August 14th, 2026
August 14th, 2026
August 14th, 2026
Hello Families, and welcome to Third Grade for our 2026-2027 school year!
Please take a moment to visit and read this newsletter weekly, as it contains important information about our class, as well as upcoming events at Westlake. You will receive an email with the link every Friday. Thank you for your collaboration and support. I am looking forward to our school year together!
Upcoming Dates:
Wednesday, August 26th- Back to School Night
Monday, September 7th- Labor Day- No School
Tuesday, September 1st- Fall Picture Day (uniform picture day)
Classroom News
School Dismissal Manager: If you have not already done so, please update your child's School Dismissal Manager with how they will be going home this year. It is super important that I know where each student is going at the end of the day for safety purposes. If you have any difficulty logging in or accessing your account, please email talexander@westlakecharter.com for assistance.
Specialties Update: At Westlake, we value our students’ social-emotional growth and have adjusted our Specialties cohort model to create a more stable and connected school community. A stable community helps reduce stress, foster teamwork, deepen friendships, and ultimately support deeper learning. With this new model, four classes in each grade level remain together as a classroom community during Specialties, while one class divides into four groups to join the other classes. This model is rooted in a foundational belief at Westlake: all of our students are ALL of our students.
Your child’s Specialties schedule was sent home in their Friday Folder during Meet the Teacher. Please take a moment to review it with your child so they know which group they will join each day.
Social Emotional Learning Focus
We spent the first three days of school getting to know our new classmates, new classroom space, and establishing our Community Agreements.. This week, we began brainstorming our hopes and dreams for the 3rd-grade school year.
Next week, we will focus on what collaboration looks like, sounds like, and feels like as we continue to launch the school year in our Getting to Know You unit.
This year, we are excited to launch Character Strong, our new social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum! Each Monday across our K-8, students will participate in a Character Strong lesson during Morning Meeting as we build skills around kindness, relationships, self-awareness, and responsible decision-making. We are also excited to partner with families in this work. Each week, we’ll share resources and, when helpful, a short parent video connected to our classroom lesson so you can continue the conversation at home.
CLICK HERE for a video from Character Strong.
ELA (reading, writing, grammar)
This week, we learned all about each other! Together, we brainstormed what we know about third grade and what questions we have about third grade.
Next week, we will begin discussions on what it means to be a writer, what writers write about, and topics that are close to their hearts that they may want to write about. We will practice narrative writing as our first style of writing.
CLICK HERE for resources to practice writing at home and a rubric of what a third-grade writer’s narrative story should include.
Students will be decorating the front of their writer’s notebooks. Please see the notice that was sent home or CLICK HERE for more details about what they can bring in to decorate.
We will also begin our phonics instruction from our Fundations curriculum. We will work on our procedures and routines while learning about closed syllables and the trigraph tch.
CLICK HERE for a video of Unit 1 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 1 along with home activity sheets. A hard copy of this can also be found in Friday Folders.
Science
This week, we completed several STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) challenges as we continue to work on building our teamwork, collaboration, and classroom community.
Math
Next week, we will begin our first unit in our math curriculum, Illustrative Mathematics: Introducing Multiplication.
CLICK HERE for a family support video for the launch of Unit 1
CLICK HERE for family support materials for Unit 1
Parent Info Sheet- Operations and Algebraic Thinking standards
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.
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.
Specialty Classes:
Week of
8/12/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
This week, artists learned about classroom expectations. Artists who have not been to art class yet will learn about expectations when they arrive next week. Following these lessons, we will EXPLORE and experiment with various art tools.
PE - Morales
Welcome back PE explorers! This week we are going over policies and procedures for our PE class.
Spanish - Grimaldi
August 21st, 2026
Upcoming Dates:
Wednesday, August 26th- Back to School Night
Monday, September 7th- Labor Day- No School
Tuesday, September 1st- K-8 Fall Picture Day- Uniform
Tuesday, September 1st- NWEA MAP Testing: Math
Thursday, September 3rd- NWEA MAP Testing: Reading
Classroom News
School Dismissal Manager: If you have not already done so, please update your child's School Dismissal Manager with how they will be going home this year. It is super important that I know where each student is going at the end of the day for safety purposes. If you have any difficulty logging in or accessing your account, please email talexander@westlakecharter.com for assistance.
ELA (writing, reading, grammar)
This week in reading, we worked towards having sustained reading stamina. To build students up for success, we discussed what it looks like to pick a good-fit book.
The 30 Book Challenge was introduced and students are very excited! This year in third grade, I challenge students to read 30 books or more! Students may read any good fit book that interests them. Encourage your child to explore various genres while they complete this challenge. These books can be read at home or at school. The goal is to create a love for reading that lasts a lifetime. Students will be tracking progress in their Reading Log that will stay at school. Each time they finish a book, they will add it to their list.
This week, we also spent time brainstorming ideas for future writing in our notebooks. Students made collages on the inside cover of their notebooks that they can reference throughout the school year for topic ideas..
Our first writing focus will be personal narratives. Students will write true stories that they have experienced.
Study guides for writing were sent home in Friday Folders this week. CLICK HERE for a digital copy of the study guide. This will be assessed at the end of the trimester, but a process that we are learning and practicing all trimester.
We have also begun our phonics instruction from our Fundations curriculum. This week we reviewed procedures and routines. We focused on closed syllables and the trigraph tch.
CLICK HERE for a video of Unit 1 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 1 along with home activity sheets. A hard copy of this can also be found in Friday Folders.
Math
This week, we began Unit 1: Introducing Multiplication, Section A: Interpret and Represent Data on Scaled Graphs, from our Illustrative Math curriculum. This week, we have been learning new routines and procedures as we build our Mathematical Community. Students have been collecting and analyzing data to create scaled graphs.
The daily cool-downs will be sent home weekly in Friday Folders. This is a quick way to check in with your student and see how they are doing on the learning in class.
Next week, we will continue to create and understand scaled graphs as we begin to make a connection between scaled graphs and multiplication.
At-home Resources:
CLICK HERE for a family support video for the launch of Unit 1
CLICK HERE for family support materials for Unit 1
Parent Info Sheet- Operations and Algebraic Thinking standards
Social Emotional Learning
This year, we are excited to launch Character Strong, our new social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum! Each Monday across our K-8, students will participate in a Character Strong lesson during Morning Meeting as we build skills around kindness, relationships, self-awareness, and responsible decision-making. We are also excited to partner with families in this work.
CLICK HERE for a video from Character Strong.
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.
CLICK HERE to 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!
As a class, we learned about the various types of discussions that we will participate in during the school year. A discussion can be teacher-led, in a group, or with a partner.
Assessment Information
Speaking and Listening Benchmark
This will be given the week of August 24th:
This will be reported on the Trimester 1 Progress Report
NWEA MAP Testing
Tuesday, September 1st- Math Test
Thursday, Thursday 3rd- Reading Test
Unit 1: Introducing Multiplication Benchmark
This will be given the week of September 14th.
Click Here for the study guide. A hard copy was also sent home in Friday Folders today.
