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| News from West Hills Dear West Hills Community, It was an event filled week this week at West Hills. With students having the day off for the election, it provided an opportunity for our staff to gather for professional development. Examining our school improvement plans as well as collaborating with fellow content area teachers on developing meaningful assessments was just some of the work that was accomplished. Highlights beyond our regular routines included our second session with our Defeat the Label partners working with our 6th grade students on decision making. Additionally, our 4th grade students, along with our 8th grade choir, and 8th grade French students partnered on a Veteran's Day concert. Several veterans came out to West Hills to enjoy a celebration of patriotic songs. Many thanks to Mrs. Pierre, Mrs. Philp, and Mrs. Potier for helping our students celebrate our rights and responsibilities through song and to help our young people connect to our greater community. Next week promises to be busy as we continue our Parent Teacher Conferences. If you have not yet signed up, there is still time, see the article below. We will have our first 7/8 combined band, orchestra, and choir concert that is always a treat to see their progress. Spirit Wear sales continue, and finally, don't forget to support our book fair! We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
It's Great to be a West Hills Warrior!
Rob Rob Durecka Principal West Hills Middle School 2601 Lone Pine Road West Bloomfield, MI 48323 (248) 341-6105 http://www.bloomfield.org/west-hills/index.aspx "Enabling learners to become architects of their futures . . ." Next Week's Schedule & Important Dates NEXT WEEK'S SCHEDULE Monday, November 14 - A day Tuesday, November 15 - B day Wednesday, November 16 - A day Thursday, November 17 - B day Friday, November 18 - A day Upcoming Events 11/14 & 11/15 School - Wide Book Fair 11/14 & 11/16 - Grades 4 - 8 Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. 11/15 - Band/Orch/Choir Concert 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. 11/16 - PTO Meeting - 10:00 a.m. 11/22 - 1/2 Day of School - Students Released at 11:35 a.m. (Hours 1 - 4) 11/23 - 11/25 - No School - Thanksgiving Break
Band, Orchestra, Drama, and Art Auditions for Blue Lake Auditions Attention 5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th graders: On Thursday, December 15th and Friday, December 16th - a representative of Blue Lakes Fine Art Camp will be visiting West Hills for Merit Scholarship Auditions. Auditions will occur throughout the day, generally during your child's scheduled Fine Arts class time. Please click on the scholarship application link for your child to fill out and bring to their audition.
Audition Schedule: Students should report to the music hallway for auditions. December 15 - Choir, Drama "A Day" students, and Art December 16 - Band, Orchestra, and Drama "B Day" students
Requested audition materials: Instrumentalists • perform two scales and an excerpt of a prepared piece (no guitar, soprano sax) Vocal • sing several vocal warm-ups and an excerpt of a prepared piece Theater • prepare a one-minute monologue from standard theatrical repertoire; and a musical excerpt if auditioning for Musical Theater, Art - bring a portfolio with 2-3 exemplary works or bring 2-3 pictures of your work. Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, a summer school of the arts located on a 1,600 acre campus in Michigan's Manistee National Forest, offers fine arts education for all ages. Each summer, the principal camp program serves more than 5,400 gifted elementary, junior high, and high school students with diverse programs in music, art, dance, and drama while offering more than 175 performances during its Summer Arts Festival.
Spirit Week Next Week - November 14 - 18
WHMS Spirit Week will take place the next week! (November 14-18) Students are encouraged to participate daily! The grade level with the highest average percentage of students/teachers who have participated throughout the week will be awarded the West Hills Spirit Stick. **As a reminder the school dress code still applies!** Monday: Black-Out Day - Dress and accessorize in the color black.
Tuesday: Character Day - Dress and accessorize as your favorite character.
- A character in books, movies, comics, plays, television shows etc.
Wednesday: Woke Up Like This Wednesday! - Dress in your pajamas and slippers
- Crazy Hair
Thursday: Throwback Thursday! - Dress and accessorize from your favorite decade.
Friday: Detroit Day - Dress and accessorize with anything that represents Detroit.
