West Week in Review
November 22, 2019
Connect with us!
Please check your email weekly for our West Week in Review! Infinite Campus is now open. Also, be sure to follow us on the Boyertown Middle School West Facebook page and our Twitter/Instagram accounts @WhatsUp_West.
Upcoming dates:
November 25-27 Early Dismissal
November 25 Conferences 1-3pm
November 26 Conferences 1-3pm
November 28-December 2 No School - Thanksgiving Break
December 3-4 Cyberbullying Presentations by Officer Perez during school day
December 4-5 Algebra Keystone Exams for Advanced Geometry Students
December 5 Coffee with the Principal at 9am
December 6 East/West Orchestra Concert at BASH at 7pm
December 13 Dance from 7-9pm
December 16 Band Concert at West at 7pm
December 20 Early Dismissal
Parents/Guardians of all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students are encouraged to visit West and become familiar with our programs and the teachers of their children.
Parent Conferences
Wednesday, Nov 20 5:30-8:30 PM
Monday, Nov 25 1:00-3:00 PM
Tuesday, Nov 26 1:00-3:00 PM
Wednesday, Jan 29 5:30-8:30 PM
New Information
BASH proudly presents MAMMA MIA! (April 2-5) – Tickets Available Online Now!
Come to see the rollicking smash musical, MAMMA MIA!, at BASH on April 2, 3, 4 at 7:00 PM or on April 5 at 2:00 PM. All tickets are being sold online at www.boyertownmusic.com. You will be able to choose your own seats and see what seats are available. Conveniently pay with your credit card safely through PayPal. Purchase your tickets today before they sell out! Please do not send order forms, cash, or checks to Jeff Brunner. Any questions about the website can be directed to Chris Cinquini at ccinquini@boyertownasd.org. The ticket lobby will be open every Wednesday night beginning December 18 from 6 – 8 PM. Cash and checks will be accepted when purchasing in the lobby.
Boyertown Ambulance Venture Crew: Positions Available
The Boyertown Ambulance Crew is looking for students aged 14 to 20 who are interested in learning about Emergency Medical Services. This group allows students to receive emergency medical training and even ride on an ambulance to observe duties of an ambulance crew! See the information below for more details.
Music Department Events
Thank you to Mrs. Rutt, Mrs. Creed, and our entire music department for a wonderful job with the One-Acts and our choral concert! We hope you will join us for one of our upcoming concerts:
Friday, December 6 MSE/MSW Orchestra Holiday Concert @ BASH 7:00 PM
Monday, December 16 MSW Band Holiday Concert 7:00 PM
Dance Marathon is coming & we need your help!
The Dance Marathon is an annual event held at West to raise money for the American Cancer Society/Boyertown Relay for Life. Last year we raised over $37,000! This year it will be held on Friday, April 3rd from 2- 9pm. Student Council is looking for some parents that are willing to seek out donations (monetary, prizes, food) from area businesses this event. If you are interested in helping find donations, please email Mrs. Rauenzahn & Mrs. Shelly at westdancemarathon@gmail.com. If you are not able to help with this aspect, but want to get involved, we will have opportunities to donate or to volunteer to help on the day of the Dance Marathon (this will be sent out in the Spring).
Homework Help
Homework Help will again be available after school until 3:50pm. Students who are falling behind in their work may be recommended or students may voluntarily sign up to participate. Homework Help is monitored by a West teacher. The December dates are as follows:
Tues. 12/3 Wed. 12/4 Thurs.12/5
Tues. 12/10 Wed. 12/11 Thurs. 12/12
Mon. 12/16 Tues. 12/17 Thurs. 12/19
Parent-Guardian/Teacher Conference Information (November 20, 25, and 26)
We will be holding Parent-Guardian/Teacher Conferences on the dates and times listed below. This is a good opportunity talk with the teacher and get specific information on how your child is doing in class. A letter was sent home explaining the process.
