Hello, Westview families,
Every Westview family has an autism story. It begins with a diagnosis, a change of thinking, a question of what’s next for your child. The Westview School strives to be a soft place to land - a place where your child fits. We hope that your child’s years at The Westview School are a positive part of your journey and support your family on a path to a promising future for your child. We know how vital these years are in a child’s growth and development, and we are proud to serve your families in this way.
We are deep into our admissions process for the upcoming school year, and we sometimes meet families at the beginning of their autism journey. During initial conversations with families, our admissions team will sometimes ask, “What do you LOVE most about your child?”
They get a variety of answers, but those responses usually fall into three main categories. Parents will talk about their child’s strong academic skills. “He is a self-taught reader.” “She has the best memory.” “He can add and subtract in his head.” Some will focus on their positive social and emotional traits. “He gives the best hugs.” “She is always happy.” “She loves pretend play.” And sometimes, parents will respond with, “No one has asked me that before.”
It is so important to think about and celebrate where a child’s strengths lie. Westview prides itself on meeting our students where they are. There is a singular focus on knowing, learning, supporting, and growing our students based on their individual strengths, and we believe that no one knows your child better than you.
As we continue to celebrate World Autism Month, which strives to increase awareness, understanding, and acceptance of people with autism spectrum disorder, we are excited to share our most recent post to the Westview Blog. Long-time Westview parent, Teresa Cortez, shares her story of learning and connecting with her son, Julian. It is a beautiful, heartfelt, and moving post. It is extremely well-written and clearly demonstrates a mother’s love for her child. Thank you, Teresa, for so eloquently sharing Julian’s story with us.
Enjoy,
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Head of School
The Westview School
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Westview Blog: Reasons to Love Trains |
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The therapist smoothed the paper on her desk with one hand, looked at me, and said, “I believe Julian is moderately autistic.”
Her word choice struck me immediately. She hadn’t said “mildly” or “severely.” He wasn’t a little or a lot autistic. He was, according to Webster’s College Dictionary, “within reasonable limits…of average or medium quality.” Was there a reasonable level of disability?
“You do?” I asked because I’d hoped for anything but that, and in my denial, had become certain Julian only suffered from apraxia of speech. Now I needed a minute to recover enough to mask my devastation.
“I know this can’t be easy for you,” she said, and I lost my resolve not to cry.
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April 2
April 5-9
- Lifetouch Spring Picture Day
April 8
April 22-23
April 30
- Summer Camp Payment Due in Full
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May 3-15
May 6
- Westview EDU: Summer Plans and Camps
May 21
- Spelling Bee (1830 Building)
May 31
June 3
June 4
- Teacher Work Day (No School)
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March Wonder Wall Winners |
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What an awesome PreK friend you are, Ethan! Congratulations on your Social Butterfly Award. Ethan is a genuinely sweet and kind friend to everyone. Ethan has never met a stranger here at Westview! He makes sure to greet students and staff every day. He also has excellent manners and cares deeply for those around him. He engages with everyone and loves striking up a conversation. You are terrific, Ethan! |
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Congratulations to Javier in Lower Elementary for being a Rockstar Rule-Follower. Javier goes above and beyond in following classroom expectations while being an ultimate leader to his classmates. Javier follows teachers’ directions the first time and encourages his friends to do the same. He always looks out for his peers by gently reminding them to listen and try their best. I am proud of him for always setting the example, as he motivates his classmates to reach their goals. Way to go, Javier! |
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Yay, Theo, for your Heart of Gold! Lower Elementary student Theo is a kind and caring individual. He is always willing to lend a hand to others when needed. He is also observant and thoughtful because he remembers what everyone’s favorite things are. He writes notes to his friends and is always genuinely concerned about their feelings. He compliments others and loves making people smile! We are so happy you are here at Westview! |
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Hooray to Soham in Middle School for being Out of this World. Soham has improved greatly in so many ways this school year. He takes his schoolwork seriously and is very thorough and thoughtful with his assignments. He is also very helpful to his peers when they need help learning something that he is confident to share. He aims to do the right thing by being honest and upfront about situations with peers and staff, and we could not be more proud of Soham. Way to go! |
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Have You Completed Your Survey? |
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On Monday of this week, our families, faculty, and staff received a link to our Strategic Planning Survey in their inbox. We encourage everyone to take time to complete the survey. Your input and feedback will be of great significance to guide us through this process. We want our Strategic Plan to incorporate the best thinking of everyone in the Westview family.
