OCTOBER 2018

October and November Calendar

Oct. 8 - Non-Student Day, No SchoolOct. 24 - School Spirit Day - Unity Day (Wear Orange)Oct. 25 - School Spirit Day- Movie/Book Character Day Oct. 25 - Trick or Treat Street, 5:00-6:30pm Oct. 26 - Non-Student Day, No SchoolNov. 1-2 - Student Led Conferences, No SchoolNov. 5 - Fall Picture RetakesNov. 12 - Veteran’s Day, No SchoolNov. 22-23 - Thanksgiving Break, No SchoolNov. 28 - School Spirit Day - Crazy Mismatch Day

Halloween, Costumes and West Hills

There are no costumes or props of any kind allowed at West Hills during the month of October. Students who come to school in a costume will be asked to change. If it is not possible to change, parents will be contacted.

PTA’s Trick or Treat StreetWho: West Hills PTA SponsoringWhat: The Annual PTA Trick or Treat StreetWhen: Thursday, October 25, 5:00-6:30 pmWhere: Here at the Haunted Halls of West Hills STEM Academy

We Need Candy Donations!

Trick or Treat Street depends upon your donations of bagged/wrapped Halloween candy for us to give away! Please bring donations to the office. We thank you greatly!!

We hope to provide a safe and dry alterna-tive for Trick or Treating for our students, families, and community.

West Hills STEM Academy Inspires a community of 21st century lifelong learners who are equipped to

explain, engage, elaborate and evaluate in a global community.

Greatschools.orgFamilies that move into a new area often turn

to greatschools.org to learn about the neigh-borhood school. Did you know that you can write a review on greatschools.org for West Hills STEM Academy? Please share your posi-tive experiences.

Google Account for Education

This year Bremerton School District has pro-vided all students with a Google Account For Education. This means

that the students can access their online school work and documents at home. The Google Chrome web browser is required for the students to access their work. To access their work, they need to log into Google Chrome. Their account log in is: their ID (lunch) number@bsdstudents.org. Their password is the same password they use at school (first 4 letters of last name, capital-ize the first letter, then birthday- 2 digits for month, 2 digits for day (ie. Smit0101). If you have any questions you can contact Val Sandell at val.sandell@bremertonschools.org

For up to the minute news, tweets from students, and a glimpse into what #180DaysofSTEM looks like! Follow us at @WHSTEMAcademy

Y-Kids Y-Kids is located in the portables near the annex building. Hours of operation are from 6:00 am-8:40 am and 3:35 pm-6:00pm. On Wednesday afternoons hours are 1:40 pm-6:00pm. Site director is Ms. Liz and you can contact her at (253) 376-4285.

ClasslinkBremerton School District now has a new Sin-gle Sign On program, ClassLink, that is being used to assist the students with signing onto other apps. Students can access ClassLink at home by going to our website and clicking on the ClassLink link under the QuickLinks on the right side of the screen. To Log onto ClassLink, the students log on exactly like they do when logging onto the computers at school (ID number & password). If you have any questions, please contact Val Sandell at val.sandell@bremertonschools.org or 360-473-4600.

Ebooks Ebooks are now available from the West Hills STEM Academy library. If you are in-terested in checking out our selections of ebooks, you can download the app Destiny Discover. Choose the school West Hills in Bremerton. All students can then login as themselves like they log onto the computers. You can then browse the book list and check out any book that is available.

PlaySchool for Preschool

Are you looking for a fun activity for your preschooler? Join us for a time to learn and play at PlaySchool! PlaySchool is a free opportunity for you and your child to spend time engaging in fun activities designed to build readiness for kindergarten. Activities are geared towards children ages 3-5, how-ever siblings are welcome to attend also! PlaySchool sessions occur twice monthly: morning sessions are offered at our West Hills Preschool and afternoon sessions are offered at View Ridge. Please call (360) 473-4600 for more information or to register your child. You can also visit our website for dates and our flyer!

