Dear West Sylvan Families,

Thank you to those who participated in the Talented and Gifted (TAG) Family Night virtually on Tuesday evening.  If you missed information, Laurel Richards is our TAG Coordinator, and can be of assistance with questions (lrichards@pps.net).  This week, our scholars began doing MAPs assessments in their math classes to gain baseline data on skills and areas where our educators need to focus instruction for the year.  Additionally, we’d also like to thank all families for helping with health and safety protocols!  We’ve gone two weeks without a COVID-19 report and are hopeful that this positive trend will continue!  Next week, we begin our Spirit Week, and we are excited to see our scholars showing school spirit together! Also, be sure to check out the masks that our art classes with Ms. Larsen have proudly displayed in our school lobby!

Notes of Appreciation?
If you have a kind note to share for a WSMS team member, we’d love your feedback here to celebrate the ways WSMS adults support your scholars and your families!  A little appreciation goes a long way in a day!

Picking Up Scholars:
Our office has been experiencing heavy family traffic prior to our 3:45pm dismissal, due to daily early pick-ups. If possible, we ask that you avoid picking up your scholar between 3:15pm-3:45pm as our office staff is limited in the afternoons. Any planning around that time frame is appreciated.
 

~ HIGHLIGHTS & REMINDERS ~

SPIRIT WEEK: Monday 10/25 - Friday 10/29  *show your West Sylvan spirit!

SCHOLAR-LED CLUBS

FOUNDATION FUNDRAISERS

ORDER YEARBOOKS: *order code 6339

SCHOOL COVID UPDATES

PROOF OF VACCINATION UPLOAD

OHSU COVID SCREENING KIT

PICTURE DAY: Thursday, October 28th  *for scholars who did not already take a picture (not an opportunity for a retake).

BAND FUNDRAISER: Saturday, November 13th, 12-3pm. *come hear our young musicians and give to a good cause!

SAFETY UPDATES

CARPOOL SURVEY

TRANSPORTATION

Enjoy your weekend! Go Wolfpack!

Jill, Evening, and Ben

10/15 Family Communication

10/7 Family Communication

10/1 Family Communication

9/24 Family Communication

9/17 Family Communication

9/10 Family Communication

8/27 Family Communication

Chromebook Distribution
Wednesday, October 13th

We will be completing the rollout for the PPS 1-2-1 distribution. Bring your current PPS-issued laptop and charger to school to turn in and exchange for a new device. 

The PPS 1:1 Chromebook take-home program provides every PPS student with an assigned Chromebook dedicated for that student's use. Devices are assigned by assets label to the student, connected to each student's unique ID number, and students should not trade or swap devices with other students.

West Sylvan Foundation Information Video. 

Teacher Slideshow Presentations

 Quick Reference:

PPS wants to hear from you to weigh the impacts of requiring all students 12 years and older to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We heard that Saturday is a better day for Spanish-speaking families to attend this session. This session will be conducted via Zoom.  

The state of Oregon’s requirement that all school employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 will have a minimal impact in Portland Public Schools classrooms and campuses. As of the state deadline of Monday, October 18, more than 96% of the district’s employees were fully vaccinated.

Dear PPS Families,

As the PPS Board of Education considers a requirement that students (ages 12 and older) be vaccinated against COVID-19, we are providing you a quick summary on the timeline for a possible decision:

The PPS Board of Education, at its meeting on Tuesday, October 26, will consider making Friday, November 12 into a professional development day for teachers, with no classes for students. Because November 11 is a federal holiday, Veterans Day, students would have a four-day weekend. 

General Resource Links:

• Information about MYP (Middle Years Program) - Programming and course requirements
• Example Year-Long Period Schedule
• AVID information and Resources - Fill out this FORM if you are interested or want more information about AVID.

 Upcoming Dates/Information

• Forecasting surveys are now open for all grade levels.  
• Mandarin in 7th grade (update/clarification) -  
  District information was shared with us in January indicating that our relationship with the Confucius Institute was most likely ending, which means we are not anticipating the funding to staff this position, moving forward.  We are exploring some options for students who have started Mandarin and want to continue for 8th grade, but at this point are still making decisions about how that will look. Communication will be sent if we have more information about this elective option.
• Arabic is offered currently for 8th grade only (update as of 7/28/21)

Forecasting Process for Electives:

       STEP 1.  Resources for review BEFORE taking survey 

• 6th Grade Electives Descriptions (PDF)
• 6th Grade Elective Video Descriptions   - (Please be aware that we do not have a current video and that this video may not represent all our updated course options.  Please refer to the electives list for the most current elective choices.)
• 7th Grade Elective Descriptions (PDF)
• 8th Grade Elective Descriptions  (PDF) 

       STEP 2. Complete Forecasting Survey for next year's grade level.

CURRENT PPS STUDENTS WILL NEED TO USE THEIR GOOGLE LOG-IN I.D. to sign in.

   FEEDER/West Sylvan School Surveys                  OUT of District/New Student Surveys                

• 6th Grade Forecasting Survey                        Non-Feeder School 6th Grade Survey
• 7th Grade Forecasting Survey                        Non-Feeder School 7th Grade Survey
• 8th Grade Forecasting Survey                        Non-Feeder School 8th Grade Survey

Questions and Support 

If you have specific questions about this process, or need technical support, please contact:

• Kirsten Crombie, Registrar: kcrombie@pps.net; 503-916-5690
• Ben Keller-Rising 6th & 8th Grade Forecasting: bkeller@pps.net
• Evening Krauel-7th Grade Forecasting: ekrauel@pps.net
• Kandice Abney-6th Grade Counselor: kaabney@pps.net
• Rebecca Cohen-7th Grade Counselor: rcohen@pps.net
• Ricky Almeida-8th Grade Counselor: ralmeida@pps.net