As we close out the semester, our faculty, staff and administration wish all of our families a healthy, safe and happy holiday.

Before all is finalized your students are taking exams next week, beginning Tuesday 12/13, for which they are well prepared by their teachers and the high quality instructional environments they designed.

Do not forget to send your student with a fully charged Chromebook and charger each day as the semester exams are online and may not be printed.

Please mark your calendars for the change to the school hours Thursday December 15th and Friday December 16th to 8:15am-12pm. Lunch will be provided to go for those students wanting it.

We are very proud of the work that has been accomplished here during the first semester at Westwood in the classrooms, at performances, on the field, on the court and in the community. We continue to be very honored to serve this community and the students.

As we look ahead to the spring semester, we have both a full and exciting calendar. We are planning another dance and pep rally. Concerts and athletics will continue to be up in full swing and we will close out the semester with STAAR, EOC and AP testing. We look forward to seeing your student back on campus on January 4th.

We encourage your feedback as we work to collaborate and engage with parents to meet our goal of communication that is proactive, timely and relevant. You can access our newsletters in your email inbox, Westwood Twitter & Facebook pages, school website and PTA platforms. If there is additional information you would like to receive in our newsletters, please let us know.

We hope that you enjoy a restorative and joyful holiday with those you love.

Sincerely,

Katie Mottram

Westwood Junior High Principal

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.

• 12/7: Parent Engagement Night @ 5pm (moved to Zoom, link below)
• 12/13 - 12/16: Final Exams; Schedule linked below
• 12/15 & 12/16: Early Release @ 12pm
• 12/21: ~Tentative~ Quarter 2 Report cards Published in Focus

Click the attached to view the Fall Exam Schedule

When: Wednesday, December 7, 2022 5:00 PM-6:00 PM (UTC-06:00) Central Time
Where: https://childrens.zoom.us/j/91442885830?pwd=ZUVGRm9PWGlNRjlzb29TKzdjMTJ6QT09&from=addon

The session has moved to Zoom (link above) and is hosted by Ms. Guillory, intervention counselor, and Ms. Arroyo, family engagement specialist. The title of this parent education session is “Wellness and the opposite of worries”. Ms. Guillory and Ms. Arroyo have been working with Children’s Hospital presenters to provide a meaningful session. If you are unable to attend, the presentation will be shared in the next Westwood Wire.

Additional RISD family engagement opportunities and information are RISD Parent University and Fall Parent Newsletter.

The Rhithm parent preview webinar recording links can be found below. This information follows up on the Rhithm campus communication sent in October and will be introduced in Wolf Den in January. Additional information about Rhithm can be found here: https://s.risd.org/Rhithm.

Monday, November 28th – Rhithm Parent Preview - https://www.bigmarker.com/securly/Introducing-Rhithm-to-Parents-at-Richardson-ISD?show_live_page=true

Wednesday, November 30th – Rhithm Parent Preview - https://www.bigmarker.com/securly/Introducing-Rhithm-to-Parents-at-Richardson-ISD-bdd523b7d78c5982218bcd80?show_live_page=true

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

If you placed an order prior to November 1st, your athletic gear and spirit wear will arrive on November 28th or 29th.

WWJH Athletic Uniform Store: https://nhathletics.com/westwood-athletics/

Basketball season has gotten underway as the Wolves competed against Apollo JH last week. The 7th grade boys and girls defeated Apollo as WWJH won 3 out of the 4 games. The 8th grade boys and girls teams finished with a 4 game sweep against Apollo JH.

This week Westwood will play North JH on Monday and Thursday nights. The boys will be away at North JH and the girls will host the 7th and 8th grade Vikings. Game times for Monday and Thursday are set for 6pm and 8pm.

Go Wolves!

Tennis tryouts will take place in December and play will begin in January 2023. More information to follow in the next Westwood Wire.

On Friday, December 2 & 3 we had the All-Region Honor Orchestra students participate in their Region Clinic & Concert at Berkner HS. Please see the pictures and video of the event at the link! It is a slide show and you can click through by hovering your mouse in the lower-left corner of your screen.

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.

As we move deeper into the year and expectations for student performance increase we may want to support our parents and students with some information on the impact of sleep and performance.

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!