West Sylvan Middle School
February 16, 2024
Greetings, West Sylvan families!
Thank you to our family members who volunteered to give students a special treat on the 14th! There were a lot of smiles all around! In recognition of the Lunar New Year, we hosted Roseway Heights Middle School performers as guests at our school assembly today! The students from Roseway Heights performed (see some images from the performance below), and it was such a fun experience to see the talents of other Middle School students!
As a reminder, this coming Monday, February 19th is an instructional school day! This was formerly a day off for Presidents Day, and is now an instructional day for all to makeup learning time from the PAT strike.
Schools were given our budgets for the 2024-25 school year, and we are working on determining staffing assignments using the budget and staffing allocations that we have received. As you have heard through PPS communications, the school budgets are reduced, and our school will be impacted. We will have to reduce some staffing, and our average class size will be at 32 students (with some classes higher and others lower). Performance classes, such as Band, Choir, and PE always have higher student enrollment numbers. The following support roles, which were added for this school year, will continue to be funded next year through grants:
- Instructional Coach
- Restorative Justice Coordinator
- New for 2024-25: Academic Interventionist Teacher (Reading and Math)
- District leaders have decided to fund a new position at Middle Schools, an Academic Interventionist Teacher position. Designated students who are performing under the 20th percentile on OSAS and MAP testing would be referred to intervention support time in math and/or English with that Interventionist teacher in 24-25.
We will continue to offer as many of our current electives, as possible, within our budget constraints.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Jill Hunt, Principal
Ben Keller, Assistant Principal
UPCOMING DATES
FEBRUARY ~ Black History Month ~
- Mon, FEB 19th: INSTRUCTIONAL DAY (Classes in session) *added makeup day from missed school during the PAT strike
- Thu, FEB 22nd: OBOB Tournament / 4:00PM in the WSMS Library
MARCH
- Sun, MAR 10th: Ramadan begins
- Thu, MAR 14th: Fifth Grade (going into 6th Gr for 2024-25 school year) Family Information Night / 6-7PM at WSMS
- Wed, MAR 20th: Fifth Grade (going into 6th Gr for 2024-25 school year) Family Information Night / 6-7PM at WSMS
- Mon, MAR 25th ~ Fri, MAR 29th: Spring Break / NO SCHOOL
ELECTIVES FORECASTING 2024-25
Our current Sixth and Seventh Graders will complete their forecasting for electives in the weeks ahead. All students will take a World Language as part of their schedule in both 7th and 8th grades. A visual of the required courses are below, also. Students will be placed in their Math class based on the District criteria outlined below. They will have time to rank some preferred elective choices, and choose their preferred World Language option in the coming weeks. Seventh Grade Students will select either French or Spanish for their World Language, and Eighth Grade Students will have French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic to choose from for the 2024-25 school year. Both Mandarin and Arabic will be offered on the Lincoln HS campus at the start of the school day, and students will be bused to West Sylvan after their class. Counselors will be working with students to help them choose these selections.
SEEKING SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEMBERS
We are still trying to build our family membership for our School Site Council. The SSC would meet at least quarterly to review our schoolwide plans and major school initiatives. If you are interested in contributing to this Council, please indicate your interest here.
FREE TUTORING FOR ALL
PPS has created a tutoring option for all students to access! The information is here for how students may access tutoring support through the new PPS partnership with VarsityTutors through their school Chromebooks.
YEARBOOK ORDERING 2023-24
Our Leadership class, with Ms. Lacaden, is hard at work creating this year’s Yearbook for WSMS. All sales of yearbooks will be pre-ordered directly through an outside company, and will not be purchased through the school. To pre-order this year’s book, go to: yearbookordercenter.com and enter the code 6339. Pre-order cost is $30. The price will increase as we get closer to the deadline. PRE-ORDER TODAY to get the early pricing!
FEBRUARY IB MYP LEARNER PROFILE TRAIT
KNOWLEDGEABLE
We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
FOR 8TH GRADERS ONLY: MYP COMMUNITY PROJECT
After completing community service hours through their Block classes during the first semester, 8th Grade students at West Sylvan are set to begin the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) Community Project, which is an essential component of the MYP curriculum and a capstone project of students’ Middle School education.
