Westport Mission & Vision
Mission: Leverage the strengths of the Westport community to ensure academic growth for ALL!
Vision: Westport will be a venue for academic success!
Westport’s Collective Commitments: Our Team will:
Make decisions which are student-centered and aligned to our WHY!
Be present to model consistent processes and expectations!
Leverage learning opportunities to increase instructional minutes!
Presume positive intent in order to maintain positive mindsets!
Community Of Practice
In an effort to build a high-performing school that brings out the best in people, Westport will be participating in a Community of Practice Walkthroughs. In support of this goal, we encourage leaders, practitioners and organizational consultants to share strategies and practices for creating successful and flourishing workplaces.
It is our hope that our Community of Practice will be a home to learn and grow with peers and help advance positive instructional practices. Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.
Westport: Friday, November 8th 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
WHO: Will communicate at the beginning of the work week, November 6th, 2024
Draft Schedule
Week at a Glance |
Monday 11/4- No School; PAYBACK DAY for PARENT CONFERENCE HOURS |
Tuesday 11/5 - Teacher PD Day Athletic Events: |
Wednesday 11/6 - Wildcat Wednesday: Awareness celebration options 🙂 $1.00 to Stacy to wear jeans! Purple for Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Red for Native American Heritage Awareness Blue for Diabetes Awareness
Campus Events: Athletic Events: |
Thursday 11/7- Campus Events: Music Events: |
Friday 11/8 - Campus Events: 
Athletic Events: |
Looking Ahead: November SPED 101 Make Up Training: Monday, November 11th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. and Tuesday, November 19th from 7 a.m.-9:00 a.m. Westport Family Thanksgiving Basket Hand Out Day: Saturday November 23rd, from 9:00am - 12:30pm
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Teach Forward
Check your location by doing one of the following things:
On Your Home Page in Kickup, click Upcoming Events on your Dashboard. Your session will be listed there and you can open it to see the location.
Watch for a Kickup announcement (or check your Kickup emails).
Plan to arrive at your session for an 8AM start. With sessions spread out across the district to accommodate enrollments, plan to bring your own drink(s), snacks, and a charged device. Thanks in advance for your understanding!
Questions? Reach out to the Department of Professional Learning at 417-523-5512.
Do you have a long-term substitute that wishes to attend Teach Forward? Since that individual would be unable to register and plans to work on Tuesday, November 5, you can share the catalog and let the long-term substitute know to show up to the session of choice.
“Teach Forward Session #152: Standards-Based IEPs, Specially Designed Instruction, Co-teaching, Progress Monitoring”
Action Required - Westport PM Professional Development Sessions: please sign up for afternoon sessions HERE
Early Incentive
Springfield Public Schools is dedicated to retaining, supporting and recruiting the best teachers, leaders and staff to meet the needs of students. Identifying potential vacancies for the upcoming school year as early as possible helps SPS fill these positions with qualified candidates.
SPS already has in place, for eligible employees, an early notification incentive for contracted (under either a Teacher, Administrator or Professional Employment Contract) and for non-contracted employees per Board Policy GCPB and Collective Bargaining Agreement requirements, as applicable to the position.
This year, it is also critical to identify staffing needs early to support the ongoing work of developing next year's budget, which is anticipated to require a $7.5 million reduction in expenditures. A $1,500 one-time incentive has been approved for early notification of separation submitted by Nov. 30, 2024, for employees who meet eligibility criteria. Review all eligibility requirements for this incentive here. Employees who do not meet these eligibility requirements may still be eligible for one of the early notification incentives per Board Policy GCPB.
Thanksgiving Break
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I want to share with you plans for employee work schedules that week. SPS students are scheduled to be out of school the entire week of Thanksgiving, Nov. 25-29. District offices will be closed Nov. 27-29.
To allow employees some flexibility, work schedules will be modified the week of Thanksgiving. As duties allow, employees who are scheduled to work Monday, Nov. 25, and Tuesday, Nov. 26, may work remotely. Some employees (i.e. custodial, maintenance, school police, technology) will be required to report to work on Monday for necessary onsite responsibilities, but they will have the day off on Tuesday. These individuals will receive details about their work schedule from their supervisors.
