CB West High School
West Times Newsletter March 15, 2024
WEST JAZZ ENSEMBLES
Congratulations to CB West Jazz Ensembles 1 and 2 for their outstanding performances at the Council Rock Jazz Festival this past week! Jazz 2 earned a prestigious rating of "Outstanding," while Jazz 1 received the highest possible rating of "Superior with Honors." They also brought home a sweep of ensemble awards, including Best Trombone Section and Best Rhythm Section. Additionally, Brandon Horak and Frankie Sikora were recognized with individual best solo awards, and Thomas O'Reilly received an honorable mention solo recognition. Congratulations to all of our talented Jazz Musicians!
HARLEQUIN CLUB'S SPRING PERFORMANCE
Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild new high school she would experience after moving to Illinois. Follow Cady through her journey as she struggles to rise to the top of the popularity pecking order by taking on the charming but ruthless Plastics in this hilarious musical.
Exciting News! Mean Girls is making headlines! Our talented CB West Harlequin Club students have been featured by press from the Bucks County Herald, Doylestown Cardinal, Tap Into Doylestown, and more!
Tickets for Mean Girls High School Version of the musical are on sale now and can be purchased through the Central Bucks Harlequin Club showtixforu website.
Performance Dates and Times:
- March 14th at 7:00 pm
- March 15th at 7:00 pm
- March 16th at 7:00 pm
- March 17th at 2:00 pm
Witness their incredible performances this weekend, March 15-17th!
🎟️ Grab your tickets while you still can: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/80093
SAGE PROM DRESS SALE
SAGE Club received many good-condition prom dresses for their sale. Your last change to purchase one of these dresses for $10 will be this Sunday, March 17th from 9am-12pm at CB West.
WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY FUNDRAISER
This year is the 2nd annual TOPSS fundraiser to support World Down Syndrome Day on March 21 and help offset some of our community-based instruction costs. The fundraiser will run through April 5.
You can find a link to our PALS page here: Central Bucks TOPSS | RallyUp
Please consider purchasing a pair or two of socks and then don’t forget to rock your socks on March 21 in support of World Down Syndrome Day!!
Thank you for your support and please feel free to share the link with anyone who may be interested!!
NATIONAL ART HONOR SOCIETY
All this week, members of the National Art Honor Society hosted their annual jewelry/sticker/coaster sale during lunch and learn. All work is original and made by our NAHS art students. Many students and staff stopped by to show their support to the artists and purchased some of their awesome creations!
STUDENT SERVICES
PreACT (10th Grade)
The PreACT will be offered to CB West 10th grade students on March 16th, 2024. Registered students should find their room assignment posted on the window of Student Services. Parents should have received an email with detailed instructions sent to the email used when signing up.
COLLEGE PLANNING PRESENTATION (11TH Grade)
The Student Services Department held an evening presentation for 11th grade students and parents on February 29th. If you were unable to attend, the PowerPoint presentation was posted to the Student Services website, where you can also view the Fall 11th grade college planning PowerPoint.
Program Planning for the 2024-2025 School Year:
Please visit the Program Planning Website for up-to-date information, resources, and links for students and parents regarding course registration for the 24-25 school year.
Friday, March 15 Verification of course requests will be available on the student portal. Students and parents should review courses for accuracy and must notify their counselor immediately regarding any final changes to their course requests.
Wednesday, March 20 All changes to requests must be submitted to a counselor by this date. No changes will be allowed for the 2024-25 school year unless it is due to a level change supported by the recommending teacher or a failure to meet a prerequisite.
College Applications and Scholarships
If you are interested in applying for scholarships, please look in Naviance under “Scholarship Search” to find a current list of local scholarship opportunities.
Career Training at Bucks County Community College
Have a Senior who is exploring non-college pathways after high school? Bucks County Community College offers FREE training programs in several different fields. Visit the BCCC Workforce Development page for more information: https://www.bucks.edu/workforcedevelopment/.
FINANCIAL AID
The FAFSA (link) is the primary way to access need based financial aid for colleges. Students seeking need-based scholarships and student loans to help pay for college should plan to complete the FAFSA, which is now open.
Some colleges and universities will require the CSS Profile and the FAFSA for need-based aid consideration. This requirement should be listed on the college’s website, but you should also check the list of schools requiring the CSS Profile on the College Board website (link).
Upcoming Financial Aid Sessions
On Wednesday, March 20th 6-7pm PHEAA Access Partners Amy Sawdey and Wendy Dunlap will present Understanding and Comparing Financial Aid Offers which provides information on the steps students should take after completing the FAFSA. They will discuss the financial aid process, strategies to review and understand financial aid offers from colleges, and how to compare several types of aid. PHEAA Presentation link
PHEAA hosts many virtual events that can be found at the link below to help support you with your financial aid needs. https://www.pheaa.org/virtual/
AP Exams:
Registration for AP exams is closed. Orders are in the process of being sent to the College Board. All cancellations require an email from a parent to rlillo@cbsd.org. Cancellations for the exams in fall semester or full year classes have incurred a $40.00 cancellation fee since November 15th. Cancellations for exams in spring semester classes will begin incurring a $40.00 late fee on March 15th.
College Admissions Exams - See the CB West Student Services “testing page” for suggested college admissions exam plans: https://www.cbsd.org/Page/1002.
Current Juniors should plan to take the SAT/ACT after completing Algebra 2.
Bucks County Community College has a lower cost SAT prep course ($289): https://www.bucks.edu/career-professional-development/testprep/.
