WSMS & WSA SPRING SPIRIT WEEK 2015

April 27 – May 1, 2015

 
Show your school spirit and join in the fun!

Check out the beatiful new TWIG Auction Catalog

DATE
Saturday, April, 4, 2015

EVENING AGENDA
5:30 Doors open Silent Auction open, Raffle tickets and Wine Grab for purchase
6:45 Silent Auction closes, guests are seated, Welcome from Angela Sears Ximenes
7:00 Call for dinner, Emcee directs
7:25 Dessert Dash
7:40 Recognition from POMS President Brenda Griswold
7:45 Live Auction with Auctioneer Andy Kleitsch
8:45 Raffle Drawings
9:15 Check out

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March 12, 2015

@ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Wear your pajamas and bring your favorite blanket or stuffed animal and listen to stories read by our own teacher and parent. Stuff your own pillow or make a bookmark.

USED BOOK EXCHANGE CHILD & ADULT

Please send your used book to the school for the book exchange ASAP

Volunteers are needed to help! Please contact Dolores in the Main Office at 206.935.0427.

If you are able to help out with this fun night.  We would like for the children to be able to make pillows, but will not be able to if we do not get enough volunteers to help with this activity.

West Seattle Montessori School & Academy

Fostering independence and intellectual curiosity,
stimulating personal growth, and encouraging innovation and a love of learning!

MARCH 2015

We hope to see you all at our annual TWIG auction on Saturday, April 4 at the Hall at Fauntleroy. Invitations were sent home last week and we anticipate a successful and fun night out!

Last year, your amazing TWIG contributions helped purchase some spectacular curriculum enrichment items, including advanced and specialty Montessori materials and furniture, magnificent technology upgrades, classroom gardening and compost works and more! This year, your contributions will support building expansion and growth, providing a dedicated space that will enrich experiences for you and your children! We envision this extra space will be used for specialized student classes, all-school assemblies, large school events and POMS parent group meetings!

To better help you see our vision, we invite you to COME WALKTHROUGH THE SPACE THAT YOU ARE CONTRIBUTING TOWARD the night of the Science Fair on Thursday, March 19 from 5:30-7:00PM!

ANNOUNCEMENTS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• BRAVO to all our 1st through 8th grade students for their extraordinary performances of Shrek! Jr. What an amazing group of students, faculty and staff we have at WSMS & WSA! An special THANK YOU to Mary Springer, Dawn Dort, and Sarah Edwards for their countless hours of hard work!
• THANK YOU to all who participated in the lower elementary Diaper Drive efforts in February. Your help and support is much appreciated!
• THANK YOU to all who have donated to our TWIG Auction so far. We have some fabulous items and hope to see you all on April 4!
• Our pre-primary performance of The Three Little Pigs will take place at the Chief Sealth High School Theater on Tuesday, April 7 at 7pm.
• The pre-primary classes will be leading our community outreach efforts for the month of March by collecting funds for the Heifer International Project beginning March 2 and ending March 19. All classes are invited to participate. A collection jar will be located in the main office. The preschool children will then happily sort and count the money they have raised!
• Don’t miss the WSMS & WSA Science Fair on Thursday, March 19! Pre-Primary family viewing time will be 5:30-6:30pm. Elementary and Middle School family viewing time will be 6:00-7:00pm.
• Our Annual Family Reading Night will take place Thursday, March 12 from 6:00-7:30pm. Save the date to this all time favorite event!
• Last month, classrooms focused on the virtue RESPECT. This month we will focus on the virtue RELIABILITY.
• Middle school students and teachers will be participating in their annual Road Research trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival coming up, March 30-April 3. We wish them a fun and memorable learning experience!
• Our next POMS (Parents Of Montessori Students) parent group meeting is Wednesday, March 4 at 7:00pm. Mark your calendars!
• 2015 Summer Sessions are still open for enrollment, but are filling up quickly! To reserve your child a space in one of our camps, please sign up in the Main Office.

REMINDERS

• Please send a warm jacket, appropriate shoes, and gloves to school with your child daily. It can get really chilly outside these days!
• Please keep your child home if she or he is not feeling well. We are doing our best to make sure students are staying healthy and happy at school!
• WSMS Snow Policy: Administration will contact classroom teachers in regards to snow day closures the morning of the day in question. Teachers will then email families as to whether or not school is in session. KOMO4, KIRO7, and KING5 news stations will also be called and will display West Seattle Montessori School & West Seattle Academy status. Our website will also announce the closure or delay.

