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Getting your kid to school should be easy, right? They always put their shoes on the first time you ask. And their book bags are always packed and ready to go at least five minutes before your minivan blasts off. So why is it so confusing to get them from the car and into the school doors? Well, navigating the cross walks, erratic traffic and various entrances at Westowne takes some practice. For the novices, here is a cheat sheet. Good luck! 
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Visiting the school, carrying loads of supplies, seeing old faces and making new friends, getting out the door in the morning, catching the bus...
It's back to school time! PTA News PTA Thank Yous The PTA Board would like to thank everyone who pitched in to make Sneak a Peek and the Welcome Back Brunch a success! Thanks to the many of you who gathered information and signed up at the PTA table, shared "How I Spent My Summer" artwork and letters, baked muffins and cobblers, ran the events, and rooted for our kids, teachers, and staff. You make Westowne great. We would also like to thank our event sponsors:
Thanks to the support of these stores, along with Westowne bakers Noel and Jessica and Westowne student decorations, we were able to run these events without using PTA funds. PTA Membership Renewal Each fall, all interested community members are encouraged to join or renew their membership in Westowne Elementary PTA. Joining is the first step in supporting our ability to be a resource for our children, teachers, and staff. To learn more about what we do, visit our website. Dues are only $6. $4 goes to National, Maryland, and Baltimore County PTA; $2 covers our event insurance and required trainings for board members. Parents, grandparents, neighbors, and teachers are welcome to join and be involved. Join now! Volunteer Opportunities Looking for a way to share your skills with Westowne? There are many ways you can help, so we created this list of volunteers. Please email us if you're interested in one of these jobs or another position.
Teachers’ Educational Supplies Fund The Teachers’ Educational Supplies Fund is sponsored by Westowne PTA and is designed to help teachers buy instructional materials to enhance the curriculum. By helping the teachers, you’re helping your child learn. Please donate $10 per grade of your child/ren. Our goal is to raise $2250 so that all 45 of Westowne’s teachers can be given a $50 reimbursement for the purchase of educational materials and supplies. Donations can be sent in your child's folder or made at any PTA sponsored event. SECAC The BCPS Special Education Citizens’ Advisory Committee (SECAC) seeks collaboration and positive change based on input from parents, community partners, service providers, educators and administrators on issues relative to the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and the achievement of students with disabilities.
Contact Melissa Pound, the PTA's SECAC representative, with any questions. Box Tops Sweepstakes Play this quick game up to 5 times per day to make sure your Box Top gets saved, and Westowne could win 5000 Bonus Box Tops. Or register and then let your kids play. Returning students - remember to submit your Box Tops for Education summer collection sheet by Friday, September 12th. Every student who turns in the completed sheet by by the deadline will be entered in a raffle to win a gift card to sweetFrog in Catonsville! Common Core Wondering about the Common Core Curriculum? Westowne parent Kimberly Feldman, an educator and doctorate student, explains the ins and outs and how to come out on top. Check out our blog for her regular posts. School News Back to School Nights Westowne will host two Back to School Nights this year. These evenings focus on giving parents information about what to expect this school year. Mark your calendars:
Community News Star-Spangled Spectacular September 10-16, Baltimore celebrates the bicentennial of the penning of our national anthem with a free festival featuring star-studded concerts, history demonstrations, fireworks, and more. Academy Heights The Academy Heights community yard sale is Saturday, October 4th (rain date: October 11th). See their website for further information. Editor's Note: This is the first of a series of posts about Common Core from Westowne parent Kimberly Feldman. She taught high school English (and a variety of other subjects) for 10 years in Alaska, Georgia, and Maryland. She is currently a working on her PhD in Language, Literacy and Culture. Her current research focus is on the impact of educational policy/reform on student and teacher identity.
