Westside Middle School

December 8, 2024

Important Dates

MAP Testing

December 9-13 - Math

Winter Break

Friday, December 20th - 12:45 Dismissal
December 23 - January 3rd - NO School
2nd Semester begins on Monday, January 6th

National Junior Honor Society

National Junior Honor Society is an international student organization that's membership is based on outstanding scholarship, character, leadership, service, and citizenship.

Students cannot apply to NJHS until they receive an invitation second semester. However, to be eligible for membership students must meet the following criteria:

1) Have a 1st semester GPA of 3.8 or higher

2) Complete a minimum of 5 service hours before applying

Service activities are those that are done for or on behalf of others (not including immediate family members) for which no compensation (monetary or other) has been given.

3) Write a short essay (500 words or less) answering the prompt on the application
4) Teachers complete a rubric assessing students on their character, leadership, and scholarship

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Phillips, Mrs. Sherrill, Mrs. Hansen, or Ms. Rugg

Tell your student to be on the lookout in their email early next semester for the invitation to apply!

NJHS Toy Drive

NJHS is sponsoring a Toy Drive to support Open Door Mission's Project Santa. NJHS members will be collecting BRAND NEW TOYS before school every morning from Dec 2nd through the 13th. Suggested toys include board games, puzzles, trucks and baby dolls.

Toys can be dropped off in the PAC Hallway and in the hallway by the main office. Students will be given a ticket for each toy donated for a chance to win a gift card to Smoothie King, Scooters or Dunkin Donuts!

Caring for you iPad during Winter

With winter here, we would like to give you some tips on taking care of your device!

Careful Storage: Never leave iPad in your vehicle for over an hour in cold weather, even in a well-padded and insulated case. The device could freeze, causing parts to become damaged.

Let it Warm Up: Once you bring your iPad in from the cold, let it warm up to room temperature before booting. Do not use mug warmers, pocket warmers, or hair dryers to heat or keep a device warm. They are not designed for this purpose and can create problems as they will not heat or keep a laptop warm correctly. They could heat the wrong parts of a device or cause it to generate too much heat and melt internal components.

Keep it out of the cold: Protecting your laptop from excessive dampness or wetness from snow will keep your keyboard from freezing and other problems from developing.

So, what should you do if your iPad is left in the cold?

The first step is to let the device thaw. The device should be at room temperature before you power it on. If its in sleep mode, you should avoid even opening the iPad since that may automatically wake the it. Even once the device gets to room temperature, it may have condensation on it because of the temperature change. If your device looks wet, let it dry naturally and bring it to Tech Support. If you turn on your device when it is wet, it may short one or more electrical connections, which could cause the laptop to stop functioning.

MAP Testing

We will have our Winter MAP Testing in December. Students will take the tests in their Language Arts and Math classes.

Winter Testing

LA - December 3-5
Math - December 9-13

Remember this is one assessment tool our school district uses to help determine what your child is ready to learn and to measure academic growth throughout the school year. This assessment adapts to your child's level of readiness to learn. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward the MAP® assessments. MAP® assessments are untimed, but each will take approximately 60 minutes to complete.

MAP® assessment results, in the form of a RIT score (Rausch Unit), let teachers know where a student’s strengths are and what support may be needed in specific areas. Teachers use this information to guide their instruction in the classroom. MAP® outcomes also help to inform decision making in program offerings.

Please make sure your student is in attendance to take these exams!

Food and Clothing Drive

WHS EdRising, WMS Rising Educators, and Paddock Road Future Educators are sponsoring a Food and Clothing Drive. Please scan the QR code to see what is needed. Students can bring items to Ms. Tatro's class.

Westside We-Side

WE-SIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR

We are excited to announce the launch of our WE-SIDE Community Events Calendar. This calendar includes dates and times for local events and community offerings.

While we are not a partner, sponsor, or organizer of the listed events, we’d like to share them with you as part of our WE-SIDE initiative, which highlights opportunities available in the greater Omaha community.

Started in the summer of 2020, WE-SIDE stands for Welcoming Equity Support Inclusion Dignity Everyone. This initiative was created to foster a district community where everyone feels valued, connected, and respected. The initiative seeks to build a supportive environment that honors the dignity of every individual, creating a sense of belonging and unity within the Westside community.

The events are listed on the right-hand side of the WCS website homepage. Click on each event for specific logistical information. However, for details or inquiries regarding any of these events, please contact the official event organizers directly.

We are excited to share these opportunities with you and hope you find something new to explore with friends or family members

Community Club Information

Are you looking for an impactful way to support teachers, staff and students at WMS? If so, the WMS Community Club (WMS CC) needs YOU!

The Community Club’s meets from 3:30 – 4:30. For your convenience, the meeting is available via Zoom or in person at WMS.

WMS CC supports our teachers and staff by organizing fall and spring conference meals, providing gift cards for the monthly teacher recognition program and the teacher/staff end of year celebration. WMS CC celebrates our student body by providing refreshments at the academic awards night and organizing the 8th grade end of year dance.

2024 – 2025 Meetings

1/16 3:30 – 3:30 PM

2/20 3:30 – 3:30 PM

3/13 3:30 – 3:30 PM

4/14 3:30 – 3:30 PM

If you have questions and/or interested in attending, please contact susanclauser@gmail.com for the Zoom meeting or attend the first meeting on August 15th! We will gather in the main office at the Middle School and then move from there to our meeting space.