Westerly School of Long Beach

Continuing our celebration of the Westerly School ! 🎉 We couldn't be prouder of our remarkable 8th graders and their journey to success. Join us in honoring their achievements by clicking the link below and discover how Westerly has empowered them for high school and beyond.

(SPONSORED)Westerly School of Long Beach celebrates the graduation of 17 eighth graders, showcasing a strong cohort of lifelong learners. https://lbpost.com/ads/westerly-school-of-long-beach-celebrates-the-graduation-of-17-eighth-graders-showcasing-a-strong-cohort-of-lifelong-learners?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_Long_Beach_Post

Join us in celebrating the remarkable achievements of our eighth-grade Class of 2023 as they embark on their exciting high school journey! Click the link below to read the Long Beach Post article all about our recent graduation celebration and the anticipation of our grads' next academic chapter.

Westerly School of Long Beach celebrates the graduation of 17 eighth graders, showcasing a strong cohort of lifelong learners This momentous occasion not only marks their academic achievements but also highlights the unique bond formed by more than half the class, who have been together at Westerly for a remarkable nine years.

Westerly School honors this important day in history and important national holiday. Please join us in recognizing and celebrating Juneteenth. Learn more here.

Juneteenth Digital Toolkit A digital toolkit created with information about the origin of and how to observe Juneteenth, which is a time to celebrate, gather as a family, reflect on the past and look to the future.

Happy Juneteenth! Today, we celebrate freedom and commemorate the end of slavery in the US. Join us in honoring this significant day by exploring the rich history behind Juneteenth, reflecting on and celebrating Black history and heritage, and investing in anti-racism education.

We encourage families to come together to engage in local Juneteenth events happening in the Long Beach community, support Black-owned businesses, and embrace the spirit of unity and equality.

Today on , we honor the nearly 3 million members of the United States Armed Forces who have been injured or perished in the service of our country in wartime.

May we use this important day as an opportunity to reflect on some of the rights and freedoms that our veterans paid their lives to protect: talk with your children about what “Freedom of Speech” means to them, take a moment to listen to a story from a military member or veteran through NPR’s StoryCorps Project, like this story between Jacquelyn Williams and her daughter Katrina Graham, or simply reflect with your family about the meaning of this day and the ideals that the United States represents and towards what we continue to build.

We hope you have a peaceful and meaningful Memorial Day.

https://www.krwg.org/regional/2021-07-19/storycorps-military-voices-jacquelyn-williams

TODAY, Monday, April 17: MOD Pizza & Handel's Fundraiser for Westerly!

Both conveniently located at the Long Beach Exchange (LBX)!

A portion of the proceeds from your MOD Pizza and/or Handel's purchase today Monday, April 17 will be donated back to Westerly - just make sure to mention that you're there for the Westerly School fundraiser AND show the flyer(s) when you order.

*You can also order MOD online at modpizza.com on April 17 using the code “MODGIVES20”

Don’t forget to tag us on your pizza and ice cream pictures ~ thanks for your support!

So proud of the Saint Anthony’s varsity boys volleyball team and all our Westerly School of Long Beach alums who play on the team.

Congrats Brody O. (Class of ‘19), Aiden B. (Class of ‘19), David C. (Class of ‘21), Sebastian L. (Class of ‘21), Nate R. (Class of ‘21), Jack F. (Class of ‘22) and Noah F. (Class of ’22). Go Saints!
https://www.the562.org/2023/04/05/photos-st-anthony-volleyball-sweeps-salesian/?fbclid=IwAR3wGgQbt7OxbeQmfJAX09Dp9U-V2577VGhGRVdU1Ic7dHWG1IeBMh-i4h0&mibextid=q5o4bk

PHOTOS: St. Anthony Volleyball Sweeps Salesian The562’s coverage of Long Beach Volleyball in the 2022-23 school year is sponsored by Misty May-Treanor and the Dream in Gold Foundation. The St. Anthony boys' volleyball team remained undefeated in the Camino Real League with a sweep win over Salesian, 25-10, 25-14, 25-19. The Saints have yet to

" and honor the memory of the victims and help carry forward the messages of survivors."

In the fall of 1944, ten-year-old Thomas Buergenthal found himself all alone in Auschwitz, destined for the gas chamber.

Thomas had already survived the Kielce ghetto and a forced labor camp by the time German authorities deported him and his parents to Auschwitz in August 1944. Typically, children were taken on arrival and murdered in the gas chambers, but, because there was no selection when Thomas and his family arrived there, he managed to survive. His mother was taken to the women's section of the camp, but Thomas and his father remained together.

However, Thomas remained in grave danger. The SS guards regularly selected prisoners to be murdered in the gas chambers and as a child Thomas stood out. While he had survived a number of selections by hiding, this time, Thomas had been caught. "They saw me as a child, and they motioned me to go one way, and my father go the other way," Thomas remembered.

