Newsletters

First Grade Speciality Teacher Websites

September 18, 2026

Upcoming Dates

September 22nd: Life Long Ago On Campus Experience

September 25th: K-8 School Spirit Day (Sports Day)

September 25th: Olympic Triathlon Event Day

October 1st: Picture Retake Day

October 2nd: WAVE Coffee Talk (8:30 AM)

October 5th-9th: Fall Break (No School)

Classroom Content

We began solving word problems in math this week. We focused on "change unknown" problems (ie: 3 + __ = 8). This can be a challenging concept for students to learn. Be on the lookout for optional math pages to practice this skill. In grammar, we learned about statements (telling sentences) and identified telling sentences in books read.  We learned more about school long ago and used slate boards and chalk like pioneer children. We made pioneer puppets and used them to share with our peers what we learned about home life long ago.

Nightly Reading: Be sure to have your child read for at least 15-20 minutes nightly. Your child can read independently, to someone, or someone can read to your child. RAZKids and the local library are great resources for your child to utilize. Trick word practice counts, too! Remember, The more children practice their reading, the more proficient readers they become!

Current Trick Words: 

(click here for word lists and sight word games to support your learner at home)

Unit 2: a, the, and, is, his, of

LEXIA and IMAGINE Math:  Please encourage your child to practice their phonics/reading skills and math skills/facts every day for 10 to 15 minutes each at home using Clever to log on.

Volunteer Opportunities

If you are interested in volunteering in class or completing projects at home, please use the links below.

Coming Up Next Week

Math: Illustrative Math, Unit 2: Addition and Subtraction Story Problems

Phonics: Fundations Unit 2, Week 2

Comprehension: Compare and Contrast

Grammar: Question Sentences

Writing: Narrative Writing

Thematic Study: Life Long Ago (Wrap-Up and Assessment)

Assessment Information

Homework/Schoolwork Resources

Week 6

Math

We recently began Unit 2 in our math curriculum. Watch this video to learn more about the concepts covered in this unit. We have been writing expressions and equations to solve story problems and showing our thinking with drawings and numbers. Play Check It Off- Addition and Check It Off - Subtraction to further develop these concepts at home. Students may log into Imagine Math at home to practice their math facts and skills (access Imagine Math through Clever). Click here for additional information to support your child throughout Unit 2 of math.

Writing

This trimester we are focusing on Personal Narrative Writing. Personal Narratives have a Topic Sentence and a sequence of First, Next, and Last. Please utilize this resource to help your writer at home. Click here to access the documents we will use to organize our writing this trimester.

Phonics

This week in phonics we focused on sound review, tapping to read words, tapping to spell words, and reading sentences in the correct order. Please practice tapping out each sound in a word and then tapping to write out a word (lit, lip, lap, rap, rip, nip, sip, sit, set). Click here for additional information and activities to support your child throughout Unit 2 of phonics. 

Comprehension

We have been focusing on comparing and contrasting to find similarities and differences between texts or within a text. Use this poster and video to help your reader at home. 

Grammar

We have been focusing on statement (telling) sentences to help us make our sentences interesting and precise.  Please utilize this resource to help your child at home. 

Social Emotional Learning

This week we continued to learn about Respect through our Character Strong social-emotional learning curriculum. We focused on building and understanding friendship. Students created a Friendship Puzzle to learn how individual actions fit together to build a healthy community. We read the book Amy Wu and the Warm Welcome and discussed how kindness and friendship are things we can all share, even when we don't speak the same language.

Click here to download the Grade 1 Respect Newsletter

Westlake Weekly Information

19th Annual Olympic Triathlon:

The 19th Annual Olympic Triathlon, our one big fundraising campaign each year, is in full swing! CLICK HERE to watch the video with more information.  CLICK HERE to set up your family donation page on the PledgeStar website. You can customize it with your student’s name, a photo, and a donation goal. It is easy to quickly request sponsors via email or text, explaining why Westlake is amazing and how they can help us meet our goal this year.  The more students who hit the $150 goal, the bigger the celebration for our school community! CLICK HERE to sign up to work a shift on Event Day, Friday, September 25th.


