Westview Wildcat Weekly

Wildcat Family Newsletter - Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Principal's Message

Vision: Success for ALL students means equity in instruction and SEL for ALL students! Achievement is they ALL CAN by any means necessary.

Mission: Westview students will be equitably empowered with the academic, social, and emotional knowledge and skills to live choice-filled lives and be successful contributors of society.

Hello, Westview Wildcat Families! I want to assure our families that Westview continues to follow district communication and immigration guidance. PfISD has sent out communication to families, and the district has created this FAQ page on the district website. You can visit this website to access Immigration Resources as well as other important information.

Please know that at Westview Middle School, students safety maintains a priority! Our counselors, social worker, and administrators continue to be available to provide support to our students.

Students are reminded that if they "SEE or HEAR something, SAY something." Additionally, students can make anonymous reports through the Anonymous Alerts page.

Black History Month

Westview Middle School is proud to celebrate Black History Month, and we are thankful to Assistant Principal, Mrs. Jackson, and math teacher, Ms. Pollard, for organizing our Black History Month events. We recognize and honor Black History through multiple platforms, including our campus dress-up themes, displays of historical and significant figures, our upcoming family event, and our amazing Image Awards presentation!

Counselor Appreciation Week!

Westview is extremely grateful for our school counselors!! They are a driving force behind our success and wear many hats to ensure our students receive the support they need! This includes hosting lunch group sessions, providing individual counseling for students needing emotional/crisis/general support, assisting with schedule changes, supporting teacher/staff needs, and taking care of many other important responsibilities!

THANK YOU to Ms. Holtz, Ms. Hulse, and Ms. Cruz for EVERYTHING you do for Westview!!!

STAAR Interim Assessments

This week ALL Westview students are taking the Reading Language Arts (February 4th) and Math (February 5th) STAAR Interim Assessments.

All 8th grade students will take the Science and Social Studies STAAR Interim assessments on Thursday, February 13th.

We have been asking all students to take this test very seriously. This test is a condensed version of the STAAR test, and it provides our campus with important information about student growth/learning. Students who are not demonstrating adequate growth or performance will be identified for extra tutorials and intervention in order to prepare them for the April STAAR administration.

WMS Valentine's Dance

Westview is hosting a Valentine's Dance this Friday, February 7th from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Note: Students must be in good standing with attendance/tardies, discipline, and wearing their student ID.

Tickets will be sold this Friday, 2/7, for $5 in the cafeteria during all lunches. Students must have a wristband AND their student ID to enter the dance. We will not issue any refunds.

Students are also encouraged to bring extra cash to purchase snacks/drinks at the dance.

Students who attend the dance must be picked up promptly at 6 p.m. for their safety. Thank you for your assistance with this process!

Westview PTO Meeting - 2/5/25

Westview is hosting a Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) meeting today, 2/5, from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. in the library. We have an AMAZING PTO that regularly provides meals for our staff and other rewards to recognize teachers' hard work!

We hope you can join us to hear about campus updates as well as ways PTO is supporting our campus!

Coffee with the Principal - 2/10/25

Mr. Jaramillo is hosting a Coffee with the Principal next Monday, February 10th from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. in the cafeteria. Please join Mr. Jaramillo for coffee and treats and to hear about the following:

TAPR Report
Campus Initiatives and Updates
Attendance Updates
Other Announcements
Q&A - Mr. Jaramillo will give time for questions and answers

No Classes February 17th

As a friendly reminder, students do not have school next Monday, February 17th! Staff will engage in a half day of Professional Learning and have a half day of Plan & Prep.

5th Grade Invasion

Current 5th grade students at Copperfield ES, Northwest ES, Parmer Lane ES, and River Oaks ES will visit Westview Middle School on Thursday, February 20th! This is such an exciting time for our rising 6th graders, and we cannot wait to see them! During their visit to Westview, students will hear from Mr. Jaramillo, engage in a tour of the campus, and participate in activities from our student leaders!

5th Grade Parent Night

Spring WMS Picture Day

Our Westview Middle School spring picture day is scheduled for Thursday, February 27th! More information will be published soon!

Student Attendance

Regular school attendance is very important for student learning. Students who miss school more frequently are more likely to struggle with learning the concepts and may also struggle as they proceed to future grades/courses. Students are expected to be at school 90% of the time, per state law.

Westview uses EveryDay Pro to track student attendance and identify students who are excessively absent. Students with repeated or excessive absences will receive a phone call and/or text message regarding the concerns. Letters will also be mailed home per guidelines, and the campus may do regular home visits to help your student attend school. Please know that campus administrators will monitor student attendance to identify chronically absent students and truant students.

If your student must miss school, it is very important that your student bring a note to excuse the absence. Please also check your student's attendance regularly through Skyward to ensure regular attendance and that absences are noted as 'excused.'

Students who attend school regularly will be eligible to attend school events (i.e., dances, Westfest, etc.) and other celebrations. Students with perfect attendance will receive an award at the end of the 9-weeks.

Chronic absenteeism and truancy will result in meetings with an administrator to discuss absences, create a plan, and provide resources. Excessive absences can also impact a student's ability to proceed to the next grade level.

