Liberty Elementary School District #25

Public Notice

(April 4^th, 2013)

8th grade Honors Mathematics Curriculum Adoption

The district is making the following materials available for public review from April 4^th, 2013 until June 7^th, 2013. A recommendation will be made at the June 10^th Governing Board Meeting. The public is invited to review and provide written feedback. Feedback forms will be located with the materials.

Holt McDougal Larson Geometry

Ø   Student Textbook

Ø   Teacher Edition

Ø   Chapter Resource Book Volume 1 Chapters 1-6

Ø   Practice Workbook

Ø   Assessment Book

Ø   Remediation Book

Ø   Pre-AP Resources

A complete set of materials may be reviewed at the following location

DISTRICT OFFICE COMPLEX

8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

19871 West Fremont Road

Wondering what you're going to do this summer??

Open the attached file and see what ASU has to offer.

Safe & Civil School programs inspire staff development and helps teachers to: 

• Develop better behavior management strategies in schools.
• Learn effective classroom management procedures.
• Implement schoolwide Positive Behavior Support and Response-to-Intervention for Behavior.
• Design and implement a better school improvement plan.

Here at Westar, our teachers are trained to make data-driven decisions on a schoolwide level, in classrooms, and with individual students. They learn how to develop proactive, positive behavior support strategies tailored to their classroom and our school. This teaching method has easy-to-use principles and procedures which helps build the knowledge base needed to create a positive school environment that is emotionally and physically safe and that foster independence, integrity, confidence, self-control, kindness, and responsibility.

By working together we can make a positive difference in our school!

Monday 3/4 ~ Dr. Seuss Day

Tuesday 3/5 ~ Western Wear Day

Wednesday 3/6 ~ Hawaiian Luau Day

Thursday 3/7 ~ Super Hero Day

Friday 3/8 ~ Comet Day

JOIN US IN BUILDING WORLD CLASS SCHOOLS

DISTRICT JOB FAIR

 Saturday, February 23rd

Location: Freedom Elementary School

22150 West Sundance Parkway South,

Buckeye, Arizona 85326.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CLICK ON LINK BELOW.

THANK YOU!

Many people remember a teacher who made an impact in their lives. Or that one special teacher who helped them through a difficult subject or who made school a place they wanted to be and most importantly who helped them believe in their own self. Channel 3 and Westar believes that those teachers deserve special recognition. We call it the Silver Apple Award. You can nominate any Westar teacher. You have until February to get your nominations in. Please visit the front office for more information or for the Silver Apple Award Form or feel free to print the attachment. Once filled out, please drop off nomination form in the office.

~ Thank You ~

Announcing….

The Westar Elementary School

2012 - 2013 Yearbooks

Are now for Sale!

Our Yearbook is planned to include:

• All color pages that vibrantly capture school memories
• Sturdy soft or hard cover
• School name and year imprinted in foil on cover

$20.00 Soft Cover

$25.00 Hard Cover

  Deadline: February 19, 2013

Please make check payable to: Westar Elementary School

You may also Order Yearbook Online at YBPay.lifetouch.com with

Yearbook ID Code: 6513113

Thank You!

Parents of 8th Grade Comets ~

As your child's 8^th Grade year is winding down, we would like to give you the opportunity to dedicate a portion of the current 2012/2013 Yearbook to your 8^th Grader.  We will be selling the final 8th Grade pages and Deadline is Tuesday, February 5^th.  For more information on the Dedication Pages please open the attached docs.

Thank You and Have Fun!!

Submit Your Snapshots!

There is a new added feature to our Yearbook this year! You may submit your own pictures and directly upload them into a Lifetouch folder. All pictures will be reviewed for use in 2012-2013 Yearbook. 

This site can only be used for uploading pictures. You will not be able to view any other pictures that have been uploaded.

Please stop by the front office for more information. 

Thank You!

community.lifetouch.com

Access Code: ZWOHTG

Participation in the Individual Education Process

Please join us on Monday, November 5th at Liberty Elementary School District. Meeting will be held in the District Office Board Room. This PowerPoint training will provide you with an overview of an IEP and it's purpose. Presenter will be Jill Castle from Parent Information Network (Parent Information Network (PIN) is a parent information, support, and advocacy program designed by parents and professionals to help families who have children with emotional, behavioral, and/or health challenges). Interested in attending, please RSVP: Dr. Catherine Cisar @ ccisar@liberty.k12.az.us.

