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- Community and Parents
August 7, 2023
Dear Westside Parents and Community Members,
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year. Thank you for the opportunity to work with you and your family as together we begin a path toward another successful academic year for your children. As summer draws to a close and we begin this school year, I want to encourage you to attend upcoming events like Back to School Night, PTA/PTSA sponsored events, and opportunities to get to know the staff that will be working with your child this school year. For your children to grow this year, it will take all of us working together to create the best learning environment we can as all of us have your children's success as our goal.
Since the pandemic, a decline in regular school attendance has been evident not only in our district, but in districts throughout the country. Most notably, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten and special education classes have the lowest attendance rates of all. Research has shown that regular school attendance becomes a habit when children first start school, and that regular attendance is one of the most important attributes of achievement in school. Your support to get your children to school every day, as well as on time, sets a lifetime habit that carries children into their career. In our partnership toward school success, your efforts to get your children to school on time and ready to learn is critical. We want your children to “Be Here” everyday and look forward to seeing them! For more information about school attendance, please visit our website, www.westside.k12.ca.us
Please check the school calendar for upcoming minimum days and school holidays. One change to the students’ calendar is a one week fall break in October. During that week, our staff will be hosting parent conferences and attending professional development training. Since it is new, I wanted to draw your attention to it early so that you can plan accordingly.
This year the Expanded Learning Opportunity Program (ELOP) is expanding to most of our elementary sites. If you are interested in up to three additional hours of school support after school for your children, please check into the programs available at your children’s school. Boys & Girls Club of Antelope Valley will be providing this after school program for our students, and depending on available seats, may be free of charge. During this school year, we hope to expand the program to provide shorter offerings for the children as well. I encourage you to please check it out.
Special thanks to our staff on sites all summer for the many projects that were completed. One of the first you’ll see in our classrooms is the change out of our classroom board. Though not quite complete yet, Viewsonic Boards have already been installed in most classrooms for our students. Numerous other projects were done including repainting Sundown School, reopening the office at Quartz Hill and opening an additional restroom facility at that site, repairs and maintenance on many smaller projects occurred throughout the District, too. Work has been done to ensure that our grounds are ready for our students, too.
Thank you for allowing us to partner with you to provide a successful academic experience for your children. We look forward to working with you as we “Point the Way, and Provide the Path” toward their success.
Welcome to a new school year, and if you have any questions or need information, please visit the Let’s Talk Link located on the right side of the District website.
Sincerely,
Regina (Gina) L. Rossall
Superintendent