District offices will remain open and office staff will work remotely Nov. 25-26. SPS will post the holiday schedule with district contact information through Let’s Talk at all SPS buildings. Administrative office buildings will also remain open to employees who may need to access the buildings on these days.
Please note: If you are already scheduled to be absent (PTO, Illness, Vacation, FMLA, etc.) your absence will be processed accordingly. If you do not want to be available for remote work Nov. 25-26, you must enter an absence into Frontline per board policy. Please refer any questions to your direct supervisor or Human Resources.
Student Spotlight
Athlete Sponsors Needed: If you would like to sponsor a Girls Basketball Player ($15 for their shirt), please email Coach C or Mr. Perkins!
Please add student pictures throughout the year to the School Family slideshow that plays during school in the commons. The students love seeing themselves being celebrated on the big screen!
Elementary Yearbook: please add photos of your class activities, events, or sweet moments to your folder in the shared drive; Westport Elementary Yearbook
PBIS Students of the Month
We are always seeking nominations for PBIS students of the month! If you have a student you would like to see recognized for their outstanding behavior or improvement, please email with a short description of the ROAR behaviors your nominee has demonstrated.
Wildcat Students of the Month
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Westport Elementary Wildcat of the Month Julietta Santiago | Westport Middle School Wildcat of the Month Kylie Day |
Elementary Attendance Celebrations
Friday we celebrated the top 3 classes for 1st quarter attendance with a snack & movie party in the commons!
Mrs. Toomey, Mrs. Bair, and Ms. Roberts classes had ROARING attendance!
Based on feedback, and success, we are going to increase the elementary attendance celebration from quarterly to monthly; the celebration dates will be sent to your class if you win and will take place in the commons from 1:30-2:05
Weekly attendance celebrations; top 3 classes with the highest attendance each week will continue to be celebrated during PACK TIME and earn Wiley with an attendance banner. Please remember to bring Wiley and the banner to Pack Time each week to pass on to the winning classes.
Elementary Attendance Buddies: ELE support staff, please make sure you have signed up for new attendance buddies HERE as we have graduated and added new students.
Middle School Attendance Buddies
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The Attendance Buddy program uses student connections and accountability measures to increase student responsibility and interest in improving overall attendance among Tier 2 and Tier 3 Attendance students. Please access the Middle School Attendance Buddies spreadsheet HERE to sign up to be an attendance buddy.
Student Support Division
K-8 Dr. Hite (Principal)
K, 1, 2, 5 Team:
K, 1, 2, 5 Mrs. Ross (Assistant Principal)
K, 1, 2, 5 Dr. Mitchell (School Community Liaison)
K, 1, 2, 5 Mrs. Foster (Behavior Interventionist)
K, 1, 2 Ms. Watson (Counselor)
5 Mrs. Hoffmann (Counselor)
3, 4, 6 Team:
3, 4, 6 Dr. Olivera (Assistant Principal)
3, 4, 6 Dr. Davis (CSI and Behavior Specialist)
3, 4 Mrs. Foster (Behavior Interventionist)
6 Mr. Abbott (Behavior Interventionist)
3 Ms. Watson (Counselor)
4, 6 Mrs. Hoffmann (Counselor)
Middle School IMPACT:
Text your assistant principal a joke for wildcat wealth.
7, 8 Team:
7, 8 Mrs. Lee (Assistant Principal)
7, 8 Mrs. Deckard (School Community Liaison
7, 8 Mr. Abbott (Behavior Interventionist)
7, 8 Mrs. Jordan (Counselor)
Staff of the Month Nominations
Nominations close at the end of school 11/30 Teachers will be announced on BAND APP/Email on the 12/1.
November Social Committee Connection
Boo Baskets were a HUGE success, thank you to everyone who participated!
Door decorating contest winners TBD soon!
