August 5, 2021
Hello, Westview families, 
 
Happy birthday, Westview! Did you know that The Westview School is celebrating a big birthday this year? Westview is turning 40, and we have been busy, busy, BUSY preparing for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year! We are eager for students to return to campus. If you are new to the Westview family, we are thrilled to have you here. We have hired some great new team members that we will be introducing to you in the next few weeks.
 
We continue to monitor the number of COVID-19 cases in Harris County. As our students and staff prepare to return for another school year, the virus continues to be a factor that we have to address in our back-to-school plans. With regard to COVID-19, we have two goals: 1) Keep cases of COVID-19 off our campus. 2) If we have a case, minimize the spread. As such, we have several protocols in place to help us meet these goals. Please review some of the highlights that will be in place for the upcoming school year. 
 
We are committed to doing our part on campus, but we need everyone to do their part at home to meet the goals. Some of the ways we can all contribute to a healthy start are: stay home if sick, socially distance for the two weeks before the start of school, wear a mask, wash hands frequently, and get vaccinated (if eligible). 

We truly cannot wait to welcome our staff, students, and families back to campus later this month. We will see you soon.

Stay well,




Head of School
The Westview School
Calendar at a Glance

FRIDAY, AUGUST 20
  • Meet the Teacher

SATURDAY, AUGUST 21
  • POW Back to School Event

MONDAY, AUGUST 23
  • First Day of School
School Hours, Arrival Procedures, and School Year Calendars
SCHOOL DAY HOURS
For the 2021-2022 school year, drop off and pick up times will be staggered to accommodate daily health screenings
Early Childhood Development: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Pre-Kindergarten: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Kindergarten: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Lower Elementary: 8:30 am - 2:30 pm
Upper Elementary: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Middle School: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
EARLY DISMISSAL THURSDAY
  • Early Childhood Development, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and Upper Elementary dismissal is 12:00 pm on Thursdays.
  • Lower Elementary dismissal is 11:45 pm on Thursdays.
  • Middle School dismissal is 12:30 pm on Thursdays.
ARRIVAL PROCEDURES / CARPOOL TIMES
To expedite health screenings conducted each day at drop off, start times are staggered. Please familiarize yourself with our carpool map to determine where you will drop off and pick up your child.
  • Students should remain in the car, with seat belts fastened, until their health and temperature screening has been completed by a member of staff.
  • Students will be escorted to a hand sanitization station before proceeding to their classroom.
  • Cars should not be left unattended in the driveways at any time.
  • Cell phone use is not permitted in the carpool line.

Establishing a predictable, consistent daily routine is a critical element of our program. Your child’s planned activities for the day begin shortly after carpool, and it is important that he/she not be late. Should you arrive after this time you must park and bring your child to the front office to complete the health screening, and someone will escort your child to the classroom. 
2021-2022 ACADEMIC SCHOOL CALENDAR
Our 2021-2022 academic calendar is available in a one-page format, or a digital version is available to download to your mobile device. Subscribe to The Westview School calendar online by visiting our calendar page or by using this direct link.
Teacher Assignments
Each family will be contacted the afternoon of Friday, August 13, by your child's 2021-2022 homeroom teacher. Your child's teacher will introduce themselves and provide sign-up information for our upcoming Meet the Teacher. 
2021-2022 COVID-19 School Protocols
FACE MASKS/COVERINGS
COVID-19 is spread from person to person via respiratory droplets among close contacts, generally within 6 feet.  Today, Harris County was reclassified at Level 1 (RED), signifying a severe and uncontrolled level of COVID-19 in Harris County, meaning that outbreaks are present and worsening and that testing and contact tracing capacity is strained or exceeded. The guidance from Harris County for managing risk at Level 1 is that unvaccinated individuals should take action to minimize contacts with others whenever possible. Unvaccinated individuals should continue to mask, physical distance, and avoid all medium and large gatherings. Vaccinated individuals are urged to follow the latest local public health guidance on whether to also wear a mask while indoors in public spaces, in crowded outdoor settings, and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated. 
 
Currently, vaccines are only available to individuals 12 years old and older, thus we will continue to require masks as outlined below until vaccines are available to all members of our community ages six and up OR Harris County reaches Level 4, which would signify a minimal and controlled level of COVID-19, meaning new chains of transmission are limited. At that time, masking will become optional.

Until Harris County reaches Level 4 OR vaccines are available to children six years and older:
  • All staff will wear face masks when in the presence of students inside the buildings.
  • All campus visitors must wear a mask while in the building.
  • Students in Prekindergarten through Middle School will be required to wear masks when inside the building.
  • Masks should be brought from home; however, we will also have some available at school.
  • Masks will not be required outside for staff or students.
  • During carpool, face masks must be worn by all staff and students.
  • If there is a medical reason preventing an individual from wearing a mask, a doctor’s note stating the reason should be provided to the building principal waiving the requirement. 
HEALTH SCREENING FORMS
Health screening forms must be completed weekly before dropping your child off in Monday morning carpool. You will find a link to the form in your inbox every Sunday evening. Or, you can easily easily navigate to this form through the ParentPortal in RenWeb.

Login with WV-TX. Enter your child's username and password. You will answer the screening questions for your child. You will find the Health Screening Form under Web Forms. For ease of use, we suggest adding a shortcut to the web link to your phone’s home screen.

To help carpool be completed in a quick and efficient manner, we ask this form be completed before 8:00 AM daily.

Teachers will provide your child's log-in and review this process in further details during your meet the teacher on Friday, August 20, 2021.
TRAVEL GUIDELINES
It is important for us to remind families that our ability to stay open and serve our students on campus depends on all of us doing what we can to stay healthy and avoid contracting and spreading the COVID-19 virus. One of our school policies requires a quarantine after travel by airplane, train, bus, etc. 

If you and your family are planning to travel prior to the start of the school year, please let us know so we can plan for your student to be absent from school 7-10 days following your trip. Thank you for your continued attention and dedication to keeping our students safe and healthy. For additional information, please refer to the CDC’s recommendations for minimizing exposure to the virus during travel.

It continues to be the practice of The Westview School to rely on the CDC recommendations plus advice from our Medical Advisory Board for all COVID-19 policies, procedures, and protocols. 
A PUBLICATION OF THE WESTVIEW SCHOOL
We are proud to present the summer edition of our school magazine, the Wildcat Chronicle. In this issue, we take a look at The Westview School - celebrate our history, highlight some of our present achievements, and share a look at our future.
 
The upcoming 2021-2022 school year will mark 40 years of The Westview School. We have a long history of being a place where students can dream big for a bright future. Thus, our 2021-2022 school year theme was born.
 
We hope you that enjoy what we have to share, and we encourage you to tell us what you may want to read about in future publications. Happy reading!