What's Up @ West

April 7-30: PowerUp Crew Challenge

April 14-16: MCA (Math)

April 14th-18th: Kindness Week

April 17: Early Release

April 23: Polar Plunge

April 25: Coffee with the Principal

May 8: No School - Conferences

Minnesota Play for All has been invited to speak at a national virtual conference, Making Connections, on Thursday, April 17th. Caleigh Brace (7th grader at WMS) has been asked to give a two minute presentation. We are excited to support Caleigh and hear her presentation.

Congratulations Harley, Destum and Rosie for being role models at West.

Students will be taking the first Math MCA test during CREW on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week. Please ensure your child gets plenty of rest and arrives at school on time with a fully charged device. If they would like to use headphones during testing, they should bring a wired pair.

• These are special times with friends and classmates that you will want to remember forever.

• Help make this year unforgettable by ordering a West Middle School yearbook. You can order today and get your copy at the lowest price of the year for $35.

• Books will be delivered to students in the last week of school in June.

• This is the last chance (The last day to order is May 2) to get the book at our price of $35, yearbooks can be ordered in June but are at a higher cost because they will be printed individually and sent to your home.

• Ordering Page WMS Yearbook

Hey West families! We are starting to notice that students are out of pencils. Could you check your child's backpack and see if they have enough pencils to last them through the end of the school year? Thank you!

As we know, middle school students get hungry—-every day, sometimes every hour. We have created a sign-up for anyone who is interested in helping us fill up our snack closet for kids that are hungry. Thank you for considering.

In April, we will have a PowerUp Crew Challenge!!!

PowerUp is a powerful tool to accelerate literacy skills and prepare students for the demands of secondary curriculum.

Encourage your student to do PowerUp at home too!!!

Students NEED wired headphones (USB-C)

Next week Play for All is sponsoring Kindness Week next week, April 14-18. Check out the promo video that Maeve, Violet, Maddie, Bridget, and Lauren, all created. https://youtu.be/oWmd_fmj9Bw.

1. Coin Clash - Start saving your coins!!! We are doing a coin drive, all proceeds will benefit our Polar Plunge. But this isn't a regular coin drive, it's a Coin Clash!! Each grade has a container to drop pennies in between 4/14 and 4/18. Each penny is worth a positive point and whichever grade has the most points wins! But... grades and teachers can sabotage each other and try to deduct points by dropping any silver coin into another grade’s bucket. Silver coins count as negative points!! Bottom line, we'd love your change. Bring it in! Donations can be placed in buckets all week long in the morning between 8:15-8:35am. The grade level with the most positive points wins an EXTRA RECESS!!!

2. Compliment Cards - Acts of Kindness is the theme during this week. Play for All will introduce what it looks like to be kind and show acts of kindness AND give a compliment to someone else. We will introduce compliment cards. Students may compliment another peer or staff. At the end of each day, we will have a drawing for fun prizes (snacks, Play for All t-shirts, stickers, books, and giftcards). Both the person giving the compliment and receiving will get a prize.

3. Polar Plunge - Kindness week will culminate with our Play for All Polar Plunge on April 23rd from 1:15-1:45pm. We invite any West families/friends to come watch the fun!! We will be plunging on the west side of the lower parking lot (near the baseball field). If you'd like to directly donate to the Polar Plunge, feel free to visit our website. https://reg.plungemn.org/team/playforall

Small boxes needed! This spring, the 6th graders will be making solar ovens in Design class. We will need around 100-120 shoe boxes, small package boxes (12x12 inches or smaller), or lightly used pizza boxes. Any contributions you can make would be very much appreciated! Please drop them off in the Welcome Center tagged for Mr. Simpson, or have your student bring them down to room 12 anytime before April 16th. Thanks so much for your help with this fun project!

Counselors at West Middle School appreciate the continued partnership on working with all of our kids to make sure they are well. A range of emotions for young people is completely normal, as it is for all of us! The attached Counselor Corner can help to determine when your teen might be experiencing things that mean they need some additional support. Let us know if we can help!

This month, West is celebrating the IB Learner Profile trait Knowledgeable. As part of the Middle Years Programme (MYP), being Knowledgeable means that students explore ideas and issues that have both local and global significance, developing a deep understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines. To support this, we’re launching a reading challenge using the Power Up program, encouraging students to expand their knowledge through engaging texts. Students will also be reflecting on and applying this trait during their Crew sessions and throughout their coursework. We invite families to join us in encouraging curiosity and a love of learning at home!

If you have any questions, contact Jennifer Poncelet, IB Coordinator, at jennifer.poncelet@hopkinsschools.org.

On May 30th, Ready, Set, Smile will perform dental exams for students. Please see the attached .pdf for details.

If you would like your student to participate: scan the QR code on the attached flier, complete the consent form and submit it online or use this Dental Consent form and turn in to West’s School Nurse jana.balfany@hopkinsschools.org or fax 952-988-4411.

WMS is fortunate to work with Relate Counseling Center to provide opportunities for growth for our students! Please see the attached flyers and connect with your students' counselor or social worker if you are interested in your student participating in a small group on one of these topics.

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.

Hopkins Spring Sports

West Track & Field Meet schedule can be found here.

• Boys Lacrosse: 7th - 12th graders. New players welcome. No experience, no problem. Just show up and play! 💪🥍

  • Please contact Coach Evan Hylok coachhylok@hopkinslacrosse.org for information.

