West Middle School Newsletter
Special Edition - Week of March 9, 2020 (Updated 03/13/20)
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
DeISD Spring Break
School will be closed March 9-20, 2020. Classes will resume on March 23, 2020. We wish everyone a safe, restful break to prepare for the last 10 weeks of the school year.
Over Spring Break, the district will clean and sanitize all offices, campuses and classrooms with medical-grade cleaning solutions as recommended by the CDC. To date, the district has also placed hand sanitizing stations throughout buildings and campuses.
Specific information about how DeSoto ISD’s responds to influenza and other viruses can also be found at http://www.desotoisd.org/departments/student_support_services/health_services.
DeSoto ISD ask that you be aware of the following resources for more information about Coronavirus and address the situation with your child:
- Dallas County Health and Human Service Coronavirus Resources (Dallas County)
- State of Texas Department of State Health Services Coronavirus Resources (DSHS)
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention – Coronavirus Resources (CDC)
- Parent Resources: Talking to Children about COVID-19 (NASP)
- Comic for Children Exploring the New Coronavirus (NPR)
- Share Facts Not Myths (CDC)
What You Need To Know About Hand washing
Black History Month Art Contest Winners!
West Middle School won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in our district’s Black History Month Art Contest sponsored by the DeSoto Police Department and the City Council of DeSoto. I believe there were over forty entries from all three of our Middle Schools, and West won all of the prizes.
The students will be recognized at the DeSoto City Council meeting on March 17th at 7:00pm. You are all invited to attend. [In addition, a few of our students painted the DeSoto ISD Logo at the police department about a month ago, and the police department contributed $500 to our art budget in return. (Mr. VanWinkle and I already spent the money.)] I believe our art department will receive an additional $200 for each winner of the Black History Month Art Contest. The students will receive gift cards as well.
The winners are listed below:
- 1st Place- Shane Williams 7th Grade
- 2nd Place- Berenice Meza 8th Grade
- Tied for 3rd- Damien Roblow 8th Grade & Marquez Hudson 6th Grade
CONGRATS!!!
Celebrate Women’s History Month 2020
The 2020 theme, “Valiant Women of the Vote,” pays homage to the 100 anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The theme honors "the brave women who fought to win suffrage rights for women, and for the women who continue to fight for the voting rights of others."
Women’s History Month 2020 takes place from Sunday, March 1-Tuesday, March 31
The Everything Teen Expo
The Everything Teen Expo is Saturday, April 25th from 10:00-3:00pm.
The Vendor Registration Form - this is no fee to district clubs/departments/grant programs to have a table at the event.
Additionally, department/club/grant programs are also able to provide items for the student gift bags, i.e. flyers, giveaways, promotional materials, etc.
To increase participation of our middle school students, the DeSoto Public Library will conduct on site registration for middle school students during lunch hour on these dates:
• 4/14 @ East Middle School 11:20 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
• 4/16 @ West Middle School 11:20 p.m. -1:15 p.m.
• 4/21 @ McCowan Middle School 11:20 p.m. -1:00 p.m.
HOMEWORK HELP
Need Homework Assistance? Need additional support with a core content or subject? Whether you and your child need math help, a grammar refresher, or project ideas, check out these standout homework resources available for free on the web at http://westms.desotoisd.org/library/homework_help
Reminder for Student IDs
Spring Break Lib-ART-brary Camp
Join the DeSoto Public Library (March 9 - 13, 2020) for free activities during the Spring Break Lib-ART-brary Camp! Activities include stories, cooking, and art. Parental engagement strongly encouraged! All accompanied children are welcome.
DeSoto ISD encourages students to THINK BEFORE YOU POST
- Keeping with the district’s FOCUS initiative which hones in on Finance, Organizational Redesign, Campuses and Classrooms, Unity and Systems and sustainability, DeSoto ISD urges everyone to think before you post (Systems and Sustainability)!
Read More: http://www.desotoisd.org/n…/what_s_new/think_before_you_post
Get to Class on-Time!
To decrease tardiness on campus, West Middle School is using Student Conductor to track tardies. Please note that with every 4th tardy, students will be assigned Friday School detention. Since implementing this system, the number of students missing instruction due to tardies has drastically decrease. Your support in this effort is needed
Mark Your Calendar!
As we enter 2020, we want to share a few events that are happening across the District. Please save this post and continue to check back as dates and times may change.
- March 9 -13: Spring Break
- March 16: Regular School Board Meeting
- March 26: Employee Unity Event
Female Leadership Forum - March 21 (8 a.m. to 3 p.m)
DeSoto West Middle School
Website: http://westms.desotoisd.org/
Location: DeSoto West Middle School, North Westmoreland Road, DeSoto, TX, USA
Phone: (972) 230-1820