| Please note that the next Weekly will be sent on Monday, April 6. ANNOUNCEMENTS PARENT GIVING MAKES UP 43 PERCENT OF THE WESTRIDGE ANNUAL FUND – YOUR GIFT MATTERS! 
Although parent giving is essential, Westridge receives significant support from other constituencies. Less than half of the Annual Fund contributions come from parents. Most gifts come from individuals, including Trustees (13 percent), Alumnae (16 percent), and others (15 percent). Foundation grants account for 13 percent of the goal. This support is critical in supporting Westridge’s mission, and is enthusiastically provided a many people who are our parents’ commitment to a Westridge education. Make your gift here! Registration for the Westridge Summer Program Westridge School is excited to offer an innovative summer program providing an opportunity for girls to hone scientific and technical skills, develop passions, and engage in their communities and beyond. The Lower and Middle School program is open to girls, from all schools, entering grades 3-8. These programs are led by Westridge’s incredible faculty members and hosted on the school’s beautiful, green campus. A summer travel program is offered to Westridge Upper School students. See the next blurb for information. Lower and Middle School sessions run June 15—26 and July 6—17. Click here for more information or to register or contact us at 626.799.1053, ext. 177 or summerprogram@westridge.org. Westridge Summer Program for Upper School Westridge is pleased to announce that, as part of our Summer Program, Westridge faculty member Tarra Stephenson will lead a student trip to New York City this June. She will hold an informational meeting at 3:15 p.m., this Friday, March 20 in EC 24 for all interested students and their parents. While we know this is short notice for the meeting, we want to get information into your hands as quickly as possible. If you are unable to attend, please email Ms. Stephenson at tstephenson@westridge.org in order to learn more about the trip. We’ve partnered with EF Explore America, the world's largest private education organization, which has helped students discover the world through experiential education opportunities for 50 years. We will be taking a 5-day tour called New York City: Broadway and the Arts. You can view the full itinerary HERE. During this trip, your student will have the opportunity to: * Attend a Broadway show * Take part in a drama workshop * Visit Times Square… and much more This is a great chance for your child to see and experience NYC with her peers and help to bring what she’s learning in the classroom to life. The cost of the trip is $2,372 per student (plus money for lunches and spending money), and is open to rising Westridge Upper School students (both those who are returning and those who are new to Westridge). The first payment of $1,000 is due March 27. Please make the check payable to Westridge School. The final payment will be due on May 1. Parents also need to turn in a completed enrollment form for your student. Please review the booking conditions which can be found HERE. By signing the enrollment form you accept the booking conditions. The enrollment form and the check are both due Friday, March 27. Please RSVP to Ms. Stephenson either to confirm your attendance at the meeting.
We Want Your Used Uniforms! Now is the time to go through your closets and drawers and collect any used uniforms that your daughters have outgrown or no longer need! Our used uniform committee will launder them for a resale on Tuesday, May 12! We welcome any khaki skirts, dress white uniforms, t-shirts, sweatshirts, or anything that is Westridge! Please drop anything in the collection bin under the stairs in Ranney Court. NEWS
Westridge Middle School Debate Team Wins 1st Place Tournament Award  The Westridge Middle School Debate Team won the 1st Place Tournament Award for highest percentage of wins at the Sequoyah School Debate Tournament on Saturday, March 14. The Westridge team brought five members: Rachel '19, Stephanie '19, Louise '19, Reese '20, and Kaylan '20. The girls researched, argued, debated, and thought on their feet to change strategy and tactic when necessary.
The Westridge Team also won several other awards: Team Rachel '19, Stephanie '19, Louise '19 placed 3rd – out of 30 teams! In Individual Speaker Awards category – Stephanie '19 placed 18th, Rachel '19 placed 7th, and the winner of the entire Tournament, placing #1 and winning the Gavel Award is Westridge’s Louise '19! Congrats! Middle School Orchestra Festival Features Composition, Student Film Scores (VIDEO)  Westridge hosted Jefferson Middle School (from San Gabriel) on Thursday, February 12 for the Middle School Orchestra Festival. This is the third time Westridge has held the event, but the first time an emphasis has been placed on music composition rather than performance. To focus on composition, Middle and Upper School Orchestra teacher Leo Kitajima created a short, stop-motion film and gave students the opportunity to score it. Click here to see a video explaining the program’s process which features some of the students’ scores or to read more.
