Halloween Fest

By Kate

Saturday, October 25th was Westside's Annual Halloween Fest, and boy was it a huge success. This years event was run quite differently, though all turned out exceptionally well. With improved games and newly updated prize system, there were lines and busy kids at every station. Additionally, the fest itself ran a lot smoother. There was a better flow to many of the games, as well as the prize and spooksession stations. We couldn't have achieved what we did without the great turn out of middle school and adult volunteers. Because of this, we have the ability to have an off campus dance, which "is not a regular". In all, this new system is looking strong for years to come. We hope that everyone attending had a great time and will hopefully continue to join us for the festivities next year.

Mary's Place Christmas Drive

by Kate and Callum

The holidays are just around the corner and are a great time to help a child in need. This year Westside is helping by running a new shoe drive for Mary’s Place. But in order for this to happen we need YOU!

Starting next week, the MS Student Council will be organizing a school-wide drive in order to help support Mary's Place. Mary's Place is a homeless day shelter for women and children that also provides basic needs and services. In years past we have successfully run many drives and completed all sorts of service work to contribute to different organizations, so let’s do it again this year!

We encourage everyone to participate and help fulfill Mary's Place goal of 500 hundred pairs of new shoes for homeless women and children.

The drive will start Monday and end on Friday, December 5th at the MS school dance. Donation boxes will be outside of the library and by the main entrance.

We hope that you make the decision and donate to Mary's Place this holiday and we are sure that the homeless women and children will too!

New Staff 2014 - 15

By Aisha and Luke 

This year Westside has many new spectacular people to add to the staff and administration. We had the opportunity to meet them and ask them about how they like Westside and random fun facts about themselves as well. Here's a list of the teachers and their answers below.

New Staff

Debbie Treen

Laura  Anderson

Amanda Jones

Caroline Alben

Jacob Lucero

Kate Kandarian

Leslie Youngblood

Sophia Tolentino

Amanda Jones

What's your position at Westside?

“I am a Fourth Grade Classroom Teacher”

How's your experience at Westside been?

“It has been wonderful teaching here. The staff is so warm and welcoming and I have a fantastic class.”     

What was your job before you came here?

“I have been teaching 5th and 6th grade at a small school in Poulsbo (on the Kitsap Peninsula). I miss them terribly but I LOVE living in West Seattle and everyone at Westside has helped me not feel so homesick.”

What do you like most about Westside?  

“Hmmm, that is a really hard question. I guess I would say that I love seeing so many happy and smiling people everyday. The staff at Westside is really fun to work with.”  

What made you choose to work at Westside?

“I loved that "Joyful Learning" is so highly valued her and I was excited to work for a school that was growing like Westside is.  I can tell that the students and families are very invested in academic success.”

What was the most interesting thing you did this Summer?

“Well, moving over here was pretty exciting but I would have to say it would be a tie between a sixty mile canoe trip in Utah and racing my first Ironman.” 

   

Leslie Youngblood

What's your position at Westside?

“I'm the 3rd Grade Instructional Assistant in Jana's class.”

How has your experience at Westside been?

“I'm having a great time at Westside! Every day is a new adventure.”

What was your job before you came here?

“Right before I started here, I was a supervisor at one of the top ten busiest Starbucks in all of Seattle. Before that, I toured the US and Canada with the Missoula Children's Theatre.”

What do you like most about Westside?

“I love how friendly everyone is! I enjoy it when new people say hi and introduce themselves. My goal is to meet everyone by the end of the year.”

What made you choose to work at Westside?

“I wanted to work with kids again. It had been a while and you guys are a lot of fun!”

What was the most interesting thing you did this Summer?

“I was in a musical called "Urinetown" this summer! It's a silly title, but a fun show.”

Sophia Tolentino

What's your position at Westside?  

“ I am a Kindergarten Teacher”

How's your experience at Westside been?   

“Good! The staff is very welcoming!”

What was your job before you came here?   

