WEST WILDCAT NEWS

Well, well, here we are...wrapping up Quarter 2 and getting ready to head into 2025! What a wonderful first semester! This is the time of year we challenge you to reflect on your experiences and growth with living out our core values of Community, Achievement, Respect, and Equity.

• Community: Who have I met? Who has made West feel like a safe and welcoming place for me? For whom have I made West feel like a safe and welcoming place?

• Achievement: What have I learned about myself and/or others, the courses in which I am enrolled, and the school?

• Respect: What new perspectives have I respected, even when I disagreed? How have I been a role model for treating others with dignity?

• Equity: How do I make sure my actions promote inclusion for all individuals? In what ways have I helped create a space where everyone is able to work and learn?

Annnnd finally, how do I want to show up on January 7th? Take a look at Mr. Mac's Schoology Course to get some ideas about how you can Make your Winter Break Purposeful (CCSD login needed) and/or reduce stress. With new quarters, semesters, and January comes a chance to start fresh!

On January 3rd, an email will be sent out linking to your student's schedule for the 2nd semester. The subject line will be "Important Student Report for (student name)". Some students might notice their Advisory class is different. We're excited to announce that this update allows students to read a second text with their grade level peers, and offers an opportunity to learn from another highly qualified advisor in their grade level, making this large school feel a tad bit smaller. Don't forget to charge your device and bring everything you need to make sure 2025 starts successfully! See you soon...on January 7th!

Wish you well, Wildcats!

We want to give a huge thank you to our PTCO members who arranged for the Holiday Luncheon to celebrate our staff. Thank you to Kathy Lee who was able to get Brothers BBQ to donate food! Additionally, thank you to Julie Farber for being here representing the PTCO and for organizing the food line! Lastly, thank you to Blair Watts for being our PTCO Hospitality coordinator. We are so thankful for you all!

Please visit this link for information and FAQs regarding the WMS New Cell Phone guidelines.

We continue our series of examples of how your donations to the PTCO fundraising activities help better serve our students. These are the reasons we give to the WMS PTCO, and we are so happy to be able to share the results of that generosity!

Tara Genzer was granted the request for funding to purchase materials to help support several projects throughout the year for both semesters and all grades. The granted unique materials are supplies that many kids have not had exposure to and are not possible with the general budget. They are being used in many cultural projects and ceramic projects.

Attached are pictures of some of the finished artwork that has already been created with these new materials.

Please follow WMS PTCO on Facebook to hear the stories of how your donations are being put to use this school year.

Garry Roseman

WMS PTCO President

Nomination Link

Seven years ago, West Middle School began a partnership with Hero’s Puppy For Life.org to raise money for veterans suffering from PTSD. We use the money raised to purchase service dogs, one year of veterinary care, and service-dog training for the veterans and their animals. This year our goal is to raise $3500. Click on the "Donate Here" link below to donate today!

If your child will be absent, please call the WMS Attendance Line to report the absence:

• For students with last names A-L, call 720-554-5110
• For students with last names M-Z, call 720-554-5111

Please note, if a student is marked as tardy or unexcused absent, automated phone calls will be sent at 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM daily to notify families.

• If you believe there has been an error in your child’s attendance, or if you need assistance, please contact the WMS Attendance Clerk at 720-554-5109.

Thank you for your cooperation, Wildcats!

December 23rd 2024 through January 6th 2025 - please return to school on Tuesday, January 7th

Tuesday 1/7:

Jazz Band after school in room D126.

Minecraft Club after school in room D111.

Wildcat Orchestra Club after school in room D125.

Student Council after school in room C108.

6th & 8th Grade Girls Basketball practice after school in the gyms.

Wednesday 1/8:

Marvel Cinematic Universe Club in Counseling.
SAGA after school in room A214.

Strategic Games after school in room A112.

Robotics Club after school in D111.

6th Girls Basketball Practice

8th Girls Basketball Games @ WMS from 4:30pm-7:00pm.

Thursday 1/9:

Brain Bowl after school in room B205.

8th Girls Basketball Practice

6th Girls Basketball Games @ Prairie from 4:30pm-7:30pm.

Friday 1/10:

No after school activities or late buses.

The Yearbook Club is hard at work making sure this year's memories are captured in the most special way! From classroom moments to sporting events, performances, and everything in between, we are dedicated to documenting every milestone and memory.

Don't miss out on getting your copy of this year’s yearbook! Order your yearbook by pressing the button below so that you and your student can relive all the unforgettable moments from the year.

Thank you for supporting the Yearbook Club – we can’t wait to share the finished product with you!

Are you looking for extra help with homework, studying, and/or class projects? West Middle School offers Homework Help/Study Hall! Please review the available options below, and reach out to your teachers for specific support, as needed - we’ve listed the teachers and room numbers for your convenience. Can’t wait to help you out!