ALL-SCHOOL CALENDAR
Dads’ Club Grammy Museum Tour 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 22 Free Event! All Westridge dads, daughters, moms, and siblings are invited to join the Dads’ Club for a special self-guided tour and activities at the Grammy Museum. The self-guided tour generally takes about 90 minutes, but you are welcome to stay as long as you like. In the museum you will enjoy interactive exhibits that will explore and celebrate music and the achievements of the legacies of the music industry from all musical genres including the Taylor Swift Experience which is on display for a limited time only! Meet at the entrance of the Grammy Museum located at 800 W. Olympic Blvd in downtown Los Angeles at 1:30 p.m. For questions, please contact Matt Peacore at peacore@sbcglobal.net. Click here to sign up. Tigers’ Home Game of the Week! 3 p.m. Softball 5:30 p.m. Lacrosse Thursday, April 9 Frank Field Hello Tigers! Westridge is hosting its first softball and lacrosse double-header! Softball hosts Flintridge Prep in a very important Prep League game at 3 p.m. and Lacrosse will host Chadwick School at 5:30 p.m. This is going to be super-fun! Stop by and be a part of history. Go Tigers! Come support the Tigers at any of their games this week: https://www.westridge.org/page.cfm?p=621.
Dads' Club Monthly Pick-Up Basketball Game 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, April 13 Hoffman Gym Calling all Westridge dads! Join us any time after 6 p.m. on Monday, April 13 for some fun, socializing, and of course, basketball. Again, dads will have to resist the urge to dunk as our hoops are not made to withstand dunking. Please note, only Westridge parents are allowed to participate and upon arrival should sign the waiver provided in the gym. What to bring: basketball basketball shoes (non-marking basketball court shoes only) water bottle If you have any questions, please contact Matt Peacore at peacore@sbcglobal.net. Grandparents & Friends Day – Friday, April 24 RSVPs are already arriving for Grandparents & Friends Day! If your students’ grandparents, uncle/aunt, godparents, and special friends have not yet received the invitation – or if you would like to add a grandparent/guest to be mailed - please contact Database and Research Manager Kathy Ignacio at kignacio@westridge.org to verify mailing address information. We have had a few invitations returned with a ‘forwarding’ address, and those were re-mailed. The schedule for Grandparents & Friends Day: 8:45 a.m. - Coffee & Registration - Madeline Court 9:25 a.m. - Welcome & Student Concert - Fran Norris Scoble Performing Arts Center (immediately after the concert, students will be waiting outside the PAC to greet their grandparents and guests) 10:30 a.m. - Class visits 11:30 a.m. - Lower School lunch - Madeline Court 11:45 a.m. - Middle and Upper School lunch - Madeline Court 12:30 p.m. - Guests depart; students return to class Reminder: Complimentary valet parking is available for all guests in the State Street parking lot. 2015 Across Colors Conference sponsored by The Independent School Alliance - early bird ticket price extended 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25 Westmark School - 5461 Louise Avenue, Encino 91316 Westridge is a member of The Independent School Alliance, a leading organization in private school admissions counseling that places underrepresented students at the elementary and secondary levels and a sponsor of this event. The conference is open to all faculty, staff, parents, and students in grades 7-12 of member schools, and will feature keynote speaker Carol Swainson, Assistant Head of School at St. James' Episcopal School and a diversity and inclusion expert. Attendees will engage in hands-on activities and participate in content-based discussions on the importance of building and sustaining inclusive, nurturing, forward thinking independent school campuses. Early bird ticket prices, extended through March 31, are $35 for students and $55 for adults and may be purchased here. WESTRIDGE ONLINE
Be Social – Follow Us!
