Dear Friends and Family of West Bay:

Although it is hard to believe, last Friday, January 13 was the midpoint of our academic year, which means our current school year is now half over! This also means that Parent-Teacher Conferences are coming up (Friday, January 27), and we look forward to meeting with each of you to discuss the progress of your child(ren). Hopefully, you have signed up for a conference time through Mrs. McCormack, or, if you cannot meet on that day, you have scheduled an alternative time directly with your child’s teacher. This mid-year conference is quite important as it provides an opportunity to discuss your child’s personal development, evaluate progress, and together work on areas of concern. Prior to the conferences the second trimester progress reports will be available on RenWeb, as this will provide helpful information going into the conferences. We value this process and thank you for your participation.

School life is extremely busy at West Bay these days with each week being packed with a full academic schedule as well as many extra-curricular activities such as games for our three basketball teams, drama club, and our new FLASH (Fun Learning After School Hours) program which includes things like karate, knitting, creative writing, and worship dance. This past Saturday our Robotics Team traveled to Roger Williams University for the state competition where they did very well.

I am also pleased to welcome two local pastors who have assumed leadership roles with our weekly Chapels. Pastor Rick Moore, from Cranston Christian Fellowship, is working with our elementary student Chapel and Pastor Rich Chapman, from Calvary Chapel Greenmeadow, is working with the middle school students. Both have been received extremely well by the students and have a passion for sharing Christ. We are excited about their involvement in the spiritual growth of West Bay’s most valued commodities—your children.

Our technology committee, which is comprised of volunteer parents (including Mrs. Lokey), was here quite late last night discussing and planning a variety of enhancements that are improving the technological environment of West Bay. While it is not an uncommon thing for me to be in awe of their level of technical expertise, I was again reminded of how thankful I am for the willingness of so many of our parents to share their time and talents with our school. The volunteer talent among our parent body is truly is amazing. Speaking of which, we are still looking for parents to join our task force to help design a comprehensive music program for next year, and will also be seeking a few more members to serve on our Board of Trustees for next year. If anyone is interested in learning more about either of these positions, please let me know.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone of our very important Open House that is coming up on Sunday, January 29. This is one of our most important admission events of the year. We have known for years that our most effective public relations “tool” is the enthusiasm and support of the parents of our students—talking about West Bay to their friends, family, and neighbors. So, I would ask each one of you to seriously consider inviting someone to the Open House as you continue to support WBCA in so many ways. Thank you.

Rick Clarkson

Headmaster