COMMON CORE: A COMMON PROBLEM Heard any good Common Core math jokes lately? For those trying to implement Common Core effectively, those jokes are anything but funny. Instead let’s try a quick word problem: If a consortium of non-educators gets together to create a common set of standards over the period of two years and those standards are adopted by 45 states before they are even completed, and if those states receive millions in grant money to hastily implement those standards along with rigorous assessments and teacher evaluation systems, and if the media turns the process into a political hot topic, and if textbook companies exploit the opportunity to make money, what will the impact on education be for your child? The answer is… x=one hot mess. However, all is not lost. This is not the first time that controversial standards or assessments have been put into place nor is it the first time that a major shift in education has been poorly and hastily implemented. TO WORRY OR NOT TO WORRY Having taught for 10 years and studied education as a doctoral student, I know that having good teachers and a solid school community can be more than sufficient to mitigate the ill effects of questionable policies and reform. As an educator, doctoral student, and parent, I can honestly say that I have no problem with the Common Core itself. I have read the Standards and feel confident that given the time and space to do so, good teachers would have no problem using them effectively to support student learning and success. In fact, I spent some time last year studying the public response to the Common Core and found that often when people complain about the Common Core, they are actually complaining about something else other than the Standards, such as assessments, teacher evaluations, or “Common Core Aligned” resources and curriculum. If we are going to have a productive and meaningful conversation about the Common Core and other reform measures, we need to start by having a common understanding of the terms involved as well as a constructive conversation of how we in the Westowne community can support teachers and students during this time of transition. HOW TO MOVE BEYOND THE HYPE Over the next few weeks, I will be writing a series of posts to bring a bit of clarity and hope to the conversation: 1. Common Understanding—What do we mean by Race to the Top, Common Core, and PARCC? 2. Common Vision—What are the pros and cons of having a Common Core? 3. Common Ground—What are we really fighting about? 4. Common Goals—Supporting Students and Teachers during Transition Let me know if there are other topics that we can address to help you understand these issues! Our school got a little bit of a facelift last week thanks to Westowne students and parents who cleaned up the front flower beds and redecorated the 5th grade bulletin board in the lobby. Thanks to your hard work, along with the many employees who have been getting it ready all summer, Westowne looks nearly set to welcome back faculty, staff, and students! PTA News eScrip Online Mall eScrip is the program Safeway stores and some restaurants use to donate funds to schools. It also offers an online mall that will give a percentage of each purchase to Westowne. Securely and easily register your Safeway card and the credit or debit cards you shop with. The next time you shop online, follow the link on our homepage to the online mall. A percentage of your purchase will then go toward educational enrichment, classroom support, and parental involvement for our children. You can even download the AutoEARN software so you can go directly to the online stores without the extra step. And the next time you shop at Safeway, remember the change in their school funds program: purchases made with a credit card don't count, so consider using another form of payment like a debit card. Corporate Donors We are halfway to our goal of $2000 in corporate donations. If you own or work for a company interested in becoming a sponsor, let us know. We can take you step by step through the process. Being a Westowne PTA donor is advertising with an educational benefit. And thanks to our latest sponsors:
Teacher Welcome Brunch We're welcoming the teachers and staff back to school with a yummy brunch on Tuesday, August 26th at 10:30. We'll be decorating the space with artwork and letters created by Westowne students. The theme is "How I spent my summer." Have your children create art and write letters, and then bring them in to Sneak a Peek. Contact us if you need an alternative way to turn in your child's contribution. Help us make this event memorable! Volunteer Opportunities Looking for a way to share your skills with Westowne? You can lend a hand for just a couple hours with an event. You can take over a task that takes planning from work or home. There are many ways you can help, so we created this list of volunteers. Please email us if you're interested in one of these jobs or another position.
