West Sylvan Middle School

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Happy Friday, West Sylvan families!

Thank you to all families who have submitted your feedback for the yearly Successful School Survey. The window to send feedback is open until the end of May. As your Educator leaders who plan to continue here at West Sylvan for many years to come, we appreciate feedback so that we can continue to lead our growth as a school and PPS community!

We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Jill Hunt, Principal
Ben Keller, Assistant Principal

SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL SURVEY ~ available until May 31st

Please share your feedback! Each year, our school district collects data from our students, our Educators, and our families in the Successful School Survey. Families will select your site from the drop-down list at the following URL. Families with more than one student can respond for their eldest student, or you may choose to take the survey more than once. https://surveys.panoramaed.com/portlandor/familyspring24/surveys

OSAS TESTING

The spring OSAS testing cycle continues throughout May. We are still catching up with students who were absent for the ELA test throughout the month. The list of groups who are testing in the next two weeks are below so that your student is prepared for those days. Please send students with their charged Chromebook each day so that they are ready to go! We are moving onto Math and Science (8th graders only for Science) after English testing concludes. Please send students to school rested and nourished for testing.

Mr. Bradley Fleegle is joining as our Math and ELA Interventionist Educator. A short introduction from Mr. Fleegle is below.
Hello West Sylvan students and families,
I'm Bradley (Mr. Fleegle) and I'm so pleased to join your community! I come from Nevada originally, but have been living in Portland for just over ten years and love it. Most of my teaching experience has been as a middle school math teacher, though I like all subjects and would be happy to help students with anything I can. As for who I am personally: I'm a huge bicyclist, but I spend most of my free time changing diapers and playing hot wheels on the floor with my two children, Natalie (1) and Alden (4). When the kids finally go to bed, my wife and I like to sneak in a board game. As a family, we try to do a lot of hiking, but the little ones aren't very good hikers yet. I look forward to meeting you this upcoming Fall, if not sooner!
- Bradley Fleegle

Mr. Casey Bartlett is joining us as a new PE Educator next school year after teaching Adapted Physical Education for four years for PPS. Mr. Bartlett comes to us because of the added period of learning in the day next year and the need for all three grades of students to meet Oregon PE minutes expectations by having three quarters of PE in their schedule.
Next year will be his 10th year teaching. He has taught and ran physical activities for almost 20 years with a wide range of ages and abilities. He has worked in schools, gyms, a cruise ship, and a variety of camps. Casey was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He is a husband and father of two kids. They love spending time outdoors, playing basketball, swimming, and going to the beach. He has a passion for helping all students be active and supporting their fitness goals. He is looking forward to being at West Sylvan MS.

On June 3rd, we are hosting a fundraising run for the homeless, organized by Ms. Melanie’s 1st period Ethics class. This opportunity to create a school-wide community service project is part of the MYP program. Eighth Graders are doing their own, more robust service project as their Middle School MYP Capstone, and still are part of this larger fun!

All money that is being collected will be donated to the Portland Rescue Mission. Sponsor forms and envelopes have been passed out in all Advisory classes. Checks need to be made out to the Portland Rescue Mission and are preferred over cash, although we will accept cash.

Students will collect sponsors and donations from friends and family. Sponsors can make a donation per lap a student runs or make a flat donation at this link. Forms and money are due by June 9th.

We will have a modified schedule so that this may occur in the morning on June 3rd with each grade level’s participants running for 40 minutes prior to their lunch. Every student who runs/walks at least 3 laps in the forty minute time period will get an otter pop. The grade that raises the most money will get an ice cream party. The student in each grade who runs the most laps will get a $50 Visa gift card. Thank you to the Friends of West Sylvan for their gift card donation!

PLEASE PULL FORWARD!

Each day we have approximately 200 vehicles circulate through the parking lot. There are two lanes of drop off and pick up traffic created in the school turnaround. Please be considerate of others by pulling all the way to the front of school to drop off and pick up. Stopping half way through the driveway and/or waiting for students for long periods of time while at the front of a traffic line is inconsiderate of others and creates a backup in traffic. If your student is taking extra time to exit campus, please pull out of others’ way so that they may continue their path of travel.

