WUSD Community Chronicle 8/14/26

WUSD Community Chronicle Lead with Heart: Inspire with Purpose 8/14/26 What a great 2nd week back to school! Have a great weekend!! Please join the WUSD socials: https://www.facebook.com/westsideschools https://www.instagram.com/westsideunionschools/ Rossall's Round Up- News from the WUSD Superintendent Good evening, Westside Families, as we conclude our second week of school, we have some good news to share.    The counseling program at Esperanza School has been named an Exemplary Counseling Program by the California Association of School Counselors. This is a wonderful recognition for the work of our counselors in meeting the needs of all of our students. Congratulations, Esperanza! Previously, The IDEA Academy at Cottonwood School received a “Bright Spot Recognition” for The 74 for the on grade-level reading schools of the students this past year. Congratulations, Cottonwood! We have continued to apply for grants to help grow our CTE Program, and received word this week that our partnership with the Antelope Valley Union High School District has resulted in an additional $365,000 grant for additional programs at our middle schools. Congratulations! Over 700 volunteers participated in our annual picture day yesterday. Thank you so much for the many parents and grandparents who volunteer in our classrooms regularly. Thanks also to the many volunteers who have completed their orientations, fingerprinting, and taken the newly state-required training. Our students and staff look forward to seeing you at their schools. If you still need fingerprints completed, please call the district office to make an appointment.   This past week included several more Back to School Nights, and some PTA/PTSA’s started hosting dine-out nights. Thanks to all who attended our events, and special thanks to our staff members who were presenting during the Back to School Nights.   If you would still like to receive your Volunteer Training, please be advised that you can attend sessions at any of our school sites, not just the one where you plan to volunteer. For those who need a weekend training session, one is being held at Anaverde Hills on Saturday, August 29th at their site. This training will follow their annual welcome back breakfast and is expected to start at about 10:45 a.m. If you are still looking for another training session, please check with your school office for locations and times of events throughout the district. We appreciate the hard work of our students as we have begun our NWEA assessment for the school year. This assessment allows us to determine where students' skills in English-Language Arts and Mathematics are in most of our grade levels. You will receive information about the assessment results when all of our students have completed the assessments. Thanks again to our students for their diligence in completing the assessments. I hope you have a wonderful weekend with time for family, friends, and just relaxing.   6th Grade Del Sur Dragons in Action! Del Sur's 6th graders explore lab safety in their Medical Detectives class. They are practicing moving water from a cup to a graduated cylinder using only a straw. Academic Corner: One week down, one to go We're halfway through our fall MAP testing window. Students across Westside Union School District have been showing their teachers what they know, and the window runs through Friday, August 21st. If your child has already finished, great. Their teacher is already using those results to plan instruction. If your child tests next week, the routine stays the same: consistent bedtime, solid breakfast, and a reminder that this is just a starting point, not a grade. A reminder about hard questions MAP Growth adapts to your child. The better they do, the harder it gets. So when your child says "some of the questions were really hard," that's the test working exactly as designed. Most students only know about half the answers. Hard questions mean the test found the edge of what they know, and that edge is exactly what their teacher needs to see. Conversation starters for this week ·        "What kind of questions did you see today, reading or math?" ·        "Was there a question that made you think really hard? What did you do?" ·        "How did it feel when you finished your section?" ·        "What's one thing you hope your teacher notices about your work?" What comes next Once the window closes on the 21st, teachers dig into the results and use them to plan the year's instruction. Family reports will come home later this fall, and we'll walk you through how to read them when they do. One more week, Westside. Our students are off to a strong start. Accessing Student Curriculum Video: Check out this video on accessing student curriculum at home! Accessing Student Curriculum at Home Using Google Chrome and Clever - Screencastify PowerSchool Information Academic Corner: Welcome back, Westside. Here's how to get into PowerSchool. Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year. We're glad your family is here. One of the first things to set up this week is PowerSchool, the system where you'll see your child's grades and attendance all year long. There are two ways to access it: through a web browser on your phone or computer, or through the PowerSchool app. Both show the same information. Pick whichever works best for you. Option 1: PowerSchool through your browser Go to powerschool.westsideunion.com/public on any phone, tablet, or computer. Log in with your username and password. Bookmark it so you can get back quickly. Option 2: The PowerSchool app Download the free PowerSchool Mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. When it asks for a district code, enter TLDJ. Then log in with the same username and password you'd use on the website. Already have a student in the district? Your account is the same one you've been using. Same username, same password. If you've forgotten your login, use the "Forgot Password" link on the sign-in page or contact your child's school office for a new copy of your access letter. New to Westside Union School District? Your child will bring home a letter during the first week of school with your PowerSchool access information, including your username and password. Keep that letter somewhere safe. Once you have it, follow either option above to log in. Why it matters PowerSchool is where you'll track your child's progress all year. Grades update in real time, so you'll always know where your student stands. Attendance records are there too, so you can confirm your child's daily check-ins. Make it a habit to log in once a week. It takes 2 minutes and keeps you connected to what's happening in the classroom. If you run into trouble logging in, your child's school office can print a new access letter for you. Parent PowerSchool Link Antelope Valley Boys and Girls Club- Fall Program Information WUSD ELOP Fall After-School Program is starting soon. Check out the flier and information for your site today! You can find out registration information through the QR Code or the link on the flier! Attendance Recovery! ALL students can sign up for the Short Term Independent Study Program (STIS) WUSD is continuing to offer a new program for Independent Study. The link below is to a consent agreement for the WUSD Short-Term Independent Study (STIS) program, a voluntary option for students who need to be absent from school for a short period, such as for an illness or a family vacation. It allows students to complete assigned work and receive attendance credit for the absence. By signing up for STIS, students can stay on track and avoid having absences marked as unexcused, which can impact academic progress. The agreement states that students who complete their work on time will be given credit for attendance. **You can sign up using the QR code or the blue STIS Program Link Consent Form Link button, as well as on your annual updates through PowerSchool. STIS Program Link- Consent Form WUSD is Hiring Classified and Certficated Positions Join the WUSD team! Check out the many opportunities in WUSD! https://www.edjoin.org/westsidek12 Community Events and Involvement NWEA Testing window: August 10th-21st WUSD Board Meeting on Tuesday, August 18th, at 6:00 p.m. Minimum day: August 31st Contact information If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach out via the following links: (661) 722-0716 ext 71007 j.kott@westside.k12.ca.us https://www.westside.k12.ca.us/ https://www.facebook.com/westsideschools https://www.instagram.com/westsideunionschools/

Saturday, Aug 15 2026

WUSD Community Chronicle 8/07/26

WUSD Community Chronicle Lead with Heart: Inspire with Purpose 8/07/26 Thank you for a great first week back! We hope everyone had a great week back on campus! It was great to see students learning and enjoying school activities. Please join the WUSD socials: https://www.facebook.com/westsideschools https://www.instagram.com/westsideunionschools/ Rossall's Round Up- News from the WUSD Superintendent Thanks to all of our parents for your support in our opening week of the school year. Updating your children’s PowerSchool information as well as completing other forms or information requests from the school staff is greatly appreciated and helps us ensure that we have correct information for contacting your family in the event it is necessary. My staff and I have had the opportunity to attend the various Back to School Night events both last week and this, as well as visiting many of the school sites during the school day. Each back-to-school event provided parents with a glimpse into the coming school year, a review of the teacher’s expectations, and a chance to meet the teacher. Thank you for taking the time to participate at your children’s school and get this school year off to a good start. The last K-8 Back to School event is this evening, but both Hillview and Joe Walker Middle Schools will host Back to School Night on Thursday, August 13th. Information about those events is available on the schools’ ParentSquare.   Our PTA/PTSA’s are busy at each of our schools with opening events, membership drives, and making more plans to support student learning. Please consider getting involved! Volunteer picture day is Thursday, August 13th from 7:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is being held at Gregg Anderson Academy. All pictures will be taken on this day; however, volunteers must have completed their orientation, taken required training, and have cleared fingerprints on file prior to the badge being issued. All badges will be issued at the site where you volunteer. We are very appreciative of your support. As many of you are aware, the Board of Trustees has sought input from the community regarding whether to seek a bond for various needed projects at our schools. At the most recent meeting, there was no action to move forward with placing the bond on the November ballot.   