WMS Yearbooks for Sale

You can use this link to begin ordering your Westview Middle School yearbook! Mr. Barriga and the yearbook class have been working hard on making this year's yearbook look great!

Report Cards & UIL Eligibility

The 3rd 9 Weeks' Progress Reports were released on February 3rd. Students can only regain eligibility for this Progress Report as long as they are passing all classes. Ineligible students who have a failing Progress Report grade will remain ineligible.

Please also know that the next Progress Report is set for February 14th (UIL Snapshot for eligibility is February 21st), and the 3rd Nine Weeks ends on March 14th.

PBIS Rewards

Here at Westview MS, we award students PBIS Reward points for following campus expectations and rules. Students can redeem their points on Friday for prizes such as chips, wristbands, candy, stickers, and other rewards.

PBIS Rewards is a system to recognize and reward positive behavior. This system helps us focus on positive actions instead of punitive responses.

Student IDs

Our students have been doing a great job wearing their student IDs during the school day. Students who wear their ID daily will receive PBIS points and remain eligible for school function (i.e., dances, fall fest).

Consequences are in place for students who do not wear their ID more than 3 times, and parents will be contacted.

Lost IDs cost $5 and can be paid in the main office or online.

Beanstack Reading Winners

Westview uses Beanstack to log hours that students read! Our students have done an OUTSTANDING job of reading, and we want to recognize the following students on the leaderboard!! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!

Wildcat Spirit Teacher of the Week

At Westview, it is important for us to regularly celebrate our teachers and the great things happening across the campus! The Wildcat Spirit Award winners are: Mr. Doss and Mrs. Pena

Mr. Doss:

Mr. Doss is a teacher who is extremely professional and holds high expectations for himself and his students! He creates structures that make his classroom a safe space to learn. Additionally, his students have shown a tremendous amount of growth this year! We are thankful to all the work Mr. Doss does for Westview Middle School!

Mrs. Pena:

Ms. Peña is such an amazing educator and gives so much to Westview! She works hard to support our teachers every day, so that our students can perform at high levels. We are thankful to have Ms. Peña at Westview!

Thank you for being amazing and for all you do for Westview, Mr. Doss and Mrs. Pena!!

Previous Wildcat Spirit Award Recipients for the 24-25 School Year:

Mr. Evans & Mr. Gross (Band Teachers)
Ms. Begum (ELDA Teacher)
Ms. Mosley (Math Teacher)
Ms. Christian (Science Teacher)
Ms. Coutino (Newcomer Math Teacher)
Mr. Treadwell (Social Studies Teacher)
Ms. Bustamante (Newcomer Math Teacher)
Ms. Johnson (Social Studies Teacher)
Ms. Pennington (Math Teacher)
Ms. Puentes (RLA Teacher)
Ms. O'Jack (Essential Academics Teacher)
Ms. Castillo (ELLA Teacher)
Mr. Cossey (AVID/Health/Career Pathways Teacher)
Mr. Castorino (Social Studies Teacher)
Mr. Padron (Social Studies Teacher)

Tardy Tracking

Each week, we run a tardy report. Students with more than 5 tardies in a week or excessive tardies overall are assigned to Thursday after school detentions to make-up the missed instructional time. Make-up detention is held on Thursdays from 3:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Students who are reporting to class on time regularly will receive PBIS rewards and other incentives. Students who are repeatedly tardy will lose opportunities for campus events (i.e., dances, Westfest, etc.).

Cell Phone Policy

Per PfISD policy, cell phones must be turned off during the instructional day (start of 1st period until the end of the last period). We prioritize a focus on instruction, and cell phones cannot disrupt the learning or school environment.

Westview is adopting a new cell phone policy. Students will place their cell phone in the clear pocket chart next to the teacher’s desk to ensure it is not used during class. Teachers will have a system for how students will place and pick up their cell phones. Please know that if a cell phone is seen, it will be collected and turned in to the office.

1st Offense: Warning/Parent picks up the phone

2 or More Offenses: $15 fee/Parent picks up the phone

We understand that parents may need to reach their student. If a parent needs to contact their student, we ask that they call the front office at (512)594-2200. We will then call your student down to the office to speak with you. Similarly, students can use the front office phone to call a parent.

As noted above, cell phones can cause a disruptions and distractions in hallways, classrooms, restrooms, the cafeteria, and other spaces. We want to ensure our students are focused on learning and engaged at all times. Teachers for core classes will have Chromebook sets in the classroom, so students will be able to engage in learning using Chromebooks and do not need their cell phone.

Meal Deliveries

Please know that meal deliveries to the campus are not permitted (i.e., Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc.). If a meal is delivered the student will be allowed to pick it up at the end of the school day.

Westview PTO

The Westview Middle School Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) meets monthly to hear a principal's update, discuss the PTO budget, and review other campus agenda items. The PTO also helps tremendously with campus events, concession stand sales at athletic events, and providing food/treats for staff throughout the year.

Please join our Westview PTO! You can sign up using any options copied below.

Form Sign Up

Link Tree