Greetings, Westview families,
Halloween art seems like a simple, seasonally appropriate activity for our students, but when it comes to art class at The Westview School, there is more at work than what you see at first glance.
Young children are naturally curious. From the minute they learn how to control their bodies, they are ready to explore the world. Children explore by observing, imitating, and trying to figure out how things work and how to control themselves and their environments. The process of exploration helps children make connections in their brain, it helps them learn—and it’s also a lot of fun.
At The Westview School, Mrs. Kaylee and Mrs. Angela design our art classes to support this form of exploration for our students. Our young artists have opportunities to manipulate different materials in ways that allow for exploration and experimentation. These artistic endeavors and explorations are not only fun but educational as well. Art allows our students opportunities to practice a wide range of skills, including:
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Fine motor skills. Grasping pencils, crayons, pastels, and paintbrushes helps children develop their fine motor muscles. This development will help your child write, button a coat, and other tasks requiring controlled movements.
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Cognitive development. Students practice critical thinking skills by making a mental plan or picture of what they intend to create and following through on their plan to create their masterpiece.
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Flexibility. Our students learn that mistakes are okay. It is okay to mess up, and art is not ruined when things go differently than we plan.
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Creativity. They are encouraged to incorporate their own ideas into their designs. Students are given a voice and choice in their creations.
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Language skills. As children describe and share their artwork, as well as their process, they develop language skills. You can encourage this at home by using open-ended prompts such as, “Tell me about your picture.”
Mrs. Kaylee and Mrs. Angela watch with great pride as their students develop self-confidence. In addition to helping develop these important skills, free expression is also good for overall health and well-being. Giving our students a creative outlet can help relieve stress. By encouraging artistic expression, we are facilitating learning.
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Head of School
The Westview School
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Creativity at work as Lower Elementary students are given a ball of clay to mold into a spider to complete their spooky spiderweb art. |
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Getting her hands dirty, Prekindergarten student Rebekah practices flexibility for a non-preferred and messy activity. |
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Mrs. Kaylee instructs Lower Elementary student Wyatt on creating a web design with watercolor and paintbrushes. |
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Kindergarten is working on a modular monster. Mrs. Angela shows Joanna how to add texture to her Frankenstein cut-outs using thick green crayons and coloring over burlap. |
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Calendar at a Glance
Friday, October 29
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Westview's Not-So-Spooky Halloween Assembly (Wear your Halloween costume to school.)
Saturday, October 30
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Saturday, November 6, 2021
Thursday, November 11
Thursday, November 17
November 22 to 26
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Annual Fund is Happening NOW |
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Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to this year's Westview Annual Fund. We are one week in and already up to $12,900. There are a couple of ways to support this fundraising effort. 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 Annual 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 Annual Fund page on our website. A print mail-out of our Annual Fund letter will be sent in the next couple of weeks for those who like to write checks instead of using our online giving.
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Join Us This Saturday at Westview for POW Trunk-or-Treat! |
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The 4th Annual Westview School Trunk-or-Treat is just two days away. We can't wait to see you on Saturday, October 30 from 10 AM to 12 PM for some sensory-friendly fun. This is such a fun event for our Westview community, and we are so excited it’s back for 2021. We can't wait to see you there! We can't put this amazing event together without your help!
There is still time to donate candy or time? Use this link to sign up to volunteer to help at the event or to donate candy for our trunks. Please drop off your candy and water donations to the 1900 building by Friday, October 29.
ALL Westview-affiliated trunks will be given candy donated by POW. The trunks will need to be manned from 10A to 12P. An awards ceremony will be held at noon. This year’s event will be held on the north side of the 1900 building parking lot.
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"Dress Like Your Dad" Day + Virtual Dads' Day |
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This one's for the Dads! We had so much fun with this event last year that we are bringing it back to celebrate our dads.
Mark your calendar for next Thursday, November 4, for our annual Dads' Day event. This event will be held virtually again this year. We know how much Westview loves a good dress-up day, so that this virtual event will be a "Dress Like Your Dad" Day. We encourage all students to come to school dressed like their dad. Like last year, our Dads WILL NOT be on campus this year, BUT we have blocked time during the school day for all dads (or special friends) to ZOOM into classes. The Dads' Day ZOOM will be a 20-30 minute time commitment per class. Your child's teacher will email the ZOOM link and any activity details for dad or special guest by Monday, November 1.
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PLEASE SAVE THE DATE AND TIME FOR YOUR DADS' DAY ZOOM
The times per grade level are listed below:
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM – ECD + PreK
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM – K
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM – Lower El
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM – Upper El
11:35 AM – 12:05 PM – Middle School
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Every child is unique. When choosing the proper therapy intervention for autism spectrum disorder, parents must consider their child's specific needs. This may sound challenging as there are many interventions to consider. Join us for Westview EDU on Thursday, November 4 at 7 PM via Zoom, as we welcome Anna Laakman, a doctoral student with the School of Psychology at the University of Houston for Therapy for Kids with ASD. Anna will share her insight on the therapy options available, how to choose the right ones that best fit your child's unique needs, and provide expert tips on finding a provider with the right skills to best support your child. This session is great for all parents – Anna's talk will span the challenges for younger children just starting to navigate the world of ASD and options for older children with changing therapeutic needs.
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Westview Blog: Put On Your Oxygen Mask First |
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At our September WestviewEDU, we welcomed Jelisa Scott, BCBA, UH Ph.D. candidate. Jelisa discussed with our community tips for working with your child at home, which included a discussion on self-care methods for parents. If you were unable to attend the EDU, we are excited to share part one of her presentation: Put on Your Oxygen Mask First: 5 Self-Care Strategies for Autism Parents. Thank you to Jelisa for contributing to the Westview blog.
How many times have we been on an airplane and heard the flight attendant advise, "in case of an emergency, secure YOUR OWN oxygen before helping others next to you." In the case of raising a child with autism, it is essential to "secure your own oxygen" before you can be expected to help your child. Self-care is arguably one of the most essential therapeutic strategies to help your child is evaluating and caring for yourself. If you really want to help your child, challenge yourself to make these parent coping strategies a habit.
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Walk/Run to Support The Westview School |
If you want to run or walk in support of The Westview School, the date to save is November 6, 2021. The Westview School is a sponsor and host site for the upcoming Houston Walk for Apraxia. Also, Alex’s 5k, both virtual and in-person at Macgregor Park, has always been a generous supporter of Westview with race proceeds. Choose a race and visit the website to register with “Team Westview” and for more information.
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Westview Celebrates Veterans Day |
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The Westview School would like to recognize our families with members serving or having served in our Armed Forces. We want to honor you and/or your loved ones on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11. If you or anyone in your family is a Veteran, please complete this survey. Thank you for participating.
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New to Westview? Join Us for a New Family Zoom |
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Is this your student's first year at The Westview School? Are you interested in connecting with our other new families? As we head into the second term, we want to check-in.
Join us for an ONLINE chat on Thursday, November 17 at 11 AM. New families can connect virtually and ask any questions that may have arisen since the school year has begun.
This gathering is not mandatory, but without being able to meet on campus, we wanted to create an opportunity to connect with our new families. You will receive a Zoom link from Jolaine Zuccala before the event. All new families are welcome.
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The Westview School is hiring! Westview is seeking qualified, enthusiastic professionals, to join our team of educators and therapists to fulfill our mission of providing a stimulating, specialized learning environment where children with autism spectrum disorder can reach their fullest potential. If you or someone you know is interested, send a resume and letter of interest electronically to Candi Pettit cpettit@westviewschool.org.
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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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