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)
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me during Back to School Night. You can access the Back to School Night slides HERE. I look forward to working with you and your family this year! This week we focused on joining numbers, how to write complete sentences, and reviewed letter sounds in our phonics program. Students continued to get to know their classmates and learned what it means to be a responsible citizen at home, school, and in their community.
Lunch Number Challenge: When students know their lunch number, it helps the hot lunch line go faster and gives students more time to eat. We are currently challenging our first-grade students to learn their lunch numbers. All first- grade students who memorize their lunch number will earn a prize! This challenge is available to all first graders, even those who usually bring lunch from home.
Nightly Reading: Be sure to have your child read for at least 15-20 minutes nightly. Your child can read independently, to someone, or someone can read to your child. RAZKids and the local library are great resources for your child to utilize. Trick word practice counts, too! Remember, The more children practice their reading, the more proficient readers they become!
Current Trick Words:
(click here for word lists and sight word games to support your learner at home)
If you are interested in volunteering in class or completing projects at home, please use the links below.
Take Home Projects (if you have previously filled out this form, I have you on my list. Thanks!)
Please log your volunteer hours on the Westlake WAVE webpage
During the first few weeks of school, students will be assessed on their letter sounds and trick words (sight words).
History-Social Science 1.1 (Citizenship)- Week of August 24th
Math Unit 1 (Adding, Subtracting, and Working with Data) will be assessed the week of September 7th (study guide)
Week 3
Math
We recently began Unit 1 in our math curriculum. Watch this video to learn more about the concepts covered in this unit. We have been exploring addition and subtraction in math this week. Students may log into Imagine Math at home to practice their math facts and skills (access Imagine Math through Clever). Click here for additional information to support your child throughout Unit 1 of math. Review the study guide to prepare for the assessment.
Writing
This trimester we are focusing on Personal Narrative Writing. Personal Narratives have a Topic Sentence, First, Next, Last, and a Closing Sentence. Click here to access the documents we will use to organize our writing this trimester.
Phonics
This week in phonics we focused on the letters c, o, a, g, d, s. We learned about correct letter formation and which line to write a letter, how to grip our pencil, and how to extend the vowels. Please practice writing, saying, and using these letters in things you write, read, and see. Click here for additional information and activities to support your child throughout Unit 1 of phonics.
Comprehension
We have been focusing on asking questions before, during, and after reading. Asking questions helps readers understand what is being read. Use this poster to help your reader practice this skill at home.
Grammar
This week we practiced writing complete sentences. Use this song to review complete sentences at home.
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.
Grade Level Field Lesson & School Supplies Donations Competition:
First Grade has now reached 33.96% of our goal and our families have referred three businesses! Let’s go families, let’s make sure First Grade wins big by hitting 50% of our goal!
In the first 30 days of school, we’d like to raise at least 50% of our Field Lessons and School Supplies fundraising goal! Every dollar raised goes to pay for our First Grade Explorers to travel to Field Lessons and pays for school supplies so you don’t have to run around Target looking for “just the right” glue stick!
Using the links below, you can,
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!
Fall Picture Day:
K-8 picture day will be on Tuesday, September 1st. This is a uniform picture day for our K-8 campus. All students will have their picture taken for the yearbook and student IDs, even if they don’t purchase a picture package. CLICK HERE to pre-purchase your pictures online. Group pictures will be taken for Kindergarten through 5th grade classes only.
Free and Reduced Priced Meals:
Good news! This year, we qualify to complete the SHORT form for Free and Reduced Priced Meals (FRPM). Each year it is incredibly important to our school that we are able to account for every student during this form collection process. We are authorized by the Natomas Unified School District and as a part of our partnership, we commit to collecting these forms from every family. This quick form plays an important role in determining how much funding our schools receive. Every completed form helps ensure Natomas Unified receives the full funding our students deserve. When forms are not submitted, schools can miss out on valuable resources. Even if you believe your family may not qualify, your response still makes a difference. CLICK HERE to complete the 2026-2027 Educational Benefit Form.
August 26th: K-8 Back To School Night (6:00 PM- 6:30 PM OR 6:40 PM- 7:10 PM)
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)
We had a great second week of school! We continued to focus on building relationships, our classroom routines, and building our stamina as learners. This week we learned about complete sentences (begin with a capital letter, make sense, and end with punctuation), found sums in math, and began our phonics curriculum.