With just a couple months left in Middle School, we are planning some activities for final memories for our Eighth Graders. As we are within the last thirty days of school, any major referrals or suspensions for Eighth graders will take them out of participation for the fun activities below. Students participating in celebratory activities should have positive behavior leading up to the end of the year. Here is what we are planning:

Friday, June 7th:
8th Grade Pack Party
Final dance for the 8th Graders together at WSMS *hosted by The Friends of West Sylvan
Tuesday, June 11th:
8th Grade Field Trip to Oaks Amusement Park
Buses take students for a day at Oaks Park, lunch is served there, and we return to the school in the afternoon.
Wednesday, June 12th:
Class field trip to University of Oregon
Day trip returning by 6:00PM
**CHAPERONES NEEDED!** We would love any additional chaperones (at least five people) to attend this trip to UofO. This is an all day event, returning around 6 p.m. If you are able to join the trip, please email : westsylvanoffice@pps.net.
Thursday, June 13th:
8th Grade Promotion Ceremonies
At Lincoln High School starting at 6:00PM in their Gym. Families have an unlimited number of guests, as we will pull out both sides of the bleachers for the event.
Friday, June 14th:
Last day of Middle School!
We’re working on some fun items for 8th graders who join us after they have their Promotion.

CALMING ROOM

With the goal of improving the mental health of West Sylvan students, two brilliant minds from our West Sylvan 8th grade are on a mission to create a tranquil haven, a Calming Room, as part of their MYP project. But they can't do it alone! We need your generous support to bring their vision to life. Click on the Amazon Wish List link to contribute, and don't hesitate to reach out to Mr. Almeida (ralmeida@pps.net) if you have any questions or ideas. Let's make this project a reality together!

AFFINITY SPACES and RACIAL EQUITY/SOCIAL JUSTICE SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS

The following groups and spaces have existed all year and continue to be available to students who share the affinity. Students can initiate Affinity spaces with adults on campus who share their affinity, or district-approved volunteers may run Affinity spaces for students during Advisory or lunches.

Asian Student Union: meets weekly on Fridays during Advisory

Black Student Union: meets weekly on Wednesdays during Advisory

Black Excellence Group: (RESJ partners) meets weekly on Thursdays during Advisory

Jewish Student Union: meets weekly on Tuesdays

Students Organizing for Leadership (SOL)/LSU: meets weekly on Tuesdays during Advisory

Gender/Sexuality Alliance: meets weekly at lunch

Neurodivergent Affinity Group: meets monthly

Equity: meets monthly

No Place for Hate: meets monthly

FOR 8TH GRADERS ONLY: MYP COMMUNITY PROJECT

After completing community service hours through their Block classes during the first semester, 8th Grade students at West Sylvan should now be in the REFLECTING phase of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) Community Project, which is an essential component of the MYP curriculum and a capstone project of students’ Middle School education.

The MYP Community Project is a student-led and collaborative project that aims to encourage students to explore and reflect on real-world issues within their local community. This project enables students to apply their learning from their prior service and different subjects to develop essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration.

The project has four main components: investigating, planning, taking action, and reflecting. Students should have already identified a real-world need within their community that they are passionate about and wish to address. Now, they are conducting thorough research to better understand the issue and its possible solutions.

Finally, students will develop a plan of action to address the issue, which may involve organizing events, raising awareness, fundraising, or other forms of community engagement. Students take action and reflect on their learning and the impact of their project.

~ Community Project Timeline ~

Investigating: 2/8 - 3/14

Planning 3/15 - 3/22

Taking Action 4/4 - 4/25

Reflecting/Prep 5/2 - 5/29

Community Expo May 30th

Throughout the project, students receive guidance and support from their Advisory and Block teachers, who ensure that their project aligns with the principles and values of the MYP. We believe that the MYP Community Project is an excellent opportunity for our students to develop essential skills and become active, responsible, and compassionate members of their community. We encourage you to engage with your student about the importance of service as they work to make a positive impact in their community.

