Talk of the Hawks

At the start of each school year, West Hills Intermediate purchases 2 sets of wired ear buds for each student in the building. We purchase 2 sets because we understand that things happen and sometimes students will lose or damage their first pair. Unfortunately, there have been a number of situations this year where students are now on their third or fourth pair of earbuds because they are either losing them, or being careless and breaking them.

Unfortunately, we are not able to replace 3 and 4 sets of earbuds for every student in the school. We are asking that you please impress upon your student the importance of being responsible with this resource since they will need them for the rest of the school year. If your child has already gone through their allotted sets of earbuds, it will be their responsibility to replace them. If you are going to provide your own earbud/headphones, please note that they must be wired. Students will not be able to use wireless/blue tooth earbuds/headphones. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

WHI Administration

March 4th @ 7:00 pm -PTO meeting at WHP

March 12th-14th - Spring Pictures

March 22nd - 3 hour early dismissal

March 29th-April 3rd - No School: Spring Break

Hello West Hills!

Day light has been short and the weather has been cold. The weather in March is certainly unpredictable. It is important to discuss helpful tips for getting us through the cold winter months. March will provide us with some nice days. When we do have the opportunity, we need to take advantage of it. The daylight continues to get longer. This provides us with more of an opportunity after school and on weekends to appreciate nature. Just getting out of the house will make such a difference in your physical and mental health. The sun is a great source of vitamin D. Vitamin D can help with your mood and your immune system. Take your dog for a walk, help your family with chores, and enjoy yourself. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, lower risk of eye and digestive problems. It also has a positive effect upon blood sugar, which can help keep your appetite in check. They can even help with weight loss. Keep your fruit and vegetables available so that you can eat them with every meal. Exercise for at least 30 minutes each and every day. Participate in after school activities. The local YMCA, Armstrong Athletics, and The Belmont Complex all provide excellent opportunities to burn some calories and stay physically fit. Exercising and eating healthy will have a very positive effect on your life if you allow it. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important to giving your body everything it needs.

This month I would like you to take some time to think about YOURSELF and YOUR accomplishments. Have you succeeded in the goals that you have set for yourself or are you still working on them? Are you taking appropriate measures to achieve these goals? March is an important month to really think about this. April and May go so very quickly, that once they come around, the school year will be over before you know it. If you are on your way in reaching your objectives keep up the good work. Continue to try hard and remain focused on obtaining your success. If you feel like you are off track, it is time to think about how to get yourself back on the correct path. If you need some help, there are plenty of people here that not only will help you, but want to help you. Our goals here at West Hills are you help you achieve yours. Are you being a good friend? Are you respectful to others? Are you surrounding yourself with positive people in your life? Are you a positive influence in the lives around you? Most of all, are you happy? I truly want you to think about all of this. You are all capable of success and success is measured in many different ways. I hope that you prepare for some self-evaluation this month and move forward in this school year in a way that is going to best benefit you.

West Hills, I hope that you all have a safe, happy, and healthy month of March. Remember, limit your T.V. time, get outside, exercise the mind and body, and enjoy this beautiful world. Be the best version of you that you can be!

Remember, Always Choose Kindness

Mr. Walters

• Attention 6th Grade Parents: All 6th grade students are required to have the following completed. Please submit documentation to the School Nurse.
• A physical exam
• Tdap and Meningococcal vaccinations

• Attention 5th Grade Parents: It is not too early to start sending in required physical and immunization reports for the next school year.

Meetings: PTO meetings are normally held the first Monday of each month at 7:00 pm at West Hills Primary. The March meeting will be held on Monday, March 4th.

Make sure to ask your child how their team is doing in our Band Competition. Teams compete based on lesson participation, practice time and group and individual playing during their lessons.

We are also going to starting our Band Fun Days. The officers and I will be working out the details but one of those days will be a superhero day where the kids can wear their favorite superhero shirts, socks and other clothing. More info on this coming soon.

The Spring concert will take place on April 16th at 7p.m. in the West Hills Intermediate School gym. This concert will feature our West Hills River Hawk Concert Band, West Hills Jazz Band and the West Hills Junior River Hawk Concert Band.

The final performance of the year will be for the Jazz Band only and will take place at Armstrong High School on May 16th at 7:00p.m.

Mr. C

Sound Fusion on Thursday March 7th- All school field trip

We are so excited that our students get the wonderful opportunity to see the award winning Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. All students will be attending the March 7th Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's school-time performance of Sound Fusion. Students are asked to dress nicely for the performance, no sweatpants. No heeled shoes please, comfortable footwear only. Students do not need to bring anything with them to Heinz Hall. We will be returning to school before lunch and therefore eating lunch at the school. Packers may leave their packed lunch at school. Buses will be leaving at 8:45 am, so please have students to school on time on March 7th. Check out this Youtube playlist to hear the music that the students will be hearing at the performance.

5th/6th grade choir concert Thursday April 19th at 6:30pm

The 5th and 6th grade choir is getting so excited to present our spring concert next month. Students have been working hard on a brand new set of choral repertoire. Our students will once again be featured on ukulele, guitar, piano, and of course their singing voices. This spring concert will take place at the Armstrong High School auditorium like our holiday concert. Please pull around and park at the back of the building and use the back door to enter into the concert. Students will be asked to wear nice spring dress clothes for the concert.

Altoona Curve Baseball Game-Sunday April 28th at 1:00pm

Our 5th and 6th grade choir will be singing the National Anthem and God Bless America at the 1:00pm game on Sunday April 28th. Students are asked to be at the stadium no later than 12:40pm. We will be heading down to the field around 12:45 to sing the National Anthem before the game. Families that ordered tickets will be receiving an envelope to confirm the amount of tickets needed and to pay for the tickets. Tickets will be delivered to families at the spring concert on April 19th. If the number of tickets.

Also choir students should be on the look out for a choir t-shirt order form! All students and families that would like to purchase a 2024 WHI choir t-shirt are welcome to do so, forms will be sent home soon!

We have so much to look forward to this spring! If you have any questions concerns any of these events please reach out to Mrs. Bricker-- dbricker@asd.k12.pa.us

Why Your Child Should Read for 20 Minutes Every Day

As parents we have all heard this cry, "WHY CAN'T I SKIP MY 20 MINUTES OF READING TONIGHT?" Reading is the basis for all learning so…LET'S FIGURE IT OUT – MATHEMATICALLY!

Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week;

Student B reads only 4 minutes a night...or not at all!

Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.

Student A reads 20 min. x 5 times a week = 100 mins. /week

Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes

Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.

Student A reads 400 minutes a month.

Student B reads 80 minutes a month.

Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year

Student A reads 3600 min. in a school year.

Student B reads 720 min. in a school year.

Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year. Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.

By the end of 6th grade, if Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits, Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days. Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days.

One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance. How do you think Student B will feel about him/herself as a student?

Some questions to ponder:

-Which student would you expect to read better?

-Which student would you expect to know more?

-Which student would you expect to write better?

-Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?

-Which student would you expect to be more successful in school....and in life?

There are many ways to squeeze 20 minutes in a busy schedule. Whatever you do, squeeze them in – it is vital for your child’s success!

Happy Reading!

The West Hills Intermediate Title I Team

Email: bpetras@asd.k12.pa.us
Website: https://wis.asd.k12.pa.us/
Location: 175 Heritage Park Drive, Kittanning, PA, USA
Phone: (724) 543-1121
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/West-Hills-Intermediate-111184674071872