General Information

Westwood Basics Plus is a K-6 school designed to meet the needs of 5-12 year old students. Our school was established in 1976 as a school choice for parents. We have an enrollment of approximately 450 students and we are located in the center of Northwood next to Sierra Vista Middle School. Westwood has received the California Distinguished School Award and the National Blue Ribbon Award.

The grade 1-6 school facility is designed around four learning pods. Each pod has four classrooms, a large common area for small group or independent work, and a room to accommodate counseling programs, special education programs, or other support programs. Kindergarten students have their own independent room with an adjacent play area. Science, instrumental music, vocal music, computer keyboarding, and internet research all have their own dedicated learning areas. A before-and-after school child care program is available on the school grounds.

Parents and staff at Westwood Basics Plus School value academic achievement. To assist our students in reaching their highest potential, we enrich the California State Department of Education Standards with both district and school programs. Enrichment includes instrumental music; vocal music; science; art; a literature/library program in the Library/Media Center; a Computer Laboratory; a Technology-Research Information Center; and one or more computers in each classroom. After school enrichment programs are also offered after school. To support students in learning effective citizenship, we encourage students to participate in our Student Council, which is available to all grade 1-6 students. Drug abuse prevention lessons are taught to all of our 6th grade students by DARE officers from the city of Irvine.

We also offer supplemental academic and counseling/problem-solving support for students. Students needing assistance in academics may qualify for our Resource Support or our Speech and Language Program, and those needing other assistance may find it through the STAR/STAGES program.

The emphasis at Westwood Basics Plus is on learning, citizenship, and developing positive character traits. Consequently, we recognize students for their academic achievements, personal achievements, citizenship, and character at every other month Award Assemblies, which are attended by parents, staff, and students. We also foster a family and community closeness through Family Fun Activities mutually planned by the school and the PTA.

We, at Westwood Basics Plus, are committed to your child’s education in all areas, and encourage you, the parents, to be an active part of education and our school. Westwood Basics Plus School offers a strong continuum of basic skills, fine arts, physical education, and technology, as well as after school activities and counseling; but what sets this school apart is the commitment of the parents to the school, the staff commitment to a solid educational program, articulation of curriculum, grading across and between grade levels and classes, and ongoing teacher-parent communication.

KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS Wear name tags the first week of school please. Include on nametags: name, address, phone number. Thanks!

SCOOTER, SKATEBOARD AND BICYCLE RULES All of the elementary schools in Irvine Unified School District have a ban on riding Scooters to school beginning with the 2000-2001 school year. This is due to a number of safety issues, storing facilities and being ridden on school campuses. Also, there are to be no skateboards on school sites. If a student is riding a bicycle to school, they must wear a helmet and have a lock to secure their bicycles in the rack enclosures. Please review these rules for safety with all students riding bicycles (3rd -6th):

WEARING A BIKE HELMET IS MANDATORY (STATE LAW) 1. When riding against traffic, please ride on the sidewalk in single file - this has been cleared with the Irvine Police. 2. Whenever possible, ride with traffic in bicycle lanes. 3. Walk bicycles in crosswalks. 4. When exiting school, please use the sidewalk in front of Sierra Vista or walk bikes across black top to bike trail. 5. Always lock bicycles. 6. Leave bicycle rack area after locking bicycle and proceed to supervised play area. 7. Please observe all common sense traffic rules - bicycle riding is a privilege not a right.

ABSENCES If your child is absent, please call the school office attendance line (949.936.6451) before 9:00 AM on the day of the absence. When returning after an absence, students must have a note explaining the cause, signed by the parent, unless you have called the school office.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT SCHOOL FUNDING Beginning July 1, 1998, school districts will no longer receive funding from the State of California for pupils who are absent from school. This includes all absences, even those related to illness, medical or doctor appointments, or for the purpose of attending funeral services of a member of the immediate family. In other words, schools will receive state funding only for students who actually attend or on an Independent Study Contract (check with your teacher if your child will be absent 5 days or more.)

If you find it necessary to keep your child out of school for reasons other than an illness, we encourage you to send your child to school for at least a part of the day so that your child will not be counted absent and also will not miss important school assignments. It is crucial that local schools continue to receive the financial resources necessary to provide your child with a quality education, and avert or minimize program cuts. We want to avoid the unnecessary absences that reduce district resources and limit your child's opportunity to obtain good grades.

Studies show that there is a direct correlation between good school attendance and student achievement; therefore, we encourage you, as parents, to reinforce the importance of good school attendance and to make every effort to send your child to school on a regular basis. Again, we encourage your continued support to promote good school attendance and student achievement.

LOST AND FOUND We urge parents to label their children's articles for easy identification. Have the children check the lost and found bin for lost articles. The bins are located by the door of the multipurpose room and may be checked before or after school.

TELEPHONE MESSAGES FOR STUDENTS We ask that you take care of all arrangements for the day with your children before they leave for school. Only emergency situations should necessitate calling your children while they are in school. Interrupting class time interrupts learning for your child and every other child.

ARRIVAL TIME AT SCHOOL All students are reminded to time their departure from home so they will arrive at school no earlier than 8:10 AM when supervision on the playground begins. When the bell rings, students will line up outside their classroom doors.

LUNCH INFORMATION - Increase as of 2007-2008 Lunch is available for $2.85. Your child may carry his/her lunch and buy milk for 50 cents. Lunch menus can be accessed from the IUSD website – click on business services on the left hand side of the site and go to food services. We are again unable to loan money at school, so please be sure your child is prepared for lunch each morning before leaving to attend school. If you occasionally need to deliver their lunch/money late, tell your child to check the counter in the office for their lunch/money on their way out to lunch (this will save interruptions to the classrooms). **FOOD ALLERGIES: If your child has a food allergy, please inform our nurse and the office.

MEDICATION AT SCHOOL If your child requires medication at school, the medication must be kept in the office to be given by school personnel. Before medication may be given, the district legally requires: 1) medication in the original pharmacy bottle, properly labeled by pharmacist; 2) parent's signed consent; and 3) doctor's signed order. Medication must be brought to school by the parents. These regulations apply to prescription and non-prescription drugs - even aspirin.

I.U.S.D. HAS A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY Possessing a firearm or replica will result in immediate suspension and recommendation for expulsion. In addition, causing serious injury to others, possessing a knife or explosives, sale or possession of drugs, or robbery or extortion will result in suspension and may result in expulsion.

SCHOOL PARKING LOT SAFETY We need your assistance to ensure the safety of our students. Please follow the arrows in the parking lot and drop off and pick up students by the curbside in front of Sierra Vista. Do not allow children to get out of your cars in the parking lot. The children will be told to wait on the sidewalk until you pull up at the curbside. Please follow the arrows and do not park and leave your car in the student loading zones. Do not double-park - the lanes must be left free for moving traffic. If you need to park to come inside the school, park only in the parking slots. Safety must be our first priority as we drive our students to school. Thanks for your assistance!