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Westlake Academy Communiqué
Dream...Create...Achieve: Building a
Collective Legacy of Excellence
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Upcoming Meetings & Events
Please note: Now that the weather has cooled, every Monday will be a dress uniform day.
Oct. 2 - Great Wolf Lodge Night; 9:30-11:30 pm
Oct. 3
- Miracle Mile - Alyssa V. Phillips Foundation Run
Info
; WA Campus; 8 am - Noon
Oct. 5- PYP Assembly; MPH; 8:05 - 8:40 am; Board of Trustees
Meeting, 5:00 pm, Town Hall in Solana; Pink Out shirts on sale
Oct. 7- Grade 7 Field Trip to the Dallas Zoo; Urban Air Night
pre-orders due
Oct. 8- Early Release/Conferences, 12:00 pm;
Grades 6-7 Urban Air Night, 6-8:00 pm
Oct. 9- Student Holiday (Teacher Professional Day)
Oct. 10-Midnight Madness Basketball Event - Gym - 10:00 pm
Oct. 12- School Holiday in observance of Columbus Day
Oct. 14
- PSAT for Grades 10 and 11 - Gym - 8-12
Oct. 15- Original Works Due (PYP) Details below
Oct. 17
- Hammer Time Cheer Pre-Leader Camp (for PYP students), 8:30 - 12 pm; Details below
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A message from Dr. Bryson...
What an incredible week for our students. Our 6th and 9th graders have had a wonderful time at Camp Eagle. This week's communiqué contains photos from their adventures. I encourage you to peruse these. In addition, our 4th graders went on a field trip to the Black Land Prairie Raptor Center. Learning is happening in and out of our classrooms. This is exciting indeed!
Click
here
to see more....
Looking for Host Families
W
estlake Academy will be hosting four students from Costa Rica from November 30 - December 18. We are searching for four families who would be kind enough to open up their homes and sponsor these students as they are here with us. Please email Dr. Bryson
if you would like to be a part of this great exchange!
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Blacksmith Campaign Kicks Off...
Blacksmith Annual Fund Kicks Off!
Our campaign to raise $1.1 million for Academy students is off to a great start, thanks to "early bird" gifts totaling
$501, 300
from
43%
of families.
Each
Wednesday
, we'll report our progress and gratefully recognize our donors. Be part of the Blacksmith tradition - send in your
donation form
today!
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Who will Win the House Cup This Year?
We are excited to announce that we have a committee of educators working hard to rebrand our house system. Each house will be getting a new color! We know this will please Thoreau most of all... In addition, all students will be receiving a t-shirt and wristband to show their house spirit.
We are looking for House Captains too! If you are interested in a leadership opportunity click
here for the application.... More information will be shared with you at flag on Monday.
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"Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world."
Maria Montessori
This Week in MYP...
The week at Camp Eagle certainly allowed students and staff to see beyond one's own potential.
Click
to hear more from Dr. Barton...
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We're Going Places at WA...
Travel Update
Grade 7
There will be an informational meeting on October 21 for all 7th grade parents for their trip to Austin and San Antonio. The trip is scheduled for early May.
Grade 8 and Grade 10
Great news! The pre-registration went great and we have enough students already registered for both of these trips. If you are still interested in registering your student, please click on your grade level link
Grade 8 or
Grade 10 .
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ManageBac
has updated their interface! The new ManageBac look provides easier
navigation. To learn more about the updates and how to view your child' academic progress please click
here.
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"The power of an inquiry-based approach to learning is its potential to increase intellectual engagement and foster deep understanding through the development of a hands-on, minds-on and research-based disposition towards teaching and learning."
This approach to learning is directly aligned to the IB framework in that it promotes the construction and deconstruction of knowledge. More specifically, inquiry-based instruction provides opportunities for learners to explore and test their ways of knowing through the examination of how they know what they know. The above video, shared with us by 2nd grade teacher, Missy DeMoss, gives us insight into this.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) articulates the foundation of what it means to be an IB World School through the Standards and Practices. As an authorized IB World School, we are evaluated by the IB on our successes in the implementation of these Standards and Practices. One practice requires that we participate in the IB world community. In the PYP, we are fulfilling this practice in several ways:
Click
here
for more on this from Allison Schneider...
For important dates in the PYP, click here...
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PSAT - October 14th
Grades 10 and 11
Westlake Academy will be administering the PSAT exam to ALL sophomore and junior students on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 starting at 8:00 am. Westlake Academy will be covering the registration fee for the PSAT!
The PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide will be distributed to students in the following classrooms:
- 10th Grade in Ms. New's Classes
- 11th Grade in Ms. Harrell Classes
Also, s
tudents can pick up the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide in the following locations:
- MYP Front office
- College Counseling Office - 3rd Floor MYP Bldg
For more information about the PSAT/NMSQT, please click
here.
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DP News
11th grade students in Mrs. Estrada's DP Literature course initiated their required Interactive Oral Group Presentation for Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. As part of their study of works in translation, all 11th grade students are required to initiate one IOGP and participate in the remaining two presentations. Click
here
f
or more DP news and news about our college counseling center...
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Did you know?
Wondering how to access the parent portal of the website? See below for step-by-step procedures and information on what you can access on the parent portal...
Once you are here, you can access so many great things! You can access all the websites for your teachers. You can access the menu for the cafeteria. You can even access Managebac and the Master Calendar. Try it... we think you're going to like it!
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Joe Bradley Endowment Fund
Student Travel
The Westlake Academy Foundation is pleased to announce the availability of student travel awards made possible through the Joe Bradley Endowment Fund to benefit Westlake Academy students interested in participating in international travel opportunities and class trips. These scholarships are based on financial need.
There is $2,500 available to fund; up to $1,000 per award. To apply, please
download the application
and return it to the Foundation office by
Friday, October 23, 2015. Applicants will be notified by October 30.
Donations are gratefully welcomed to provide additional monies for this year's travel assistance awards
.
For more information or to make a donation, please contact
Dr. Shelly Myers or call at (817)490-5722
.
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Baja Event - October 19, 2015
Sponsor, donate, play, or just party - but come to Vaquero for this one-of-a-kind, wildly fun golf and tennis extravaganza for Westlake Academy! Proceeds will fund "above and beyond" grant requests received from teachers throughout the year.
More Baja info here...
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You could win an Apple Watch
Just by sharing why you love WA
We have a FUN NEW Giveaway contest to participate in this year, even if you aren't able to attend the Baja (but we really want you to come!).
Enter a drawing for an Apple Watch donated by
U.S. Lawns! Tell us "Why I love Westlake Academy," and post the video on our
Facebook page or email your photo to the Foundation Office. For more information,
download the drawing rules.
For Student entries, be sure to include the student's name and grade in the post/email.
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WAAC Update -
HOMECOMING MUMS - IMPORTANT NOTICE!
In the past the WAAC has put out order forms for pre-made custom Mums for Homecoming. Regrettably, we will not be taking any orders for Mums this year.
HOWEVER: The WAAC will be holding a "Mum workshop" where students can come and purchase items and get help making a Homecoming Mum. Everything your student will need to create a custom Mum will be available to purchase. Dates and location to be determined and details will be coming soon!
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Homecoming Update
FOOTBALL HOMECOMING & SR NIGHT ANNOUNCED
The annual homecoming football game will be played on
Saturday October 31 at 1:00 pm a
t Westlake Academy. The opponent will be Wylie Prep Academy.
Homecoming dance
will take place on Friday night October 30. More details to come.
Friday night October 23 will be Senior night. The Junior High and Varsity teams will be playing at home "under the lights" here at Westlake Academy. JH will start at 5:00 pm, followed by the Varsity tilt at 7:30. Senior football players and cheerleaders will be honored at halftime.
Come out and support the Blacksmiths!
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Cheer Update
Pre-leader Camp for PYP students:
October 17th at 8:30 am-12:00 pm (snack and water provided), and
Oct 22 3:30 pm-4:30 pm. The pre leaders will learn a cheer and a dance that they will perform at the Half Time Show for the Varsity Homecoming Game on
Saturday Oct 31, Game starts at
2:00 pm. The cost will be $45 per student, and they will receive a T shirt to wear at the performance and small SWAG bag. A sign up Sheet will be available in the PYP Office
on Monday. There will be a Maximum of 40 Pre-leaders in Camp, with a cut off date for sign-ups of October 12.
PINK OUT!!!
shirts will go on sale
Monday
, October 5 and will be $15 each. These shirts can be worn to the Pink Out Football Game AND they can be worn to school on
Friday, October 23
. A portion of the sales of the shirts will go to Breast Cancer research. Forms for Pink Out will be in the PYP and Secondary offices
on Monday, October 5 -
the cut off date to order these shirts will be October 9
.
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We're looking for our home...
We are the lost items of MYP students and we live in the Secondary Office. Come and check us out - we may belong to you! We would be so happy to come back home again.
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Westlake Academy | 2600 J.T. Ottinger Road, Westlake, TX 76262 | 817-490-5757
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