CB West High School
West Times Newsletter 10.2.17
News from the Guidance Office
PSAT 2017 – The PSAT will be offered at CB West on Saturday October 14, 2017. This exam is recommended for all college-bound 10th and 11th grade students as practice for the SAT. Only students taking the PSAT as a Junior may be eligible for National Merit Scholarship recognition, so any Junior who took the test last year is highly encouraged to take it again.
Registration for PSAT’s is available through www.mypaymentsplus.com until Sunday October 8, 2017, or until all seats are sold. The cost is $22 per exam. If this is the first time you are using MyPaymentsPlus for any of your students, then you'll need to create a new account; if you have an older sibling and have used MPP before, then you will just need to add the new student to your existing account (you’ll need your student’s school ID to create a new account, or to add a student to an existing account). PSAT Student Guides will be distributed to students through Advisory after your registration is processed. Please be sure to print and save your MyPaymentsPlus PSAT registration confirmation page. If your student does not receive the Student Guide, and you don’t have a printed confirmation page, then your student has not registered for the PSAT. Please contact Mr. Michael Curtis at mcurtis@cbsd.org with any registration issues prior to the deadline, or go to the Testing/PSAT page of the Guidance Website for more detailed information.
Financial Aid Night -- The Central Bucks School District Financial Aid Night will take place on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 at 7:00 pm at CB East in the Auditorium. CB East is located at 2804 Holicong Road, Doylestown, PA 18902. The presenter will be Ms. Bonnie Behm, Director of Financial Assistance at Villanova University. Topics will include types of financial aid, the application process (using the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid), timelines and deadlines, and tips for comparing offers of aid from various schools. Seniors and their parents are strongly encouraged to attend.
- Attention Seniors: The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) will be available online starting October 1, 2017. Please go to www.Fafsa.gov to create an account and get started with your financial aid application.
College Visits -- Each day, admission representatives from up to four colleges visit CBW. Juniors and Seniors are highly encouraged to attend the visits for schools they’re interested in learning more about. The representatives who come are typically the ones responsible for reviewing students’ applications, so this in an invaluable opportunity to make a personal connection with that representative. Students should sign up through Naviance (College Tab →View All Upcoming College Visits), and print their confirmation page as their pass. Students may also sign up in the Guidance Office prior to the visit.
Please bookmark our Guidance Webpage for current updates on Guidance events, college application procedures, PSAT/SAT/AP news, and more!
CB West Parent Council
We look forward to continuing our partnership with parents through the 2017-2018 Central Bucks West Parent Council. Membership to the council is open to all interested CB West parents.
Meetings are scheduled for the following Wednesdays in the Tower Room off of the Main Lobby, beginning at 9:00 AM and concluding at 10:30 AM:
October 25, 2017
January 24, 2018
February 28, 2018
March 28, 2018
April 25, 2018
Some of the goals of the group will be:
- To foster a dialogue between the home and school through the collegial sharing of ideas and concerns
- To undertake project(s) as developed by the group
- To support the school in the community by information sharing
We hope you will be able to participate in our 2017-2018 Parent Council.
Below is important information about Keystone Assessments for the 2017-18 school year:
Regarding Winter Testing from December 2016 and January 2017:
If your child participated in Literature, Algebra 1, or Biology Keystone Assessments in December or January, scores are available in Parent Portal.
Regarding Spring Testing from May 2017:
If your child participated in Literature, Algebra 1, or Biology Keystone Assessments in May, scores are available in Parent Portal. Additionally, individual score sheets were distributed to parents at Back to School Night on September 14. Any remaining score sheets were then distributed to students during advisory on September 15.
Regarding Winter Testing in December 2017 and January 2018:
Students currently enrolled in English 10, Algebra 1, or Biology will be administered the corresponding Keystone Assessment(s) during the month of December for Literature and January for Algebra 1 and Biology. Our testing schedule will be available on the CBW Keystone Assessment Webpage at http://www.cbsd.org/Page/25869. This webpage also includes resources to help students prepare for the assessments. After-school help sessions for Algebra and Biology are also posted under “Testing Supports at CB West.” Students enrolled in English 10, Algebra 1, or Biology during 2nd Semester will test in May.
State Assessment Proficiency Requirements:
Currently, PDE requires students in the class of 2019 and beyond to have reached proficiency on each of the three Keystone Exams prior to graduation. Students are encouraged to retake the test if proficiency is not reached on the first attempt.
Keystone Retake Procedures:
If proficiency is not met on a Keystone exam, students are encouraged to retest. Typically, students are invited to retest the following school year when scheduled for their next math, English, or science course. However, if students who tested in December or January would like to schedule a May retest, please contact Mr. Hoffman at dhoffman@cbsd.org.
ePrep
The Central Bucks School District offers a standardized testing prep system, ePrep, to all its students. This free web-based program helps students prepare for the PSAT, SAT and ACT. There are practice tests, test-taking tips, and instructional videos that explain how to do the problem(s) that may have been answered incorrectly during the practice session. The link is http://www.eprep.com.
All CB West sophomores have been registered with accounts. They should log in with their CBSD student email and the password eprep2017. Juniors and seniors who are interested in accessing ePrep but do not have an account should contact Ms. Graney in the CB West Library for an account.
