Westgate Elementary

Hey Wildcats, we're getting close to the end of this school year!

We will be revealing the house competition winners on Monday morning before breakfast - we'll release the result online afterwards.

Monday is also the last day that library books are due back - if your student has library books at home, please send them back in to Mrs. Hillman.

Friday June 5th will be an early release day at 11:27am.

We have a few shout outs:
Mr. Russell says: Shout out to the kids who helped ​me keep things cleaner this week, especially Esequiel, Mudassir, Raegan and Ada.

Mrs. Dunn says: Shout out to Yaretzy, Damien and Angel for their perseverance in State testing. They persevered and worked hard finish all of their testing this week!

Mrs. DeWolf says: Shout out to kinder team for putting together an AMAZING celebration of learning and PLCs! It was so fun to see all the work our entire school team has done to guarantee exceptional learning and growth for every student at Westgate!
Shoutout to Abe, Alijah, Lorenzo, Austin, Elaine, Corbin, Matteo, Dante, Esteban, Elias, Diego, and Mimi for working so hard despite all the schedule changes! Way to do hard things!

Have a good weekend Wildcats!

Hey Wildcats! We made it to Memorial Day, and we are ready for the long weekend. Please remember that Friday 22nd and Monday 25th are no school days.

Next week is our last week to earn house points before we find out the final placings. Watch this space!

We have some Shout Outs:

Mr. Russell says: Huge shout out to room 12 for being excellent and helpful. Special shout to Kloie and Alaina for showing me how to teach Kindergarten again.

Mrs. Hillman says: Shout Out to Mrs. Cook for starting the Amazing Shake program at Westgate. Thank you for all of your hard work setting up a powerful experience for our community!
Shout Out to our Top 5 Amazing Shake students and to Aviannah for winning!

Ms. Radich says: Shout out to everyone for pushing themselves and working hard during testing season!
Shout out to Sumaya for being recognized by the substitute teacher as a student who is always helpful and kind!

Mrs. Dunn says: Shout out to Zaiden for his perseverance with testing today! He worked hard all day and got everything done!

Have a great Weekend Wildcats, we'll see you on Tuesday.

After many rounds of elimination, our final five Amazing Shake contestants faced their final challenge today, followed by a school assembly where they were asked to answer their final questions in front of the whole school. In the end, all five contestants can be proud of the effort they put into this contest, but the winner is…

AVIANNAH!

Congratulations to Aviannah and the other contestants!

Hey Wildcats! It's been a week of hard work. We're getting closer to being done with testing season, and us Wildcats are in need of some rest.

Our final ten contestants in the Amazing Shake have been through some intense interviews this morning. It was a two round contest where the students first did the circle of doom with one minute interviews with each judge, followed by a session where students had to work the room and meet new people. We have five students who have made it to the final, and they are Alia, Chloey, Aviannah, Eldin and Rose. Please see the pictures below. Excellent work Wildcats!

Please note that Friday May 22nd and Monday May 25th are no school days.

House points currently stand at:
Azim 1509
Verdad 1426
Urafiki 1413
Karunar 1410

We have some Shout Outs!

Mrs. Kinner says: Shout out to Mr. Russell for the awesome ukulele song! Thank you! That was awesome!
Thank you so much to the paras and other people who have worked so hard to create an AMAZING teacher appreciation week. I certainly felt loved and appreciated!
Thank you to room 27, 25, and room 28 for the awesome song! I felt very loved.

Mr. Barwell says: Shout out to the Wildcat Marimba groups for an amazing field trip and Mallet Festival performance last Thursday, and the 5th Grade Wildcat Orchestra for a great field trip and Orchestra Festival performance this week! Way to go.
Shout out to May Hwa Blut, Jenna, and Hser Eh Boe for being leaders and example setters in Music for Ms. Cannon's class. Shoutout to Deleyza for helping Mr. Barwell to clean and organize some Orchestra stuff.
Shoutout to Mrs. Rios and Mrs. Torres for being great chaperones for our field trips these past weeks. Thank you for your help!