November Potluck: November 22nd - FRIENDSGIVING
Feedback needed/wanted! Please take a moment, if you haven’t already, to complete the Treat Trolley Feedback form HERE!
Action Required: Social Committee Dues are still being accepted: certified $25, non-certified $15 Cash or Check
Dues go towards:
Teacher Treat Trolley - weekly
Baby/adoption showers
Wedding showers
Funeral flowers/sympathy
Retirement parties
Monthly potluck organization
Staff birthday celebrations
Meal trains
Staff Sonic drinks
12 days of holiday cheer
Food & coffee trucks reservations
ALL staff appreciation days/weeks
Paper products for monthly food days
Secret Santa game during the holidays
Special Social Committee Sponsored Events
Westport Spirit Store: we are making and selling customized shirts and Wildcat items to help raise money for the social committee! Please see the information below. We are also working on a “catalog” for shirt and item options. These items are available for sale for staff, students, and families.
Staff #Read2Succeed Support
ACTION REQUIRED: Lots of staff read alouds are still needed! Here is the LINK for your read aloud video submission. #Read2Succeed
Dr. Lathan asked all administrators to share a picture of themselves with their favorite book this year. We want to extend that challenge to ALL of our staff!
Please take a picture of yourself holding your favorite book, or a book you’re currently reading, and text it to your AP! These will be shared throughout the year on social media, along with the read alouds, to promote the SPS initiative #Read2Succeed
November Instructional Focus
The November Focus: Marzano Strategies of Engagement, Rules & Procedures, and Providing & Communicating Clear Learning Goals
Monitoring Strategy to Implement next week:
Monitoring Individual Student Engagement: Teachers can scan the room and identify specific students who appear to be disengaged to ensure high levels of classroom engagement. The teacher can do this during whole-class or small-group instruction as well as during individual seatwork. Once a student is identified, the teacher should use specific interventions to re-engage the student.
For example, if a teacher notices a student gazing out the window for extended periods of time during whole-class instruction, the teacher might decide to physically move between the unfocused student and the window as a means to draw the student’s attention back to the lesson being taught.
Teacher Actions: Looking for students who show signs of low attention and engagement
Desired Student Responses: Describing the teacher as someone who notices when they are not engaged
Extra Support: Making note of students whose attention often wanders or who easily become disengaged and checking on those students frequently
Extension: Asking students to signal the teacher if they find their attention is wandering or if they real-ize that they are disengaged
Instructional Highlights
Elementary School
Thursday will be admin led PLTs.
If you have received your IDK poster, please get them placed in a visible location in your classroom this week and begin to implement the process with your students.
Middle School
Rain has finally arrived! Two weeks down from the 2nd quarter! This week is a short week with Monday being a trade-off day for Parent/Teacher Conferences. However, a week filled with learning and growth opportunities.
Tuesday will be District PD in the AM at select sites and Building PD in the afternoon (view sessions here).
Thursday, the ELD team will be with us during your PLT time. We will meet in the PLC Room for that.
Friday, November 8th, we will have a building-wide Curriculum Implementation visit with all of the executive directors and executive leadership. This will be from 8-10 am.
The following week, November 11-15, Brandi and I will both be out of the building all week EXCEPT for Wednesday.
“At Westport, learning is required.”
Things to say instead of “I don’t know”. Please begin implementing this mindset in your classroom!
From the 7 Steps to a Language Rich Classroom, we have learned more about the structured approach to creating a classroom environment where students are actively engaged in rich language use; essentially, it's a strategy to encourage students to speak more thoughtfully and participate in deeper conversations by teaching them how to respond beyond simply saying "I don't know" when unsure.
If you need an IDK poster printed, please reach out to your learning coach.
Cooperative Learning Corner
Counseling Corner
Elementary Focus
Middle School Focus
In November, middle school counselors will be teaching the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program to students in grades 6-8. This important curriculum focuses on the A.C.T. model: Acknowledge, Care, Tell. Students will learn how to recognize warning signs, show care for others, and the importance of telling a trusted adult if someone is struggling. Our goal is to equip students with the tools to support their peers and seek help when needed.