"And that's the last I saw of ... my father."

Thomas and other prisoners selected were first taken to a barracks where sick prisoners were housed. There, a Polish prisoner would help save Thomas's life.

"What had happened was that the Polish doctor had torn up card with my name on it, which had a 'X' in black, which meant that I was supposed to go [to the gas chamber]. All the other people were taken out to the gas chamber, and I – he had written a new card for me."

Thomas returned to the main section of the camp. Then, in January 1945, he was evacuated from Auschwitz on a death march and then sent by rail to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where he was liberated in April 1945.

Thomas was one of very few children under age 15 to survive Auschwitz and the Holocaust.

After the war, Thomas eventually reunited with his mother, who had survived. He later immigrated to the United States. Motivated by his experiences during the Holocaust, Thomas attended Harvard Law School to study international law. Today, he is a renowned international judge, professor, and human rights advocate.

Photo: courtesy of Thomas Buergenthal

On this Lunar New Year’s Day, the Westerly community is in shock and grief after a mass shooting Saturday night left 10 people dead and at least 10 more injured in Monterey Park.

The shooting took place near a Lunar New Year festival where many families gathered to enjoy the holiday festivities. This should have been a time of celebration but has become one of mourning.

Our hearts and thoughts are with the families and communities impacted by this horrific event.

“The time is always right to do what is right.”—Martin Luther King Jr.

K-8th grade families: Westerly School is accepting applications for the 2023-24 school year! Our next Admissions Community Tour is on Thursday, January 12 from 10AM-12PM.

🌟 Reserve your spot here ⬇️
bit.ly/westerlycommunitytour

Come explore our beautiful 5-acre campus grounds, see the classrooms, meet our teachers, student and parent ambassadors, and learn all about our whole-child educational philosophy. We look forward to welcoming you!

For more information, contact [email protected]

Heri Za Kwanzaa / Happy Kwanzaa! Today on the first day of Kwanzaa, we celebrate by recognizing the first of Kwanzaa’s seven principles: 'Umoja,' which means 'unity' in Swahili.

Wishing everyone a Happy Kwanzaa!

How is your family celebrating?

Thank you to Sage and her parents, Angela and Edward, for sharing about the celebration of Kwanzaa with our 7th graders in their Humanities class today! Our students were excited and eager to learn about Kwanzaa traditions and loved the Kinara-making activity.

Pictured text:
“Kwanzaa takes place from December 26 to January 1. For these seven days, the principles of Kwanzaa are observed as a value system that encourages and supports the family and its cooperation with the greater community.

Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday nor one that honors a specific heroic person. It is not a holiday celebrated exclusively in Africa. Kwanzaa is a time when African-Americans join together to honor the traditions of their ancestors. Planning for the year ahead and working on ways to make themselves a better people and improving their community are important parts of the holiday. Kwanzaa is a celebration of the past, present, and future.

Nguzo Saba - The 7 Principles - and Kwanzaa as a Value System:

• First day of Kwanzaa (December 26) Umoja - Unity. To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.

• Second day of Kwanzaa (December 27) Kujichagulia - Self-determination. To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

• Third day of Kwanzaa (December 28) Ujima - Collective work and responsibility. To build and maintain our community together and make our community’s problems our problems and to solve them together.

• Fourth day of Kwanzaa December 29 cooperative economics. To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

• Fifth day of Kwanzaa (December 30) Nia - Purpose. To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

• Sixth day of Kwanzaa (December 31) Kuumba - Creativity. To do you always as much as we can to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

• Seventh day of Kwanzaa (January 1) Emani - Faith. To believe with all our hearts in our people and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.”

🌟 Prospective K-8 families 🌟 Come tour the Westerly campus this Thursday 12/15 at our Admissions Community Tour! You'll have the chance to meet Westerly teachers and student ambassadors, see the classrooms, and learn about our educational philosophy as you explore our beautiful 5-acre campus grounds.

REGISTER HERE ➡️ bit.ly/westerlycommunitytour

Westerly Admission Events Dear Prospective Families, Please join us for any (and all) events that you might be available for. It is a wonderful opportunity to see our campus and share the space with our current Westerly community. Please note that we are currently requiring all campus visitors to provide proof of a negative....

It's ! By giving back to Westerly, you are RAISING A COMMUNITY OF LEADERS.

“I remember getting our first packet from the school with the words ‘leaders, helpers and creators’ and thinking that's exactly who my daughter is and what I want to nourish in her.” -Mandy Johnson, 2nd Grade Annual Fund Chair & Parent

➡️ Visit bit.ly/westerlyannualfund to give or pledge online, or bring/mail a check to Westerly School. Consider asking your employer to see if they can match your gift, instantly doubling the impact of your gift.