Thank You!

On November 1st, 2012, Liberty Elementary School District will 'go live' with a new food service system.  Our current food service system, MealTracker, is 10 years old and lacks functionality needed for our parents, students and staff.

Our new food service system is part of our existing student management system - Infinite Campus.  We evaluated several systems before choosing this one and believe it is the best choice for our district.

Online payments will be rolled in around the same time as the new food service system but is a separate module and separate process.  We will announce when the online payment system is ready as well.

If you do not currently have a parent portal account, please obtain one at any of our schools or district office.  This parent portal account will allow you to pay online when we open the online payment module and see your child(ren)'s balances and meal consumption as of November 1st.

Some of the most frequently asked questions about this system and selection process can be found by going to http://www.liberty.k12.az.us/posfaq

If your question is not answered, please feel free to email sdarr@liberty.k12.a.us.

Monday 10/1 ~ Mixed Matched Monday

Tuesday 10/2 ~ Twin Tuesday

Wednesday 10/3 ~ Western Wednesday

Thursday 10/4 ~ Nerdy Thursday

Friday 10/5 ~ Westar Spirit Day! Head to Toe!

Westar Parent Survey

www.surveymonkey.com/s/Westarparent

Thank you for attending the 2012 - 2013 Westar Parent Teacher Conferences. As part of our continued efforts to improve at all levels, we are asking you to provide us with feedback regarding your experience in the Liberty Elementary School District #25. Please visit the website above and complete the brief survey or you may click on the attached link below.

Thank You for your time and effort.

Kindergarteners had their Annual Robot Parade today on Friday, September 14th at 8:15. Parents along with their kinders created robot costumes while acquiring skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math at their level of understanding. 

The Kindergarten Robot Parade just so happens to be one of the most exciting events for our students. We enjoyed watching our little robots parading through Westar!

Westar Elementary was honored to have an WWII Veteran from JFI who educated our students on the importance of history, civics and public service. Students were also taught to appreciate our country's history and understand how freedoms were earned.

John Adams wrote, in 1787, that children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom. He echoed the thoughts of others who clearly saw civic education as a necessary investment in our nation's future freedom.

Channel 5 "Weather Road Show" visited 2nd Grade!

Meteorologist Mr. Paul Horton presented our Westar students with an opportunity to learn about severe weather, television weather forecasting, fun weather facts, as well as other specific weather elements from CBS 5 Meterorologists who live weather daily! 

Thank You Channel 5!!

Westar Parents ~ By going directly to the Lifetouch website they can answer some of the common questions that you may have about Picture Day. You'll also be able to quickly order portraits before Picture Day and eliminate the need to send money to school with your child.

Thank You! 

On behalf of the entire Westar Staff,

It was a pleasure meeting you at Meet the Teacher.

We hope you were able to get all of your questions answered.

If you didn't stop by the office for your Parent Portal account,

please do so at your convenience.

Thank You!

New parents of incoming 2012 ~ 2013 Westar Comets:

First of all, Thank You for choosing Westar as the school

of your choice for your child(ren). We are anticipating a

remarkable school year and wanted to share a friendly reminder

that if you haven't registered your child, you may do so

 at our District Office at 19871 West Fremont Road in Buckeye.

You may print your registration packet on-line or you're more than

welcome to pick one up at the Westar Office.

~ Thank you ~ 

The recommended supply lists attached are provided as a courtesy for parent requests. The grade level lists are suggested to assist in providing each child with personal materials and helps off-set maintenance and operations costs.

Thank You!

Westar Comets ~

If you did not have the opportunity to attend  the Yearbook Signing Party that took place on Tuesday, June 19th, you may still pick yours up from the Front Office on Monday ~ Thursday or call the office at 623.327.2840 to make arrangements. 

Thank You! 

Enjoy the rest of your Summer!  

What is Camp Invention?

.  "Parents tell us Camp Invention improves their child's outlook on learning and increases their child's interest in using science to solve problems."

If your child hasn't had the opportunity to participate in

Camp Invention here at Westar, please open the attached file and see

what a day of Camp Invention entails. 

Westar Families ~

The Library will once again be open!! We encourage you to please continue to read during the summer and what a better way to do this. Stop by and visit Mrs. Schafer in the library:

June Dates are: Tuesday 12th, Thursday 14th, Tuesday 19th, Thursday 21st, Tuesday 26th, Thursday 28th. From 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

July Dates are: Tuesday 10th, Thursday 12th, Tuesday 17th, Thursday 19th, Tuesday  24th, Thursday 26th. From 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 o'clock.