Westlake News
Grade Level Field Lesson & School Supplies Donations Competition: Third 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 Third 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 16.67% 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 Third 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.
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 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.
Specialties
8/17/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
Next week will be an introduction to art tools and tool exploration. Artists will use oil pastel, watercolor, and paint sticks to name just a few! We will also learn about art centers, which are choices for early finishers, and a community agreement that all tools and toys stay inside Mrs. Ascheman's classroom.
PE - Morales
Welcome back PE explorers! This week we are going over policies and procedures for our PE class.
Spanish - Grimaldi
This week, I reviewed colors and common Spanish greetings, including good morning (buenos días), good afternoon (buenas tardes), and good night (buenas noches). I also went over class expectations and classroom rules with students.
August 28th, 2026
Upcoming Dates:
Tuesday, September 1st- K-8 Fall Picture Day- Uniform
Tuesday, September 1st- NWEA MAP Testing: Math
Thursday, September 3rd- NWEA MAP Testing: Reading
Monday, September 7th- Labor Day- No School
Classroom News
Back to School Night Follow-Up: Thank you for attending Back to School Night. If you were unable to attend or would like to access the slides, please CLICK HERE.
School Dismissal Manager: We appreciate your efforts to keep Dismissal Manager updated with your child’s dismissal instructions. This ensures that everyone gets where they need to go quickly and safely.
ELA (writing, reading, grammar)
In writing, we are hard at work on our first personal narrative writing piece. This week, students practiced including transition words and adding more details to their stories . The writing process can be messy with a lot of edits and revisions.
Next week, in writing, we will publish our writing. We will set goals for how we want to grow as writers and review the 3rd-grade narrative rubric.
This week, we wrapped up our Getting to Know You unit. As we launched the school year, we have read many books about community, collaboration, and friendships.
Next week, we will begin our Folktales unit. We will study folktales, fables, fairytales, and myths. While reading we will be focusing on retelling stories as well as asking and answering questions about a text.
Study guides for writing were sent home in Friday Folders last week. CLICK HERE for a digital copy of the study guide. This will be assessed at the end of the trimester, but a process that we are learning and practicing all trimester.
This week in phonics, we focused on closed syllable exceptions and glued sounds.
Next week we will begin Unit 2, where students will learn about 1-1-1 words.
CLICK HERE for a video of Unit 2 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 2, along with home activity sheets. A printed copy can be found in Friday Folders.
Math
This week, we wrapped up Unit 1: Section A from our Illustrative Math curriculum. We continued to create and understand scaled graphs as we began to make connections between scaled graphs and multiplication.
Next week in Section B, students will make sense of multiplication in terms of equal groups of objects.
Cool downs and Checkpoints will be sent home weekly in Friday Folders. This is a quick way to check in with your student and see how they are doing on the weekly lessons.
CLICK HERE for the third-grade standards.
At-home Resources:
CLICK HERE for a digital copy of the study guide.
A hard copy was sent home today in Friday Folders.
CLICK HERE for a family support video for the launch of Unit 1
CLICK HERE for family support materials for Unit 1
Parent Info Sheet- Operations and Algebraic Thinking standards
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. This week during our Character Strong lesson students continued to practice kindness by creating Kind Classroom Agreeents.
CLICK HERE to 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!
This week, we continued to learn more about having a growth mindset. We discussed the idea that learning never stops and that even when things get challenging, we should not give up.
Next week, we will launch into our first Core Value of the school year: Respect.
Assessment Information
Speaking and Listening Benchmark
This will be given this week.
This will be reported on the Trimester 1 Progress Report.
NWEA MAP Testing
Tuesday, September 1st- Math Test
Thursday, Thursday 3rd- Reading Test
Unit 1: Introducing Multiplication Benchmark
This will be given the week of September 14th.
CLICK HERE for the study guide. A hard copy was also sent home in Friday Folders today.
Westlake News
Grade Level Field Lesson & School Supplies Donations Competition: Third 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 Third 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 17.87% of our goal and our families have referred three businesses! Let’s go families, let’s make sure Third 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.
Specialties
8/31/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
Third grade artists will be introduced to art centers and maker space materials! This will be our first maker space experience. We will sign an agreement that all materials, toys, and tools will stay inside the classroom so that all students can enjoy them at school.
PE - Morales
This week we will begin our chasing and fleeing games along with overhand throwing activities.
Spanish - Grimaldi
This week in Spanish, students learned how to say **“Me gusta”** and **“No me gusta.”** We also practiced five common action verbs and shared activities we like and do not like.
September 4, 2026
Upcoming Dates:
Monday, September 7th- Labor Day- No School
Week of September 14th- Unit 1 Math Benchmark
Friday, September 25th- Student Spirit Day: Sports Day
Friday, September 25th- Olympic Triathlon
Friday, September 25th- Progress Reports go home
Week of September 28th- Folktales Benchmark
Classroom News
School Library: We will visit the Westlake Library every Wednesday afternoon with Mrs. Polonco. Please support your child in making sure to return their library book each week in order to borrow a new one!
School Dismissal Manager: We appreciate your efforts to keep Dismissal Manager updated with your child’s dismissal instructions. This ensures that everyone gets where they need to go quickly and safely.
English Language Arts (writing, reading, grammar)
This week, we started our new unit on Folktales: Fairytales, Fables, and Myths. We discussed the differences between fairytales, fables, and myths. We also created a world map and outlined different stories from all parts of the world.
Click HERE for the third-grade standards (RL3.1 - 3.3)
At-home Resources:
Click HERE for a list of 300 writing prompts you could use at home!
Next week, students will read the Folktale, Stone Soup, and practice answering questions about the text.
This week in writing, we started our first draft of our personal narratives and learned how to write a lead.
Next week in writing, we will learn about dialogue and how to include it in our personal narratives.
At-home Resources:
CLICK HERE for a list of 300 writing prompts you could use at home!
This week in phonics, we started Unit 2. This unit focuses on vowel suffixes and consonant suffixes.
CLICK HERE for a video of Unit 2 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 2, along with home activity sheets. A printed copy was sent home in last week’s Friday Folder.
Next week in phonics, we will learn how to identify and mark up 1-1-1 words.
Math
This week in Section B, students made sense of multiplication in terms of equal groups of objects.
Next week in math, students will finish Section B and begin Section C of Unit 1. In this section, students will represent multiplication with arrays and the commutative property.
Click HERE for the third-grade standards.
At-home Resources:
Click HERE for a family support video for the launch of Unit 1
Click HERE for family support materials for Unit 1
Parent Info Sheet- Operations and Algebraic Thinking standards
If you would like to do extra practice problems with your child from Section B, please use this resource HERE.
Formative Assessments (daily cooldowns and end-of-section checkpoints) will be sent home in Friday Folders. This is an additional opportunity to check in with your student and see how they are doing with their learning.
Social Emotional Learning
This week, we started talking about our Core Value of the Month: Respect. We talked about the definition of respect and discussed the different ways we can be respectful.