Thank you for a wonderful first week of the school year. We look forward to your continued participation throughout 26-27. Academic Corner: Fall MAP testing starts Monday Our fall NWEA MAP testing window opens Monday, August 10th. Students will take assessments in reading and math, and our youngest readers will also complete a short oral reading check. Here's what each one is and who takes it. MAP Growth (math: grades K-8, reading: grades 1-8), August 10-21 MAP Growth is a computer-adaptive assessment that adjusts as your child answers. Get a question right, the next one is a little harder. Miss one, the next is a little easier. That design helps the test find exactly what your child knows and what they're ready to learn next. MAP Reading Fluency (grades K-2), August 10-19 MAP Reading Fluency is different. Instead of answering questions on a screen, your child reads aloud, and the assessment measures how smoothly and accurately they read. For our K-2 students, it gives teachers a clear picture of early reading skills: fluency, accuracy, and comprehension. If your kindergartner or 1st grader comes home saying they "read to the computer," this is what they meant. Why we test in August Fall scores are the starting line. They give your child's teacher a clear picture of where each student is right now, in the second week of school, so instruction can start at the right level from day one. When students test again in December and spring, we measure how far they've grown from this baseline. The fall score isn't a judgment. It's a "you are here" marker. How to help at home Sleep first. A rested brain focuses longer and recalls more. Consistent bedtimes this week and next make a real difference. Feed the morning. Protein and complex carbs (eggs, oatmeal, yogurt) hold up better than sugary cereal. Keep it low-stakes. No studying needed. Tell your child the test just shows their teacher what to teach next. Explain the challenge. On MAP Growth, most students will only know about half the answers. That's the design working. If questions feel hard, your child is doing well. One conversation to have this weekend Ask your child: "What do you want to get better at this year?" Fall testing is where that goal gets its starting point. In December, you'll both get to see how far they've come. Have a great first full week, Westside. Accessing Student Curriculum Video: Check out this video on accessing student curriculum at home! Accessing Student Curriculum at Home Using Google Chrome and Clever - Screencastify Jet's Jamboree was a sucess! Today, Joe Walker Jet students and staff participated in a day filled with team-building events, information about support staff on site, a behavior-discipline assembly, and more! ASB students helped run awesome games in the gym! PowerSchool Information Academic Corner: Welcome back, Westside. Here's how to get into PowerSchool. Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year. We're glad your family is here. One of the first things to set up this week is PowerSchool, the system where you'll see your child's grades and attendance all year long. There are two ways to access it: through a web browser on your phone or computer, or through the PowerSchool app. Both show the same information. Pick whichever works best for you. Option 1: PowerSchool through your browser Go to powerschool.westsideunion.com/public on any phone, tablet, or computer. Log in with your username and password. Bookmark it so you can get back quickly. Option 2: The PowerSchool app Download the free PowerSchool Mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. When it asks for a district code, enter TLDJ. Then log in with the same username and password you'd use on the website. Already have a student in the district? Your account is the same one you've been using. Same username, same password. If you've forgotten your login, use the "Forgot Password" link on the sign-in page or contact your child's school office for a new copy of your access letter. New to Westside Union School District? Your child will bring home a letter during the first week of school with your PowerSchool access information, including your username and password. Keep that letter somewhere safe. Once you have it, follow either option above to log in. Why it matters PowerSchool is where you'll track your child's progress all year. Grades update in real time, so you'll always know where your student stands. Attendance records are there too, so you can confirm your child's daily check-ins. Make it a habit to log in once a week. It takes 2 minutes and keeps you connected to what's happening in the classroom. If you run into trouble logging in, your child's school office can print a new access letter for you. Parent PowerSchool Link Antelope Valley Boys and Girls Club- Fall Program Information WUSD ELOP Fall After-School Program is starting soon. Check out the flier and information for your site today! You can find out registration information through the QR Code or the link on the flier! Attendance Recovery! ALL students can sign up for the Short Term Independent Study Program (STIS) WUSD is continuing to offer a new program for Independent Study. The link below is to a consent agreement for the WUSD Short-Term Independent Study (STIS) program, a voluntary option for students who need to be absent from school for a short period, such as for an illness or a family vacation. It allows students to complete assigned work and receive attendance credit for the absence. By signing up for STIS, students can stay on track and avoid having absences marked as unexcused, which can impact academic progress. The agreement states that students who complete their work on time