What's Up @ West

September 20, 2024

Blue quotation marks on a silver background

The words Explore, Create, Innovate on a blue background

Principal's Message

Dear Families,

It has been a fantastic week at West, and I hope our students are looking forward to a relaxing weekend with family. I'm incredibly proud of how well our students are adapting to the building and classroom expectations, showing growth and responsibility in these early weeks of the school year.

As we settle into the rhythm of school, I encourage families to take some time this weekend to have meaningful conversations with their students about their academic and social goals for the year. You might consider discussing the following questions with your child:

What subjects are they excited about? Are there specific areas where they want to improve or challenge themselves?
How do they plan to balance schoolwork with extracurricular activities and personal time?
How are they feeling about their friendships, and are they finding ways to stay positive and connected?
How can they develop healthy habits around technology, both at home and at school, especially with IPad and cell phone use?

Setting these goals early helps establish a foundation for success and growth throughout the school year. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance. We are here to support you and your child every step of the way.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and have a wonderful weekend!

Best,

Serita Mattei

In this newsletter:

Principal's Message
Important Dates
Fastbridge Testing
iPad Tips for Home
TikTok Trend issue
Bike Donations Needed
IPad Distribution
6th Grade Recess Update
Canvas and Academic Progress
Annie Jr. Auditions
IB Scoring
Caregivers of Kids with Disabilities
West's Food Market

Important Dates

Please mark your calendar:

Sept 25: Hopkins Eye Clinic

Sept 30: FastBridge Math

Oct 1: FastBridge Math

Oct 3: No School (Rosh Hashanah)

Oct 7-8: FastBridge Reading

Oct 14: 7th grade Conflict Challenge

Oct 15: 6th grade Conflict Challenge

Oct 17-18: No school (MEA)

Nov 4: No School (Conferences)

Nov 5: No School (Prof. Dev.)

WMS Things to Know

FastBridge Testing

FastBridge is a Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST) used to measure student learning over time in math and reading K-8. These assessments are a great place to start a conversation with your student’s teacher about your student’s learning.

More information regarding our assessments at Hopkins can be found on our website.

West Middle School will be testing on the following dates:

Math:

Monday September 30th (A day)

Tuesday October 1st (B day)

Reading:
Monday October 7th (A day)

Tuesday October 8th (B day)

New TikTok Trend

We want to bring to your attention a concerning trend we’ve noticed among some students involving the removal of zippers from other students’ backpacks. Taking someone else's property or destroying their belongings is not allowed. If we see this happening or it is reported to us, we will address it as a serious matter and investigate thoroughly. Our goal is to ensure that all students’ belongings are respected and safe. We kindly ask that you remind your children about the importance of respecting others' property. Thank you for your support.

Bike Donations needed

Free Bikes for Kidz annual bike collection is Saturday, October 5th from 9am-1pm at 13 HyVee locations.

Do you have a bike collecting dust? A bike that your child has outgrown? One that needs some TLC? Please consider donating your bike to this amazing cause.

Our Hopkins community has partnered with the FB4Ks program for the past 12 years. Over this time period, they have gifted nearly 1000 bikes to our students and families in our district!

Thanks for considering and have a wonderful weekend!

IPad Distribution 9/23-9/26

At WMS, we decided to have a slower rollout to using devices and bringing devices home for the 24-25 school year.

7th and 8th graders will be receiving their devices on Monday September 23 and Tuesday September 24 AND will be bringing their iPads home.

6th graders will receive their devices on Wednesday September 25 and Thursday September 26 BUT will be keeping their devices at school.

Here are some ideas to support 7th and 8th graders responsible IPad use at home:

1. Set Expectations:

Review: K-8 User Agreement with your scholar.
Create a Plan: The device should be used for schoolwork only. It's technically school property that your scholar is borrowing -- like a very expensive library book. Need ideas, about how to start this conversation? Family Tech Planner

2. Time Management:

Set a device cut off time each night. Sleep is critical for your scholar’s growth and development.
Set limits that work for your family with the Jamf Parent App. With this app you can lock apps and restrict device functionality.

3. Charge Everyday: Charge the iPad every evening away from your scholar’s sleeping space to be prepared for learning the next day.

Pause on 6th Grade Recess

After careful consideration, our 6th grade teachers and administration team have made the decision to temporarily pause 6th grade recess. We believe that recess is a valuable part of the school day, promoting physical activity and overall well-being. Unfortunately, we’ve noticed that our students are struggling with key aspects of transitioning from recess back to the classroom, including: entering the building in a safe and orderly fashion, arriving to class ready to learn and managing conflicts that stem from interactions at recess.