In the world, we need to be able to interpret “why” and “how” situations happen and then respond appropriately to that information. By practicing Respect, we can improve communication and reduce misunderstandings when interacting with our community. This month's focus for 3rd grade is on practicing Respect by practicing perspective-taking.
CLICK HERE to check out our Family Letter for more information about our unit. You can also find a copy of the newsletter in your student’s Friday Folder.
Conversation Starters:
What does Respect mean in your own words?
Why do you think it is important to use perspective-taking when practicing Respect?
Core Value of the Month: Respect
Assessment Information
NWEA MAP Testing
We completed NWEA MAP testing this week. If your student did not complete testing, they do their make up test next week.
Unit 1: Introducing Multiplication Benchmark
This will be given the week of September 14th.
CLICK HERE for the study guide. A hard copy was also sent home in Friday Folders today.
ELA benchmark- Our ELA benchmark focusing on Folktales will be given the week of September 28th. You can access the study guide digitally HERE.
WCS News
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.
Specialties
9/7/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
Third grade artists will be learning about the artist Alma Thomas. We will look at her artwork for inspiration to create a landscape using pain in a dashed line style similar to Thomas.
PE - Morales
This week we will work on our overhand throws.
Spanish - Grimaldi
This week students reviewed saludos and colores. We introduced new vocabulary, which consisted of classroom objects.
September 11th, 2026
Upcoming Dates:
Week of September 14th- Unit 1 Math Benchmark
Friday, September 25th- Student Spirit Day: Sports Day
Friday, September 25th- Olympic Triathlon
Friday, September 25th- Progress Reports go home
Week of September 28th- Folktales Benchmark
Class News
School Dismissal Manager: We appreciate your efforts to keep Dismissal Manager updated with your child’s dismissal instructions. This ensures that everyone gets where they need to go quickly and safely.
English Language Arts (writing, reading, grammar, phonics)
This week in reading, students read the Myth, “How Night Came” and the Folktale, Stone Soup. We discussed how to ask questions: before, during, and after reading. Students also filled out a story map where they retold what happened in the beginning, middle, and the end of the story.
Next week, students will begin expert groups where they will become an “expert” on a fable, myth, or legend.
CLICK HERE for the third grade standards (RL3.1 - 3.3)
Writing
In writing, we learned how to write a lead and also learned how to incorporate dialogue into our stories.
Next week, we will learn how to add details and include transitions into our writing.
At-home Resources:
CLICK HERE for a list of 300 writing prompts you could use at home!
Phonics
This week in phonics, we learned how to identify and mark up 1-1-1 words.
Next week in phonics, we will continue to focus on 1-1-1 words. A 1-1-1 word has one syllable, one vowel, and one final consonant. When a vowel suffix is added to a 1-1-1 word, the last letter of the word, a consonant, is doubled.
CLICK HERE for a video of Unit 2 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 2, along with home activity sheets.
Math
This week, we completed Unit 1: Section B From Graphs to Multiplication. Students learned more about repeated addition and how it connects to multiplication. We practiced solving multiplication expressions by using diagrams and drawings. We have begun Section C: Represent and Solve Multiplication Problems Involving Arrays.
If you would like to do extra practice problems with your child from Section B please use this resource HERE.
Next week in math, we will complete Unit 1: Introduction to Multiplication by representing and solving multiplication problems involving arrays. You can also access the study guide digitally HERE. These results will be reflected on their Trimester 1 Report Cards.
Formative Assessments (daily cooldowns and end-of-section checkpoints) will be sent home in Friday Folders. This is an additional opportunity to check in with your student and see how they are doing with their learning.
CLICK HERE for the third grade standards.
At-home Resources:
CLICK HERE for a family support video for the launch of Unit 1
CLICK HERE for family support materials for Unit 1
Parent Info Sheet- Operations and Algebraic Thinking standards
Use online resources like Imagine Math and Imagine Math Facts using your child’s school email account on Clever.
Social Emotional Learning
This week, we continued talking about our Core Value of the Month: Respect. We talked about how we each have a different “recipe” for respect. Ask your student what their recipe for respect is!
PurposeFull Pursuit:
A fun way to remind students to show Respect to others is to create a non-verbal cue. As a family, come up with a non-verbal way to cue your student to remember to show Respect to others. An example of this would be anytime you raise the “Respect Rooster” on your hand by closing the middle 2 fingers and bringing your pointer finger and pinky finger up, your student would be reminded to practice living out Respect.
CLICK HERE to check out our Family Letter for more information about our monthly unit.
Conversation Starters:
What is 1 way a family member has shown you Respect lately?
Share about a time you looked at a situation from someone else’s perspective.
Assessment Information
NWEA MAP Testing
Students completed their make up test this week for NWEA.
Unit 1: Introducing Multiplication Benchmark
This will be given next week (week of September 14th)
CLICK HERE for the study guide.
ELA benchmark
Our ELA benchmark focusing on Folktales will be given the week of September 28th. You can access the study guide digitally HERE.
WCS News
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.
Specialties
9/14/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
Third grade artists will be painting a large sunflower in celebration of the end of summer. I can't wait to see these beauties come to life!
PE - Morales
This week we will work on our overhand throw.
Spanish - Grimaldi
Students are reviewing classroom object vocabulary in Spanish through interactive games, matching activities, and speaking practice. They are practicing recognizing, naming, and using the vocabulary in class.
September 18th, 2026
Upcoming Dates:
Friday, September 25th- SPIRIT DAY: SPORTS!
Friday, September 25th- Olympic Triathlon
Friday, September 25th- Progress Reports go home
Week of September 28th- Folktales Benchmark
Thursday, October 1st- Picture Retake Day
Monday, October 5th- 9th- Fall Break: No School
Class News
School Dismissal Manager: We appreciate your efforts to keep Dismissal Manager updated with your child’s dismissal instructions. This ensures that everyone gets where they need to go quickly and safely.
ELA (writing, reading, grammar, phonics)
This week during reading, students began expert groups. We will be reading stories such as: The Hare and the Tortoise, How Kangaroo Got Her Pouch, and Anansi and the Turtle. Students are meeting in small groups to learn and teach each other about these folktales.
Next week, students will continue to learn more about folktales through our expert groups.
CLICK HERE for the third grade standards (RL3.1 - 3.3)
At-home Resources:
CLICK HERE for a list of 300 writing prompts you could use at home!
This week in phonics, we continued identifying 1-1-1 words. A 1-1-1 word is a word that is 1 syllable, has 1 vowel, and 1 consonant after the vowel. When you add a vowel suffix to a 1-1-1 word, the last consonant is doubled.
Next week, we will begin Unit 3. A letter and practice worksheets were sent home in Friday Folders today.
CLICK HERE for a video of Unit 3 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 3 along with home activity sheets.
In writing, we are continuing our work on narrative writing. This week we learned how to punctuate dialogue and use juicy words and transition words.
CLICK HERE for third grade writing rubric.
Math
This week, we completed Unit 1: Introduction to Multiplication by representing and solving multiplication problems involving arrays.