will be given credit for attendance. **You can sign up using the QR code or the blue STIS Program Link Consent Form Link button, as well as on your annual updates through PowerSchool. STIS Program Link- Consent Form Volunteer Picture Day August 13th Date & Time: Thursday, August 13, 2026, 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Closed for lunch 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM) Location: Gregg Anderson Academy Community Room 5151 West Avenue N-8, Palmdale, CA. 93551 WUSD is Hiring Classified and Certficated Positions Join the WUSD team! Check out the many opportunities in WUSD! https://www.edjoin.org/westsidek12 Community Events and Involvement Volunteer Picture Day: August 13th WUSD Board Meeting on Tuesday, August 18th, at 6:00 p.m. Minimum day: August 31st Contact information If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach out via the following links: (661) 722-0716 ext 71007 j.kott@westside.k12.ca.us https://www.westside.k12.ca.us/ https://www.facebook.com/westsideschools https://www.instagram.com/westsideunionschools/

Saturday, Aug 08 2026

WUSD Community Chronicle 8/02/26

WUSD Community Chronicle Lead with Heart: Inspire with Purpose 8/02/26 Can't Wait to See Everyone for the First Day of School on Monday, August 3rd! We hope you had an amazing summer filled with special moments with your friends and family! Reminder: there will be a Community Newsletter sent out through ParentSquare each Friday at 5:00 pm. Your site will send out a newsletter through ParentSquare every Sunday evening. Reminder: the first day of school is tomorrow, Monday, August 3rd, and there are minimum days on August 3rd and 4th! Please join the WUSD socials: https://www.facebook.com/westsideschools https://www.instagram.com/westsideunionschools/ Rossall's Round Up- News from the WUSD Superintendent Welcome back, Westside Families, Good afternoon. I am so excited to begin the 26-27 school year and to welcome all of you back to school. Our classes start on Monday, August 3rd, which will be a minimum day. Please check the school website for the exact start and end times for the school(s) your children will be attending. During the summer, I am hopeful that you had some special family time for vacations, picnics, sports, swimming, family games, and all the many things you enjoy doing together. We are so happy you will be returning to school tomorrow as we begin this new school year.   We are welcoming nearly 50 new educators to our district, and we are delighted to welcome them. We are also welcoming about 60 new classified employees, too. Please be sure to greet both our new and returning staff. They will appreciate knowing they are welcomed by you.   This past week, several other staff members and I had the opportunity to visit Back to School Nights at The IDEA Academy at Cottonwood School, Anaverde Hills School, Leona Valley School, Esperanza School. Sundown School, Rancho Vista School (primary grades), and Quartz Hill School. The events were well attended, and our staff had done a great job of setting up the classrooms to welcome families. I am hopeful that you were able to see the many tasks that were completed over the summer on each campus. In the coming week, Back to School Nights are scheduled for Gregg Anderson Academy, Rancho Vista (upper grades), and Del Sur School. One of the major projects over the summer has been the reconstruction of the block wall that surrounds the kindergarten area at Del Sur School. The wall looks terrific, and the additional concrete added to the play area has made a substantial difference. We also will be opening our esports lab for students at Hillview Middle School. We thank all of our staff who worked on various projects this summer, including floor and carpet installation, lawn revitalization, painting, general cleaning and maintenance, and so many more.   Tuesday evening will be the first Board meeting of the new school year. The meeting will start with a closed session at 5 p.m., and the regular public session at 6 p.m. Board meetings are held at Hillview Middle School on the corner of Peonza Lane and Rancho Vista Boulevard in Palmdale. Board members are Andrew Rowe, President, John Curiel, Vice President, Dr. Christopher Grado, Clerk, Jennifer Navarro, Member, and Steve DeMarzio, Member. Like last year, our school resource officer coverage will be provided by the Lancaster Police Department. One of the additional resources that we are using this year is allowing the K-9 unit to come onto the campus to help the dog and his handler get more familiar with our campus layout, so that in the event of an emergency, the dog will already know the campus. If your kids mention that they saw a dog on campus, this will likely be the reason.  Continued message from Mrs. Rossall They will be working on this when students are in class, or before or after school. We appreciate the additional resources being provided. Like last year, there will usually be 2 SRO’s available to support our sites on school days. You’ll also notice some electronic reminder signs to slow down as you drive around our schools; everyone’s safety depends on us taking individual responsibility for safe driving.   