Westwood Junior High

It’s hard to believe that we have already spent nine great weeks with your child at Westwood Junior High. The end of the first quarter will be October 10th, please set up a FOCUS account as grades are updated regularly by teachers and all grades will be posted and finalized on October 10th. All of our teachers and campus personnel are here to help and are also enjoying seeing our students perform on the field, court and in concerts.

We also enjoyed the first school dance sponsored by PTA. We are so grateful to our wonderful PTA led by Mrs. Amy Borne, who is such a joy to work with. Thank you to Amanda Clair and Iqua Newell for chairing the dance, it was such a success and was a wolftastic turnout! Shout out to the parent volunteers who came during lunches to sell tickets, those who came to help decorate and the many who donated supplies and helped clean up. Westwood is such an amazing community and we are so grateful.

This year all students at Westwood will set growth goals in each of their classes and one based on the RISD Graduate Profile. Last year, Westwood students were specially chosen to pioneer this goal setting process for all of RISD because a WOLF is future-focused. The RISD North Star Goal is “Every student, teacher and leader will meet or exceed their academic growth goal” which means that all Westwood Wolves are setting goals.

In math, RLA and science, student growth goals will be based on NWEA MAP. In order to access your child's NWEA MAP report, please follow the directions linked below under District Reports. More information about the NWEA MAP assessment in RISD, can be found at https://web.risd.org/mtss/map/. Additionally, the Family Growth Camp will be held on February 5, 2025 after the Middle of Year NWEA MAP Assessment.

Students will house their growth goals in a Schoology portfolio which will facilitate continuous improvement as these goals will be built on every year through their RISD graduation. I am looking forward to seeing your child meet and exceed their goals this year.

If you have any questions, please reach out and ask. We are here to connect with you and your student and value our partnership for your student's learning, growth and success. Please continue to view our newsletters in your email inbox, Westwood Twitter & Facebook pages, school website and PTA platforms on October 29th and every three weeks thereafter.

Sincerely,

Katie Mottram

Westwood Principal

WWJH Parent HUB

• 10/11 - Student Holiday/Staff Professional Learning
• 10/14 - Fair Day Student/Staff Holiday
• Family Growth Camp - Postponed to Feb.5, 2025
• 10/25 – RHS Homecoming, early release @ 2 pm for parade and game
• 11/6 – Road to RHS (8th grade parents at WWJH @ 6 pm)
• 11/13 - Magnet Marketing Night (for incoming 7th grader families)
• 11/7 – MST Ed Talks
• 12/17-20 – Fall Exam Week

Dear RISD Parent/Guardian:

Texas Department of State Health Services requires different annual screenings based on the student’s grade level. A list of required screenings by grade level is below. The types of screenings conducted annually include vision, hearing, acanthosis nigricans, and spinal. All screenings will be conducted throughout the school year instead of one mass screening day.

If a student’s screening results indicate the need for further evaluation by a physician or other health provider, then the nurse will send home a referral letter. This screening does not replace your child’s need for regular health care and check-ups.

The school nurse will be continuing to conduct hearing and vision screenings on 7th grade students October 9 and 10. Please remember to have your student wear or bring their glasses/contacts on these days for screening purposes.

Thank you,

RISD Health Services

Click below to see a list of Immunization Clinics

Hispanic Heritage Month Pot Luck

Come and join us for a potluck to celebrate the end of Hispanic Heritage month. A potluck is where each participant (a student & a parent) brings a food item (with enough to share) so that people can try out many varieties of tastes! Invite your parents to help and come join in the festivities!

Whip up a dish inspired by any Hispanic culture that holds a special place in your heart. Whether it's a family recipe or something you've always wanted to try, this is your chance to showcase your culinary skills!

Hello 8th grade Westwood Wolves,

As we bring the summer to a close and homework is piling up and sports and fine arts events are starting to populate our calendars, we wanted to remind every one of the great opportunities to explore, in the safety of group school travel, one of the most dynamic, energetic and historical cities in the world - London, England.

Spring break offers us the opportunity to visit Stonehenge, Oxford, the Tower of London, travel the London Eye, enjoy a Westend Musical, perform in a workshop with trained Shakespearean actors, visit and learn at London museums, try new foods and snacks, and experience a new city, culture and country. All with friends from school.

Last year's trip was an overwhelming success, and you have an opportunity to join us this year. Do you have a friend that you want to travel with? If so, share this email, pass along the website and sign-up information and help build out the trip.

To sign-up, visit our website: CLICK HERE

To view last year’s itinerary: CLICK HERE (we have added Stonehenge this year)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Coach Lockett (beverly.lockett@risd.org).

Travel expands the educational understanding of the world and hits directly the goal of RISD to develop global thinkers across their schools. Westwood happens to get a head start on this.

Thank you to Josh Worthington and his amazing church crew for coming early Saturday morning to rake, weed, sand and make the courtyard magical again. The team will return next Saturday to add mulch, flowers and paint. I cannot wait to see teachers and students enjoy this wonderful space.

Tickets:

Tickets for all RISD Athletic Events can be purchased at the gate or by visiting the link below:

https://richardsonisd.brushfire.com/

Punch Cards:

Punch cards are available to purchase with cash at each RISD gym and stadium. An adult punch card is $50 for 20 punches and a student one is $20 for 20 punches. This is a significant discount and can be used to enter any RISD home athletic event/game with the exception of varsity football and high school playoff games. These punch cards never expire, so if you do not use all punches this year, you may use the same card next year.

Athletics Store: The athletic store has closed for processing orders through early September. All orders will be delivered to Westwood and distributed to students when the items arrive in approximately two weeks.