The MYP Community Project is a student-led and collaborative project that aims to encourage students to explore and reflect on real-world issues within their local community. This project enables students to apply their learning from their prior service and different subjects to develop essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration.
The project has four main components: investigating, planning, taking action, and reflecting. Students begin by identifying a real-world need within their community that they are passionate about and wish to address. They then conduct thorough research to better understand the issue and its possible solutions. Next, students will develop a plan of action to address the issue, which may involve organizing events, raising awareness, fundraising, or other forms of community engagement. Finally, students take action and reflect on their learning and the impact of their project.
~ Community Project Timeline ~
Investigating: 2/8 - 3/14
Planning 3/15 - 3/22
Taking Action 4/4 - 4/25
Reflecting/Prep 5/2 - 5/TBD
Expo May - TBD
Throughout the project, students receive guidance and support from their Advisory teachers, who ensure that their project aligns with the principles and values of the MYP. We believe that the MYP Community Project is an excellent opportunity for our students to develop essential skills and become active, responsible, and compassionate members of their community. We encourage you to engage with your student about the importance of service as they work to make a positive impact in their community.
This year, students will have the opportunity to share their projects with their peers and educators in the MYP Community Project Exhibition, which will take place during the 4th Quarter. They will be assessed based on the Community Project assessment criteria and graded through their Social Sciences classes. This project will be worth 10% of both their 3rd and 4th Quarter grades. Thank you for your ongoing support!
Translation available: Español / Tiếng Việt / Русский / 中国人
OREGON BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
Come cheer on your fellow West Sylvan students
as they compete in a fun and lively tournament!
Thursday, Feb 22, 2024, 04:00 PM
West Sylvan Middle School, Southwest West Slope Drive, Portland, OR, USA
TRANSPORTATION UPDATES
Throughout the year, we have still had patterns of late buses to/from WSMS. If you need to contact Transportation in the afternoon because a route is taking longer than expected, please call this hotline to get real-time status on your child’s bus route:
Child Missing Line
503-916-6901
Press '2' when prompted
IMMUNIZATIONS EXCLUSION
PPS is required to ensure that all students are up to date on all school-required immunizations, or have a signed medical exemption letter signed by a licensed physician or a non-medical exemption, by Wednesday, February 21, 2024 (“Exclusion Day”). Immunizations are required by state law for children and students in attendance at public and private schools, preschools, childcare facilities and Head Start programs in Oregon.
On February 7th, the Multnomah County Health Department (MCHD) mailed a notification letter to all students who are due to receive one or more required vaccinations or who do not have a record of immunization. Students who do not have all their school-required vaccines or a qualifying exemption by Exclusion Day will not be allowed to attend school until their immunizations are up-to-date.
FRIENDS OF WEST SYLVAN is parent/family organization that supports Scholars and Staff and fosters community connection through fundraising and volunteer opportunities. Join the mailing list and stay connected with other families!
COMMUNITY DONATION DRIVE
Youth Charity League, a volunteer organization for families that want to make a difference in their community, is partnering with Lemonade Project to collect stuffed animals for foster children. The stuffed animals can be new or like-new. Here’s your chance to clean out your closets and find a new and loving home for your stuffed animals!
The collection box will be in the Counseling Office
from Thursday, February 1st through Friday, March 22nd
COUNSELING SUPPORTS
Counselors are best reached and contacted via email. Please refer to the following list for your School Counselor by grade.
HIRING OPENINGS ~ Join Our Team!
Our staffing outlook is improving substantially, and we are almost fully staffed! We now need just two more Paraeducators to complete our staffing for the remainder of the school year. To apply for these Paraeducator openings, the link is below.
We still have two open Paraeducator positions, one that is in our SPED Intensive Skills Classroom. The other position will be to support a student in all classes and around campus. These are full-time positions from 8:30AM - 4:00PM, Monday - Friday. Interested applicants can apply here.
We are always looking for Substitutes who like working in our building! To become a substitute, the information is here.
VOLUNTEERS
Interested in Volunteering and Being More Involved?