Please note:

• Teachers highlighted in RED are Language Arts teachers.
• Teachers highlighted in GREEN are Math teachers.
• PURPLE highlighting indicates the teacher specializes in both Language Arts and Math.
• Teachers highlighted in BLUE are Science teachers.
• Teachers highlighted in ORANGE are Social Studies teachers.
• Teachers highlighted in YELLOW are Elective teachers.

We offer homework help at the following times:

1. Before School: 8:00am to 8:40am, Mondays - Fridays
2. After School: 3:50pm-4:40pm, Mondays - Thursdays; no after school activities on Fridays

• Expectations for Homework Help/Study Hall

• Use the restroom and fill your water before entering.

• Stay in the Commons.

• Bring a charged device.

• Sign in. Find a seat. 1 person per table.

• Keep your phones put away and off.

• Work on school work quietly until dismissal.

At the end of Homework Help/Study Hall… Push in your chair and take all your belongings.

Please see our athletics schedule below!

The basketball season is here, and we’re thrilled to have your 6th, and 8th grade girls on our team representing West! Here are a couple of important reminders:

1. Please ensure that your athletics form is filled out. You can pick one up at the Dean's office or find it online under the athletics tab. Once completed, please email it to cwheeler@cherrycreekschools.org.

2. Don’t forget to log into West Middle School Revtrak to pay the basketball fee for your grade.

Thank you, and let's have an amazing season!

Now that we have completed the 7th Grade Girls Basketball season, please be sure that your player has returned their uniform to their coach. There will be a fee added to your student's account in PowerSchool if their uniform has not been returned.

Boys - you should have returned your jersey to Mr. Grant by now!

Hello Basketball Families!

We had a significant amount of past-due Boys Basketball Participation Fees that have not yet been paid. A reminder email has been sent to those families. Thank you to those who promptly paid that fee. Please use the links to make your payment if you haven't already done so:

6th/7th grade Boys Basketball:

https://cherrycreek.revtrak.net/middle-schools/wms/wms-athletics/#/v/WMS-Boys-Bball---6th-7th

8th grade Boys Basketball:

https://cherrycreek.revtrak.net/middle-schools/wms/wms-athletics/#/v/WMS-Boys-Bball---8th-grade

Also, if you have a Girls Basketball player, those payments are due as we've begun their season.

Thank you for your prompt payments!

Every Kid Sports, is a national nonprofit that helps children from income-restricted families cover the cost of their sports registration fees. We are currently accepting applications for kids wanting to play this winter and are hoping you can help us spread the word. Every Kid Sports supports all kids ages 4-18 who need help paying recreational sports registration fees, including high school, elementary school and middle school sports programs!

Applying is easy! Parents simply visit our website, fill out a short application, and upload a document verifying their enrollment in either Medicaid, SNAP, or WIC. If eligible, families can receive up to $150 per child, three times per year, to pay their sports registration fees. This could easily pay for the $90 school athletic registration fee and reduce the amount of scholarships schools are awarding. Families who are approved receive a Visa debit card for each child that has controls on it they use to pay. This protects the parents dignity eliminating the need to ask the school for financial aid.

West Middle School offers a variety of opportunities for students to engage in athletics, after school activities and clubs. We encourage all students to pursue their interests and passions through extracurricular activities. The more involved a student is within their school, the better they will achieve and feel connected.

Please be sure to talk with your student about staying after school and communicating with you about which club/activity and days your student plans on staying after to participate. After school activities run from 3:45 to 4:40 Monday – Thursday. Late buses are available for students who are already assigned to a bus, and depart at 4:45 PM. Those who do not take a bus and participate in an after school activity are expected to be picked up no later than 5:00 PM.

Students are encouraged to participate in clubs and activities that interest them. Research has shown that students who complement their academics with extracurricular experiences often enjoy school more and connect with their peers and teachers through more positive interactions. In addition, clubs and activities provide opportunities for students to express their creativity in a variety of ways. Students should listen to the announcements and check the building rotators for sign-up information, start dates, and times.

If you are willing or able, please donate the following items to Ms. Migliaccio or Ms. Genzer:

• Lids (see picture)

Thank you, Wildcats!

Auditions for the spring musical Something Rotten, Jr. will be January 8 and 9 after school in the drama room. Open to all grades. Actors and Tech needed.

• To sign up and access all needed materials, go to bit.ly/wmsdrama.

• Questions - Jen Brickley or Amelia James

• jbrickley@cherrycreekschools.org

• ajames14@cherrycreekschools.org

If you have any questions, please reach out to Jennifer Brickley

jbrickley@cherrycreekschools.org

bit.ly/wmsdrama for show and class info

When we return in January, registration season will be upon us! Here are some things to look out for coming up.