You will be able to listen to a story, watch a movie, play games, and even check out books. 

Westar Comets ~

On behalf of the entire Westar staff,

we wish you a safe & happy summer!

Remember to continue reading and to

be extra careful around water.

See you in the Fall

Please visit the cafeteria and see Mrs. Slusher to make sure you bring

your breakfast / lunch accounts to a zero balance prior to summer.

Thank You!!

 Westar Comets and Families,

Thank you for purchasing our 2011 - 2012 Yearbooks!

You're bound to Love 'em!

Lost Something??

Please make sure you visit our Lost and Found

prior to school ending this year. 

It's located near the Kinder and First Grade Hallway.

Thank you!

  K-8 Moving-Up Ceremony in the Gymnasium 10:15 a.m.

Release time will be at 10:45 a.m.

Have a Safe and Happy Summer!!

Penny Wars ~ It's on!!

A 4^th grade student at Westar has the privilege of being the Youth Ambassador for the American Lung Association and she is so excited that Westar Elementary is helping her and her team step up to help fight lung disease.  All money submitted to the Penny War will be donated to the American Lung Association Fight for Air Walk. Each classroom will have a jug and try to collect the most pennies. The classroom with the most pennies at the end of the week will win a pizza and ice cream party. The teacher of the classroom with the most pennies collected will win an autographed football from an Arizona Cardinal Player.

 We are hoping to reach our goal of $2,500. FOX 10 News will be at Westar on the morning of April 18^th for Whirlybird Wednesday to report on how much was earned!! 

 And the winning class is.....Mrs. Flagg!!

Thank you Westar Comets and Westar Families for supporting such a worthy cause.

We well reached our goal!!

A group of fourteen students completed essay applications in competition for ten spots on an afterschool robotics club that is led by 4th grade teacher, Mr. Flagg. The 4th and 5th grade students are currently working collaboratively to design and build two robots utilizing LEGO MINDSTORMS robotics' kits. The robots have been named Steve and Siri in tribute to the late Steve Jobs and his contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Students are learning about schematics, principles of design, circuitry, and computer programming among other topics. Once students have built the robots, they will use computer software to program the robots to interact with their environment. This can range from simple programs that allow the robots to identify colored balls, to more complex programming that allows the robot to sense and respond to its surroundings.

The students are embracing S.T.E.M concepts and have since communicated interest in learning more about careers in the field of science, technology, engineering, and math. Two of the students have goals of engineering robots for the military while another student has envisioned the use of robotics and engineering in her goal of becoming a doctor. Mr. Flagg has high hopes for the program and has subsequently applied for a grant that would provide an additional ten robots along with two dedicated laptops for student programming.

L.E.A.P. to the Rescue!!

Since school will not be in session on Friday, April 6th,

the Leap Program would like to invite your children

to spend the day with them!

Please view the attached document for more information!

Thank You!

8th Grade Parents ~

 Please attend an informational meeting regarding the 8th grade class trip to Catalina Island on April 24th @ 7:00 p.m. in the Westar Science Lab, room 328. You will receive information about departure and return times, phone trees for parent contacts and gladly address any of your questions or concerns. For each traveler, we will be passing out a Student Health Form and a What to Pack List. The Student Health Form needs to be returned at the end of the meeting on April 24th. Please also bring student's insurance information to the meeting.

Thank you for attending!

Please join the Westar 5th & 6th Grade

Band and Choir at the Performing Arts Center at

Estrella Foothills High School.

Wednesday, March 28th @ 7:00 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Please join us on Friday, February 24th for a

Fun Family Movie Night sponsored by Westar's Student Council.

Gates open at 6:30 p.m. Movie begins at 7:00 p.m.

Movie featured..."Smurfs".

Concessions will also be available for purchase.

Thank You!

If you are a moblie device user (either Android or Apple), Infinite Campus has released an app that will give you access to the parent portal. 

The parent portal will give parents access to your child's attendance, grades, schedule and assignments !

Download the Infinite Campus Mobile Portal application from any of the following app stores:

App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore for Android

Download the App

Select Setting to launch the App

Enter the District code STFSWS

Enter the portal and sign in as you would on your computer

If you haven't signed up for a parent portal account, please contact your child's school office to request the access code for your child(ren) and instructions on how to set up an account. Office personnel cannot give it to you over the phone, but can either send the letter home with the child or you can come into the school office, provide identification and receive the code.