Become an approved PPS volunteer by following the information here. Once your application is approved, please contact the Main Office to see how and when you can be of service. Our Friends of West Sylvan organization also regularly shares ways to get involved on campus, specifically to volunteer in the Library, monitor hallways, help in the Main Office, help in classrooms, and do recess duty.
EARLY STUDENT PICK-UP
Please make every effort to pick up students before or after their grade-specific Lunch period (see below). Once students are scattered around the field playing at recess, picking up during Lunch recess becomes more timely for all involved. Please do not call or text your student to tell them you are here or to tell them to come to the Office. If a student uses their device to check a text and/or answer a phone call, their phone will be confiscated.
6th Grade LUNCH: 11:37 AM ~ 12:07 PM
7th Grade LUNCH: 12:31 PM ~ 1:01 PM
8th Grade LUNCH: 1:25 PM ~ 1:55 PM
~ SCHOOL DOORS OPEN AT 9:00AM DAILY ~
Breakfast is available in the hot lunch room at that time. With the colder weather, we are having students who are dropped off early sit in the hot lunch room until 9 a.m. so that they are not sitting in the cold outdoors. Students with Choir before school (appears as period 0 on StudentVue), start school at 8:00 AM each day. Students should ring the bell upon arrival.
CHROMEBOOK REPAIRS
Ms. Crombie accepts Chromebooks for repairs between 10:00AM - 3:00PM each day. Damaged devices are picked up for repair each Friday, and are usually returned the following Friday. A loaner Chromebook can be issued to students in the meantime. Remind and encourage your student to take care of their Chromebook, and keep them in protective cases. If they don’t have a protective case, the school can provide one. Chromebooks are used for class assignments daily. Students will need to charge their device each night and bring their charged Chromebook to school each day. We do not have enough loaners to give to students who forget their chromebooks. Students and families will be responsible for paying for replacements for lost chargers throughout the 2023-24 school year. They will be ordered through PPS OTIS, and cost $12/each.
CHROMEBOOK ACCESS UPDATE
The district IT office has removed access to any non-US based web pages. This is to project student privacy. In addition, students will not be able to access my.pps.net outside of the United States from now on. If this provides a hardship, please contact Ms. Crombie and she will help you ask for an exception.
STUDENT ID CARDS
Please remind your students to bring and wear their school ID daily. We’ve shared out many ways that our students can be safe by displaying their IDs throughout the day through our Advisory videos. IDs are used on campus for quickly identifying students (this is especially helpful for Substitutes). Students use them to check out library books and to buy hot lunch. Bus drivers also look for student IDs to be sure that students are on the correct route.
FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES
We do NOT allow students to order items directly from delivery services throughout the day, as they are inviting strangers to our campus, and we have no way of monitoring what they are delivering. There is an unfortunate option where students can order illegal items, such as VAPE devices through delivery services. Students are reminded of this school policy regarding food delivery services when it is violated, and items are held in the office for end-of-day pickup. Family members are also notified when this occurs.
MONTORING SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY
ELECTRONICS POLICY
WSMS is a cell phone free zone from 9:00 AM - 3:45 PM daily. We request and advise all families to keep scholars’ cell phones at home during the school day. If a scholar brings a cell phone to school, they will be expected to store their turned-off phone in their locker throughout the entire school day (including lunch periods). Important messages can be sent to our main office via email (westsylvanoffice@pps.net) or phone, and will be forwarded to your scholars. Please do not call or text your student. If your scholar chooses to use their cell phone, smart watch, air pods, tablet, et al, the device will be confiscated. If your scholar uses their device to check a text from and/or answer the phone from you, their phone will be confiscated. Not only will their phone be confiscated, it shows you do not find this school rule important. This sets a bad precedent.
POLICIES - HANDBOOKS - GUIDELINES
CONTACT US
MAIN OFFICE
(503) 916-5690
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ PRINCIPAL'S SECRETARY
[Staff / Substitutes / Financial]
Jerda Solonche
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ SCHOOL SECRETARY
[Students / Attendance / Enrollment]
Kirsten Crombie
West Sylvan Middle School
Website: www.pps.net/westsylvan
Location: 8111 Southwest West Slope Drive, Portland, OR, USA