Westwood Wire
February 2, 2021
Dear Westwood Parents,
The first month of 2021 has passed and it's hard to believe that there are only 4 months left to this unprecedented and unique school year. February is a month of celebration at Westwood as we mark Black History Month, National School Counselor Week and honor what we love about WWJH.
What we love the most about Westwood Junior High is our students, faculty and staff. As we operate during the pandemic, we are asking teachers to do a tremendous amount in order to continue to provide quality instruction to all students. We also recognize the commitment that all students and parents are making during this unusual school year. In order to support all students, please review the following important expectations.
If your student’s chosen learning model is face-to-face instruction, your student must be present in class in order to comply with Texas Law related to attendance and truancy as well as meet student individual choices and needs. We are asking and expecting our students who chose face-to-face instruction to be present on campus unless they are ill, quarantined or have legitimate reason for missing school that can be excused under RISD attendance policy, which is based on Texas Law.
A few reminders about attendance expectations for all students:
Parents of students who miss school or class for any reason must provide a note explaining the absence in order to excuse the absence within 3 days of returning to school.
Parents of students who miss school because they are experiencing COVID-like symptoms should report the symptoms and absence to our school nurse; Leah Angel at leah.angel@risd.org or (469) 593- 3504.
Students are not permitted to shift back and forth between virtual instruction and face to face instruction on a daily or weekly basis.
Changes to students’ learning model commitment for the 4th quarter (March 8 -May 28), will be made by parents in the middle of February. Email and text reminders will be sent the week they are due.
If you have any questions about attendance expectations, please contact Norma De Paz, attendance clerk or your student’s Assistant Principal, Stewart Brown (A-K) or Allison Congdon (L-Z).
Please mark your calendars for the next Westwood Wire publications on February 23rd, March 23rd, April 13th, May 4th and May 25th. You can access this newsletter in your email inbox, Westwood Twitter & Facebook pages, school website and PTA platforms. In addition to a message from me, the topics will include academics, athletics, counseling, fine arts and library news.
If there is additional information you would like to receive in this newsletter, please let me know. We encourage your feedback as we collaborate and engage with parents to meet our goal of communication that is proactive, timely and relevant.
Sincerely,
Katie Mottram
WWJH Principal
Translate this Newletter on your Desktop / Traducir en la computadora
- Locate Accessibility on the right
- Select Translate Newsletter
- Select your language
Translate this Newsletter on your phone / Traducir en tu telefono
National School Counselors Week
We would like to recognize our Westwood Counselors who do an amazing job with the students and staff.
If you would like to nominate a counselor for the counselor of the year award: Leader of the Heart please click the "Nominate a Counselor" button below.
Anyone can nominate a deserving RISD educator who embodies the heart of a school counselor.
Brooke Scoggins
Beneia Ruttenburg
Heather Garrett
Nurse of the Year Nominations
It’s been a tough school year for many RISD students, teachers, parents and staff members.
In this pandemic school year more than any prior year, we have asked so much of our school nurse - Leah Angel, who has worked tirelessly to keep ALL of us as healthy as possible. To nominate an exemplary RISD nurse click the "Nominate a Nurse" button below.
Westwood Junior High Shout Out Award
This award will be given monthly in our faculty meeting and this month we are highlighting CONNECTIONS. Your recognition and celebration of our teachers and staff is an amazing gift and if you would like to shout out a teacher or staff member who has made a positive connection with your student, please complete this form by February 12th.
Our January winners were selected by WWJH Students from a survey. When asked "what adult on campus do you trust the most?" the majority of students mentioned these two amazing ladies, please help us congratulate them!
Lynley Allison
Eboni Simmons
Congratulations to the Westwood Robowreckers
Westwood Robowreckers 74248A went to Vex IQ Challenge qualifier tournament in O'Brien Texas on Saturday January 23rd.
Coach Mrs. Rose Ma
Captain and Strategist: Julia Schwope
Co-captain and Driver: Francis Holgate
Builder and Problem Solver: Juan Perez
Programmers and Drivers: Aislynn Farr and Steven Sun
It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase our robot and robot skills. Our team won the Judges Award. Here are the key criteria as listed on REC foundation website:
• Team displays special attributes, exemplary effort, and perseverance at the event
• Team overcomes an obstacle or challenge and achieves a goal or special accomplishment at the event or at some time throughout the season
• Students demonstrate teamwork and effective communication skills
Grade Reporting
To set up a Partent Focus account please visit https://web.risd.org/focus/#information
A parent Focus account will allow you to monitor your students grades and attendance online.
For assistance with the sign-up process, please email FocusParent@g.risd.org or call 469-593-0811.
8th Grade
The RHS counselors will be sending out information later this month to confirm the classes students chose for 9th grade (which came from their Personalized Graduation Plans). Be on the lookout for information in the Counselor Google classroom later this month.
