West Week in Review
February 21, 2020
Connect with us!
Please check your email weekly for our West Week in Review! Infinite Campus is now open. Also, be sure to follow us on the Boyertown Middle School West Facebook page and our Twitter/Instagram accounts @WhatsUp_West.
Upcoming dates:
February 25 Applications due for 6th and 7th graders interested in competition/community service clubs - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuuP-3PQW9F1tmHZpG48qDq8k2-8WkyymaD_I2ucZZUziglw/viewform
March 3 What's So Cool About Manufacturing Awards Ceremony
March 7 Music League Chicken Dinner
March 11 Trimester 2 Report Cards posted
March 12 Be Awesome Day
March 18 Early dismissal at 11:35am
March 21 Unity Walk
April 2 Information Night for guardians of current 5th graders coming to West at 7pm
New Information
Infinite Campus
Starting February 21st at 3 PM, grades on the parent/student portal will be disabled as teachers finalize trimester 2 grades. We will enable grades on the portal at 3 PM on March 11th when report cards will be posted.
What's So Cool About Manufacturing?
West's What So Cool About Manufacturing team is participating for the second year in a row and features Appeeling Fruit. The best part of their experience so far? Eating apples, of course!
Beginning on February 21 and continuing thru February 25, all Berks and Schuylkill County Middle Schools participating will have their APPROVED videos posted for viewing at https://www.whatssocool.org/contests/berks-schuylkill/
We will share their specific links as soon as they are available.
WE NEED YOU! February 26-28: Online voting takes place. Voters can vote as many times as they’d like (no “robo” voting – this could get us disqualified). Please share these posts and encourage family, friends, and neighbors to participate. Thank you!
Judges in each regional contest bestow a variety of awards, and each contest features a Viewers Choice Award. The ceremony for the Berks Schuylkill Competition will be held on March 3rd.
To learn more about PA WSCM, please visit:
https://www.whatssocool.org/contests/about-the-contests/
Pura Vida Bracelet Sale
The West student council is holding a special fundraiser. Members of student council designed a personalized bracelet in honor of Makayla Becker. Funds raised from the bracelet sale will benefit Makayla's Fight as she battles leukemia. Students can purchase a bracelet for $8 starting this week in the cafeteria during lunches or by visiting Mrs. Shelly or Mrs. Rauenzahn's classrooms.
Music League Chicken Dinner
The Boyertown music department, in conjunction with the Music League, will be hosting the annual chicken dinner on Saturday, March 7, at Middle School West. Information on performances as well online chicken dinner orders can be found here: https://www.boyertownmusic.com/product/boyertown-chicken-dinner-ticket/.
20-21 School Year Calendar
The BASD Board of School Directors recently approved the calendar for the 20-21 school year. The first day for students is Monday, August 24. The calendar can be found on the district website here: https://www.boyertownasd.org/cms/lib/PA01916192/Centricity/Domain/4/2020-2021%20-%20Boyertown%20Area%20School%20District%20Calendar%20FINAL%201.28.20.pdf
20-21 Transition
The East and West administrative teams have been collaborating to provide a smooth transition for students whose school assignments are changing for the 20-21 school year. An overview of the list of items and activities was shared at last week's Coffee with the Principal. Building principals are finalizing their spring and summer school visitation dates for new students. An informational letter will be shared soon with more details on the transition.
Immunizations required for 7th grade entry / Assistance Available for Mont Co Residents
Entry into seventh grade requires the following vaccines: 1 dose of tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap), 1 dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV). All parents have been notified if their child has not received one or both vaccine. If your child is participating in a school physical, a parent or guardian is responsible for getting their student immunized. See the link for more info: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/programs/immunizations/Pages/School.aspx. Also, Montgomery and Berks County residents needing assistance should see the attachment below. Contact Mrs. Moser at cmoser@boyertownasd.org with questions.
Spring Sports
All Spring registration packets for both Senior High and Middle School Sports were due last week. Forms can be found here: https://www.boyertownasd.org/Domain/10 . A spring sports meeting was recently held at West for 7th and 8th graders interested in baseball, softball, track and field, or girls' lacrosse.
Homework Help
Homework Help continues to be available after school in room 86 until 3:50pm.
February's dates:
2/24 2/25 2/27
Free Immunizations for Montgomery County Residents
Free Immunizations for Berks County Residents
Reminders
Dance Marathon is Coming Soon!
Dance marathon is Friday, April 3. Students watched the intro video today and received information packets with sponsorship information. Packets are also available on the West webpage. The video can be seen here for more information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv1ohM2V4uk&feature=youtu.be
Dance Marathon is coming & we need your help!
