GOT CHARACTER?
WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
CHARACTER COUNCIL
OCTOBER SERVICE PROJECT
DONATIONS TO "OUR NEIGHBORS PLACE"
October, 2020
Members of the Westside Character Council made snack bags with inspirational notes for their October Service Project. The snack bags and notes were then donated to "Our Neighbors Place"
Kindness Retreat
Westside's fourth grade participated in Youth Frontiers Kindness Retreat in March!
Compassion
Westside participated in "Read to Feed" to support the work of Heifer International. We raised over $2000! The big reveal happened at our monthly assembly.
Character Kick Off Assembly.
On the Road Again...to good character! We started out the year with respect.
WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
RECEIVES 2016 NATIONAL PROMISING PRACTICES AWARD
"Character, Service Learning, & Circles"
April 2016
GOT CHARACTER?
WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
"READ TO FEED"
March 2016
GOT CHARACTER?
WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
"CITIZENSHIP AT WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL"
NOVEMBER 2018
WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
CELEBRATES THEIR BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE
September 27th, 2015
GOT CHARACTER?
WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Growing Character--"Westside Community Gardens Beginning to Grow"
June 2015
GOT CHARACTER?
WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Flag Raising Ceremony-September 2018
WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
A 2014 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence
CITIZENSHIP IN ACTION @
WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
WESTSIDE "pride groups" tidy-up the school hallways and the "lost and found" area.
WESTSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
CHARACTER IN ACTION
CHARACTER COACHING EVENINGS AT WESTSIDE
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION FOR CHARACTER EDUCATION
2014 State and National Promising Practice Award--"Team Westside/Character Coaching"
TEAM Westside is a creative and engaging initiative to reach out to families as partners in the character development of children. Five Character coaching evenings were scheduled during the school year with activities based on the feedback from the parent needs/interest survey. On TEAM Taco night, families gathered for team building games, food and all families left with the book 20 Gifts for Life, by Hal Urban. These evenings enhanced family awareness of character by giving students and parent the opportunity to discuss aspects of character while practicing good character together.
2014 State Promising Practice Award--"Youth Frontiers/Kindness Retreat"
Westside Elementary School (River Falls) – “Youth Frontiers Kindness Retreat”
The Kindness Retreat, a once a year event for 4th graders, has been held for four years and become the springboard for other character developing opportunities in this school. At the yearly retreat, students are engaged in activities that promote kindness, respect, learning about bullying and developing conflict resolution skills. Once back in the classroom, teachers incorporate role-play, journal writing and class discussion to provide ongoing practice and reflection. Beyond the classroom, students serve as student ambassadors, peer mediators, patrols and in other self-directed service projects.
2013 State Promising Practice Award--"Practice--Wildcat Way Videos"
Paraprofessionals at Westside Elementary understand that modeling good character is part of how children learn what different values look like in real life. They use role reversals and media to demonstrate to students what “The Wildcat Way” looks like throughout the school. The goal was to improve school climate by promoting character on the playground and in the hallways, lunchroom and other public areas throughout school. Paraprofessionals wrote and directed videos featuring staff and students. In these videos, teachers act out the wrong ways to behave in the school, followed by students saying “Stop! That is not the Wildcat Way”. Students are then the real stars showing how the hallways, lunchroom and playground look when everyone is following expectations. The videos are shown in all classrooms at the start of the year and again at mid-year. There are pauses after each video segment to promote class discussion. Posters around the school reinforce the “Wildcat Way”. The videos provide a common understanding of what respect and responsibility looks like and feels like. Staff says their school is calmer and feels safer and there are fewer office referrals since the use of the videos.
TEAM Westside is a creative and engaging initiative to reach out to families as partners in the character development of children. Five Character coaching evenings were scheduled during the school year with activities based on the feedback from the parent needs/interest survey. On TEAM Taco night, families gathered for team building games, food and all families left with the book 20 Gifts for Life, by Hal Urban. These evenings enhanced family awareness of character by giving students and parent the opportunity to discuss aspects of character while practicing good character together.
2014 State Promising Practice Award--"Youth Frontiers/Kindness Retreat"
Westside Elementary School (River Falls) – “Youth Frontiers Kindness Retreat”
The Kindness Retreat, a once a year event for 4th graders, has been held for four years and become the springboard for other character developing opportunities in this school. At the yearly retreat, students are engaged in activities that promote kindness, respect, learning about bullying and developing conflict resolution skills. Once back in the classroom, teachers incorporate role-play, journal writing and class discussion to provide ongoing practice and reflection. Beyond the classroom, students serve as student ambassadors, peer mediators, patrols and in other self-directed service projects.
2013 State Promising Practice Award--"Practice--Wildcat Way Videos"
Paraprofessionals at Westside Elementary understand that modeling good character is part of how children learn what different values look like in real life. They use role reversals and media to demonstrate to students what “The Wildcat Way” looks like throughout the school. The goal was to improve school climate by promoting character on the playground and in the hallways, lunchroom and other public areas throughout school. Paraprofessionals wrote and directed videos featuring staff and students. In these videos, teachers act out the wrong ways to behave in the school, followed by students saying “Stop! That is not the Wildcat Way”. Students are then the real stars showing how the hallways, lunchroom and playground look when everyone is following expectations. The videos are shown in all classrooms at the start of the year and again at mid-year. There are pauses after each video segment to promote class discussion. Posters around the school reinforce the “Wildcat Way”. The videos provide a common understanding of what respect and responsibility looks like and feels like. Staff says their school is calmer and feels safer and there are fewer office referrals since the use of the videos.