West Seattle Montessori School
West Seattle Academy

DECEMBER 2014

What a wonderful (and cold) November it was at West Seattle Montessori School & West Seattle Academy. It is hard to believe December is already here and we only have a week and a half until Winter Break!

THANK YOU to everyone that came to our Dinner for the Arts. It was a smashing success! A total of $6,200 will go directly to the arts program at WSMS & WSA, allowing our students to participate in professional quality theater experiences and making it possible for a specialized art time for our pre-primary and lower elementary classes. To those of you who purchased a dessert, class basket or live auction item, THANK YOU for your extra support. A special THANKS to Leah Kyle, Tracie Champion, Megan Beck and Cindy Oliver (POMS President), and all the wonderful volunteers!

BRAVO to all our 1st through 8th grade students who sang at the Dinner for the Arts. You all did a fantastic job and we are all looking forward to your performances of Shrek this February!

THANK YOU to all who participated in last month’s community outreach, thanking our local responders. My husband and I had a wonderful time dropping off the letters and the posters created by Student Families to our local White Center firefighters last week.

WATCH US GROW UPDATE! As of December 1, 2014 we have received nearly ~$5,000 for sprinkler system enhancements at our new Annex space through our Watch Us Grow support leaf program . A HUGE THANK YOU to those of you who have participated!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Each month, it is one of our goals at WSMS & WSA to do something that will help support our community in some way. This month we are holding a Crayola Crayon Drive to support the Seattle Children’s Hospital and a H.O.P.E. Drive to help provide giftwrapping materials to families in need. Both of these drives will end on December 12, so bring in your contributions soon!
• Last month, classrooms focused on the virtue GENTELNESS. This month we will focus on the virtue CARING.
• Our first POMS (Parents Of Montessori Students) Parent Group Meeting of the year will be held on Wednesday, January 7 at 7:00pm. Mark your calendars!
• FareStart Order Forms for January thru March lunches will be distributed to classes December 10, 2014. These forms will be DUE on or before the end of the day on Thursday, December 18. No late enrollment forms will be accepted.
• Pizza Friday Order Forms for January/February lunches (as well as a one time opportunity to order for the rest of the school year lunches) have been distributed. These forms are DUE on or before Wednesday, January 7.
• Admission packets for 2014-2015 will be sent home with your child the first week in January. Keep an eye out for this important paperwork! Please note that all applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

REMINDERS

• Please send a warm jacket, appropriate shoes, and gloves to school with your child daily. It can get really chilly outside these days!
• Please keep your child home if she or he is not feeling well. We are doing our best to make sure students are staying healthy and happy at school!
• Our Lost & Found is located in the main corridor (the clothing rack on the right hand side of the Blue Green Hall). Please note all items that are not labeled or claimed before the last Friday of each month will be donated.
• WSMS Snow Policy: Administration will contact classroom teachers in regards to snow day closures the morning of the day in question. Teachers will then email families as to whether or not school is in session. KOMO4, KIRO7, and KING5 news stations will also be called and will display West Seattle Montessori School & West Seattle Academy status. Our website will also announce the closure or delay.

UPCOMING EVENTS

December 1-12
Crayola Crayon Drive & H.O.P.E. Drive

December 19
HALF DAY
Early Dismissals
(12:00pm, Pre-Primary through Grade 3; 11:30am, Grades 4-8)
NO After School Care
Winter Break Begins

December 22 to January 2
NO SCHOOL
Winter Break

January 5
School Resumes

January 7
POMS Parent Group Meeting
7pm

5:30 Doors Open – All are Welcome!

Tickets available through our school website or at the door. Mark your seat with a place card, mingle, peruse the silent/ live auction items, bid on a dessert or other silent auction items, BUY A RAFFLE TICKET $3 for one, $5 for two.