The Dance Marathon is an annual event held at West to raise money for the American Cancer Society/Boyertown Relay for Life. Last year we raised over $37,000! This year it will be held on Friday, April 3rd from 2- 9pm. Student Council is looking for some parents that are willing to seek out donations (monetary, prizes, food) from area businesses this event. If you are interested in helping find donations, please email Mrs. Rauenzahn & Mrs. Shelly at westdancemarathon@gmail.com. If you are not able to help with this aspect, but want to get involved, we will have opportunities to donate or to volunteer to help on the day of the Dance Marathon (this will be sent out in the Spring).
Boyertown Area Unity Walk- (Saturday, March 21)
This year is the 16th annual Unity Walk. The walk will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2020. The event will run in conjunction with the Wellness Council of Boyertown’s Annual Wellness Fair. The walk will begin at the Boyertown Area Senior High School Main Entrance. Unity Walkers are encouraged to organize a walking team. Four teams will be selected to win a $100 donation towards their favorite charity. Each walking team with 5 people or more will be entered in the drawing. If you would like to create a walking team in advance, please contact the United Way office at (610) 367-8716. On the day of the event, registration for walking teams will begin at 8:45 AM.
Participants are encouraged to stay for the Wellness Council’s Running of the Bears event and the Wellness Fair. The Running of the Bears will begin following the walk and the Wellness Fair will be from 10AM-1PM at BASH. Students who participate in the Unity Walk will get bonus points for walking in addition to their laps in the Running of the Bears Event.
This is a great opportunity to show the strength of community in Boyertown. Please join us at the walk to demonstrate our appreciation for diversity and our desire for acceptance for all.
Early Pick-Up from School
As a reminder, if your child is being picked up early from school due to illness or for an appointment and you need to send someone who is not on your child's emergency contact list, please be sure to send a note in to school with your child granting permission to release your child to the individual. If someone comes who is not on the list, we will call the parent/guardian to confirm permission to release the child.
Library
Do you know that your child can log into Destiny, our district-wide online library catalog system, to check his/her library account at any time? Logging in and using the “My Info” tab will allow students to view books that are currently checked out to them, due dates, late fees, and books on hold. Students also can use the “Catalog” tab to search our library collection and even to place a hold on a book. This is an easy way to keep their account up to date! Follow these steps to log in:
- Go to destiny.boyertownasd.org
- Click “Boyertown Middle School West”
- Click “log in”
- Enter school computer login information
- Click the “My Info” and/or “Catalog” tab at the top
BASD online Community Bulletin Board
The Community Bulletin Board is a way for parents and guardians to find opportunities for their children throughout our community. For more information on activities for your children or to find out how to post an event on the Community Bulletin Board, click on the following link https://www.boyertownasd.org/Domain/1321
BASH proudly presents MAMMA MIA! (April 2-5) – Tickets Available Online Now!
Come to see the rollicking smash musical, MAMMA MIA!, at BASH on April 2, 3, 4 at 7:00 PM or on April 5 at 2:00 PM. All tickets are being sold online at www.boyertownmusic.com. You will be able to choose your own seats and see what seats are available. Conveniently pay with your credit card safely through PayPal. Purchase your tickets today before they sell out! Please do not send order forms, cash, or checks to Jeff Brunner. Any questions about the website can be directed to Chris Cinquini at ccinquini@boyertownasd.org. The ticket lobby will be open every Wednesday night beginning December 18 from 6 – 8 PM. Cash and checks will be accepted when purchasing in the lobby.
Missing Forms – Please Help
If you have not returned either the Limerick Evacuation Letter or the Laptop Insurance Form. Please complete and return these forms as soon as possible. Both the Limerick Form and the Laptop Usage Fee Form is required from every student in our building. More information was provided to students the first week of school, including technology usage fee information. Please review the 1:1 Handbook carefully. The laptop participation agreement will need to be signed and returned to school. Documents can also be accessed here: https://www.boyertownasd.org/domain/1411
Meal Accounts - Important Information
Please check your child's lunch account balance at www.ezschoolpay.com. Deposits can be made online or by sending in an envelope with your child. Please be aware that if your child has received free or reduced lunch in the past, that qualification will only carry over until the beginning of October unless you have reapplied for the 2019-20 school year.