K-12 Picture Retake Day:

Our Picture Retake Day is Thursday, October 1st.  CLICK HERE for the memo.  See below for who should have their picture taken on October 1st:


Jibe Walk/Bike to School Challenge:

The first Jibe Walk and Bike to School Challenge of the year is here.  Just walk, bike, or scoot to school and have your Trip Card scanned as many times as you can between now and September 25th for a chance to win. The three classes with the most participation will receive a prize for the entire class! CLICK HERE for the flyer. Don’t have a card yet? No problem, CLICK HERE to register today.


Fall Break:

Both campuses will be closed for Fall Break Monday, October 5th through Friday, October 9th. We look forward to welcoming staff and students back on Monday, October 12th.

September 11, 2026

Upcoming Dates

September 22nd: Life Long Ago On Campus Experience

September 25th: K-8 School Spirit Day (Sports Day)

September 25th: Olympic Triathlon Event Day

October 2nd: WAVE Coffee Talk (8:30 AM)

October 5th-9th: Fall Break (No School)

Classroom Content

We continued to learn about complete sentences this week. We focused on identifying the telling part of each sentence. In math, we used data to answer questions and took our first math assessment on addition and subtraction. In social studies, we learned more about the school life of pioneers long ago.

Nightly Reading: Be sure to have your child read for at least 15-20 minutes nightly. Your child can read independently, to someone, or someone can read to your child. RAZKids and the local library are great resources for your child to utilize. Trick word practice counts, too! Remember, The more children practice their reading, the more proficient readers they become!

Current Trick Words: 

(click here for word lists and sight word games to support your learner at home)

LEXIA and IMAGINE Math:  Please encourage your child to practice their phonics/reading skills and math skills/facts every day for 10 to 15 minutes each at home using Clever to log on.

Volunteer Opportunities

If you are interested in volunteering in class or completing projects at home, please use the links below.

Coming Up Next Week

Math:  Illustrative Math, Unit 2: Addition and Subtraction Story Problems

Phonics: Fundations Unit 2, Week 1

Comprehension: Compare and Contrast

Grammar: Statements (Telling Sentences)

Writing: Narrative Writing

Thematic Study: Life Long Ago

Assessment Information

Homework/Schoolwork Resources

Week 5

Math

We have been surveying, looking at data, and answering questions about data in math this week. We have also been exploring addition and subtraction this week. Students may log into Imagine Math at home to practice their math facts and skills (access Imagine Math through Clever). Watch this video to learn more about the concepts covered in this unit.  Click here  for additional information to support your child throughout Unit 1 of math.

Writing

This trimester we are focusing on Personal Narrative Writing. Personal Narratives have a Topic Sentence, First, Next, Last, and a Closing Sentence. Please utilize this resource to help your writer at home. Click here to access the documents we will use to organize our writing this trimester.

Phonics

This week in phonics we focused on the letters z and qu.  We learned about correct letter formation, which line to write a letter, how to grip our pencil, and how to extend the vowels. Please practice writing, saying, and using these letters in things you write, read, and see. We have been practicing how to tap to read words. Please practice tapping out each sound in a word (sad, sat, sap, sip, sit, mop, map, mad, mud). Click here  for additional information and activities to support your child throughout Unit 1 of phonics. 

Comprehension

We have been focusing on identifying the problem and solution in a story to help us understand what we read and what is read to us. Use these posters to help your reader identify story elements in books at home. 

Grammar

We have been focusing on the telling part of a sentence to help us make sentences interesting and precise. Please use these posters and this resource to help your child at home. 

Social Emotional Learning

This week we continued to learn about respect through our Character Strong social-emotional learning curriculum. Students learned how their words and actions can make others feel. We read the book Big and discussed how our words can hurt someone’s feelings or help them feel strong and confident. We made wrinkled paper hearts and discussed how hard it is to remove wrinkles from our hearts when someone uses hurtful words. Our class enjoyed our first Community Agreement circle this week.  Click here to download the Grade 1 Respect Newsletter

Westlake Weekly Information

Olympic Triathlon:

The 19th Annual Olympic Triathlon, our one big fundraising campaign each year, is in full swing! CLICK HERE to watch the video with more information. CLICK HERE to set up your family donation page on the PledgeStar website. You can customize it with your student’s name, a photo, and a donation goal. It is easy to quickly request sponsors via email or text, explaining why Westlake is amazing and how they can help us meet our goal this year.  The more students who hit the $150 goal, the bigger the celebration for our school community!


