports, music and art equipment. We also earned 20 bonus books for our Labels for Education! Well done everyone! The winners of the class competition is Mrs. Jensen's 3rd Grade Class with 1244 points. Congratulations, you have earned a pizza party! Second place goes to Mrs. Gogliotti/Smith's 1st Grade class with 969. Congratulations, you have earned an ice cream party! Well done to Mr. Lamich's 5th grade class, a close 3rd with 819 points. The next closest class had 500 points. Thank-you to all those who sent in labels. You can continue to send them in this year, and remember to keep collecting them over the summer for next October's competition.
And the "Oscar goes to......." All the volunteers that helped out with Westgate's "Goin' Hollywood Fun Fair 2014"! It is such a great experience for me to work with all the volunteers, from planning, set-up, and the clean-up volunteers. Special kudos to my co-chairs, Julie Birenbaum and Karen Erfort for all their efforts with this big undertaking. Thank you to all WE staff for putting in the time and effort helping out after a long school day, or if you attended with your family. I appreciate it and our students love it! Thank you to Daniel Mendoza for all the set up help and our evening custodians for the 'extra' clean up. We appreciate the help of the RMHS & SMS students that came and worked the fair. Fun Fair is a great Westgate tradition! I love being part it and providing a fun family evening and could not do it without ALL of our volunteers! Much thanks & appreciation. Jill Knaack Fun Fair Committee Chair
In 2014-2015, Westgate will add 3/4 multiage classrooms. This will complement our current 1/2 multiage con`iguration. Parents of current kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd grade students may share their interest in participating in a multiage environment. As a school, we will work hard to place all children in the “best” learning environment while maintaining our philosophical approach to diverse learning environments. Please take some time to learn about multiage classrooms. Last week, in the Westgate Weekly, I shared some thoughts about Westgate’s diverse learning environment. I will continue to share more information about our classrooms. Please share your question with me, Caz Some Characteristics of a Multiage classroom... *The philosophy that all children learn, but at different rates and learning is a continuous process-‐ there is no ceiling! *When learning is developmentally appropriate and individualized, students experience a greater level of success and self-‐esteem. *Students may feel secure and more con@ident to take risks because they are in the same classroom for two years. *There is a high level of differentiation to address all student levels and while multi-‐age concept is child-‐centered, it is highly structured and organized. *The multiage philosophy rejects a "de@icit model" that focuses on what a child doesn't know, rather than on what a child does know. This focus on success keeps the child engaged in the learning process. *Successful multi-‐age classrooms are formed by placing together a balance of numbers of students from different age groups with a range of achievement levels. *Social/emotional development is high as there are many opportunities for cooperative learning. *Younger students are exposed to material above grade level and they gain from this exposure and peer mentors. *Older students bene@it from continuing their learning with a teacher that already knows them and where they are on the learning continuum. They have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills. *Children look to each other and not just to the teacher for learning opportunities. Multiage Education Is Not … *Looping. Looping exists when a class of students from one grade advances to the next grade with the same teacher. The students have the same entire set of classmates for two years. *Combination, or split-grade classrooms. These classrooms are usually formed out of necessity, often for budgetary reasons. Students from two grade levels are within the same classroom, but each set of students is being taught the curriculum for their particular grade level. The students work with the others who are in the same grade, rather than blending together. *Homogeneously grouping, for example, the classes are formed by intentionally placing all of the lower ability @ifth-‐graders with all of the higher ability fourth-‐graders. *Less structured than traditional classrooms. A person could easily walk into a multiage classroom and then a straight grade classroom and not be able to tell which was which. *Overwhelming for the younger students. There is a range of ability levels across the class, so the teacher is paying attention to each individual’s needs. It is not at all unusual to have a student from the lower grade working at a level above a student from the higher grade.
