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Westlake Elementary School PTA
SCHOOL-WIDE UPDATES
Welcome to the PTA!

Welcome Families!

My name is Sarah Camden, and on behalf of Westlake Elementary School (WES) PTA, I’m thrilled to welcome you to our inaugural year! Over the past two years, PTA members from across our community have been working together to design and build a strong PTA organization that will support our school and enrich our students’ experiences. Our 2019/2020 WES PTA board is excited for the year ahead!

This year, all four of Westlake’s former elementary schools join together under one new roof.  In recognition of this change, and in an effort to unify our elementary community, WES PTA’s theme for the year is, “All 4 One.”  Throughout the year, you’ll see activities and events designed to build unity and connections across our school community. Our Summertime Meet-up chairs kicked off these activities with grade-level meet-ups during summer break. Here’s a sample of activities you can expect to see when we return to school this fall: 

     We’ll celebrate the students who completed the summer reading program. 
     We’ll welcome back teachers and staff with a “back to school” luncheon. 
     We’ll host the “All 4 One Fun Run” which will engage all students while raising funds for PTA-sponsored efforts. 
     We’ll offer the first spirit wear sale. 
     We’ll sponsor school parties including Halloween, Winter and Valentine’s Day.
     Adults are invited to an evening out at “Night at the Races” on Friday, November 22 at 6pm at St. Demetrios in Rocky River. 
     We’ll sponsor staff grants to support teacher-led initiatives that benefit our students. 

And this is just the beginning! 

PTA relies on the support of our Westlake Elementary families and staff. Joining PTA is easy (just visit  http://bit.ly/WESPTA2019 to sign up online). From there, you can be as involved as you’d like to be! The weekly eblast will notify you of upcoming events, provide updates from the principals, and share volunteer opportunities. All are invited to join our PTA membership meetings – generally the first Thursday of the month at 7pm. Any updates to the schedule will be published in the weekly eblast.

This is certain to be an exciting year for our children and community, and PTA is thrilled to be part of it. We hope you’ll join PTA in supporting the exciting journey ahead.

All 4 One, 

Sarah Camden
WES PTA President, 2019-2020
Membership Has BOLD Goals!
The PTA Membership Committee has made several bold goals for our first year! First, membership is going paperless! To join PTA, use  this link , at the end you will be given options on how to pay. Second, we hope you will pay using the CheddarUp link with either a credit card or an electronic check. This will significantly cut down on clerical errors & make the transition to the new school more efficient for all. Finally, we would love to have every family join the PTA so that all ideas and voices are a part of shaping the new WES! We will keep you up to date on our progress in this newsletter and on social media. Questions? Call Rachel, 440.477.8145.
All 4 One Fun Run (powered by Boosterthon)

Parents!
 
We’re so excited to host the inaugural All 4 One Fun Run (powered by Boosterthon) to help our school! Boosterthon is a fundraiser coupling a seven -day program of world-class character conten t with a culminating Fun Run.   
 
W e’re hoping to provide each student with a FREE custom Westlake Elementary School t-shirt to wear the day of the Fun Run event, at no cost to the student or school.
 
In order to make this happen, we need your help! We’re hoping to partner with local businesses to help sponsor these shirts (and bring more attention to our local businesses by displaying their logo on the back of the shirt worn by all 1200 students!). If you know of, or are affiliated with, a business that would be interested in sponsoring shirts for our students, please click here to see t he attached letter and sponsorship form for details. Feel free to email us at wesboosterthon@gmail.com for more information.

Thanks so much for your help in strengthening our school!

-           Jen Touhey & Erin Kollar, Boosterthon Chairs 
You’re on the road to Westlake Elementary School with our first annual Summer Reading Program!
Only 10 days left to complete the Summer Reading Program and Bingo Challenges! Program completion is August 28, 2019.
Parents please remember to complete the signature log for each one of your participating students to ensure your child receives an award for their reading efforts. 
All Summer Reading Program documentation should be returned to school no later than September 6, 2019 for students in Grades 1 – 4; and September 13, 2019 for participating Pre-School and Kindergarten students.
Summer Reading documentation to be returned to school:
Ensure your child’s name is legible on each sheet.
Thank you and enjoy the remainder of your summer vacation!
Questions? Contact Sherry Sanfilippo at  sherrysanfilippo@att.net
Show your Westlake pride with our new spirit wear options!
We have multiple options as displayed on the attached order form from youth to adult. We will be accepting cash or check with this first order due on September 12th! Please feel free to print out attached order form and bring it to our open house. Spirit Wear will have a table to display all items during open house, so you can see the fun new material and styles available to you. Also a limited number of green Westlake Elementary t-shirts will be available for purchase ($10 cash or check) during Open House. Show your Westlake pride and turn your friends and family GREEN!!
Save the date for the first ever Westlake Elementary PTA's Night at the Races
Friday, November 22nd. Doors open at 6, Event 7-11pm at St. Demetrios! More info to come. To volunteer for the committee and the event, please reach out to Monica Verchick at  mohumm@hotmail.com  or Cathleen Augustine at  cathleenaugustine@yahoo.com .
GRADE-LEVEL UPDATES
Pre-K/K House Updates
1/2 House Updates
3/4 House Updates
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Do you have a desire to enhance all aspects of education for the students of Westlake City Schools?
Would you like to be a visible and proactive link between the Westlake community, the Westlake City Schools and the Board of Education?
 
The Citizens Advisory Committee is looking for civic-minded individuals to join our efforts
The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) was established over 40 years ago as a voluntary advisory committee to the Westlake Board of Education (BOE) and is comprised of a diverse group of Westlake residents and community representatives. The CAC communicates, researches, evaluates and recommends action plans for consideration by the BOE.
If you would like to be part of a team working towards the ultimate enhancement of education provided to Westlake's children, then consider joining the CAC!
Additional information, including past research projects, can be found at: https://www.wlake.org/community/community-partners/citizens-advisory-committee , or you may contact Andrew Mangels ( andrew.mangels@westlakelibrary.org or 440-250-5450) or Mary Essig ( essig6@roadrunner.com or 440-539-9402) for more information.  
Interested community members are encouraged to submit an application for membership .
Music Boosters
We are so excited for the new school year! We already have lots of exciting things going on.

Westlake Porter Library

Flyer Connection

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