Take time to see a bit of Arizona history by

participating in The Arizona Hallway Tour.

Please see attached schedule to see when your

child(s) grade level will be touring our Westar hallways.

Thank you!

Have you heard your kids talk about the Motorola Xooms they are using in their classrooms? Liberty Elementary School District placed almost 400 Motorola Xooms in the hands of our students for the 2011-2012 school year! We are very excited to use the technology in a wide variety of ways to enhance learning and instruction. Over 50 applications were placed on the Xooms before they went into the classroom. All of the apps were downloaded from the Android Marketplace and are free apps. To learn more about the apps, please click here .

If on occasion, you visit your child(ren) for lunch,

the lunch schedule will change for this day only: February 1st.

   Lunch will be as follows:

• Kinder  10:25-10:45
• 1st & 2nd 10:45-11:05
• 5th & 6th 11:05-11:30
• 3rd & 4th 11:30-11:55
• 7th & 8th 12:00-12:20

Early Dismissal at 12:30

  Thank You!

Kinder Round-Up & Showcase Night

Westar's Kindergarten Round-Up will be combined

with a school-wide Showcase Night

 on Thursday, February 16th from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Enrollment packets for incoming kinders will be available on

this night in the Library or you may print them directly from the

 Liberty Elementary School District website.

We hope to see you all! ~ Thank you!

Attached is an outstanding article explaining our "Lids on Arizona Kids"

 program and the importance of what we're setting out to accomplish.

Please join us in the Library at 6:00 pm. Special guest from Arizona in Action and Phoenix Children's Hospital will be sharing the importance of getting families more active and how we may increase safety in our community through a new program coming to our school, "Lids on Arizona Kids". Please plan on attending to learn more.

After School Lego Club will begin February 7th.

LEGO CLUB IS CURRENTLY FULL!

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO JOINED!

If you'd like to sign up, now is the time to do so.

Please print attached flier and return to Mrs. Bertel (K) or Mrs. Spallina (2nd).

Thank you

On Behalf of the Westar Staff

We would like to wish You and Yours

a Safe and Happy Holiday Season and

Prosperous New Year!

Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 17th 9am-11am.

 Enjoy pancakes & sausage, orange juice, hot cocoa, coffee and water.

Have your picture taken with Santa,

 Listen to storytime with Mrs. Claus,

Crafts with the Elves.

All while listening to Holiday Music.

Please join us in the Library for The Poetry Cafe

 Starring the Poets of 6th Grade

Thank you to all the families for supporting your child tonight. Each child has worked very hard to create an amazing poetry anthology. We hope you enjoy listening to their creations.

Refreshments will be served.

Monday, 12/12 JINGLE BELLS BLUE - Trustworthiness

Tuesday 12/13 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS YELLOW - Respect

 Wednesday 12/14 GRINCH DAY GREEN - Responsibility

 Thursday 12/15 DECK THE HALLS ORANGE - Fairness

Friday 12/16 RUDOLPH'S RED NOSE DAY - Caring

 Monday 12/19 WINTER WONDERLAND PURPLE - Citizenship

Tuesday 12/20 I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - TRRFCC

Today Kindergarten through Fifth Grade learned all about Transportation Safety

 and how important it is to wear a helmet at all times.

 Next Fire Pal visit will be next Wednesday, December 7th.

Topic will be Fire Safety.

Estrella Foothills High School Choir holds a Music Performance for Westar Students. 

A variety of music will be shared to include German, Spanish and Holiday singing.

 Monday, December 5th 12:45 p.m. in the amphitheatre.

Artist Alert at Westar!!!

Visiting local artist Frank Williams and his wife Karen stopped in to Art Club Monday afternoon to share with the students some examples of his dynamic work with gourds. Frank cuts gourds to create masks, vases, cairns, and bowls. His pieces are then embellished with natural elements such as feathers, leather, and turquoise. The completed work is spectacular and inspired the Art Club students on how to finish their own plaster masks that they have been working on. The William's live her in Estrella and generously donated their time and supplies to the students of Westar. Watch for photos of the completed works by the Art Club students on the Westar web page. If you would like to see examples of Frank Williams work, please check out his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Frank-Williams/205254346196675 or at his website www.Gourd-Geous.com. Frank has pieces available for sale now or you can contact him and commission a work that you would be interested in.

