9th-Grade News
August 2021
UPDATES WERE MADE TO THIS NEWSLETTER ON AUGUST 7th, 2021.
Welcome to Putnam City West!
Class of 2025,
It's almost time for school to start and I am excited to see you!
Beginning July 26th, I will be back in the office preparing for your arrival.
I will be using this format to communicate with you and your parents throughout the year. Newsletters will be sent to school e-addresses as well as published on the PC West website. I hope you find them helpful.
Look for this t-shirt.
FAQS
These are some questions that you may have. Right now, I have very few answers, but will be updating this newsletter as I obtain more information. (Yes, you can come back to this same newsletter and it may have updated information, which I think is very cool.)
WHEN DOES SCHOOL START?
Wednesday, August 11th, at 8:00am. Most of the time, school runs 8:00am - 3:10pm. However, Wednesdays are Late-Start days, which allow teachers to meet for planning purposes. This year, the Late-Start schedule will begin, Wednesday, August 18th; school begins at 8:45am on Late-Start Wednesdays..
Schedule Pick-Up Day is Monday, August 9th. You can pick up your schedule between 1:00pm and 3:30pm. The school counselors are doing their best to prepare schedules for Monday afternoon; however, the scheduling process is quite complicated and adjustments are currently being made daily. You will want to check the morning of the 11th for any changes to your schedule.
HOW WILL I FIND MY CLASSES?
Patriot Partners (student mentors) will be available to give tours on Schedule Pick-Up Day as well as the first day of school. You will know them by their t-shirts. There will also be lots of friendly adults (your teachers) in the building who will help you.
WILL THERE BE A FRESHMAN ORIENTATION?
Mrs. Pistole (Patriot Partners sponsor) and I are working with the Patriot Partners to plan a special day for freshmen on August 26th. You will also be participating in special activities through HomeRoom and Teen Leadership classes to help you get acquainted with West.
WILL WE HAVE TO WEAR MASKS?
Mask-wearing is a decision made at the district level. You will want to go to the Putnam City Schools website for current information about masks, distance-learning days, and such. You can look under the Covid-19 tab, then go to Return to Learn. (See the links below.)
WHAT SUPPLIES WILL I NEED?
A supply list is usually included with each syllabus that a teacher distributes during the first days of school. Until you receive that list, you will want to have a writing utensil and some paper. A bottle for water is another item that many students bring. Backpacks are used in place of lockers. An iPad will be assigned to each student.
Lunch Program – Good News/Bad News
GOOD NEWS!
PC West is able to provide FREE MEALS, both breakfast and lunch, for all students this year! Funding for this comes from the Title I program as well as COVID-19 relief funds.
BAD NEWS!
Title I funding is based on the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches. Even though everyone will receive free lunches this year, qualified families still need to APPLY for free lunches EACH YEAR, including this August. This is really only bad news if qualified families do not take the time to apply.
WHY APPLY?
There are several reasons to apply for the free/reduced lunch program each year—even if your student does not eat school lunches!
Students who qualify for free/reduced lunches also qualify for free/reduced test fee waivers for such tests as the ACT, the PSAT, and AP subject tests.
Title I funding pays for some of PC West's teachers, after-school tutoring, curriculum, and other programs in addition to school meals for students.
Schools receive Title I funding based on the number of students who qualify for free/reduced lunch, but if qualified families do not apply, then otherwise eligible schools may lose their Title I funding. A decrease in Title I funding means loss of important instructional programs and resources.
CHECK FOR UPDATES
Thanks for your help with this.
See you soon!
Mrs. J
Dena Jaeger, Freshman Counselor
405.787.1140, extension 2336
I HAVE MY SCHEDULE, BUT IT IS WRONG--NOW WHAT DO I DO?
As mentioned, the scheduling process is complicated and there will be a few mistakes made. However, just because it may not have the electives that you wanted, does not necessarily make it wrong. Classes fill and students may not always get the electives that they want. Counselors will make schedule corrections, but changes due to personal preferences may not be approved. So what to do if you need a correction? See below.
Hole in Your Schedule - If you are not scheduled for any class during a specific period, you will follow your schedule and then report to the Freshman Counselor's Office, Room L-104, for that period.
Missing or Double Core Classes - Check to see if you have an English class, a math class, science and social studies. Most freshmen will have Teen Leadership first semester and Oklahoma History second semester. If you are missing one of these, pick up a Schedule Correction form which will be available at the literature rack outside the Freshman Counseling Office; follow your schedule and return the completed form between classes. Do the same thing if you have double classes, such as two English classes or two world language classes. Follow these same steps if you think you should be in a different level of class, such as geometry instead of algebra or an Honors class.
Adding/Dropping Activity Classes - If you had planned to participate in a sport, a music program, or other extracurricular activity class, but don't find it on your schedule, follow the steps above. There may be an additional form to complete, depending on the circumstance. Follow the same process for dropping.
You will need to follow your current schedule until a correction is made.