Westside Elementary School

🦅 3️⃣0️⃣ The Family Huddle 3️⃣0️⃣ 🦅

The Family Huddle for this week is linked below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nflpCp8ParJvmXAgmyRexQ65cchmT3YV_30KT6I0k2I/edit?usp=sharing

If you have any additional questions, never hesitate to reach out to us.

All IWCS offices and buildings will be closed Monday, April 1, through Friday, April 5, for Spring Break.

Due to the weather, all after school activities for Thursday, March 28, have been canceled.

IWCS Shares Proposed Budget for FY25

The School Board will hold a public hearing on March 21 on the proposed budget.

Youth Art Month at The Arts Center

Admission is Free! Stop by and check out the beautiful artwork from our talented students.

Snow Day in May

The Friday before Memorial Day is now a student and staff holiday.

2024-2025 School Calendar Approved

At the March 14 School Board meeting, the board approved the calendar for the upcoming school year.

IWCS to Host Gifted and Talented Night

Come out and support students enrolled in Fine Arts classes, Math Plus (elementary) classes, and identified gifted students as they showcase their work on perspectives.

IWCS to Follow CDC Guidelines for Respiratory Virus for Students/Staff

This includes illnesses such as COVID, FLU, RSV and Colds.

Budget Public Hearing Set for March 21

A copy of the budget will be posted on the website prior to the hearing.

Disability Benefits: Social Security and VA Medicaid Waivers

Join us as we discuss in clear language: what are Social Security benefits, what are Virginia's Medicaid Waivers, who is eligible, and how do I apply?

The Public Hearing on the 24-25 Budget and work session scheduled for March 7 have been CANCELLED.

A new date will be shared as soon as we have that information.

IWCS Announces 2nd Quarter Honor Roll Lists

Congratulations to all Honor Roll students on your outstanding academic performance for the 2nd quarter!

Western Tidewater Health District Shares Letter with Families on Seasonal Allergies

IWCS Creates In Memoriam Page

IWCS considers all current and past employees as part of our family. We celebrate them when they are with us, and when they retire. We also know many members of the community would like to join us in celebrating them when they are no longer with us. To that end, IWCS has created a page where anyone can share information on the passing of a former employee. The information will be posted on an In Memoriam page on the IWCS website.

IWCS is Seeking Input on the Budget Priorities for the 2024-2025 School Year

Please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey. The survey will close on Sunday, February 25, at 11:59pm.

All IWCS Schools and Offices will be Closed on Monday, February 19, in observance of Presidents' Day.

IWCS Recognizes SROs for School Resource Officer Appreciation Day

In IWCS, we are fortunate to have a full time SRO in ALL schools--including elementary schools.

Curriculum on Tour

Opportunity to review new literacy curriculum for grades K-5

IWCS Accepting Feedback on the 2024-2025 School Calendar

To provide comments on the proposed calendar, complete the Online Survey by clicking on the headline. The calendar survey will remain open until January 31, 2024 at 11:59 pm. A final draft calendar will be shared with the School Board at their February 8, 2024, meeting. The board will vote to approve a calendar at their March 14, 2024, meeting.

Update: School Schedule Changes due to JRB Closure

VDOT plans to conduct a second closure of the James River Bridge beginning in the early morning hours of February 2 until 5:00am on February 6. As a result, IWCS has announced that February 2, which is already a student holiday, will be a staff virtual workday. February 5 will also be a student holiday and a staff virtual workday.

IWCS Recognizes Counselors for School Counselor Appreciation Week

Thank you to all of our amazing school counselors for all you do for our students, staff, and school community!.

VDOE Releases Winter Virginia Growth Assessment Parent Reports

IWCS will Share Information with Parents in Report Cards

Just a reminder: Friday, January 12 is an Asynchronous Day for Students and a Virtual Workday for Staff

Monday, January 15: All Schools are Closed for for the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

Two (2) Hour Early Dismissal Today for IWCS

With the concern for flooding and strong winds across the county this afternoon, all Isle of Wight County Schools and Offices will be dismissing TWO (2) hours early today. In addition, all after school activities are canceled for today.