7th and 8th Grade Band/Choir/Orchestra Concert Reminder West Hills 7/8 Band, Orchestra and Choir Concert Information Tuesday, November 15, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. Concert will be in the cafeteria ARRIVAL TIMES - Band students should arrive at 6:15pm and report to the band room. Band percussion students should arrive at 5:45pm. (Percussion students need to arrive early and stay after to move equipment.)
- Orchestra students should arrive no later than 6:25pm and report to the orchestra room.
- Choir students should report to the risers at 6:45 pm in uniform.(white shirt and black clothing from the waist down) Concert starts at 7 pm.
CONCERT INFORMATION The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. CONCERT ATTIRE Students are expected to dress in their concert uniform for concert performances. - Boys: Black pants, black socks, black dress shoes or dark shoes, and the White WHMS Music Polo Shirt.
- Girls: Black pants/slacks (no leggings unless worn under a skirt) with black socks or black skirt (knee length or longer) with black tights, black dress shoes or dark shoes, and the White WHMS Music Polo Shirt.
All band, orchestra, and choir students are expected to perform in the concert, display proper concert etiquette, and remain for the entire concert. Music students will be sitting and standing on risers during performances. If your child will be unable to attend, please contact the director as soon as possible! We look forward to seeing you on November 15th!
Coming Soon - Refreshed Website Look! Good News! Starting the week of November 14 our website will take on a refreshed, streamlined appearance with easier functionality. While most items will operate normally, some components may be still under construction. We appreciate your patience during this time and thank you for your continued support! Washington D.C. Parent Meeting - November 14, 2016 The results of our survey regarding our eighth grade students traveling to Washington D.C. as a class trip are in, and we have elected to move forward. A representative from Student Adventures, our travel provider, will be in attendance as we share information on the itinerary, costs, lodging, and answer your questions. Eighth grade families, please mark your calendars and plan to attend on November 14, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. in the West Hills cafeteria. PTO Sponsored Spirit Wear Sale West Hills Spirit wear is available for a limited time! Ordering available from Nov 7th - Nov 19 All Merchandise is sent directly to the purchaser's home Delivery is FREE for orders over $40 Delivery will be between Dec. 9-12 Buy as presents; they make great holiday gifts - Click on the link to start shopping now - Spirit Wear Spotlight on the IB at West Hills Middle School Eighth-Grade Service as Action at American House
  
This past Tuesday, the eighth grade took a field trip to The American House which is an independent living facility located in Southfield. This field trip was just the first opportunity to give back to the community one step at a time. We were taking action by simply listening to stories that the seniors had to share and expressing empathy for them as much as we could. It was something seemingly small that made a big difference in the lives of the senior citizens we met. For the field trip, we were put into small groups of three or four and paired up with a senior. We interviewed the seniors about a life changing event or decision that they had to face at some point in their past. It could have been anything from getting married, to having a devastating event occur, to picking which career path to follow. To prepare for the field trip, Mr. Honeyman, our language arts teacher, had us generate follow-up questions that we could ask once the seniors had told their stories. Some questions that we created did not fit the story we had been told. Therefore, we had to quickly think of a variety of questions to try to match what the seniors were telling us. After the field trip, we will create a personal narrative that tells the story of the event our senior shared with us. We will write the personal narrative by using the information that we gathered during the interview. Eventually, we will share the stories we write with our seniors, and we hope that our version of their life event will become an heirloom that can be handed down from generation to generation. One of the stories that I heard was from Sandy, who is a happy and healthy 73 year old lady who loves life. She shared a tragic story with my group and me. Six weeks ago, her son was diagnosed with brain cancer and he was told that he only has two to seven more years to live. While hearing this story, I started to think about going through life knowing that I only have a few more years with someone I love. It was hard for me to picture it without almost starting to cry, so I could not imagine it becoming a reality. In my group, I noticed that the student interview partners I was working with responded to this story very seriously and felt as much pain as I did for Sandy. Looking at the other groups around me, I noticed that the students were caring for the seniors they were talking to and were there to support them when necessary. They also tried to be as empathetic as they could while listening to some of the stories that the seniors chose to share. Some were happy, but others, such as the one that I heard, were not. Overall, this experience has had an impact on me in the best way possible. The small gesture of just listening to their stories hopefully made the seniors feel loved and cared for. Nelson Mandela once said, "It always feels impossible until it's done." This is exactly how I felt when I saw the genuine smiles on their faces and the sincere thank yous that we received as we were leaving. With this amazing opportunity, I learned that something little goes a long way. I will never forget the emotions that I felt after this field trip and the amazing life lessons that I learned throughout the experience.