• Fit-Future Girls Flag Football: Join us for the Fit-Future Girls Flag Football team, proudly sponsored by the MN Vikings! Our season features training camps during spring break, two practices each week, strength and conditioning sessions, and 4-6 game days throughout the season. This program will be guided by coaches from Hopkins High School and professional players from the MN Vixens. Consistent participants will have the chance to attend a MN Vixens football game. Find details here.

• Hopkins Bike Team - Come ride with us! Gain biking knowledge and build racing skills! Incoming 6th - 12th graders are welcome. You are invited to the Parent and Rider Information Meeting on Wednesday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hopkins High School Cafeteria.

  
  

Is your scholar part of the LGBTQIA+ community, or an ally looking for a way to get involved with advocacy? Recommend that your scholar signs up for GSA to learn more! GSA will meet once per week during What I Need time (students sign up during CREW for these sessions each week) - students can sign up to attend for just one week, or can attend weekly for the rest of the year.

Your feedback makes a difference! If you love your school, we’d be so grateful if you shared your experience on sites like Google, Niche, and GreatSchools. Your review helps other families learn about our amazing community, talented teachers, and unique opportunities for students. It only takes a few minutes, but your words can have a big impact!

Building our social-emotional learning (SEL) skills is an important goal for our school this year. We will be asking for your 6-12th grade child to reflect on their mindsets and approaches to learning via an online survey they will be completing at school in their advisory period. The survey will ask students to self-reflect on social and emotional competencies that align with the Hopkins scholar traits outlined in the district's strategic plan.

We are asking that all our students participate in the surveys. If a student doesn’t feel like they have enough information to answer a question, they can skip the item. The responses to these surveys are completely confidential. If you have any questions about the SEL survey or would like information about opting out, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You may also choose to opt your student out of this survey no later than April 30th here.

May 3rd, Royals Athletic Center. See flyer for info.

Join us for candid conversation, listening, and learning. Soup with the Supe is sure to be informative while enjoying delicious soups crafted by our own chefs. Get to know our Hopkins Superintendent and other parents/community members. Come for the soup, stay for the conversation, and leave with a sense of community and new learning. Mark your calendars for the following dates: April 24, May 9, May 20, and June 24. Each session will be held from 12 to 1 p.m. We can't wait to see you! Sign up here.

Student non-profit, Minnesota Play for All, and Minnesota's award-winning children's book author and illustrator, Nancy Carlson, collaborated on a book, A Swing for Samara. The book is inspired by the true story of the Glen Lake Accessible Playground Project. A Swing for Samara celebrates the power of compassion and inclusion. The book is beautiful and so incredibly special for our Hopkins community. The book is available for pre-order online (Target, Amazon, etc), OR we are offering this book at a reduced rate through our website for $15. All orders will be delivered April 16th. BONUS: Everyone who purchases a book, through our website, will get their name in a drawing for their child's classroom to get a personal author's visit and book reading from Nancy Carlson this spring!! https://www.mnplayforall.org/

This calendar change will affect Pre-K and elementary students. Thursday, May 8, 2025 will now be a no school day for all students, Pre-K-12. This was already a no school day for students in grades 6-12 due to conferences. The calendar page of our website has been updated to reflect this change.

Due to inclement weather, the March 5, 2025, professional development day was canceled, preventing Pre-K and elementary instructional staff from completing their final LETRS Training session. To address this, we have designated May 8, 2025, as a non-instructional day for Pre-K and elementary students, meaning there will be no school for these students on this day. This adjustment is the best way to ensure critical LETRS Training is completed by the end of the school year while minimizing disruptions.

• Kids & Company will have limited availability for non-school day care on May 8. Families currently in Kids & Company will receive communication on registration.
• Hopkins Preschool has limited availability for non-school day care on May 8 for extended day families only. Registration for this day will open Monday, April 7 at 8:00 a.m.

In response to community feedback, the Educational Services Advisory Committee (ESAC) meeting originally planned for April 17 has been moved to Thursday, May 1, as the original date coincided with a Christian religious holiday.

We invite you to join us on May 1 from 5:30–7:00 p.m. in the Eisenhower Community Center Boardroom for an engaging, interactive session focused on math in Hopkins. We look forward to seeing you there!

Hello!

My name is Erika Manley. I am the parent of a 5th grader at Glen Lake Elementary and 7th grader at West Middle School. If you are the caregiver of a child with a disability, please join us at our next coffee event!

Questions? Contact Erika at 612-840-7900.

NEXT MEETING DATES in 2025: May 9

Are you the caregiver of a child who transcends traditional binary gender roles?

We are offering a supportive, ongoing group for parents and caregivers to ask questions, share ideas, and support one another. Some children may identify as transgender, gender fluid, non-binary, gender queer, gender expansive, or simply move through the world in a much more gender free type of way.

This is for all grade levels (elementary, middle, and high school, and beyond). Laura Jensen, Hopkins Schools LGBTQ+ Community Liaison will facilitate the meetings. This is not a group to debate the issue, rather for parents looking to support their child.

Questions? Email Laura.Jensen@hopkinsschools.org

Dates for Remainder of 24-25 School Year:

Apr. 24; May 22; June 26. 5-6:30 p.m

North Middle School, 5-6:30 p.m. Room 506 (use side parking lot, Door R)

Questions? Email Laura.Jensen@hopkinsschools.org

Kids entering grades K-12 can join for $63*. See flyer for details

MN Institute for Talented Youth: for advanced students entering grades 6-8. See flyer for info.

Principal email: serita.mattei@hopkinsschools.org

Website: https://west.hopkinsschools.org/
Location: 3830 Baker Road, Minnetonka, MN, USA
Phone: (952) 988-4400
Facebook: facebook.com/hopkinswjh/