Our School

Message from the Principal

Winter 2023

On behalf of the West Powellhurst staff, welcome to our school webpage. We hope you find what you are looking for as you navigate through the links. I would love to share with you some of the things I am most proud of at West Powellhurst and in the David Douglas School District.

As a team, we have navigated through these last couple of years with a focus on safety, care, and connection. While we still are practicing as many safety protocols as we can, we are also elevating our instructional practices and social-emotional learning. Teaching our students HOW to learn and the WHY of a lesson is our goal. Along the way, we want to help them learn about themselves in a more meaningful way. This includes identifying their emotions and strategies to help them stay regulated throughout the day. We are a district that practices Relationship Centered Learning through restorative practices. This approach means we spend a great deal of time building relationships with students and staff so when issues do arise we are able to start off with a trusting foundation on which to rebuild. You can imagine that this works best when we all have common goals and work on these skills together.

We have a fantastic Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) program at West Powellhurst. The SUN staff will continue to devote time and resources to help our families take care of their basic needs while also providing a rich after-school experience. I am so proud of what they have accomplished over the last couple of years and how they are planning around the needs of our families. We also have our first Preschool at West Powellhurst and it has been a wonderful experience to introduce the school to our 3 and 4-year-olds. They have a focus on play-based learning and our Preschool staff is doing a wonderful job of teaching them how to make friends, strategies for identifying their emotions, and how to be a confident learner. 

This summer we will host the Summer Academy like we did last year. This is a wonderful opportunity to continue with academics throughout the summer but to also give students a chance to meet new people and enjoy summer activities. Please check for registration information – it will be coming later in the Spring.

I am grateful to our West Powellhurst community for continuing to engage in our school and I am looking forward to even more opportunities to come. This is truly a school where all are welcome and I am so proud of the work we are doing together.

In solidarity,

Susan Olds

Principal at West Powellhurst