Follow Westridge on social media:
www.facebook.com/westridgeschool
Twitter: @westridge100
Instagram: westridgeschool
Athletics:
Twitter: @westridgetigers
Instagram: gowestridgetigers
Facebook: westridgeathletics Spyglass: spyglass.westridge.org Theatre: View theatre photos | LOWER SCHOOL Lower School Experiential Week Monday, March 23 through Thursday, March 26 Monday, March 23 - 4th and 5th Grade only Portfolio Day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
On this day students and parents are assigned a conference time that is led by the student. There is no after-school care for 4th and 5th grades. - 6th Grade – Service Learning Program begins
Friends in Deed and picnic from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Parents with siblings in 4th and 5th grades, Portfolio Day from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 6th Grade programing continues from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 24 - 4th Grade – full day of school, 8 a.m. to 2:55 p.m.
- 5th Grade – first day of class trip to the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, 7:15 a.m. to overnight at the Ocean Institute
- 6th Grade – second day of 6th Grade Service Learning Program, 8 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. Kashgar Market
After-school care is available for 4th and 6th grade students until 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 25 - 4th Grade – class trip to San Diego, 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- 5th Grade – class trip to Ocean Institute and return to school 11:30 a.m.
- 6th Grade – Portfolio Day from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
After-school program on campus for 5th and 6th grades from 11:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Thursday, March 26 - Students may come to campus early at 8 a.m. to join Mary Tuck, Director of Lower School, for donuts and juice in Herrick Commons, or students may arrive at 9 a.m. and go directly to the Fran Norris Scoble Performing Arts Center for the Student Talent Show.
- Lower School Talent Show from 9 to 11 a.m. (students and teachers only)
- Pizza lunch from 11 a.m. - noon
School dismisses at noon and the after-school program will be on campus from noon until 6 p.m. Friday, March 27 SPRING BREAK – No school/programs. School will resume on Tuesday, April 7. If you have any questions about Lower School Experiential Week, please contact Hallye Smith, Assistant to Director of Lower School, at hsmith@westridge.org. Celebrate Math Day with 4th Grade 8 to 9:15 a.m. Thursday, April 9 Herrick Commons Parents are invited to join the 4th Grade to celebrate Math Day! What is Math Day, you might ask!? Well, it is an opportunity to partake in many of the activities that your daughter participates in during a typical math class. And the best part is that your daughters will be leading the activities for you! Please feel free to drop in for a few minutes anytime between 8 and 9:15 a.m. or join for the whole time. MIDDLE SCHOOL Last Call for Photos for 8th Grade Recognition Photos were due Tuesday, March 17. In the 8th Grade recognition ceremony, we create a video with photographs and the spoken voice of each student along with a reflection from her advisor of how we have seen her grow during her journey in Middle School. To help us create these video narratives, we need your help supplying seven photographs! If you have not already done so, please make sure to upload your 8th Grade Recognition photos to Edline. If you have any questions, please contact Farrell Young, Assistant to Director of Middle School, at fyoung@westridge.org. Middle School Discovery Week Photos Photos of Discovery Week will be posted daily next week. Check back to see them here! UPPER SCHOOL Interim Permission Slips Permission slips, as applicable, for Interim were due to the Upper School Office by Friday, March 13.
Cum Laude 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9 Braun Music Center Cum Laude is a national academic honor society that promotes scholarship and honors academic excellence in independent secondary schools. Each member school may induct 10 percent of its junior and 10 percent of its senior students each year. All current Cum Laude members and 2015 inductees have been notified of event details. Parents, family friends, and peers are welcome to attend. Black and White Dance hosted by the Class of 2017 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 10 Braun Music Center - Westridge School $10 at the door - includes a free baked good The Sophomore Dance is open to anyone in grades 9-12. Students should bring a student ID or driver’s license to enter, as well as extra money to purchase more treats. All proceeds go to She’s the First. This year's theme is "Black and White." Attire should be black and white. Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 14 Herrick Commons The Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (SHH) is an honor society sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. The purpose of the society is to recognize high achievement of high school students in the Spanish language and to promote a continuing interest in Hispanic studies. Westridge students selected for membership in the SHH will be inducted into the Antonio Buero Vallejo chapter during this ceremony. Parents, family friends, and peers are welcome to attend. |
