Dear Parents,
 
A big shout out and thank you to our Westside School Community for the support of our largest fundraiser of the school year, the Wildcat Chase. Students raised $24,377.00, which is an impressive amount of money. Funds raised in the past have helped pay for events such as the OMSI classroom-based labs, school wide assemblies, teacher grants, the book giveaway, and playground structures.

I’m excited to announce that next school year we will have a vice principal on staff and her name is Amy McConnell, who has been a Hood River County School District learning specialist at May Street since 2015. Prior to working at May Street, Amy worked as a kindergarten teacher, third grade teacher, and special education teacher in Madras, Oregon. Her experience working with special populations and the primary grades will serve her well as she transitions to a Westside Wildcat. Her natural leadership skills, problem solving skills, and willingness to collaborate positively with others are a great fit for Westside. I’m looking forward to working alongside Amy. Please take a moment to read her message to Westside families in this newsletter. 

We have a couple of retirements at the end of this school year. Karen Myers, our student support specialist, announced her retirement after 16 years of supporting students in the Hood River County School District. Kathy Butler, an instructional assistant, has announced her retirement after 20 years working at Westside Elementary. Please take a moment to thank these ladies for their contributions to Westside and to wish them well with their next endeavor.
 
Normally at this time, I would have information to share regarding staffing and the number of classes being offered at each grade level next school year. Due to recent boundary changes, this is still being worked out at this time. As we did for this school year, we will be informing parents of their child’s teacher for next school year come August via a postcard mailed home.
 
As I have shared in years past, I encourage you to develop a daily routine over the summer with your child/children that dedicates some time towards reading, writing, and math. Anything you can do to keep your child’s learning ongoing throughout the summer will make the transition into the next grade that much smoother. While it’s important we all take a break, it is also important that we work towards keeping our students engaged in these academic areas over the summer. I recommend spending time visiting the Hood River library, taking part in Community Ed classes or activities, all the while enjoying the leisureliness that summer brings. 
 
Thank you for making the 2018-19 school year a success! May you have the opportunity to enjoy the summer with your friends and family!
 
Sincerely,
 
Bill Newton
Principal