We urge everyone to please use caution on the roads and avoid any dangerous situations.

All After School Activities Cancelled For January 9, 2024

With the potential for localized flooding and high winds later today, IWCS has made the decision to cancel all after school activities. In addition, students attending the Governor's School for the Arts or Governor's School for Science & Technology will not be sent today. Schools will notify parents regarding the rescheduling of any cancelled events.

Please continue to monitor the division's website, social media, email, and other IWCS communication resources should there be any further announcements regarding changes to today's schedule.

Enrollment Opens for Little Sprouts Pre-School Program

IWCS Accepting PreSchool Applications for the 2024-2025 School Year

The program is an all-day program, with transportation provided at no cost provided for those families found eligible. Applications and information are available on the Early Childhood webpage.

IWCS Proposes Calendar Changes in Response to James River Bridge Closures

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has announced primary and backup dates for closing the James River Bridge (JRB) related to cable replacement on the structure. During these dates, traffic heading to or from the peninsula will be rerouted to the Monitor Merrimac Bridge Tunnel (MMBT), or the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry. VDOT is anticipating extreme congestion throughout Hampton Roads during the closures. Many of our employees travel over the JRB or MMBT to work in IWCS and we anticipate significant disruption to employee arrival times on these days.

In response to these concerns, IWCS is proposing the following changes to the school calendar for January and February 2024

Westside IA Selected as IWCS RISE Award Recipient

The RISE Award (which stands for Recognizing Inspirational School Employees) was created by Congress in 2019 to honor classified school employees, such as clerical, school nutrition, health, pupil transportation and custodial staff, who provide exemplary service to students and their communities. Virginia invites school divisions to submit a nominee from which two state-level winners will be selected to continue to the national level. This year, Isle of Wight County Schools selected Pam Piccinini as our RISE award nominee. Ms. Piccinini is an Instructional Assistant at Westside Elementary.

All IWCS Schools and Offices will be Closed November 22-24.

We wish all of our families and employees a very Happy Thanksgiving.

IWCS Nurse Supervisor Best in Virginia

IWCS School Nurse Supervisor LaDona Roddy was recognized at the Virginia Association of School Nurses (VASN) Fall Conference as Virginia School Nurse Administrator of the Year.

Impact Aid Survey Forms: Due December 4

Impact Aid is a federal grant program designed to help pay for the education of federally connected children.

Child Find Screenings

November 13 at Carrollton ES and November 15 at Windsor ES

Daylight Savings Time Ends Sunday, November 5

Remember to set your clocks back one hour.

IWCS Recognizes Bus Drivers

In honor of School Bus Transportation Employees Appreciation Day, IWCS celebrated bus drivers with an appreciation breakfast this week. Breakfast was held at SMS on Wednesday for the Smithfield/Carrollton drivers, and on Thursday for the Windsor/Carrsville drivers.

Phone and Internet Service has been Restored to all IWCS Locations

💥 REMIND IS BACK! 💥

Good Afternoon Westside Families!

We are excited to share that Remind is back! If you're not already familiar with Remind, it's a classroom communication tool that makes it easy to stay involved with your child's learning and events that are happening at school. Remind is free to use, and you'll be able to get and send messages on any device.

You should receive an email from Remind. All you need to do is follow the steps in the message to finish setting up your account. If you do not receive a message, please visit the Remind website and sign-in or create an account.

Here are two important codes that you will want to sign-up for immediately:

@wseseagles (Westside Elementary School) - This is the school's communication from the administrative team.

@wsesbuses (WSESBusRiders)- If your child uses school transportation, sign-up for this Remind communication to receive information about any bus changes, late pick-ups/drop-offs and anything else bus related.

Be on the lookout for a Remind code from your child's teachers. Sign-up to ensure you are staying informed.

We're excited to being using Remind again this school year to make connecting with you easy and engaging!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Respectfully,
Matthew Johnson
Principal, Westside Elementary School

Schools Enhance Security Through Visitor Management System

The RAPTOR system is an advanced visitor management tool designed to enhance the safety of our schools. It reads a visitor's identification (such as a driver's license or state-issued photo ID card), cross-references it against a national database of registered sex offenders from all 50 states, and promptly alerts administrators if a match is found.