This week we took our Unit 1 Math assessment. These results will be reflected on their Trimester 1 Report Cards. Unit 1 Math books were sent home as we are all finished with them. Feel free to recycle or use as an additional resource.
Next week, we will begin Unit 2: Relate Area to Multiplication.
Formative Assessments (daily cooldowns and end-of-section checkpoints) will be sent home in Friday Folders. This is an additional opportunity to check in with your student and see how they are doing with their learning.
CLICK HERE for the third-grade standards.
CLICK HERE for a family support video for the launch of Unit 2
CLICK HERE for family support materials for Unit 2
Parent Info Sheet - Area & Perimeter
Use online resources including Imagine Math, Imagine Math Facts, and Xtra Math using your child’s school email account on Clever.
Assessment Information
Unit 1 Math Benchmark: This week we took our Math assessment Unit 1: Introduction to Multiplication. These results will be reflected on their Trimester 1 Report Cards. If they did not master a specific standard, reteaching and retake opportunities will be given.
ELA Folktales Benchmark- Our ELA benchmark focusing on Folktales will be given the week of September 28th. Please check your child’s Friday Folder for a hard copy of the study guide. You can also access the study guide digitally HERE.
Skills Assessments- For the past couple of weeks, students were assessed on sight words and phonics skills. These scores will be reflected in Trimester 1 Progress Reports. These assessments will take place several times throughout the school year and be updated on Progress Reports and Report Cards.
Social Emotional Learning
This week, we continued talking about our Core Value of the Month: Respect. We talked about perspective-taking and how everyone has different perspectives because we experience things uniquely.
PurposeFull Pursuit:
Review Respect as a family! Remember that in our lessons we are teaching that Respect means to see value in people and things and treat them with care. Agree as a family to set aside a certain time each day this week to unplug from devices and plug into family time. It shows Respect to practice being present in the moment without the distractions that can come from technology. Debrief and discuss this challenge afterward and commit to this practice at least 1 day each week!
CLICK HERE to check out our Family Letter for more information about our monthly unit.
Conversation Starters:
How can you check to see if you understand someone else’s perspective?
Why is practicing perspective-taking important when trying to show someone Respect?
Core Value of the Month: Respect
WCS News
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:
Students & staff who are new to our school since the original picture day
Students & staff who were absent on the original picture day
Students & staff who would like to retake their photo
CLICK HERE to order pictures
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.
Specialties
9/21/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
Artists will be drawing pumpkins inspired by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Kusama loved dots so our pumpkins will be covered in dots!
HERE is a video to learn more about Yayoi Kusama.
PE - Morales
This week we will prepare for our overhand throwing assessment
Next week we will begin assessments.
Spanish - Grimaldi
This week students will learn about numbers in spanish as well as review of the vowels and colores.
September 25th, 2026
Snack Donations Needed!
Our third graders sure work up an appetite! If you’re able to donate individually packaged, nut-free snacks for our classroom, we would greatly appreciate it!
Some ideas include Cheez-Its, Goldfish, granola bars, pretzels, crackers, or fruit snacks:)
Upcoming Dates:
Friday, September 25th- Progress Reports go home
Week of September 28th- Folktales Benchmark
Thursday, October 1st- Picture Retake Day
Monday, October 5th- 9th- Fall Break: No School
Class News
Progress Reports: Trimester 1 Progress Reports were sent home in Friday Folders today. If your student received a 1 in any area, I have included a comment with additional information about the specific skills or areas where they would benefit from continued growth and support. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about your child’s progress!
School Dismissal Manager: We appreciate your efforts to keep Dismissal Manager updated with your child’s dismissal instructions. This ensures that everyone gets where they need to go quickly and safely.
ELA (writing, reading, grammar, phonics)
This week in reading, students became an expert on folktales. Students focused on the characters, setting, plot, and the lesson or moral.
Next week, students will review what we have learned during this unit and take our Folktale benchmark assessment.
CLICK HERE for the third grade standards (RL3.1 - 3.3)
At-home Resources:
CLICK HERE for a list of 300 writing prompts you could use at home!
This week in writing, students worked to edit and publish their final draft!
Next week, we will continue the writing process as we work on personal narrative writing. Our writing process includes brainstorm, rough draft, edit, revise, and publish.
CLICK HERE for a digital copy of the study guide. This will be assessed at the end of the trimester.
CLICK HERE for third grade writing rubric.
This week in phonics we talked about vowel- consonant- e syllables.
Next week we will be learning about the exception to the vowel-consonant- e syllable.
CLICK HERE for a video of Unit 4 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 4 along with home activity sheets.
For additional practice, use these resources!
Math
This week we began Unit 2: Section A. Students practiced using square tiles to find the area of rectangles.
Next week students will learn that the area of rectangles can be determined by multiplying the side lengths.
Check your child’s Friday Folder for their daily cool downs to see how they are doing with this new learning.
CLICK HERE for the third grade standards.
At-home Resources:
CLICK HERE for a family support video for the launch of Unit 2
CLICK HERE for family support materials for Unit 2
Parent Info Sheet - Area & Perimeter
Assessment Information
ELA Folktales Benchmark- Our ELA benchmark focusing on Folktales will be given the week of September 28th. Please check your child’s Friday Folder for a hard copy of the study guide. You can also access the study guide digitally HERE.
ELA Narrative Writing Benchmark- Our narrative writing benchmark will be given in November. To access the study guide digitally, CLICK HERE. Study guides went home in Friday Folders last week.
Social Emotional Learning
This week, we finished out our first full unit in Character Strong on Respect. We broadened our focus on perspective-taking by talking about why it can be difficult to see others’ perspectives. We also learned how to see the good in others and how seeing the good in others makes it easier for us to show respect.
PurposeFull Pursuit:
Find a time to sit in a circle together and celebrate all the ways you have seen each other practice Respect. Take turns sharing responses to the following prompts or make up your own! Remember to practice Respect as you listen to each other.
CLICK HERE to check out our Family Letter for more information about our monthly unit.
Conversation Starters:
What family member(s) do you want to celebrate for their Respect?
Share about a time you practiced Respect by looking at a situation from someone else’s point of view.
WCS News:
19th Annual Olympic Triathlon: The 19th Annual Olympic Triathlon Event Day on Friday was the highlight of our one big fundraising campaign each year, which runs through Wednesday, September 30th! CLICK HERE to watch the video with more information about the Olympic Triathlon. Then, if you haven’t done so already, CLICK HERE to set up your family donation page on the PledgeStar website - it’s not too late! 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.
K-12 Picture Retake Day: K-12 Picture Retake Day: Our Picture Retake Day is Thursday, October 1st. See below for who should have their picture taken on October 1st:
Students & staff who are new to our school since the original picture day
Students & staff who were absent on the original picture day
Students & staff who would like to retake their photo
CLICK HERE to order pictures
Fall Break: Both campuses will be closed for Fall Break Monday, October 5th through Friday, October 9th. Our BASE program will be open during Fall Break. Please CLICK HERE to register for the day(s) you plan to have your Explorer attend.
