March Madness at West Side

And it is a mad, mad month of activities at school! We have some wonderful things planned for the month of March!

First of all, it’s time for our annual Parents as Reading Partners (PARP). Our theme this year is the Wilderness and we are pleased to have author James Bruchac with us to talk about our selected topic on March 29. We kicked off our reading celebration last Thursday with a presentation on trapping and furs by Mr. Matthis. Friday was the judging of our door decorating contest for each of the classrooms. Congratulations to Mrs. McAllister’s and Miss Chapman’s students. Their doors best reflected the theme of wilderness and reading.

Students have brought home information about our PARP events, including the reading documentation sheet. If you or someone else in the household reads five days a week with your child and he or she returns the signed sheet, they will receive a prize for the week. Students successfully completing all four weeks of PARP will receive a book at the conclusion of the program. Other special reading activities this month will take place March 14. That morning our Parent-Child Read-Aloud will take place in the Library. That evening we’ll celebrate with
our OPT Book Night and Title I meeting. This is the highlight of our Spring Book Fair. You will be able to purchase books before and after each event. At Book Night our reading teachers, Mrs. Tuttle, and Mrs. McMahon, will have special computer and reading activities in the computer lab as part of their Title I meetings for parents.

Look for information about these March events, too:

9: OPT Meets, 6:30 p.m.
10: Progress Reports to office
11: Progress Reports are sent home
Volunteer Training at 1:30 p.m.
12: Scholastic Book Fair begins
13: Grades 4-8 Field Trip to the High School: Ogdensburg Command Performance
“The Color of Justice”
14: Morning: Come and read with your child in our library media center
Evening: OPT Book Night and Title 1 Meeting
15: Teacher Switch Day!
16: Staff Development Day – No School for Students
21: Morning: Freddie the FireTruck visits our Kindergarten Students
Student of the Month Assembly, Celebrating Career Month – 1:15 pm.
23: ½ Day for Students - Staff Development. Students leave West Side at
11:35 a.m.
29: Author James Bruchac visits
30: PARP ends

We hope you will consider attending as many of our events as possible. An extra reminder that there will be no school for students on Friday, March 16. Have a great month!