Westside High School

Dear Westside High School Families:

I hope you are finding the summer months to be relaxing and a time to recharge your batteries for the upcoming year. I am very excited for the 2024-2025 school year and all of the wonderful things that we will accomplish. The Westside High School staff has done a tremendous amount of work over the summer to prepare for the upcoming school year and we hope that everyone is as excited as we are to get things started on the right foot.

The start of school has orientation days set up for all students. Wednesday, August 7 is a Returning Student Orientation Drop-In Day, Thursday, August 8 is the orientation day for freshmen and new students, and Friday, August 9 is the first day of school for ALL students.

Please review this newsletter in its entirety and learn more about back-to-school information to ensure a smooth transition into the school year. While the information provided in this newsletter represents only a few items, please know that Westside High School will make every effort to keep you informed throughout the year regarding events and activities at the school. If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Jay R. Dostal, Ed.D.

Principal

Westside High School

Westside High School has moved to SchoolPass for attendance reporting. You can always call the Westside High School Attendance Office to report student attendance, however, if you would like to avoid the phone call, you can download the SchoolPass app to contact the school about your child being absent from school, being late to school, or being picked up early from school. SchoolPass pulls data directly from PowerSchool, so it is very important to make sure that your information is up-to-date on the PowerSchool Parent Portal in order to use this option. Below is some information on how to use SchoolPass.

• Download the SchoolPass app on your phone. The video below provides instructions on how to do so. PLEASE NOTE: When logging in to the app for the first time, click on FORGOT PASSWORD so a temporary code can be sent to your email. You should use the same email that you have listed in PowerSchool for school communications.
• When reporting attendance for your child, follow these important steps.
• Click on the "+" on the bottom navigation bar to access the Add Changes menu and choose the appropriate option (i.e. Absent, Late Arrival, Early Pick Up).
• Select the day(s) on the calendar that attendance will be impacted.
• MOST IMPORTANT STEP: In the notes section, you must enter in information about the time frames your child(ren) will be gone (e.g. all day, mod 2 only, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, early pick up at 1:45, etc.). Failure to provide notes will result in our Attendance Office not being able to process the attendance because we don't have enough information and an automated message being sent out at the end of the day because the attendance will be marked as an unexcused absence.
• If you have multiple students, select each student you are reporting an absence for (green arrow will appear).
• Once an absence has been recorded by office staff in PowerSchool, they will CANCEL the absence request you made and you will receive an email stating so. This will be your confirmation that the absence has been recorded.

Naviance Student is a comprehensive website that can assist your child in researching colleges and careers. Naviance Student provides up-to-date information that is specific to Westside High School students.

Naviance Student will allow students to:

• Get involved in the planning and advising process - Build a resume, complete online surveys, manage timelines and deadlines, and provide information to help you make decisions about college and career options.

• Research colleges - Compare GPA, standardized test scores, and other statistics to actual historical data from WHS for students who have applied and been admitted in the past.

• Sign up for college visits - Find out which college admissions representatives are visiting WHS and sign up to attend those sessions.

• View scholarship opportunities - view scholarship list, match scholarships, apply for scholarships.

• Test Preparation - Naviance has built in test prep for the ACT and AP classes including diagnostic testing to find out where growth opportunities are as well as full length practice exams to help students prepare.

Students may access Naviance Student by going to:

• Go to the website: https://student.naviance.com/westside66

• Click on STUDENT

• Click on CONTINUE WITH SINGLE SIGN ON

In the fall, parent(s)/guardian(s) will receive an email with an access code so they can have VIEW ONLY access to their child's Naviance Student account. This access will allow families to stay engaged with their child's college/career/life readiness planning.

Westside High School uses x2VOL to track service learning hours required for graduation. All students have access to an x2VOL account and can log their service hours into their account on their school issued iPad or on their mobile device. The following instructions and frequently asked questions HERE have been put together to provide students with an easy way to log in and track their hours.

