West Sylvan Middle School

Dear West Sylvan Families,

Next week, we have an Early Release on Wednesday 3/19, and Scholars will be released at 1:45PM. This coming week will be our final full week of the third quarter leading up to Spring Break. During Spring Break, the school building will be closed as all staff will be on break. School will resume on Monday, March 31st. Just after Scholars return from Spring Break, the quarter ends on Thursday, April 3rd. There will be no school on both Friday, April 4th and Monday, April 7th for Educator grading and planning days. Fourth quarter Elective classes change on Tuesday, April 8th, which is a Late Start Day for the district-scheduled monthly Staff Meeting, and classes will begin at 9:30AM.

Knowing that some families may start vacation early, or have a delayed return, please be sure to pre-excuse any absences next week through westsylvanoffice@pps.net and prepare for Scholars to complete any work that they may miss during absences.

Communications related to the upcoming school year will continue to come from both our West Sylvan and PPS district team with regular updates, weekly or bi-weekly.

Jill Hunt, Principal
Ben Keller, Assistant Principal

Congratulations to Chloe Lin and Alex Patterson for their successful competition at the National Civics Bee! They had a strong showing, chosen in the top 18 finalists to attend the regional competition as Seventh Graders who were competing against many Eighth Graders!

MARCH

• Wed, MAR 19th: EARLY RELEASE for Students at 1:45 PM due to Staff PD from 2:00-5:00 PM
• Mon, MAR 24th through Fri, MAR 28th: NO SCHOOL for Spring Break week

APRIL

• Thu, APR 3rd: End of Third Quarter
• Fri, APR 4th: NO SCHOOL for Students due to Grading Day
• Mon, APR 7th: NO SCHOOL for Students due to Teacher Planning Day
• Tue, APR 8th: Late Start for Students due to Staff Meeting (building opens at 9:20AM)

School starts at 9:15 AM and ends at 4:00 PM every day, with this bell schedule:

The exceptions to these start times are on the following Staff Meeting days:

April 8th - May 6th - June 3rd

when students have a 15-minute later start at 9:30AM (with building opening at 9:20AM)

due to monthly Staff meetings *(only affecting PPS Middle Schools).
Buses should pick up 15 minutes later than the typical pickup time.

NO LATE START DATES IN MARCH

Please calendar the Early Release days this year, which are listed below. All Scholars are released at 1:45 PM, and Staff are in meetings beginning at 2:00PM, meaning we will not be available to supervise any students who are not picked up on time. Buses will drop students off two hours earlier than usual.

We will complete our forecasting process with our current Sixth and Seventh Graders this coming week by visiting English classes. Elective class options are limited for the upcoming school year due to the current budget cuts. Most students will choose a World Language and either an Art or Design elective. Every student will take three quarters of PE and one quarter of Health (state requirements), and World Language exposure will happen in each grade 6-8 because we are an international IB MYP school. Band and Choir are year-long commitments. Here are some notes to be aware of for scheduling:

• Seventh Graders should continue in the same World Language from 7th to 8th grade to build skill sets, which will ultimately make High School World Language courses more accessible.

• Eighth Graders have four language choices. They may also choose either Spanish or French at our school site, or one of the two World Languages which are taught at Lincoln High School, Mandarin or Arabic. Since we do not have exploratory classes for Arabic or Mandarin, no foundational knowledge is needed to select either of these World Languages for Eighth Graders.

• Eighth Graders who choose Mandarin or Arabic will start their day at LHS on the days when those classes meet, and then they are bused to WSMS to finish their learning day. We are the only Middle School in PPS that has this opportunity for Eighth Graders to have so many options for World Language learning!

• Any current Seventh Graders who are in Algebra 1-2 now will move to Geometry at LHS next year as Eighth Graders, and they will also start their day at LHS and bus back to WSMS to have that advanced Math access.

• Current Sixth Graders will make a choice between either Spanish or French, and they should commit to that World Language through Eighth grade so that they can qualify for potential High School World Language credit at the conclusion of 8th grade.

Kaya Hellman and his Choir students held another successful concert this week! We are very proud of our students and Mr. Hellman for building the Choir program at WSMS from scratch over the last two years, and for all of his hard work as a half-time Educator!

This year, thanks to generous family donations, all students will receive a WSMS yearbook, free of charge. Typically, the yearbooks are not ready for distribution until June during the final weeks of school. There is no need to pre-order a yearbook due to the all-access distribution this year.

