WILDCAT UPDATE for Families
TEAM Westridge "Be a Champion"
September 28, 2016
Follow us on Twitter and see "Our Story." We have amazing things happening in our school!
Many of your student's teachers/classrooms also have a Twitter account! So fun to see what they are doing during class.
Help us get to 1,000 followers.
Upcoming Events
September 28 - Fundraiser Kickoff
September 30 - Early Release - 1:45 Dismissal - No late buses or athletic practices
October 1 - Cross Country - Baldwin Invitational 8:00am
October 3 - Girls' Basketball Tryouts (7th and 8th)
October 4 - Wrestling Meet at Indian Woods
October 5 - Choir Concert 7:00pm
October 6 - PTSA Meeting 7:00pm in the Library
October 7 - Wrestling - District Duals at SM East
October 8 - Cross Country - SMWest Invitational at JCCC 8:30am
October 10 - Orchestra Concert 7:00pm
October 12 - Band Concert 7:00pm
October 13 - Early Release - 1:45 pm - No late buses or athletic practice
October 13 - Cross Country - District Meet at Indian Woods 4:00
October 14 - No School - Teacher Work Day
October 15 - XC Sunflower League at Rim Rock Farms 8:30am (for those who qualify)
October 17-18 - Fall Play Zombie Invasion 7:00pm
October 19 - Cross Country Awards Banquet - Westridge MPR 6:30pm
October 20 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 5:00-8:00
October 21 - No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences 8:00-11:30 1:00-4:00
Principal's Message
We are so excited to be able to support our student athletes during their games and meets! With that, we do want to make sure to communicate to you the expectations and procedures for students attending after-school activities. Students who want to stay after to support Team Westridge athletes will need to report directly to the MPR at the end of the school day (between 3:45-3:50). A supervisor will be with students for the duration of the after-school event. During the time between check-in and the game, students will be able to work on homework or socialize with other students who are also staying for the game. Students who are staying for the academic support time are dismissed at 4:30 and will still be able to attend the after school activity by requesting a pass from the academic supports teachers. Students leaving their academic supports classroom will then report to the gym and give the pass to the after-school supervisor.
If a student leaves campus and then returns to school to watch an after-school sporting event, he/ she will only be admitted to the game with a parent or guardian present. We are so excited to have WMS students cheer on their peers and hope to see lots of students at the games showing their Wildcat Pride!
Be a Champion and Go Wildcats!
Mr. McDonnell
Principal - Westridge Middle School
Words from a Champion Westridge Student . . .
Being a WINNER
W - When teachers are talking I'm not
I - I'll do my best
N - Never Give up
N - Never be disrespectful
E - Enter with positivity
R - Respect anyone and everyone
-Andy, WMS student
Academic Support
Congratulations to Ms. Holmes!
Attendance Matters!
School attendance is a baseline factor in determining student success. Successful schools begin by making sure students come to school regularly. Partner with us and help your child get to school every day and be here on time.
Clubs
CHESS - Wed - Rm 10 - Mrs. Holder
DRAMA CLUB - Thurs - Mr. Coats
IMPROV CLUB - Tues - Stage - Mr. Coats
FITNESS CLUB - Tues/Thurs - Rm 153 - Orozco
ART CLUB - 1x month - Rm 176 - Gilroy
SET & COSTUME CREW - depends on show - Rm 19 - Mr. Coats
STEAM ACTIVITY (SCIENCE) - Wed/Thurs - Ms. Brewster
SPEECH & DEBATE - Tues - Rm 161 - Ms. Courtney
YEARBOOK - Tues until 5:00 - Rm 160 - Ms. Holmes and Mr. Klinzing
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS - info coming soon - Library - Ms. Dierks
Fundraising
PTSA
Thanks to all of you who have joined the Westridge PTSA! If you'd like to be included in PTSA communications (news, events, etc.) please email westridgeptsa@gmail.com and we'll add you to our distribution list. You can also keep up with news via the Westridge PTSA Facebook page.
