What's Up @ West

West Middle school will be closed March 29-April 6th for Spring Break.

There will not be anyone working in the office during this time.

Mar. 31 - Apr. 4: No School - Spring Break

April 7-30: PowerUp Crew Challenge

April 14-16: MCA (Math)

April 14th-18th: Kindness Week

April 17: Early Release

April 23: Polar Plunge

April 25: Coffee with the Principal

May 8: No School - Conferences

Congratulations, one and all, for a 2025 Variety Show that defied gravity!

We are West, and we are so proud of the students who shared their talents onstage, backstage, and with artwork or written pieces.

*Photos and Video Links are being processed/edited and will be shared widely when they are ready (likely after spring break). Thank you for your patience.

Monday, our 8th grade Class Meeting we recognized several students who demonstrated our Learner Profile, Principled

Earlier this week, 7th grade life science students had a chance to observe the body systems we studied in our human body unit through a frog dissection. The students were brave, curious, grossed out, and fascinated all at once! Special shout-out to the caregivers who generously volunteered their time to support this experience.

Congratulations Sebastian, Rania and Linc for being role models at West.

In April, we will have a PowerUp Crew Challenge!!!

PowerUp is a powerful tool to accelerate literacy skills and prepare students for the demands of secondary curriculum.

Encourage your student to do PowerUp at home too!!!

Students NEED wired headphones (USB-C)

Play for All Club is sponsoring a Kindness Week April 14th-18th. Kindness Week will have a variety fun things happening throughout the week. As always, thank you for your support!!

1. Coin Clash - Start saving your coins!!! We are doing a coin drive, all proceeds will benefit our Polar Plunge. But this isn't a regular coin drive, it's a Coin Clash!! Each grade has a container to drop pennies in between 4/14 and 4/18. Each penny is worth a positive point and whichever grade has the most points wins! But... grades and teachers can sabotage each other and try to deduct points by dropping any silver coin into another grade’s bucket. Silver coins count as negative points!! Bottom line, we'd love your change. Bring it in! Donations can be placed in buckets all week long in the morning during crew time. The grade level with the most positive points wins an EXTRA RECESS!!! More info to come later, but for now, start saving your coins please!
2. Compliment Cards - Acts of Kindness is the theme during this week. Play for All will introduce what it looks like to be kind and show acts of kindness AND give a compliment to someone else. We will introduce compliment cards. Students may compliment another peer or staff. At the end of each day, we will have a drawing for fun prizes (snacks, Play for All t-shirts, stickers, books, and giftcards).
3. Polar Plunge - Kindness week will culminate with our Play for All Polar Plunge on April 23rd from 1:15-1:45pm. We invite any West families/friends to come watch the fun!! We will be plunging in the west side of the lower parking lot (near the baseball field). If you'd like to directly donate to the Polar Plunge, feel free to visit our website. https://reg.plungemn.org/team/playforall

Small boxes needed! This spring, the 6th graders will be making solar ovens in Design class. We will need around 100-120 shoe boxes, small package boxes (12x12 inches or smaller), or lightly used pizza boxes. Any contributions you can make would be very much appreciated! Please drop them off in the Welcome Center tagged for Mr. Simpson, or have your student bring them down to room 12 anytime before April 16th. Thanks so much for your help with this fun project!

Counselors at West Middle School appreciate the continued partnership on working with all of our kids to make sure they are well. A range of emotions for young people is completely normal, as it is for all of us! The attached Counselor Corner can help to determine when your teen might be experiencing things that mean they need some additional support. Let us know if we can help!

Service is an important part of the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) at Hopkins West Middle School. It helps students grow into caring, responsible people who make a difference in their communities. Through service, students take what they learn in school and use it to help others. At WMS, students get involved in service through groups like Play For All, which works to make playgrounds fun for everyone, and Student Council, which leads projects to support our school and community. Our 8th graders will also be starting their Community Projects soon, where they choose a cause they care about and take action to help. These experiences teach students leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving while showing them that their actions matter. We encourage families to support and celebrate these service opportunities as students learn the value of giving back!

If you have any questions, contact Jennifer Poncelet, IB Coordinator, at jennifer.poncelet@hopkinsschools.org.

On May 30th, Ready, Set, Smile will perform dental exams for students. Please see the attached .pdf for details.

If you would like your student to participate: scan the QR code on the attached flier, complete the consent form and submit it online or use this Dental Consent form and turn in to West’s School Nurse jana.balfany@hopkinsschools.org or fax 952-988-4411.

WMS is fortunate to work with Relate Counseling Center to provide opportunities for growth for our students! Please see the attached flyers and connect with your students' counselor or social worker if you are interested in your student participating in a small group on one of these topics.

Children’s Dental Services will be back providing dental care for people of all ages at myHealth For Teens & Young Adults on Wednesday, April 2, 9-4 p.m.

Please note:

To qualify for the sliding fee scale with Children’s Dental,

• you must be 26 years old or younger, or pregnant.

• ineligible for Medical Assistance and provide proof that you are below the poverty level. ( this means bringing in pay stubs and tax forms)

People with an income above the poverty level will pay full prices for all services, there is not an option to slide.

Click the link below for information about how to access the market at West Middle School.

West Middle School Market and Resources info.docx

Please do not hesitate to contact West Middle School Counselors, Social Workers or Administration if you have any questions about accessing the Market on site.

