Westside Presents at Nebo School Board - Answer to Wednesday’s Challenge

Submitted by lana.hiskey on

Principal Sara Matis thanked the Nebo School Board of Education for this opportunity to present just some of the amazing things happening at Westside. She introduced Kari Kieffer, a School Community Council member, and Teresa Jordon, the Westside facilitator and Mathlete coach. 

Westside Elementary provides an elective two-way dual immersion program that keeps at least a 2:1 ratio (ideally 50/50) of language majority and language minority students within the same classroom. This ratio provides for peer language models in both languages during instruction. 

Westside's Dual Immersion program is an educational delivery system that provides students with the core academic subjects delivered in two languages. Students are able to acquire a second language while maintaining their primary language. This model focuses on grade-level academic achievement, while promoting bilingualism, biliteracy, and positive cultural attitudes and behaviors in all students.  

Dual Immersion empowers students to achieve the highest academic, social and linguistic skills to give them the edge now and for future academic and economic success. 

Since 2008, students at Westside Elementary have been participating in the Mathlete program. Mathletes is a once a week pullout program for students in fourth through sixth grade who show advanced understanding of mathematical concepts.  Students meet together and practice advanced math problems and learn problem solving strategies.  Once each month, students compete in a mathematical Olympiad where they are timed over a thirty minute period and attempt to solve 5 complex, multi-step problems.  The students are competing against each other and the group as a whole is competing against other schools around the world to see who earns the top scores by the end of the year.  This program is organized and run under a charter from the MOEMS organization (Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools). Each year, approximately 30-50 students participate in the program at Westside. 

Westside’s top scorers this year are sixth-grade students: Cam Monson First Place, Ariana Hammer and Michelle Mumford tied for Second Place.  This is the first year Westside had girls place in the top three. All three received plaques and will receive medals from the MOEM's organization. 

Congratulations to Athena Hammer for winning this week’s challenge sponsored by Wiggy Wash.

 

 

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