Calendar
10/6 6th Grade Parent Coffee. 8:30-10:30am. La Madeleine, Bethesda.
10/6 Cross Country at Cabin John. 3:15pm
10/6 Softball vs. Cabin John. Girls away; boys home. 3:15pm.
10/9 7th Grade Field Trip to National Zoo. All day.
10/12 Columbus Day - Open House!
10/15 8th Grade Parent Coffee. 8:30-10:30am COSI, Bethesda.
10/15 Hispanic Festival Potluck Dinner. 7:o0 - 8:30pm. Coffield Community Center.
10/16 No School - MSTA Teacher Convention.
10/20 Softball vs. Pyle. Girls home; boys away. 3:15pm
10/22 7th Grade Parent Coffee. 8:30-10:30pm La Madeleine, Bethesda.
10/22 Guardian Circle Dinner 6:30-8:00pm, followed by speaker, 8:00-9:00pm. B-CC Cafeteria.
10/24 Second Time 'Round Sale. 8:00am-5:00pm. Westland Cafeteria.
10/26 PTA Magazine Sale kicks off!
10/27 Fall Play Audition. 2:50pm. Westland Cafeteria.
10/29 Fall Play Read Through. 3:00pm Westland Cafeteria.
10/30 6th Grade Field Trip to Baltimore Aquarium. All day.
10/30 SGA Halloween Dance. 7:00-9:00pm. Westland. |
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Ellen's Run 5K!
On Saturday, Oct. 11th, the fourth annual running of Ellen's Run will take place starting at Candy Cane City. The 5K race is held in honor of Ellen Vala Schneider, who was a long time resident of Section V in Chevy Chase and a tireless volunteer in a wide range of community programs and causes. Proceeds from Ellen's Run benefit two charities in which Ellen was very active: Mental Health Association of Montgomery County, on whose Board of Directors she served, and the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Community Scholarship Fund, of which she was Chair. Click here for more information, and click here to register now!
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Guardian Circle Dinner & Speaker
The first Guardian Circle dinner and meeting of the 2009/10 school year will take place on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 6:30-8:00pm in the B-CC Cafeteria. The Guardian Circle is a joint effort between the PTA and Westland to ensure that all families have access to the resources they need to help their children succeed at Westland.
 The dinner meeting will be followed by a talk at 8:00pm, co-sponsored by the Guardian Circle and the Westland PTA, by Susan Stiffelman, author of "Parenting Without Power Struggles: Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids While Staying Cool, Calm and Connected" to which the entire Westland community is invited. You can read more about Ms Stiffelman's work by clicking here. It should be a great talk, and I hope many in the Westland community will be able to attend. | |
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Back in June, I was so organized. I had the summer all planned, ambitious goals, I was on top of all the PTA work. But then somehow, it's October already and I'm wondering what hit me! Why, exactly, is this the first Wildcat Wire????!!!!
Well, there are, as they say, lots of reasons but no excuses, so my apologies. Writing this newsletter is, after all, one of my favorite tasks as PTA president. Anyway, onward and upward....
But first, many thanks are in order. WAY back in August, the PTA sponsored a wonderful back-to-school breakfast for Westland staff and teachers. Thanks to the many parents who gave up some of the precious summer vacation to spend a few hours welcoming our staff back to school.
Back-to-School Nite on September 17th saw hundreds of parents flood the hallways, attending classes and meeting teachers. Thanks to all who attended and staffed the PTA Expo early in the evening - lots of folks were able to join the PTA, sign up for after-school activities, activate their Ed-Line account, and support the Music Booster Club. For the first year ever, the PTA was able to keep up with the "lunchtime" demand for snacks and water, although it was touch-and-go there for a while!
October looks to be a busy month - check the calendar for all the activities. And feel free to jump in and help! It's a great way to get to know your fellow parents. One thing that will aid in that process is the Westland Student Directory. It should be out at the end of this week - I got a lot of positive feedback about the new on-line data collection system, and I hope everyone is pleased with the final product.
If your schedule permits, please plan to stop by Westland's Open House on Monday, Oct. 12th - Columbus Day. It's a much more relaxed way than Back-to-School night to see what a day in your child's life is like. You can visit classes, check out the Media Center, shop at the School Store...and much more. Please stop by the PTA welcome tables in the front hall for coffee and a snack to start your visit!
Finally, apologies to those of you who are receiving this and have unsubscribed from Westland-net. While the two databases are similar, they are not identical. If you would like to unsubcribe from the Wildcat Wire, just click on the "SafeUnsubscribe" link all the way at the bottom of the newsletter and it shall be done!
As always, please contact me or Exec. Vice President Alex Weiner if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or especially offers of help! - Alysa Emden
PTA President |
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Come Meet Your Fellow Grade Parents!
