Westwood Wire
September 14, 2021
Dear Westwood Families,
It's hard to believe that we have been in school for one full month already! This weekend I reflected on the past month and this amazing community. The last 18 months have been uncertain and difficult, and I am proud to be a part of a community of families and educators who always put students first.
We also recognize the social and emotional impact the past 18 months has had on our students and families. We are fortunate to have a wonderful and caring team of counselors to support each student. This year we have brought Ms. Beverly Guillory, an intervention counselor, to our team. She has over a decade of counseling experience in RISD and has already met with several students alongside our hard working and gifted team of Mrs. Brooke Scoggins and Mrs. Beneia Ruttenburg. Additionally, Ms. Julieta Figueroa, Communities in Schools liaison, has joined us and meets daily with students to support them and their families. The Westwood leadership, faculty and staff are here to support and meet the needs of all students so that together we can work toward ensuring a safe, inclusive and equitable environment where everyone is accepted and belongs.
Additionally, at the Richardson ISD Council of PTAs meeting, the Clothes Closet mentioned a need for donations. They are experiencing above average requests and are reaching out for our support. Please consider donating or giving your time and if you are in need of support for your student, you can find more information about the RISD Clothes Closet here. Items needed are: Soap, Toothpaste, Boy clothing in size 12 - 18, Men's clothing size Small, Girls clothing size 12-16 and Women's clothing size Small.
Our collaboration with you is imperative in the success of your students and teachers are expected to reach out with any concerns as well as with positive messages. We welcome Zoom and phone conferences with teachers upon your request and look forward to getting to know your students even better this year. We hope that you enjoyed the Special Edition of the Westwood Wire on Wednesday September 8th, to introduce you all virtually to our wonderful Westwood teachers and the excellent work being done through the Virtual Open House here.
As we continue to build strong relationships with your students, we also value our partnership and collaboration with you to ensure a sense of belonging and acceptance for all students and responsibility for maintaining our collective safety and high quality learning environments. Please review the updated RISD Blueprint as district senior leadership is working closely with state and local officials to revise and update our protocols and responses as things continue to change very rapidly.
Thank you for your continued support of Westwood and your participation in the RHS Homecoming Parade. It was a treat to see you cheering on team Westwood as we work together for all students.
Sincerely,
Katie Mottram
Principal
Important Dates
September 20 - Picture Day
October 8 - No School
October 11 - No School
Picture Day
WOW (Westwood Overtime World)
Westwood’s after school program “WOW” (Westwood Overtime World) has been canceled indefinitely.
Any questions, please call:
Chris Edwards
WOW Site Coordinator
469-593-3560
Early Checkout Reminder
- Sign your student out in the front office - allow for enough time for your student to be called out of their classroom when picking up
- Provide your ID/DL at the time of pick up - students cannot be released to anyone who is not listed on the students emergency card
- Student's will not be released between 3:20 - 3:40 PM as it is the end of the school day
Chromebook Insurance
The deadline to purchase Chromebook insurance has now passed, if you would still like to purchase insurance for your student's Chromebook you can do so by paying $29 cash at the school front office. Insurance will cover the following: accidental damage (drops & spills), cracked screen, liquid submersion, fire, flood, natural disaster, power surge, theft &vandalism.
Chromebook Chargers
Household Family Data - PLEASE COMPLETE
Richardson ISD is required to collect and report the socioeconomic status of each student to the Texas Education Agency for purposes of annual state accountability ratings and for federal reporting tied to federal funding. Parents of enrolled students are requested to complete this form for that purpose. The income information requested on this form is completely confidential, it is not shared with any entity outside of RISD, and is solely used to determine the socioeconomic status of RISD students. Only a student’s potential economically disadvantaged status, as determined by the information provided on this form, is reported to the Texas Education Agency, and TEA maintains that information as confidential. RISD practices are in accordance with the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA). Additional information regarding PPRA can be found in the RISD Student And Parent Guidebook.
It is very important that RISD families complete this Household Family Data in order for RISD schools to receive Title I and State Compensatory Education funding. If eligible, this funding directly benefits your child's school through additional employees, and resources like tutoring services, additional technology, and professional training for teachers at your child’s school. RISD wants to continue to provide these important learning supports at our eligible schools, but that is dependent on parent/guardian assistance through completion of this form.