Is your scholar part of the LGBTQIA+ community, or an ally looking for a way to get involved with advocacy? Recommend that your scholar signs up for GSA to learn more! GSA will meet once per week during What I Need time (students sign up during CREW for these sessions each week) - students can sign up to attend for just one week, or can attend weekly for the rest of the year.

• These are special times with friends and classmates that you will want to remember forever. Help make this year unforgettable by ordering a West Middle School yearbook. You can order today and get your copy at the lowest price of the year for only $30.

• Early bird ordering deadline is Monday March 10. For your convenience, you can buy online

• Don’t miss out on the memories!

Register for Hopkins Spring Sports

This doc. has the info from the district email. You can find Athletic Opportunities and registration info.

• Boys Lacrosse: 7th - 12th graders. New players welcome. No experience, no problem. Just show up and play! 💪🥍

  • Please contact Coach Evan Hylok coachhylok@hopkinslacrosse.org for information.

• Fit-Future Girls Flag Football: Join us for the Fit-Future Girls Flag Football team, proudly sponsored by the MN Vikings! Our season features training camps during spring break, two practices each week, strength and conditioning sessions, and 4-6 game days throughout the season.

  This program will be guided by coaches from Hopkins High School and professional players from the MN Vixens. Consistent participants will have the chance to attend a MN Vixens football game. Find details here.

• Hopkins Mountain Bike Team: Parent & Rider Info Meeting, Wed., May 14th @ 6:30p in the HHS cafeteria. See flyer for more information.

This calendar change will affect Pre-K and elementary students. Thursday, May 8, 2025 will now be a no school day for all students, Pre-K-12. This was already a no school day for students in grades 6-12 due to conferences. The calendar page of our website has been updated to reflect this change.

Due to inclement weather, the March 5, 2025, professional development day was canceled, preventing Pre-K and elementary instructional staff from completing their final LETRS Training session. To address this, we have designated May 8, 2025, as a non-instructional day for Pre-K and elementary students, meaning there will be no school for these students on this day. This adjustment is the best way to ensure critical LETRS Training is completed by the end of the school year while minimizing disruptions.

• Kids & Company will have limited availability for non-school day care on May 8. Families currently in Kids & Company will receive communication on registration.
• Hopkins Preschool has limited availability for non-school day care on May 8 for extended day families only. Registration for this day will open Monday, April 7 at 8:00 a.m.

In response to community feedback, the Educational Services Advisory Committee (ESAC) meeting originally planned for April 17 has been moved to Thursday, May 1, as the original date coincided with a Christian religious holiday.

We invite you to join us on May 1 from 5:30–7:00 p.m. in the Eisenhower Community Center Boardroom for an engaging, interactive session focused on math in Hopkins. We look forward to seeing you there!

We invite you to participate in a focus group where you can share your insights and priorities for modern, safe, and inclusive learning environments.

Upcoming Focus Groups:

• Monday, April 7 @ 7:00 p.m. at HHS Cafeteria and Virtual

• Tuesday, April 15 @ 5:30 p.m., Virtual

Learn more and register here

We look forward to hearing your perspective and working together to build a stronger future for Hopkins Public Schools!

Student non-profit, Minnesota Play for All, and Minnesota's award-winning children's book author and illustrator, Nancy Carlson, collaborated on a book, A Swing for Samara. The book is inspired by the true story of the Glen Lake Playground Project. A Swing for Samara celebrates the power of compassion and inclusion. The book is beautiful and so incredibly special for our Hopkins community. The book is available for pre-order online (Target, Amazon, etc), but we are offering this book at a reduced rate through our website. https://www.mnplayforall.org/

Books are $15 and will be distributed for pick up the week of April 17th to all Hopkins schools (you may purchase as many as you'd like). All proceeds support Minnesota Play for All, a new student-driven non-profit wanting to make sure all have fun and are included.

Thank you for your support!

Hello!

My name is Erika Manley. I am the parent of a 5th grader at Glen Lake Elementary and 7th grader at West Middle School. If you are the caregiver of a child with a disability, please join us at our next coffee event!

Questions? Contact Erika at 612-840-7900.

NEXT MEETING DATES in 2025: May 9

Are you the caregiver of a child who transcends traditional binary gender roles?

We are offering a supportive, ongoing group for parents and caregivers to ask questions, share ideas, and support one another. Some children may identify as transgender, gender fluid, non-binary, gender queer, gender expansive, or simply move through the world in a much more gender free type of way.

This is for all grade levels (elementary, middle, and high school, and beyond). Laura Jensen, Hopkins Schools LGBTQ+ Community Liaison will facilitate the meetings. This is not a group to debate the issue, rather for parents looking to support their child.

Questions? Email Laura.Jensen@hopkinsschools.org

Dates for Remainder of 24-25 School Year:

Apr. 24; May 22; June 26. 5-6:30 p.m

North Middle School, 5-6:30 p.m. Room 506 (use side parking lot, Door R)

Questions? Email Laura.Jensen@hopkinsschools.org

MN Institute for Talented Youth: for advanced students entering grades 6-8. See flyer for info.

Principal email: serita.mattei@hopkinsschools.org

Website: https://west.hopkinsschools.org/
Location: 3830 Baker Road, Minnetonka, MN, USA
Phone: (952) 988-4400
Facebook: facebook.com/hopkinswjh/