Mrs. Cook says: Shout out to our top 5 Amazing Shake kiddos moving on- Eldin, Aviannah, Alia, Rose, and Chloey. I'm so proud of your hard work and perseverance. Also, thank you to all of the adults around the building for helping out and making this even possible- you rock!

Mrs. Campbell says: Mrs. Campbell would like to thank all the Westgate parents and students that showered her with love and gifts this week! I truly felt the appreciated. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Mrs. Monson says: Thanks to everyone who made Teacher Appreciation such a great week. Your treats, gifts, and kind words were appreciated!
Amazing job to Mrs. Kruzic and Mrs. Jones for all the effort they’ve put into Sparkle and helping everyone feel the love!

Mrs. Cook for doing a fabulous job organizing and supporting the kids with Amazing Shake!

Have a great weekend Wildcats!

Hey Wildcats, happy Friday!

We had a House assembly today, where we paid tribute to our lunch ladies, nurses and principals for all the work they do here. Next week will be Teacher Appreciation Week!

House points currently stand at:
Azim 1467
Verdad 1389
Urafiki 1370
Karunar 1368

We have some shout outs!

Mrs. Dunn says: Shout out to Room 12 for the amazing behavior today. Covering your classroom made for a fun day! -Mrs. Dunn

Mr. Young says: Shoutout to grade 5 students for working hard this week and doing their best on the SBA!

Mrs. Reisch says: Shout out to RM 28 they were working so hard on their writing, and I am a proud teacher!

Mrs. Kinner says: Shout out to :
Mrs. DeWolf, Mrs. Ripplinger, Mrs. Molina, Mr. Thorne, and Mr. Barwell for helping me with Cavalcade of Authors.
Renesmee for being the first to follow expectations and be on tasks!
The top 25 Amazing Shake contestants for their Ted Talks! Way to go you guys!!!
Room 27 students! Way to go on starting your first state testing! I AM SO PROUD OF YOUR PERSERVERANCE.

Mrs. Scoma says: Big Shout out to Malcolm and Cristian... they have been on fire during math this week and really showing off their learning.

Have a great weekend Wildcats!

Kindergarten registration is OPEN now! 📣

If your child turns 5 by August 31, 2026, now is the time to get them enrolled for the upcoming school year. Registration only takes a few minutes and helps your family start the year prepared.

What you’ll need:
-Proof of age and name
-Proof of residence
-Immunization records

Register today at www.ksd.org/enroll.

Hey Wildcats! We have been working hard this week, especially in the upper grades as we get ready for Smarter Balanced testing next week. We will send out an FAQ about testing on Monday.

We have a group of Wildcats who have qualified for the state chess championships in Tacoma this weekend! We are so proud of their work with the B5 learning center to get to this point. Good luck to them and remember - you're not allowed to make sound effects when you take an opponents piece. Apparently that's rude.

House points currently stand at:
Azim 1401
Urafiki 1307
Karunar 1305
Verdad 1303

We have some shout outs:

Mrs. Cook says: Huge shout-out to Zahra, she is heading to state chess club with the B5 team- way to go! Shout-out to the top 25 Amazing Shake finalists; they've been working hard with their Ted Talks for the next round. Also, shout-out Mr. Russell for taking my class today for a surprise extra specials; we were all excited and grateful.

Mr. Momotok says: Shout out to Jax and Maksym for getting 81 on the pacer and beating the Westgate all time record.

Mrs. Kinner says: Shout out to everyone who helped decorate for Urafiki day! I really appreciate the help!
Shout out to Nicole Dunn for all the work she does to support students during testing but beyond that to support them mentally and emotionally!
Shout out to Ashley Robertson for her continual growth to be the best for her students and towards her growth as a teacher-truly AMAZING!
Shout out to Mrs. DeWolf for all her help and support with the houses and with ensure every student feels welcomed and cared for!
Shout out to Mrs. Molins, Mrs. Ripplinger, Mr. Thorne, Mr. Barwell, and Mrs. DeWolf for their support with Cavalcade of authors and supporting students at our main conference!

