Newsletter

Weekly newsletters will be posted here every Friday!

Friday, August 28th

Upcoming Dates:

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)
September 18th: Scholastic Book Orders Due (code: YZ74C)
October 2nd: WAVE Coffee Talk (8:30 AM)

Classroom Content:

Back to School Night: It was wonderful seeing so many of you at Back to School Night! Click here to view the slide deck presentation. Feel free to look it over and let me know if you have any additional questions.
Fall Picture Day: Fall Picture Day is Tuesday, September 1st. All students will be photographed for the yearbook and student IDs. This will be a uniform picture day. Please see the "Westlake News" section below for more information on Fall Picture Day.
Blue Responsibility Folders: Blue Responsibility Folders are sent home with students every Friday! Please review and remove the papers in the "Keep at Home" side of the folder and return the empty folder to school on Monday.
Family Survey: Please click here to fill out a short family survey so I can learn a little more about your child and your family. I look forward to partnering with you throughout this school year to make your child's year a success!
Nightly Reading: To support reading development in first grade, I encourage students to read for 15-20 minutes every night. This can be your child reading independently, reading to someone, someone reading to your child, or combination of these! RazKids is a great online resource to find books at your child's level.

Coming Up Next Week- What are we learning?

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

Phonics: Unit 1- Letter Review

Comprehension: Story Elements (Characters)

Grammar: Sentences (Naming Part)

Writing: Narrative Writing

Thematic Study: Friendship and Citizenship Wrap Up/Begin Life Long Ago

Assessment Information:

BPST and Sight Words (Trick Words) will be assessed during the first few weeks of school to gather baseline data for students.
Our Citizenship (SS 1.1) Assessment was given this week.
Over the next two weeks, students will be completing their fall NWEA MAP assessments in class on Chromebooks. The MAP Math Assessment will be given on Tuesday, September 1st and the MAP Math Assessment will be given on Thursday, September 3rd.

Schoolwork/Homework Resources:

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.
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 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 to help us understand what we read and what is read to us. Use this link to support your reader at home.
Grammar: We have been focusing on the different parts of a sentence to help us make sentences interesting and precise. Please utilize this resource to help your child at home.

Social-Emotional:

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.

Specialty Class Information:

See weekly email for information on what your children are learning in Specialty Classes, upcoming assessments, and resources to practice at home.
Click here for Specialty teachers' websites and contact information.

Westlake News:

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,

Donate to our grade level using this link!
Fundraise by posting our grade level link on Social Media, or send the link to friends and family asking for contributions to your students’ grade level!
New Way to Contribute: CLICK HERE to refer a business that may be interested in sponsoring an Explorer! Our Explorer Partners team will reach out to every business that is referred by a family member and help the business to sponsor an Explorer! When they do, they will become a part of our Explorer Partners Program!

We’ve 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!

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.

Friday, August 21st

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:

Blue Responsibility Folders: Blue Responsibility Folders (Friday Folders) went home with students today! Please review and remove the papers in the "Keep at Home" side of the folder and return the empty folder to school on Monday.
Fall Picture Day: Fall Picture Day is Tuesday, September 1st. All students will be photographed for the yearbook and student IDs. This will be a uniform picture day. Please see the "Westlake News" section below for more information on Fall Picture Day.
Back to School Night: I hope to see you at our Back to School Night on Wednesday, August 26th at either 6:00pm for Session One or 6:40pm for Session Two in our classroom, C-107! Please see the "Westlake News" section below for more information on Back to School Night.
Family Survey: Please click here to fill out a short family survey so I can learn a little more about your child and your family. I look forward to partnering with you throughout this school year to make your child's year a success!

Coming Up Next Week- What are we learning?

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

Phonics: Unit 1- Letter Review

Comprehension: Ask and Answer Questions

Grammar: Sentences

Writing: Narrative Writing

Thematic Study: Friendship and Citizenship

Assessment Information:

BPST and Sight Words (Trick Words) will be assessed during the first few weeks of school to gather baseline data for students.
Our Citizenship (SS 1.1) Assessment will be given next week.

Schoolwork/Homework Resources:

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, 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 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 the components of complete sentences.

Social-Emotional:

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. We believe 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 PurposeFull People and some fun ways you can join us in kicking off our most Kind year yet!

Specialty Class Information:

See weekly email for information on what your children are learning in Specialty Classes, upcoming assessments, and resources to practice at home.
Click here for Specialty teachers' websites and contact information.

Westlake News:

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,

Donate to our grade level using this link!
Fundraise by posting our grade level link on Social Media, or send the link to friends and family asking for contributions to your students’ grade level!
New Way to Contribute: CLICK HERE to refer a business that may be interested in sponsoring an Explorer! Our Explorer Partners team will reach out to every business that is referred by a family member and help the business to sponsor an Explorer! When they do, they will become a part of our Explorer Partners Program!