Email jwil...@bloomfield.org with suggestions about how we can continue to provide you with information about your child's day at school! 
Winter Season 1 Sports WINTER SEASON I SPORTS START UP SCHEDULES At the end of this item is a link to the Middle School Winter Session I Sports start-up schedule, which also includes coach contact information. Please refer questions about a specific sport to the respective coach(es) and not the school office. Also, remember that all students who participate in a WHMS sport must have the following: - A current athletic physical on file in the WHMS office.Current means that a physical that took place on or after April 15, 2016. The physical must be completed on the District's required form ONLY. Please print that form and take it with you to the doctor.
- A Pay to Participate fee for sports submitted to the District Athletic office. NOTE: Only one Pay to Participate sports fee is required each year. If you've already submitted the fee for your student this school year for a previous sport, you do not need to submit another. DO NOT SUBMIT THIS FEE TO A COACH. PLEASE FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAYMENT INDICATED ON THE Pay to Participate fee form.
If you are not sure if your student has a current physical on file or whether you've submitted a Pay to Participate fee, please contact Mrs. Wendell in the WHMS office at swen...@bloomfield.org or 248-341-6102. Again, no student will be allowed to participate without both of the above items. CLICK HERE to open the Middle School Winter Session I Coach Contacts and Team Information, which includes start-dates, try-out and/or practice schedules and coach contact information. Be sure that you are looking at the information for WHMS, as all three middle schools are included on the schedule. This information can also be accessed directly on the WHMS website under "Athletics". 1st Quarter Reports Cards - Grades 6/7/8 All progress reports/report cards will be shared with families electronically. Our first quarter report cards for grades 6 – 8 will be available for viewing toward the middle of next week. Please click here for the West Hills Behavior and Effort Expectations. As a reminder, progress reports and report cards can be accessed online in your Parent Portal. To login, visit www.bloomfield.org/mybloomfield and enter your username and password. If you don't remember your login information, use the "forgot username and password" link, enter your email address on file, and the system will email it to you. If the email is incorrect or you are still unable to access the portal, please email communi...@bloomfield.org for assistance. Instructions for how to view and/or print your student's progress report (which is the same as viewing a report card) after you have logged in to your Parent Portal are available here. Prep for Success Symposium Students and families are invited to attend an educational symposium and resource expo on Saturday, November 19, at Groves High School. See the attached flier and video for more information and registration. ASSESSMENT AND GRADING AT WEST HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL Did you know that your child's Progress Report comments are now available in the Parent Portal section of My Bloomfield? These comments are a quick way to find out how your middle-school child is progressing in all classes. We know that the shift to My Bloomfield is still very new, so you may need to refer to the district's My Bloomfield Family Guide resource--click here. If you are still having trouble accessing the information you need on My Bloomfield, please reach out to our Communications Department at 248-341-6328, and they can help get you the credentials you need. As part of our continued reflection on our practices, our staff decided to put together some resources to help parents understand aspects of assessment and grading here at West Hills. All of these resources are available on our West Hills website. Link to the web page--click here. We encourage you to read the information provided on the site and listen to the screencasts. On Monday, you will be able to see many of your middle-school child's current grades in Parent Portal. Keep in mind that the time table for each teacher's curriculum may not neatly overlap with grade reporting periods, so continue to check Parent Portal over the next few weeks. As students complete additional assessments, the overall letter grade will be adjusted. Parent Teacher Conferences Sign - Up With parent teacher conferences scheduled to occur November 10th, 14th, and the 16th, the scheduling window is now open to set up your conference time. All parent teacher conference sign - ups will now be done digitally. Should you wish to speak to one of your child's specials or elective teachers, their availability can be found in this table. Links for conference sign - ups for all families can be accessed by clicking on the following link - Sign - Up for Conferences The sign - up process is pretty intuitive, but for your convenience, detailed directions can be accessed by clinking on the following link - Directions for PTCFast.com Special Note for 6th Grade Parents See you at conferences!