“I was a Pre-K Teacher at Bertschi School.”

What do you like most about Westside?       

“The friendly community.”

What made you choose to work at Westside?     

“The community! (and the fact that it is much closer to my home than my last job)”

What was the most interesting thing you did this Summer?    

“I went on a family vacation with 17 of us in one big house in Hawaii...it was amazing!”

Jacob Lucero

What's your position at Westside?

“I am an Instructional Assistant in second grade.”

How's your experience at Westside been?

“I am enjoying the position, people, and students at the school. We are having a blast!”

What was your job before you came here?

“I was a private music instructor with a studio of 28 students who played violin, viola, guitar, and ukulele. Along with lessons I was performing professionally around Colorado.”

What do you like most about Westside?

“I like the school atmosphere. The teachers are great to work with and it is a fun place.”

What made you choose to work at Westside?

“On the website there was a phrase that stuck with me. The phrase was "we make learning fun." Once I read that I knew that I had to be part of the team.”

What was the most interesting thing you did this Summer?

“The biggest thing was that we moved to Seattle in July. I had a little road trip from Colorado to Seattle and it was nice to see the different states.”

Kate Kandarian

What is your position at Westside?

“I am a 4th grade Instructional Assistant.”

How has your experience at Westside been?

“Excellent! The people here are incredibly welcoming and kind. I am greatly enjoying myself thus far.”

What was your job before you came here?

“I was a manager at a bakery and an after-school teacher in San Francisco, California.”

What do you like most about Westside?

“The people!”

What made you choose to work at Westside?

“Westside embodies a lot of the same ideals and philosophies that I hold most important.”

What was the most interesting thing you did this Summer?

“I moved! From San Francisco to Fremont.”

Laura Anderson

What's you're position at Westside?

I am the Senior Accountant at Westside School.

How's you're experience at Westside been?

I have worked here since July 14th and since then I have learned a ton, I have made mistakes too - but making mistakes always tells me I'm learning.

What was your job before you came here?

My job before was with Charlie's Produce and before that I worked for the Seattle Boat Show.

What do you like most about Westside?

I enjoy everything so far about working at Westside, the work is busy and engaging and the people are very fun to work with.

What made you choose to work at Westside?

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What was the most interesting thing you did this Summer?

This summer I took my daughter to college in Flagstaff Arizona and was able to spend some time there seeing the town she is going to live in for the next four years.

Debbie Treen

What's your position at Westside?

I am the Consulting CFO (Chief Financial Officer).

How's your experience at Westside been?

I've fallen in love. It's my first time working in a school environment. I love hearing the kids in the hall and the youth atmosphere.

What was your job before you came here?

I was a consultant for many other companies. Working with a non profit organization working with domestic violence. I also worked in the Insurance and Funeral business.

What do you like about Westside?

I like the Teacher Appreciation days. There's lot of good food.

What made you choose to work at Westside?

I came because I knew I could reach make the financial needs needed for the new school campus.

What was the most interesting thing you did this Summer?

I went to the White River Amphitheater and saw Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails.  

Who Are the New Staff At the Westside Wolf?

By Kieran and Callum

Here are the new staff at the Westside Wolf and some fun facts to get to know them better. At The Westside Wolf, 6-8th graders work as a group with our Humanities teacher, Susannah, to post articles on all sorts of topics.

Henry

Henry is an athletic 7th grader, has a dog named Charlie and has been at Westside since kindergarten. He takes Chinese and enjoys writing sports articles in blog. If he could be any superhero, he would be The Hulk, with speed. Henry would be a Sea Hippo (ask Susannah or any 8th grader especially Kate) if he could be any animal, and likes dogs more than cats. Henry's favorite cereal is Lucky Charms, and he wants to be a professional baseball player when he grows up.