Now that the crazy days of September have subsided, it's time to grab a cup of coffee and regroup! The PTA grade vice presidents have organized a series of coffees at which you'll have a chance to meet each other, chat with Principal Danny Vogelman and your grade administrator, and generally start your day out right. The 6th grade coffee is Tuesday, Oct. 6th, 8:30-10:30am at La Madeleine in Bethesda, the 7th grade coffee is Thursday, Oct. 22, 8:30-10:30am also at La Madeleine, and the 8th grade coffee is Thursday, Oct. 15, 8:30-10:30 at COSI in Bethesda. Any questions, please contact 6th grade VPs Sharon Kenthack and Susan Teplitz; 7th grade VPs Ari Antonelli and Pooh Shapiro; or 8th grade VPs Patty Craver and Laura Ginns. Hope to see you there! |
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A Race of a Thousand Colors - Hispanic Heritage Potluck Celebration!
Westland is celebrating Hispanic heritage month from Sept. 15-Oct.15. The students have been participating in classroom and other activities designed to celebrate the diversity and depth encompassed within the Hispanic community. The culmination of this effort is a school-wide potluck dinner planned for Thursday, Oct. 15th from 7:00-8:30pm at the Coffield Center. Please mark your calendar now! Ms. Stewart, Ms. Villavicencio, Ms. Lindes, and Ms. Guitano-Stephens have all been working hard to make this evening a success. Several parents have volunteered to help as well, but we need more! Please contact Alysa Emden if you can bring a dish to share at the potluck. Most of all though, we hope everyone will come to the dinner and share in the wonderful tastes and traditions of Westland's diverse Hispanic community! |
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Keep the Westland Music Scene Vibrant!
 The Westland music department serves hundreds of aspiring musicians each year and needs your help to continue the high quality of the experience. You can help in two ways: First, join the Music Booster Club! Click here for form and more information. Second, you can save money and support Westland music by purchasing a discount card. Now just $5 (and good through Feb. 2010), the card entitles you to the following fantastic deals every day at :
Giffords Ice Cream & Candy, Modell's Sporting Goods, Bethesda Bagels, Potomac Pizza, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Baja Fresh, and Mustard Seed.
Get one for every member of your household! The cards also make great gifts! Please contact Ginny Biggar if you have any questions. |
 Westland's First Annual
Second Time 'Round Sale!!! Are you tired of hearing the never-ending plea for the perfect dress? Tired of paying top dollar for clothes that are outgrown in a month? Tired of closets full of clothes that are never worn? Shoes that don't fit?
Help is at hand! The Westland PTA is sponsoring its first-ever Second Time 'Round Sale on Saturday, Oct. 24. It will be a great opportunity to be out with the old and outgrown, and in with the new and affordable!
Start cleaning your closets now. We will accept all clothing, shoes, and sports equipment in GOOD, CLEAN, CONDITION - if you wouldn't buy it, please don't donate it! Drop off times will be announced in the next couple of weeks. If you're desperate to get the stuff out of your house, we can make special arrangements!
Alex Weiner & Alysa Emden are masterminding (sort of!) the sale, but are in need of many helpers to sort, display, and sell the goods. If you've always dreamed of a one-day career in retail, this is your chance. We promise fun working conditions, no pay, and a first look at what's being offered. Please contact either or both of us if you can help! | |
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Support Our Community Partnerships!
The PTA relies on the support of its community partners to help underwrite our many programs. But it takes two to make a partnership successful! Westland partners with the following organizations: 
- Giant A+ - Westland earned almost $4,000 from this program last year. HOWEVER, you have to re-register your card every year AND you need to do it by OCTOBER 9th!!!! Click here to register your card! It takes two seconds. And remember, you can split your points among up to 3 schools, so it's not all or nothing.Westland's code is 00660.
- Safeway E-scrip - You can still register. Just click here! Designate Westland MS, Group # 6586159.
- Wordex Corporation - Go green and save green with this great ink cartridge refill program. Just take your empty cartridges to Wordex (4808 Auburn Ave.). You'll get a refilled cartridge at a cost that's less than half of buying new and Westland will get $3 for every refilled cartridge!
- Target "Take Charge of Education" - Register your red card today and earn money for Westland. Just click here!
- Snider's Supermarket and Chevy Chase Supermarket - Westland earns 1% of everything you spend! All you have to do is SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS. Then, send them into school in an envelope marked "PTA - Grocery Receipts."
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THANKS TO OUR 2009/10 WILDCAT SPONSOR!
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 Westland Wildcat Archives
If you missed an issue, or just want to refer back to one from last year, click here for the Westland Wildcat Archives! | |
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