

West Sylvan Middle School
February 23, 2025
Dear West Sylvan Families,
Our last informational session for future families occurred on Wednesday evening. A version of our PPT presentation is also shared on our school website for anyone who could not join us. If students already attend one of our approved feeder schools and live within our school boundaries, their information will automatically be shared with us for registration for the 2025-26 school year. If families have moved outside of the West Sylvan boundaries during K-5, they will need to petition with the Enrollment and Transfer Office to be considered to attend our school next school year. For future sixth graders, the one thing to be sure to update is all vaccinations required for school attendance.
Next week, school teams will receive our school budgets for 2025-26. Once Principals have time to review these budget items with our school staff on Tuesday, February 25, community updates will be shared. We do anticipate changes to staffing at our school site for next school year due to the large districtwide budget deficits which have been communicated to our PPS community.
We do have two days of variant school schedules next week, so please plan ahead. Tuesday, February 25, students have a 15-minute LATE START (start at 9:30AM) for an added staff meeting to discuss school budgets for 2025-26, and Wednesday, February 26, students will have an EARLY RELEASE, leaving school at 1:45PM so that our adults may engage in Staff Professional Development that afternoon. Friday, February 28, we will be on an assembly schedule, so please plan any early pickups by 3:00PM, as students will be in the assembly after that time.
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
The Lincoln HS Athletics Department held a “Signing Day at WSMS” on Thursday, February 20th, for future Scholar Football Athletes headed to Lincoln High School. We look forward to hearing and seeing all of the success of our Scholar Athletes as they progress to high school! Thank you to LHS and to Coach Michael Blake for hosting this event!
UPCOMING DATES
FEBRUARY
Black History Month
- Tue, FEB 25th: Late Start for Students due to Staff Meeting (building opens at 9:20AM)
- Wed, FEB 26th: EARLY RELEASE for Students at 1:45 PM due to Staff PD from 2:00-5:00 PM
- Fri, FEB 28th: Afternoon Assembly Bell Schedule (all-school assembly at the end of the day - please make arrangement for early pick-ups *before* 3:00PM)
MARCH
- Mon, MAR 3rd: NO SCHOOL for Students due to Teacher PD Day
- Wed, MAR 19th: EARLY RELEASE for Students at 1:45 PM due to Staff PD from 2:00-5:00 PM
- Mon, MAR 24th ~ Fri, MAR 28th: NO SCHOOL for Spring Break
CIVICS BEE COMPETITORS
Congratulations to Chloe Lin and Alex Patterson who have been selected as regional finalists and will move onto the regional competition for The National Civics Bee on March 8th!
Thank you to our Campus Safety Associate, Ms. Katrina Mathews! Katrina was offered a full-time position within PPS as a Campus Safety Associate, and she is moving onto another school to take that opportunity. In the time that Ms. Trina has been at our school site, she has formed caring relationships with so many of our Scholars and with our adult team! We will miss Ms. Trina as part of our school staff! The Safety Department has posted our half-time Campus Safety Associate position to finish the school year, and if you know of anyone wonderful to help keep our campus safe, please encourage them to apply!
MATH ACCELERATION FOR 6TH GRADERS
Some Scholars who are taking Common Core Math 6 currently, may have the opportunity to qualify for Math acceleration in 7th grade. Our District criteria is below. All of the items below must be satisfied for a Scholar to be eligible for Math acceleration in 7th grade.
2024-26 Criteria for 6-8 Grade Math Options:
2024-2025 BELL SCHEDULE
School starts at 9:15 AM and ends at 4:00 PM every day, with this bell schedule:
LATE START DATES
The exceptions to these start times are on the following Staff Meeting days,
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.
NEXT LATE START DATE: Feb 25th [*changed from Mar 11th]
April 8th - May 6th - June 3rd
>> NEXT EARLY RELEASE DATE: Wednesday, February 26th <<
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.
Don’t miss your chance to audition for the next West Sylvan Drama production!
Auditions for Matilda Jr. will be Tuesday, February 25th after school.
Sign up by scanning the QR code below, or click on the image to go to
the West Sylvan Drama website. Audition packets are also available at the Office window.
COUNSELING & ADMINISTRATOR SUPPORTS
FEBRUARY MYP LEARNER TRAIT
Get involved, show school spirit, and support WSMS!
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
INVITATION TO ARABIC CULTURAL NIGHT AT LHS
Please join the Lincoln community for our Annual Arabic Cultural Night
~ Tuesday, February 25, 2025 ~
5:00–7:00 PM
This event is a fantastic opportunity for students to engage with Arabic language and culture, connect with the community, and experience a night of cultural appreciation. The event is open to students, families, and the community, and we hope to see many of you there!
LINCOLN YOUTH SPORTS / PIL
PIL LINCOLN CLUSTER TRACK & FIELD
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
TRACK & FIELD *FIRST* PRACTICE
Practices are Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
Times: 6:00PM - 7:30PM
Practice location: Lincoln HS Track
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2025, 06:00 PM
Lincoln High School, Southwest Salmon Street, Portland, OR, USA
CONTACT US
MAIN OFFICE
(503) 916-5690
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ PRINCIPAL'S SECRETARY
[Staff / Substitutes / Financial]
Jerda Solonche
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ SCHOOL SECRETARY
[Students / Attendance / Enrollment-Registration]
Kirsten Crombie
West Sylvan Middle School
Website: www.pps.net/westsylvan
Location: 8111 Southwest West Slope Drive, Portland, OR, USA