For parents who need after-school child care, Boys & Girls Club is available at the elementary schools and for 6th graders at the middle schools for no charge currently. Please be sure to register your child if this service is needed. This program is funded through a state grant (Expanded Learning Opportunity Program–ELOP) for students in TK-6th grade. Last year we were also able to provide services to 7th and 8th graders, but that is no longer available through the grant. We are looking to find a parent-pay service program for 7th and 8th graders. Other services such as Innovations may also be available for a charge. As with every school year, you’ll receive a list of items that require you to update or revise them every year, and in most cases, those forms are sent out and returned electronically. The sooner they are turned in, we’ll have the most updated information about your child, which helps to keep them safe every day.  Welcome Back! Academic Corner Academic Corner: Welcome back, Westside. Here's how to get into PowerSchool. Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year. We're glad your family is here. One of the first things to set up this week is PowerSchool, the system where you'll see your child's grades and attendance all year long. There are two ways to access it: through a web browser on your phone or computer, or through the PowerSchool app. Both show the same information. Pick whichever works best for you. Option 1: PowerSchool through your browser Go to powerschool.westsideunion.com/public on any phone, tablet, or computer. Log in with your username and password. Bookmark it so you can get back quickly. Option 2: The PowerSchool app Download the free PowerSchool Mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. When it asks for a district code, enter TLDJ. Then log in with the same username and password you'd use on the website. Already have a student in the district? Your account is the same one you've been using. Same username, same password. If you've forgotten your login, use the "Forgot Password" link on the sign-in page or contact your child's school office for a new copy of your access letter. New to Westside Union School District? Your child will bring home a letter during the first week of school with your PowerSchool access information, including your username and password. Keep that letter somewhere safe. Once you have it, follow either option above to log in. Why it matters PowerSchool is where you'll track your child's progress all year. Grades update in real time, so you'll always know where your student stands. Attendance records are there too, so you can confirm your child's daily check-ins. Make it a habit to log in once a week. It takes 2 minutes and keeps you connected to what's happening in the classroom. If you run into trouble logging in, your child's school office can print a new access letter for you. Parent PowerSchool Link We did it!! Our district met the board's attendance goal of a 95% overall attendance rate. Let's go Westside! Thank you, families, staff, and students, for helping us reach our goal! Thank you to everyone who prepared for our students' return! Thank you to all of our classified, certificated, management and confidential staff members who prepared for the return of our students! We appreciate your dedication to our students! Staff Trainings Over Summer: Our staff members were busy preparing for our students over the summer. The district provided training on: curriculum, new teacher support, Playworks, ELD information, Xello training and more! Backpack Giveaway-August 1st! Thank you for making the backpack giveaway a success! Thank you to all of the families and students for coming to Joe Walker for this event. Thank you to the City of Lancaster and to our WUSD staff members for making this event possible! Summer Program Recap Students participated in summer programs at WUSD! There were summer school courses, extended school year programs, credit retrieval sessions, and Boys and Girls Club opportunities! Thanks to all who participated and led these programs! Antelope Valley Boys and Girls Club- Fall Program Information WUSD ELOP Fall After-School Program is starting soon. Check out the flier and information for your site today! You can find out registration information through the QR Code or the link on the flier! Attendance Recovery! ALL students can sign up for the Short Term Independent Study Program (STIS) WUSD is continuing to offer a new program for Independent Study. The link below is to a consent agreement for the WUSD Short-Term Independent Study (STIS) program, a voluntary option for students who need to be absent from school for a short period, such as for an illness or a family vacation. It allows students to complete assigned work and receive attendance credit for the absence. By signing up for STIS, students can stay on track and avoid having absences marked as unexcused, which can impact academic progress. The agreement states that students who complete their work on time will be given credit for attendance. **You can sign up using the QR code or the blue STIS Program Link Consent Form Link button, as well as on your annual updates through PowerSchool. STIS Program Link- Consent Form WUSD is Hiring Classified and Certficated Positions Join the WUSD team! Check out the many opportunities in WUSD! https://www.edjoin.org/westsidek12 Community Events and Involvement First day of school: August 3rd Minimum days: August 3rd and 4th WUSD Board Meeting on Tuesday, August 4th, at 6:00 p.m. Contact information If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach out via the following links: (661) 722-0716 ext 71007 j.kott@westside.k12.ca.us https://www.westside.k12.ca.us/ https://www.facebook.com/westsideschools https://www.instagram.com/westsideunionschools/

Sunday, Aug 02 2026

26-27 School Year Updates- Westside Families- Letter...