Student Led Conferences

Conferences are on November 1-2. Sign-up sheets will be coming home from teachersbeginning mid October.

PTAPlease join us for our 2nd PTA meeting of the year on Wednes-day, October 24th in the Innovation Zone at 6:00pm. Agen-da items will include discussion about the fol-lowing items: Assistant Principal reports, Old business, Trick or Treat Street, Seahawks Blitz Fundraising Rewards event on October 16, 2018 , Fall fundraisers , Election of additional board members as needed, Vote for the host-ing and budget approval item to be added for Peninsula Dance Company Production in November 2019, Any new business, Volunteer opportunities, and more!

The West Hills STEM Academy PTA encourag-es everyone to take advantage of membership benefits and provides several ways to have a powerful voice through our many programs and services.

To gain access to the benefits mentioned above and so much more, you can join us on Facebook or contact the Executive board members at events and at times we are in the school.

Remember… your involvement is how our PTA stays strong and how our children achieve success! No effort is too small!

Washington State Learning Standards

West Hills STEM Academy, like all schools in Washington, is guided in our teaching and curriculum by learning expectations for all students. These guidelines are called the Washington State Learning Standards. They provide teachers and staff with student learning expectations for every grade level. The implementations of statewide standards is required by the U.S. Department of Educa-tion.

Four learning goals provide the foundation for the development of all academic learning standards in Washington state:• Read with

comprehen-sion, write effectively, and commu-nicate suc-cessfully in a variety of ways and settings and with a variety of audiences;

• Know and apply the core concepts and principles of mathematics; social, phys-ical, and life sciences; civics and history, including different cultures and participa-tion in representative government; geog-raphy; arts; and health and fitness;

• Think analytically, logically, and creative-ly, and to integrate technology literacy and fluency as well as different experi-ences and knowledge to form reasoned judgements and solve problems; and

• Understand the importance of work and finance and how performance, effort, and decisions directly affect future career and educational opportunities.

More information on the Washington State Learning Standards can be found at http://www.k12.wa.us/

Counselor Corner National Anti-bullying Month

Together against bullying: United for kind-ness, acceptance and inclusion

October is annually celebrated as anti-bullying month, an important issue to address in all schools across the country. To raise awareness about bullying prevention at West Hills, every classroom will participate in lessons about what bullying looks like and how to stand up against it in a safe and positive way.

Activities range from puppet shows about bullying in the kindergarten classes, reading books about hurtful teasing from the perspec-tive of the victim, bystander and bully and role playing what can be done in several types of bullying situations.

October 24th is Unity Day. Students and staff are encouraged to wear orange to show unity against bullying at West Hills STEM Academy.

“ORANGE provides a powerful, visually com-pelling expression of solidarity,” said Paula Goldberg, Executive Director of PACER Center. “When hundreds of individuals in a school or organization wear orange, the vibrant state-ment becomes a conversation starter, sending the unified message to kids to know that they are not alone.”

If you are interested in learning more informa-tion about bullying, how to help prevent bully-ing or find resources for your child to explore, you can visit

http://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/unity-day.asp

West Hills STEM: Home to Washington ReadingCorps!

Washington Reading Corps is a branch of AmeriCorps that focuses on building literacy in our schools. West Hills STEM has had Reading Corps members serving at our site for 18 years. Mem-bers tutor students in kindergarten through 3rd grade as well as help recruit volunteers. The extra tutoring opportunities provided through this program help our struggling readers either catch up to the reading ability of their peers or improve their reading by an entire grade level. We are cur-rently seeking parents, grandparents, and high school or college students etc. who would like to come volunteer in our program. (Even an hour a week is greatly appreciated!) No experience nec-essary because we will provide the training. If you are interested in volunteering in this valuable program, please call Chris Drebick at 360-473-4665 or come by room 17 before or after school.