Kate

The first thing you need to knows about Kate is that if she could be any animal she would be a sea hippo. She likes dogs more than cats, and has a dog by the name of Cooper. She has been at Westside for four years and is now an 8th grader. Her favorite part of the blog is the freedom we have in the articles we write. Her favorite cereal is Fruit Loops, she takes Spanish class and her superhero of choice is the hulk. When she is older she wants to be an FBI agent.

Kai

Kai takes Chinese likes dogs more than cats and for some odd reason has 2 cats named Buster and Ozzie. He has been at westside for 9 years and is a 6th grader. His favorite cereal is Life and he would be a Komodo dragon if he was an animal. Kai wants to be a NBA basketball player when he grows up.His favorite part of the blog is being update on what other kids like.

David

David has been at Westside since second grade. He has a dog and takes Chinese.David's favorite cereal is Rice Krispies and he likes dogs more then cats. David would be Superman if he could be any superhero, and would be a lizard that runs on water if he could be any animal.  David wants to be a pilot when he grows up and enjoys writing about world conflicts in the blog.

Aisha

Aisha is an athletic 8th grade student who has been at Westside for 9 years. She takes Spanish, has a dog named Sheba and her favorite cereal is Frosted Flakes. Aisha likes dogs more than cats, would want to be superman, and if she could be any animal, she would be a bird because if death to this world came by water she could just fly. Her favorite part of the blog is the freedom we get to write. When Aisha was younger she wanted to be a Marine biologist, but she doesn't know what she wants to be now.

Luke

Luke has been at Westside for 10 years, has a dog named Larissa and takes Chinese. His favorite cereal is Honey O's, and he would be The Hulk if he could be any superhero. He likes dogs a lot more than cats, and would be a butterfly if he could be any animal in the world. Luke enjoys writing interesting topics in blog and wants to be a fireman when he grows up.

Jac

This is Jac's 2nd year at Westside and he is now beginning 7th grade. Jac loves Life (the cereal), if he could be any animal he would be a waffllama (waffle+Llama).  He likes dogs more than cats but for some odd reason he has 2 cats and only 1 dog. He takes Spanish and if he was a superhero he would be Ironman. Jac has no idea of what he wants to be when he grows up, his favorite part of the blog is participating with others.

Kieran

Kieran has been at Westside since kindergarten, and has a dog named rocket. His favorite cereal is Cocoa Krispies and he takes Chinese. Kieran likes dogs more than cats, his favorite superhero is Ironman, and if he could be any animal in the world he would be a human because they are an advanced species. Kieran's favorite part of blog is editing, he wants to be a scientist when he grows up.

Callum had been at Westside since kindergarten, has 2 dogs and 2 parrots and takes Chinese. If Callum could be any superhero, he would be Ironman. He likes dogs more than cats, and if he could be any animal in the world, he would be a mimic octopus.Callum favorite part of blog is interviewing people, he wants to be a spinal surgeon when he grows up.

Will

Will has been at Westside school since preschool, has 2 Guinea Pigs named  

Cuy and Peru.  He takes Spanish and his favorite cereal is Fruit Loops. If he could be any superhero he would be the Green Lantern. Will likes dogs more than cats, would be a seal if he was an animal.  His favorite part of blog is the aspect of writing. When he grows up he wants to be a landscape architect.

Emilio

Emilio is a fan of fantasy football, and has been at Westside since kindergarten. He has two cats which he loves.  He takes Spanish and his favorite cereal is Rice Krispies. If he could be any superhero, he would be Super Man. He likes cats more than dogs, and. If he could be any animal in the world, he would be a shark. His favorite part of blog is writing about fantasy football and he wants to be a sports writer when he grows up.

Chris

Chris has been at Westside for 9 years. His favorite part of the blog is writing articles that interest him, and he takes Chinese. He has 1 dog and he prefers them more than cats. He doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up, and if he could be any supe hero he would be "Black Widow, duh." His favorite cereal is Cheerios and if he could be any animal he would be a Christophian shark.

