Westview Wildcat Weekly

Hello Wildcat Parents/Guardians,

We are excited to have our students back with us from their 4-day break! Last Friday and today, our teachers have spent time planning and preparing lessons as well as collaborating in their Professional Learning Communities. Some of our staff attended a Lead4ward workshop last Friday to engage in and learn about high impact teaching strategies that we can connect to our classroom instruction - there were many takeaways that we are ready to embrace and bring to Westview!

As a friendly reminder, it is very important for students to wear their ID badges daily and to make choices in line with our campus rules: Be Safe, Be Responsible, and Be Respectful. Students who follow our rules and model other positive behaviors are rewarded with PBIS points. Each week, students can redeem their points for rewards! Students are often reminded that if they "See or hear something, SAY SOMETHING!" Students can always report to a staff member or anonymously using this link: https://www.anonymousalerts.com/pfisd/

We appreciate your ongoing support! At Westview we believe that "All means ALL!"

Sincerely,

Mr. Jaramillo, Westview Middle School Principal

February is a special time where Westview celebrates Black History Month. We believe it is very important for our campus to be aware of significant Black individuals and to embrace culture and diversity! Ms. Sonya Jackson, Assistant Principal, has been working closely with our committee to plan our activities.

Last Thursday, we held a movie night and showed Black Panther in the cafeteria! Please see below for upcoming Black History Month events and celebrations:

• Presenting our interactive library Black History Month page during Wildcat Hour - this page has online books, clips, and other resources our families/staff/students can access
• Displays of significant figures on our walls
• Black History Month Spirit Week (dress themes) - February 20th - 23rd

• Black Panthers Movie Night - Thursday, February 22nd (6 p.m. - 8 p.m. - Doors open at 5:30 pm
  • Bring folding chairs and blankets
  • Concessions will be sold: free popcorn, $1 drinks, $2 candy.

• Black History Month Interactive Program (Pep Rallies) for students - February 29th
• Black History Month Excellence Program - February 29th (6:30 p.m.)

The TELPAS window is upon us! For those who don’t know, the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System, or TELPAS test, is a state mandated language acquisition test given specifically to our Emergent Bilingual students every year. If they meet certain criteria, pass the TELPAS exam with an Advance High composite score and pass their Reading STAAR exam, they qualify to exit the program and only take the STAAR test from here on through high school. The testing window begins on February 20 and runs through March 4. We will be testing over 450 students (combination of 6, 7, & 8) on Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Please encourage your students to bring their fully charged device everyday and thank you for your support!

The next IPR snapshot date is this tomorrow Tuesday, February 20th. The IPR eligibility date is Tuesday, February 27th. This IPR can be used to regain eligibility, but it does not make students ineligible.

Parents, please continue to check Skyward regularly to monitor your student's grades and attendance. If you need any assistance accessing Skyward, please contact our Registrar, Stephanie Hilchey, at stephanie.hilchey@pfisd.net.

Additionally, we continue to hold tutorials every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Our late bus runs at 5:15 p.m. to transport students home from tutorials.

Westview Middle School will host 5th grade invasion this Thursday, February 22nd. Our upcoming 6th grade Wildcats will visit the campus to learn about our special programs, hear from counselors/administrators, tour the campus, and learn about course selections! We cannot wait to meet and welcome our students to Westview!

Parents who have an incoming Westview 6th grader, please mark your calendar for our 5th grade Parent Night:

Tuesday, February 27th from 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. in the Westview MS Cafeteria

Thank you to Ms. Guzman for coordinating with Materials Mobile to come out to Westview! Our teachers were thrilled to collect free supplies for their classroom instruction. Teachers were able to collect rulers, markers, paper, binders, and many other items that will help their students!

Thank you to Ms. Pollard and the Tzu Chi Foundation for providing lunch to our Westview staff! Our staff work incredibly hard, and this was a small way to say THANK YOU for our continued commitment to our students and community! The Tzu Chi Foundation showed us how to drink tea, be calm, and express gratitude!

Congratulations to our most recent Wildcat Spirit Award winner - Mr. Lessard!!! The following was shared about our award recipient:

• "I hear the kids say such good things about Mr. Lessard. He is always looking for ways to motivate his students to learn. He even created a spinning wheel of prizes; one of which is the opportunity to call him Mr. Lizzard. He even made paper plate awards for his students before break and the recipients boasted proudly about them in my class."
• "Mr. Lessard is a team player, and he definitely works hard to build positive relationships with his students! We are very thankful to have Mr. Lessard at Westview!"

Thank you for all you do for Westview Middle School and for being amazing, Mr. Lessard!

Student attendance is very important for student academic achievement. Please remember to bring excused absence notes when your student misses school. You can also check Skyward for absences and tardies.

Administrators run weekly tardy reports. Students who have more than 5 tardies in a week are notified about making up this missed time Fridays after school from 3:35 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. Parents will be notified via email and phone calls to ensure their student attends. Additionally, students who have more than 20 tardies in a 9-weeks are assigned make-up hours for the excessive tardies. Repeated absences and/or excessive tardies can impact a student's eligibility to attend campus events (i.e., Westfest, Halloween dance) and other school activities.

For student safety, all students are required to bring and wear their IDs daily. If your student has lost their ID, they can purchase a new one in the main office for $5 or pay online.

5th Grade Invasion: Thursday, February 22nd

Black History Month Spirit Week: Tuesday, February 20th - Friday, February 23rd

IPR Eligibility Date: Tuesday, February 27th

5th Grade Parent Night: Tuesday, February 27th (5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.)

Black History Month Program: Thursday, February 29th

David Hawkins - 6th Grade Assistant Principal

david.hawkins@pfisd.net

(512)594-2215

Sonya Jackson - 7th Grade Assistant Principal

sonya.jackson@pfisd.net

(512)594-2217

Marissa Gamez - 8th Grade Assistant Principal

marissa.gamez@pfisd.net

(512)594-2216

David Hawkins

david.hawkins@pfisd.net

(512)594-2215

Joe Valenzuela

6th Grade, 7th Grade (last names A-M)

jose.valenzuela@pfisd.net

(512)594-2228

Laura Holtz - Lead Counselor

7th Grade (last names N-Z), 8th Grade

laura.holtz@pfisd.net

(512)594-2229

Magaly Diaz - Administrative Assistant

magaly.diaz@pfisd.net

(512)594-2200

Stephanie Hilchey

stephanie.hilchey@pfisd.net

(512)594-2237

Lily Croix-Blust

elizabeth.croixblust@pfisd.net

(512)594-2221

Erika Allen

erika.allen@pfisd.net

(512)594-2226

Weicheng Fan

weicheng.fan@pfisd.net

(512)594-2235

Westview Middle School

Email: william.jaramillo@pfisd.net
Website: https://www.pfisd.net/Domain/14
Location: 1805 Scofield Lane, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: (512)594-2211