Current 6th and 7th Graders:

Our in-house registration will be taking place in mid-February. Start thinking about what classes you enjoyed this year and what you might be interested in taking next year. Course Guides will be available online during this time.

Current 8th Graders:

Hello to our 8th-grade families!

We are soon starting the registration process for Cherry Creek High School! To best prepare, we want to put the following information in your hands today, with reminders and additional information coming for the following events.

Save the Dates:

• Thursday, 1/16- CCHS counselor presentations to 8th-grade students at WMS during their advisory class AND Pre-Registration Forms will be distributed to students. Forms will have elective class options for students and include their teacher recommendations for core classes.

• **NEW THIS YEAR: Middle school teachers will enter the recommended core class (English, Math, Social Studies, and Science) in PowerSchool. The window to enter the recommended core class in PowerSchool is 12/2/2024-1/9/2025. These recommendations will be preloaded onto students' pre-registration forms that they will receive on this day.

• Tuesday, 1/21- 9:45AM-12:00 PM - 8th grade tour at CCHS

• Below you will find a Google Form for Permission to attend the Tour at Cherry Creek High School. This is the same permission form as the CCIC field trip. If you completed the form for CCIC and selected both field trips, you do NOT need to fill out the form again.

  Google Form for Tour Permissions or Spanish Google Form for Tour Permissions

• 5:30PM Open House 6:00PM Presentation - 8th Grade Parent Information Night at CCHS (FA Theatre)

• Monday, 1/27- Registration cards are due to Advisory teachers.

• Thursday 1/30 - 2:11 PM-2:41 PM (Advisory Class)- Students input class requests into PowerSchool with CCHS Counselors. If a student does not have a registration card, they will not be able to register on this date.

• Thursday, 2/6- 2:11 PM-2:41 PM (Advisory Class) Make up registration. Students input class requests into PowerSchool with CCHS Counselors.

To Our West Families and Students,

As we wrap up an incredible semester, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our families and students for their dedication, enthusiasm, and partnership. This semester has been filled with growth, achievement, and memorable moments both inside and outside the classroom. Whether through academic accomplishments, athletic victories, artistic performances, or acts of kindness, our students have continuously shown what it means to strive for excellence and embody the C.A.R.E. values of our school community.

We’d also like to thank you, our families, for your support and collaboration. Your involvement plays an essential role in our students' success and helps create the nurturing environment that makes our school so special. Together, we’ve built a strong foundation this semester, and we're excited to see what we will achieve as we head into the new year.

Please make sure that you have reviewed the upcoming changes to our Cell Phone Guidelines with your student prior to the new semester starting so that everyone is clear on those changes. We have been sharing them with your student over the last few weeks in our announcements, so we hope those conversations have been started at home as well.

Wishing you all a restful and joyful Winter Break filled with time to recharge and connect. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in the new year, ready for another fantastic semester!

Transportation is required by CDE Regulations to account for all students on the bus and unauthorized passengers are not permitted. However, the Transportation Department recognizes that circumstances may arise, e.g. a family emergency, parents out of town, etc., when a student needs to ride home with another student on a one-time only basis. The student must get off at the assigned stop of the student they are riding with (no exceptions).

Make sure to fill out and turn in the linked Permission Slip to the Dean's office no later than 9:00 AM on the requested ride date. Forms can be printed and handed to the Dean's Assistant. Hard copies of the form can be picked up from the Dean's office if they are needed but must be picked up prior to the day they need to ride a different bus. No emails will be accepted. If there is an emergency, please call the main office at 720-554-5180.

Viral Videos Endangering Students

Videos on various social media outlets have been going around showing kids/teens mixing cough syrup and soda (they’re calling this mixture "purple drank," "sizzurp," and "dirty sprite”) as well as videos of kids/teens taking large quantities of Benadryl with the aim to hallucinate. Both of these can have incredibly dangerous, if not deadly, consequences. Please make sure these medications are in a secure location in your home.

Extra Clothes

Wet, snowy, slippery weather means falls in the snow! Sending an extra pair of socks or pants with your student to keep in their locker is a great idea - we just don’t have enough extra clothes in the clinic to provide a dry change every time. This is also a great idea for students who are menstruating and may need a change of pants every now and then!

**If your student has used clothes from the clinic in the past, we’d love it if you'd wash them and get them back to us so we have an emergency stash! Thank you!

Medications

We’re seeing an uptick in students carrying their own medications. Just a reminder that students are not allowed to carry medications - all medications must be stored in the clinic with orders from a healthcare provider. We are always happy to give doses of antibiotics, eye drops, or cough medicine if your student needs it during the day but we must have orders to do so.

