West Sylvan Middle School
August 25, 2023
Dear West Sylvan Families,
Happy Last Friday of Summer Vacation! Welcome to all of our new families who have joined us since our last family communication at the start of August! There have been a fair number of late enrollments, and our classes sure are full! Mr. Keller is working alongside School Counselors to update schedules and respond to questions related to schedules, and we thank you for your patience! If you have sent a request through the Google form, please do not resend the same request multiple times. With nearly 100 families requesting some sort of change or special personal consideration, this work takes time, and requests related to programming (incorrect Math placement, incorrect World Language, SPED services, ELL services) are the top priorities.
Middle School is a time for growth and exploration, and as a Middle School seeking IB MYP authorization this September, exploring through inquiry, being open-minded, and being balanced are all traits that we are growing in students through their varied elective exposure at WSMS! Not every elective will be a natural favorite, and that is part of growth, exposure to new learning and well-rounded development which we aim to foster in our Middle School course offerings.
Enjoy the last weekend of summer break!
Jill Hunt, Principal
Ben Keller, Assistant Principal
UPCOMING DATES
AUGUST
- Tue, AUG 29th: Jump Start at 9:15 AM for 6th graders and NEW to West Sylvan 7th/8th graders
- Wed, AUG 30th: First Day of instruction for ALL students (new and returning) begins at 9:15 AM
SEPTEMBER- Mon, SEP 4th: NO SCHOOL / Labor Day holiday
OCTOBER- Thu, OCT 5th: Back to School Night at West Sylvan from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
- OCT 8th ~ 13th: Outdoor School for 6th graders (*overnight stay all week with curriculum at the camps)
PPS FREE/REDUCED MEALS PROGRAM + MORE
Eligibility for the Free and Reduced Program for PPS students is based on family income and size. Enrolled students are eligible for many school services for free or reduced costs, including: school meals, sports uniforms, registration fees for sports, yearbooks, field trips, and more. With the Oregon expanded Income Guidelines (linked below) more families are eligible to enroll in this program! To enroll, apply online at
https://www.pps.net/Page/2464. There are also printable forms on the website, which can be returned to the WSMS Cafeteria or Main Office. Paper copies may also be picked up at the Main Office.
FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL
Tuesday, August 29th is the first day only for new 6th Grade students and any brand new 7th/8th Grade students who are joining WSMS for the first time. There will be introductory community building activities all day to get acquainted with the school expectations, meet Teachers and Staff, and have a day to settle into campus before the rest of students enter the building. There is no need to bring any school materials on the first day, August 29th (that’s right… only bring a lunch, if your student brings a sack lunch!), as we’re diving into fun and community building for our first day together.
On Wednesday, August 30th, we look forward to welcoming back our returning 7th and 8th Grade students, along with our 6th Grade and new 7th/8th Grade students! That day, we will review school wide expectations with the entire Student population, engage in even more community building activities, assign lockers, and start handing out school chromebooks.
School doors open at 9:00 AM daily. Students with Choir before school (appears as period 8 on StudentVue), start school at 8:00 AM
beginning Wednesday, August 30th. 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), and will be forwarded to your scholars’ PPS email account. Time will be allowed for students to check their PPS email during the last period of the day.
Social Media Blocked on PPS Devices:
New this year, our OTIS team is blocking all social media access on school devices. Also, WSMS has an expectation that cell phones are off and away throughout the entire school day, including lunch and passing periods.
TRANSPORTATION
For questions about your scholar’s bus route, district transportation options, or times for pick-up, visit the Transportation Department’s
website. The WSMS Office is unable to change bus schedules, and all calls regarding buses will be redirected to the Transportation website. There is a note that bus routes will be updated in late August, so stay tuned.
On Tuesday, August 29th, only 6th graders or NEW to WSMS 7th and 8th graders should come to campus. CLASS SCHEDULES
Student schedules are visible through
StudentVUE and ParentVUE. If you are unsure how to access this technology, please refer to this webpage.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES LIST
A list of recommended school supplies are listed here. Many families prefer to wait until students meet their teachers to decide exactly what to purchase. There is no need to bring any school materials on the first two days, August 29th and 30th, as we’re diving into fun and community building for our first days together.
CHROMEBOOKS + CHARGERS
Some returning students to WSMS may have forgotten to return their charger last school year. This has resulted in nearly 300 missing chargers. If your student still has their charger at home, they will need to bring it to school. We will not be replacing lost or forgotten chargers. 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 $67/each. Also, encourage your student to use their Chromebook case to prevent damage to Chromebooks. WSMS students had the highest number of repairs of any school in the district last year due to damage or poor treatment of Chromebooks. Families, please review how to be responsible for keeping this device safe.
COUNSELING SUPPORTS
Counselors are available by email. Please refer to the following list for your School Counselor by grade.
SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES
Incoming 6th Grade students with IEPs, who have designated service minutes listed on their IEPs, are automatically enrolled in a Learning Center period rather than another elective. This is aligned to the legal mandate to have dedicated service minutes in the school week, which were previously written into an IEP. The transition to Middle School is a huge change. We do not recommend revoking or discontinuing an IEP just to keep the Learning Center from being in a Student’s schedule. Typically, the fast pace of Middle School takes time for adjustment, and keeping a period of Learning Center, at least for the first quarter, helps students ease into the new expectations and fast-paced demands. If you are new to WSMS, your Student’s case manager will be in contact with you during the first week of school to introduce themself.
CAFETERIA / MENUS
Students are welcome to bring their own sack lunch and are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle daily to refill throughout the school day in our water fountains. Scholars will have to pay for school lunch, and information about plans and assistance are here. We have three separate lunch times, by grade level (see bell schedule here). Menu information and pricing is available here. This will be updated throughout the year. Families needing to apply for free and reduced lunch assistance can also find details on that website.
2023-24 Menu Prices (PK-8)
Breakfast: $1.60
Lunch: $3.00
Milk: $0.50
BELL SCHEDULE with ADVISORY
To increase the amount of time dedicated to building connections for our scholars with adults and to increase opportunities for academic support, Social-Emotional learning, and engagement in school clubs for everyone, all Middle Schools in PPS have an Advisory class during the school day. Advisory at West Sylvan will be held at the beginning of each day and we will follow the MORNING Advisory bell schedule below.
CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION
Construction will be cleared by the first day with students on Tuesday, August 29th. Final cleanup and approvals are occurring throughout this weekend to clear the building for our students. This will be the first round of two summers of construction, as the other half of the roof is scheduled for a replacement during Summer 2024.
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 parent organization also regularly shares ways to get involved on campus.
As we continue to plan for the upcoming school year, we are hopeful that we can have more families involved in regular school activities such as volunteering on campus, taking part in our
Friends of West Sylvan organization, and serving on
School Site Council and
School Climate Committees. If you may be interested in having a voice in one or more of these school groups, please sign up
here.
PORTLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE (PIL) YOUTH SPORTS
A wonderful way to keep your student engaged and out of trouble is to get them involved in extracurricular activities, such as youth sports.
All information to register students for PIL Youth Sports is located here. ** After-school sports are run entirely through PIL and West Sylvan does not have any information regarding tryouts, practices, schedules, etc.
West Sylvan Middle School