Lost and Found: The Lost & Found at each campus is overflowing with jackets, lunch boxes, water bottles and more! K-8 families: Swing by to check for missing items behind the Admin Building. WCHS students: Look in the Commons during arrival, lunch, and dismissal. All unclaimed items will be donated over Fall Break.
Specialties
9/28/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
Artists will be working on a pumpkin drawing inspired by artist Yayoi Kusama. Later they will add color with dot paint pens, water and a printing technique.
PE - Morales
This week we will continue our overhand throwing assessments.
Spanish - Grimaldi
This week students will learn about numbers in spanish as well as review of the vowels and colores.
October 2nd, 2026
Upcoming Dates:
Monday, October 5th- 9th- Fall Break: No School
Friday, October 16th- International Walk to School Day
Week of October 19th- Unit 2 Math Assessment
November- Narrative Writing Assessment
Class News
No Toys/Equipment From Home: Please remind students that they are not allowed to bring toys or sports equipment from home. This is a school-wide policy. Thank you for your support with this!
School Dismissal Manager: We appreciate your efforts to keep Dismissal Manager updated with your child’s dismissal instructions. This ensures that everyone gets where they need to go quickly and safely.
ELA (writing, reading, grammar, phonics)
This week in reading, students took their Folktale Benchmark assessment. These results will be reflected on their Trimester 1 Report Cards.
After the Fall Break, we will jump into our new unit, Native Americans and Early Settlers. We will spend time learning about the Maidu and Miwok Native Americans from our region.
CLICK HERE for the third-grade standards (RI 3.1 - 3.9).
CLICK HERE for resources for 3.1
CLICK HERE for resources for 3.9
In writing, students worked on adding a conclusion and publishing their writing stories.
When we return from break, we will continue to practice our writing skills. Narrative writing assessment will be given in November.
CLICK HERE for third grade writing rubric.
CLICK HERE for a 3rd grade writing sample.
CLICK HERE for a writing study guide.
This week in phonics, we started Unit 4. We talked about vowel-consonant-e exceptions, the homophones “mail” and “male”, and also learned lowercase d and g in cursive.
At-home Phonics Support Resources:
CLICK HERE for a Video of Unit 4 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a Video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 4 along with home activity sheets.
For additional practice, use these resources!
Math
This week students learned that the area of rectangles can be determined by multiplying the side lengths. We discussed using different types of measurement to find the area of rectangles including square centimeters, square inches, square feet, and square meters.
After break, students will be finding the area of composite shapes made of rectangles.
Check your child’s Friday Folder for their daily cool downs to see how they are doing with this new learning.
CLICK HERE for the third grade standards.
At-home Resources:
CLICK HERE for a family support video for the launch of Unit 2
CLICK HERE for family support materials for Unit 2
Parent Info Sheet - Area & Perimeter
Assessment Information
Narrative Writing Assessment- will be given in November. To prepare for this assessment, give your child a prompt like: Write about a time you were excited.
CLICK HERE for third grade writing rubric.
CLICK HERE for a 3rd grade writing sample.
CLICK HERE for a writing study guide. This was also sent home in Friday Folders several weeks ago.
Unit 2 Math Assessment- will be given the week of October 19th.
CLICK HERE for the study guide.
Native Americans Assessment- will be given the week of November 2nd.
A study guide will be sent home after the break.
Social Emotional Learning
This week, we started our next unit in Character Strong on Responsibility. A big part of Responsibility is how we interact or engage with others. As we work to keep healthy relationships, we must understand that our choices impact those around us. This month's focus for 3rd grade is on practicing Responsibility with the help of flexible thinking.
CLICK HERE to check out our Family Letter for more information about our monthly unit.
Conversation Starters:
Can you describe how flexible thinking helps you to make responsible choices?
Share how you use flexible thinking to practice Responsibility.
WCS News
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. Our BASE program will be open during Fall Break. Please CLICK HERE to register for the day(s) you plan to have your Explorer attend.
Mystery Reader Challenge: October and November are Mystery Reader Months at Westlake Charter School. We are welcoming families into our Kindergarten - 5th grade homeroom classrooms, and Humanities classes in Middle School to encourage family engagement that centers on literacy. We are encouraging families to sign up to be a Mystery Reader in the following ways:
Classic In-person Surprise Mystery Reader:
Recorded Surprise Mystery Reader: Perfect for families who may work different schedules, and long-distance family members.
In-Person or Recorded Surprise Chapter Mystery Reader: Perfect for older classes where teachers are already doing immersive reading activities that include the teacher reading a book aloud and students reading along.
Below is all the information you will need to connect, engage, and contribute during the Mystery Reader Challenge!
CLICK HERE for more information about the Mystery Reader Challenge
CLICK HERE to sign up to be a Mystery Reader
CLICK HERE for some fun ideas about how to be an excellent Mystery Reader
CLICK HERE for our Family Volunteer Process
CLICK HERE for our Classroom Volunteering 101 training in Everest Academy
Specialties
10/12/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
When we return from fall break, artists will begin decorating a portfolio. Their portfolio will hold their art for the school year. In May, they will choose their favorite piece to display at Open House.
PE - Morales
3rd Grade will review class expectations and practice teamwork skills
Spanish - Grimaldi
This week students will review colors, action verbs, classroom objects, vowels, and numbers in spanish through jeopardy.
October 16th, 2026
Upcoming Dates:
Week of October 19th- Start with Hello Week
Week of October 19th- Math Unit 2: Area and Multiplication Assessment
Saturday, October 24th from 3:00 - 6:00 PM- Fall Festival
Week of October 26th- Red Ribbon Week
Monday (10/26): Be Brave and Active (Active Wear)
Tuesday (10/27): We Keep Our Paws Off Drugs (Animal Print)
Wednesday (10/28): From Head to Toe, I am Drug Free (Silly Hat and Socks)
Thursday (10/29): Be a Hero (Dress as your favorite hero)
Friday (10/30): I Am Drug Free! (Wear Red)
Week of November 2nd-Native American and California Regions Assessment
November- Narrative Writing Assessment
ELA (writing, reading, grammar, phonics)
In writing, students started a new seed story. They worked on outlining, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing!
Next month, students will take their Narrative Writing assessment.
CLICK HERE for a writing study guide.
CLICK HERE for third grade writing rubric.
CLICK HERE for a 3rd grade writing sample.
In phonics, students practiced making plural V-E words, discussed syllable types, and practiced adding suffixes to words.
At-home Phonics Support Resources:
CLICK HERE for a Video of Unit 4 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a Video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 4 along with home activity sheets.
For additional practice, use these resources!
Math
This week, we are continuing Unit 2: Area and Multiplication, where students learned about area concepts and related areas to multiplication and addition. Students learned about finding out the area for different shapes with some of the perimeter data missing.
Next week, we have our Unit 2 assessment. These results will be reflected on their Trimester 1 Report Cards.
Unit 2 math books will be sent home after the assessment as we are done using them. Feel free to recycle or use as an additional resource.
CLICK HERE for the third grade standards.