Kayla

Kayla has 3 cats a dog 13 fish and a bunny. She has been at Westside for 9 years and is now an 8th grader. Kayla's favorite cereal is Frosted Flakes and if she could be any animal she would be an anaconda. She takes Spanish and would be Batwoman if she could. Finally Kayla likes cats more than dogs.  Her favorite part of the blog is the freedom we have in the articles we write and she wants to be OBGYN when she grows up.


That is our staff team! We have a lot of articles and varieties of articles as well, so make sure to go and check them out!  

Ecoli Scare

By:Jac smith

The September 28th  e coli scare in Mercer Island affected schools, shops and lunches for many people.

Shops were forced to close to prevent spreading e coli in drinks and fresh farm foods. Schools couldn’t use fresh lunch while the e coli problem is going on;  canned foods were the only school lunches allowed because fresh foods could have spread the bacteria.

Houses on Mercer Island were instructed to boil water before consumption because the microscopic bacteria moves within liquids  and was found to be in tap water (the water from the sink).  Bottled water or boiled water was the only water was ok to drink or used in cooking until the e coli notice was lifted.

On 10/13/14 the city of Mercer Island announced that the boil water advisory had been lifted and the water is ok to drink.  Lets hope that West Seattle never had the same scare!

The 6th Grade Travels into the Unknown

By Kai and David

The 6th grade trip was more than just a trip, it was an adventure. On the first day the 6th Graders split up into van groups and drove to the campsite in Mazama, Washington. On the first day at camp they woke up and got into their van groups, two went hiking on a fun trail that ended at a beautiful waterfall, the other group went rock climbing at a site of about 15 walls. They were all high up, and very difficult. The second day was the same, but the groups switched activities. On the third day everyone went backpacking. They split up into three different groups, each group going to a different camp. Everybody tried something new on the backpacking trip, one group slept out of tents, and one group even slept next to a river. On the final day everybody reunited, had lunch, and said their farewells to the AWESOME group counselors.

The moon was full (or at least really close) every night, the stars were beautiful, and the air was fresh. There were many funny moments and definitely some good quotes to take home. One of our favorite quotes was by Hanna, "Being smart is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, being wise is not putting it in a fruit salad."

At some point in the trip everybody was out of their comfort zone, but everyone also overcame their individual challenges. Some struggled more than others, but everybody was still able to have fun. Sydney said, "I really enjoyed playing ninja at the campsite." She also mentioned how she was able to overcome her fear of heights. When asked what her favorite part of the backpacking trip was and she said that there were many funny times when trying to fall asleep.

If you  ask any 6th grader, "How would you describe the trip?" They would all say that it was an experience like no other.

                                        

7th Grade Trip

by David and Kai

The seventh grade backpacking trip  in the Cascade Range near Cle Elum was full of excitement. The 7th grade class was split up into three groups, each going on different trails in the Cascades. The first night however, they all stayed together at Salmon La Sac, a campground near Cle Elum. On Tuesday and Wednesday they backpacked to Waptus Lake, Kate Lake and Pete Lake. On their last day, Friday, the 7th graders reunited and made the hour and a half journey home.

During the week 7th graders bonded at the campfire talks, explored lakes and rivers, and learned exciting new games.  Although each trip had it's funny parts and its difficulties, it was an adventure for all. Everyone overcame a different challenge, from homesickness to hiking. The views were beautiful, the air was fresh, the stars were marvelous.

Halloween Fest

By Kate and Kayla

The annual Westside School Halloween Fest is occurring this year on October 25th from 11am to 3pm. This year, the event will be run quite differently. Although there is no longer a haunted hallway, there have been many improvements made throughout the fest including changes in regards to our ticketing system, prizes and games overall. We are currently looking for student volunteers to sign up for one hour shifts to help assist with managing activities and stations throughout. Volunteering service hours will help fund our dance (potentially off campus). Sign up sheets for volunteering are located outside of Susannah's room and are filling up fast. We encourage all students to attend and sign up to help. We look forward to seeing all of you there!