See attached PDF for more info : [ Pasta Dinner for the Arts Reminder ]

I am sure you were all just as heartbroken about the shooting in Marysville as I was.  It is so devastating to know young lives were taken by the hands of another student.  In response to this horrible tragedy, I wanted to share some important key messages and tips from the School Safety Resource Center for parents to review and consider when speaking to their child/ren about school safety and acts of violence.  Please also view the list of regular safety drills we conduct, as well as what procedures you should follow as parents/school visitor/volunteer when drills are being conducted while you are at the school.

At WSMS & WSA, the safety and security of our students is our number one priority.  Please talk with your children about how to respond when unexpected things happen and remind them how important it is to listen to their teachers and respond appropriately.

Warmly,
Angela Sears Ximenes, Director
West Seattle Montessori School & Academy

Talking to Children about School Safety

Information for children should be based entirely on their need, developmental age, and relationship/proximity to the crisis event. The goal is to reassure students that although there is always a possibility of violence occurring in a school, the probability of a school experiencing a high profile violent act is extremely low. The following are some suggested general key points that can be adapted to your school or classroom or for parents. See developmental guidelines below.

Key Messages to Convey:

• Schools are safe places. Teachers, parents and local police and fire departments work together to keep you safe.
• We all play an important role in school safety. Be observant and let an adult know if you see or hear something that makes you feel uncomfortable, nervous or frightened, or if you hear threats of dangerous behavior or suicide.
• There is a difference between reporting dangerous behavior, and tattling or gossiping. You can provide important information that may prevent harm either directly or anonymously by telling a trusted adult what you know or hear.
• Although there is no absolute guarantee that something bad will never happen, it is important to understand the difference between the possibility of something happening and probability that it will affect you and our school community.
• Senseless violence is hard for everyone to understand. Doing things that you enjoy, sticking to your normal routine, and being with friends and family help make us feel better and keep us from worrying about the event.
• Sometimes people do bad things that hurt others. They may be unable to handle their anger, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or suffering from a mental illness. Adults (parents, teachers, police officers, doctors, faith leaders) work very hard to get those people help and keep them from hurting others. It is important for all of us to know how to get help if we feel really upset or angry and to stay away from drugs and alcohol.
• Stay away from guns and other weapons. Tell an adult if you know someone has a gun. Access to guns is one of the leading risk factors for deadly violence.
• Violence is never a solution to personal problems. Students can be part of the positive solutions by participating in violence prevention programs at schools, learning conflict mediation skills, and seeking help from an adult if they or a peer is struggling with anger, depression, suicidal thoughts, or other emotions they cannot control.

Helpful Guidelines to Keep in Mind When Talking with Children about School Safety:

1. Any conversation with a student must be developmentally appropriate.

Young children need brief simple information that should be balanced with reassurance that their school and homes are safe and that adults are there to protect them. They are not able to process the complexities of violence in the same way that adolescents and young adults are prepared to discuss the issue. Young children often gauge how threatening or serious an event is by adult reactions. Listen for misinformation or misconceptions and share facts as developmentally appropriate. Young children respond well to basic assurance by adults and simple examples of school safety, like reminding children about exterior doors being locked, child monitoring efforts on the playground, and emergency drills practiced during the school day.

Upper elementary and early middle school children will be more vocal in asking questions about whether they are truly safe and what is being done at their school. They may need assistance separating reality from fantasy. Discuss efforts of school and community leaders to provide safe schools.

Upper middle school and high school students may have strong and varying opinions about causes of violence in school and society. They may share concrete suggestions about how to make the school safer and how to prevent such tragedies. Emphasize the role that students have the maintaining safe schools by following school safety guidelines (e.g. not providing building access to strangers, reporting strangers on campus, reporting threats to school safety made by students or community members, etc.), communicating any personal safety concerns to school administrators, and accessing support for their emotional needs.

2. Keep communication open between schools and parents. Schools are encouraged to keep parents informed about how they are responding to student questions and any type of support that has been available for students struggling with any crisis. If teachers working with older students choose to have classroom discussion about the event linked to their instructional activities, parents should be made aware of these activities and any suggestions for following up at home should be offered.

3. Make time if children want to talk and observe children’s emotional state. Let student questions be your guide as to how much information to provide. Watch for clues that they might want to talk, but understand that not all children will want or need to talk about these events. Encourage parents to talk with children, validate their feelings and observe their child’s emotional state. Some children may not express their concerns verbally. Be aware of signs that children might be in distress, e.g., changes in behavior, anxiety, sleep problems, acting out, problems at school or with academic work.