NEWS FROM THE CLASS OF 2018
Class of 2018 Guidance Web Page. The Senior House Counselors have worked hard to centralize relevant college application resources. Visit the Class of 2018 Guidance Web Page at https://www.cbsd.org/Page/967 for step-by-step instructions and short video tutorials on requesting transcripts, teacher recommendations, uploading applications, financial aid, and much more. We encourage students and parents to keep this resource handy during the entire college application process.
CB West Homecoming Weekend: October 6-7
Join us for our 3rd Annual Homecoming Carnival on Friday, October 6th, prior to the Homecoming Football Game against Pennridge. The Carnival will take place from 4 to 6 pm on the softball field. There will be games, food, and prizes. The Class of 2019 is proud to make the annual Carnival a community event and has chosen to give the proceeds of the Carnival to Rise Against Hunger, a food packaging and distribution event. Here is a link with more information regarding Rise Against Hunger https://www.riseagainsthunger.org/ Thank you for your support! We look forward to seeing our CB Community on October 6th!
This year’s CB West Homecoming dance will be taking place Saturday night October 7th, from 7pm-10pm in the West gym. The theme for the homecoming dance is Empire State of Mind, and we’ll be celebrating with all of the excitement of New York City. Tickets will be available in advance for $10 on My Payments Plus, or at the door on the night of the dance for $15.
You Can't Take It With You
CB West Harlequin Club is proud to present Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman’s “You Can’t Take It With You” directed by Lauren Bagnick on November 2, 3, 4 at 7:00 pm. All performances will be at Tohickon Middle School.
Tickets are now on sale through the Brown Paper Tickets website. You can access Brown Paper Tickets @ http://cbwfall2017.brownpapertickets.com.
Antler Yearbook Information
Attention Senior Parents - Friday, November 10th is the deadline to have your Senior's Baby Photo printed in the Antler Yearbook. Available at an additional cost of $50, you can fill out an order form, available on the Antler website or you can email your picture/message to Stephanie Ferraro (sferraro@cbsd.org). Please email Erin Walsh (elwalsh@cbsd.org) with any ordering questions.
CB West Ski & Boarder Club 2017-18
Well, if the Farmer’s Almanac is correct, our CB West Ski and Boarder club members are going to have an outstanding season! We are set up and ready to go and look forward to another great year. As in years past, we will once again be taking five trips to Blue Ski Mountain and Resort. Club membership also includes transportation provided by Hagey coaches, a club hoodie sweatshirt and an end of the year pizza party. A variety of economical packages exist to allow members to select options that best fit their equipment and lesson needs.
We are proud to present our Procedure and Safety meeting on Wednesday, October 11th at 7:00 pm in the CB West cafeteria. This is a mandatory meeting required by the District for club member parents and members to learn important procedures, trip details and safety precautions. Remember that club membership is a first come, first serve system, so attendance to this meeting is extremely important as we only have 100 available spots. For more information and a link to our efficient online application visit our website at www.sites.google.com/site/cbwestskiclub/ or contact J.R. Meo at mmeo@cbsd.org. We look forward to you joining this exciting outdoor club.
Good News About CB West Students
CB West Art Featured at Art Garfunkel’s Book Signing at Holicong Middle School
The legendary Art Garfunkel was in town on Monday, September 25th to launch his new book entitled What Is It All but Luminous: Notes from an Underground Man. Garfunkel delivered a book talk as well as gave guests an autographed copy of his new book.
Our CB West artists had their work featured in the lobby to commemorate this legendary musician! Their artistic vinyl records were on display as well as two canvases made by our CB West Art 3 students. Garfunkel took one of the interactive canvases made by students and signed by community members at the Doylestown Arts Festival back to his home in NYC. He signed the second canvas which will remain here in Doylestown!
This was a spectacular example of the community collaboration between the Central Bucks School District art department, the Doylestown bookshop and CB Cares. We were thrilled to be a part of this incredible event!
News from Technology Education Class
Mr. Taylor’s class made a video of its paper airplane drone made in engineering class to explore aerospace engineering. Click the twitter link to see the video and more! https://twitter.com/escapesSTEEAM
CB West Students attend National Leadership Academies
Congratulations to Vanessa McCole and Araianna Velez who attended The National Leadership Academies this summer studying Science, Technology and Medicine.
CB West Jazz Quartet Plays at Benefit Event
CB West students Matthew Oriente, Max Du, James Kong and Prithvi Venkataswamy recently played at the Janet L. Manion Memorial Event held at the Michener Art Museum, an annual fundraiser which raises money to support the families of the fallen in a very unique way. CB West and the Travis Manion Foundation thanks these talented CB West musicians.
Reading Buddies
CB West’s English Language Development (ELD) students regularly meet with their kindergarten buddies at Doyle Elementary. Ms. Magee brings her West ELD students over to Miss Westcott’s room for shared reading and English conversation. By the end of the year, Miss Westcott’s students will be reading to their high school buddies.
About Us
Website: http://www.cbsd.org/Domain/30
Location: 375 West Court Street, Doylestown, PA, United States
Phone: 267.893.2500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbschools
Twitter: @CBWestHS