ELECTRONICS POLICY
West Sylvan is a NO cell phone zone from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM daily. We request and advise all families to keep scholars’ cell phones at home during the school day. If you must send your scholar with a device, please use the parent control features to turn off access to all social media. You may also mark it ‘lost’ during school hours, thus making the phone inoperable. The number one cause of all school referrals and school fights are conflicts initially instigated through students’ cell phones. You should have a way to monitor your child’s devices regularly. Know who their friends are, and set up the settings to view and monitor their accounts for unsafe connections and harmful content.
If a scholar brings a cell phone to school, they will be expected to store their turned-off phone in their locker and have it out of sight throughout the entire school day (including lunches/recess). Violation of these expectations results in confiscation and items being held in the office until the end of the day, and parents will be expected to pick them up. Important messages can be sent to our main office via email (westsylvanoffice@pps.net), and will be forwarded to your scholars’ PPS email account. Students may request use of the office phone to call out as well.
AUGUST
- Tue, AUG 27th: JumpStart for 6th Graders and new-to-WSMS 7th/8th Graders only
- Wed, AUG 28th: First day for all returning 7th and 8th Graders. ALL students attend.
SEPTEMBER
- Mon, SEP 2nd: NO SCHOOL - Labor Day Holiday
- Tue, SEP 10th: Delayed start due to Staff Meeting 8:15-9:15 AM *(Students start at 9:30 AM)
- Wed, SEP 11th: School Picture Day ~ Say CHEESE!
- Wed, SEP 25th: Early Release for Students at 1:45 PM due to Staff PD from 2:00-5:00 PM
OCTOBER
- Thu, OCT 10th: Back to School Night from 5:45-7:30 PM
~ IF YOUR STUDENT IS RIDING THE BUS TO/FROM SCHOOL, PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY KNOW THEIR BUS ROUTE NUMBER ~
Students may take a school bus to and from school, and you may drop off and pick up. Route information is here, and this is the only place to find out about the bus routes. If you are dropping off and picking up by car, be advised that there is significant traffic in and out of campus due to our limited access points and turnaround style parking lot. Please pull all the way forward to the front school doors to drop off; do not stop half way through the parking lot to drop off/pick up, as you then slow down all of the traffic behind you and risk your student's safety. We are happy to welcome our students into the building, and adults may not join students to escort them to their classes. In Middle School, we practice becoming more independent, and we ask that only students come into the building when starting the school day. All visitors have to go through a check-in process when entering our building, which requires scanning your driver’s license/state ID. Please remember your ID if you are entering the school building to visit the office for any reason.
*BUS NOTES: If your scholar IS NOT riding their assigned bus and needs to take an alternate, we must have the request in writing. Please send an email to our Main Office at westsylvanoffice@pps.net and we will notify bus drivers of the change of transportation.
PREPPING YOUR STUDENT FOR SCHOOL
We will be teaching and reminding students of the following schoolwide expectations, and we ask you to please reinforce these items.
Students will have a locker. You can help your student prepare by practicing use of a combination lock at home.
Access StudentVue and ParentVue at home before the first day. Help your student write down their schedule (period 1-8 with the room numbers). Having their own hard copy of a schedule in hand when they enter the building will help them feel more confident. For JumpStart day, students will start their day in their period 6 class, where their Advisory meets.
Review the school map at home so that students have a visual of where they are going.
No Cell Phones! Help your student follow school rules. All students are expected to put any cell phones or earbuds out of sight in their lockers when they arrive. Any use of a cell phone during the school day is a violation of school policy, and the item will be confiscated and held in the office for pick up by an adult in the family. Turn off access to social media and monitor any phones you are giving to your students for safe behavior.
ID Badges: All students will be asked and required to wear their school ID daily this school year. For returning students, they should all have IDs. Wear them on the first day of school! Anyone who has lost their ID will be able to make a replacement to wear. This is a safety measure for all Middle School and High School students in PPS. Students will be sent to the office for a replacement whenever they do not have their ID with them.
Students will be reminded to leave their big bags and backpacks in their lockers upon arrival. They only need to take their essential items to class, and they will be reminded to return any large bags and backpacks to their lockers if they arrive at classrooms with these items.
Please visit our school website throughout the year to stay updated. A suggested school supply list has been posted on the school website throughout summer, and is linked here for your viewing and preparation.
Portland Public Schools is now using Remind for school and class messaging and voice calls. This means text messages, emails, and calls from the school and from your student's Teachers will be delivered via Remind to the contact information currently in Synergy.
Please note: Installation of the mobile apps is not required to receive text/phone calls.
Learn more about the REMIND app and set your communication preferences at this link: Remind App for Students and Families
LUNCH / NUTRITION SERVICES
Students are welcome to bring their own sack lunch and are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle daily to refill throughout the school day in our water fountains. Scholars will not have to pay for school lunch and/or breakfast items, and information about menus and resources are here.
We have two separate lunch times, with 6th Graders eating together first, and then a combined 7th/8th Graders’ lunchtime/recess.
Every WSMS scholar will have access to a PPS Chromebook. However, unlike past years, students will not be issued a Chromebook to take home and keep with them throughout the year. Over the last several years, the amount of loss and damage to Chromebooks by Middle School students in PPS has been an extraordinary cost. To reduce the costs associated with damage and broken devices, and to limit overall screen time for our students, devices will remain stored and used on campus.
Educators will continue to incorporate a variety of lessons that access school technology resources to enrich classroom instruction and to reinforce 21st century skills. Private laptops will not always work with all required programs. Chromebooks will only be available through classrooms or the Library.
ADVISORY
To continue the amount of time dedicated to building connections for our scholars with adults and to increase opportunities for academic and Social-Emotional learning, all Middle Schools in PPS have continued with having an Advisory within the school day. During this time our scholars engage in Social-Emotional work and community building. The updated bell schedule for 2024-25 is on our website, and Advisory content will occur during an extended period 6 for every student. For Social-Emotional learning activities, we use Wayfinder, a curriculum that can be viewed here for any wonderings.
Interested in Volunteering and Being More Involved?
Become an approved PPS volunteer by following the information here. Once your application is approved, please contact the Main Office to see how and when you can be of service.
As we continue to plan for the upcoming school year, we are hopeful that we can have more families involved in regular school activities such as volunteering on campus, taking part in our Friends of West Sylvan (FOWS) organization, and serving on the school Site Council. If you are interested in having a voice in one or more of these school groups, please sign up here.
Get involved, show school spirit, and support WSMS!
FRIENDS OF WEST SYLVAN is parent/family organization that supports Scholars and Staff and fosters community connection through fundraising and volunteer opportunities. Join the mailing list and stay connected with other families!
A wonderful way to keep your student engaged and out of trouble is to get them involved in extracurricular activities, such as youth sports. Youth sports programs are run entirely through the Portland Interscholastic League (PIL). West Sylvan is not involved in registration or management of the teams. All information to register students for PIL Youth Sports is located here.
Next week, August 12-19, all Student Health Centers will be open for sports physicals by appointment. This exam is required for all 7th-12th-Graders participating in a school sport. Schedule an appointment at any center or call the one nearest you. Sorry, no drop-ins.
West Sylvan Middle School
Website: www.pps.net/westsylvan
Location: 8111 Southwest West Slope Drive, Portland, OR, USA