4. Be conscious of media exposure and what adults say about the event. Limit television viewing (be aware if the television is on in common areas). Developmentally inappropriate information can cause anxiety or confusion, particularly in young children. Adults also need to be mindful of the content of the conversations that they have with each other and in front of children, even teenagers. Limit children’s exposure to comments that might be misunderstood.

5. Reinforce student strengths and focus on normal routines and activities. Some high profile school tragedies may prompt a public response depending upon the developmental levels of the students and the school or community’s history of related events, or proximity to the crisis. Normal routines help establish a sense of calm and predictability important to maintaining effective learning environments.

6. Consider the cultures, traditions, religious and family/community values of students in any school It is important that schools respect the values, traditions, beliefs and customs of the students and their families impacted by the crisis. Remember, not everyone processes strong emotions through conversation. Some children and adults may need to respond through art, poetry, prayer, or activity.

The safety and security of students is our top priority at WSMS & WSA.
Please feel free to contact the main office with any other questions or concerns you may have regarding school safety.

WSMS & WSA Emergency Safety Drills

Fire Drills
Fire Drills are conducted monthly at WSMS.  All children are quickly and quietly lined up and are led outside by the classroom teacher and assistant.  Emergency paperwork, epi-pens and emergency kits are taken outside by the teacher.  All staff personnel, teachers, and students line up outside on the playground blacktop in their classroom lines.

Parent/Volunteer Procedures:
If you are at WSMS during a fire drill, please exit the building immediately.  If you are in the hallway or main office, you will be directed outside to the playground.  If you are in a classroom, please exit with the class.

Please note that evacuation maps are located in all classrooms.

Lock-Down Drills
Lock-Down Drills are conducted quarterly and are conducted by the classroom teacher or by the main office, in which a “Lockdown” is announced over the loud speaker. A lockdown is conducted when threats are posed from outside or inside the building. These threats could include a violent person attempting to enter the school, a perpetrator already inside, or nearby criminal or terrorist activity.  During a lockdown, all students are positioned out of the line of sight of doors and windows. All doors and windows are locked and remained locked until local authorities advice us that it is safe/the drill is over.   No one is permitted to leave or enter the building during a lockdown.

Parent/Volunteer Procedures:
If you are at WSMS during a lockdown, please go to the closest classroom immediately.  If you are in a classroom already, do not leave the room and do as directed by the classroom teacher.

Earthquake Drills
Earthquake Drills are conducted quarterly and may be conducted by the classroom teacher or by the main office, in which an “Earthquake” is announced over the loud speaker.

During an earthquake drill, teachers direct the children to “drop, cover and hold” and remain that way until the earth stops moving/the drill is over, after which the class evacuates the classroom and lines up outside on the playground blacktop. Emergency paperwork, epi-pens and emergency kits are taken outside by the teacher.

Parent/Volunteer Procedures:
If you are at WSMS during a earthquake drill, please “Drop, Cover and Hold” and remain that way until the earth stops moving/the drill is over, after which you should exit the building and join the rest of the school outside to the playground.  If you are in a classroom, please exit with the class.

The safety and security of students is our top priority at WSMS.  Please feel free to contact the main office with any other questions or concerns you may have about WSMS & WSA Emergency Safety Drills.

NOVEMBER 2014

October was filled with many exciting and educational outings for our students at WSMS & WSA.  Trips to the Seattle Children’s Theater and Remlinger Farms, Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, Family Skate Night, and an exciting Fall Spirit Week rounded out the month. THANK YOU to all who participated and contributed in making all these events and adventures possible for our students!

This year we will host a Fall Open House in preparation for enrollment in January.  New and returning families are welcome to join us for a fabulous night of cookies, curriculum and conversation. If you are unable to join us and would like to gain more information about your child’s next step, we would be happy take you on a tour of the next level or to answer any questions you may have about your child’s future at WSMS & WSA.  We will also have Open Houses on Saturday, January 24 from 1:00-3:00pm and Thursday, February 25 from 6:00-7:30pm.

