Westwood Junior High

As we pause to reflect in mid-February, we are truly feeling the love for our students, teachers, and community. Thank you for the positive impact each of you has on our campus—it is because of your support and dedication that Westwood continues to be such a special place.

A huge thank you to our incredible PTA for keeping our faculty lounge stocked with coffee, creamer, snacks, and drinks! We also appreciate the generous hospitality planned monthly, it is a thoughtful gesture that means so much to our staff.

Additionally, last week, we honored our amazing counseling team during National Counselor Appreciation Week—we are so grateful for their dedication to supporting our students.

Our teachers have been diligently reviewing student performance from the first semester and making targeted instructional adjustments to support academic growth. By analyzing MOY MAP data, our educators—along with Instructional Coaches and Assistant Principals—are identifying student needs and implementing strategies to accelerate learning.

We also want to thank everyone who participated in our Family Growth Camp last week! If you were unable to attend, please check out the virtual open house below, which includes all presentations and teacher contact information. Lastly, Progress Reports #6 will be emailed to families on Friday, February 14. As always, we appreciate your partnership in supporting student success.

In the coming weeks, students will participate in interim STAAR simulations for Math, Reading Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. Please review the schedule below for campus-wide testing days and the alternate bell schedule.

There is so much to celebrate at Westwood, and we appreciate your continued partnership in making our school a thriving community. Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Katie Mottram

Principal

kathryn.mottram@risd.org

• February 17: Student Holiday
• February 24: Reading Interim Testing
• February 25: Math Interim Testing
• February 26-27: Science Interim Testing (in class)
• February 28-March 3: Social Studies Testing (in class)
• March 07: Spring Pep Rally
• March 10-14: Spring Break

Send in your best photos of athletes, cheerleaders, or any great moments to include in the 24-25 yearbook.📸 Email or share your pictures with hgodinez@g.risd.org.

Thank you,

Heriberto Godinez

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.

If you missed our Growth Camp last Wednesday, we have attached the link to our Virtual Open House. It includes all presentations detailing how you can support your student at home, along with teacher contact information.

How to monitor attendance:

1. You can ask your child’s campus for an attendance report to review routinely.
2. Students and parents can monitor attendance records in Focus. Please click here to sign into RISD Focus. In addition, parents can sign up to receive notifications from Focus.

How to submit excuse notes:

RISD policy mandates parents submit an excuse note to the school attendance office within three days of returning to school.

Excuse notes, which can be an email, must include:

• Student name
• Student ID number
• A written statement giving the date and reason for the absence
• Parent or guardian signature for handwritten notes only
• Parent phone number

Please send emails to westwoodattendance@g.risd.org

Learn how to upload your attendance excuse for Focus.

View RISD Attendance Policies HERE

Westwood girls basketball teams attended and participated in the send-off for the 2025 6A Region I District 7 Undefeated Champions, our Richardson High School Lady Eagles!

TENNIS:
Tennis teams began competing during the 2025 season on Wednesday, January 22nd against Parkhill JH. Westwood swept Parkhill JH at Pearce and fell to West Junior High last week. The upcoming matches will be February 12th against Apollo JH the girls will host at Richardson HS and the boys will travel to Berkner. On February 19th, The boys will host Forest Meadow MS at Richardson High School and the girls will travel to Lake Highlands HS .All matches will begin at 4:30 PM.

Track & Field:
Track practices will begin Wednesday, February 19th following the conclusion of basketball season. Westwood JH will participate in its first track and field meet on February 26th at Berkner HS. Field events and running events will start at 4 PM for 8th grade and 5 PM for 7th grade. For more information, interested boys should contact Coach Cervantes, Coach Shelmon, or Coach Drenner.The girls coaches are Coach McAdams, Coach Beahm, or Coach Roe.

Reminder: Eligibility Requirements for all Athletics
All students must have a current physical and updated UIL Rank One paperwork prior to participating in any tryouts, practices, or games. All UIL information can be found on the Westwood, RHS, and RISD Athletics websites.

Tickets: Tickets for all RISD Athletic Events can be purchased at the gate or by visiting the link below: https://richardsonisd.brushfire.com/

Database of the Month for February -

February’s Database of the Month - Britannica - click this link for a Britannica tutorial!

The Britannica School database has comprehensive and authoritative information on a diverse range of subjects, boasting thousands of reliable and up-to-date articles, images, videos, and primary sources.

Book Club

The next Book Club meeting is Wednesday, February 26th during your lunch. Everyone should read a new book of their own choosing and we will share and discuss! This is the perfect opportunity for anyone who has been wanting to come to join us. It’s never too late to join Book Club! See Ms. Moore if you have any questions.

NORTH TEXAS TEEN BOOK FESTIVAL

The NTTBF is a free, one-day book festival created to celebrate teen literature, from both Middle Grade and YA authors. It is hosted at the Irving Convention Center, where roughly 75 authors will come together for a full day of conversation, book signings, and jubilation. Authors sign books, meet their readers, and discuss their books in over 40 small breakout panels at the state-of-the-art Irving Convention Center. Books will be sold for each author at the event. Check out the link here for information on how to make the most out of your day!

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!

Thanks so much for your support!

We have met 65% of our fundraising goal and need your financial support to get to the finish line. Your donations allow all the fun things for our students and staff – parties and treats for our teachers, quarterly student award gifts, teacher of the month awards, school dances (PAR-TAY!), and the end of school luncheon for teachers, we would greatly appreciate it. Donate online here.

RISD is seeking parents and community members interested in serving on three new committees that will begin meeting this semester. Learn more about serving here.

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.