Late Work Policy
Assignments turned in late will result in the following penalties:
1 class period late – 30% deducted
2 class periods late – 50% deducted
3 class periods late – 0%
Campus Tutoring Schedule
Safety and Security
Safety is our #1 priority at Westwood Junior High. During Wolf Den Advisory the week of August 23, students participated in our annual WWJH Safety Week. Drills conducted were: Fire Drill, Shelter in Place Drill, Secure/Hold Drill, and Lockdown Drill. We encourage you to ask your student to share what they learned about safety procedures and drills at Westwood. More information about the Standard Response Protocols utilized in RISD can be found at iloveuguys.org
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Westwood will be celebrating our campus diversity with various activities. Students, teachers and administrators will participate in activities designed to educate, share, acknowledge and celebrate the Hispanic cultures that continue to drive our school, community and country. We look forward to sharing more with you as our activities roll out throughout our month of celebration.
National Custodial Appreciation Day
Yearbooks on sale now!
Click below to order now!
WWJH PTA
PTA General Membership Meeting
If you plan to attend please email the following information to president@westwoodpta.org no later than Noon on Wednesday to receive the login information:
Your First Name:
Your Last Name:
Your email address:
Your cell phone:
Your student(s) first and last names and respective grades:
For privacy and safety reasons, the ZOOM log in will not be public so please RSVP.
We will be discussing the highlights of the year thus far, approving the PTA budget for 2021-2022 school year, sharing the financial reconciliation report from the previous schools year, and talking about some exciting things on the horizon for our school! See agenda below.
Join the PTA
https://westwoodpta.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/7551
Support your school and stay informed! And please make sure your kid’s grade level is correct in the system. We will send you a weekly newsletter with information about upcoming events, deadlines, and more. Membership available for parents, students, and teachers. Remember – student membership also come with 4 homework passes!
Order your Spirit Wear - Last day to order is September 17!
https://westwoodpta.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/7549
Show your school spirit. Support the Wolves.
Select WWJH on Amazon Smiles
Be sure to select PTA Texas Congress 7800 Westwood Jr High PTA when you purchase on Amazon. Amazon will donate a percentage of your eligible purchases back to your school just for shopping on Amazon. Win. Win.
The window for students to drop from an advanced class to on-level class is open. The drop form has been posted in the Counselors Google Classroom. We also have copies in the counseling office. We have extended the deadline and will accept forms through Tuesday, September 14th.
The counselors began their minute meetings with 7th graders this week and will continue over the next two weeks to meet with all 7th graders and 8th graders. These brief meetings during one of their ELA classes allow our students to meet their counselor, answer questions they may have and also gather information so we can best support our students this year. Our goal is to connect and support all our wolves.
Congratulations to all of the 7th and 8th grade girls who earned a spot on the 2021 grade volleyball team. The season opener is Monday, September 13th against Richardson North Junior High. The 7th graders will play at Westwood JH and 8th grade will travel to Richardson North JH. Games will start at 5:30pm at both locations.
Westwood JH football teams will scrimmage Richardson West JH on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at 6:00pm. The official football season will begin next week against Apollo.
Cross Country (boys and girls) practices will begin on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. If you are interested in participating on the 2021 Cross Country teams be sure you have an updated physical and all UIL Rank-One forms completed. For more information, please contact Coach Josh Worthington or Coach Brittany McGee. The official 2021 season will begin on October 4th for boys and October 5th for girls.
Game Tickets
Band
Orchestra
SEL Curriculum Preview Nights
SEPT. 23 & OCT. 7
5 PM - 8 PM - NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED
RISD Professional Development Center Auditorium
701 W Belt Line Rd, Richardson, TX 75080
RISD Academic Calendar
RISD Secondary Grade Reporting Calendar
RISD COVID-19 Pandemic Site
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Westwood Junior High Math, Science & Leadership Magnet
Email: kathryn.mottram@risd.org
Website: https://schools.risd.org/WestwoodJH
Location: 7630 Arapaho Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 469-593-3600
Facebook: facebook.com/WestWoodJH/
Twitter: @WestwoodJH_RISD