We had a fantastic first meeting and we're looking forward to our next meeting on October 6th at 7pm in the Library. We hope to see you there!
Athletics
Upcoming athletic events are in the calendar list above.
Our Wrestlers won their first meet against Hocker Grove!
Our Cross Country team has been doing a great job. Results from our last meet:
Boys: 4th place - Josh Swanson
Girls: 1st place - Emma Vielhauer / 4th - Erin Bender / 5th - Ella Barth
8th grade Girls' basketball practices will begin on October 3, 2016. There will be a parent information meeting on September 27, 2016 at 6:30 in the MPR. Students MUST have a completed physical packet and have the Skyward Athletic Packet information completed prior to the start of practice. Physical packets may be picked up from Room 121. A student physical must have a date later than May 1, 2016, in order to be used for this athletic year.
Community Resources
From our Social Worker at Westridge:
On September 26, 2016, families are being encouraged to take pictures of families eating together and post them to social media with the hashtag #myfamilyselfie512. (Don't forget to tag Westridge @WRidgeMS.) Research shows that children of families who eat together are less likely to abuse alcohol and/or drugs. The link is casafamilyday.org.
Please don’t ever hesitate to ask if there is anything we can do to help your student be a champion! You can contact me at 993-1369 or vickicanady@smsd.org
Being a Champion - Goals for Life
Here are the Goals for Life:
1. I can do the right thing even when I am mad.
2. I can be okay (follow The Westridge Way) even when others aren't okay.
3. I can do something even though I don't want to or it is hard.
These are goals that all of us have to master in order to be successful. Brainstorm with your student how these apply not only at school, but at home and in the community.
Counseling Corner
Starting this year, our staff has received guidance in a new counseling referral process. Teachers are now able to refer students to see Mr. Miller or Ms. Burns through an electronic referral process. This process will help us collect information and better track which services are being used based on the needs of each student.
Notes from the Nurse
Greetings from the Nurse's Office! As many of you may know, I am new here at Westridge! I am very excited to serve as a resource to your student as well as your family! Thank you for your patience as I transition into this role and please do not hesitate to reach out with any needs or concerns.
Just a few reminders:
•You may be receiving a notice regarding your child's immunization records. Students who are non-compliant with immunizations after October 20th will not be allowed to attend school until written documentation of required immunizations is received. Please help us to obtain these records. Additional information may be found on the "immunizations and physicals" page of the district website.
•All students (middle school and high school) who wish to participate in sports are required to have a sports physical. This is a requirement of KSHSAA (Kansas State High School Activities Association). The physical MUST be completed on the KSHSAA physical form which can be found online through the SMSD Athletics page. Please encourage your student's physician to utilize this form specifically so the documentation does not have to be redone.
•Flu season is quickly approaching. Please encourage your student to practice frequent hand washing and to help slow the spread of germs by covering coughs and sneezes.
•Lastly, please encourage your student to be mindful of their use of the nurse's office. We are seeing extremely high volumes and one of our main goals is to keep students in class when possible. Please discuss "self-help" techniques with your students and reinforce the importance of deciding whether a trip to the nurse's office is really needed. For example, "Can I handle this myself? Have I tried simple methods first? Have I eaten or drank enough water today?"
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email me at JuliaGlenn@smsd.org or call me at 913-993-1207. Thank you!
Information from Officer Harrison
My name is Dana Harrison and I am the School Resource Officer here at Westridge Middle School.
Here is a link to my district webpage for more helpful information!
Building Grade Card
http://svapp15586.ksde.org/rcard/building.aspx?org_no=D0512&bldg_no=8888
Calling for Kleenex!
Westridge Middle School
Website: http://westridge.smsd.org/default.aspx
Location: 9300 Nieman Rd, Overland Park, KS, United States
Phone: 913-993-1200
Twitter: @WRidgeMS