After School Live - Fall Explorer Enrichment:

Our fall Explorer Enrichment starts soon!  CLICK HERE to see the catalog of Explorer Enrichment course offerings and information about how to sign up. E-mail amayle@westlakecharter.com with scholarship inquiries.


Jibe Walk/Bike to School Challenge:

The first Jibe Walk and Bike to School Challenge of the year is here.  Just walk, bike, or scoot to school and have your Trip Card scanned as many times as you can between September 14th and September 25th for a chance to win. The three classes with the most participation will receive a prize for the entire class! CLICK HERE for the flyer. Don’t have a card yet? No problem, CLICK HERE to register today.

September 4, 2026

Upcoming Dates

September 4th:  Scholastic Book Orders Due (code: MTQR2)

September 4th: WAVE BINGO Night (6:00-8:00 PM)

September 7th: Labor Day (No School or BASE)

September 10th: WCS Board Meeting (6:30 PM)

September 22nd: Life Long Ago On Campus Experience

September 25th: K-8 School Spirit Day (Sports Day)

September 25th: Olympic Triathlon Event Day

October 2nd: WAVE Coffee Talk (8:30 AM)

October 5th - 9th:  School Fall Break - No School

Classroom Content

This week we learned how to sort objects and put them into categories in math.  We learned how to read and make tally marks to record data on class surveys.  We started our Long Ago social studies unit looking at some artifacts from long ago and discussing them.  Be sure to ask your children how toys and clothes were different long ago compared to the present day.  We took our math and reading NWEA computer assessments.  Most children were able to finish, but we still have a few who will finish the week of September 7.  I will share your child's results with you soon.  In phonics, we continued to review letters and their sounds, plus started learning how to blend sounds to make CVC words such as pan, len, rat, tap, fun, net, etc.  We practiced writing letters correctly and neatly.  We focused on writing complete statement sentences with a capital letter at the beginning, a finger of space between words, and a period at the end.

Nightly Reading: Be sure to have your child read for at least 15-20 minutes nightly. Your child can read independently, to someone, or someone can read to your child. RAZKids and the local library are great resources for your child to utilize. Trick word practice counts, too! Remember, the more children practice their reading, the more proficient readers they become!

Current Trick Words: 

(click here for word lists and sight word games to support your learner at home)

LEXIA and IMAGINE Math:  Please encourage your child to practice their phonics/reading skills and math skills/facts every day for 10 to 15 minutes each at home using Clever to log on.

Volunteer Opportunities

If you are interested in volunteering in class or completing projects at home, please use the links below.

       2. In-Class Volunteer Opportunities (will begin in October)

       3. Please log your volunteer hours on the Westlake WAVE webpage

Coming Up Next Week

Math: Illustrative Math, Unit 1: Adding, Subtracting, and Working with Data

Phonics: Fundations Unit 1, Week 3

Comprehension: Story Elements (Characters, Settings)

Grammar: Naming Part of a Sentence (Noun and Verb)

Writing: Personal Narrative

Thematic Study: Life Long Ago (Transportation)

Assessment Information

Homework/Schoolwork Resources


Week 4

Math

We are working on Unit 1 in our math curriculum. Watch this video to learn more about the concepts covered in this unit. Students may log into Imagine Math at home to practice their math facts and skills (access Imagine Math through Clever).  We have been exploring addition and subtraction in math this week. Click here for additional information to support your child throughout Unit 1 of math. study guide

Writing

This trimester we are focusing on Personal Narrative Writing. Personal Narratives have a Topic Sentence, First, Next, Last, and a Closing Sentence. Please utilize this resource to help your writer at home. Click here to access the documents we will use to organize our writing this trimester.

Phonics

This week in phonics we focused on the letters e, r, p, j, l, h, k.  We learned about correct letter formation and which line to write a letter, how to grip our pencil, and how to extend the vowels. Please practice writing, saying, and using these letters in things you write, read, and see. Click here for additional information and activities to support your child throughout Unit 1 of phonics.  

Comprehension

We have been focusing on identifying the characters and setting in a fiction story. Use these posters to help your reader identify story elements in books at home. 

Grammar

We have been focusing on the naming part of a sentence to help us make sentences interesting and precise. Please use these posters and this resource to help your child at home. 