Observations are currently underway in the pre-primary classrooms.  Lower elementary observations will begin on Monday, November 10.  It has been nice to see many parents and family members around the school.  If you have not signed up for your conference yet, please be sure to contact your classroom teacher to set up a time.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• We are currently looking for classroom substitutes at WSMS. If you are interested, please contact the Main Office at 206-935-0427 or at wsmontessori@aol.com.
• In October, we focused on the virtue COURTESY.  In November, we will be focusing on the virtue GENTLENESS.
• On Wednesday, November 26, teachers, students, and administrative staff of West Seattle Montessori and West Seattle Academy will come together to take part in an all-school program called Student Families.  Each ‘family’ will contain students from each level of our school (middle school, upper elementary, lower elementary, and pre-primary), as well as, a teacher and assistant or administrative staff member.  These families will meet on all half-days throughout the year, learning lessons prepared from assigned Student Leaders (middle school students).
• For our Community Outreach this month WSMS & WSA will be celebrating first responders!  First responders are those men and women who, in the early stages of an emergency, are responsible for the protection and preservation of life, property, evidence and the environment. They include police officers, firefighters, military personnel, paramedics, medical evacuation pilots, dispatchers, nurses, doctors, emergency medical technicians and emergency managers.  First responders are volunteers and professionals who have dedicated their lives to public service. Their life-saving skills often make the difference between life and death. Their public service deserves to be recognized and honored. We would encourage our students to write letters of thanks and appreciation to our first responders during the month of November and bring them into school.  We will be collecting these letters in a marked box in the school office.  When they are all collected, we will be delivering them.

REMINDERS

Bring in your Box Tops for Education! Under the POMS board in the hallway there is a clear collection box for Box Tops for Education.  Every couple months we collect the Box Tops from the collection box and turn send them in for money that goes directly towards purchasing books for our Student Families program.  These books then automatically become apart of each classroom library.  Box Tops can be found on many of your favorite food items, apparel, paper products, storage bags and containers, cookware and more!

UPCOMING EVENTS 

November 2-November 20
Pre-Primary Observations
*NO Observations on November 11 due to Veterans Day Holiday.

November 11
NO SCHOOL
Veterans Day Holiday

November 21
WSMS Conferences (Pre-Primary through 3rd Grade only)
NO SCHOOL for Pre-Primary through 3rd Grade
WSA in Session! (4th-8th Grades)

November 26
HALF DAY*
Thanksgiving Break Begins

*Early Dismissals:
Middle School, 11:30am
Lower Elementary & Upper Elementary, 11:45am-12:00pm
Pre-Primary, 12:00pm-12:15pm
After School Care will be provided from 11:45am to 6:00pm.

November 27
NO SCHOOL
Thanksgiving Break

November 28
NO SCHOOL
Thanksgiving Break

December 2
Dinner for the Arts
Alki Masonic Lodge
5:30-8:30pm

December 3
POMS Parent Group Meeting
7pm

December 19
HALF DAY*
Winter Break Begins
NO After School Care

*Early Dismissals:
Middle School, 11:30am
Lower Elementary & Upper Elementary, 11:45am-12:00pm
Pre-Primary, 12:00pm-12:15pm

OCTOBER 2014

Students and teachers have been working hard and things are off to AN AMAZING START at West Seattle Montessori & West Seattle Academy! Our Back-to-School BBQ was a success and we were happy to see many of you and your families at what will hopefully be our new location moving forward. A big THANK YOU to our staff greeters, hot dog grillers, set-up helpers, clean-up crew, and other volunteers who contributed in making it a wonderful night!

I was very excited to see many of you at the first POMS meeting of the 2014-2015 school year Wednesday night. It was fantastic to see you all, and to learn about this year’s official plan for our parent group, POMS (Parents Of Montessori Students). For those of you who were not able to make it, you can view the meeting notes and the 2014/15 plan by going to the POMS section of our school website (http://www.westseattlemontessori.com/poms).The meeting notes are usually posted within a week of our meetings. Kudos to our fabulous POMS Board for another wonderful and successful first meeting!

In addition to having a wonderful parent community, I could not be more proud of our teachers and students. Below are some of our grade level highlights from our amazing teachers.

Pre-Primary

Pre-primary classes are off to a great start! Teachers are continuing to guide children as they slowing begin to normalize within the classroom. In September, all of our classes practiced making, nurturing and keeping friend, all highlighting our September virtue. Sound of the Week, and Show and Tell have begun creating a vibrant atmosphere throughout the preschool.

