Word on the Westside

Good morning, Warriors!

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful weekend! Welcome to the month of February! This month is Black History Month! Please take some time to check out the information below about the significance and relevance of this celebration for all of us. Also, the first full week in February is National School Counselor Appreciation Week. Take some time this week to check in with your counselor and let them know how awesome they are! Thank you to Mrs. Curry, Ms. Kulage, Mrs. Moran, and Mrs. Heitzig for all they do for our students and school community! They're the best!

Make it a great week, Warriors!

Dr. V

February comes with the annual celebration of the achievements and history of black history and the central role African Americans have played in our nation's history. The roots of this tradition can be traced in large part to the efforts of Harvard educated historian Carter G. Woodson who founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915 noting: "Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history." Woodson's efforts would lay the groundwork for what would become a federally recognized celebration during the month of February by President Gerald Ford during the nation's bicentennial in 1976. I would encourage each of you to explore a bit more as to how Black History Month came to be recognized in the month of February by taking a look at the following article: Black History Month 2025: Facts, Origins, and More.

"When Carter G. Woodson established Negro History week in 1926, he realized the importance of providing a theme to focus the attention of the public. The intention has never been to dictate or limit the exploration of the Black experience, but to bring to the public’s attention important developments that merit emphasis" (Association for the Study of African American Life and History).

Below is a link that may be useful in learning more about this year's celebration as well as the evolution of our nation's view, recognition, and celebration of Black History throughout the years.

Association for the Study of African American Life and History: Black History Themes

Monday, February 3rd: (B Day)

Tuesday, February 4th: (A Day)

• Homework Academy from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm

Wednesday, February 5th: (BC Day--Early Out Day--1:20 pm Dismissal)

• Last day for Snowcoming Ticket Sales!

Thursday, February 6th: (A Day)

• Homework Academy from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm.

Friday, February 7th: (B Day)

• Sophomore Ring Assembly during AIP

Saturday, February 8th:

• Snowcoming Dance from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Congratulations to Luca Giuffrida who was selected to perform with the All-State Jazz Ensemble at the Lake of the Ozarks this weekend at the Missouri Music Educator's Conference! As a school, we had the pleasure of recognizing Luca with his own state send-off this week!

Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences are currently scheduled for February 26th from 4:00 pm to 7:15 pm and February 27th from 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm, and 4:00 pm to 7:15 pm. In the coming weeks, families will receive information about how to sign up for conferences. Just like the fall sessions, our conference schedule will be primarily in-person, but we will have an option to schedule a virtual conference if needed for any reason.

We will continue to use PTCFast.com as the tool for parents to sign-up for appointments. Please stay tuned for more updates regarding this.

Note: Parents will be able to sign up for conferences beginning February 11th until the end of the day on February 25th.

Student Council is excited to announce the Snowcoming Dance on February 8, 2025!

• The Snowcoming Dance will be held at St. Charles West High School from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Doors will close by 7:30 pm. If scheduling conflicts present an issue with this, please see school administration or Mrs. Bourgeade and/or Mrs. Mueller prior to that evening to make arrangements.
• Tickets go on sale Wednesday, January 15th and close on February 5th. Tickets will only be available for purchase online from January 15th through January 29th and will be discounted to $10. Tickets purchased after January 29th will cost $15 and will be available both online and in person. Please be advised, ticket sales close on February 5th and will NOT be sold the day of the dance or at the door.
• Tickets will only be available to purchase online for the first two weeks of sales. After that, tickets may be purchased anytime before or after school and during lunch each day from the SCW Finance Office located inside the Main Office or online using MySchoolBucks.
• Tickets purchased online will still need to be picked up from Mrs. Meyer in the SCW Finance Office.
• Students wishing to bring a guest to Snowcoming may do so by completing a guest form. The completed guest form must be submitted prior to being able to pick up tickets in the finance office. All guest forms must be submitted no later than Wednesday, February 5th at 3:00 pm.
• In order to attend the Snowcoming Dance, students must be in attendance at school on Friday, February 7th, have a 90% or better overall attendance rate, have served any outstanding detentions or discipline, and be free of fees and fines.