Paul Solarz Wins Illinois Compu2ng Educators “2014 Educator of the Year Award” Paul Solarz, Westgate Elementary School teacher in Arlington Heights School District 25, has been selected as the 2014 winner of the Illinois CompuFng Educators “Educator of the Year” award. Mr. Solarz will be presented with his award at the opening General Session of the Illinois CompuFng Educators (ICE) State Conference, held February 25 – 28, 2014, at the Pheasant Run Resort and ConvenFon Center in St. Charles, Illinois. Each year Illinois CompuFng Educators selects one educator in each of two categories – one teacher and one technology administrator, for this presFgious award. Educators are nominated for this award by colleagues, fellow teachers, students, and school administrators who feel that the nominee has made outstanding contribuFons to the integraFon of technology and the improvement of teaching and learning in their school or district. Once nominated, candidates must complete an extensive applicaFon process that is reviewed, evaluated, and scored by members of the ICE Educator of the Year CommiVee. SelecFons are then confirmed by the ICE ExecuFve Board for final approval. Mr. Solarz is a grade 5 teacher in Westgate Elementary School in Arlington Heights School District 25. Students in his class use technology throughout their school day to complete numerous acFviFes, such as book talks, posFng reading discussions on TwiVer, using Google Drive and Google PresentaFon to work collaboraFvely with each other, and engaging in online global student projects. One favorite student acFvity is to parFcipate in Mr. Solarz’s Mystery Skype sessions. Mr. Solarz states, “ Technology is not the reason for a lesson, but a tool to help my students learn beVer. Technology can be novel, moFvaFng, and can make learning easier!” Mr. Solarz, who has achieved NaFonal Board Teacher CerFficaFon, is a very acFve member of his school and district professional development teams serving on the district technology commiVee, the WIRED VerFcal Cohort, and the Passion Time/Genius Hour commiVee and as a pilot teacher for this program. At the state and naFonal/world level, he maintains a professional blog and is very acFve using TwiVer (@PaulSolarz). He was named as one of CybaryMan’s TwiVer Mavens for 5th Grade and Genius Hour. Paul has been instrumental in co-‐organizing EdCampChicago 2013 that had 200 teachers in aVendance this past summer. He parFcipated as a member of the PennFinn13 Team that traveled to Finland to learn how students are using technology and learning 21st Century skills. Most recently he was asked by ABC 7 News Chicago to do a news piece on his Mystery Skype adventures in his classroom. About The Illinois Compu2ng Educators The mission of the ICE statewide organizaFon is to promote the development, growth, and use of technology in all facets of educaFon. The Educator of the Year award has been designed to honor ICE members from throughout the state of Illinois who are exemplary educators and leaders at the school or district level, and who have made significant contribuFons leading to the integraFon of technology into the educaFonal process. ICE is truly grateful to the many outstanding nominees each year, and for all they do for children in Illinois schools. The true winners are students in the many school districts throughout the state where these outstanding educators teach and work. You can learn more about ICE by visiFng www.iceberg.org
Congratulations, Mr. Solarz, from your Westgate family!!!
An Important Reminder: Please be sure your children are equipped for outside recess. Hat, gloves, and boots are essential in this cold weather. Also, with the snow and ice, please be extra cautious when driving and walking in the parking lot and the surrounding school grounds. Drive SLOWLY and keep an eye out for the children!
Save the Date: The Variety Show will be Friday, April 4th, 6:00 pm, at South Middle School.
The 2014-2015 calendar is available on the district website!
Report Cards and Placement Information Due to the snow days we've had thus far, we are not holding our annual spring parent-teacher conferences this year. Report cards will be sent home on Friday, March 14th. As we would do at any other time of the school year, should you have questions or concerns about your child's progress, you can contact your child's teacher at any time. Placement information for the 2014-2015 school year has been sent home through backpack express. Please take the time to review the letter. This is the most appropriate way to participate in the placement process.
Lunch Times 1st & 2nd - 11:35 - 12:35 3rd & 4th - 12:35 - 1:35 5th - 12:05 - 1:05
www.westgate25PTA.org/ Volunteering
REPORTING AN ABSENCE OR TARDY Phone the Attendance Hotline anytime to leave a message: 847- 506- 6999 x- 7400 DAILY SCHEDULE The school day begins at 9:05. The first bell rings at 8:55 and children will enter the building. There is no supervision earlier than 8:50, so please do not drop off your children prior to then. The second bell rings at 9:05 and students arriving after that bell will need to sign in at the office.
Click on the links below to see all the wonderful things going on at Westgate: Art Room Happenings Coach K's Blog Mac-ski Social Work Blog Music Happenings Blog Principal Badynee's Blog
The Westgate PTA has a brand new, on-line volunteer interest form to check out!
This survey shows activities with volunteer needs between now and the end of this school year. Come join the fun! Westgate appreciates any time you can donate to help round out your child’s education. Contact: Dawn Dalton, volunteer chair, with any questions.
[email protected]
PTA Sunshine Committee...
If you would like to help out on occasion or if you have a temporary need, please call our Sunshine Committee Chair, Carrie Galvan at (847) 670-‐1856 or
[email protected].
Language Stars Schedule Mandarin Thursday after school - K, 1, 2 - Rm. 133 Spanish Monday after school - K, 1, 2 - LMC Thursday before school - K, 1, 2 - LMC Wednesday before school - 3, 4, 5 - Rm. 211 Wednesday 12:35 pm - 3, 4, 5 - LMC