In October, our classes will be learning about pumpkins, spiders, salmon, and the human skeleton. This will culminate with field trips to Remlinger Farms and the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery.

November will bring observation opportunities for parents in preparation for Parent/Teacher Conference at the end of the month. This is a great time to watch your child at work and then connect with the teacher.

Lower Elementary

Lower elementary classes are well into the swing of things! At a recent weekly grade level meeting, we exchanged many wonderful ideas and well thought out plans for the children.

Our year started with the teaching of The First Great Lesson (Big Bang) from The Five Great Lessons of the Montessori Elementary Curriculum. The Great Lessons are an important and unique part of the Montessori curriculum. These lessons are bold, exciting, and are designed to awaken a child’s imagination and curiosity. The child should be struck with the wonder of creation, thrilled with new ideas, and awed by the inventiveness and innovation that is part of the human spirit.

Most recently, we have begun small group lessons with concrete materials, introduced the Tertiary Color Wheel, life cycle of a star, spelling, golden beads and stamp game, handwriting, word study, and grammar with an emphasis on nouns. We will continue our year with a focus on Antarctica, South America, and the African continents which will build the students reading, writing, research, study skills, and imaginations.

Upper Elementary

Students and teachers of our upper elementary classes, otherwise known as the Hawk Owls and Eagle Owls, are enjoying building community and embracing the enriching curriculum! Besides working through what can be a pretty big transition, the class has also been diving into an extensive Food Chemistry science curriculum and are beginning to write and revise personal narratives in Writers Workshop.

In social studies, we are beginning with a focus on Native Americans. The kids have really been enjoying PE with Alex and art with Shanell. The fourth graders are making some great progress adjusting to the new workload and routines, while we continue to be amazed by how far our fifth grade student have come. We have been enjoying grade-level community meeting where the student can acknowledge each other and share their feelings.

Middle School

WSA Middle School is an amazing place to be! Our middle school family has spent the last month focusing on building relationships and getting our routines down. We have emphasized leadership qualities, being part of a community, and the virtue of friendliness through role-playing, skits, cooperative problem solving, and whole class discussions. Within the classrooms, we are diving into our math, science, and humanities curriculum with family stories, studies in algebraic reasoning, and earth/life studies. In the coming weeks we will be taking our group to see the musical In the Heights at The Village Theater and will be preparing for fall conferences. On the horizon, middle school will be serving the community, exploring Shakespeare, applying math through investigations, growing bacteria and making compost.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

I am happy to announce that we have recently purchased a new building, The Annex, located at 11402 16th Ave SW, for school events, indoor PE, assemblies, drama and other specialist classes and activities! We look forward to sharing this space with you all soon!

We have put a lot work into The Annex so far, but now need a fire sprinkler system (to the tune of $80,000) in order to receive occupancy. We have brought back our building and facilities fundraiser, Watch Us Grow, to help finish this project. A flyer with further details and information will be sent home with your child.

Each month we will be focusing on a select virtue in our classrooms. The Virtues Project is a program that was taken on by WSMS to help our students learn new vocabulary and understand the virtue from within. In September we focused on the virtue FRIENDLINESS. When a child shows or displays the virtue, a bead is earned and placed in a clear vase. Vases are located in each classroom, as well as shared space. In October we will be focusing on the virtue COURTESY.

WSMS & WSA Extracurricular Clubs (Spelling Club, Recreation Club & Chess Club) began this week. Please contact the main office, if you would like to join one of these amazing clubs!

Save the date! WSMS & WSA families are invited to participate in our 2nd Annual Family Skate Night (Disco Night Theme!) at Southgate Roller Rink on Thursday, October 30 from 6pm to 8pm. Say you are part of our group and receive a skate rental discount!

REMINDERS

Comfort Kits, Medical Release Forms, and Allergy Protocols & Epi-pens are PAST DUE. If you have not turned in or sent these important documents/items to school, please do so ASAP!

Please keep your child home if she or he is sick. Please also contact the main office to let us know.

Fall is here and the weather tends to continually play tricks on us. Please send a jacket and appropriate shoes to school with your child daily

Please note that in addition to signing up through MERIT to complete a background check and getting fingerprinted, you must fill out a school Field Trip Driver Form through the Main Office to become a driver/chaperone.