Our staff is confident that with continued practice and reminders, our students will be able to manage these responsibilities more effectively. We are committed to teaching and modeling the expected behaviors and providing students with the tools they need to handle a small degree of independence successfully. In the meantime, we will continue supporting students in developing the necessary skills to enjoy recess in a safe, respectful, and productive way.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Kim.Campbell@hopkinsschools.org.

CAREGIVERS of Kids with Disabilities Coffee Date - FRIDAY, 10/4/24 @ 9 am

Hello!

My name is Erika Manley. I am the parent of a 5th grade student at Glen Lake Elementary and 7th grade student at West Middle School. If you are the parent or caregiver of a child with a disability, we wholeheartedly welcome you to our next coffee event! Caregivers with kids in all schools in The Hopkins School District are welcome.

Please note the date change. The meeting will be on 10/4 (vs 10/11) due to a conflicting school event. Find encouragement and support! We look forward to meeting you!

Date: Friday, October 4

Time: 9-10:30am

Place: Basecamp Coffee & Provisions

14635 Excelsior Blvd, Minnetonka

Remaining 2024 Meeting Dates (all Fridays):

- Nov 15

- Dec 13

Questions? Contact me at 612-840-7900

Canvas and Academic Progress

Get an Observer Account! An observer account allows you to see your scholar’s classes in Canvas. Canvas is our learning management system and where students receive content, assignments, and grades.

Have more questions? Contact Crystal Polski (Technology Integration Specialist)

IB Scoring

Canvas gradebook won’t have many scores yet

For the next few weeks, classes will be focusing on building their classroom communities, learning procedures, and learning about their content.
Teachers will be giving feedback and assessing students informally, so you won’t see very much in the gradebook yet.

Instead of A-F scores, IB has an 8 point scale. IB scores are based on standardized rubrics and encourage students to grow in their learning.

Scores of 1-2 mean “beginning.” Lower scores are common at the beginning of a unit or course.
Scores of 3-4 mean “progressing.”
Scores of 5-6 mean “mastering.” This is the level we hope students will reach by the end of the year.
Scores of 7-8 mean “excelling.”

Interested in finding out more about understanding IB scoring? This 3-minute video overview and this document are a great way to start.
Want to get detailed information about IB Scoring? Watch this 20-minute video responding to caregiver questions last year.
Have more questions? Contact Jen Poncelet (IB Coordinator)

Annie Jr. Auditions and Parent Information Session

COME ONE COME ALL TO AUDITIONS FOR ANNIE JR. Auditions will be held for performers on Tuesday, 9/24 and Wednesday, 9/25 afterschool.

How To Access West Middle Schools Market

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.

Around the District

Vote for your Hopkins Schools mascot costume cape and crown!

Thanks to a generous Hopkins Education Foundation grant, we're excited to announce that a Hopkins Schools mascot costume is in the works, developed to match the Hopkins logo and represent our District’s Vision 2031—AND a Hopkins alum is the creator!

The costume will be available for ALL schools in the district to use at events and assemblies. Before we finalize the design, we need your help to make it perfect. Help us choose the crown and cape design elements.

Take just 30 seconds to share your thoughts by completing this quick survey! Your feedback will shape our District mascot costume design!

Hopkins Education Foundation News

Since 1995, the Hopkins Education Foundation (HEF) has provided $3.8 million in grants to Hopkins educators to fund classroom projects and provide resources to Hopkins students. The hardworking team behind HEF includes, from left, Marketing Coordinator Ellie Siler, Hopkins High School Class of 1997; Executive Director Emily Wallace-Jackson, parent of Hopkins alumni; new Event Coordinator Jacqui Barnard, Hopkins parent; Foundation Manager Jana Hoober, parent of Hopkins alumni; and a 27-member Board of Directors. We can't do it without YOUR generous support. Here are a few fun ways to support HEF grants: Twice a year, you can order Gratitude Gifts for teachers and staff, and we'll deliver cards and a sweet treat in your name. Start brainstorming who you want to celebrate with a Gratitude Gift (orders open in November). On May 1, 2025, we'll celebrate our 30th year supporting Hopkins schools at our annual fundraising gala, the Royal Bash. Please mark your calendar and join us in celebrating and supporting Hopkins schools. Visit HopkinsEducationFoundation.org and join our newsletter to stay up to date.

Hopkins Athletics

Fall Sports

Register for Fall Sports Now!

Read here for details.

2024-25 Calendar

At the December 12 School Board Meeting, the Hopkins School Board approved the 2024-25 calendar. Over the next few weeks, we will add these dates to our digital calendar and provide a printable PDF.