At-home Resources:
CLICK HERE for a family support video for the launch of Unit 2
CLICK HERE for family support materials for Unit 2
Parent Info Sheet - Area & Perimeter
Social Studies:
This week in reading, students began learning about Native American Indians and the 4 regions of California. We also learned about the region of Sacramento.
Next week, students will also learn about the economy, tools, shelter and social structure of the Maidu Native American tribe.
Assessment Information
Math Unit 2: Area and Multiplication Assessment- will be given next week.
CLICK HERE for the math study guide
A hard copy was sent home today.
Narrative Writing Assessment-
This assessment will be given in November.
CLICK HERE for a 3rd grade writing sample.
CLICK HERE for a writing study guide.
California and Sacramento Regions Assessment and Native Americans Assessment- This will be given the week of November 3rd
CLICK HERE for the study guide.
Social Emotional Learning
This week, we continued our unit in Character Strong on Responsibility. A big part of Responsibility is how we interact or engage with others. As we work to keep healthy relationships, we must understand that our choices impact those around us. This month's focus for 3rd grade is on practicing Responsibility with the help of flexible thinking.
CLICK HERE to check out our Family Letter for more information about our monthly unit.
Conversation Starters:
Can you describe how flexible thinking helps you to make responsible choices?
Share how you use flexible thinking to practice Responsibility.
WCS News:
Mystery Reader Challenge:
October and November are Mystery Reader Months at Westlake Charter School. We are welcoming families into our Kindergarten - 5th grade homeroom classrooms, and Humanities classes in Middle School to encourage family engagement that centers on literacy. We are encouraging families to sign up to be a Mystery Reader in the following ways:
Classic In-person Surprise Mystery Reader:
Recorded Surprise Mystery Reader: Perfect for families who may work different schedules, and long-distance family members.
In-Person or Recorded Surprise Chapter Mystery Reader: Perfect for older classes where teachers are already doing immersive reading activities that include the teacher reading a book aloud and students reading along.
Below is all the information you will need to connect, engage, and contribute during the Mystery Reader Challenge!
CLICK HERE for more information about the Mystery Reader Challenge
CLICK HERE to sign up to be a Mystery Reader
CLICK HERE for some fun ideas about how to be an excellent Mystery Reader
CLICK HERE for our Family Volunteer Process
CLICK HERE for our Classroom Volunteering 101 training in Everest Academy
K-8 Conference Week:
Save the date for our K-8 Conference week - Conferences will take place November 16th - 20th. Remember, during conference week, we will dismiss early to allow time to meet with each of our families – Kindergarten will dismiss at 1:00 PM, and 1st - 8th grade will dismiss at 1:30 PM. Our BASE program will be open after school until 6:00 PM each day. The online scheduler will be open from October 26th through November 16th.
Jibe Walktober Challenge:
Walktober is here! Challenge yourself to walk to school and have your Trip Card scanned as many times as you can between October 19th and October 30th for a chance to win. All classes with at least 50% participation win a party-in-a-box for the entire class to enjoy! CLICK HERE for the flyer. Don’t have a card yet? No problem, just CLICK HERE to register today.
Jibe Bike Doctor:
Bike Doc is North Natomas Jibe's free basic bike repair and tune up service. This basic repair service is offered at no cost to our community. Students and families of Westlake Charter School are invited to register to bring in bicycles on October 24th. CLICK HERE To register for Bike Doc free bike repair.
10/19/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
Artists will create an artwork focused on the art element of space. They will use paper, scissors and glue to learn about using space in an artwork. We will gain inspiration by looking at the Japanese artform of Notan.
PE - Morales
This week we will practice striking a ball with hands in modified 4 square games.
Spanish - Grimaldi
Students will learn the months of the year in Spanish.
October 23rd, 2026
Upcoming Dates:
Saturday, October 24th from 3:00 - 6:00 PM- Fall Festival
Week of October 26th- Red Ribbon Week
Monday (10/26): Be Brave and Active (Active Wear)
Tuesday (10/27): We Keep Our Paws Off Drugs (Animal Print)
Wednesday (10/28): From Head to Toe, I am Drug Free (Silly Hat and Socks)
Thursday (10/29): Be a Hero (Dress as your favorite hero)
Friday (10/30): I Am Drug Free! (Wear Red)
Week of November 2nd-Native American and California Regions Assessment
November- Narrative Writing Assessment
Week of November 16th-20th- Trimester 1 Student- Led Conferences- sign up is available next week on Monday, October 26th
Social Studies
This week in Social Studies, students learned about the economy, tools, shelter and social structure of the Maidu Native American tribe.
Next week, students will learn about the Miwok Native American tribe. We will take time to compare and contrast these two tribes from the Sacramento region.
ELA (writing, reading, grammar, phonics)
In November, students will take their Narrative writing assessment. Their scores will be reflected in their first trimester report card.
CLICK HERE for third grade writing rubric.
CLICK HERE for a 3rd grade writing sample.
This week in phonics, students were introduced to the schwa. Students learned that when a word contains a schwa, the vowel often sounds similar to a short u or short i. Next week, students will practice identifying the schwa.
At-home Phonics Support Resources:
CLICK HERE for a Video of Unit 5 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a Video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 5 along with home activity sheets.
Math
This week in math, students took their multiplication and area unit assessment. Their grade will be reflected in their first trimester report card.
This week we also began unit 3 in math. In unit 3, students will use place value understanding to round whole numbers and add and subtract within 1,000. They will also represent and solve two-step word problems using addition, subtraction, and multiplication and assess the reasonableness of answers.
CLICK HERE for the third-grade standards.
Parent Info Sheet - Area & Perimeter
Students were sent home with their Imagine Math login information last week. Your child can continue using Imagine Math at home to work toward the Minute Challenge.
Assessment Information
Narrative Writing Assessment-
This assessment will be given in November.
CLICK HERE for a 3rd grade writing sample.
CLICK HERE for a writing study guide.
California and Sacramento Regions Assessment and Native Americans Assessment- This will be given the week of November 2nd.
CLICK HERE for the study guide.
Social Emotional Learning
This week, we continued our unit in Character Strong on Responsibility. A big part of Responsibility is how we interact or engage with others. As we work to keep healthy relationships, we must understand that our choices impact those around us. This month's focus for 3rd grade is on practicing Responsibility with the help of flexible thinking.
CLICK HERE to check out our Family Letter for more information about our monthly unit.
Conversation Starters:
Can you describe how flexible thinking helps you to make responsible choices?
Share how you use flexible thinking to practice Responsibility.
Behavior Bites with Dr. Young:
Check out THIS NEWSLETTER from Dr. Young BCBA.
WCS News
Fall Festival:
Join us for an afternoon of fall fun, carnival games & community TOMORROW, Saturday, October 24th from 3:00 - 6:00 PM at our Annual Fall Festival!
CLICK HERE to purchase pre-sale tickets featuring our NEW Unlimited Play Wristband option!
CLICK HERE to volunteer during the festival or donate a dessert for our popular Dessert Walk!
CLICK HERE to learn more about the vendor fair
CLICK HERE for Silent Auction
See the WAVE section of the Westlake Weekly for more information!
