Home  Our Mission     Our Principal    Teacher Emails    School Newsletter    Teacher/Classroom Pages    Book Reviews   Weather and Emergency Closing   Learning Center   Special Events   School Handbook   Principals for the Day  Westview PTO  Lunch Menu  Accelerated Reader  Family Literacy  Supply Lists   Encyclopedia Resource    Relay For Life

Westview Elementary School -December 2008 Newsletter

We at Westview Elementary School have as our mission to develop the uniqueness of each child: academically, physically, emotionally, and artistically.  Each child will be provided the opportunity to become a responsible and productive member of society.  This will be achieved through the collaborative efforts of students, parents, staff, and community.

Alert Now-Emergency School Closing- Should school need to be closed due to weather conditions or emergencies, we will use the new phone system, Alert Now, to inform parents of school cancellations, closings, or early closings.  This system will call the primary telephone number that parents listed on their child’s registration form to alert parents of school closings.  We look forward to being able to quickly provide information to you so that you can make alternative plans for your child.  In addition to the Alert Now system, we will continue to make information available as we have in the past and encourage you to listen for informational announcements on local and area radio and TV stations listed in the student handbook or check our district website at www.prairiecentral.org .  The decision to close or close early will usually be made with enough time for parents to make arrangements for their children.  It is extremely important that parents instruct their children on what to do when they arrive home early.  Please make sure your children know how to get in and out, or have a friend, neighbor or relative readily available to take them into their home.  Be prepared by having plans made in advance to prevent undue stress on your child.

College Illinois Program -  Prairie Central CUSD #8 will host a presentation at Westview Elementary School for all district children and their families concerning the College Illinois Program on Tuesday, December 9 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.  What is this???????   The College Illinois Program is a pre-paid tuition program that is conducted by the State of Illinois .  It allows parents (grandparents, family, anyone) to buy tuition at today's rates for their young children that will be attending college in the future.  People can buy anywhere from one to five years, and any combination of community college and 4 year colleges.  There are many other details to the program.  Tuition has been rising at an average of 8% a year.  The cost of college could very likely double in the next 12 years.  College Illinois representatives will be on hand to answer any question(s) you might have and will have written  information for your consideration.   You are invited to come and hear of this terrific program that will help you prepare for your child's college education at a substantial savings.  It really is not too early to start planning and saving for such an important investment in a child's future.  We hope to see you there.  If you have any questions, please call Mr. Schramm at 815-692-2623.   The Westview Elementary School PTO will provide refreshments... cookies and juice.

The Cookie Jar- The Westview Elementary School PTO will sponsor “The Cookie Jar” during the Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 6th.  We are asking each Westview family to donate 2 dozen homemade cookies for this money making project.  Please bring cookies in a non-returnable container to the Cookie Jar location at the Walton Centre on Saturday morning.  Proceeds from this project will be used for positive student recognition activities.

Santa’s Secret Shop- Westview Elementary School will have its annual Santa’s Secret Shop on Thursday, December 11th from 4:00-7:00 p.m.  Parents may bring their children to Westview where children will shop with one of our Westview Elves while parents enjoy the company of other parents as they wait for their kids to finish their shopping.

WV Kindergarten Christmas Program-  The four Westview Elementary School kindergarten classrooms will present their Christmas Program on Wednesday, December 17 at 10:00 a.m. in the Westview gym.  Parents and families are invited to attend.

AR Lists-Accelerated Reader lists by title, author, and reading level are now available on the Westview website.  Go to www.prairiecentral.org, click on Westview, click on Accelerated Reader.

Early Dismissal-   School will dismiss early at  2:08 p.m. on Friday, December 19 for Christmas vacation.  We will run a regular morning schedule and afternoon sessions will dismiss at 2:08. 

Christmas Vacation-   School will not be in session December 20, 2008 through January 4, 2009.  School will resume on Monday, January 5, 2009.

High School Music Concert-  Students who have met the guidelines for participating in the monthly student recognition activities will attend a music concert presented by the Prairie Central High School band and chorus groups on Monday, December 15. This is an outstanding performance by our talented high school students.

Westview Cook Books- The Westview PTO has their More Food for Thought cookbooks

for sale.  These would make excellent gifts and are available for $15.00 ea. or 2/$25.00.  These PTO cook books are available in the Westview Elementary School office.

Boys and Girls Club of Prairie Central-  Basketball registration for Boys and Girls in 3-4th grade is December 3 from 4:00-6:00 pm or December 6th after the Christmas parade from 11:30- 2pm at the Fairbury Club. If you have any questions on basketball please call the Club at 692-2423 and ask for Abbie.

 What will your kids do over Christmas break? Come out for some "Holiday Hoopla" at the Fairbury Club! Open December 22, 23, 29 and 30 from 7:30am-5:30pm for $10-$13 dollars a day.  There will be awesome games, crafts, and a lot of FUN! Call Nicole with any questions at 692-2423.

Market Day-   The next Market Day pickup is Tuesday, December 2nd from 4:30-5:15 p.m. Thank you for your continued support of Market Day!

Dominy Library Before School Program-  On the second Wednesday of each month, Dominy Library comes to Westview Elementary School at 7:40 a.m. to present a before school reading program.  Debbie Oakland reads to our students from Dominy Library’s outstanding collection of children’s literature. Please visit Dominy Library and check out some excellent reading materials for your children.

Newsletter and Information Via Email- Westview Elementary School has been sending our monthly newsletter, PTO meeting agendas, and other information by email to parents.  Many parents have supplied us with an email address.  If you would like to receive information by email and are currently not, please call the Westview Elementary school office at 815-692-2623.  Note:  If you have provided us with your address and are still not receiving messages, give us a call.

Lost and Found-  Our lost and found box is filling quickly.  If your child can not find his/her jacket, sweatshirt, gloves, stocking cap, etc., please check the box on the ledge outside the office to see if the misplaced item is there.  Thank you.

The teachers, staff, and administration at Westview Elementary School

Wish each of you a happy and joyous holiday season.