Box Tops Sweepstakes Play this quick game up to 5 times per day to make sure your Box Top gets saved, and Westowne could win 5000 Bonus Box Tops. Or register and then let your kids play. "Don't trash these dimes in disguise!" Send Box Tops to school in your child's folder. Teachers’ Educational Supplies Fund Did you know that 99.5% of all public school teachers spend some portion of their own money to do their job? According to a recent survey*, teachers spent an average of $485 out-of-pocket in 2013-2014. On average, this is how the money was spent: $149 bought school supplies $198 instructional materials $138 other classroom supplies The Teachers’ Educational Supplies Fund is sponsored by Westowne PTA and is designed to help teachers buy instructional materials to enhance the curriculum. By helping the teachers, you’re helping your child learn. Please donate $10 per grade of your child/ren. Our goal is to raise $2250 so that all 45 of Westowne’s teachers can be given a $50 reimbursement for the purchase of educational materials and supplies. Donations can be sent in your child's folder or made at any PTA sponsored event. It is also important to keep the classrooms well stocked with supplies: tissues, disinfectant wipes, dry-erase markers, glue sticks and more. These supplies are not provided by the county and teachers often do without or buy these items themselves. Your donations are important and appreciated. * from the 2013 Retail Market Awareness Study School News Sneak a Peek Monday, August 25th, from 3:00-4:00, visit Westowne's open house to meet your children's teachers and see their classrooms. Suggested Sneak a Peek to-do list:
Horseshoe Crabs Ms. Getsinger's horseshoe crabs are back! They'll be starting back to school this fall along with our kids. Check out the blog: Green Initiatives at Westowne Elementary. Back to School Nights Westowne will host two Back to School Nights this year. These evenings focus on giving parents information about what to expect this school year. Mark your calendars:
School Supplies Student supply lists are available on Westowne Elementary 's website. The SchoolKidz orders have arrived. Stop by the school today, 8/21, to pick them up in the gym from 4:30-6:00. Mary will also have the orders available at Sneak a Peek, 8/25. If you are unable to pick up your order on either date, the supplies will be delivered to your child's homeroom. Thanks, Mary, for all your help with SchoolKidz! Community News Back to School Festival On Saturday, August 23, from 12-4 p.m. at Security Square Mall, BCPS and Baltimore County government will once again sponsor the third annual Back to School Festival--featuring free backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, immunizations, entertainment, and food for BCPS students and their parents. Please share this information with friends and neighbors. Star-Spangled Spectacular September 10-16, Baltimore celebrates the bicentennial of the penning of our national anthem with a free festival featuring star-studded concerts, history demonstrations, fireworks, and more. School Supply Drive The Westowne Area Community Group from Metanoia Church is gathering backpacks and school supplies for Westowne students who can't afford them. Kim and Mary are collecting supplies until this Sunday, August 24th. If you'd like to contribute, contact them. Here is their flyer for more information:  Did you know that 99.5% of public school teachers spend some portion of their own money to fulfill the basic requirements of their job? According to a recent survey (2013 Retail Market Awareness), teachers on average spent $485 out-of-pocket in 2013-14. They bought school supplies, instructional materials and classroom supplies.