Vaccine Letters:

Vaccine letters were sent out last week if your child is non-compliant per Colorado State guidelines. Please send in vaccine records or complete the non-medical exemption course as soon as possible and send in your certificate. Just a reminder, Tdap is required at age 11 - and is of particular importance right now with Pertussis (whooping cough) on the rise!

Respiratory Illnesses on the Rise:

We are seeing an increase in Pneumonia, Covid, Flu, and Pertussis. If your child has symptoms of illness, please consider keeping them home. District guidelines require a student to be 24 hours post-fever WITHOUT fever reducing medications before returning to school regardless of what illness a student has.

Gastrointestinal Illnesses on the Rise:

We are seeing an increase in students with diarrhea and/or vomiting. A student needs to go 24 hours without diarrhea/vomiting before returning to school and again...and this should be without fever-reducing medications.

⛄🎿Look below for a fun bingo card to have during Winter Break! 🎿🏂

You can pay your student's fees by visiting the West Middle School Revtrak page or you may send your student with cash to the bookkeeper. Regrettably, we are unable to accept checks.

• Parent/ Guardians are now able to update Additional Contact info in their https://my.cherrycreekschools.org/ accounts by clicking on the Guardian Tile.

  
  

  Some things to keep in mind:

  • If a Household 1 Parent/Guardian has not completed Parent Forms, they will not have access to the Guardian Update tile.
  • Household 2 will only be able to access this tile if they have a 2nd household setup in PowerSchool. If they need to create a 2nd household, please see the Admissions section on the District Website. On the left menu, they will need to click on the link titled “Change/Update/Verify Address or Household Info."
  • Changes made through the update tile will be visible in PowerSchool within minutes.
  • Occasionally, parents will not see their students listed when logging into the Guardian Update tile. Refreshing the screen will correct this issue.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Please see the below message regarding the new CCSD Volunteer/Partner Process. If you are currently volunteering or plan to volunteer in the future, please complete the online volunteer form. It should only take a few minutes to complete. We want to thank you in advance and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school.

New Colorado legislation has prompted greater need to screen and document volunteers in our schools. Therefore, beginning January 2022, we must ensure that every volunteer completes a brief application to support activities in CCSD schools. This information will be automatically linked to the Raptor System. The good news is they only need to complete this form once per school year, and it will meet the requirement to volunteer in all CCSD buildings.

To access the form, please click on the following link: https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NzU0OmVuLVVT

Definitions

• Volunteers are guests who are supporting students, completing tasks, and under the immediate supervision and direction of District licensed personnel.

• Visitors are guests who are solely entering the building to conduct business such as participate in a meeting, eat lunch with their student, or attend a school sponsored activity.

The safety and security of our students and staff remains our top priority. Every person entering our buildings must have a District ID or a badge printed from the Raptor System.

Thank you again for your continued support.

Get your West Spirit Gear!

Store link: WMS Sideline Store

Remember, a portion of all proceeds return back to West Middle School to support our students -- so thank you Wildcat families!

Dear Families,

This email is to serve as an important reminder for students to carry their bus card when riding the bus. Students without a bus card will experience longer wait times on the bus and/or could be denied a ride home from school if they cannot be identified. Please see below for more specific details and information on how to replace your student’s bus card if necessary.

MORNING BUS ROUTES TO SCHOOL

All students will be provided a ride to school in the morning regardless of whether they have their bus card or student ID. If a student does not have their bus card, the student will be directed to the back of the line and the following process will take place:

1. Student will be asked to provide their student ID.
2. Bus driver will check student ID and manually load student in system.
3. If the student cannot be found in the system or the information contradicts the student ID or what the student is saying, the bus driver will call Dispatch.

AFTERNOON BUS ROUTES FROM SCHOOL

*Students must ride the bus home to which they are assigned.

In the afternoon, if a student does not have their bus card, the student will be directed to the back of the line and the following process will take place:

1. Student will be asked to provide their student ID.
2. Bus driver will check student ID and manually load student in system.
3. If the student cannot be found in the system or the information contradicts the student ID or what the student is saying, the bus driver will take the following action appropriate for primary and secondary level students.

• Bus driver will call security/administrator at the school to identify the student.
• If a school staff member is unable to identify student or respond in a timely manner, the student’s ride will be denied, and the student must contact a parent for a ride home.

🏈 Congratulations to the CCHS State Champion football team! 🏈

⚽ Congrats to the CCHS Boys Soccer team for winning the 5A State Championship! ⚽

No School ~ Winter Break ~ All Schools

December 23rd, 2024 - January 6th, 2025

Special Education Advisory Committee

Topic: IEP 101 & Liaison Specific Breakout Sessions

January 9th, 2025

9:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Student Achievement Resource Center

14188 E Briarwood Ave.

Centennial, CO 80112

Board of Education Meeting

January 13th, 2025

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Prairie Middle School

12600 E. Jewell Avenue

Aurora, CO 80012