If you applied for a magnet program that requires a student interview, make sure you call RHS (469-593-3038) to schedule your interview time by February 3rd. Magnet Decision letters will be mailed home from RHS Magnet School March 10-12.
More information about the Richardson High School Magnet Programs can be found at RHSmagnet.org. If you or your students have questions, please contact Sonja Deeds in the RHS Magnet office at (469-593-3038).
7th Grade
It’s time to pick classes for 8th grade. Current 7th graders will watch a video about how to choose their classes in lead academy on Friday, February 5th. Mrs. Ruttenburg and Mrs. Scoggins will be in the 7th grade ELA classes February 8-11 to assist students in choosing their 8th grade classes. If your student is absent on the day the counselors help students choose their classes, they should go into the WWJH Counselors Google Classroom page to complete the google form. If a student does not submit their form with class choices by February 18th, their 8th grade classes will be chosen for them. Parents –Please start talking to your student about their 8th grade classes this week. You can find resources here Westwood 8th grade Course Selection Resources to help you decide. Something to note when choosing classes for 8th grade: If your student plans to apply for a magnet program at RHS for 9th grade (2022-23 year), you should look at the class/grade requirements on the RHS magnet page: www.rhsmagnet.org. Many of the programs require their applicants to have certain classes &/or grades in order to apply.
Online Enrollment for the 2021 - 2022 School Year
Please note that the pre-registration process of students choosing their classes for the next school year is separate from student enrollment. Parents will receive an email with a code to complete the enrollment process for the 2021-2022 school year on March 1st.
Enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year begins online starting at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, March 1. Parents can learn what information and documents are required to enroll by visiting risd.org/enrollonline. Leading up to March 1, RISD’s Parent University will host virtual sessions, translated into multiple languages, to explain the enrollment process and answer questions.
Parent University Virtual Enrollment Assistance Sessions
Spanish & English – February 9, 6-7 p.m.
Arabic & English – February 10, 6-7 p.m.
Amharic & English – February 11, 6-7 p.m.
Vietnamese & English – February 16, 6-7 p.m.
Pashto & English – February 17, 6-7 p.m.
Urdu & English – February 18, 6-7 p.m.
All parents and prospective parents interested in learning more about the enrollment process are welcome to participate in any session. Parents can enroll in any Parent University session, or watch previously-recorded sessions, by visiting the RISD Parent University page here.
Additional Student Programming
Through our LEAD Academy, Art classes and AVID programing Westwood Junior High students will be participating in reflective and life-skill building programming in Self-Management, Self-Efficacy and Social Awareness.
Throughout the fall we collected data through a grant with TXNSi and Panorama in addition to our in-house survey’s from our students to provide the foundation for our new programming.
Each week in LEAD Academy students will be introduced to reflective exercises that are designed to build a growth mindset and resiliency, to develop gratitude practices and additional life-skills that are important in all aspects of a student’s daily life. Additionally, students in all art classes and AVID will develop skill sets in positive outlooks in self and others with the goal of developing strong reflective practices in a student’s life.
The work we are embarking on is designed for our students to:
· Feel calmer in times of stress
· Lower stress
· Gain clarity and compassion for self and others
· Develop greater self-awareness and mindfulness
· Enjoy feelings of accomplishment and achievement (big and small)
· Provide context for daily life
MAPS Assessment
Both 7th and 8th grade students took the middle of the year MAPS assessment in their math classes during the week of Jan. 11-15. Students will take the reading assessment the week of Jan. 19-22. The Family Map report will be sent home this week if your student if F2F they will get their report during Language Arts to take home. If your student is virtual their report will be mailed to your address on file.
Upcoming QSA Testing Dates
MLK ESSAY & ART CONTEST
The Richardson City Council, in partnership with RISD, PISD and UT Dallas is sponsoring a Martin Luther King, Jr. essay and art contest. The flyer for this event can be found HERE.
We enjoyed reading the students' essays and those who chose to, submitted their final essay completed in English class by the January 29th contest deadline.
The art teachers have also been working on incorporating the art contest into their lessons and students who are not currently enrolled in an art class at WWJH, are also welcome and encouraged to participate and submit their project by the February 26th deadline.
We are hoping for and expecting Westwood student winners as we celebrate the value of our diversity and inclusion.
WWJH Book Club
Next Book Club meeting is Friday, February 26th. We will be reading One of Us is Lying.
Westwood Junior High Math, Science & Leadership Magnet
Email: kathryn.mottram@risd.org
Website: https://schools.risd.org/WestwoodJH
Location: 7630 Arapaho Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 469-593-3600
Facebook: facebook.com/WestWoodJH/
Twitter: @WestwoodJH_RISD