UIL Academic Eligibility:

Academic Eligibility is determined from the first six-week grading period and each nine-week grading period. All student-athletes will be evaluated at the end of the six-weeks on Friday, September 20, 2024. Students may lose eligibility on Friday, September 27, 2024, at the end of the school day. After the 1st six-weeks academic eligibility check, students may only lose academic eligibility at the nine weeks grading report.

High School Football Games:

All students attending Varsity football games must wear their school issued ID for admission.

sportsYou:

RISD is transitioning to using Talking Points as its method of communication for campus and sports. Therefore, please look for more information and communication from Westwood administration and coaches as we embark on this new method of communication.

VOLLEYBALL:
Volleyball season has begun. The Wolves played Lake Highlands Middle School last week. The 8th grade defeated LHMS’s A and B teams in two sets. The 7th grade teams fought hard to defeat the Wildcats; however, the matches were won by the Wildcats. The next games are Thursday, September 19th against Parkhill Junior High Raiders. The 7th grade will play at home and the 8th grade teams will travel to Parkhill Junior High.

FOOTBALL:

The 7th and 8th grade football teams scrimmaged against Richardson West last week and are really excited about the 2024 season. The season for the Wolves will begin on Tuesday, September 17th as they travel to Pearce High School to take on the Parkhill Raiders. The 8th grade team will play at 5:30 PM followed by 7th grade at 7:00pm.

Cross Country:

Cross Country practices going well, and the coaches are excited to see so many participants each morning. Practices takes place each morning at 6:45 for boys and girls cross country members. The 2024 season starts on Tuesday, October 1st for 7th and 8th grade girls and October 3th for 7th and 8th grade boys. All meets will take place at Huffhines Park at 4:30pm.

Want to support the library? Check out our Amazon Wishlist of items we need to pull off these library events. Thank you so much to those who have already granted some of our wishes!

We’re also hoping to host a Halloween cookie decorating contest. We are in need of SIX of these kits. Please let Ms. Moore know if you can donate. Thanks so much for your support!

Database of the Month

The library is always open! This month’s Database of the Month is Discovery Education. There are so many educational, entertaining, and interactive videos for students to use for research 24/7, but also for enjoyment in this database. Check out what is available for them in this presentation. - Discovery Education

Hispanic Heritage Month! September 15th-October 15th

We’ve been celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in the library this month! We played Loteria during Advisory on 9/18 and 10/4. We have a book display with books by Hispanic authors, biographies about important Hispanic people, and books about Hispanic speaking countries! Also our Database of the Month Challenge this month is Culture Grams and the Challenge involves picking an Hispanic country to learn and answer the questions about. Also check out our hallway display window that Ms. Jones created!

Westwood Junior High PTA needs your help to reach our fundraising goal! Donations will be used to support our students, teachers, and staff with programs like Reflections, Robotics, EdTalks, student dances, quarterly awards, staff appreciation, and more! Please click the link below to donate and share with family, friends, and community partners. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! Let's go Wolves!

PTA Reflections is a nationally acclaimed student recognition program to encourage artistic creativity in the classroom and at home. Students of all grades and abilities may participate and explore the arts. For more information, visit our website WWJH PTA Reflections 2024-25 or email artsed@westwoodpta.org.

The theme for 2024-25 is "Accepting Imperfection..." Express your artistic talents with PTA Reflections in the categories of dance choreography, musical composition, photography, visual arts, film production, and literature. Submissions are due Wednesday, October 30.

Purchase your student pictures at Shop.LegacyStudios.com with online code 7224F25.

No orders can be taken in cash at school all orders must be placed online.

Informational Videos - https://web.risd.org/mtss/map/

Are you an RISD secondary parent? Don’t forget about GoGuardian Parent! GoGuardian mobile app is designed to provide parents and guardians with insight and control over their student's online activity when using school-managed devices and accounts.

The GoGuardian Parent app provides an overview of your children's online activity on school-managed devices and accounts, including all of the apps, extensions, documents, and websites your student has visited.

Secondly, GoGuardian Parent provides you with an additional set of internet controls that you can set for out-of-school hours.

What is included in this app:

• Top 5 overview of your student's online activity

• Any teacher interventions related to your student's online activity

• 30-day overview of your student's online activity

• Ability to block websites on school-issued devices during out-of-school hours

• Ability to pause internet access on school-issued devices during out-of-school hours, either on-demand or at a scheduled time

For first time parent-users, you can access the app by following these instructions:

1. Download the app via Apple Store or via Google Play Store

2. After the app is successfully downloaded and installed, open it and enter the email address registered with the primary parent associated with the student Focus account. It must be the email listed with Focus that is typically provided during online enrollment. You must be able to access this primary parent email to continue.

3. Check your email on your phone for a link to log in to the app. Tap the "verify your email," and it will take you straight to the app. Note: If you don't have access to your email through the device you used to log in, tap on "log in with verification code,” and copy and paste the verification code from the email into the app.

For parents who have previously created an account, login with your existing credentials.

RISD is unable to troubleshoot the GoGuardian phone app. Please use the GoGuardian website to get answers (FAQ).

RISD can help with parent accounts being associated with their students. Only Priority 1, 2 and 3 parent emails listed in Focus – parents who have educational rights to view student information – can receive GoGuardian Parent access, without exception. GoGuardian Parent accounts for newly enrolled students will become active on the Friday of the week enrollment is complete.

Any questions or issues with student account association should be directed to RISD tech support to be manually verified (469-593-HELP or technologysupportcenter@risd.org).

RISD recognizes the work our teachers perform to support every child, every day. And we believe there is an opportunity EVERY day to show our appreciation for all they do to ensure student success. Click here to learn more about the Thank a Teacher program and how to sign up, and we will connect you with a campus.