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.

Town Hall Sessions: We have three identical sessions, you only need to attend one. Session One is 5:30 - 5:50 PM, Session Two is 6:45 - 7:05 PM, Session Three is 7:15 - 7:35 PM. Dr. Eick will share our vision for the year and engage our community in some exciting announcements about our future.
Kindergarten through 5th Grade Families: We have two identical sessions, you only need to attend one. Session One is 6:00 - 6:30 PM, Session Two is 6:40 - 7:10 PM. A video from your child's specialty teacher(s) will be available.
6th-8th Grade Families: We have two identical sessions, you only need to attend one. Session One is 5:00 - 5:40 PM, Session Two is 6:00 - 6:40 PM. During these sessions, you will meet with your student’s core teachers and specialty teachers. Your students are creating your schedule for the evening.

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.

Friday, August 14th

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)

Classroom Content:

We had a wonderful first week of first grade! We spent time learning each other's names, building classroom community, and exploring spaces in our classroom and around campus. We reviewed our numbers to 20 in math and spent time familiarizing ourselves with our Fundations phonics curriculum. We will start reviewing our letters more in depth next week. It has been great getting to know you and your children this first week of school. I look forward to collaborating with you for a wonderful first grade year!
Family Survey: Please click here to fill out a short family survey so I can learn a little more about your child and your family. I look forward to partnering with you throughout this school year to make your child's year a success!
School Dismissal Manager: At Westlake, we use School Dismissal Manager to safely dismiss students to the appropriate location each day. If you haven't already, please update your child's School Dismissal Manager for this school year to indicate how your child will be getting home each day. If you need any support with updating your child's dismissal preferences, please email admin@westlakecharter.com.
- PLEASE NOTE: Every Thursday I will have carline duty. This means that I will be outside at the first grade area of the carline ensuring your students are safe as they wait for your car. On these days, if you will be picking your child up from the classroom, and you do not see me or your child, your child will be waiting for you outside of Ms. Myer’s room right next door at C106.
Specialty Classes: Our specialty classes began this week! Our class is very excited for Spanish, Art, and PE! Our class will be going to Art on Monday, PE on Tuesday and Thursday, then they will visit Spanish on Friday! You can also view that schedule here!

Coming Up Next Week- What are we learning?

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

Phonics: Unit 1- Letter Review

Comprehension: Making Predictions

Grammar: Sentences

Writing: Narrative Writing

Thematic Study: Friendship and Citizenship

Assessment Information:

BPST and Sight Words (Trick Words) will be assessed during the first few weeks of school to gather baseline data for students.

Schoolwork/Homework Resources:

Math: We have been focusing on number writing in math this week. Practice writing your numbers to 20 at home! Students may log into Imagine Math at home to practice their math facts and skills (access Imagine Math through Clever).
Phonics: This week in phonics we focused on letter review. Use this link to help your reader improve their letter sound knowledge.
Writing: This trimester we are focusing on Personal Narrative Writing. Personal Narratives have a Topic Sentence, Sequence of Events (First, Next, Last), and a Closing Sentence. Please utilize this resource to help your writer at home.

Social-Emotional:

This week, we focused on getting to know our classmates and learning their names. We will continue to work on building classroom community and learning about our classmates in the following weeks.

Specialty Class Information:

See weekly email for information on what your children are learning in Specialty Classes, upcoming assessments, and resources to practice at home.
Click here for Specialty teachers' websites and contact information.

Westlake News:

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.

Kindergarten through 5th Grade Families: We have two identical sessions, you only need to attend one. Session one is 6:00 - 6:30 PM, session two is 6:40 - 7:10 PM. A video from your child's specialty teacher(s) will be available.
6th-8th Grade Families: We have two identical sessions, you only need to attend one. Session one is 5:00 - 5:40 PM, session two is 6:00 - 6:40 PM. During these sessions, you will meet with your student’s core teachers and specialty teachers. Your students are creating your schedule for the evening.

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.

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,

Donate to our grade level using this link!
Fundraise by posting our grade level link on Social Media, or send the link to friends and family asking for contributions to your students’ grade level!
New Way to Contribute: CLICK HERE to refer a business that may be interested in sponsoring an Explorer! Our Explorer Partners team will reach out to every business that is referred by a family member and help the business to sponsor an Explorer! When they do, they will become a part of our Explorer Partners Program!

Our Grade Level is off to a great start! School just started and we are already at 23.96% of our goal. This week the grade level with the highest growth over last week will win a prize! Let’s go families, let’s make sure First Grade wins big!

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.