Dear Westside Family,

Happy Friday Westside! I want to take time to thank you for being AMAZING partners in education for your kids! I often share with others how fortunate I am to lead such a special campus, but what makes it so special is YOU, the people! In any normal year, there will be natural obstacles that we overcome together but the past few years have truly highlighted how strong we all are to overcome obstacles none of us would have ever dreamed of! It is so nice to have already had a normal school year for our kids and for our people. I wish you a beautiful Thanksgiving with your families and I want you know how thankful I am for our #westsidestrong family! United together, makes our school a beautiful place to be!

Always the best,

Amanda Reyes Lillard

Principal

Westside's Annual Multicultural Night, paired with Winter Book Fair Kick Off, is the week we return! We have not been able to host this event for a few years and are thrilled to engage in this exciting night again! It will be held Thursday December 1st from 5:30-7:00 p.m. This event is a beautiful night where we share our families cultures with our community. If your family would like to host a performance, share music, food, cultural artifacts or a table, please click here to sign up.

Adjustments for Inclement Weather and Walker/Biker End of Day Dismissal

As we lived inclement weather at dismissal the 2nd day of school, we have found some tweaks to our system that will benefit our walker/biker families. When there is lightening and thunder in the area (yes that means rain may not be present), we are not allowed to release kids out into that weather without a parent/guardian. Car rider is easy because we place the student into the car. However we do have a large walker/biker group and we recognize that some of our families prefer to still pick up walker/biker during these times. Therefore we will respect your family decision during these events. Here is what we will do to create more options for our families:

• KG/1st Supervised Walkers and Big Kid Walkers who come pick up KG/1st sibling: They will be able to continue to be a walker but they are REQUIRED to have a parent/guardian there to allow us to release them to you. Once we release them to you, it is your parent decision to walk out in the weather. If you do not like this option, you would submit a transportation change for your children when we notify you of Inclement Weather Dismissal Plans.

• 2nd-5th Walkers (Big Kids): They will be able to continue to be a walker but they are REQUIRED to have a parent/guardian there to allow us to release them to you. Once we release them to you, it is your parent decision to walk out in the weather. This dismissal will occur by the exit doors closest to the garden or as we call it 2nd Grade Neighborhood Exit. If you do not like this option, you would submit a transportation change for your children when we notify you of Inclement Weather Dismissal Plans via REMIND.

For more information, please read our S'more!

Friday Newsletter via Smore

November 21 - December 2

November 14 - 18, 2022

November 7 - 11, 2022