Westview Wildcat Weekly

Wildcat Family Newsletter - Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Principal's Message

Vision: Success for ALL students means equity in instruction and SEL for ALL students! Achievement is they ALL CAN by any means necessary.

Mission: Westview students will be equitably empowered with the academic, social, and emotional knowledge and skills to live choice-filled lives and be successful contributors of society.

Westview officially completed the first administration of STAAR testing yesterday. Thank you to our testing coordinator, Mrs. Gamez, along with Ms. Bland and Mrs. Pena for their time and energy coordinating testing. There are several others who worked behind the scenes, and all staff came together to make today a great testing day. Yesterday, our students took the Reading Language Arts (RLA) STAAR test! We am extremely proud of our staff and students. Our RLA teachers worked extremely hard this year as a team to challenge our students academically and prepare them for this assessment. Students did a great job of taking their time and giving their best effort on this assessment! Great job Wildcat staff and students!

Our core contents (math, language arts, science, and social studies) are continuing with their STAAR review sessions. Teachers have collaboratively decided on high priority skills to review with students, and many of our teachers attended the Lead4ward Rockin' Review session last month to identify priority focus areas and engaging review activities.

Another one of our goals is to recognize student achievements. We recently held grade level assemblies to remind our students about our campus expectations, review attendance expectations, and announce our students of the month! We are having grade level assemblies again this week to recognize our students who earned A Honor Roll, A/B Honor Roll, and Perfect Attendance awards! These are amazing accomplishments, and we are proud of our students who will be recognized!

Parents, we encourage you to have discussions with your student about reporting safety concerns and maintaining good behavior during these final weeks of school. Students must be in good standing with attendance, discipline, and IDs to attend field trips. Please know that fights/assaults not only result in a placement to the Opportunity Center, but may also require police involvement. Additionally, we have spoken to our students about the dangers of e-cigarettes/vape pens. Students in possession/use/distribution will be recommended to the Opportunity Center, and police involvement is required in these situations. If students "SEE or HEAR something, please SAY something." This helps us maintain safety on our campus and investigate situations in a timely manner. Additionally, students can make anonymous reports through the Anonymous Alerts page.

No School Friday, April 18th

Families, this is a friendly reminder that this Friday, April 18th is a staff/student holiday. There are no classes, and students will return to school on Monday, April 21st.

Report Cards & UIL Eligibility

Progress reports will be published on Friday, April 18th. Students can regain UIL eligibility on this progress report but cannot lose UIL eligibility.

Families are encouraged to continue checking Skyward regularly to monitor their student's grades and academic progress. Westview holds tutorials for academic assistance on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and we have a late bus that departs at 5 p.m. on these days. Note: Students must have a late bus tutorial pass to ride the late bus.

STAAR Testing Dates and Information

All students will take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exams in April. It is very important that students give their best effort on these exams. Our campus performance from the state is based on STAAR results. Additionally, students who perform at the Did Not Meets levels will be considered for intervention the following school year, meaning they could lose an elective to receive additional minutes of academic support in that particular subject area.

Please see below for our next STAAR dates.

Tuesday, April 22nd: Science (8th grade only)
Wednesday, April 23rd: Social Studies (8th grade only)
Tuesday, April 29th: Math (all grade levels)

Here are some friendly reminders to help your student prepare for testing:

1) Ensure your student gets a good night's sleep and is well rested for tomorrow.

2) Students should eat breakfast. Students can also bring a healthy, mess-free snack and water to have during testing.

3) All electronics will be turned in to the testing proctor as required for testing security. Students will not be able to use any electronic devices (i.e., phones, headphones, smart watches) during testing.

4) We ask parents not to schedule any appointments during the testing window so that students are not rushed to finish or interrupted during testing.

5) All students have until the end of the school day to finish their test. They should take their time and give their best effort!

Thank you for your assistance as we prepare for our first round of STAAR testing!

H-E-B Donation

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to H-E-B for their generous donation of breakfast items for our staff. In the wake of the sudden loss of a beloved team member, their thoughtful gesture brought comfort and a sense of community to our campus. We are truly grateful for their kindness and continued support of Westview Middle School!

Thank You FCA

We are deeply appreciative of FCA and Coach Allen for their ongoing generosity and care for our staff. Last week, Coach Allen brought an assortment of snacks and drinks to help lift spirits, and this week, FCA is generously providing Bush’s Chicken for our team. Their support means so much, and we appreciate all the love FCA and Coach Allen has shown our team.

Wildcat Spirit Award Winners

At Westview, it is important for us to regularly celebrate our teachers and the great things happening across the campus! The Wildcat Spirit Award winners are: Mr. Hinojosa and Ms. Billasano

Mr. Hinojosa:

Mr. Hinojosa is an excellent teacher & a source of reliable support for students and staff members. He is not the kind to call attention to his generosity, but he regularly goes out of his way for the kids to make sure they have what they need to be successful. They know they can trust him for honest, sound advice and for help with making things right when problems pop up. He is a teacher that students and staff know they can count on and he consistently shows up for our community in a myriad of ways.

Ms. Billasano:

Ms. Billasano is a dedicated and passionate teacher here at Westview. She has really grown the dance program in a short amount of time, and she works hard to build positive, trusting relationships with her students! Ms. Billasano brings great energy and a smile every day.

Thank you for being amazing and for all you do for Westview, Mr. Hinojosa and Ms. Billasano!!

