We have experienced a successful start to 2023 at Westwood Junior High. We hope that you continue to find the Westwood Wire to be a proactive, timely, relevant and succinct form of communication. Please expect this newsletter in your email inbox as well as the Westwood Twitter page, school website and PTA platforms every three weeks. In addition to a message from me, the topics will include campus updates, academics, athletics, counseling, fine arts and library. We hope to continue our collaboration with you by compiling our communication in a way that is meaningful to you and allows you to best engage with the wonderful work being done at Westwood Junior High.

We continue to be grateful to PTA, and our President, Mrs. Teeple as the support of this community, especially though PTA, is felt by our faculty, staff and students. Thank you for the faculty and staff appreciation luncheon before the break. Please join us for on February 16 for a PTA General Meeting at 6:30 PM, followed by an 8th grade parent meeting with the counselors about PGPs, Naviance, and the transition to High School.

In closing, a few updates and reminders:

• We are celebrating our School Board this month as part of National School Board Appreciation Month and updated our marquee to include our message of thanks.
• Next, Monday January 23rd, you will receive an electronic progress report from your student’s Wolf Den teacher. Please look this over with your student and if you have any questions, please reach out to teachers.
• Your child will receive the MAP scores report in Science class on Monday January 23rd. This is the only format to view your child’s MAP growth scores.
• Last week all safety drills were reviewed in Wolf Den.
• Last chance to buy a 2023 Westwood Yearbook is January 27th, see announcement below.
• RISD is once again using BrightBytes.net to survey parents, students and teachers about the use of technology in education. Parents can help by taking 5-10 minutes to complete the survey linked below.

Thank you all for your continued support and collaboration as we work to build strong relationships with all members of Westwood Junior High to ensure a sense of belonging, acceptance and responsibility for maintaining our collective safety and high quality learning environments.

Sincerely,

Katie Mottram

Westwood Junior High Principal

Nathan Hinojosa has been selected as our 22-23 Westwood Junior High Teacher of the Year! Please help us congratulate him when you see him around!

We love to partner with our community and are so grateful when they are willing to spoil our teachers! Thank you to Chiloso Mexican Bistro for providing our faculty and staff with breakfast this month!

The following Westwood students received Awards of Excellence from the Westwood PTA and were advanced to the District competition. The below list shows the awards they received at District.

Local PTA Awards will be delivered along with the artwork to the school in the next couple of weeks.

Please congratulate our Westwood Robotics teams. Both teams attended the 6th annual Caddo Mills Vex IQ tournament. 74248A competed in qualifying rounds and advanced to the final elimination round. 74228A team placed 8th with an average score of 49.9 points.

74248 B also were able to score points in skills and team driving. The places are 33rd with an average of 19.8 points per round.

They overcame many mechanical problems during the match with their very challenging robot design.

Team members include the following:

74248A Robo-Pack

1. Kelvin O - Programmer ( Lead programmer)
2. Tyler S - Programmer/Builder
3. Henry A - Builder/ driver

1. David M - Robot Maintenance/ builder
2. Caleb C - Strategist/ driver (Captain) ( Noah) `
3. Victoria N - Builder/ CAD /Strategist

1. Noah K - Notebook Manager ( Captain)

74248B RoboWolves

1. Declan P - Programmer/ Strategist
2. Hudson W - driver/ Co-Captain
3. Jaiden C - Builder/ driver/ programmer autonomous

1. Michael M programmer ( Lead programmer)
2. Jack Denby - Builder/driver
3. Jaz V - CAPTAIN
4. Nahom T - Programmer/ Building ( Mechanic)

Our next qualifier tournament is on Saturday, January 28th in Anna, Texas

Anna High School
1107 West Rosamond Parkway
Anna, Texas 75409
United States

Congratulations to Mrs. Zutavern and Ms. Arroyo for winning the January Teacher of the Month Award!

This award is given to students who demonstrate great leadership skills, positive behavior, and are strong academically.

Please congratulate the students below for this recognition:

• Math: Yonas Amare
• RLA: Zunaira Islam
• Science: Kyle Lane
• Social Studies: Victor Araujo
• Athletics: Benjamin Garrett
• PE: Hector Padron Bullon
• Fine Arts: Ella McNulty

• 1/18: Dyslexia Parent Night
• 1/16-1/27: Technology Survey
  
• 1/19: Technology Parent-Ed Night
• 2/6 - 2/10: National School Counselors Week
• 2/15: Early Release
• 2/16: General PTA Meeting & Counselor updates; 6:30 PM; Large Gym
• 2/20: NO SCHOOL- Student Holiday

Enrollment for the 23-24 school year begins February 28, 2023!

Beginning Wednesday, January 18 students will NOT be called down to get their lunch. A cart will be outside of the office where lunches can be placed and students can pick them up. Please inform your student their lunch will be dropped off beforehand as we will NOT disrupt their learning.

Deliveries from 3rd party vendors such as Uber Eats, Door Dash, etc. will not be accepted. This is for the safety of our campus, students and faculty.

February 6 - 10 is National School Counseling Week. Please join us in celebrating our wonderful counselors by writing them a note of appreciation, sending a treat or have your child stop by and just say thank you. We want them to feel loved!

RISD parents and guardians are now able to submit an attendance note electronically via Focus. Handwritten notes are still accepted at all campuses.