Our cafeteria staff serves breakfast from 7:15 to 7:30 AM. It is $1.55 for breakfast. The lunch price this year is $3.05 for a student meal. Students can pay in cash or with debit system. Additionally, money can be put in your child’s account at www.ezschoolpay.com. Call Mrs. Clinton, our Food Services Supervisor, with questions at (610) 369-7542.
Activity Fee
The activity fee is now due for any students participating in a winter sport or who were in a fall sport or select music group and have not yet paid the fee. The annual fee is $100 per student or a $300 cap per family. Activity fee payments can be made at www.ezschoolpay.com or can be mailed to the high school athletic office.
Pick Up / Drop Off Procedures ***
Overall, things have been going very smoothly at the drop off doors. Thank you for following the rules of no passing in the morning and careful passing in the afternoon. We have noticed in the afternoon that cars are stretched out onto Madison Street. In order to help with this situation, we will make a small change to afternoon procedures. Please continue to follow the current process when pulling in with the lead car stopping by the drop off door entrance. However, once the district vans and mini-buses have finished pulling out, a staff member will direct personal vehicles to continue around that loop to allow us to get cars off the road and load more vehicles at a time. Please wait for a staff member’s direction before pulling around the loop by the walker doors and look both ways before pulling into traffic to leave.
Transportation
In order to keep our buses on schedule, transportation is requesting that students arrive at their bus stop five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. We appreciate your help with this matter.
Bus Passes
If your child needs an emergency bus pass, it is important that they bring a note to the office in the morning. We need to contact transportation to make sure there is room on the bus. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
Attendance Procedures
A quick reminder that state law requires written notification of excuse from a parent/guardian within three days of return from absence. Please utilize the electronic options we have provided to make this as easy as possible. We greatly appreciate your cooperation. https://www.boyertownasd.org/Page/5317
Arrival / Dismissal Procedures
Please carefully review the attached map and information regarding morning drop-off procedures. Afternoon pick-up will be in the same location as drop-off. Thank you in advance for following procedures in order to keep all of our students safe! Just a reminder to stay in the line in the mornings and do not attempt to pull around vehicles in front of you.
Parking/Entry
During the School Day Due to the security system we have in place, the only doors available for public access are the front doors. Please use the spaces in front of the building when parking during the school day. When picking up or parking during extracurricular activities, you may park in the lot on the Boyertown Elementary side of the building as long as you will not be there during bus arrival and dismissal times (7-8 AM; 2:15-3:15 PM).
Raptor System - Building Security
The district has implemented the Raptor Identification System in all buildings. We will be requiring that all school visitors/volunteers provide a driver’s license or other government-issued identification card to proceed into the school. School staff will swipe the card to determine if the individual is a registered sex offender. If the system lists any offender information, the principal will intervene and the individual will not be permitted to enter the school outside of the school office area. Individuals who need to drop off or pick up materials in the school office will not be required to use the system. We thank all parents, guardians and visitors in advance for your cooperation as we implement this system.
Calendar 2019-2020
The school calendar for the current school year can be found at https://www.boyertownasd.org/Page/14#calendar9/20190914/month. Please note the dates of district testing which are listed below. Educational trips for students involved in district testing will not be approved during those times. We appreciate your help in making sure all of our students are available for the testing.
April 21 – May 2 Grades 6,7,8 PSSA ELA, PSSA Math, PSSA Science (Grade 8 only) May 12 – 13 Grade 8 Keystone Algebra I Exam (Only students in Algebra I Advanced)
Middle School to the Y
Thanks to a grant from the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation, FREE bus transportation will be provided to 6th, 7th and 8th grade students to the Boyertown YMCA. Programs such as team and individual sports, fitness and wellness classes, and electronic and board games will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All participants must be current Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA Members and registration is required. Also students must be picked up at the Boyertown Y as there is no transportation back to the school. Additionally, the YMCA offers free membership for all 7th grade students. Contact the Y for more information at (610) 369-9622.
Box Tops and Redner’s Save-a-Tape
Box Tops for Education collections will continue at Middle School West this year. Also, get the Box Tops Bonus App for your phone and help us earn even more FREE MONEY for our school! You may send Box Tops into school with your student at any time throughout the year. Reminders of important deadlines will be sent in upcoming newsletters. Thank you for all your help in making this program a success!
Redner’s Save-a-Tape receipts are also being collected and can be turned into the West office.
Free Community Meals
2020 U.S. Census Information - Be Counted!
Staff Positions Available
Boyertown Middle School West
Email: sllandis@boyertownasd.org
Website: http://www.boyertownasd.org
Location: 380 South Madison Street, Boyertown, PA, USA
Phone: 610-369-7471