Previous Wildcat Spirit Award Recipients for the 24-25 School Year:

Ms. West
Mr. Juarez
Mr. Evans & Mr. Gross (Band Teachers)
Ms. Begum (ELDA Teacher)
Ms. Mosley (Math Teacher)
Ms. Christian (Science Teacher)
Ms. Coutino (Newcomer Math Teacher)
Mr. Treadwell (Social Studies Teacher)
Ms. Bustamante (Newcomer Math Teacher)
Ms. Johnson (Social Studies Teacher)
Ms. Pennington (Math Teacher)
Ms. Puentes (RLA Teacher)
Ms. O'Jack (Essential Academics Teacher)
Ms. Castillo (ELLA Teacher)
Mr. Cossey (AVID/Health/Career Pathways Teacher)
Mr. Castorino (Social Studies Teacher)
Mr. Padron (Social Studies Teacher)
Ms. Pena (Instructional Coach)
Mr. Doss (Math Teacher)

Vaccination Requirements

Families, this is a friendly reminder that updated vaccines are required by state law for 7th grade students. This is a friendly reminder to get your incoming 7th grader vaccinated before next school year starts to avoid any registration complications and to avoid delayed appointments. Please know that per state law, 7th grade students will not be permitted to attend school without proper documentation of the required vaccinations or without the proper exemptions. We stress the importance of handling this early to avoid challenges during the upcoming school year as it is difficult for the family and school when a student has to be withdrawn due to a lack of vaccinations or proper documentation.

Please see the attachments for additional information. These are in English and Spanish.

If you still have questions, please call the nurse's office at (512)594-2235. Thank you!

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25-26 Vaccination Reminders.pdf

25-26 Required Vaccines.pdf

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Easter Egg Hunt

Literacy & STEAM Night Family Event - May 5th

Student Attendance

Regular school attendance is very important for student learning. Students who miss school more frequently are more likely to struggle with learning the concepts and may also struggle as they proceed to future grades/courses. Students are expected to be at school 90% of the time, per state law.

Westview uses EveryDay Pro to track student attendance and identify students who are excessively absent. Students with repeated or excessive absences will receive a phone call and/or text message regarding the concerns. Letters will also be mailed home per guidelines, and the campus may do regular home visits to help your student attend school. Please know that campus administrators will monitor student attendance to identify chronically absent students and truant students.

If your student must miss school, it is very important that your student bring a note to excuse the absence. Please also check your student's attendance regularly through Skyward to ensure regular attendance and that absences are noted as 'excused.'

Students who attend school regularly will be eligible to attend school events (i.e., dances, Westfest, etc.) and other celebrations. Students with perfect attendance will receive an award at the end of the 9-weeks.

Chronic absenteeism and truancy will result in meetings with an administrator to discuss absences, create a plan, and provide resources. Excessive absences can also impact a student's ability to proceed to the next grade level.

WMS Yearbooks for Sale

You can use this link to begin ordering your Westview Middle School yearbook! Mr. Barriga and the yearbook class have been working hard on making this year's yearbook look great!

PBIS Rewards

Here at Westview MS, we award students PBIS Reward points for following campus expectations and rules. Students can redeem their points on Friday for prizes such as chips, wristbands, candy, stickers, and other rewards.

PBIS Rewards is a system to recognize and reward positive behavior. This system helps us focus on positive actions instead of punitive responses.

Student IDs

Our students have been doing a great job wearing their student IDs during the school day. Students who wear their ID daily will receive PBIS points and remain eligible for school function (i.e., dances, fall fest).

Consequences are in place for students who do not wear their ID more than 3 times, and parents will be contacted.

Lost IDs cost $5 and can be paid in the main office or online.

Beanstack Reading Winners

Westview uses Beanstack to log hours that students read! Our students have done an OUTSTANDING job of reading, and we want to recognize the following students on the leaderboard!! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!

Tardy Tracking

Each week, we run a tardy report. Students with more than 5 tardies in a week or excessive tardies overall are assigned to Thursday after school detentions to make-up the missed instructional time. Make-up detention is held on Thursdays from 3:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Students who are reporting to class on time regularly will receive PBIS rewards and other incentives. Students who are repeatedly tardy will lose opportunities for campus events (i.e., dances, Westfest, etc.).

Cell Phone Policy

Per PfISD policy, cell phones must be turned off during the instructional day (start of 1st period until the end of the last period). We prioritize a focus on instruction, and cell phones cannot disrupt the learning or school environment.

Westview is adopting a new cell phone policy. Students will place their cell phone in the clear pocket chart next to the teacher’s desk to ensure it is not used during class. Teachers will have a system for how students will place and pick up their cell phones. Please know that if a cell phone is seen, it will be collected and turned in to the office.

1st Offense: Warning/Parent picks up the phone

2 or More Offenses: $15 fee/Parent picks up the phone

We understand that parents may need to reach their student. If a parent needs to contact their student, we ask that they call the front office at (512)594-2200. We will then call your student down to the office to speak with you. Similarly, students can use the front office phone to call a parent.

As noted above, cell phones can cause a disruptions and distractions in hallways, classrooms, restrooms, the cafeteria, and other spaces. We want to ensure our students are focused on learning and engaged at all times. Teachers for core classes will have Chromebook sets in the classroom, so students will be able to engage in learning using Chromebooks and do not need their cell phone.

Meal Deliveries

Please know that meal deliveries to the campus are not permitted (i.e., Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc.). If a meal is delivered the student will be allowed to pick it up at the end of the school day.

Westview PTO

The Westview Middle School Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) meets monthly to hear a principal's update, discuss the PTO budget, and review other campus agenda items. The PTO also helps tremendously with campus events, concession stand sales at athletic events, and providing food/treats for staff throughout the year.

Please join our Westview PTO! You can sign up using any options copied below.

Form Sign Up

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