Good Afternoon, Westside Families, I hope your summer has been filled with wonderful, restful adventures, shared moments with family, and plenty of time to recharge! We are so excited to welcome everyone back as the 2026-2027 school year officially begins on August 3rd. Please keep an eye out for a special letter coming your way this week from your child’s school principal, which will share all the exciting details about your specific school site. Starting July 31st, we will resume our regular weekly communications—district updates will arrive on Friday evenings, and school-specific information will follow on Sunday evenings. We look forward to staying connected with you weekly on Parent’s Square! I am thrilled to share an incredible milestone: this past year, our attendance rate reached 95%—a mark we haven't seen since 2019! This is a tremendous achievement we’ve been working toward for the past six years. A heartfelt thank you to our families for your partnership in prioritizing regular attendance, and to our dedicated staff for their unwavering support. Let’s set our sights even higher as we work toward a goal of 95.5% for the coming year! It has been a vibrant summer for our district. We are so proud that over 1,000 students participated in our Pathfinders’ summer programs with the AV Boys & Girls Club and our summer school at Gregg Anderson Academy. Meanwhile, our staff has been working hard to ensure our campuses are shining and ready for our students. From the exciting transformation of the science lab at Hillview Middle School into a new CTE (Career, Technical Education) esports classroom, to essential improvements at Del Sur School, and the fresh coats of paint, new carpets, and well-tended playgrounds across our sites—our schools are truly ready for your children. Thank you to our incredible team for their dedication to making our learning spaces the best they can be. We are also delighted to welcome new staff members to our classrooms, services, and administrative teams. Your principals will introduce you to these new faces in their upcoming newsletters. Principals and Vice Principals for the coming year are:    School Principal Vice-Principal Anaverde Hills Dr. Corey Stanis Casey Boggs IDEA Academy Tom Morreale Casey Boggs Del Sur  Natalia Compton   Amanda Blanchard Esperanza  Kat Conner James Webb Scottland McCraw Gregg Anderson Academy  Breanna Bland Noelle Zuaro Hillview Middle  Jordon Holmes Desiree Valdez Anastasia Assel Joe Walker Middle Tessa Grabas   Joshua Dluzak Jill Stanford Leona Valley Dr. Corey Stanis Casey Boggs Quartz Hill Shine Khalifa   Brianne Stanley Rancho Vista Rebecca Davis Justin Holtfreter Sundown   Jill Culver Scottland McCraw Sheena Roque Valley View Renee Hofmann Alekzandra Collins Mark Thomas Westside Union School District Board of Trustees No meetings of the Board take place during the month of July, but the first meeting of the 26-27 school year will be on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, and will be held at Hillview Middle School in Palmdale.  The opening closed session begins at 5 p.m., with the public session beginning at 6 p.m.  All meetings are open to the public. Enrollment If you or your neighbors still need to enroll students for school for this year, enrollment can be completed online.  Check the district’s website  www.westside.k12.ca.us   for more information.  For those with students entering TK this year, please be sure that all needed information for enrollment has been received and is complete.  Volunteers For our wonderful volunteers: we are updating our program to better support you. This year, we’ll introduce a new, helpful training program and a volunteer handbook, designed to guide you through expectations and procedures. This training will take place right at your child’s school. While we will share the badge picture dates soon, please note that training and signed forms will be required prior to photos being taken—a small change to help us better support your contributions. I am genuinely excited for this new school year, which truly marks a fresh start for our students and families alike. There are no changes to our school start times, and information regarding AVSTA bus pick-up and drop-off will be available in the coming weeks. Welcome back! We are so eager to meet you and your children as we open our doors for the 2026-2027 school year. On behalf of our entire team, let’s make this our best year yet. Sincerely, Gina Regina L. Rossall Superintendent

Monday, Jul 20 2026

WUSD Community Chronicle 6/05/26