We are using a planning format called a Strategy on a Page (SOAP). This process calls on us to identify our most important major goals and priorities. By listening carefully, we hope to take your wisdom and perspective as a guide to help us identify those goals to best meet the needs of every constituency.
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Additionally, to help us better understand the data we collect from surveys, we will be holding a series of focus group meetings. If you wish to be part of one of those, you will have an opportunity to opt-in at the end of the survey. We hope to accommodate as many participants as possible.
Thank you in advance for giving us your honest feedback. The more we hear from you, the better prepared Westview’s Board will be to act in positive ways to ensure our bright future.
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Camp For All Camp 2U: April 22 and 23 |
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It's official! Camp For All Camp 2U is coming to The Westview School. The dates are set for April 22 and 23. The two days of camp are exclusively for our 1830 Wildcats, students in Upper Elementary and Middle School. Camp For All 2U is a program designed to bring camp to the Westview campus and will provide our students an opportunity to engage in some camp fun during the school day. Upper Elementary and Middle School parents: Be on the lookout for an informational email to go home next week.
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WestivewEDU: Westview Alumni Have Something to Say |
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Do you wonder what comes after Westview?
Would you like to hear about the experiences and some of the recommendations from former parents and students that graduated from The Westview School? The Westview School is excited for our first-ever Former Parent/Student Panel on Thursday, April 8, at 7 PM via ZOOM for Westview EDU.
Lynn Clouser and Marshall Jones, Leslie, and Eli Mogil, and Debbie and Kaitlyn Winkler will give you the 4-1-1 on life after Westview - high school, college, young adulthood, and how to support your teen transitioning to high school and beyond.
Questions? Send an email to Penny Khuri.
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Westview Champs Summer Camp - Don't Delay. Register TODAY! |
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If you are registered for one of our camp sessions for 2021 Summer, you should have received an email last week from Crystal Irvin confirming your child's registration. If you have not received an email and should be registered, please contact Candi Pettit to confirm both registration and payment.
All camp payments are due on April 30, 2021. After April 30, registration will remain open with a $250 late fee as follows: Session 1 deadline: May 31, Session 2 deadline: June 28.
If you haven't registered for Westview Champs Summer Camp yet, what are you waiting for?! This summer Crystal Irvin and Liza Reyes are teaming up as your Summer Camp Coordinators. If you’ve been thinking about signing up for this year’s Summer Camp – Be a Westview Champ, let this serve as your encouragement to DO IT!
We are all dreaming of summer days, and including Westview Champs Summer Camp on your summer calendar is a fabulous idea. Our camp sessions are jam-packed with exciting things to keep your kiddo entertained and learning over the summer months.
In-school field trips, cool and creative arts and crafts, water activities, and super fun PE games are all on the agenda. We also will focus on maintaining your child’s progress from the previous school year with Math, ELA, Science, and Social Skills as part of our daily camp schedules. This is an excellent opportunity to keep your child busy and on routine for the summer.
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We have several options for students over the summer break. Visit our website to learn all the details and to register your child.
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1830 Spelling Bee Competition |
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Have you heard the Buzz? Upper Elementary and Middle School students have been preparing in class for our upcoming Spelling Bee. Our classes have began preliminary rounds within their cohorts, and our top 14 spellers from Upper Elementary and Middle School will be announced next week. If your child is selected as a Spelling Bee finalist, they will participate in our social-distanced Spelling Bee on Friday, May 21, in Largent Hall. The Bee will be live-streamed for students and parent viewing. More details to come. We are excited to find a way to continue with our Spelling Bee tradition for this year. Finalists will receive a Spelling Bee packet to prepare for the event next week. We can’t wait to share who rises to the top of the hive next week! If you have any questions about the Spelling Bee, please contact Kori Spurgers.
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Westview is looking to increase our substitute teacher list. Applicants for a substitute teacher at Westview must be over 18 and a high school graduate. Experience working with children is a plus. References are required. As a Westview substitute, you will primarily work as the class assistant for the day. If you or someone you know may be interested in substitute teaching on a preschool, elementary, or middle school level, please email a resume to Russell Avery.
Any additional questions/inquiries regarding job opportunities at The Westview School can be directed to Russell Avery.
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Resources
Please refer to COVID-19 tab on The Westview School website for the most up to date information regarding our Child First Reopening Plan.
For the Kids
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The mission of The Westview School is to provide a unique, specialized learning environment offering outstanding educational and social opportunities for children on the autism spectrum. |
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