Online Returning Student Registration forms for the upcoming school year are now available and must be completed no later than August 8! This process replaces the paper forms that were previously sent home at the beginning of each school year. Please follow the instructions below to access the registration. This process must be done through a computer and not a mobile app.

1. Login in the PowerSchool Parent Portal
2. Select the student you wish to register from the blue header.
3. Select the Returning Student Registration icon on the lower left side.
4. If you see access online forms with two options: New to PowerSchool Enrollment (left side of the screen) AND Link your PowerSchool Enrollment Account (right side of the screen), DO NOT click "Sign In" to link your PowerSchool Enrollment Account.
5. If this is the first time you are entering your parent portal account, then you will need to check the box "To comply with COPPA, I affirm that I am 13 years or older."
6. Click Begin Forms

If you have specific questions about this process, please email powerschool.support@westside66.net and include your child's full name and school in the body of the email.

Below is the EXPECTED timeline for student schedules being released for the 2024-2025 school year.

• August 5, 2024: Student schedules released on PowerSchool to students and families. A reminder message will be sent by WHS to students and families about the release and how to access the schedule.
• August 12-21, 2024: Schedule change window open with assigned school counselor. Schedules were built based on student requests from the previous spring semester. Schedules will only be changed if there are errors that were created by the school.

All 9th grade students and any student new to Westside High School in grades 10-12 will attend on Thursday, August 8. Students will have an extended homeroom, learn the building, walk their schedule, take a school picture, and other important beginning of the year tasks.

• Students will attend for a regular school day (8:00 am-3:10 pm).
• Buses will run at normal times before and after school for students who will be using transportation.
• More details will be shared as school approaches.
  

DROP IN RETURNING STUDENT ORIENTATION DAY

Westside High School will be hosting a DROP IN Returning Student Orientation Day on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 from 10:30-3:00 pm for all 10-12 grade students who are RETURNING to Westside. On this day, returning students will get their school pictures taken, turn in their parking permit paperwork, turn in their open campus paperwork, and walk their schedule. Students are invited to attend at any time during the 10:30-3:00 time frame. Seniors and juniors should print off the forms below and bring them with you on this day.

• WHS Off Campus Pass Permission Form (Juniors and Seniors ONLY)
• WHS Student Parking Contract (Juniors and Seniors ONLY)

RETURNING STUDENT INFORMATION

Families returning to Westside High School should fill out the "Returning Student Information" for your student or students. This can be accessed through your student/parent PowerSchool access.

• Log into PowerSchool on your computer.
• On the left side look for the Returning Student Registration icon.
• This is a spot to update demographic information, sign up for the technology cooperative loss program, communication information, and more.
• Please update your information so we can best communicate with you and support your student.
• We will not check out technology to students unless this information is completed.

• Until student registration is completed, student ipads will be placed in a locked state starting August 1.

• All student fines (Technology, Parking, Activity Passes, etc.) accumulated during registration must be paid by October 18, 2024.

FALL SPORTS BEGIN AUGUST 12

The fall athletic season will begin on August 12. If parents/students have any specific questions regarding tryouts, please contact the team specific coach by going to the WHS Athletic website HERE.

ATHLETIC PHYSICALS AND FINAL FORMS

Each Westside High School student-athlete must have:

• Athletic Physical Exam
• Athletic Participation forms completed and signed by all necessary individuals
• Athletic Pass purchased prior to the beginning of athletic practices.

Westside High School is very excited to announce that the Athletic Department has partnered with FinalForms, an online forms and data management service. FinalForms allows you to complete and sign athletic participation forms for your students. The most exciting news is that FinalForms saves data from season-to-season and year-to-year, meaning that you will not need to enter the same information twice! FinalForms also pre-populates information wherever possible, for each of your students, saving you time.

You may review your data at any time to verify it is current. You will be required to sign your forms once per year and after any update.

Click on the instructions HERE (English) or HERE (Spanish) to get started in FinalForms. If you require any support during the process, scroll to the page bottom and click “Use Support”.

We are asking that ALL parents of athletes use FinalForms.

Please login at: westside-ne.finalforms.com and follow the prompts to login and sign your forms.