Focus is the safe and secure online portal available to RISD parents to access their student’s grades, schedule, attendance, and assessment history.

Click here for a short tutorial on how to submit an attendance note via Focus.

The last chance to purchase a 2023 yearbook is Friday 1-27.

You can purchase online at jostensyearbooks.com or click on the direct link below: (note by purchasing online you can pay in 3 installments)

Click below to check out the latest newsletter from our WWJH Counselors!

Rank One

Please remember, all students must have an updated physical and all UIL Rank One paperwork completed prior to participating in any tryouts, practices, or games. All UIL information can be found on Westwood, RHS, and RISD Athletics websites.

https://nhathletics.com/westwood-athletics/

https://richardsonisd.rankonesport.com/

The basketball teams are doing well and are beginning the second half of the season with 4 games remaining. The dates for 7th grade games are: 1/18 (Parkhill), 1/23 (Liberty), 1/30 (Apollo), and 2/6 (West). The 8th grades remaining are: 1/ 19 (Parkhill), 1/26 (Liberty), 2/02 (Apollo), and 2/08 (West). Basketball game times are set for 7B/8B at 6:00pm and 7A/8A at 7:00pm.

The 7th and 8th grade boys and girls A-teams with participate in the End-of- the -Season Basketball Tournament on Friday, February 10th and Saturday, February 11th. The final tournament brackets and regular season team standings will be determined and announced following the last regular season game.

Go Wolves!

WWJH tennis teams began workouts this week. The regular season will begin on Wednesday, January 18th against Parkhill and play will continue each week through February 27th. The RISD JH Tournament is scheduled for the first week in March 2023.

At the conclusion of the RISD JH Basketball Tournament on February 11th, WWJH track teams will begin practices on Monday and Tuesday, February 13th and 14th. If you have any questions, please contact one of the coaches at Westwood.

RISD trustees have adopted the student academic calendars for the next two school years.

View the 2023-24 Calendar (en español)

View the 2024-25 Calendar (en español)

Did you forget to do this when school started? Don't worry, it's not too late! Click below to access the Free & Reduced Lunch Application.

Join the Richardson ISD Fine Arts Department for an evening celebrating the Visual and Performing Arts in the Richardson Learning Community.

February 2 • 6-7 p.m.

Richardson High School Auditorium

1259 West Belt Line Road, Richardson, TX 75080

FEATURED PROGRAMS

The Richardson Learning Community Visual Arts Program

Art display will be open to the public 30 minutes prior to the start of the showcase.

RHS Acapella Choir

Directed by Elizabeth Adsit and Caroline Watson

Combined Northwood Hills and MST Elementary Ensembles

Directed by Anne Tracy, Deborah Clements, Emily Hopkins and Cristina Vega Deleon

Westwood Junior High Varsity Orchestra

Directed by Jonathan Roozeboom and Sara Cooper

Richardson High School Folklorico

Directed by Christina Hinchey

Richardson West Junior High Theatre Program

Directed by Jacob Hemsath

Richardson High School Eaglettes

Directed by Christina Hinchey and Holly Hess

Richardson West Junior High Varsity Band

Directed by Molly Robbins and Estelle Weise

RISD parents, guardians, and community members are invited to a technology education event at the PDC Auditorium at 701 West Belt Line Road in Richardson on Thursday, Jan. 19.

Lana Aherns, Director of Training and Community Outreach at Dallas County Children's Advocacy Center, will present new ways to protect children no matter how they access the internet.

It’s important to know and understand the type of services children receive as the result of being identified with dyslexia. RISD wants to help parents and the community understand the dyslexia programs used in the school district.

Join the RISD dyslexia team at the Professional Development Center at 701 West Belt Line Road in Richardson on Wednesday, Jan. 18, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for Dyslexia Parent Night and an Experience Dyslexia simulation.

RISD Technology is participating in the BrightBytes Survey for the 8th consecutive year to help understand the current climate, aid in technology planning, and establish technology goals for the future.

The survey focuses on Four Areas: Classroom, Access, Skills, and Environment (CASE).

The survey is anonymous and typically takes between 20-30 minutes to complete.

Visit your school website to access the BrightBytes survey link. Go to www.risd.org, select schools, Select your student’s campus, and find the survey under School News.

Richardson ISD wants to recognize the work teachers do to support every child, every day. RISD believes there is an opportunity EVERY day to show appreciation for teachers and all they do to ensure student success.

Please join us in our efforts to celebrate our teachers throughout the year. It is always a good time to let our teachers know that they are appreciated for everything they do. A kind note, a friendly email, or a thoughtful act are always appreciated by professional educators who work for all students, all year long.

Some ways to “Thank a Teacher” include the following, but are not limited to:

Host a snack cart

Host breakfast or lunch

Provide soft drinks or coffee for a staff meeting

Donate gift cards or other incentives

Donate time to a service project on campus – help decorate the lounge or entryways, paint outdoor tables, provide traffic support in the carpool lane, help in the garden, etc.

Write a note of appreciation

These are just a few ideas. Let us hear yours!

Click here to learn more and and we will connect you with a campus. All community partners will be acknowledged at an upcoming board meeting, in addition to having appreciation signage placed on each campus.

Check out the WWJH Parent Hub!

Contains all the important information you may need from teacher contact information, bell schedules, student code of conduct and much more! It can also be translated to several languages!