Fall Book Fair:
Our Scholastic Book Fair opens at the Fall Festival tomorrow, Saturday, October 24th and will continue to run from Monday, October 26th - Friday, October 30th. K-8 students will have the opportunity to visit the book fair during their regularly scheduled library visit and/or after school with a parent/guardian at the times listed below. CLICK HERE for the link to set up your student’s e-wallet because cash is not accepted at the book fair. The book fair schedule is as follows:
Saturday, October 24th, 3:00 - 6:00 PM
Monday, October 26th, 3:15 - 4:15 PM
Tuesday, October 27th, 3:15 - 4:15 PM
Wednesday, October 28th, 1:15 - 2:30 PM
Thursday, October 29th, 3:15 - 4:15 PM
Friday, October 30th, 3:15 - 4:15 PM
Red Ribbon Week:
We will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week from October 26th through October 30th. This is a national school-centered activity related to making healthy choices by avoiding drugs and alcohol. Parents can team with WCS by talking to their students about what they learn during Red Ribbon Week and opening conversations with students about making positive choices throughout their lives.
Our K-8 Campus will celebrate Red Ribbon Week with the following Spirit Days. Please remember to follow the dress code guidelines in the K-8 Family Handbook for spirit days.
Monday: Be Brave and Active (active wear)
Tuesday: We Keep our Paws off Drugs! (animal print or dress like an animal)
Wednesday: From Head to Toe, I am Drug Free (silly hat and socks)
Thursday: Be a Hero (dress as your hero)
Friday: I am Drug Free (wear red)
Jibe Walktober Challenge:
Walktober is here! Challenge yourself to walk to school and have your Trip Card scanned as many times as you can between now and October 30th for a chance to win. All classes with at least 50% participation win a party-in-a-box for the entire class to enjoy! CLICK HERE for the flyer. Don’t have a card yet? No problem, just CLICK HERE to register today.
Mystery Reader Challenge:
We value school and community collaboration at WCS. As part of our October and November Mystery Reader Challenge, Westlake would like to welcome our community members into our classrooms to read.
If you have a cool job and would like to come tell us a little bit about your job and read us a book, CLICK HERE to sign up.
If you have a connection to a business or organization in our community and would like to include them in our Mystery Reader Challenge, please CLICK HERE to let us know.
K-8 Conference Week:
Conference week is November 16th - 20th. CLICK HERE to schedule your conference. The online scheduler is available to families October 26th through November 17th. We strive to have 100% of our families meet with their teacher! CLICK HERE for instructions on how to use the online scheduler. Remember, during conference week, we will dismiss early to allow time for teachers to meet with each of our families. Kindergarten will dismiss at 1:00 PM, and 1st–8th grade will dismiss at 1:30 PM. Our K-8 BASE program will be open after school until 6:00 PM each day.
10/26/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
Artists learned about printmaking around the world. They looked at the artwork of Hokusai, and printmaking methods. Now they will use print making tools, like a brayer and printing mat, to add paint to the matrix image they created this week. They will print a set of note cards.
PE - Morales
3rd Grade Class Dojo Clink the link to see live updates of your students participation in their PE class. This point system will be strictly for prizes and will not reflect on report cards.
Spanish - Grimaldi
This week students will learn the seasons of the year in Spanish
October 30, 2026
Upcoming Dates:
Week of November 2nd-Native American and California Regions Assessment
Week of November 9th- Narrative Writing Assessment
Wednesday, November 11th- Veteran’s Day–No School
Week of November 16th-20th- Trimester 1 Student- Led Conferences
November 23rd-27th- Thanksgiving Break: No School
ELA (writing, reading, grammar)
Next week, students will take their Narrative writing assessment. Their scores will be reflected in their first trimester report card.
CLICK HERE for third grade writing rubric.
CLICK HERE for a 3rd grade writing sample.
This week in phonics, students continued to learn about the schwa. Students practiced identifying the schwa, accented, and unaccented syllables.
Next week in phonics, we will begin Unit 6. Students will learn about open syllables and open syllable exceptions.
At-home Phonics Support Resources:
CLICK HERE for a Video of Unit 6 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a Video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 6 along with home activity sheets.
Math
This week, we continued Unit 3 in math. Students learned to use their place value understanding to decompose numbers into their expanded, base 10, and word forms. Students also started to have discussions about different ways to represent and solve addition and subtraction problems.
Next week, students will continue to learn about and practice different algorithms to solve problems.
CLICK HERE for the third-grade standards.
CLICK HERE for a family support video for the launch of Unit 3
CLICK HERE for family support materials for Unit 3
Social Studies:
This week in reading, students learned about the economy, tools, shelter and social structure of the Miwok Native American tribe. Next week, students will discuss and create a class paragraph to compare and contrast both tribes. Students will also be taking their Native Americans Assessment next week.
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Assessment Information
Native Americans Assessment- Will be given next week. Scores will be reflected on Trimester 1 Report Cards.
Core Value
The Core Value for the month of November is Responsibility!
Social Emotional Learning
This week, we continued our unit in Character Strong on Responsibility. A big part of Responsibility is how we interact or engage with others. As we work to keep healthy relationships, we must understand that our choices impact those around us. This month's focus for 3rd grade is on practicing Responsibility with the help of flexible thinking.
CLICK HERE to check out our Family Letter for more information about our monthly unit.
Conversation Starters:
Can you describe how flexible thinking helps you to make responsible choices?
Share how you use flexible thinking to practice Responsibility.
Behavior Bites with Dr. Young:
Check out THIS NEWSLETTER from Dr. Young BCBA.
Classroom News
Trimester 1 Conferences: Canyon Creek, our online conference scheduler, is open and ready to schedule your Trimester 1 Conference! I am excited to meet with you to discuss your child's progress so far this year. Conferences will be student-led and will be held between November 16th and November 20th. This week will be early dismissal at 1:30pm to allow for time to meet with each family for conferences.
Please click here to sign up for a conference, if you haven't already. Click here for directions on how to use our online scheduler.
WCS News:
Mystery Reader Challenge:
We value school and community collaboration at WCS. As part of our October and November Mystery Reader Challenge, Westlake would like to welcome our community members into our classrooms to read.
If you have a cool job and would like to come tell us a little bit about your job and read us a book, CLICK HERE to sign up.
If you have a connection to a business or organization in our community and would like to include them in our Mystery Reader Challenge, please CLICK HERE to let us know.
Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL:
On Wednesday, November 11th, Westlake Charter School will be observing Veterans Day. There will be no school and our BASE program will be closed.
K-8 Conference Week:
Conference week is November 16th - 20th. CLICK HERE to schedule your conference. The online scheduler is available to families through November 17th. We strive to have 100% of our families meet with their teacher! CLICK HERE for instructions on how to use the online scheduler. Remember, during conference week, we will dismiss early to allow time for teachers to meet with each of our families. Kindergarten will dismiss at 1:00 PM, and 1st–8th grade will dismiss at 1:30 PM. Our K-8 BASE program will be open after school until 6:00 PM each day.