Wednesday, November 20 – 5:30 to 8:30 PM
Monday, November 25 – 1:00 to 3:00 PM
Tuesday, November 26 – 1:00 to 3:00 PM
Book Fair
The Middle School West book fair will be set up from Nov. 19-26 in the West library. Students will be attending the book fair with their ELA teacher, but they may also visit during homeroom (with teacher permission) or during 10th period (with teacher permission). The tentative class visits are as follows:
11/19- McDonough, Kalejta, Willing
11/20- Morton, McAuliffe, Palopoli
11/22- Bauman, Dierolf
11/25- Schrode-Fries, Piccione, Weber, Painter
11/26- Heydt
The book fair will also be open the following times:
- Wed., Nov. 20 from 5:30-8:30 (during conferences)
- Thurs., Nov. 21 from approx. 6:00pm-8:00pm (before/during choral concert)
- Mon., Nov. 25 from 1:00-3:00 (during conferences)
- Tues., Nov. 26 from 1:00-3:00 (during conferences)
You also can order books online through our book fair homepage: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/boyertownmiddleschoolwest
This is a great way to get some early holiday shopping done and support our school at the same time!
Set Up eWallet:
You can set up a Scholastic eWallet account for your child online so that he/she does not have to bring cash, check, or debit/credit cards to shop at the book fair. eWallet also gives you the ability to set a limit on your child’s spending at the book fair by adding money to the account you set up through Scholastic. Unused money is credited back to your card.
You simply need to sign up online and create an eWallet account by doing the following:
• Go to our book fair’s homepage: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/boyertownmiddleschoolwest
• Scroll about two-thirds of the way down the page to the green box that says “Go cash-free! Set up a student eWallet.” Click the orange “Get Started” button.
• On the next screen click the orange “Go to eWallet” button and then complete the required fields.
You will still have the option to pay by cash, check, or credit card as well. eWallet is just offered as a convenience to you.
Please email spalopoli@boyertownasd.org or call the library (610-473-3750) if you have any questions.
Yearbook Sale
The 2019-2020 yearbook sale runs from Nov. 15- Jan. 19. Sale flyers and order envelopes were handed out Thursday, 11/14 in PM homeroom. If your child did not get one, please have him/her ask the homeroom teacher for one. There are also a few extra copies in the library. The flyer is also attached for your convenience.
Yearbook Art Contest
The yearbook staff is holding an art contest. We’re looking for original, west-themed student artwork for the opening page of the yearbook. See the attached flyer for details.
Staff Positions Available
Reminders
Missing Forms – Please Help
If you have not returned either the Limerick Evacuation Letter or the Laptop Insurance Form. Please complete and return these forms as soon as possible. Both the Limerick Form and the Laptop Usage Fee Form is required from every student in our building. More information was provided to students the first week of school, including technology usage fee information. Please review the 1:1 Handbook carefully. The laptop participation agreement will need to be signed and returned to school. Documents can also be accessed here: https://www.boyertownasd.org/domain/1411
Meal Accounts - Important Information
Please check your child's lunch account balance at www.ezschoolpay.com. Deposits can be made online or by sending in an envelope with your child. Please be aware that if your child has received free or reduced lunch in the past, that qualification will only carry over until the beginning of October unless you have reapplied for the 2019-20 school year.
Our cafeteria staff serves breakfast from 7:15 to 7:30 AM. It is $1.55 for breakfast. The lunch price this year is $3.05 for a student meal. Students can pay in cash or with debit system. Additionally, money can be put in your child’s account at www.ezschoolpay.com. Call Mrs. Clinton, our Food Services Supervisor, with questions at (610) 369-7542.
Activity Fee
The activity fee is now due for any students participating in a winter sport or who were in a fall sport or select music group and have not yet paid the fee. The annual fee is $100 per student or a $300 cap per family. Activity fee payments can be made at www.ezschoolpay.com or can be mailed to the high school athletic office.