When: Saturday, November 19, 8 am - 1 pm

Where: Westar Elementary, 17777 West Westar Drive

Why: This will be an opportunity to help raise funds  to support Westar's recycling and sustainability programs and to educate our community about local green businesses. Educations materials, interactive projects for children, food, music, and drop off areas for specific recyclables will be provided. Specified recyclables are electronic scrap, scrap metal, and aluminum cans. A scrap metal bin will also be provided to collect bulk metals, such as, bed frames, steel cables, and misc. metals will be accepted.

For further questions, please contact westar pto at westarpto@yahoo.com.

Westar PTO Presents:

 Bedtime Stories, Family Reading Night.  

November 17th, 6-8p.m. 

 in the Library and Courtyard (weather permitting)

 Bring your blanket and join us in your PJ's for an evening all about books.

* Community Story Readers * Character Scavenger Hunt - Compete for your FREE book! * Bring a Book/get a Book, Book Exchange * Bookworm Bookmark Craft * Guess the gumballs for a Barnes & Noble gift card.

 Bedtime snack of cookies & cocoa.

Our First Major Exhibition! Westar students have been invited to have their art displayed at Marley Park by the West Valley Arts Council. The gallery show will be held on Sunday, November 6th from 3-5pm. Alturas will be playing as the first band in the WVAC concert series. All student work will be displayed at the concert and tickets can be purchased for $10 for adults and and students will be discounted to $2. If you are interested in purchasing season tickets to the concert series, offered at Marley Park, Westar will get a portion of the proceeds for every season ticket sold.

For more information in regards to the show, concert, or directions please contact Guylene Ozlanski at Westar 327-2840. I look forward to seeing many Westar faces at the concert to view our amazing student's work…

Using the Xoom tablets, students navigated to the Chevron Energyville website where they had to make tough energy decisions. They were in charge of engineering the power grid to power an entire city while keeping cost, environmental impact, and security in mind. The city then went through 30 years of simulation using the selected energy sources allowing students to make changes along the way. At the end of the 30 years, students got to compare their score with hundreds of thousands of other students who have taken the Energyville Challenge. The students loved this project because it allowed them to make decisions where they could immediately see the results. The "Ah-Ha" moments were neat to see when students began to make connections to their own environmental impacts. Students were also able to weigh the options and reliability of renewable energy to that of non-renewable energy sources. This kind of project makes learning relevant and timeless for students. The integration of science, technology, engineering, and math, along with the social impact aspects of life ensure that students are continually working toward excellence in every aspect of their lives.

Pinwheels for Peace Project imagine… whirled peace!  In today's world youth are bombarded with images of violence.  September 21^st was International Peace Day and in honor of the day the 5^th grade class created pinwheels that were "planted" in our courtyard.  Peace can be related to violence/intolerance in our daily lives.  Peace means many things to different people but in the end it all comes down to a simple definition:  a state of clam, and serenity, with no anxiety, the absence of violence, freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups of people.  Pinwheels are a childhood symbol that reminds us of a time when things were simple, joyful, and peaceful.  The first Pinwheels for Peace were installed on September 21, 2005 by two art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, in Coconut Creek, FL.  The project quickly grew from 500,000 "planted" to three and a half million in 2010 and the numbers continue to grow.  The 5^th grade class at Westar made remarkable pinwheels and enjoyed seeing them spinning in the wind spreading their thoughts of peace around the world. 

In fourth grade we are studying the Ancient tribes of Arizona, and creating a museum display for our parents to come and see for "A Night at the Museum". The students are using technology to create a documentary about the tribes they are studying in class. Students are using Science Weekly Readers, the Internet, and Social Studies curriculum to conduct research, and are compiling their research into multiple projects including engineering a replica of the early Native dwellings, a newsletter about the various tribes using Microsoft Publisher to publish, tea-stained narratives from the perspective of a Native American, making Kachina dolls, dream catchers, Petroglyphs, and other authentic learning experiences. This Social Studies unit will integrate nicely into our Science studies of weather and Solar energy. In time we will create Solar Ovens, and relate the early Native dwellings to their use of the land and how they made food etc. It is an awesome unit!

We are reading The Popcorn Book by Tomie de Paola and learning the parts of a popcorn plant.  Our Science experiment will answer the question, can popcorn kernels "push" a lid off of a jar?  In writing, we will start our creative story with the sentence, I found a magic popcorn kernel….  Popcorn graphing and adding will be included in our Math lessons.