SENIOR CLASS FUNDRAISING
OPERATION SAFE STOP DETAIL
Warrington Police Department “Operation Safe Stop Detail”
Saturday April 6th, 2024, 9:00 AM
The Warrington Township Police Department, with the assistance of our Central Bucks School District family would like to offer a unique experience to our new drivers who are current Central Bucks South, Central Bucks East, and Central Bucks West students. With parent or guardian approval we will meet at Central Bucks South High School on Saturday April 6th (Front Door #1) in the Forum Room, at 9AM. We will begin with a meet and greet with some officers of the Warrington Police Department. While in the Forum room we will be able to talk and answer questions regarding driving and the Pa. Vehicle Code. At the conclusion of our get-together students along with parents or guardians if applicable, who are willing to participate, will have the opportunity to experience a motor vehicle stop. (Of course, no tickets will be issued!)
The motor vehicle stop will be conducted in the back student lot where drivers will be pulled over for the mock traffic stop. It is our intent and hope that this will be beneficial to all parties involved. Conducting this education experience in a practical setting together will hopefully break down walls, encourage discussion, and open the floor to understand why things are done to keep our kids safe. As the parent of two young drivers myself, it’s my hope that we all take something positive from the experience.
All drivers participating in the practical car stop must have a current driver’s license. Students with current permits will need a parent or guardian for the ride along with a current license. Vehicles are required to be registered, inspected, and insured. Parents and guardians are welcomed and encouraged to attend. We ask no videotaping please. After the traffic stop is conducted a brief question and answer session will be held prior to your departure. Questions or concerns? Feel free to reach out to Sgt Hawthorn (training@warringtonpd.org) or Ofc. Bell (rbell@warringtonpd.org) All participants are asked to sign up by April 1st as we will need a head count for Officer scheduling purposes. To sign up please email Ofc Bell with numbers attending. Detail might be capped if turnout is high. Another detail will be offered in the Fall. Thanks for your support, Officer Robert Bell (CB South School Resource Officer)
CLASS OF 2024 CAP & GOWN INFORMATION
If you haven’t already done so, please visit the Balfour website below, to order your student's cap and gown by February 25, 2024, to avoid late fees.
https://www.buildagrad.com/cbw
Upon entering your order information, please be sure to select “Spring 2024 Commencement” and that you choose a specific package. Students have the option to choose black or gold. Make sure you have your student ID and credit card information ready when placing your order. A late fee will be charged on all orders placed after February 25, 2024. No orders will be accepted after April 25, 2024.
All orders will be sent to CB West. A date and time for student pickup will be determined and communicated later this spring.
WEST YEARBOOK INFORMATION
Don’t forget to reserve your child an Antler yearbook for this school year - books can be reserved until April 30th. After that, they will only be sold on a first come, first serve basis. For the past five years, we have had an increase in the demand for yearbooks, so be sure to order your yearbook online at www.jostens.com .
ATTENDANCE INFORMATION LETTER
FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH INFORMATION
Link to English video: https://vimeo.com/748146211
Link to Spanish video: https://vimeo.com/748143109
Click HERE for frequently asked questions
Laptop Breakage Information
Laptop Breakage
We have seen a rise in the amount of screen breaks for student laptops. Our policy covers for 2 broken screens per device. If your child’s laptop screen breaks 3 times, we will be required to send you an invoice for the repair and labor. The current cost for this is $200. Please remind your child to care for their laptops. Some simple steps to assist are:
- Use two hands when holding or moving the device.
- Use clean hands while using the laptop or iPad.
- Use only the provided digital pen or finger on the screen.
- Use only the power adapter that came with the device.
- Use a microfiber cloth to clean the screen.
- Keep device stored in the provided case. This includes traveling through the hallways, on buses, or anytime the device is not being utilized.
- Make sure nothing is on the keyboard, close the lid, and remove all cables if any are plugged into the laptop. Place laptop in your bag carefully.
- Be careful when placing your case on the floor. Keep the device off the floor so screens do not get stepped on by others.
Parents of Student Drivers
Our goal each day is make sure that all students, faculty, buses, and drivers exit our school campus safely. To ensure that safety, we are requesting that you please reinforce safe driving habits with your student driver. There have been several vehicle accidents that may have been prevented through safer driving practices.
- Drivers should maintain a speed of 15 MPH or less while driving on MacFarlane and in the school zone area.
- Drivers are to stop for pedestrians entering the crossing areas.
- Drivers are not to change lanes on MacFarlane
- Drivers should not be using electronic devices while driving.
- Drivers/Students should not be yelling from one vehicle to the next or getting out of one vehicle to get in another.
- Please try to limit the number of passengers in the car with your student. This will assist in being more attentive while driving.
Thank you for your assistance !
From the Attendance Office
* ANYTIME you come or go from CB West during the school day you MUST check in with attendance.
- ANYTIME you leave school for early dismissal we MUST hear from a PARENT or GUARDIAN via phone or the portal.
- PARENTS or GUARDIANS can put early dismissals, late arrivals, absences, and vacation time in the portal.
- Absences and tardies can be excused for valid reasons with a note, a phone call, or through the portal by PARENTS or GUARDIANS ONLY.
- PARENTS or GUARDIANS have three days to excuse absences or tardies. (Exceptions may be made)
- Students are NOT PERMITTED to leave for lunch during Lunch & Learn.
Children’s Health Insurance Program
CHIP is Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program for uninsured children and teens up to age 19.
Click on the link for more information about CHIP.