Student-athletes are responsible for their own physical exams. All sports physicals must be completed after May 1, 2024 for the upcoming school year. The opportunity to receive a sports physical from a consortium of doctors will be available on July 31, 2024 and August 7, 2024 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Westside High School. The cost for the physical exam will be $30. There will be doctors of both genders available to do the physical exams. Students should report for check-in at the east door of the Sports Pavilion. Student-athletes may always choose the option of receiving their exams from their own family physician.

At Westside High School, we want our student athletes and parents to be informed about our competitive athletic programs, as we feel this is an important part of every team's success, as well as the athlete’s enjoyment of the sport. We want and need our parents/legal guardians to be active participants by attending parent meetings that our school and coaches host. By attending these meetings, many of the questions that parents may have about the school’s athletic program will be answered, the coaching philosophies and team expectations of our coaches will be addressed, and you have an opportunity to directly ask questions to the leaders of our athletic programs. Parents and students are expected to read the guidelines below to help you further understand our Athletic Selection Process, Chain of Communication and Code of Conduct guidelines within our athletic programs.

Westside has developed the Westside Warriors Sports App to provide all of our students, families, staff and community members with easy access to game schedules, updates, scores and more! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOR FREE (link works when using a mobile device) or search Westside Warriors wherever you get your apps.

Every school year, we need to have updated health information for all students. This can be done through PowerSchool. Additionally, we will need an Action Plan for your student if they have been diagnosed with asthma, a life-threatening allergy, diabetes, seizures, or other chronic illnesses. Please take a moment to review the letter from our WHS Nurse HERE for more information.

Additionally, Westside High School needs permission to administer medication to your child. If your child has medication that you would like to authorize the school nurse to administer, please complete the Medication Authorization Form and return it to the WHS Health Office.

DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Daily Announcements are found on the PowerSchool Student/Parent Portal. The announcements are updated on a daily basis and will be an excellent place to keep up with all the latest news from Westside High School.

SCHOOL COMMUNICATION

Westside High School will send out a weekly digital newsletter called the Warrior Bulletin. This newsletter will be full of information that is relevant for students and families.

In addition to Warrior Bulletin, automated phone calls will come on some Sunday evenings to provide families with important information for the upcoming week. These message will come from BrightArrow, which is the automated messaging services that Westside High School utilizes.

Westside High School will make every attempt to meet the communication needs of all our families and will utilize our school website, newsletters, automated phone calls, and social media platforms to keep everyone apprised of what is going on in our school.

School counselors at Westside High School are always available to assist students. Please reach out if you need assistance with your child's social/emotional needs, academic needs, or need ideas on how to support your child.

Since 1967, Westside High School has used modular scheduling, which incorporates large group, small group, laboratory and independent study mods of instruction. Westside High School is one of approximately 10 schools in the country to utilize this system of scheduling. This allows students to take more courses, have access to teachers throughout the school day, and provides students the opportunity to become independent and responsible learners.

2024-2025 SCHOOL CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

August 7, 2024 - RETURNING student Orientation Drop-In Day (10:30-3:00)

August 8, 2024 - 1st Day of School for Freshmen & New Students

August 9, 2024 - 1st Day of School for ALL Students

August 12, 2024 - 1st Day of Fall Athletic Practices

August 19, 2024 - WHS Open House (5:30-7:00 pm)

August 30, 2024 - Professional Learning Day (No Students)

September 2, 2024 - Labor Day (No School)

October 9-10, 2024 - 1st Quarter Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 11, 2024 - No School (Conference Comp Day)

October 14, 2024 - Professional Learning Day (No Students)

October 15, 2024 - Pre-ACT for 10th Grade & ACT for 11th Grade (No school for 9th & 12th Grades)

October 23, 2024 - Homecoming Parade/Pep Rally

October 25, 2024 - Homecoming Dance (7:30-10:00)

November 27-29, 2024 - Thanksgiving Break

December 20, 2024 - Last Day of 1st Semester (12:30 Dismissal)