Meet Our WRC Members!Kendra Bowden:

My name is Kendra Bowden. I am originally from Georgia, and I moved to Washington in August of 2016. I attended Bremerton High school, and grad-uated this past June. Class of 2018! I am planning to obtain my associates from Olympic College this fall to further my education. Then, I am transferring to Seattle Central to finish up my bachelor’s degree. I am pursuing a career as a dental hygienist. After obtaining my BS in Dental Hygiene, I will go to South Korea and work as a dental hygienist. It is my dream to live in South Korea and immerse myself in the culture. My hobbies are listening to music and hanging out with family and friends. The reason why I chose to work with

Americorps is because I like to help people. I want to show students that they can succeed as long as they try--I am proof. I had trouble in school, and I had an IEP from 4th grade until I graduated. I was diagnosed with Dandy Walker Malformation of the Brain when I was very young. It manifested in my school work and affected my vision. However, I do not let it affect me or my goals. Determi-nation is key to success; and, I am happy to be in Americorps where I can be a positive influence on young children who are struggling with reading.

Dana HalfhillHello, this is my second year serving in AmeriCorps. I just finished my first year serving with Kitsap Community Resources AmeriCorps at the YWCA of Kitsap County. Before I started serving in AmeriCorps, I was a full time college student. I got my Bachelor’s degree in Russian Language at Central Washington University, and then my Master’s of Arts degree in International Studies at the University of Washington in the Russian, East-ern European, and Central Asian Studies (REECAS) program which is apart of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. My main areas of study have always been in International Studies and History, but I have extensive experience writing essays, conducting research, and studying a foreign language, which will help with my time serving here. One of my biggest achievements, is that I presented my Master’s Thesis at the Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies 2017 at Oxford England. I am excited to get to know all of you over the school year.

State Learning Standards & TestingWhat are learning standards?The Washington State K–12 Learning Standards define what all students should know and be able to do at each grade level.

Why do we need them?Rigorous learning standards require students to think critically and creatively about content—rather than memorize it—so they are ready for careers, college, and life after high school.

Which content areas have learning standards?Standards exist in 13 content areas including math, English language arts, science, educational technology, and world languages.

Why do we have state tests?Measuring student progress on important skills and knowledge is key for families and teachers to know if students are on track to graduate with options, or if they might need extra help or advanced learning opportunities.

Testing data is also a tool for schools, districts, and the state to help educators improve instruction for all students. Statewide testing also helps ensure all public school students, no matter where they go to school, have access to a quality education.

Are state tests required?State and federal laws require students to be tested in:

• English language arts and math: Grades 3 through 8 and high school (students take the Smarter Balanced assessments)

• Science: Grades 5, 8, and 11

Real-world skillsWashington’s learning standards and assessments focus on real-world skills that students are learning and practicing in the classroom every day such as problem solving, critical thinking, and writing. On assessments, students show their work, write, and explain their answers as part of the assessment process, thus measuring skills and knowledge they will need to pursue the career path of their choice.

Closing gapsThe assessments help identify achievement gaps and allow school districts and the state to direct resources where they are needed the most.

Testing is just one measureState testing is one of several indicators, in combination with report cards, teacher feedback, and classroom work used to create a complete picture of a student’s progress in school.

The right stuffWashington’s state learning standards and the aligned assessments are designed to prepare students for college, work, and life.

Accessible for all studentsThe Smarter Balanced tests are designed to accommodate all students, including those with disabilities and English language learners.

about Washington’s K-12 Learning Standards and Assessments

TOP 5 FACTS

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OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION • WWW.K12.WA.US PUBLICATION NO. 17-0020

Learning Standardsbit.ly/StateStandards or email CoreStandards@k12.wa.us

State Testingwww.WAtesting.com or email StateTesting@k12.wa.us

Support Your StudentGreat Schools: bit.ly/2tRyZoO

LEARN MORE!

To see which tests are required for high school graduation, please visit www.WAtesting.com.