Social Emotional Learning

Friendships can have a major impact on your health and well-being. When each friend feels valued, accepted, and loved, they feel respected. Friendships that share Respect allow us to build trust, feelings of safety, and well-being. This month's focus for 1st grade is on practicing Respect with our friendships. 

Click here to download the Grade 1 Respect Newsletter

The students met our school counselor and learned how they can help when needed.  

Westlake Weekly Information

Olympic Triathlon:

The 19th Annual Olympic Triathlon, our one big fundraising campaign each year, is in full swing! CLICK HERE to set up your family donation page on the PledgeStar website. You can customize it with your student’s name, a photo, and a donation goal. It is easy to quickly request sponsors via email or text, explaining why Westlake is amazing and how they can help us meet our goal this year.  The more students who hit the $150 goal, the bigger the celebration for our school community!


Labor Day - NO SCHOOL:

Westlake Charter School and our BASE program will be closed on Monday, September 7th for Labor Day.


After School Live - Fall Explorer Enrichment:

Our fall Explorer Enrichment starts soon!  CLICK HERE to see the catalog of Explorer Enrichment course offerings and information about how to sign up. E-mail amayle@westlakecharter.com with scholarship inquiries.

August 28, 2026

Upcoming Dates

September 1st:  K-8 School Picture Day (Uniform Dress)

September 4th:  Scholastic Book Orders Due (code: MTQR2)

September 4th: WAVE Coffee Talk (8:30 AM)

September 4th: WAVE BINGO Night (6:00-8:00 PM)

September 7th: Labor Day (No School)

September 10th: WCS Board Meeting (6:30 PM)

October 2nd: WAVE Coffee Talk (8:30 AM)

October 5th - 9th:  School Fall Break - No School

Classroom Content

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me during Back to School Night. You can access the Back to School Night slides HERE.  I look forward to working with you and your family this year! This week we focused on joining numbers, how to write complete sentences, and reviewed letter sounds in our phonics program. Students continued to get to know their classmates and learned what it means to be a responsible citizen at home, school, and in their community.

Lunch Number Challenge: When students know their lunch number, it helps the hot lunch line go faster and gives students more time to eat. We are currently challenging our first-grade students to learn their lunch numbers. All first- grade students who memorize their lunch number will earn a prize! This challenge is available to all first graders, even those who usually bring lunch from home. 

Nightly Reading: Be sure to have your child read for at least 15-20 minutes nightly. Your child can read independently, to someone, or someone can read to your child. RAZKids and the local library are great resources for your child to utilize. Trick word practice counts, too! Remember, The more children practice their reading, the more proficient readers they become!

Current Trick Words: 

(click here for word lists and sight word games to support your learner at home)

Volunteer Opportunities

If you are interested in volunteering in class or completing projects at home, please use the links below.

       2. In-Class Volunteer Opportunities (will begin in October)

       3. Please log your volunteer hours on the Westlake WAVE webpage

Coming Up Next Week

Math: Illustrative Math, Unit 1: Adding, Subtracting, and Working with Data

Phonics: Fundations Unit 1, Week 3

Comprehension: Story Elements

Grammar: Naming Part of a Sentence (Noun and Verb)

Writing: Personal Narrative

Thematic Study: Life Long Ago

Assessment Information

Homework/Schoolwork Resources

Week 3

Math

We recently began Unit 1 in our math curriculum. Watch this video to learn more about the concepts covered in this unit.  We have been exploring addition and subtraction in math this week. Students may log into Imagine Math at home to practice their math facts and skills (access Imagine Math through Clever). Click here for additional information to support your child throughout Unit 1 of math. Review the study guide to prepare for the assessment.

Writing

This trimester we are focusing on Personal Narrative Writing. Personal Narratives have a Topic Sentence, First, Next, Last, and a Closing Sentence. Click here to access the documents we will use to organize our writing this trimester.

Phonics

This week in phonics we focused on the letters c, o, a, g, d, s. We learned about correct letter formation and which line to write a letter, how to grip our pencil, and how to extend the vowels.  Please practice writing, saying, and using these letters in things you write, read, and see. Click here for additional information and activities to support your child throughout Unit 1 of phonics.  

Comprehension

We have been focusing on asking questions before, during, and after reading. Asking questions helps readers understand what is being read. Use this  poster to help your reader practice this skill at home. 

Grammar

This week we practiced writing complete sentences. Use this song to review complete sentences at home.