This year, students will have the opportunity to share their projects with their peers and educators in the MYP Community Project Exhibition, which will take place during the 4th Quarter. They will be assessed based on the Community Project assessment criteria and graded through their Social Sciences classes. This project will be worth 10% of both their 3rd and 4th Quarter grades. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Translation available: Español / Tiếng Việt / Русский / 中国人

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. Our Friends of West Sylvan organization also regularly shares ways to get involved on campus, specifically to volunteer in the Library, monitor hallways, help in the Main Office, help in classrooms, and do recess duty.

EARLY STUDENT PICK-UP

Please make every effort to pick up students before or after their grade-specific Lunch period (see below). Once students are scattered around the field playing at recess, picking up during Lunch recess becomes more timely for all involved. Please do not call or text your student to tell them you are here or to tell them to come to the Office. If a student uses their device to check a text and/or answer a phone call, their phone will be confiscated.

6th Grade LUNCH: 11:37 AM ~ 12:07 PM

7th Grade LUNCH: 12:31 PM ~ 1:01 PM

8th Grade LUNCH: 1:25 PM ~ 1:55 PM

~ SCHOOL DOORS OPEN AT 9:00AM DAILY ~

Breakfast is available in the hot lunch room at that time. With the colder weather, we are having students who are dropped off early sit in the hot lunch room until 9 a.m. so that they are not sitting in the cold outdoors. Students with Choir before school (appears as period 0 on StudentVue), start school at 8:00 AM each day. Students should ring the bell upon arrival.

CHROMEBOOK REPAIRS

Ms. Crombie accepts Chromebooks for repairs between 10:00AM - 3:00PM each day. Damaged devices are picked up for repair each Friday, and are usually returned the following Friday. A loaner Chromebook can be issued to students in the meantime. Remind and encourage your student to take care of their Chromebook, and keep them in protective cases. If they don’t have a protective case, the school can provide one. Chromebooks are used for class assignments daily. Students will need to charge their device each night and bring their charged Chromebook to school each day. We do not have enough loaners to give to students who forget their chromebooks. Students and families will be responsible for paying for replacements for lost chargers throughout the 2023-24 school year. They will be ordered through PPS OTIS, and cost $12/each.

STUDENT ID CARDS

Please remind your students to bring and wear their school ID daily. We’ve shared out many ways that our students can be safe by displaying their IDs throughout the day through our Advisory videos. IDs are used on campus for quickly identifying students (this is especially helpful for Substitutes). Students use them to check out library books and to buy hot lunch. Bus drivers also look for student IDs to be sure that students are on the correct route.

FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES

We do NOT allow students to order items directly from delivery services throughout the day, as they are inviting strangers to our campus, and we have no way of monitoring what they are delivering. There is an unfortunate option where students can order illegal items, such as VAPE devices through delivery services. Students are reminded of this school policy regarding food delivery services when it is violated, and items are held in the office for end-of-day pickup. Family members are also notified when this occurs.

MONTORING SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY

If you have chosen to give your student a cell phone, please actively monitor their social media accounts and messaging activity. Nearly every single school discipline issue on campus has started with social media posting outside of school. This is another reason that our cell phone policy exists, as we don’t want students engaging in cyber-bullying and cyber-harassment throughout their school day. Set up parental controls where your students can only access their phone during certain times, if you are allowing these devices.

ELECTRONICS POLICY

WSMS is a cell phone free zone from 9:00 AM - 3:45 PM daily. We request and advise all families to keep scholars’ cell phones at home during the school day. If a scholar brings a cell phone to school, they will be expected to store their turned-off phone in their locker throughout the entire school day (including lunch periods). Important messages can be sent to our main office via email (westsylvanoffice@pps.net) or phone, and will be forwarded to your scholars. Please do not call or text your student. If your scholar chooses to use their cell phone, smart watch, air pods, tablet, et al, the device will be confiscated. If your scholar uses their device to check a text from and/or answer the phone from you, their phone will be confiscated.

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