Nov. 13th: Mrs. Jordan in 8th grade Knaak all day.
Nov. 20th: Mrs. Hoffman in 6th grade Tucker all day.
Nov. 21st: Mrs. Jordan in 7th grade Lindsey all day.
Peer Mediation Training
Central is coming to Westport on November 7th 8:00-10:00 am to train a selection of 8th grade students in peer mediation.
24-25 Parent Involvement Nights
Important Dates
Thursday, January 9, 2025 - HRA for staff in Library from 6:00 AM-8:30 AM
Thursday March 13, 2025 - Westport Art in the Park 4:00- 6:00
Wednesday April 23, 2025 - Academic Showcase 4:30- 6:30k
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 - 4th & 5th Grade Show “We Love our Veterans” 6:00
Thursday, December 17, 2024 - 2nd & 3rd Grade Show “Santa Claus is On His Way,” 6:00
Thursday, January 9th, 2024 - ALICE TRAINING
Thursday, January 30th, 2024 - Student Access & Opportunity
Thursday, April 24, 2025 - Kindergarten & 1st Grade Show “Theme TBA” 6:00
Elementary PBIS
Behavior Support Request: if you are needing support for a particular student, or tier 1 classroom management, please complete the behavior support request form HERE and Mrs. Foster will connect with you regarding support.
Shopping Makeup: if your class was not able to shop due to having a sub, please reach out to Dr. Mitchell to reschedule.
Student Balance Updates:
Elementary “Debit Card” Option:
Mrs. Tucker designed an adorable Westport Wildcats PBIS Bank Debit Card that you can customize with your students name, print, laminate, and then write in expo marker their starting balance on for shopping day.If this is something you are interested in she shared the link HERE
Elementary PBIS/Conscious Discipline Lessons:
ROAR-Store: Information and Guidelines
$1 for ROAR behavior (multiple daily)
$1 Daily Attendance - must be on time (homeroom AM and 1st period)
$5 School job completion
$5 Trash pick up (inside and outside - per piece)
$10 weekly 90%-99.9% attendance (list provided each week)
$20 weekly 100% attendance (list provided each week)
*$10-$20 ROAR-wards should only be handed out for attendance
$ROAR-Wards: If you need more ROAR-wards please reach out to Dr. Mitchell
CPO EMPOWERMENT GROUPS: Coach C is hosting 3-5 male empowerment groups! If you have a student in mind that you think would benefit from this program please send him an email.
Middle School PBIS
Middle School ROAR-Wards are going ONLINE!
PBIS Collaboration - We need your input!
Please also consider adding your ideas to the PBIS shared collaboration Doc HERE
PBIS Opportunities for Students
We have partnered with the Community Partnership of the Ozarks to provide mentoring programs for our students. This is designed to teach them communication skills, critical thinking, perseverance, and other transferable skills that will help increase overall engagement and success in school. We are currently looking for 6th graders who would benefit from such a program.
Please submit your 6th grade nomination by emailing amdeckard@spsmail.org.
Westport K-8 PBIS
Reinforcing Positive Behavior in the Classroom
Encouraging positive behavior in the classroom is key to creating a happy and productive space. Here are some simple ways to make it happen:
1. Set Clear Expectations: Start by letting students know what behaviors you want to see, like raising their hands to speak or finishing their homework. Display these expectations in the classroom where everyone can see them.
2. Use Positive Reinforcement: When students show the behaviors you want, make sure to recognize them! This could be through kind words or the ROAR-Wards point system. For instance, give a shout-out to a student who helps a friend.
3. Create a Recognition System: Consider having a “Student of the Week” or a “Caught Doing Good” board. This way, students can see their peers being recognized for their positive actions, which encourages everyone.
4. Be Consistent: When students know what to expect, they’re more likely to repeat those positive actions.
By using these friendly approaches, teachers can help build a positive and supportive classroom environment!
Click on this Title Link if you need to know your representatives.
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