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Calendar
Be sure to bookmark the
for up-to-date news!
4/27-5/11 Shakespeare Residency.
5/9 Staff Meeting. PTA provides refreshments.
5/10-5/13 PTA Book Fair. Media Center. Open throughout the school day; special evening hours on 5/12.
5/11 Soccer vs. North Bethesda. Girls @ Westland; boys @ North Bethesda. 3:15pm
5/12 Science Night. Westland. 6:30-9:00pm.
5/14 Westland Family Volunteer Day. A Wider Circle. 10:00am-1:00pm.
5/17 Soccer vs. Julius West. Boys @ Westland; girls @ Julius West. 3:15pm.
5/19 & 5/20 Spring Play - Alice in Wonderland. Cafeteria. 7:00pm.
5/21 Spring Play - Alice in Wonderland. Cafeteria. 2:00pm.
5/30 Memorial Day. No school! |
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PTA's Bookworm Bookfair Opens May 10th!
 The fourth annual Westland Book Fair is just around the corner and it's going to be great! Working in partnership with Bookworm Central, PTA chairperson Karen Dubrow has put together a week featuring fantastic books and interesting events.
The Bookfair opens Tuesday, May 10th and features browsing hours before school and during the school day through Friday, May 13th. All students will attend the Fair with their English class once during the week. In addition, there are special evening hours on Thursday, May 12th (during Science Night).
You'll find all the recommended and required summer reading books, as well as other wonderful selections for the teen reader. Please plan to stop by the Westland Media Center early and often - a percentage of every purchase goes to support the PTA's programming. |
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THANKS TO OUR 2010/11 WILDCAT SPONSORS!
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 Westland Wildcat Archives
If you missed an issue, or just want to refer back to one, click here. |
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Happy Mother's Day to all! It's been a big week newswise at Westland, so I'll keep it brief here.
Last week was teacher/staff appreciation week, and it was lots of fun. We are blessed with a wonderful staff at Westland, and hopefully we show our appreciation for all they do throughout the year. But this past week was an occasion to mark special thanks. So, the PTA gave every teacher and staff member two lottery cards on Wednesday - I heard about some winners, but I think the big winners are keeping quiet! And then Friday. the PTA hosted an amazing luncheon. I have to say I'm not a big fan of potluck, but this food was incredible. Maybe the best summary was from one of the visiting Shakespeare actors - "this is amazing - I want to come back to Westland every year...at this time!" A huge thanks to Carole Klein and all the food donors and volunteers who made this event possible.
The screening of "Out in the Silence" on Wednesday, May 4th at B-CC was great. Approximately 60 people attended, including Westland principal, Danny Vogelman and resource counselor, Jessica Nachman. Everyone came away inspired. If you missed it, you can still watch on-line. Just click here and click on "watch". Many thanks to Westland parent Karen Lippold for organizing the screening, and for making the post-film discussion with producers Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer possible.
We have so much in store this week as well. The PTA Bookfair runs from May 10-13th. And Science Nite is Thursday May 12th. See below. I cannot recommend the Bookfair highly enough. Each year, my girls and I have come away with fantastic books we would never have found otherwise. Please make time to stop by - you will certainly find much to enjoy!
And I'm so psyched about Westland's new engraved brick campaign! This offers an opportunity to memorialize people and times that are so important in our lives. Just think - how often do you get a chance to recognize someone, clean up an eyesore, and fund a critical need at the school? It's a three-fer! Please take advantage of it - see below for ordering information.
Well, I still haven't had time to send out descriptions of next year's jobs! You can look on the PTA website for a description of last year's jobs, most of which will remain the same next year. But please, don't wait on me! Feel free to contact me if you'd like to throw your name in the hat or claim that special job you've been eyeing - whether existing or one you want to create. My e-mail is alysa@comcast.net and the nominating committee ( Pooh Shapiro, Pattie Koh Friedman, and me) would love to hear from you.
PTA President |
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Bricks R Us - Really!
As the school year draws to a close, now is the perfect time to think about memorializing your child's years at Westland. Or perhaps you'd like to recognize a special teacher or staff member. Or just celebrate your family's connection to Westland. Whatever you'd like to say, you can now say it forever by purchasing a Westland brick. For just $50, you get 3 lines of text on a brick that will be laid in a new walkway in front of the school. This new PTA campaign not only beautifies the front of the school (no more dirt/mud paths!), but also raises much needed funds to underwrite technology purchases. Westland will have at least two new portable classrooms next year and Mr. Vogelman wants to ensure that those classrooms have the same technology capabilities (ie Promethean Boards), as do our permanent classrooms. These boards cost approximately $7,000 Our goal is to sell at least 250 bricks by June 1. With over 1,000 students, we're hoping that will be a cake walk - or a brick walk, as the case may be! We'd really rather sell 500 so we can buy two new Promethean Boards. You can find all the information you need to order your brick(s) at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/westlandms/about/WMSBricks.aspxor just go to Westland's homepage and click on the first link under "News". |
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Westland Wins Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grant!
I'm delighted to announce that the Westland PTA has been selected to receive a 2010-2011 Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant from the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF). We received a grant of $2,000 to upgrade storage solutions in the tech ed classroom. Congratulations to Westland teachers John Swiatocha and John Lee - they will put the funds to great use! |
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Westland Recognized for Improvement!
Westland was once again recognized for overall achievement and subgroup improvement by the 2010 Maryland School Performance Recognition Program. For the full text of the letter from Superintendent Jerry Weast, click here. Congratulations to the staff, teachers, and students of Westland for this accomplishment! |
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New Partnership with A Wider Circle
Westland has established an exciting new partnership with a local non-profit - A Wider Circle ("AWC").
Based in Silver Spring, AWC's mission is to help children and adults lift themselves out of poverty. AWC provides furniture and other home items to families moving out of shelters or otherwise living without their basic need items. Families are referred by more than 230 local social service agencies, and furnishings are provided to more than 1,000 children and adults each month. A Wider Circle has been named "one of the finest small charities Greater Washington has to offer" by the Catalogue for Philanthropy.
Monthly Family Volunteer Days. Come volunteer at AWC each month with other Westland families. We will alternate between Saturdays and Sundays (from 10am-1pm) to best accommodate busy family schedules. AWC is approved for SSL hours.
Our first three dates are:
-Saturday, May 14
-Sunday, June 12
-Saturday, July 9
Due to the age of our middle schoolers, all kids must be accompanied by an adult. Small groups with one adult are fine. We will also have a Westland parent on hand to accommodate parents who are unable to stay on site - more on that to follow.
Monthly Featured Collections at Westland. Look soon for a new collection box at Westland where we will be featuring a monthly theme. For May, AWC has put out the call for baby items (newborn to age 3). Gently used clothing, bedding, feeding items and furnishings are all greatly needed. We will post a note on WestlandNet when the collection box is up and running.
And last but not least, check out this great article about Westland students who volunteered at AWC on Westland's recent "Make a Difference Day."
For more information about Westland's partnership with AWC, please contact PTA chairperson Pam Holland. |
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