
West Sylvan Middle School
March 1, 2024
Greetings, West Sylvan families!
Thank you to all families who contributed to the First Friday Luncheon for staff! A little love goes a long way, and our entire team is grateful to all who take the time out of your busy schedules to be so caring for our Educator team! We had a fun light sprinkling of winter weather today, and that sure makes recess time even more fun! As we move into March, and Women’s History Month, we also want to share that the PPS School Board has approved the 2024-25 school year calendar. The link is here for you to plan ahead for next year.
The TAG window for applications for acceleration remains open for families. There are many data points that will be considered for either Math acceleration for 2024-25 or a whole grade (skip a grade) acceleration for 2024-25. For families who have 5th Grade students who are coming to WSMS next year, the 5th Grade TAG team should be consulted to start this process and confirm all data for future acceleration in 6th Grade. Please start by reading the items at the TAG pages here for more information. Also, applications for TAG referrals can be found here. Start by contacting your student’s block teacher if you are self-referring for TAG. Rolling referrals are open until March 20, 2024. Parents interested in referring their child should begin by contacting the teacher about a referral. The TAG window has closed for parent referrals, but not for teacher referrals. Parent referrals must go through the teacher.
UPCOMING DATES
MARCH
Women's History Month
- Sun, MAR 10th: Ramadan begins
- Thu, MAR 14th: Fifth Grade Family Information Night (going into 6th Gr for 2024-25 school year) / 6-7PM at WSMS
- Wed, MAR 20th: Fifth Grade Family Information Night (going into 6th Gr for 2024-25 school year) / 6-7PM at WSMS
- Fri, MAR 22nd: Afternoon Assembly Schedule (no Advisory class this day)
- Mon, MAR 25th ~ Fri, MAR 29th: Spring Break / NO SCHOOL
STAFFING UPDATES 2024-2025
Given the large amount of money that PPS needs to cut in the coming years as a result of the newly negotiated contracts, we knew that there would be deep cuts. We also knew that these cuts would force many hard decisions across the schools that could directly impact our students. There is still time for budget adjustments and decisions to change between now and next school year, so the following information is what we know right now. The following two budget decisions are very concerning for our school community, and I encourage families to share your concerns with our District leaders so that they may be reconsidered as budgets are finalized for next school year.
We have heard from the Senior Director of Security Services, Molly Romay, that WSMS will no longer be funded for a Campus Safety Associate (CSA) position next school year, 2024-2025. This determination was made because of the budget cuts that are occurring throughout the entire school district for the 2024-2025 school year. This is a disappointing decision, especially after the information that was shared here at the start of this school year. Our school site is not a Middle School that was determined to be a high priority for continued funding. We have benefited from the position for the one year that it was funded, and we are disappointed to see the position discontinued for our school. We truly hope that this decision will be reversed. School safety staffing should be a priority for all middle schools.
Additionally, our funds for a Library Assistant position (typically a part-time position) have been discontinued for 2024-25, a decision affecting all PPS Middle Schools. A School Media Specialist is a half-time position in Middle Schools. Having the Library Assistant position has allowed our school to keep our Library accessible and open all day for our Scholars and Teachers. Eliminating the funding for Library Assistants means that our Library will only be accessible to our students and staff for half of every school day, unless we are able to get family volunteers to help run the space for the other part of each day. I truly hope that this decision can be reconsidered and reversed. Library access for continued growth of student literacy should be a priority for all students.
Here is how you contact the school board about any budget decisions that are concerning you so that the dialogue continues throughout the coming months. You can learn more about the PPS budgeting process here: https://www.pps.net/budgetprocess.
SEEKING SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEMBERS
We are still trying to build our family membership for our School Site Council. The SSC would meet at least quarterly to review our schoolwide plans and major school initiatives. If you are interested in contributing to this Council, please indicate your interest here.
FREE TUTORING FOR ALL
PPS has created a tutoring option for all students to access! The information is here for how students may access tutoring support through the new PPS partnership with VarsityTutors through their school Chromebooks.
YEARBOOK ORDERING 2023-24
Our Leadership class, with Ms. Lacaden, is hard at work creating this year’s Yearbook for WSMS. All sales of yearbooks will be pre-ordered directly through an outside company, and will not be purchased through the school. To pre-order this year’s book, go to: yearbookordercenter.com and enter the code 6339. Pre-order cost is $30. The price will increase as we get closer to the deadline. PRE-ORDER TODAY to get the early pricing!
MARCH IB MYP LEARNER PROFILE TRAIT
OPEN-MINDED
We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.
FOR 8TH GRADERS ONLY: MYP COMMUNITY PROJECT
After completing community service hours through their Block classes during the first semester, 8th Grade students at West Sylvan are set to begin the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) Community Project, which is an essential component of the MYP curriculum and a capstone project of students’ Middle School education.
The MYP Community Project is a student-led and collaborative project that aims to encourage students to explore and reflect on real-world issues within their local community. This project enables students to apply their learning from their prior service and different subjects to develop essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration.
The project has four main components: investigating, planning, taking action, and reflecting. Students begin by identifying a real-world need within their community that they are passionate about and wish to address. They then conduct thorough research to better understand the issue and its possible solutions. Next, students will develop a plan of action to address the issue, which may involve organizing events, raising awareness, fundraising, or other forms of community engagement. Finally, students take action and reflect on their learning and the impact of their project.
~ Community Project Timeline ~
Investigating: 2/8 - 3/14
Planning 3/15 - 3/22
Taking Action 4/4 - 4/25
Reflecting/Prep 5/2 - 5/TBD
Expo May - TBD
Throughout the project, students receive guidance and support from their Advisory teachers, who ensure that their project aligns with the principles and values of the MYP. We believe that the MYP Community Project is an excellent opportunity for our students to develop essential skills and become active, responsible, and compassionate members of their community. We encourage you to engage with your student about the importance of service as they work to make a positive impact in their community.