Art Room Wish List

 The art room is a busy place and we

 are using our resources quickly =)

  The items below ( or anything

else you come across that looks

interesting!) would be very helpful in

class if you happen to see them on

sale at the store and would like to

make a donation.  Pick up one or two

items on the list if you are able to. We 

will use the supplies all year so please

donate at any time.  Thank you for your

support of the arts program at

Westar Elementary School.

Guylene Ozlanski, MFA

Elementary Visual Art Specialist

-Glue Sticks

-Elmers White Glue

-Crayola Markers

-Sharpies Black and Colors

-Pencils

-Styro Plates

-Paper Plates

-Felt Tip Pens (Flair Pens are Best)

-Large Scissors

-Yarn

-Ribbon

-String

-Construction Paper 12x18 or 9x12

-Tag Board

-Watercolor Paint

-Clorox Wipes

-Tissues

-Sponges

We want to invite all parents to join us as The Arizona Attorney General's Community Education and Outreach Program visits our school tonight at 6:30 p.m. in our library. They will be discussing the common pitfalls that adversely affect young internet surfers if they are not careful.

As the internet continues to grow and offer a wealth of information to people around the world, so does the importance of protecting personal information, children and teens from potential internet predators. We hope to see you at this important meeting. Thank you!

Westar Student Council is hosting a "Sock-It-To-Me" Drive!  We are in need of NEW socks (still in the package please) for our Troops!!!  Black and white socks will be accepted!  All socks collected will be sent to Afghanistan and distributed to our service men and women! 

One package of socks goes a long way!  Donations will be accepted Aug. 22^nd - Sept. 9^th.  The class with the most sock donations will get a treat from Student Council!

Thank you for your help and support!

Exciting News!

Westar's 5^th GRADE BAND will be forming soon!

STUDENTS and their PARENTS and GUARDIANS are invited to attend

an INFORMATIONAL MEETING about the BAND PROGRAM

on Thursday August 25th commencing at 6:00pm

in the Westar School Music Room

Everyone is born with musical ability but do we take full advantage of it?

Music plays an important part in everyone's life. Consider these points:

·   Researchers in Child Development have identified Music as one of the seven intelligences, just as important as linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences.

·   Music provides an avenue for creativity and self expression and adds to the quality of life.

Furthermore:

·   Students who play an instrument learn the qualities of self discipline and co-operation with others.

·   Students participating in music tend to earn better grades in all subjects and score higher on SAT tests than those not involved in Music.

Very Impressive...but apart from all of this... MUSIC, QUITE SIMPLY, IS A LOT OF FUN!

Want to know more? At this meeting you will:

·   Learn the role music plays in every child's development.

·   Discover the opportunities available for your child in the Band Program.

·   Find out about the expectations of participation.

·   Meet the families of other students that are considering joining band.

·   Learn how Parents and Guardians can best support their child's musical efforts.

·   Meet your child's Band Teacher.

Come along to learn more about this exciting opportunity! I look forward to meeting you

Mike Orme -  Music Teacher & Band Director, Westar School.

 Phone: 623-327-2840 ext 1459  

 Email: morme@liberty.k12.az.us

Westar Fourth graders will be discovering the properties of magnetism and electricity this month through various hands-on experiments.  They will be challenging their families to participate in a NED- no electricity day to get a real glimpse of how much we rely on electricity. 

Students will be creating a personal narrative about a family trip, and will create a class scrapbook to document their collective experiences.  Students will get to experience first hand what it was like to write with ink and a feather pen, as they publish the words to the Preamble.

Students will use the Xooms to apply their problem solving skills, and practice their math facts.  Fourth graders have a LOT to look forward to at Westar!

Channel 5's "WEATHER ROAD SHOW" is coming to Westar's Second grade on Thursday, August 18th! Meteorologist Chris will be here to give our students the opportunity to learn about Air & Weather through an expert's eyes.

We will be having our Annual Westar Kindergarten Robot Parade on Friday, September 2nd at 8:15 am. Our parents and their child create robot costumes while acquiring skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math at their level of understanding. 

The Kindergarten Robot Parade just so happens to be one of the most exciting events for our students. We can't wait to see our little robots parading through Westar!