Social Emotional Learning

This week we continued to learn about kindness through our Character Strong social-emotional learning curriculum. Students are having fun practicing kindness, learning new coping strategies, and discovering how even the smallest act of kindness can make a BIG difference. We read the book Enemy Pie and discussed how showing kindness can lead to an unexpected new friend.

Westlake Weekly Information

Grade Level Field Lesson & School Supplies Donations Competition:

First Grade has now reached 33.96% of our goal and our families have referred three businesses! Let’s go families, let’s make sure First Grade wins big by hitting 50% of our goal!


In the first 30 days of school, we’d like to raise at least 50% of our Field Lessons and School Supplies fundraising goal! Every dollar raised goes to pay for our First Grade Explorers to travel to Field Lessons and pays for school supplies so you don’t have to run around Target looking for “just the right” glue stick!

Using the links below, you can, 


Fall Picture Day:

K-8 picture day will be on Tuesday, September 1st. This is a uniform picture day for our K-8 campus. All students will have their picture taken for the yearbook and student IDs, even if they don’t purchase a picture package. CLICK HERE to pre-purchase your pictures online. Group pictures will be taken for Kindergarten through 5th grade classes only. 


Free and Reduced Priced Meals:

Good news! This year, we qualify to complete the SHORT form for Free and Reduced Priced Meals (FRPM). Each year it is incredibly important to our school that we are able to account for every student during this form collection process. We are authorized by the Natomas Unified School District and as a part of our partnership, we commit to collecting these forms from every family. This quick form plays an important role in determining how much funding our schools receive. Every completed form helps ensure Natomas Unified receives the full funding our students deserve. When forms are not submitted, schools can miss out on valuable resources. Even if you believe your family may not qualify, your response still makes a difference.  CLICK HERE to complete the 2026-2027 Educational Benefit Form.

August 21, 2026

Upcoming Dates

August 26th: K-8 Back To School Night (6:00 PM- 6:30 PM OR 6:40 PM- 7:10 PM)

September 1st:  K-8 School Picture Day (Uniform Dress)

September 4th: WAVE Coffee Talk (8:30 AM)

September 4th: WAVE BINGO Night (6:00-8:00 PM)

September 7th: Labor Day (No School)

September 10th: WCS Board Meeting (6:30 PM)

October 2nd: WAVE Coffee Talk (8:30 AM)

October 5th - 9th:  School Fall Break - No School

Classroom Content

We had a great second week of school! We continued to focus on building relationships, our classroom routines, and building our stamina as learners. This week we practiced writing the letters b, f, t, k, m , n, o, i, and u correctly; we also reviewed the sounds each letter makes and used the letters to build some CVC words like fun, fin, bin, tin, etc. Next week we will start to learn about complete sentences (begin with a capital letter, make sense, and end with punctuation). In math we found sums and learned how to use our math centers.  The children enjoyed playing a couple of math games with a partner this week.  We learned how to use our new student phonics and math workbooks.

Lunch Number Challenge: When students know their lunch number, it helps the school lunch line go faster and gives students more time to eat. We are currently challenging our first-grade students to learn their lunch numbers. All first grade students who memorize their lunch number will earn a prize! This challenge is available to all first graders, even those who usually bring lunch from home. 

Nightly Reading: Be sure to have your child read for at least 15-20 minutes nightly. Your child can read independently, to someone, or someone can read to your child. RAZKids and the local library are great resources for your child to utilize. Trick word practice counts, too! Remember, the more children practice their reading, the more proficient readers they become!

Lexia and Imagine Math Online Learning/Practice: I recommend all first grade students use our school subscription to Lexia and Imagine Math for 10 to 15 minutes each day to practice their phonics and math skills at home.  These learning platforms will help your child prepare for their NWEA reading and math tests and grow as a student.

  Current Trick Words: 

(click here for word lists and sight word games to support your learner at home)

We will start learning new trick words in our Unit 2 phonics curriculum. 

Volunteer Opportunities

If you are interested in volunteering in class or completing projects at home, please use the links below.

2. In-Class Volunteer Opportunities (will begin in October)

Coming Up Next Week

Math: Illustrative Math, Unit 1: Adding, Subtracting, and Working with Data

Phonics: Fundations Unit 1, Week 2

Comprehension: Ask and Answer Questions

Grammar: Complete Sentences

Writing: Personal Narrative

Thematic Study: Friendship/Citizenship

Assessment Information

Homework/Schoolwork Resources

Week 2:

Math

We recently began Unit 1 in our math curriculum. Watch this video to learn more about the concepts covered in this unit. 

