What's Up @ West

September 13, 2024

Blue quotation marks on a silver background

The words Explore, Create, Innovate on a blue background

Principal's Message

Dear Families,

Yesterday's Open House was a busy and joyful event, filled with excitement, laughter, and plenty of smiles. It was so much fun engaging with all of you, and we loved seeing our school come alive with the energy of our students and families. Thank you for taking the time to connect with us and for making the Open House a priority! Your involvement is what makes our school community so special and we are so grateful to have you all working with us to ensure that our students are successful!

I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you for your patience as we navigate the transportation bumps we've encountered during the first few weeks. We understand that there have been some challenges, and we appreciate your understanding as we work with district and transportation leaders to address the challenges. Please continue to reach out to Associate Principal Mr. Evans, shaun.evans@hopkinsschools.org, and myself with any transportation concerns. We’re here to support you and do what we can to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Once again, thank you for your partnership and support. We’re looking forward to an amazing school year together!

With Gratitude,

Serita Mattei

In this newsletter:

Principal's Message
Important Dates
8th Grade Leadership Trip -Base Camp
iPad Tips for Home
Canvas and Academic Progress
Annie Jr. Auditions
IB Scoring
Caregivers of Kids with Disabilities
West's Food Market
MN Tax Benefits for Families
Hopkins Public Schools Safety Event
HEF's News

Important Dates

Please mark your calendar:

Sep 12: Open House

Sep 18: Picture retake

Oct 3: No School (Rosh Hashanah)

Oct 7-8: FastBridge Reading

Oct 14: 7th grade Conflict Challenge

Oct 15: 6th grade Conflict Challenge

Oct 17-18: No school (MEA)

WMS Things to Know

8th Grade Leadership Trip -Base Camp

On September 4th/5th all 8th graders had an opportunity to participate in a day long field trip to Base Camp at Fort Snelling. Base Camp offers a unique experience where students will participate in a variety of team-building exercises designed to enhance their collaboration, problem-solving, and communication skills. Students and 8th grade crew leaders had a wonderful time.

"You Are All That and a Bag of Chips"-Staff Appreciation Moment

We love our staff at West Middle and the admin team is always looking for ways to celebrate them and show them our appreciation. Today staff were encouraged to head to the teachers lounge during their breaks for some "chips" to celebrate our first full week.

If you are interested in making a donation to help us ensure we can show our staff love and appreciation throughout the year please reach out to Kim Campbell kim.campbell@hopkinsschools.org.

iPad Tips for Home

At WMS, we decided to have a slower rollout to using devices and bringing devices home for the 24-25 school year. It is important to remember these are school issued devices and should be used for educational purposes only.

Grades 7 & 8: Monday September 23 and Tuesday September 24 - students will be bringing their iPads home.
Grade 6: Wednesday September 25 and Thursday September 26 - students will be keeping their devices at school.

The beginning of the school year is a good time to reestablish expectations for the iPad. Here are some ideas to support their responsibility:

Set Expectations:

Review: K-8 User Agreement with your scholar.
Create a Plan: The device should be used for schoolwork only. It's technically school property that your scholar is borrowing -- like a very expensive library book. Need ideas, about how to start this conversation? Family Tech Planner

Time Management:

Set a device cut off time each night. Sleep is critical for your scholar’s growth and development.
Set limits that work for your family with the Jamf Parent App. With this app you can lock apps and restrict device functionality.

Charge Everyday: Charge the iPad every evening away from your scholar’s sleeping space to be prepared for learning the next day.

Canvas and Academic Progress

Get an Observer Account! An observer account allows you to see your scholar’s classes in Canvas. Canvas is our learning management system and where students receive content, assignments, and grades.

Have more questions? Contact Crystal Polski (Technology Integration Specialist)

IB Scoring

Canvas gradebook won’t have many scores yet

For the next few weeks, classes will be focusing on building their classroom communities, learning procedures, and learning about their content.
Teachers will be giving feedback and assessing students informally, so you won’t see very much in the gradebook yet.

Instead of A-F scores, IB has an 8 point scale. IB scores are based on standardized rubrics and encourage students to grow in their learning.

Scores of 1-2 mean “beginning.” Lower scores are common at the beginning of a unit or course.
Scores of 3-4 mean “progressing.”
Scores of 5-6 mean “mastering.” This is the level we hope students will reach by the end of the year.
Scores of 7-8 mean “excelling.”

Interested in finding out more about understanding IB scoring? This 3-minute video overview and this document are a great way to start.
Want to get detailed information about IB Scoring? Watch this 20-minute video responding to caregiver questions last year.
Have more questions? Contact Jen Poncelet (IB Coordinator)

Annie Jr. Auditions and Parent Information Session

COME ONE COME ALL TO AUDITIONS FOR ANNIE JR. Auditions will be held for performers on Tuesday, 9/24 and Wednesday, 9/25 afterschool.

For parents an information meeting will be held on Thursday, September 19th from 5-6:30 at WMS.

Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, with a beloved book and score by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, Annie JR. features everyone’s favorite little redhead in her very first adventure.

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Annie eventually foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations, finding a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

6th Grade Families

The majority of our 6th graders have lunch on a daily basis from 1:26 pm to 1:56 pm. This is later in the day than they are used to and we know our students get hungry earlier and need food to help fuel their learning. 6th grade teachers will allow students to bring snacks to classes and students will be able to eat those snacks during Top 10 Reading ONLY. Students are NOT allowed to share their snacks as it causes significant disruptions. If a child does not have a snack and needs one the teacher will make sure they get a snack.

**. If you'd like to donate snacks for other students, please drop them off in the Welcome Center with Kim Campbell's name on them. Thank you so much.

CAREGIVERS of Kids with Disabilities Coffee Date

Hello,

My name is Erika Manley and I am the parent of a 7th grade student at West Middle School. If you are the parent or caregiver of a child with a disability, we wholeheartedly welcome you to our first coffee event of the school year! Find support and empowerment!

Date: Friday, September 20th

Time: 9-10:30am

Place: Basecamp Coffee & Provisions,

14635 Excelsior Blvd, Minnetonka

Remaining 2024 Meeting Dates (all Fridays):

- Oct 11

- Nov 15

- Dec 13

How To Access West Middle Schools Market

Click the link below for information about how to access the market at West Middle School.

West Middle School Market and Resources info.docx

Please do not hesitate to contact West Middle School Counselors, Social Workers or Administration if you have any questions about accessing the Market on site.

Around the District

Minnesota Tax Benefits for Families, Renters, Homeowners, and Working Individuals

Please review this bulletin from the Minnesota Department of Revenue to learn how you may qualify for numerous tax benefits on your 2024 income tax returns. Important Tax Guide

Hopkins Public Schools Safety Event on Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m.

Hopkins Public Schools invites parents, students, staff, and community members to join us for a thoughtful conversation about student safety and to explore what holistic safety means within our district. This event will be a welcoming space to share information, ask questions, and engage together as a community, ensuring that every student is supported in a safe and caring environment. Learn more

Hopkins Education Foundation News

Hopkins Education Foundation (HEF) is excited to welcome students back to school! This is HEF's 30th year supporting Hopkins students and teachers. We started the school year by meeting new students and families at kindergarten nights, celebrating Hopkins schools at our Rock-n-Royal

Hopkins Athletics

Fall Sports

Register for Fall Sports Now!

Read here for details.

2024-25 Calendar

At the December 12 School Board Meeting, the Hopkins School Board approved the 2024-25 calendar. Over the next few weeks, we will add these dates to our digital calendar and provide a printable PDF.