Westerly provides multiple opportunities for students to exhibit their leadership capabilities through the mentorship program, Lower & Middle School Student Leadership, and Middle School internships. Westerly students also engage with the community and present to their peers through classroom presentations and projects, weekly assemblies, student ambassadorship, culminating with delivering a speech at 8th grade graduation. This is all made possible by the WESTERLY ANNUAL FUND!

Today is , part of November’s . (Graphics created by Helena, Westerly Middle School Communications intern).

Here are some ways you can honor and learn about Native American Heritage:

• Read ’s ‘considerations for the settler holiday thanksgiving’: https://www.instagram.com/p/ClG128ZLwEm/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Indigenous Books List shared by https://oaklandlibrary.bibliocommons.com/list/share/1986034569/2179975069
• Support Indigenous Businesses such as those shared by https://www.instagram.com/p/ClUlr8_P7YN/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• article mapping Indigenous Land in Los Angeles: https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-tongva-map/

Then and now... Our 8th grade students recently enjoyed a group trip to see 'Wakanda Forever' -- they've been watching movies together since Kindergarten! 💙

Top photo is our 8th graders with Westerly alums Aidyn '20 (third from the left) and Kaaya '18 (center) when they went to see a new 'Star Wars' flick in 1st grade; bottom photo is our 8th graders now!

We hope everyone is enjoying a fun fall break!

Thank you to all of our community who came to support our 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8th grade performers at 2ND & PCH Annual Tree Lighting on November 16th!

Our students did an incredible job on their vocal, strings and band performances, led by Ms. Susan Geiser and Mr. Patrick Lenertz! We're so proud of them.

(Thank you to parent David Levy for taking these awesome photos!)

You're invited: please join us for one of our upcoming Admissions events and Family Education Evenings!

12/6 Community Tour, 10am
1/12 Community Tour, 10am
1/28 Open House, 10am
(UPDATED) 2/1 Family Ed: Tech Talk (focuses on social media & gaming)
2/16 Community Tour, 10am
(UPDATED) 3/16 Family Ed: Social-Emotional Learning

Email [email protected] for questions or to attend an event.

-- FALL FUN 🍁🍂 We've shared so many wonderful events and celebrations this autumnal season, with the photos to match! Enjoy these "Throwback Thursday" pics and check out the caption below for more info on each:

# 1 Campus snapshots: building on the imagination playground and enjoying art activities during the Wildcat afterschool program; 3rd graders perform during the Latinx Heritage Assembly; 1st graders hold a starfish as part of their Ocean Unit studies, which was made possible by Dr. Christine Whitcraft, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Director of the Environmental Science and Policy Program at CSULB.

# 2 Fall Jamboree: painting bookends for the new Westerly Reading & Research Center, made possible by the generosity of Westerly Families; Annual Fund info booth; inflatable games; an impromptu volleyball game; an awesome event for friends and families to connect!

# 3 K-2nd Grade Family Reading on Friday mornings

# 4 Middle School Girls' Volleyball Team. Go Wildcats!

# 5 Surprise visit from some of our Wildcat alumni at our High School Fair: Noah Furlow, Brody Owens & Jack Furlow, who now attend St. Anthony's.

# 6 Pumpkin Catapult activity with 3rd grade and their 7th grade mentors

# 7 Middle School Student Leadership hosts a school-wide opportunity to show support for Iranian people through written messages, adorning the walkways in front of our school.

# 8 Students create rangoli in celebration of Diwali. Thanks to parents Nina V, Angana P, and Rita N for helping with this activity!

# 9 Flu & COVID Booster Vaccination Clinic hosted at Westerly in partnership with Aviva Pharmacy. Thanks to our Aviva team who made this possible: Yvonne, Cynthia, Laila, Jay, Amy and Daniel (not pictured)!

# 10 Beautiful ofrenda created by our Spanish Teacher and TA, Ms. Ayala and Ms. Garcia in recognition of Día de los Mu***os. Their students added photos of loved ones who have passed away, as well as colorful handmade decorations and sugar skulls (calaveras) which they created in class.

November 8, 2022 was Voting Day in the US. Voting rights in the US have certainly evolved over the years -- Westerly Communications Intern Sophia created this graphic which provides an overview of the history of US voting rights.

While we commonly believe that all Americans have the right to vote in the present day, there are still barriers and much work to be done to ensure that voting access is truly equitable. According to the Brennan Center, 2021 was a record-breaking year for legislative activity around voting rights, with many of the same trends continuing into 2022. Since the beginning of 2021, lawmakers have passed at least 42 restrictive voting laws in 21 states.