We have been exploring expressions and sums in math this week. Students may log into Imagine Math at home to practice their math facts and skills (access Imagine Math through Clever). Click here for additional information to support your child throughout Unit 1 of math.


Writing

This trimester we are focusing on Personal Narrative Writing. Personal Narratives have a Topic Sentence, Transition Words (First, Next, Last) and a Closing Sentence. Click here to access the documents we will use to organize our writing this trimester.


Phonics

This week in phonics we focused on the letters t, b, f, m, n, i, u. We learned about correct letter formation and which line to write a letter, how to grip our pencil, and how to extend the vowels.  Please practice writing, saying, and using these letters in things you write, read, and see. Click here for additional information and activities to support your child throughout Unit 1 of phonics.


Comprehension

We have been focusing on making predictions while reading. Good readers make predictions to help them better understand a text. Use this poster to help your reader at home. 


Grammar

This week we focused on writing complete sentences. Use this song to review complete sentences at home.

Social Emotional Learning

We’re excited to kick off the new school year by talking about kindness. Our definition of kindness is acting with understanding, generosity, and care. Developing skills around kindness will help us build a strong foundation for a great year of learning, connecting, and growing together. Check out our Family Letter for more information about our PurposeFull People program and some fun ways you can join us in kicking off our most kind year yet!

Westlake Weekly Information

Grade Level Field Lesson & School Supplies Donations Competition:

First Grade families: In the first 30 days of school, we’d like to raise at least 50% of our Field Lessons and School Supplies fundraising goal! Every dollar raised goes to pay for our First Grade Explorers to travel to Field Lessons and pays for school supplies so you don’t have to run around Target looking for “just the right” glue stick!


Using the links below, you can, 


We’ve now reached 32.24% of our goal. This week the grade level with the most business referrals will win a prize! Let’s go families, let’s make sure First Grade wins big!


K-8 Back to School Night:

Our K-8 Back to School Night is on Wednesday, August 26th. To the best of our ability, we would like to keep this event distraction free by encouraging families to make this a non-student event. This will allow for teachers and families to connect in a distraction-free environment. For families that need supervision, our BASE program will be available to help, however, space is potentially limited. If you know that you will need childcare to attend this event, please CLICK HERE to RSVP for BASE as soon as possible so that we can properly prepare. 


Fall Picture Day:

K-8 picture day will be on Tuesday, September 1st. This is a uniform picture day for our K-8 campus. All students will have their picture taken for the yearbook and student IDs, even if they don’t purchase a picture package. CLICK HERE to pre-purchase your pictures online. Group pictures will be taken for Kindergarten through 5th grade classes only. 


Free and Reduced Priced Meals:

Good news! This year, we qualify to complete the SHORT form for Free and Reduced Priced Meals (FRPM). Each year it is incredibly important to our school that we are able to account for every student during this form collection process. We are authorized by the Natomas Unified School District and as a part of our partnership, we commit to collecting these forms from every family. This quick form plays an important role in determining how much funding our schools receive. Every completed form helps ensure Natomas Unified receives the full funding our students deserve. When forms are not submitted, schools can miss out on valuable resources. Even if you believe your family may not qualify, your response still makes a difference.  CLICK HERE to complete the 2026-2027 Educational Benefit Form.


Learning Lab:

The Learning Lab is now open to Middle School Explorers after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 3:15 - 3:45 PM. The Learning Lab is staffed by an Instructional Aide to assist Middle School students with their classwork and homework.  Families should sign up their Middle School student(s) using School Dismissal Manager.


Jibe Walk and Bike to School Program:

The Jibe Walk and Bike to School Program is back! Students earn prizes and rewards for walking, biking, or scooting to school while parents skip the drop-off line and gain peace of mind knowing they will be notified when their student is scanned in at the school’s entrance. If your student already has a card, they can simply find an adult in an orange apron when arriving on campus to get scanned in. Need a card? Please CLICK HERE to register.