This year, students will have the opportunity to share their projects with their peers and educators in the MYP Community Project Exhibition, which will take place during the 4th Quarter. They will be assessed based on the Community Project assessment criteria and graded through their Social Sciences classes. This project will be worth 10% of both their 3rd and 4th Quarter grades. Thank you for your ongoing support!
Translation available: Español / Tiếng Việt / Русский / 中国人
TRANSPORTATION UPDATES
Throughout the year, we have still had patterns of late buses to/from WSMS. If you need to contact Transportation in the afternoon because a route is taking longer than expected, please call this hotline to get real-time status on your child’s bus route:
Child Missing Line
503-916-6901
Press '2' when prompted
FAMILY RESOURCES
(not sponsored by WSMS or PPS)
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!
COMMUNITY DONATION DRIVE
Youth Charity League, a volunteer organization for families that want to make a difference in their community, is partnering with Lemonade Project to collect stuffed animals for foster children. The stuffed animals can be new or like-new. Here’s your chance to clean out your closets and find a new and loving home for your stuffed animals!
The collection box will be in the Counseling Office
from Thursday, February 1st through Friday, March 22nd
COUNSELING SUPPORTS
Counselors are best reached and contacted via email. Please refer to the following list for your School Counselor by grade.
VOLUNTEERS
Interested in Volunteering and Being More Involved?
Become an approved PPS volunteer by following the information here. Once your application is approved, please contact the Main Office to see how and when you can be of service. Our Friends of West Sylvan organization also regularly shares ways to get involved on campus, specifically to volunteer in the Library, monitor hallways, help in the Main Office, help in classrooms, and do recess duty.
EARLY STUDENT PICK-UP
Please make every effort to pick up students before or after their grade-specific Lunch period (see below). Once students are scattered around the field playing at recess, picking up during Lunch recess becomes more timely for all involved. Please do not call or text your student to tell them you are here or to tell them to come to the Office. If a student uses their device to check a text and/or answer a phone call, their phone will be confiscated.
6th Grade LUNCH: 11:37 AM ~ 12:07 PM
7th Grade LUNCH: 12:31 PM ~ 1:01 PM
8th Grade LUNCH: 1:25 PM ~ 1:55 PM
~ SCHOOL DOORS OPEN AT 9:00AM DAILY ~
Breakfast is available in the hot lunch room at that time. With the colder weather, we are having students who are dropped off early sit in the hot lunch room until 9 a.m. so that they are not sitting in the cold outdoors. Students with Choir before school (appears as period 0 on StudentVue), start school at 8:00 AM each day. Students should ring the bell upon arrival.
CHROMEBOOK REPAIRS
Ms. Crombie accepts Chromebooks for repairs between 10:00AM - 3:00PM each day. Damaged devices are picked up for repair each Friday, and are usually returned the following Friday. A loaner Chromebook can be issued to students in the meantime. Remind and encourage your student to take care of their Chromebook, and keep them in protective cases. If they don’t have a protective case, the school can provide one. Chromebooks are used for class assignments daily. Students will need to charge their device each night and bring their charged Chromebook to school each day. We do not have enough loaners to give to students who forget their chromebooks. Students and families will be responsible for paying for replacements for lost chargers throughout the 2023-24 school year. They will be ordered through PPS OTIS, and cost $12/each.
CHROMEBOOK ACCESS UPDATE
The district IT office has removed access to any non-US based web pages. This is to project student privacy. In addition, students will not be able to access my.pps.net outside of the United States from now on. If this provides a hardship, please contact Ms. Crombie and she will help you ask for an exception.
STUDENT ID CARDS
Please remind your students to bring and wear their school ID daily. We’ve shared out many ways that our students can be safe by displaying their IDs throughout the day through our Advisory videos. IDs are used on campus for quickly identifying students (this is especially helpful for Substitutes). Students use them to check out library books and to buy hot lunch. Bus drivers also look for student IDs to be sure that students are on the correct route.
FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES
We do NOT allow students to order items directly from delivery services throughout the day, as they are inviting strangers to our campus, and we have no way of monitoring what they are delivering. There is an unfortunate option where students can order illegal items, such as VAPE devices through delivery services. Students are reminded of this school policy regarding food delivery services when it is violated, and items are held in the office for end-of-day pickup. Family members are also notified when this occurs.
MONTORING SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY
ELECTRONICS POLICY
WSMS is a cell phone free zone from 9:00 AM - 3:45 PM daily. We request and advise all families to keep scholars’ cell phones at home during the school day. If a scholar brings a cell phone to school, they will be expected to store their turned-off phone in their locker throughout the entire school day (including lunch periods). Important messages can be sent to our main office via email (westsylvanoffice@pps.net) or phone, and will be forwarded to your scholars. Please do not call or text your student. If your scholar chooses to use their cell phone, smart watch, air pods, tablet, et al, the device will be confiscated. If your scholar uses their device to check a text from and/or answer the phone from you, their phone will be confiscated. Not only will their phone be confiscated, it shows you do not find this school rule important. This sets a bad precedent.
POLICIES - HANDBOOKS - GUIDELINES
CONTACT US
MAIN OFFICE
(503) 916-5690
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ PRINCIPAL'S SECRETARY
[Staff / Substitutes / Financial]
Jerda Solonche
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ SCHOOL SECRETARY
[Students / Attendance / Enrollment]
Kirsten Crombie
West Sylvan Middle School
Website: www.pps.net/westsylvan
Location: 8111 Southwest West Slope Drive, Portland, OR, USA