Westside Academy

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Welcome to Westside Academy! With all of the wonderful things happening here, it seemed appropriate to prominently post the uniform guidelines as well as other important things students are expected to do daily. You will find these items on the PARENT INFO page.

Westside Academy is an alternative education setting that was designed for and around the needs of students who have difficulty with the traditional setting, or students who just prefer a small and personalized environment. Class sizes do not exceed 25 students and

the principal spends about 90% of his time in the class, meaning there are two instructors in the room. All curriculum is online in a virtual environment and can be accessed anywhere there is a connection to the internet. Students have the freedom and flexibility to attend class, work from home or any combination of the two. Our program focuses on student success.

Students who meet grade, behavior, and merit requirements are allowed to attend dances, clubs, and events and are eligible to enroll in band at Joe Walker. For fast workers there are also online electives that students can enroll in.

Our 8th grade graduation rate is 100%. We only accept current Westside Union School District students at this time.

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Students are admitted to Westside Academy through an intake process that involves meeting to review student records, consider current student progress, and determine specific student needs. Required parental support includes a commitment to regularly check email, since progress reports, school news, and teacher communications are sent electronically.

Westside Academy offers two sessions daily. Students are placed in sessions based on their specific needs and grade level. In most cases, parents are not able to choose a session, but we will do our best to accommodate your needs. Most 6th and 7th graders are placed in the AM session.

Daily Sessions

First Session: 7:45-10:45

• Breakfast at Joe Walker 7:15-7:45 (optional)
• Lunch: 10:35-11:05 (optional)

Second Session: 10:45-1:45

• Lunch: 1:30-2:00 (optional)

Students eat at the end of their session and are released after they are finished eating.

Westside Academy School Uniform

Westside Academy is a uniform school. Please remember that all students MUST be in uniform, and all clothing that is worn in the classroom must comply including outerwear. Uniforms can be purchased at almost all local stores including K-Mart, Walmart, Target, and Gen-X. Here is a list of acceptable clothing.

Please note that students are not let into class out of uniform! We will try to reach you via telephone and/or email to bring a change of clothes. If we cannot reach you, your student will be working in an alternate location. It's important to check your child's clothing, because we make no exceptions to the policy after the first week of school.

• PANTS: Uniform style long pants (dark blue or black). Blue jeans (Levis) are not allowed.
• SHORTS: Uniform style "board" shorts (dark blue or black). These are the shorts that go below the knee. Regular shorts are not allowed.
• SKIRTS: Uniform style skirts (dark blue or black). These are skirts that have built in shorts and are longer than regular shorts.
• SHIRTS: Short sleeved, collared polo shirt with no logos (white or grey). A collared, button-up white dress shirt is also allowed.
• SWEATSHIRTS: Sweatshirt with no logo (dark blue, black, white, grey). Sweatshirts can be pull-over or zip up. Students should have a sweatshirt available even in hot weather due to the airflow from the A/C vents.
• OUTDOOR COATS: There are no restriction on heavy coats, but coats cannot be worn indoors.
• SOCKS: Socks should be a solid color.
• SHOES: No flip flops, sandals without backs, or house slippers are allowed.

Attendance Policy

Students at Westside Academy are on an Independent Study contract for the school year, but we expect most students to attend school daily and to do a minimum of one hour of their online studies from home each day as homework. We can easily arrange for modified attendance based on a student's needs, but supporting work is mandatory to issue attendance credit. Students who do not attend school daily, and do not work from home, will be marked absent. Students who are continually absent are subject to return to their home school.

Please be aware that students are REQUIRED to attend school for all testing days, and they will not receive attendance credit if they miss school during their testing window.

INFORMATION NEEDED DAILY

• Students should know how they are getting home daily and have the proper amount of money if they are taking the city bus.
• Students must leave campus immediately. Students are not allowed to be in the park next door before or after school, even if their school day has ended. This was a request from park personnel and our neighboring school. The sheriff regularly patrols the park. In the past, deputies have ticketed students from Westside Academy for truancy when found in the park during school hours.

CELL PHONE POLICY

• All phones must be off and away. Students may not keep cell phones on vibrate without prior permission.
• Cell phones must be stored in the student's backpack, which is kept with them at their seat.
• If a student does not have a backpack, cell phones are stored in a locked file cabinet for security.
• Students may not have their cellphones during class or lunch unless given specific permission to do so for that specific day.
• Students may NEVER take photos at school.
• Please see the handbook, which is available in the "Student Life" section, for specific information about the cell phone policy.

MEALS AT SCHOOL

• CLICK HERE to access menus and online meal apps on the School Nutrition website. If you have a CalFresh number, have that number handy.
• ALL students who are on free/reduced need to fill out a new application each year. Your qualification will carry over from last year, but will end at the end of August. If a new application has not been received by that time, meals will be charged, so be sure and reapply ASAP at the beginning of each new school year.
• If your child will be regularly eating at school, it is suggested that you set up an account in "Meal Pay" so they have money on their account. Your child's account number does not change as you move to different schools in the district.
• Optional breakfast is offered in the Joe Walker cafeteria at 7:25.
• An optional lunch period is available at the end of their session (10:45 & 1:45).
• If you would like to apply for the meal program, you can apply online. Go to the district website, click on "Child Nutrition". On the next page, there is a big "meal application" icon on the left side. Click on that. On the next page, click on the text that says "online meal application".
• Just follow the prompts to fill out the application. If you have a CalFresh number, have that number handy.

This document reviews current policies and important action steps to keep children safe in Los Angeles County’s 3,040 TK-12 schools. At the end you will find resources you can turn to, including where to call, if you want further information or need assistance with COVID-19 prevention or care.

Parent Updates TK-12