Stilwell Monday Message
Student and Family Communication
October - 10/18/21
Today is an ORANGE day!
The end of our first quarter of school is just ten days away. Students have been working hard to show evidence of their learning in each of their classes. Please remember that if you have missing work or need support to please reach out to your teacher or a trusted adult here at Stilwell. Students are also welcome to stay at Stilwell after school and attend After the Bell in the cafeteria. After the bell runs until 4:00 pm each afternoon except Fridays.
Important Upcoming Dates
- 10/25 - Virtual Conferences (no school day and no virtual learning)
- 10/29 - Career Day
- 10/29 - Students can wear school appropriate costumes (faces must be visible)
- 11/3/21 Picture Retakes
Erica Whittle - Principal
Confrences
OPUS
The following Stilwell students were recently selected for participation in the 35th annual Opus Honor Choir Festival:
- Celeste Brown
- Anna Hachmann
- Amos Hanser
- Molly McGill
- Hayden Thompson
Over 2100 students were nominated by their directors for 720 positions in the four Opus Honor Choirs. Selections were made by means of a recorded audition. Guest conductors of the choirs include Nancy Ewing, LeMars Community Middle School, 5th & 6th Grade Honor Choir; David Fog, retired, 7th & 8th Grade Bass Clef Honor Choir; Cheryl Thompson, Atlantic Middle School, 7th & 8th Grade Treble Clef Honor Choir; and Samantha Robillard, Pella High School, 9th Grade Mixed Honor Choir. The 2021 Opus Honor Choirs will perform at 4:00 p.m. on November 18th in C.Y. Stephens Auditorium in the Iowa State Center in Ames. The Opus Honor Choir Festival is made possible by the Iowa Choral Directors Association, Inc.
Central College Singfest Honor Choir:
The following Stilwell students participated in the Central College Singfest Honor Choir on October 12th, 2021:
- Macy Anfinson
- Theodore Baker
- Maxwell Brantley
- Cheyenne Burrell
- Laila Collier
- Anna Hachmann
- Amos Hanser
- Taylor Harris
- Isabella Heiden
- Archer Laird
- Ryan Neitzel
- Samantha Phillips
- Hayden Thompson
- Connor Wall
- Mattalyn Wennerstrom
- Angeleia Woo
This festival included over 200 select chorus students from 15 area schools and gave the students the opportunity to work with Central College's choir directors, Mark Babcock and Dr. Sarah Van Waardhuizen. Congratulations to all students who were selected and attended this amazing honor choir!
Fall Musical
WDMCS - Family Support Groups
To best support underserved/underrepresented students, West Des Moines Community Schools has partnered with district families to create support groups for adult family members and caring adults of students of color and LGBTQIA+ students. Both groups will launch in the 2021-22 school year and will provide parents, guardians, and other caring adults with support networks and opportunities to learn, grow, and share resources.
Mission
The mission of the WDMCS Family Support Groups is to support, educate, and advocate for vulnerable and underrepresented student groups in WDMCS. We believe that organizing and connecting is a form of self-care and an act of self-preservation for ourselves and our families:
- Support: We provide support for parents/guardians so that we can nurture our children to be strong and resilient, proud of their identities.
- Education: We are a resource for educating our community in areas of race, ethnicity, racism, gender, and sexual orientation in our pursuit of equity, inclusion, and diversity.
- Advocacy: We advocate for our own children and all vulnerable student groups in the district, specifically by working with building equity leads and equity teams.
For more information on meeting times, please visit the following link
Drop Off & Pick-Up Protocol
We understand our parking lot drop-off and pick-up process can be time-consuming. However, we need all families to follow the procedures to ensure our students are safe. Please remember these guidelines:
- Do not use the back parking lot and blacktop in the back of the building.
- Do not use the local business as a place to pick up your child.
- Do not drop off your student or stop for any reason along Vine Street or Grand Avenue.
- Do not pull into the bus lanes along Vine Street.
- Do not allow your student to exit the vehicle until you have pulled up to the curb in the parking lot.
- Please drive slowly through the parking lot.
Stilwell Student Handbook 20-21
Stilwell Junior High School
Erica Whittle, principal
David Perrigo, assistant principal
Email: whittlee@wdmcs.org
Website: wdmcs.org/schools/stilwell
Location: Stilwell Junior High School, Vine Street, West Des Moines, IA, USA
Phone: (515)633-6000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wdmstilwell/
Twitter: @StilwellJH
Stiwell PBIS Focus of the Week
This week we will be paying special attention to appropriate hallway behavior. We ask that students are in their classroom seats and ready to go!