Overall, at least 151 election interference bills have been introduced in 27 states this year, and lawmakers in 39 states have proposed at least 405 restrictive bills for the 2022 legislative session. Contrarily, lawmakers in 44 states and Washington, DC, have proposed at least 628 bills for the 2022 legislative session that expand access to the vote.

Here at Westerly, we recognize that voting is a fundamental act of civic participation, and it is important that we engage our young learners in contributing to democracy so that we all can have a voice and make positive changes for our community.

Happy Halloween from Westerly! We had a fa-boo-lous day full of creative costumes, sweet treats, lunch provided by awesome room parents and volunteers, and even a scary maze created by our Middle School Leadership group! It was fang-tastic to see our students, staff, and parents all dressed up and in high spirits.

Enjoy spooky (a safe) Howl-oween evening, Wildcats! 🎃 👻

Happy Diwali! We hope everyone had a fun and festive celebration!

Thank you to Jiya, Aashna, Kayan, Kalina and Soham for presenting at our assembly and to Kiran, Saiya and Siddarth for demonstrating how to create rangoli, as well as Shailey and Arjun and their moms Anisha and Nima for sharing about Diwali and leading celebratory activities in the Kinder class! We are so grateful to you all for taking the time to share about your cultural traditions with the community.

Flip through to see photos from our school celebrations, including some beautiful rangolis that adorned the entrances to classrooms around campus (video clips from assembly shared in a separate post).

Nima writes, "Traditionally, rangolis are created on the floor using sand, paint, rice or flowers. The kinder class made rangolis on coasters so they could take them home. Anisha read a book about Diwali and each student was given a diya to take home. We talked about what Diwali means and the celebration held over five days. The students had so many questions and we were happy to share a little of Diwali with them. Thank you for letting us be part of the classroom to celebrate the special day."

The revolution that is happening in Iran, ignited by the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, has affected people all over the globe and inspired an international protest for freedom - the largest Women and gen Z led protest in the world.

Next week, Middle School Student Leadership will be activating our Westerly community with a presentation at our Monday assembly, and will host a school-wide opportunity to show support for Iranian people through written messages, which we will re-share on our online platforms.

In the meantime, we want to shout-out one of our young leaders Sarina, who is Iranian -- she and her family have been attending protests in Long Beach in support of the people of Iran.

Attending local protests and contributing to organizations that support the movement are a great way to get involved. Additionally, Sarina's mother, Dr. Nooshin Valizadeh, shares these resources for anyone looking to show solidarity:

• Nazanin Boniadi has listed 4 steps anyone can take to help (via Instagram): bit.ly/3MLmkKR
• This young singer in Iran, Shervin Hajipour, created a song based on the tweets he saw about why people were protesting and it has now become THE song of the movement - amplified at the LA protest of over 20k, Toronto with over 40k and all around the world. Here’s the version with subtitles: youtu.be/TPyHuCZzsVA

Dr. V also added, "It is so important that we all see ourselves connected to the world. Per Sarina, 'We are all connected but it’s so far away it’s like there’s a glitch in the connection. We need to fix the glitch.”

This week we kicked off our 2022-23 campaign! 🎉 Annual Fund is vital to supporting our school's operating budget, as tuition doesn't fully cover our operations budget (this is an intentional choice to help provide more financial accessibility for families) -- philanthropy is what helps bridge the gap.

➡️ Visit bit.ly/westerlyannualfund to give or pledge online, or bring/mail a check to the school.

RAISING THE WHOLE CHILD EXPERIENCE: Westerly nurtures the whole child, from social-emotional to physical health in addition to engaging academics. We take pride in our RULER social-emotional learning program, which gives children the tools to understand and express their emotions.

"As an educator, I love what Westerly stands for. At Westerly the whole child is developed and student centered learning is the focus. I also appreciate the diversity of the student body.” -Shawnte Clewis, 3rd Grade Annual Fund Class Chair & Parent

Westerly School firmly condemns the anti-Black, anti-indigenous, and anti-LGBTQI comments made from LA City elected and appointed officials last week. We stand behind our Statement of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to proudly be a diverse community that fosters a sense of belonging by honoring all lived experiences and intersecting identities. We engage in local and global critical examination, respect multiple perspectives, and create a learning environment to challenge bias and advocate for social justice. Through dynamic learning opportunities, we cultivate authentic, lively class discussions and experience deeper learning that builds a lifelong foundation for thinking critically and developing meaningful empathy. We pledge to equip and empower our students to be the leaders, helpers, creators, and change-makers of the future.

Racist remarks in leaked audio of L.A. council members spark outrage, disgust A leaked recording of L.A. City Council members and a labor official includes racist remarks. Council President Nury Martinez apologizes; Councilmember Kevin de León expresses regret.