Wolverine News
April 12, 2021
West Orient Middle School
Website: gresham.k12.or.us/woms
Location: 29805 Southeast Orient Drive, Gresham, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 663-3323
Twitter: @WOMSwolverines
Dear Families,
We have just one week left before some of our students return to our school campus for in-person learning.
Please read through this newsletter carefully as it includes important information for students who are participating in both in-person hybrid learning and comprehensive distance learning.
As always, please feel free to call our office if you have any questions. 503-663-3323.
Important Events for the Month of April;
- April 14: End of Quad 3, No School - Teacher Grading Day
- April 15 & 16: No School, Staff Prep & Training for Return to Learn
- April 19: In-person hybrid instruction begins (Cohort A, odd addresses)
- April 22: In-person hybrid instruction begins (Cohort B, even addresses)
Enjoy the sunshine this week!
Sincerely,
Ms. Elise Catanese
Principal
WOMS is EPIC (Engaged, Persistent, Intentional, Career & College Ready)
Student Bus Routes
First Student is working hard preparing the bus routes for the start of in-person hybrid learning beginning April 19. With that said, the information currently in Synergy & ParentVue for student bus routes may not be necessarily accurate. If you've checked your student's transportation information in ParentVue prior to this communication, please check it again after this Thursday in the case that anything has changed. If you have any questions regarding your bus route, please contact First Student at 503-665-8193.
Student Drop Off/Pick Up
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are excited to have so many students returning to in-person learning during our switch to the Hybrid Learning schedule. For many families, dropping off and picking up students will be part of your plan. For others, having students ride the bus will be the transportation plan.
For those of you planning to drop-off and pick-up your students at school, please take a few moments to review the map that is attached. You will notice that the only location for drop-off and pick-up is at the front of the building. Please do not try to pick up or drop off along Short Road on the west side of the school. This area is for bus traffic only, and students are being directed to walk to the front of the building for pick-up.
Also, please remember to follow the traffic pattern and stay in your vehicle while waiting for your child. Students will be expected to socially distance and wear their masks whenever they are on school grounds.
Thank you for your help in keeping students safe from traffic and COVID!
In-Person Hybrid/CDL Schedule
Student ID Badges & Supplies for 4th Quarter
Student ID badges were included in the bags that were given to students in our materials distribution on March 30th. Students will need to carry these daily to badge in and out of school.
If you missed our materials distribution, please call the office and schedule a time to pick up student materials needed for the 4th quarter of the year. All students will need supplies regardless of whether they plan to participate in Hybrid learning or continue in Comprehensive Distance Learning. Supplies include a student ID badge, Chromebook case, and face masks. In addition, content materials such as math workbooks and novels are included in the supply bags.
As a reminder, please remember to return any library books to the front office.
Orient Parent Teacher Club
We are excited to get our PTC meetings back on track and get some fun things going on in our community. We still have to follow all of the guidelines that the school follows, so our meeting will be held *virtually* on Tuesday April 13, 2021 at 6:30pm. We plan to discuss Teacher Grant Requests - there are some AWESOME ideas that teachers have for our kids this spring! - restaurant nights, teacher appreciation week, potential fundraisers for the remainder of the year, start gathering ideas for our fall fundraisers, PTC board elections, etc. We hope that you can attend and share your ideas. We will also be respectful of everyone's time and try to keep the meeting as short as possible.
Friendly reminder - this is a place for parents, families, teachers, and staff to come together to think of ways to enrich our community. This is not the place to discuss your frustrations with distance/hybrid learning as our PTC meetings do not impact those decisions. We will hear updates from our building principals about how things are going and important dates to be on the lookout for.
We would love to have you come and share in the conversation of community building as our school buildings are reopening.
Here is the google meets link for our meeting:
Orient PTC April Meeting
Tuesday, April 13 · 6:30 – 8:00pm
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/zti-qpkh-etfDaily Student Pre-Screening Survey
During this time, we need to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to our students, teachers, and support staff. We have created a daily pre-screening survey for you to pre-screen your student(s) for the primary COVID-19 symptoms and ensure they are able to attend school. Our school nurses will monitor the survey results to look for possible spread of COVID-19 in order to minimize the spread.
In the coming weeks, every parent/guardian will receive an email from the district on every school day (whether or not your students are scheduled to attend school in person or online). The email will include instructions for how you can fill out the daily pre-screening survey. If you don’t have an email address on file, please contact the main office @ (503) 663-3323 to ensure you receive this and other important information.
Please fill out the daily survey in ParentVUE for your students before they arrive at school or start attending school online for the day. If you want, your students can fill it out for themselves in StudentVUE.
If your student has any of the primary COVID-19 symptoms listed in the survey, please do NOT send them to school and call the school office. If your student is able to attend school online because they have mild symptoms, please have them do so.
Advisory Attendance
As the transition to a new Hybrid learning schedule ramps up to begin the week of April 19th, there will be a lot of information about the new schedules and procedures that we will be sharing with all of our students. These changes will impact all students whether they stay in Comprehensive Distance Learning or move to Hybrid Learning.
Most of the instruction about these new plans will take place through students' Advisory class. It is very important that each student attend Advisory classes (and Core classes) each day during the lead up to the new schedule. Advisory lessons will provide students with information about the new schedules and the procedures that will be in place at school when students start back with in-person learning.
Please help us make sure that your child is prepared with all of the important information for making this schedule switch. You can help us by reminding your son /daughter to attend their Advisory class everyday. Lessons to support the new schedule will begin being shared with students later this week.
Thank you for your help with this important endeavor. We look forward to safely having students back in the building!
Champions Child Care at West Gresham
30-day Notice and Opt-out Form for Statewide Tests
Every year, students throughout Oregon take state assessments prescribed by the Oregon Department of Education. The purpose of these assessments is to show individual student growth over time and to provide student-specific data that teachers can use to ensure each and every child is on track and achieving learning goals. Results are also used to inform course placement and to provide focused feedback to students and parents.
Under the Student Assessment Bill of Rights, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and Oregon’s school districts must provide families with a “Notice of Statewide Tests and Opt-out Form” 30 days before the start of statewide testing.
This year, school has been significantly disrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other factors. In response, ODE asked the United States Department of Education for a temporary pause (also known as a “waiver”) in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math testing. A pause is also being requested for science testing, but science testing is not subject to this opt-out rule.
If this waiver request is approved, then statewide ELA and Math testing will not happen this year, and there will be no need for parents to submit opt-out forms to their child’s school.
- If the waiver request is not approved, test windows will open on April 13, 2021. ODE will update your district regularly with news about the waiver.
WOMS Counseling Center
Hello again, Wolverine Students & Families!
Our "new normal" continues to impact us and those around us in many different ways. Whether it be housing, bills, food, mental health, or other needs, I am happy to help connect you to those resources. The links below are by category and can be translated to your home language. Other specific resource links can be found on the WOMS Counseling Website.
Please don't hesitate to contact me! Students & Families can always email me or submit a Request Form.
-Ms. Kinder
Technology Assistance Update!
For further technology questions and support, please contact our school at 503-663-3323. Our school will work to get you in touch with a staff member who is able to assist you, or pass along further information to the Technology Department.