There is NO SCHOOL on October 10 due to Professional Development Day.

If your child is in After School Care, please remember:

• To help the ASC staff run a smooth and successful program, we ask that you limit your pick-up time to 10 minutes.
• Pack a spare set of clothes for your child if he/she may have accidents in After School Care.
• Play dates should be arranged at home.
• Please do not forget to provide your child with a daily nutritional snack, marked “ASC Snack.” This includes days your child is signed up for FareStart lunches.
• Pack appropriate shoes and clothing for all types of weather.
• All students must be signed out. UNCLEAR OR BLANK sign-out times will result in a 6 pm charge.
• Students who are not picked up by 6 pm (our time) will be charged with a dollar-a-minute fee.
• Elementary children need to be provided with a book to read during daily homework/silent reading time.
• PLEASE LABEL ALL ITEMS FROM HOME!
• To access staff during After School Care hours please call 206.370.1079.
• Please share ASC information with all parties who may be picking up your child.
• Please provide your child with a water bottle, clearly labeled with your child’s first and last names.

UPCOMING EVENTS

October 3
Field Trip: Fire Station Tours (Lower Elementary Classes)

October 9
Field Trip: In The Heights @ The Village Theater (Middle School)

October 10
Professional Development Day
NO SCHOOL for students

October 13-17
Upper Elementary Observations

October 23
Field Trip: Remlinger Farms (Red, Purple & Yellow Rooms)

October 24
WSA Conferences (Grades 4-8 only)
NO SCHOOL for Grades 4-8
WSMS in Session! (Pre-Primary through 3rd Grade)

October 24
Field Trip: Remlinger Farms (Blue & Green Rooms)

October 27-October 31
Fall Spirit Week
*Dress-up days and details coming soon!

October 30
Family Skate Night
Southgate Roller Rink
6-8pm

October 31
Field Trip: Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (Blue & Green Rooms)

November 3-November 20
Pre-Primary Observations
*NO Observations on November 11 due to Veterans Day Holiday.

November 5
POMS Parent Group Meeting

November 6
Fall Open House
6-7:30pm

November 7
Field Trip: Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (Red, Purple & Yellow Rooms)

November 11
NO SCHOOL
Veterans Day Holiday

Please be advised that several potential cases of enterovirus have been reported in Washington.
Enterovirus is a common virus which causes mild symptoms, similar to a cold. For some, especially children with an underlying respiratory illness, the enterovirus causes more severe symptoms, sometimes requiring hospitalization for respiratory support.
   Several children in Washington have been hospitalized with either enterovirus or rhinovirus (which also causes symptoms similar to a cold). Those fifteen children have been admitted to Children’s Hospital in Seattle and most have additional respiratory illness (e.g., asthma). The combination of the respiratory illness and the enterovirus may have resulted in their need for hospitalization. The state Department of Health has sent specimens to the Centers for Disease Control for testing. The results won’t be back until next week. 
A specific enterovirus, EV D68, has been reported in the Midwest. EV-D68 could quickly infect large numbers of children, as the virus spreads similarly to the common cold, spreading when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or a healthy person touches contaminated surfaces.
There are currently no vaccines for preventing EV-D68 infections. Do the following to reduce the risk of getting infected with EV-D68:

• Children and adults with asthma should be sure to have their asthma symptoms under control, and see a healthcare provider if they develop a respiratory infection and their asthma symptoms worsen.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after changing diapers.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid kissing, hugging, and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, especially if someone is sick.
• If you’re ill, do not go to daycare, school or work.

For more information, please visit the Department of Health website at:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/IllnessandDisease/EnterovirusD68.

• Please send your child to school with a labeled water bottled (that fits inside her/his backpack) daily.
• Apply a morning coat of sunscreen on your child prior to coming to school.
• Send a labeled bottle of sunscreen inside a ziplock bag in your child’s backpack.  Please note, sunscreen is NOT provided by the school during the school year and will only be applied according to the directions on the bottle you have provided for your child. (This is a revision to the sunscreen waiver you may have signed already.)
• Have your child wear layered clothing in order to be prepared for all types of weather.

Thanks!  Sincerely, The Main Office