11/2/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
Artists are continuing to engage in printmaking activities. We are looking for donations of brown paper grocery bags for our printmaking lessons. We will take as many as possible! Please bring them to the art room, C118. Thank you!
PE - Morales
This week students will begin hand dribbling
Spanish - Grimaldi
This week students will learn about Immediate Family (La Familia Directa) in spanish.
November 6, 2026
Upcoming Dates:
Wednesday, November 11th- No School: Veterans Day
November 16th-20th- Trimester 1 Conferences (Early Dismissal- 1:30pm) - Sign ups are OPEN (more information in the classroom news section)
Week of November 16th- Unit 3 Math Benchmark
November 23rd-27th- Thanksgiving Break: No School
ELA (writing, reading, grammar)
In writing, students took their Narrative writing assessment. Their scores will be reflected in their first trimester report card.
CLICK HERE for third grade writing rubric.
CLICK HERE for a 3rd grade writing sample.
This week in phonics, we began Unit 6. Students learned about open syllables and how y often works as a vowel in open syllables.
Next week in phonics, students will learn about open syllable exceptions in unaccented syllables.
At-home Phonics Support Resources:
CLICK HERE for a Video of Unit 6 Home Support Overview.
CLICK HERE for a Video of Home Support Additional Tips
CLICK HERE for a letter describing Unit 6 along with home activity sheets. A hard copy of this letter was sent home in Friday Folders last week.
Math
This week in math, students focused on subtraction within 1000 and solving subtraction problems using different algorithms and strategies. Students have practiced various algorithms and strategies and learned they can choose which to use based on the numbers presented in the problem.
After break, students will continue to build upon their knowledge of subtraction within 1,000 and learn about rounding.
Formative Assessments (daily cooldowns and end-of-section checkpoints) are sent home in Friday Folders. This is an additional opportunity to check in with your student and see how they are doing with their new learning.
CLICK HERE for the third-grade standards.
CLICK HERE for a family support video for the launch of Unit 3
CLICK HERE for family support materials for Unit 3
Social Studies
This week in Social Studies, students took their Native American benchmark assessments. Scores will be reflected on Trimester 1 Report Cards. Students also created a class paragraph to compare and contrast the Maidu and Miwok tribes.
Next week, students also used a timeline to learn about the events that shaped the history of the Sacramento region.
Assessment Information
Native Americans Assessment- Given this week. Scores will be reflected on Trimester 1 Report Cards.
Narrative Writing Assessment - Students took their Narrative writing assessment this week. Their scores will be reflected in their first trimester report card.
Unit 3 Math Benchmark Assessment - Given the week of November 16th. Study guides were sent home in Friday Folders this week. CLICK HERE for a digital copy.
Core Value
The Core Value for the month of November is Responsibility!
Social Emotional Learning
Often we can find ourselves noticing things that we don’t like or that we wish were different. Choosing to appreciate things in our life, things in others, and things in the world can be a challenge, but practicing Gratitude will help us to be more confident, calm, and focused. This month's focus for 3rd grade is on using Gratitude to support emotion advocacy.
Conversation Starters:
Can you describe for me what emotion advocacy means?
Why is it important for us to be Grateful for our emotions? What can our emotions teach us about ourselves?
Behavior Bites with Dr. Young:
Check out THIS NEWSLETTER from Dr. Young BCBA.
Classroom News
Trimester 1 Conferences: I am excited to meet with you to discuss your child's progress so far this year. Trimester 1 Conferences will be student-led and will be held next week, between November 16th and November 20th. This week will be early dismissal at 1:30pm to allow for time to meet with each family for conferences.
Reminders for your conference time were sent home in Friday Folders this week. If you have any questions about your conference or when it is scheduled, please email me!
Donations Requested- Tissues: As runny nose season is upon us, our class is running low on tissues! Any donations of tissues would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!
WCS News:
Family Survey:
We have a brand new Family Survey that reflects the feedback our communities provided last year during our Strategic Plan development. We want to hear from every family, twice a year, regarding the progress we are making toward our Strategic Plan goals. Please CLICK HERE to complete the Family Survey by Friday, November 20th.
Fall Food Drive:
Our Annual Fall Food Drive benefiting Joey’s Food Locker will run through Wednesday, December 2nd, concluding at our Annual Chili Cook-Off. Food collection bins can be found in the reception area of each campus. Thank you for helping us give back to our Natomas community!
Connect, Engage, Contribute:
What an incredible launch to the school year! As we begin preparing our charter renewal petition, it's important that we share the story of what makes Westlake Charter School special: the powerful partnership between our school and our community.
Every time you connect, engage, or contribute to WCS, you help bring our mission to life. And every contribution counts! Have you connected, engaged, or contributed your time this year? If so, CLICK HERE to log your hours today!
We want to celebrate and capture all of it! Please take a moment to log your volunteer hours. These moments, big and small, help demonstrate the strength of our WCS community and the incredible things we can accomplish when school and community collaborate.
Thank you for showing up, pitching in, and making Westlake such a special place to learn and grow. We couldn't do it without you!
Mystery Reader Challenge:
We value school and community collaboration at WCS. As part of our October and November Mystery Reader Challenge, Westlake would like to welcome our community members into our classrooms to read.
If you have a cool job and would like to come tell us a little bit about your job and read us a book, CLICK HERE to sign up.
If you have a connection to a business or organization in our community and would like to include them in our Mystery Reader Challenge, please CLICK HERE to let us know.
Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL:
On Wednesday, November 11th, Westlake Charter School will be observing Veterans Day. There will be no school and our BASE program will be closed.
K-8 Conference Week:
Conference week is November 16th - 20th. CLICK HERE to schedule your conference. The online scheduler is available to families through November 17th. We strive to have 100% of our families meet with their teacher! CLICK HERE for instructions on how to use the online scheduler. Remember, during conference week, we will dismiss early to allow time for teachers to meet with each of our families. Kindergarten will dismiss at 1:00 PM, and 1st–8th grade will dismiss at 1:30 PM. Our K-8 BASE program will be open after school until 6:00 PM each day.
K-12 Spirit Day - Mix & Match Day:
Mix & Match day will be Friday, November 20th. Dress up in wild colors, mismatched shoes, different colored socks or different patterns (for example, stripes with polka dots, colors that clash, etc.) Don’t forget to show your WCS spirit by posting pictures on all social media platforms and using the hashtag #WCSSpiritDay!
Thanksgiving Break:
Both campuses will be closed for Thanksgiving Break Monday, November 23rd through Friday, November 27th. We look forward to welcoming staff and students back on Monday, November 30th. Our BASE program will also be closed during Thanksgiving Break.
11/9/2026
Weekly Focus
Upcoming Assessments
Resources for Practice at Home
Art - Ascheman
Our students could still use donations of brown paper bags. If you have some to spare, please bring them to C118. Artists will add some finishing touches to their printmaking artwork and then organize their crafts for transporting home.
PE - Morales
This week we will continue hand dribbling skills
Spanish - Grimaldi
This week students will learn about the weather in Spanish.