Join Westside's PTA!

🦅 2️⃣9️⃣ The Family Huddle 2️⃣9️⃣ 🦅

The Family Huddle for this week is linked below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nflpCp8ParJvmXAgmyRexQ65cchmT3YV_30KT6I0k2I/edit?usp=sharing

If you have any additional questions, never hesitate to reach out to us.

🦅 2️⃣8️⃣ The Family Huddle 2️⃣8️⃣ 🦅

The Family Huddle for this week is linked below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nflpCp8ParJvmXAgmyRexQ65cchmT3YV_30KT6I0k2I/edit?usp=sharing

If you have any additional questions, never hesitate to reach out to us.

🦅 2️⃣7️⃣ The Family Huddle 2️⃣7️⃣ 🦅

The Family Huddle for this week is linked below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nflpCp8ParJvmXAgmyRexQ65cchmT3YV_30KT6I0k2I/edit?usp=sharing

If you have any additional questions, never hesitate to reach out to us.

🦅 2️⃣6️⃣ The Family Huddle 2️⃣6️⃣ 🦅

The Family Huddle for this week is linked below.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nflpCp8ParJvmXAgmyRexQ65cchmT3YV_30KT6I0k2I/edit?usp=sharing
If you have any additional questions, never hesitate to reach out to us.

🦅 2️⃣5️⃣ The Family Huddle 2️⃣5️⃣ 🦅

The Family Huddle for this week is linked below.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nflpCp8ParJvmXAgmyRexQ65cchmT3YV_30KT6I0k2I/edit?usp=sharing

If you have any additional questions, never hesitate to reach out to us.

Respectfully,
Matthew Johnson
Principal, Westside Elementary School

🦅 2️⃣4️⃣ The Family Huddle 2️⃣4️⃣ 🦅

The Family Huddle for this week is linked below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nflpCp8ParJvmXAgmyRexQ65cchmT3YV_30KT6I0k2I/edit?usp=sharing

If you have any additional questions, never hesitate to reach out to us.

Respectfully,
Matthew Johnson
Principal, Westside Elementary School

🦅 2️⃣3️⃣ The Family Huddle 2️⃣3️⃣ 🦅

The Family Huddle for this week is linked below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nflpCp8ParJvmXAgmyRexQ65cchmT3YV_30KT6I0k2I/edit?usp=sharing

If you have any additional questions, never hesitate to reach out to us.

Respectfully,
Matthew Johnson
Principal, Westside Elementary School

🦅 2️⃣2️⃣ The Family Huddle 2️⃣2️⃣ 🦅

Good Afternoon Westside Families!

The Family Huddle for this week is linked below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nflpCp8ParJvmXAgmyRexQ65cchmT3YV_30KT6I0k2I/edit?usp=sharing

If you have any additional questions, never hesitate to reach out to us.

Respectfully,
Matthew Johnson
Principal, Westside Elementary School

🦅 2️⃣1️⃣ The Family Huddle 2️⃣1️⃣ 🦅

Good Afternoon Westside Families!

The Family Huddle for this week is linked below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nflpCp8ParJvmXAgmyRexQ65cchmT3YV_30KT6I0k2I/edit?usp=sharing

If you have any additional questions, never hesitate to reach out to us.

Respectfully,
Matthew Johnson
Principal, Westside Elementary School

🦅 2️⃣0️⃣ The Family Huddle 2️⃣0️⃣ 🦅

The Family Huddle for this week is linked below.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nflpCp8ParJvmXAgmyRexQ65cchmT3YV_30KT6I0k2I/edit?usp=sharing

If you have any additional questions, never hesitate to reach out to us.

Respectfully,
Matthew Johnson
Principal, Westside Elementary School

Westside Elementary School Home

Main Shuffle (new site)

WSES Annual Glow Run!

Ms. Lassiter's Class

Twin Day!

Twin Day!

Duende Spirit!

Crab Soccer!

Features

Our Mission

WSES Convocation Video