WUSD Community Chronicle Lead with Heart: Inspire with Purpose 6/05/26 Schools Out Friday, June 5th! Thanks for a great school year! Have a wonderful and safe summer! Rossall's Round Up- News from the WUSD Superintendent Have a wonderful summer! I want to thank you for your continued support of our schools, your students, and our staff. Our parent support groups, including PTA, PTSA, and our School Site Councils, have been amazing in their efforts to enhance our school programs. WAVE, the education foundation that supports arts, sports, field trips, and many other extracurricular activities for our students, provided amazing events for our students this year. The HEROES Dinner that was held in May was also a wonderful financial success, which will serve the needs of our students in the coming years. Thanks to everyone for your support. We are still hiring staff for the upcoming school year. If you know a teacher who is interested in working in the district, someone who’d like to be an instructional assistant, please check out the district website for available positions. We are also looking for staff to fill other positions in the district as well.   If you or someone you know is interested in your child attending our schools next year, please enroll, which can be done totally online. Again, this information is available on the district website.  This year, we have had the service of officers from the Lancaster Police Department, and we thank the department for its support throughout this school year. We look forward to their continued support next school year.   If you applied for your child(ren) to transfer to another school in our district, notices will be sent out via email by early July advising whether or not your transfer request was granted.      Again, thank you for your support this year. I look forward to seeing you at some of the closing events our schools are hosting or at the annual middle school promotion programs.   Beginning June 8th, the district offices will begin summer hours. Most offices will be closed on Fridays, with longer hours Monday through Thursday. School Offices will be closed for the summer except for schools holding extended summer programs (ESY) and Boys & Girls Club programs. Most school offices will reopen during the week of July 27th.   Please enjoy the upcoming summer break, including some special family time, travel, camps, and many other special activities, as well as spending some time reading and practicing skills learned this past year.   Mrs. Rossall's Continued Message Dates to remember: June 5th Minimum Day, Last Day of Instruction June 12th Board Meeting June 16th Board Meeting June 19th Juneteenth Holiday, All Offices July 3rd Fourth of July Holiday Observed, All Offices Closed August 3rd School Opens for the 26-27 school year Counseling Corner Hello. My name is Jennifer Schmid, and I am the school counselor at QHE. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Deaf Studies at Cal State Northridge and my master's degree in educational counseling at the University of La Verne. I started my educational career in 2004 as a one-on-one assistant to a deaf student, as well as the interpreter for the teacher of the deaf and hard-of-hearing class, who was also deaf. That position showed me that I wanted to help all students, so I went back to school and became a school counselor. I have loved it ever since. I started with Westside in 2007 as the counselor for Hillview Middle School and worked there for 11 years before becoming the counselor at QHE. Though working with students from very different needs at the middle school and now the elementary school, I can say that school counseling has truly given me so much joy in my life. While working at Hillview, I mentored a group of 8th-grade students each year to become Peer Leaders for the school. This group helped in all types of areas, from being role models to their fellow students, putting on anti-bullying presentations for our neighboring elementary schools, and being ambassadors for the school when new students enrolled. While at Quartz Hill, in addition to teaching monthly classroom lessons on social/emotion learning, I have had the pleasure of coordinating with our community partners such as Toys for Tots and Chips for Kids and putting on an evening where invited parents could come, shop for a toy for each child in their household, wrap the gifts, receive a ham and food from our food drive all while their children made holiday crafts and had a snack while their parents' shopped. Each day during morning recess, I open my classroom to students who want to have just a quiet place off the playground to color and draw, and most days, I have upwards of 40 children enjoying the space. I enjoy helping students discover their strengths and navigate their relationships with other students, parents, and teachers. Though I have thoroughly enjoyed working with so many students, teachers, staff, and parents, I am moving on to the next chapter of my life and retiring at the end of this school year. I will be enjoying spending time with family and friends, seeing America while camping in our RV, and looking back on so many wonderful memories that the Westside School District has allowed me to experience. I will miss everyone dearly and am grateful for the lives I have touched and those that have touched mine. Quartz Hill Elementary has an on-site La Brea Tar Pit Experience! Check out this article in the AV Press! https://www.avpress.com/news/la-brea-tar-pits-mobile-museum-visits-av/article_a8b576a3-6976-4e0b-9c70-14d268ba8934.html AV Alta Professional Soccer Game- School's Out Game June 10th Hope to see you for the WUSD WAVE Night at AV ALTA School’s Out Event on June 10th, if you purchase a ticket throughout the summer and use the QR code on the flier, $10 per ticket goes to WAVE!  Congrats WUSD at the Mathlete Competition The mathlete competition that happened this week at Pete Knight High School. The Westside schools that competed in the competition were: Hillview, Joe Walker, Valley View, Rancho Vista, Esperanza, and Gregg Anderson.   