CB West High School

Happy Holidays from the CB West halls to our community! Throughout this Newsletter edition, please enjoy some photos of holiday happenings this week here at West. Have a wonderful holiday season, and a Happy New Year!

Congratulations to the cast, crew, and pit of Hawaiian Beach Party! This collaboration between West’s Collaborative Music and Music Technical Theater classes was a huge success. Students adapted the musical, performed, created promotional artwork, learned how to run sound and lights, design and build sets, and more. We are so proud of their work and performance! We’d love for students to consider taking these fun and creative music classes next year!

The Music Department would like to thank Mrs.Gehrens and all the support staff who helped prepare the students, Mr.Schiwall for working with students on lighting, Mrs. Levin for art consult, staff for letting us borrow items, and of course, friends, family, and classes for coming and seeing our show!

Congratulations to the seven CB West musicians who will represent West in this winter's Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Band and Orchestra Festivals.

Congratulations to Orchestra members Ivan Urquia, Anton Wingert, Maya Byrne, Emma Botes, & Band members Charlotte Hayter & Will Yang.

These students competed against other talented musicians from across Bucks and Montgomery counties to earn a spot in the festival. Thank you for your hard work and musicianship and for representing West!

With the official first day of winter on Dec. 21, CBSD families are reminded of district procedures should winter weather impact the school day schedule. You can find all related information on this webpage. If school buildings need to close or operate on a modified schedule due to present or pending weather conditions or any other emergency, the district will endeavor to communicate the schedule change to families as soon as possible. Please note that this year, CBSD will be utilizing Flexible Instructional Days (FIDs) should school need to close after the first use of a traditional snow day. You can learn more about the procedures for FIDs here.

Our podcast for December is ready! Click on the photo to take a listen to this month's exciting edition!

As we approach the end of the year, the Central Bucks School District Education Foundation invites you to consider making a tax-deductible investment in education. Right now, teachers from schools across the district are submitting grants for programs that directly enhance the learning experiences of your children. Your generous donation will help make this a reality. Every contribution, big or small, helps CBSD educators invest in innovative classroom projects and resources. You can choose to make a gift in honor of a special teacher or student, and we will share that acknowledgement with them. To donate, visit https://cbeducationfoundation.org and email Jackie@cbeducationfoundation.org with any questions.

Families of students who will be eligible for kindergarten in CBSD in 2025-26 are now able to register online. Families of students in any grade who will be new to CBSD in the 2025-26 school year are also able to register. Learn more about registration here and start a new registration application here.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid opened December 1st, 2024.

Go to www.FAFSA.GOV

Do you know a person or a family that could use a free meal? If so, please submit the form below to request a meal(s). Meals are provided for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and occasionally some non-holidays. All meals must be picked up at Saint Robert Bellarmine’s hall, 856 Euclid Ave in Warrington on the designated day.

UPCOMING HOLIDAY MEALS:

FEAST Christmas Meal Distribution

Monday, December 23, 2024 (Time TBD)

Please find the link to request a meal at:

Meals | FEAST: Feeding Everyone At Special Times

The Central Bucks Education Foundation is a local non-profit whose mission is to enrich the experience of CB students and teachers by funding innovative educational opportunities, grants, and scholarships. As a non-profit, CBEF relies on donations from community members. With generous donations, big and small, CBEF strives to make a difference in every student's education. To learn more about the foundation and how you can support its efforts, visit CBEF's website.

MBIT Applications for the 2025-2026 School Year are OPEN! There are a few things to be aware of:

Application window November 1, 2024- January 31, 2025, to align with your program planning processes more closely.

ALL applications received during this window will receive equal consideration.

We want students to take their time, discuss with their parents, meet with the counselors, and take every opportunity (presentations, tours shadowing) to make an educated and informed decision.

Our goal is the right student in the right program for the right reason.

The Central Bucks Education Foundation is proud to offer a needs-based "Holicong Road Scholarship" of up to $50,000 annually to a current senior at CB South, CB East, or CB West who is graduating in June 2025 and plans to attend a 4-year college or university in summer or fall 2025. The scholarship will be awarded to a deserving student with demonstrated financial need who has a strong academic history and is actively involved in school activities or within the community. Applications are being accepted now through Jan. 15, 2025. Learn more and apply.

CBW Antler Yearbooks are selling at a reduced price before January, so be sure to order your yearbook online at www.jostens.com .For the past five years, we have had an increase in the demand for yearbooks! Don't forget to reserve your child an Antler yearbook for this school year - books can be reserved until April 30th. After that, they will only be sold on a first come, first serve basis.

CBSD welcomes qualified candidates to apply for a range of full-time career opportunities, many with benefits. School bus aides might be the perfect fit for parents and others looking to make a difference while working the same hours as a school day. View all available positions and apply now!

Laptop Breakage

We have seen a rise in the amount of screen breaks for student laptops. Our policy covers for 2 broken screens per device. If your child’s laptop screen breaks 3 times, we will be required to send you an invoice for the repair and labor. The current cost for this is $150. Please remind your child to care for their laptops. Some simple steps to assist are:

• Use two hands when holding or moving the device.
• Use clean hands while using the laptop or iPad.
• Use only the provided digital pen or finger on the screen.
• Use only the power adapter that came with the device.
• Use a microfiber cloth to clean the screen.
• Keep device stored in the provided case. This includes traveling through the hallways, on buses, or anytime the device is not being utilized.
• Make sure nothing is on the keyboard, close the lid, and remove all cables if any are plugged into the laptop. Place laptop in your bag carefully.
• Be careful when placing your case on the floor. Keep the device off the floor so screens do not get stepped on by others.

Our goal each day is make sure that all students, faculty, buses, and drivers exit our school campus safely. To ensure that safety, we are requesting that you please reinforce safe driving habits with your student driver. There have been several vehicle accidents that may have been prevented through safer driving practices.

• Drivers should maintain a speed of 15 MPH or less while driving on MacFarlane and in the school zone area.
• Drivers are to stop for pedestrians entering the crossing areas.
• Drivers are not to change lanes on MacFarlane
• Drivers should not be using electronic devices while driving.
• Drivers/Students should not be yelling from one vehicle to the next or getting out of one vehicle to get in another.
• Please try to limit the number of passengers in the car with your student. This will assist in being more attentive while driving.

Thank you for your assistance !

* ANYTIME you come or go from CB West during the school day you MUST check in with attendance.

• ANYTIME you leave school for early dismissal we MUST hear from a PARENT or GUARDIAN via phone or the portal.
• PARENTS or GUARDIANS can put early dismissals, late arrivals, absences, and vacation time in the portal.
• Absences and tardies can be excused for valid reasons with a note, a phone call, or through the portal by PARENTS or GUARDIANS ONLY.
• PARENTS or GUARDIANS have three days to excuse absences or tardies. (Exceptions may be made)
• Students are NOT PERMITTED to leave for lunch during Lunch & Learn.

Your child(ren) may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Learn more and apply by visiting the full informational webpage on CBSD.org here.

CHIP is Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program for uninsured children and teens up to age 19.

Click HERE for Information in English

Click HERE for information in Spanish