West Hills Book Fair The West Hills Book Fair is Coming November 10th. The fair will run from November 10 through the 18th, with Family Nights on Thursday, November 10 from 3:30 - 8:00; Monday, November 14 and Wednesday, November 16 from 3:30-6:30. Our West Hills Fair is sponsored by Lowry's Books & More, an independent bookseller from Three Rivers, Michigan.
8th Grade IA and BHHS Diploma Programme Meetings A counselor and students from the International Academy (IA) will visit WHMS on Monday, November 14, to share information about the school and answer questions for our interested 8th graders. The meeting will take place from 1:15 - 2:00 and requires students to sign up prior to the meeting. Like the IA, BHHS counselors and students will visit with information specific to students interested in the IB Diploma Programme on November 29 at 10:00 a.m. Again, it would just be for the interested students who sign up and would take approximately 45 minutes. Students who are interested in attending either or both meetings should sign up on the sheet next to Mr. Castellani's office door before the meeting date. Additional parent and student information sessions at IA are listed at the above link and BHHS will be providing information at a later date. BHHS Football Student Athletes Visit Elementary Students BHHS football student athletes were met with cheers when they visited elementary students in Conant, Eastover, Lone Pine and Way. BHHS football players gave lots of high fives and autographs! Come cheer on the Bloomfield Black Hawks Varsity Football Team at the MHSAA Playoffs! Friday, October 28, 2016 at 7:00 pm at Bloomfield Hills High School, 4200 Andover Road, Bloomfield Hills. Read more to view the video and photo gallery. PTO Updates & Staff Spirit Wear
PTO is hopeful to raise funds this year for a staff appreciate gift. A common spirit wear shirt is the goal for all West Hills staff. For details on how you can help, click on the following Staff Spirit Wear link.
 Donation Drive for Refugee StudentsThis year, like last year, there are a number of refugee students new within our school district. To help prepare the families for the cold winter days ahead, we're supporting them with a boot drive. Since there are specific needs, you can either donate lightly used boots in these specific sizes (two pairs of girls' toddler size 10; one girls' toddler size 11; and one boys' toddler size 9), or just donate money towards new boots (you can provide cash in an envelope marked "PTO - student boot donations"). All donations can be dropped off in the school office with a note attached stating "boot donation." Many thanks for your community support!
Do you shop at Kroger? Make your shopping count! Register your Kroger card and choose West Hills. Click here for more details.
Attention Students and Families! West Hills Nut Restricted West Hills Middle School continues to be a nut restricted environment. As a result, please carefully read and review all food packaging prior to sending food items to school. For further information on food allergies, consult www.foodallergy.org We appreciate in advance your full cooperation. Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures at West Hills With the start of a new year, WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please take a moment to review our traffic map for West Hills. We wish to reemphasize the need to utilize the designated drop off and pick up points. For the safety of all students, drivers please watch your speeds and do not double park, especially near student cross walks. The safety of our students is our highest priority. Thank you for your help! Traffic Map West Hills is Nut Restricted | |
November 11, 2016 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM November 11, 2016 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM November 14, 2016 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM November 14, 2016 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM November 15, 2016 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM | Bloomfield Girls Robotics Competition BHHS Presents Les Misérables! | Upcoming Programs at the West Bloomfield Township Public Library From the Bloomfield Township Public Library Are you looking for a job? | YOUNG REMBRANDTS CARTOONING; Time is running out! ALMOST TOO LATE FOR LAST MINUTE REGISTRATIONS! "No School" Day Fun - Recess All Day ! | |
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