6th Grade Results (21 total teams competed): A Hillview team placed 1st overall. A Gregg Anderson team placed 2nd overall. A Hillview team placed 3rd overall.    7th Grade: A Hillview team placed 1st overall. A Hillview team placed 2nd overall.    8th Grade: A Joe Walker team placed 1st overall.  A Hillview team placed 2nd overall.  Child Care Resource Center Information! Just in time for summer! Child Care Resource information, just in time for summer! Check out all of the opportunities available! The Growing Brain Parenting Training Opportunity! Join the Child Care Resource Center for Parent Training. Use the QR Code to learn more! Test Result Info A ParentSquare message was sent out on Wednesday, May 20th, with directions on how to access your child’s state test results in the CAASPP and/or ELPAC, as well! When your child has completed their state testing, these results will be available. Many students are still testing, and the results will not be available until their testing is completed. Step 1: Open your web browser and navigate to https://powerschool.westsideunion.com. Sign in with your parent username and password. *Note: This currently cannot be done through the PowerSchool app.   Step 2: Select "Score Reports" on the Grades and Attendance page.   Step 3: Select "CAASPP (Math/ELA/Science)" or "ELPAC" from the assessment drop-down menu and set the school year to "All". Then click "Get Report". Step 4: Click "View" to open the report Academic Corner Academic Corner: Your summer checklist One page. Seven items. Clip it to the fridge.   1. Get a library card (or dust off the old one). The Antelope Valley libraries run free summer reading programs with prizes and activities. Registration takes 5 minutes and gives your child access to thousands of books, audiobooks, and digital resources all summer long.   2. Visit next year's campus. If your child is changing schools in August, drive by. Walk the outside. Find the front office, the drop-off loop, the playground or courtyard. Familiarity kills first-day nerves. If orientation dates are announced, put them on the calendar now.   3. Read something every day. It doesn't matter what. Graphic novels, sports magazines, recipe books, the back of a cereal box. 20 minutes a day is enough to prevent summer reading loss. The only rule: words on a page, every day.   4. Cook one meal together each week. Measuring cups are fractions. Doubling a recipe is multiplication. Timers are elapsed time. Grocery budgets are real-world subtraction. Your kitchen is a math classroom, and dinner is the assignment.   5. Write something. A journal. A list of complaints. A review of every movie they watch. A letter to their future self. The format doesn't matter. Keeping the writing muscles warm over the summer means less catch-up in September.   6. Play a game that makes them think. Chess. Uno. Monopoly. Card games where they have to add, subtract, or strategize. Puzzles. Building projects. Anything that requires planning, counting, or problem-solving counts.   7. Talk about next year. Ask your child what they're looking forward to. Ask what they're nervous about. Ask what they want to get better at. One conversation before August can set the tone for the whole year.   That's the list. No workbooks. No tutoring. No stress. Just seven small habits that protect the learning your child built all year at Westside Union School District. Have a great summer, Westside. See you in August. ELOP Summer Program Information WUSD ELOP Summer Program for June 2026 is starting soon. Check out the flier and information today! Registration closed Friday, May 22, at 5:00 pm. You can find out registration information through the QR Code or the link button below! Registration Information Attendance Recovery! ALL students can sign up for the Short Term Independent Study Program (STIS) WUSD is offering a new program for Independent Study. The link below is to a consent agreement for the WUSD Short-Term Independent Study (STIS) program, a voluntary option for students who need to be absent from school for a short period, such as for an illness or a family vacation. It allows students to complete assigned work and receive attendance credit for the absence. By signing up for STIS, students can stay on track and avoid having absences marked as unexcused, which can impact academic progress. The agreement states that students who complete their work on time will be given credit for attendance. **You can sign up using the QR code or the blue- STIS Program Link Consent Form Link button. STIS Program Link- Consent Form WUSD is Hiring Classified and Certficated Positions Join the WUSD team! Check out the many opportunities in WUSD! https://www.edjoin.org/westsidek12 Community Events and Involvement WUSD Board Meeting on Tuesday, June 12th, at 12:00 p.m. Last day of school, June 5th Contact information If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach out via the following links: (661) 722-0716 ext 71007 j.kott@westside.k12.ca.us https://www.westside.k12.ca.us/ https://www.facebook.com/westsideschools https://www.instagram.com/westsideunionschools/

Saturday, Jun 06 2026