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Hello, Westview families,
Technology is a huge part of our everyday lives, so as a school, we have intentionally beefed up our technology program to teach students essential skills that support and enhance learning. We know that technology adds a fun factor to learning – what student doesn't go home and log on to a device for downtime? But we want our kids to learn that technology is more than just playing games. Technology can be used to increase collaboration among students and helps them connect and engage with the outside world. We also teach students how to access information quickly; this helps to support many different types of learners.
Our Lower Elementary students take technology with Katie Hazeldine. Mrs. Katie's technology class began the school year focusing on keyboarding; lessons include typing with both hands and how to use a mouse, and other basic computer skills. She is preparing her students for next semester when classes will transition into coding lessons. "I am so excited for this," said Mrs. Katie. "We have some students who are going to LOVE coding!"
Jared Dawkins teaches Upper Elementary technology. The start of the school year has Mr. Dawkins working on digital literacy skills with his students. "My class is working on technology fundamentals," said Mr. Dawkins. "Things like click and drag, double-click, scrolling, and recognizing classic icons that are universal between applications all need to be mastered." Things we take for granted, like logging in using user-specific passwords and navigating to a website to begin work, can sometimes take a long time for this age group, but learning how to be quicker and more comfortable using these basic skills will help to prepare our students to handle the technology required for Middle School.
Middle School technology, taught by Mr. G, has our students focus on building on their prior knowledge. According to Mr. G, "many of our Middle School students know a lot about computers, but what we work on is teaching them skills that will help them in the future." At the start of the year, Mr. G's technology classes focus on word processing and creating presentations. The how-to of presenting your work in a digital format, such as formatting techniques, inserting pictures and hyperlinks, but also elements of good design and helping students to express creativity in their work while still applying essential technology skills. There is also a lot of discussion on Internet safety for our Middle School students. What is ok for our students to share, and what is too much? This theme of being safe while using technology is woven through each lesson.
Technology is constantly evolving in our world, but our goal is to give our students a basic understanding of the what, why, and how to so they can grow along with it. With these essential skills in place, our students have tremendous power over their own learning.
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Calendar at a Glance
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17
NOVEMBER 21-25, 2022
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The Westview Fund is Happening NOW | | |
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Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to this year's Westview Fund. It's not too late to give and support our fundraising efforts for the year. There are a couple of ways you can help.
First, donate. You can access our online giving via our website or use the donate link found in the email. Secondly, share. We would love for you to share our Westview Fund information with any family or friends who might be interested in supporting our school. Here is the link to our email, or you can direct them to The Westview Fund page on our website. You should have received our full-color mail-out of our Westview Fund earlier this month, giving you the option to write a check instead of using our online giving.
Thank you for your continued support!
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RSVP for Dads' Day | Thursday, November 3 | | |
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Hey there, Westview Dads! This November, Dads' Day will be back on campus at The Westview School. We can't wait to celebrate our Westview Dads! Please save the date for Thursday, November 3, 2022. All dads are invited to campus for a memorable morning with their students. Activities and times will vary between grade levels.
ECD, PreK, and Kindergarten
9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
LOWER ELEMENTARY + MIDDLE SCHOOL
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
UPPER ELEMENTARY
9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Please use this link to RSVP, and let us know you are coming. Please remember that other "father figures" are welcome if dad cannot attend.
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Westview Blog | Teachable Moments: Ways to Build Learning into Everyday Play | | |
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"Fish swim. Birds Fly. Children Play." In its profound simplicity, this quote says it all. Most growth and learning that a child experiences happens, one way or another, through play. A child's natural language is play; when adults join them and speak that language, we will see the most significant levels of engagement, connection, and growth. The benefits of play are nearly endless.
If you missed our October Westview EDU, we are very thankful to presenter, Elisabeth Dawkins for contributing a written version of her discussion for the Westview blog.
Read our latest post, Teachable Moments: Ways to Build Learning into Everyday Play. Elisabeth will discuss the power play can have in the learning process with regard to both academic and social-emotional learning.
READ MORE
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Westview EDU | Supporting Your Child in Developing Academic Skills | | |
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A child's success in school depends on many factors, but parent involvement tops the list on a child's academic success. Parents are the most important teachers.
Save the date for Thursday, November 10 at 9:15 AM in Largent Hall for our November Westview EDU | Supporting Your Child in Developing Academic Skills. Stacy Anderson, Educational Consultant at Premier Academic Solutions will share her insight and proven strategies on effective ways parents can enhance and support classroom learning at home.
This event will be held in person in Largent Hall on The Westview School campus. Zoom attendance will be available by request. All attendees, both virtual and in-person, should register for the event.
REGISTER HERE
Any questions? Having an issue with the online registration form? Email Sarah Chauvin for assistance.
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The Stewart Center: Top Tip of the Week | | |
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The Stewart Center is back with a "Top Tip of the Week." This week's tip comes from Lizzy Simon, Occupational Therapist.
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 thankful to The Stewart Center for sharing their words of wisdom with our community.
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SET UP A "PAPER RIPPING CORNER"
Having a “paper ripping corner” of your classroom/house may help children when they need to express a lot of emotions. Ripping paper allows kids to use their energy, get out their frustrations/emotions, engage in sensory input activities through ripping, and work on fine motor strengthening and body coordination in an adaptive way! Set a bin up with useless paper by a trashcan for easy throwaway.
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Mindfulness in Art Group Sessions Forming for November | | |
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Mimi Le at The Stewart Center is forming a group for Mindfulness with Art sessions beginning in November 2022. Groups are for students in grades Kindergarten and up. Sessions will be held on Wednesdays from 3:00 PM to 3:50 PM.
Students will incorporate art, music, sound, and meditation to enhance mindfulness practices together as a group. Mindfulness has been proven to enhance self-control, flexibility, and self-awareness and lower anxiety, stress, and depression. The other benefits of mindfulness include improved mood, empathy, and compassion.
If you or interested in signing your child up for Mindfulness with Art with Mrs. Mimi, please email Mimi Le.
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Message from POW: Two Weeks to Trunk-or-Treat | | |
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POW TRUNK-OR-TREAT
POW will be hosting the 5th Annual POW Trunk-or-Treat on October 29 from 10 AM to 12 PM. We are so excited to welcome back vendors to our BOO Bazaar for shopping and fun! The Trunk-or-Treat will remain a free event for kids to partake in trick-or-treating, bounce houses, games, and a photo booth. To help make our event a huge success, we are looking for vendors, donors, and trunks! Want to help out with one, two, or all of the above, plus spread the word? Check out all the details in our attached flyers.
Sign up to host a trunk here. See the flyer for more details on hosting a trunk.
We are also looking for some POW volunteers to help out during the event. Want to help? Sign up to volunteer here.
Learn more about how to be a POW Trunk-or-Treat donor. Thank you to all our current donors!
Be a vendor at our Boo Bazaar. See the flyer for more details on being a vendor. We are so excited to welcome vendors back to Trunk-or-Treat!
Questions? Please contact Stefanie Rugaard at (281) 507-1131 or email pow@westviewschool.org.
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Save the Date for Alex’s 5K Run/Walk & Kids' K | |
The Westview School provides a unique, specialized, and nurturing learning environment offering outstanding educational and social opportunities for children on the autism spectrum. | | | | | |
