Q&A
It's a new year in a new school. If you have questions about our processes, or anything else that goes on during the school day, feel free to ask us. Use this online form to post your question. We will update this Q&A periodically, so check back for new questions and answers.
Topics
- Academics
- Dismissal
- Lunch
- Parties
- Procedures
- Recess
- Safety
- School Activities
- Snacks
- Traffic
- Volunteering
- Art
Academics
| Q. What happened to the Accelerated Reader program? | A. Last year teachers worked on curriculum alignment and developed new IB planners. During that process, programming was reviewed and some new programming was selected. In the 3-4 House, Storyworks & Storyworks Jr. were added. This program targets various literacy skills aligned to our curriculum and also incorporates real world current events. Reading levels can be ascertained through MAP scores and classroom instruction. Students will still be provided with a suggested reading level when choosing books for self-selected reading. If you do not know your child's reading level, contact your child's teacher. |
Dismissal
| Q. What time is dismissal? | A. A final dismissal timeline was determined based on the time it takes to safely release 1,200 students at the end of the day. Our students will be dismissed in waves for safety purposes. Dismissal order:
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Lunch
| Q. Are students washing their hands before eating lunch? | A. Yes. Students are provided with hand sanitizer & access to restrooms upon entering the cafeteria. |
| Q. How does the meat alternative menu work? | A. Creamy vanilla yogurt and hummus are non-meat options available to students. Please reference the Food Service page on our website and click on the lunch menu for more information. If you have suggestions & would like more information, email Kay Cook or call 216.447.3100 x. 6119. Lunch Nutritional Facts |
| Q. Will children have to eat lunch wearing their jackets/snow pants? | A. As in the past, students will wear their snow pants and boots to lunch, carrying their hats and mittens. |
Parties
| Q. Are students allowed to wear costumes for Halloween parties? | A. Students may wear costumes and are encouraged to wear as much of it as possible to school, as restrooms are limited. Masks and weapons are prohibited. Costumes worn to school need to be simple and students will need to be able to participate in gym, etc. |
| Q. Will there be a Halloween parade? | A. No. |
Procedures
| Q. Can I keep a child home sick during the morning but send them later in the day? | A. If your child has been fever free (without the aid of Motrin or Tylenol), is able to hold down solid food for 24 hours, or has been treated with antibiotics for 24 hours, he/she may come to school late. Please reference the student handbook for illnesses that may warrant a day off to rest. |
Recess
| Q. The playground does not seem to have adequate space to accommodate over 200 children. Are there plans to expand? | A. The playground was designed to accommodate 371 students. |
| Q. Will a fence be installed between the playground and the library? | A. There will be an additional 150 feet of fencing installed near the end of the fence run by the library driveway out into the wooded section between our playground and the residents behind WES. The fencing is being installed to restrict people from walking around from our site to the library. |
| Q. Are students able to play football or basketball at recess? | A. Football is not permitted due to the roughness of the sport and the possibility of injury. There are no basketball hoops on the playground, but other ball-type equipment is provided. |
Safety
| Q. Are there new safety features in the new building? | A. Several new safety and security features are being implemented in the new building, including a kiosk that scans visitor licenses to screen for sexual predators. More than 100 cameras are installed throughout the building, monitoring internal and external activity. Window security film has been installed. Each classroom was designed with a hard corner to keep students within the classroom, free from visibility, in the event of an active shooter in the building. All staff have ALICE training and first aid training. Classroom safety buckets from the Lions Club also are in each classroom. |
School Activities
Snacks
| Q. What is the snack policy? | A. To foster a safe environment for all students, WES established safe snack guidelines. The guidelines are to protect students who have life-threatening allergies to certain foods, including milk/dairy, wheat, shellfish, fish, soy, eggs, sesame, nuts (including peanuts, peanut butter, tree nuts & nut oils). For some students, an anaphylaxis life-threatening attack can result from contact with residue or through ingestion. Safety is a priority at WES and through the implementation of the following guidelines, together we can keep our classrooms a safe place for our students. The WES Snack Policy guidelines may vary from what your child's teacher sent home earlier this year. We worked as a staff to streamline our snack selection to keep all students safe. Moving forward, the WES Snack Policy guidelines should be followed. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to your child's principal or School Nurse Barb Detwiler. |
Traffic
| Q. Can you turn right on red if you are entering the school from the West? | A. turning right on red on school days is prohibited by state law between the hours of 7-9am and 2-4pm. During the designated hours, you may turn right when the light is green. Anyone who turns right on red during restricted hours may be subject to a citation by the Westlake Police Department. |
Volunteering
| Q. Will there be opportunities for parental involvement? | A. during our transition PTA meetings last year, we shared that volunteer opportunities at the start of this year would be teacher dependent. Teachers who want to host volunteers have or will send out opportunities for your to be involved in their classroom. Volunteer opportunities also will be made available through WES PTA. Volunteers should report to the main office located in the front of the school on Center Ridge Road. You are required to check in using our kiosk system, which will require your drivers license or state ID. Once cleared, your visitor pass will be printed and you will be buzzed into the reception area to sign in. Teachers and PTA will have your name on a list 24 hours prior to your volunteer opportunity. If you need to cancel or switch last minute, please contact your child's teacher or all the main office as soon as possible to note the change. |