Pick Up / Drop Off Procedures ***
Overall, things have been going very smoothly at the drop off doors. Thank you for following the rules of no passing in the morning and careful passing in the afternoon. We have noticed in the afternoon that cars are stretched out onto Madison Street. In order to help with this situation, we will make a small change to afternoon procedures. Please continue to follow the current process when pulling in with the lead car stopping by the drop off door entrance. However, once the district vans and mini-buses have finished pulling out, a staff member will direct personal vehicles to continue around that loop to allow us to get cars off the road and load more vehicles at a time. Please wait for a staff member’s direction before pulling around the loop by the walker doors and look both ways before pulling into traffic to leave.
Transportation
In order to keep our buses on schedule, transportation is requesting that students arrive at their bus stop five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. We appreciate your help with this matter.
Bus Passes
If your child needs an emergency bus pass, it is important that they bring a note to the office in the morning. We need to contact transportation to make sure there is room on the bus. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
Attendance Procedures
A quick reminder that state law requires written notification of excuse from a parent/guardian within three days of return from absence. Please utilize the electronic options we have provided to make this as easy as possible. We greatly appreciate your cooperation. https://www.boyertownasd.org/Page/5317
Arrival / Dismissal Procedures
Please carefully review the attached map and information regarding morning drop-off procedures. Afternoon pick-up will be in the same location as drop-off. Thank you in advance for following procedures in order to keep all of our students safe! Just a reminder to stay in the line in the mornings and do not attempt to pull around vehicles in front of you.
Parking/Entry
During the School Day Due to the security system we have in place, the only doors available for public access are the front doors. Please use the spaces in front of the building when parking during the school day. When picking up or parking during extracurricular activities, you may park in the lot on the Boyertown Elementary side of the building as long as you will not be there during bus arrival and dismissal times (7-8 AM; 2:15-3:15 PM).
Raptor System - Building Security
The district has implemented the Raptor Identification System in all buildings. We will be requiring that all school visitors/volunteers provide a driver’s license or other government-issued identification card to proceed into the school. School staff will swipe the card to determine if the individual is a registered sex offender. If the system lists any offender information, the principal will intervene and the individual will not be permitted to enter the school outside of the school office area. Individuals who need to drop off or pick up materials in the school office will not be required to use the system. We thank all parents, guardians and visitors in advance for your cooperation as we implement this system.
Calendar 2019-2020
The school calendar for the current school year can be found at https://www.boyertownasd.org/Page/14#calendar9/20190914/month. Please note the dates of district testing which are listed below. Educational trips for students involved in district testing will not be approved during those times. We appreciate your help in making sure all of our students are available for the testing.
Dec. 4-5 Grade 8 Keystone Algebra I Exam (Only students in Advanced Geometry) April 21 – May 2 Grades 6,7,8 PSSA ELA, PSSA Math, PSSA Science (Grade 8 only) May 12 – 13 Grade 8 Keystone Algebra I Exam (Only students in Algebra I Advanced)
Middle School to the Y
Thanks to a grant from the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation, FREE bus transportation will be provided to 6th, 7th and 8th grade students to the Boyertown YMCA. Programs such as team and individual sports, fitness and wellness classes, and electronic and board games will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All participants must be current Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA Members and registration is required. Also students must be picked up at the Boyertown Y as there is no transportation back to the school. Additionally, the YMCA offers free membership for all 7th grade students. Contact the Y for more information at (610) 369-9622.
Box Tops and Redner’s Save-a-Tape
Box Tops for Education collections will continue at Middle School West this year. Also, get the Box Tops Bonus App for your phone and help us earn even more FREE MONEY for our school! You may send Box Tops into school with your student at any time throughout the year. Reminders of important deadlines will be sent in upcoming newsletters. Thank you for all your help in making this program a success!
Redner’s Save-a-Tape receipts are also being collected and can be turned into the West office.
Boyertown Middle School West
Email: sllandis@boyertownasd.org
Website: http://www.boyertownasd.org
Location: 380 South Madison Street, Boyertown, PA, USA
Phone: 610-369-7471