As it gets cooler outside and winter nears, we wanted to review our winter and inclement weather guidelines with families.

For any inclement weather day, we will contact families through email, phone call and text based on the information shared in PowerSchool. Please log in and review your contact information in the PowerSchool Parent Portal to ensure it is up to date.

We will use a traditional snow day for the first three inclement winter weather days. This means that we will not have in-person or virtual school. Our calendar committee built three snow days into our academic calendar, which means we will not need to make up the first three snow days at the end of the year.

After we have used our three built-in snow days, we will call for an AMI Virtual Learning Day. During an AMI day, learning occurs at home and counts as a student attendance day. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education allows us to have five AMI days. We will not need to make up AMI days at the end of the year.

If we anticipate inclement weather, we will alert staff and students, so that we can send the appropriate materials like Chromebooks, textbooks and other instructional materials home with students prior to the AMI day.

If we use more than our three built-in snow days, we will need to add the additional days to the end of the school year. For example, if there is a sudden change in the forecast and we must call for a fourth snow day instead of an AMI day because we weren't able to give advanced notice, we will add one day to the end of the school year.

If we use all three built-in snow days and all five AMI days, we will make up any additional snow days at the end of the year.

For those who are new to SCW, the Homework Academy is held in the library on most Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-4:00 p.m. and is an opportunity for students to get additional homework and tutoring help. Homework Academy begins this week.

School attendance continues to be a priority at St. Charles West High School and is directly linked to student performance in the classroom. In order to attend any school dance or non-curricular field trip, students should meet the minimum attendance expectation, which is a 90% attendance rate. With regard to dances, students should meet this requirement at the time of ticket purchase. Any exceptions to this must be approved by the Principal and be supported by medical documentation related to specific dates of absence.

Regular attendance is one of, if not the most, important factors for a student's success in school. The minimum goal for each student is to be in attendance at least 90% of the time that school is in session. In order to qualify for A+ and other schoolwide recognitions, students must maintain at least a 95% attendance rate. Below you will find some recommendations for maintaining excellent attendance throughout the year:

• Try to schedule appointments outside of the school day. If you have to schedule an appointment during the school day, please plan on being at school before and/or after the appointment if at all possible.
• Illness happens! Please keep your student home if they have any of the symptoms below:
• fever over 100.4 within the last 24 hours without medication.
• severe cold symptoms
• vomiting or diarrhea
• significant sore throat
• unexplained cough/shortness of breath
• signs of conjunctivitis (pinkeye)
• If your student contacts you during the school day because they aren't feeling well, please have them see the school nurse. She will communicate with you to determine whether or not your student will need to go home for the day.

In addition to being here each day, being on time to school is so important! Please work hard to get here with enough time to be in classrooms by 7:20 am every day. When a student arrives at school between 7:20 am and 7:30 am, they will be issued a tardy. The first one is a warning. Each one after that is a detention. Parents, you can email attendance at aregot@stcharlessd.org, send a handwritten note in with your student, or call the attendance office at 636-443-4245 (please leave a message if no one answers) to excuse an absence.

When a student arrives at school after 7:31 am, they will be issued a 10 minute+ tardy. The first one is a warning. Each one after that is a referral to their principal with consequences assigned following the District Code of Conduct.

Please be aware of the 10 minute athlete rule which also applies to dances, concerts and performances. This means if you are more than 10 minutes late, you will not be able to participate in practice, performance, or a game that day. If you are more than 10 minutes late on a Friday prior to a dance being held on a Saturday, you will not be able to attend the dance. If you have questions about this policy, please feel free to reach out with questions.

If you arrive at school with a note from a doctor, a tardy will not be issued.

You can bring your children to the School-Based Student Clinic now for sick child visits, sports physicals, vaccinations and more with our bilingual nurse practioner, Shawana Branch, through Compass Health Network. To access the clinic, make an appointment, or ask questions, please call the clinic at 636-206-2244. The clinic is also available for walk-in appointments.

The clinic is located behind Blackhurst Elementary school off of Elm Street. Please follow the signs that say Compass Health Network leading you to the parking lot of the clinic.