Class Ambassadors:
WAVE Class Ambassadors serve as a communication liaison between Westlake teachers, parents, and WAVE. They are important members of the Westlake parent community, as a source of information for upcoming events and activities for their child’s class.
If you are interested in being one of the Class Ambassadors for our class, or need more information, please visit our Westlake WAVE website. I look forward to partnering with you this year!
Lunch Number Challenge: When students know their lunch number, it helps the school lunch line go faster and gives students more time to eat. We are currently challenging our first-grade students to learn their lunch numbers. All first grade students who memorize their lunch number will earn a prize! This challenge is available to all first graders, even those who usually bring lunch from home.
Nightly Reading: Be sure to have your child read for at least 15-20 minutes nightly. Your child can read independently, to someone, or someone can read to your child. RAZKids and the local library are great resources for your child to utilize. Trick word practice counts, too! Remember, The more children practice their reading, the more proficient readers they become!
Current Trick Words:
(click here for word lists and sight word games to support your learner at home)
If you are interested in volunteering in class or completing projects at home, please use the links below.
Take Home Projects (if you have previously filled out this form, I have you on my list. Thanks!)
Please log your volunteer hours on the Westlake WAVE webpage
During the first few weeks of school, students will be assessed on their letter sounds and trick words (sight words).
History-Social Science 1.1 (Citizenship)- Week of August 24th
Week 2
Math
We recently began Unit 1 in our math curriculum. Watch this video to learn more about the concepts covered in this unit.
We have been exploring expressions and sums in math this week. Students may log into Imagine Math at home to practice their math facts and skills (access Imagine Math through Clever). Click here for additional information to support your child throughout Unit 1 of math.
Writing
This trimester we are focusing on Personal Narrative Writing. Personal Narratives have a Topic Sentence, Transition Words (First, Next, Last) and a Closing Sentence. Click here to access the documents we will use to organize our writing this trimester.
Phonics
This week in phonics we focused on the letters t, b, f, m, n, i, u. We learned about correct letter formation and which line to write a letter, how to grip our pencil, and how to extend the vowels. Please practice writing, saying, and using these letters in things you write, read, and see. Click here for additional information and activities to support your child throughout Unit 1 of phonics.
Comprehension
We have been focusing on making predictions while reading. Good readers make predictions to help them better understand a text. Use this poster to help your reader at home.
Grammar
This week we focused on writing complete sentences. Use this song to review complete sentences at home.
We’re excited to kick off the new school year by talking about kindness. Our definition of kindness is acting with understanding, generosity, and care. Developing skills around kindness will help us build a strong foundation for a great year of learning, connecting, and growing together. Check out our Family Letter for more information about our PurposeFull People program and some fun ways you can join us in kicking off our most kind year yet!
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.
August 26th: K-8 Back To School Night (6:00 PM- 6:30 PM OR 6:40 PM- 7:10 PM)
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)
Hello families! I enjoyed meeting your students this week! We've been busy getting to know one another and learning our classroom expectations and procedures. I'm looking forward to a great year with your children!
Class Dojo:
I will be using Class Dojo to share class photos and send reminders about upcoming events. Many families are already connected from Kindergarten. For those who are not, the easiest way to connect to our class is by using this link.
Nightly Reading: Be sure to have your child to read for at least 15-20 minutes nightly. Your child can read independently, to someone, or someone can read to your child. RAZKids and the local library are great resources for your child to utilize. Trick word practice counts, too! Remember, The more children practice their reading, the more proficient readers they become!
Trick Words:
Click here for word lists and sight word games to support your learner at home
If you are interested in volunteering in class or completing projects at home, please use the links below.
Take Home Projects (if you have previously filled out this form, I have you on my list. Thanks!)
In-Class Volunteer Opportunities (will begin in October)
During the first few weeks of school, students will be assessed on their letter sounds and trick words (sight words).
History-Social Science 1.1 (Citizenship)- Week of August 24th
Math
We have been focusing on number writing in math this week. Practice writing your numbers at home using this resource.
Phonics
This week in phonics we focused on letter and sound review. We will begin our first unit of phonics instruction next week.
Writing
This trimester we are focusing on Personal Narrative Writing. Personal Narratives have a topic sentence, a sequence of events (First, Next, Last), and a closing sentence. Click here to access the documents we will use to organize our writing this trimester.
This week, we focused on getting to know our classmates and building our classroom community. Next Monday, we will complete our first SEL lesson using our new curriculum, Character Strong.
To learn more about this program, watch this video.
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.