December 21, 2024 through January 5, 2025 - Holiday Break (NO SCHOOL)

January 6, 2025 - 1st Day of 2nd Semester

January 20, 2025 - MLK Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL

January 21, 2025 - Professional Learning Day (No Students)

February 14, 2025 - Teacher Work Day (No Students)

February 17, 2025 - Professional Learning Day (No Students)

March 5-6, 2025 - 3rd Quarter Parent/Teacher Conferences

March 7, 2025 - No School (Conference Comp Day)

March 17-21, 2025 - Spring Break

March 25, 2025 - Practice ACT for 10th Grade & State ACT Assessment for 11th Grade (NO SCHOOL for 9th and 12th Grades)

March 29, 2025 - Prom

April 18, 2025 - Early Dismissal (Good Friday)

April 28, 2025 - Professional Learning Day (No Students)

May 8, 2025 - Senior Scholarship & Awards Night (6:30-7:30)

May 12-13, 2025 - Senior Check Out Days

May 14, 2025 - Last Day for SENIORS (Senior Breakfast & Graduation Rehearsal)

May 18, 2025 - Graduation

May 23, 2025 - Last Day of School (Noon Dismissal)

POWERSCHOOL PARENT PORTAL

The parent portal is an online portal accessible anywhere on the web that parents can log in to and see all of their children in one place, their grades, assignments, scores, attendance, schedules, and school bulletins for each school your children attend. If you have one student in middle school and one in high school, parents will see bulletins for both the middle school and high school. You can access the Student and Parent Sign In Portal HERE.

BUS TRANSPORTATION

For questions regarding transportation for your child, please contact Julie Fumagalli by emailing fumagalli.julie@westside66.net, or by calling 402-390-2107.

STUDENT DROP/OFF PICK UP

Students being transported to and from school should be dropped off/picked up at the northeast corner of the building by the main entrance. Please be sure to drive carefully so everyone stays safe.

WHS "DO RIGHT RULES"

Every successful school has a culture of expectations that everyone lives up to. At Westside High School, we have the "DO RIGHT" Rules. We ask everyone ask themselves three questions before they act:

1. Am I in the RIGHT place?
2. Am I there at the RIGHT time?
3. Am I doing the RIGHT thing?

If the answer is "NO" to any of these questions, we challenge you to make a better choice/decision to do RIGHT.

Please visit with your child about the "DO RIGHT" Rules and partner with Westside High School to ensure that our kids are being respectful, intention, safe, and engaged.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE

Westside High School utilizes SchoolPass, a technology that allows students to check into IMCs and the Courtyard/Cafeteria with their digital school IDs throughout the day. With SchoolPass, students also now use their digital school ID to scan in and out of various locations throughout the day. Technology investments like SchoolPass allow WHS administrators to have real-time knowledge of where students are during their independent study mods (open mods).

SchoolPass also serves as our visitor management system, assisting our team when visitors check in at the security desk. All guests will be asked for their driver’s license or state ID so it can be scanned, and a visitor badge can be generated by the system. Additionally, SchoolPass will alert the staff member the guest is visiting, so all parties involved know who is at WHS.

SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST

Westside High School does not have a specific school supply list other than coming to school each day with a charged iPad and Apple Pencil. The variety of classes a student can take at WHS dictates what a student will need. Students should bring something to write with on the first day of school. Students will receive information in classes regarding specific school supplies.

STUDENT PARKING

Student parking will look a little different this year at Westside High School (see image below) due to construction on the Westside High School Life Complex. Parking permits will only be sold to SENIORS and JUNIORS. Please print off and fill out the WHS Parking Contract HERE (both sides) and return to the Main Office.

Westside High School utilizes digital ID cards. Students will be REQUIRED to have the ID on their school issued iPad and will have the option to put the ID on their personal cell phone if they wish. By using digital IDs, we can prevent theft or loss of physical ID cards and we will be able to push out school communication to students in a more efficient manner. Additionally, the digital IDs come equipped with emergency contact information that is readily accessible.