Here is a list of items teachers often supply themselves: 1) Classroom Furniture Once the school year starts, our children often spend more time in their classrooms than their own living rooms. Teachers provide the extras to make the children's home-away-from-home as inviting as possible with wall decorations, pillows and rugs for chill-out corners, bookshelves for classroom libraries and more. Some teachers also buy their own room clocks and fans. Excluding desks, chairs, tables and computer equipment, most of the decor in our children's classrooms are largely paid for by our teachers. 2) Classroom Storage Teaching is a tactile profession. Papers, booklets, game pieces and instructional materials all need to be stored somewhere. Storage bins and shelving are yet another hidden expense shouldered by the teachers. 3) Classroom Supplies Tissues, hand soap, hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes are essentials for keeping a healthy classroom, especially when cold and flu season starts. Parents are asked at the beginning of the school year to donate these items but donations often run out as the school year progresses. Teachers fill in the holes. 4) School Supplies Most parents dutifully stock up on the required school supplies for the beginning of the year but not all families can afford to purchase the entire list and many supplies are exhausted as the school year goes on. Glue sticks, pencils, erasers and dry-erase markers are common items that need to be replenished throughout the year. Teachers fill this need with their own money. 5) Student Needs Teachers buy snacks for students who skipped breakfast, kick in money for field trips when the students can't pay the required contribution and give students money to participate in PTA events like Holiday Shoppe and Book Fair. The PTA pays a $4 per student subsidy for field trips, has a $500 counselor fund for economic needs and can be creative when calculating the bill at Holiday Shoppe but there is still always a need and the teachers know that need first-hand. 6) Educational Materials If your child comes home talking about planting sunflower seeds, doing jell-o experiments, or other hands-on lessons, then there is a good chance that their teacher paid for the supplies out of pocket. In some cases, teachers will ask parents for donations for special projects because extra funds aren't provided through the school system. 7) Teacher Reference Materials Teachers who want to be fully prepared to implement new curriculum often have to purchase their own reference books. 8) Books for the Classroom Library Every classroom is supposed to have a library so that students have productive activities for indoor recess or after completing an assignment. 9) Student Rewards Small prizes and rewards help motivate students to succeed. It is a well-regarded teaching technique without a budget line item. 10) Record-keeping Supplies Teaching is a data-driven profession, in which student achievement is tracked and scored. Teachers purchase their own supplies, like binders and folders, for keeping paper records. Have you started the countdown in your house yet? Two more weeks of summer!
PTA News Garden Cleanup This Friday, August 15th at 4:00, we're going to get the front gardens ready for school to start. Bring your children, gloves, and tools, and we'll make sure the flower beds are ready to greet teachers, staff, and students. Please note the building will not be open. Teacher Welcome Brunch We're welcoming the teachers and staff back to school with a yummy brunch on Tuesday, August 26th at 10:30. We'll be decorating the space with artwork and letters created by Westowne students. The theme is "How I spent my summer." Have your children create art and write letters, and then bring them in to the the garden cleanup or Sneak a Peak. Contact us if you need an alternative way to turn in your child's contribution. Help us make this event memorable! Ask questions, share ideas, share information--and join us on Facebook. eScrip Online Mall Do you shop online? It's easy to support a great cause! eScrip is the program Safeway stores uses to donate funds to schools. It also offers a reputable and secure online mall that will give a percentage of each purchase to Westowne. Stores include Target (2.4%), Starbucks (4.2%), and Lands' End (4.2%), among many others. Simply register with your Safeway card and the credit or debit cards you shop with. The next time you shop online, sign in at eScrip then follow their links to your favorite stores, and a percentage of your purchase will go to Westowne. You can even download the AutoEARN software so you can go directly to the online stores without the extra step. And the next time you shop at Safeway, remember the change in their school funds program: purchases made with a credit card don't count, so consider using another form of payment like a debit card. Share Your Photos We are putting together an informational video about the PTA for Back to School Night and need photos of students and events. We know you take loads of photos of your kids just like we do. Mind sharing some with us? You'll get to see their shining faces at Back to School Night! Either post your photos in this shared folder or send us an email. Thanks! School News Sneak a Peek Monday, August 25th, from 3:00-4:00, visit Westowne's open house to meet your children's teachers and see their classrooms. Suggested Sneak a Peek to-do list:
Back to School Nights Westowne and the PTA will host two Back to School Nights this year. These evenings focus on giving parents information about what to expect this school year. Mark your calendars:
Shoe Boxes Mrs. Albert is planning an art project that requires shoe boxes. Kid-size boxes are ideal, but larger boxes are okay, too. Bring them in at Sneak a Peek or send them in with your kids once school starts. Thank you! Volunteer Training Online All BCPS volunteers need to complete training each year. BCPS now offers online training to make the process easier and faster for many parents. Get a head start by completing it from home now. This helpful guide will get you started with the safeSCHOOLS Training. School Supplies Student supply lists are available on Westowne Elementary 's website. The SchoolKidz orders are expected to arrive soon. Stay tuned for pickup details for next week. Community News Tax-Free Week Maryland's Tax-Free Week is happening right now, August 10th through August 16th. Purchase qualifying clothing and shoes for back to school, and skip the taxes. New Neighborhood Shop Coffee, dessert, and jazz in our neighborhood! Check out Tabba Tabba Coffe and Dessert Bar at 5808 Edmondson Avenue.  PTA News
Garden Cleanup On Friday, August 15th at 4:00, we're going to get the front gardens ready for school to start. Bring your children, gloves, and tools, and we'll make sure the flower beds are ready to greet teachers, staff, and students. Please note the building will not be open. We also need a volunteer to take down the technology fundraising sign. If you'd like to lend a hand, please email us or grab a saw and join us next Friday afternoon. Teacher Welcome Brunch We're welcoming the teachers and staff back to school with a yummy brunch on Tuesday, August 26th at 10:30. We could use a hand during this event, so if you want to pitch in that morning, email us. We'll be decorating the space with artwork and letters created by Westowne students. The theme is "How I spent my summer." Have your children create art and write letters, and then bring them in to the the garden cleanup or Sneak a Peek on Monday, August 25th. Contact us if you need an alternative way to turn in your child's contribution. Open Committee Positions With your help, the PTA supports the teachers, hosts fun family events, and provides extra educational opportunities for our children. The more support you give us, the more we can do together. We have open committee positions and periodic events when you can lend a hand. We created a list of positions and volunteer opportunities for the fall. Let us know what you're interested in and what skills you want to share with Westowne, and we'll help you find the role that fits. Feel free to grab a friend or significant other and share a position, too. We would like to thank everyone who has already committed to joining our efforts this coming school year. We can feel your excitement, and we're looking forward to this year, too! Grade Parents Grade parents will regularly check in with all the teachers at that grade level to make sure the PTA is aware of their needs and offers support whenever possible. We need grade parent volunteers for 4th grade, specials (music, art, PE), and special education. If you want to learn more or want to help, email us. Thank you to all the parents who have already offered to help! We're excited to offer the teachers another layer of support. PTA Meetings We'd like to invite you to our monthly PTA meetings on a new day: the 2nd Tuesday of each month, at 7:00. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 14th. New members are invited to attend at 6:45 to ask questions and meet the board. We look forward to seeing you all there! Blast News Do you want to share PTA, school, or family-friendly community news? Please submit the requests by Tuesday. Most requests can be quickly approved and added to the weekly Thursday newsletter. Send us an email with questions or suggestions. Corporate Donations An owlstanding thank you to our latest sponsor: School News Volunteer Training Online All BCPS volunteers need to complete training each year. BCPS now offers online training to make the process easier and faster for many parents. Get a head start by completing it from home now. This helpful guide will get you started with the safeSCHOOLS Training. School Supplies Student supply lists are available on Westowne Elementary 's website. And while shopping for school supplies, remember to support our school. Whenever shopping on Amazon, a percentage of your spending can be given to Westowne PTA. Each time you shop, simply visit our website first and follow the link for Amazon School Rewards. Community News Tax-Free Week Maryland's Tax-Free Week is August 10th through August 16th. Purchase qualifying clothing and shoes for back to school, and skip the taxes. Westowne PTA is a volunteer organization made up of parents, teachers, grandparents and community members. With your help, the PTA supports the teachers, hosts fun family events, and provides extra educational opportunities for our children. The more support you give us, the more we can do together.
We have open committee positions and periodic events when you can lend a hand. Here is a list of open positions and volunteer opportunities for 2014-15. Let us know what you're interested in and what skills you want to share with Westowne, and we'll help you find the role that fits. We would like to thank everyone who has already committed to joining our efforts this coming school year! We can feel your excitement, and we're really looking forward to this year, too! |
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