Math teachers have been in contact with families about the Math class placement for the 2025-26 school year, and families should be communicating with Teachers about any questions.

Some Scholars who are currently taking Common Core Math 6 may have the opportunity to qualify for Math acceleration in 7th grade. Our Math teachers have been in contact with all families of Sixth Graders to share their anticipated Math class for 7th grade, based on scores so far this year. Questions should be directed to your Scholar’s Math teacher.

Our Eighth Graders will have a final Promotion celebration held at Lincoln High School on the evening of Wednesday, June 11th, in the Lincoln High School Gym. Seating is available to all until filled, and each year our families do fill the Gym.

There will be additional fun activities for our Eighth Graders in June, which will be available for Scholars who remain eligible for activities, such as a day trip to Oaks Park on Friday, June 6th and a Pack Party on the evening of Friday, June 6th. Eligibility for activities like Oaks Park and the Pack Party will be dependent on adherence to school-wide behavioral expectations, passing grades, and positive patterns of attendance. Students who are deemed ineligible will be contacted prior to the events to let them know that they may not participate.

FRIENDS OF WEST SYLVAN is parent/family organization that supports Scholars and Staff and fosters community connection through fundraising and volunteer opportunities. Join the mailing list and stay connected with other families!

TO CREATE YOUR FoWS ACCOUNT:

• Exciting plans are ahead for WSMS and Friends of West Sylvan. In order to take advantage of our activities this year, please be sure to login to www.friendsofwestsylvan.org and get your account set up. All events will be run through this system.
• If you previously had an account, you'll be prompted to update your information upon logging in. If you are new to West Sylvan or didn't set up an account before, you'll be asked to create one. Just use your email that you provided to PPS and that will link to your family information.
• Once logged in you can determine whether you would like to be included in our family directory and what information you would like to share. Our directory requires login to access, so it's not available to the public. Any questions? Email us at hi@friendsofwestsylvan.org

Please join our WSMS Band fans by stopping by Chipotle, Portland (Lovejoy St)

between 4-8pm on Wednesday, March 19

~ 25% of sales will be donated to WSMS Band ~

Be sure to show the event flyer for each to ensure your contribution counts.

And share the flyers for our upcoming restaurant fundraisers with neighbors, friends, and family!

There is no tastier way to show your support for the arts in our school!

Wednesday, March 19, 4-8pm

Chipotle, Portland: 1201 NW Lovejoy St.

*must show event flyer or order online with code 3L6FHXC

PIL is still looking for any 6-8th Graders to join the Track & Field team! Track & Field is a wonderful way to get into a sport, even if a Scholar is not sure of their talents.

TRACK & FIELD PRACTICES began March 12th, and are held Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays

Times: 6:00PM - 7:30PM

Practice location: Lincoln HS Track

Portland Interscholastic League Youth Sports Program
https://pilathletics.sportsengine-prelive.com/page/show/2351756-pilysp-registration

Registration - FamilyID
We are excited to be using online registration through FamilyID (www.familyid.com). FamilyID is a secure registration platform that provides you with an easy, user-friendly way to register for PIL Youth Sports Programs, while allowing us to be more administratively efficient and environmentally responsible. If you need assistance registering, please contact your Cluster Coordinator.

All students must also submit the following paperwork to the Coordinator prior to participation:

• Proof of payment
• Copy of student physical: Sports Physical
• Proof of Residency: All students must participate in the High School Cluster in which they reside, and residency is based on the address you have on file with the school your child is attending. If you reside in the Dual Boundary (Grant/Jefferson, Madison/Jefferson, or Roosevelt/Jefferson) you must participate with the Jefferson Cluster. If you are unsure of which Cluster you reside in, please click here and type in your address. Proof of residency may be presented in the form of a student report card, or enrollment documentation which may be provided through your school.

Cluster Coordinator: Julie Abrams lincolnyouthcrosscountry@gmail.com

https://lincolnyouthtrackandfield.weebly.com/

For additional information, please contact the PIL District Office at 503-916-3223

MAIN OFFICE

westsylvanoffice@pps.net

(503) 916-5690

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ PRINCIPAL'S SECRETARY

[Staff / Substitutes / Financial]

Jerda Solonche

jsolonche@pps.net

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ SCHOOL SECRETARY

[Students / Attendance / Enrollment-Registration]

Kirsten Crombie

kcrombie@pps.net

Website: www.pps.net/westsylvan
Location: 8111 Southwest West Slope Drive, Portland, OR, USA