Mr. Young says: Shout out to Analeah in Room 21 for stepping out of her comfort zone and consistently volunteering to read/speak in front of the class!

Mrs. Dunn says: Shout out to house leader Chloey! I had two students compliment her when she wasn’t there. Way to be an outstanding example of a house leader! -Mrs. Dunn

Have a great weekend Wildcats.

Hey Wildcats, Happy Friday! Next week we have our Class Photos scheduled for Tuesday, so be sure to dress up well! That's also Salmon Summit day for 4th graders, where our baby salmon will be released into the Columbia, and our 4th graders will spend the day learning about nature and science.

House points are:
Azim 1374
Verdad 1286
Urafiki 1284
Karunar 1283

We have a couple of shout outs:

Mr. Barwell says: Shout out to Ada in 4th Grade for earning a house point for holding the door for all the Marimba kids AND Mrs. RC at the end of the Marimba day yesterday, and for encouraging me to breathe when she thought I was getting overly frustrated. Shout out to the Azim staff for navigating the House Meeting while was away last Friday, and the the Azim drummers and House Leaders for leading a great chant.

Mrs. Kinner says: Shout out to Room 27 for starting the week with guest teachers and finishing strong. Way to go guys!

Mr. Russell says: Shout out to Jen Jordan and Stacy Landon for spending time with our teachers this week and learning more about our ELA curriculum.

Have a good weekend Wildcats!

Hey Wildcats! Spring is in the air, which means testing season is around the corner. Our first testing dates are April 28th and 30th. Please see Mrs. Dunn's post earlier this week about making encouragement posters for your student - we hung these in the hallway last year and it did make a difference for kids to know that we all want them to do their best. Also, please try and have your students attend on testing days - it's better for all if they get to test with their class.

House points stand at:
Azim 1331
Verdad 1259
Urafiki 1252
Karunar 1249

Today we had a house assembly where we celebrated three students becoming fully fledged house leaders. Congratulations to Kinsey, Gwenivere and Rose for getting their leader jackets and pictures.
Extra special congratulations to Mudaser for completing all of the tasks necessary to gain his House Leader Badges.

We have some shout outs:

Mr. Russell says: Congratulations to our new House Leaders Gwenivere, Rose and Kinsey! Also, shout out to Giovanny and Rex in Verdad for stepping up and being leaders during our Verdad hosue meeting and assembly, thanks!

Mr. Kern says: Shout out to Zelda, Selma, Mayla, Alia, and Mubasher who all set academic goals and worked hard to achieve them. They all rang the bell today! Way to go, Wildcats!

Mrs. Robertson says: Shout out to Shelby Kinner for planning an amazing Native American traveling museum field trip!

Mrs. Cooks ays: Shout out to Mrs. Monson- Thank you for always being willing to volunteer for anything and everything and always going above and beyond for our staff and kiddos!
Shout out to Mayla, Mubasher, Alia, Selma, and Zelda for setting goals, working hard to meet them, and ringing the bell; you're awesome!

Hey Wildcats, it's Spring Break! Have a great week and remember to read for 20 minutes every day.

We were so lucky to have help from our community for the Amazing Shake gauntlet on Tuesday. Thank you to all who volunteered their time to shake hands with our students and ask them questions. The next round is coming up in late April.

House points currently stand at:
Azim 1287
Urafiki 1217
Verdad 1213
Karunar 1199

Mrs. Bailey says: Shout out to the 4th and 5th grade students that took part in The Amazing Shake at Westgate this week.
Congratulations to the top 25! We look forward to seeing what you can do for round 2!
A giant KUDOS to Mrs. Cook for taking on and organizing such an amazing event!

Mrs. Ratliff says: Shout out to our amazing Room 12 students for being brave and reading aloud to the class! 📚 I’m so excited to see your growth and confidence in reading—keep it up!

Have a great Spring Break Wildcats!