Our new Social-Emotional Learning curriculum has made its way into the daily lessons for our students. The Fly Five Social Emotional Learning Curriculum supports our students in Kindergarten through Grade 8.

Fly Five is broken down into five social and emotional competencies known as the C.A.R.E.S. Standards. The C.A.R.E.S. acronym is comprised of the traits of cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.  

This week we will share a little about the next standard - EMPATHY

As part of our educational series, Westview EDU, The Westview School welcomed Natalie Montfort, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Montfort Psychology Associates, to share her insight and expertise on Executive Functioning. With over 20 years of experience working with children with autism spectrum disorder and other disabilities, Natalie knows the importance of executive functioning and why it matters. Her talk provided parents with ways to develop and improve their child’s executive functioning skills, offering strategies that are easy to implement at home. If you missed Dr. Montfort's presentation, do not worry. We are very thankful to her for contributing a written version of her discussion for the Westview blog.

Read our latest post on the Westview Blog, Executive Functioning: Air Traffic Control for Your Brain.

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Thank you for supporting our library this week during the Book Fair. The Scholastic Book Fair will be open during Open House tonight, September 15, 2022. We hope you save time to stop by after your classroom visit. The Book Fair will also be open in person and online through Friday, September 16, 2022.

Thank you to all our book buyers, POW volunteers, and fabulous librarian Teresa Taeger for making the fall's book fair a HUGE success!

The Stewart Center at The Westview School is our on-campus therapy clinic staffed with qualified professionals ready to meet the needs of families and students at Westview and the Houston community. The Stewart Center team is always ready to go above and beyond to support a child. We are launching a new feature in the Westview Weekly - "Top Tip of the Week." Thank you to The Stewart Center for sharing their words of wisdom with our community. This week, Lisa Van Hofwegen, Speech-Language Pathologist, has an excellent top tip to share. 

If you see a trusted adult talking to a child and helping the child solve a problem, avoid the temptation of jumping in to expedite the process. Comprehension can take time as the child is processing our words, our tone of voice, our gestures, our facial expressions, and the environment. If two adults are working with a child, it’s important that only one adult speaks to the child at a time. It can be difficult for a child to shift back and forth between two people who are both talking, especially if the child is in a state of distress. 

Back to school can be stressful, and new routines can take adjustment. As we all settle into the new school year of updated schedules and timing of pick-up and drop-off of sometimes multiple kiddos, we thought it would be a good idea to highlight some common dos and don’t of the car drop-off pick-up line. 

DON'T CUT THE LINE

This should be obvious, but it still happens. We are fortunate to have a small enough student population that our car line moves pretty quickly. We do have multiple carpools entering at the same parking lot entrance at the same time. Please be patient as our teachers are working to unload and load your child as quickly and safely as possible to get you on your way. 

DO PULL FORWARD

An easy way to help expedite car lines in both the morning and afternoon is to stay alert and always pull forward as the line moves ahead.

DON'T USE YOUR PHONE. DO PAY ATTENTION.

Please be mindful that it is illegal to use cell phones in active school zones in Texas. It is also a Westview policy (Parent Handbook, p. 14) that “cell phone use is not permitted in the carpool line.”

DO BE PATIENT

Thanks to all of you for being kind and patient with our teachers and students during carpool. We truly have their safety and best interests at heart.

CHESS WIZARDS

Join Chess Wizards this year for challenging chess lessons, exciting tournaments, fun, team activities, and more! If you’re brand-new to chess, you will learn the basics and get playing right away. If you’re a seasoned checkmate artist, you will learn new ways to let your creativity show on the chessboard. Classes will be Thursday, 12:30 to 1:30 pm for 10 sessions beginning on October 6. The cost is $210 per student. Chess Wizards enrollment is for Upper Elementary and Middle School students only.  Register at www.chesswizards.com. See the flyer for more details.

JASNA'S YOGA

Westview is welcoming Jasna's Yoga class to The Westview School beginning this fall. Yoga classes are fun, non-competitive, and go at your own pace. Students in Kindergarten through Middle School are eligible to participate. The cost is $120 per student or $240 for student and one parent/guardian. The session will run for eight 45-minute classes beginning on Tuesday, October 4, through November 29, 2022. Times are for Kindergarten + Lower El: Tuesdays at 2:30 PM to 3:15 PM and for Upper El + Middle School: Tuesdays at 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM. Email thouart5@thouart.com to register before September 20, 2022. See the flyer for more details. 

CODER KIDS

Lower Elementary: Coder Kids Computer Programing Classes is here at Westview. In this class, students will use hands-on tools, apps, and games to learn the fundamentals of coding on tablets and computers as well as typing. Students will work through multiple levels of the Coder Kids Coding Foundations curriculum. No experience is required! Classes will be held every Wednesday from 2:30 to 3:30 PM. The cost is $198 for the 9 remaining sessions. Coder Kids has already started, but there is still space available if your child would like to particpate. Register online for Lower Elementary sessions here. See the flyer for more details.

Upper Elementary + Middle School: In this course, students make games and animations and get creative! Students will use Scratch, which is a block-based programming language developed by MIT. It's perfect for beginners or for experienced students. Students will learn about variables, conditionals, sequential logic, and more! If you can imagine it, you can code it! Classes will be held every Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. The cost is $198 for the 9 remaining sessions. Coder Kids has already started, but there is some space available if your child would like to participate. Register online for Upper Elementary and Middle School sessions here. See the flyer for more details.

BOY SCOUTS TROOP 609

Be a Scout with Troop 609. Every Scouting activity moves youth toward the basic aims of character development, citizenship training, and mental and physical fitness. Boy Scouts is for students ages 11 and up only. Boy Scout meetings are held on the first and third Sunday each month from 4:30 to 6:00 PM at The Westview School. Boy Scout Troop 609 is chartered by The Westview School. For more information, please come by a meeting or visit Troop 609 online. You can also follow on Facebook Scout Troop 609 – Westview School. See the flyer for more details. If you have any questions about scouting, email scoutmaster.troop609@gmail.com.

WILDCAT SPIRIT TEES

The new POW Spirit Tee is up for preorder in the POW School Store. Westview Y'all is a classic style with an "On Fridays We Wear Blue" twist. Show your Wildcat spirit and choose from POW's two new tee styles - long sleeve ($20) or short sleeve ($15). You also have the option to gift a teacher a tee. The preorder deadline is October 1st. 

ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK

You can also find the preorder for the 2022-2023 Westview Yearbook and dedication pages live on the Balfour website. Below are some easy-to-follow instructions for reserving your copy and dedication space today. Dedications are due January 2023.

1. Click on the Balfour School Store link
2. Scroll down to Yearbook Products & ADS
3. Enter student info & click "shop for this student"
4. Then choose yearbook and what size dedication you would like.

Have you signed up for the 12th Annual Alex's 5K Run/Walk & Kids K yet? 

Alex's 5K is a fun, family-friendly race event created as a tribute to the life of Alex Jamrich, who passed away suddenly in 2010 at the age of 17. The event not only celebrates Alex's life but also promotes autism awareness and raises funds for research and services in the Houston community. This year's event will take place in person on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at MacGregor Park.

The proceeds from Alex's 5K support three Autism-related charities: Autism Speaks,  Avondale House, and The Westview School. We are so thankful for their generosity.

For more information and to register for the event, visit the official Alex's 5K website.