August 14, 2026

Upcoming Dates

August 26th: K-8 Back To School Night (6:00 PM- 6:30 PM OR 6:40 PM- 7:10 PM)

September 1st:  K-8 School Picture Day (Uniform Dress)

September 4th: WAVE Coffee Talk (8:30 AM)

September 4th: WAVE BINGO Night (6:00-8:00 PM)

September 7th: Labor Day (No School)

September 10th: WCS Board Meeting (6:30 PM)

October 2nd: WAVE Coffee Talk (8:30 AM)

Classroom Content

Hello families! I enjoyed meeting your students this week! We've been busy getting to know one another and learning our classroom expectations and procedures. I'm looking forward to a great year with your children!

Class Dojo:

I will be using Class Dojo to share class photos and send reminders about upcoming events. Many families are already connected from Kindergarten. For those who are not, the easiest way to connect to our class is by using this link.

Nightly Reading: Be sure to have your child to read for at least 15-20 minutes nightly. Your child can read independently, to someone, or someone can read to your child. RAZKids and the local library are great resources for your child to utilize. Trick word practice counts, too! Remember, The more children practice their reading, the more proficient readers they become!

Image Math and Lexia:  I recommend that your child use Image Math and Lexia for 10 to 15 minutes a day if possible.  Your child can access Image Math and Lexia in Clever.

Trick Words: 

Click here for word lists and sight word games to support your learner at home

Volunteer Opportunities

If you are interested in volunteering in class or completing projects at home, please use the links below.


Coming Up Next Week

Math: Illustrative Math, Unit 1 (Addition, Subtraction, and Working with Data)

Phonics: Fundations Unit 1, Week 1

Comprehension: Making Predictions

Grammar: Complete Sentences

Writing: Personal Narrative

Thematic Study: Friendship/Citizenship

Assessment Information

Homework/Schoolwork Resources

Math

We have been focusing on number writing in math this week. Practice writing your numbers at home using this resource.


Phonics

This week in phonics we focused on letter and sound review. We will begin our first unit of phonics instruction next week.


Writing

This trimester we are focusing on Personal Narrative Writing. Personal Narratives have a topic sentence, a sequence of events (First, Next, Last), and a closing sentence.  Click here to access the documents we will use to organize our writing this trimester.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

This week, we focused on getting to know our classmates and building our classroom community. Next Monday, we will complete our first SEL lesson using our new curriculum, Character Strong.

To learn more about this program, watch this video.

Westlake Weekly Information

K-8 Back to School Night:

Our K-8 Back to School Night is on Wednesday, August 26th. To the best of our ability, we would like to keep this event distraction free by encouraging families to make this a non-student event. This will allow for teachers and families to connect in a distraction-free environment. For families that need supervision, our BASE program will be available to help, however, space is potentially limited. If you know that you will need childcare to attend this event, please CLICK HERE to RSVP for BASE as soon as possible so that we can properly prepare. 


Fall Picture Day:

K-8 picture day will be on Tuesday, September 1st. This is a uniform picture day for our K-8 campus. All students will have their picture taken for the yearbook and student IDs, even if they don’t purchase a picture package. CLICK HERE to pre-purchase your pictures online. Group pictures will be taken for Kindergarten through 5th grade classes only. 


Free and Reduced Priced Meals:

Good news! This year, we qualify to complete the SHORT form for Free and Reduced Priced Meals (FRPM). Each year it is incredibly important to our school that we are able to account for every student during this form collection process. We are authorized by the Natomas Unified School District and as a part of our partnership, we commit to collecting these forms from every family. This quick form plays an important role in determining how much funding our schools receive. Every completed form helps ensure Natomas Unified receives the full funding our students deserve. When forms are not submitted, schools can miss out on valuable resources. Even if you believe your family may not qualify, your response still makes a difference.  CLICK HERE to complete the 2026-2027 Educational Benefit Form.


Learning Lab:

The Learning Lab will open to Middle School Explorers after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 3:15 - 3:45 PM beginning Monday, August 17th. The Learning Lab is staffed by an Instructional Aide to assist Middle School students with their classwork and homework.  Families should sign up their Middle School student(s) using School Dismissal Manager.


Jibe Walk and Bike to School Program:

The Jibe Walk and Bike to School Program is back! Students earn prizes and rewards for walking, biking, or scooting to school while parents skip the drop-off line and gain peace of mind knowing they will be notified when their student is scanned in at the school’s entrance. If your student already has a card, they can simply find an adult in an orange apron when arriving on campus to get scanned in. Need a card? Please CLICK HERE to register.