On Friday, September 9th, our class will be viewing, via internet access, the image of an insect (that we have collected and sent in) on an electron microscope at Beckman Institute in Illinois. We will also be conversing with a scientist during our session about what we see. Here is more information about the Bugscope project:

The Bugscope project provides free interactive access to a scanning electron microscope (SEM) so that students anywhere in the world can explore the microscopic world of insects. This educational outreach program from the Beckman Institute's Imaging Technology Group at the University of Illinois supports K-16 classrooms worldwide.

Bugscope allows teachers everywhere to provide students with the opportunity to become microscopists themselves-the kids propose experiments, explore insect specimens at high-magnification, and discuss what they see with our scientists-all from a regular web browser over a standard broadband internet connection.

Here is a link to an article that was written this summer about the program: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6042/534.full.pdf

The art room at Westar Elementary has been bustling with excitement the first few days of school…I have been blown away with the enthusiasm that the students possess and look forward to a productive year.

Along with getting to know one another and procedures in the art room this month students will be creating portfolios that will keep their art organized and neat. All students K-8 will be participating in the visual art program and each grade will be creating different projects. I look forward to illustrating song lyrics from Michael Jackson's song Man in the Mirror to create posters to be displayed through out the school, using ants to learn about line with Kindergarten and 1st grade, and using form to create value studies with the upper grades. Focusing on visual art standards, integrating academic subjects with an emphasis on STEM, and applying character education to my visual arts lessons gives a balance to the art experience in my class. As the year progresses student art will be displayed at Westar and also at the district offices. The months of December and April have been set aside for Westar Art. Please be on the lookout for our young artist as they make their artistic debuts.

~Guylene Ozlanski

Make this year your child's best yet!!!

Westar's Meet the Teacher

Tuesday, August 2nd

4:00 - 6:00 pm 

Plan on meeting your child's new teacher and allow your child to become familiar with their new classroom.  Meet the new PTO board and learn more on how to get involved in your child's school and classroom.  You'll also be able to visit with the Extended Day program.  This offers childcare for after school hours, if needed. Stop by the Art room and meet our new Art teacher.  We are very excited to have her!

~We can't wait to meet you!!~

Don't miss out on the amazing Camp Invention at Westar Elementary this summer!  It is open to all students in any school district.  Please visit the following website to find out more information and to register.  You can also call the 800 number as well.

When: June 20th-24th

Where: Westar Elementary

Who: Any child

More Information: www.campinvention.org  or 800.968.4332

Coordinator: Amy McCubbins amcubbins@liberty.k12.az.us

We would like to welcome the Kindergarten & First Grade Students

"TO CELEBRATE" YOUR TEETH!!!

Friday, March 25^th at 8:30 & 9:00

    Dr. Joel Rolfe and his Dental Hygienist Melissa, will be visiting us from Mountain Ranch Dentistry. He will be talking about the importance of brushing, flossing, and eating healthy treats.

He will be bringing a very special guest to answer all your teeth's questions.

Don't forget to let mom and dad know that they can come and listen too.

RED ROBIN PTO FUNDRAISER

Come in and support the Westar Elementary School PTO Fundraiser!

Bring in your flyer and RED ROBIN will donate 10% of their proceeds

  back to WESTAR. 

Valid only on April 27, 2011 from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers

14551 W. McDowell Rd., Goodyear, AZ 85395

623-547-2899

  Westar Photos

Who: All 7/8 Boys and Girls

What: Baseball/Softball Tryouts

Where: Baseball/Softball Fields

When: March 1st and 3rd

What to Bring: A good attitude, glove, hat, water bottle, and athletic forms.

Please be sure your physical is up-to-date and your permission slips are turned in. You will not be allowed to tryout without these and there are no makeups for tryouts. Click below for the link to athletic forms.

CLICK HERE FOR ATHLETIC FORMS

Westar 4th Graders Board a Time Machine Back to 1912

Westar Elementary 4th Graders got a chance to see what Arizona was like at the turn of century. They visited Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum on February 14th, 2011. This also happened to be the 99th birthday of Arizona.  Students (like the ones pictured above) had a chance to experience an old school house, living quarters, bakery, livery, barber shop, wheel house, church, and even witnessed a live reenactment from volunteers.  The students loved the trip and said it was so much better to "experience" history, rather than just read about it!

A BMX stunt team visited Westar Elementary to teach the students about natural energy and setting and reaching goals.

A BMX Stunt Rider Jumps Over Mr. Bogart's Head!