August 7, 2026

Upcoming Dates

August 7th:  Class Lists will be released & posted by the office for K-5

August 11th:  Meet The Teacher (12:30 PM-2:30 PM)

August 12th:  First Day of School (8:30 AM) 

September 1st:  School Pictures (in uniforms)

September 7th:  Labor Day (No School)

October 5th-9th:  Fall Break (No School)

Classroom Content

Welcome to First Grade!  I am very excited to work with you and your children this school year!  Together, we can make sure your child has a great first-grade year and grows as a student!  

Our classroom number is C105.

Your children will receive a name tag to wear on the first day of school, with their black top line-up spot on it, at our Meet the Teacher day on August 11.


Morning Procedures:

Our school day will start at 8:30 am each day and end at 3:15 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.  First graders will be dismissed at 1:30 pm on Wednesday the entire school year. WCS staff will provide supervision for your children in the cafeteria at 7:45 am, where they can eat breakfast and visit with friends until 8:20. The campus gate located next to the office will be open at 7:45 am.  All other gates will open at 8:10 am, and your children will be encouraged to line up on the blacktop to participate in our K-5 morning lineup meeting at 8:25.

The play structure is closed between 7:45 and 8:30 am.

Our before-and-after-school program (BASE) is available this school year, starting at 7:00 am and ending at 6:00 pm.  Please get in touch with BASE for more details.

All students in grades K-5 will line up behind their classroom number (C105) and on their assigned lineup spot located on the blacktop each school day by 8:25.  Your child will be given an assigned lineup spot at our Meet the Teacher Day and may be reassigned a new number after the first two weeks of school..  Your child will bring home a paper with their lineup spot number in their blue Parent Communication folder.  I will meet your children each day on the blacktop at 8:25 to walk them to our classroom.  On rainy/bad weather days, students will go directly to their assigned classrooms, which will be open at 8:10.

Lunch and Recess Information:

Lunches will be served in our school cafeteria for students who order one from their teacher in the morning.  Students will sit with our first-grade class at our assigned lunch table.  Students may sit next to classmates of their choice. Children will not be allowed to change seats once they make their selection for the day due to safety reasons.  First graders will take a lunch break from 11:20 to 11:45.

First graders will enjoy three outdoor recess times during the school day at the following times:  9:40-9:50 am, 11:45 -12:00 am, and 1:20-1:35 pm.   Structured group games will be offered to our class during these times (i.e., soccer, running games, wall ball, etc.).  Students may select a recess activity of their choice to engage in with other first graders.  Students may eat their snacks during recess if they wish.  Students should listen to the yard duty staff's directions.

School Supplies:

With the expectation of a backpack, lunch box (if needed), face mask (optional), and water bottle, all other school supplies have been purchased by the school.  You do not need to buy supplies to send to school with your child.  If you can donate $35 to help cover our first-grade school supplies, please use the following link to do so.  You can also find the donation link on our Westlake Charter website.  We appreciate your help.

School Dismissal Manager

Please CLICK HERE log into School Dismissal Manager using the credentials emailed to you. You will be prompted to change your password on your first login. After logging in, click on the Parent Welcome Letter in the top menu for instructions. Make sure to update your students’ dismissal arrangements before the first day of school. If you didn’t receive an email, check your spam folder. Please e-mail admin@westlakecharter.com with any questions.

Volunteers:

Parents are welcome to volunteer to work in our classrooms in a few weeks.  More information will be provided on volunteer opportunities at our Back to School Night.  

Clever Log-in:

Your student can now access Clever Portal to use Westlake Charter School learning resources such as Lexia, Imagine Math, RazKids, etc. - try it out at https://clever.com/in/westlakecharter.  Your child can log into their Clever Portal using their regular username and password for Westlake School devices. I will send home their WCS login information in their blue Parent Communication folder during the first week of school.

Online Weekly Classroom Newsletters:

I will post an updated newsletter to our classroom website every Friday afternoon by 4:00 pm for your review.  You can access our classroom website by going to the Westlake Charter School website and clicking on Staff then click on 1st grade and find my name and click on (Class Website). You will also find a link to our classroom website below my signature block on all my emails that you can click on.

Again, I look forward to getting to know you and your children this school year.  Please email me if you have any questions at hosterhoudt@westlakecharter.com.