[WHMS-Parents] WHMS Update 1-27-12

[WHMS Parents Information Email List]

 

 

Dear Parents:

 

Please take a moment to read all the great things going on at WHMS! There is a little something in today’s update for everyone :-)

 

Today marks the end of 1^st semester. 4^th – 8^th grade students will carry home their report cards next Wednesday (2/1). If you do not receive one, please contact your child’s guidance counselor (acast...@bloomfield.org or aja...@bloomfield.org ) 6^th – 8^th grade parents may also access their child’s report card via Parent Connect.

 

Congratulations! The following students were selected to be included in two national poetry publications that solicit entries from all 50 states. Students were allowed to write about any subject, and in whichever poetic style appealed to them. Our students’ poems covered a vast array of topics, and their efforts were creative and profound. We have submitted entries to these contests for several years, and this is the second-largest number of West Hills students to be chosen as award winners!

 

Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans

Allie Carey

Miri Hoshino

Amith Lohitsa

Harrison Parker

Jolie Sherman

Merrick Weingarten

Jonathan Zlotoff

 

Creative Communication Poetic Power Poetry Contest

Katie Berthet

Saskia Charles

Stephen Kenkel

Mandy Lu

Samantha Tarnopol

Hannah Wink

Liliyana Wolberg

 

 

Town Hall meeting-Bloomfield Unified High School :

The Board of Education and Superintendent Rob Glass are holding a series of town hall meetings to succinctly explain their vision and plan regarding the consolidation of our two high schools. The schedule for the meetings is listed below. The meetings will run for about two hours; the first 45 minutes will be an overview of the proposed plan for unifying our high schools, leaving about an hour and 15 minutes for small and large group discussions. We will end with an audience survey of goals and concerns that we believe will give us a good idea of how the community would like us to proceed.  For the latest information, you can also visit http://www.bloomfield.org/bhs-unified-high-school 

 

Day/Date	Time	Facility	Location
Monday, Jan. 30	7-9 PM	West Hills MS	Cafeteria
Tuesday, Jan. 31	1:30-3:30 PM	Bloomfield Township Library	Meeting Room 1
Tuesday, Jan. 31	7-9 PM	Conant Elementary	Media Center
Wednesday, Feb. 1	9:30-11:30 AM	City of Bloomfield Hills	Commissioners Auditorium
Monday, Feb. 6	10 AM-12 Noon	Bloomfield Township Library	Meeting Room 1
Tuesday, Feb. 7	7-9 PM	Lone Pine Elementary	Media Center
Wednesday, Feb. 8	10 AM-12 Noon	Bowers Farm	Farm Schoolhouse
Wednesday, Feb. 8	7-9 PM	Bloomfield Hills Middle School	Cafeteria
Wednesday, Feb. 15	7-9 PM	Eastover Elementary	Fine Arts Rooms

On February 2, a user experience research team from Gale Cengage Learning and the National Geographic Society, along with a facilitator from TecEd, an independent research firm, will visit West Hills to talk with our Media Specialist about our online resources and to observe the eighth grade Social Studies classes using those resources. Gale and National Geographic, one of the world's largest nonprofit scientific and educational institutions, are working together to bring National Geographic content in digital form to libraries. They have asked for our input as part of a national study in defining a new virtual library for children in later elementary-school and middle-school grades. We’re excited to host this visit!

New MYP Report Card Parent Information meeting

Next week, parents will see the new West Hills and Andover MYP report cards. The MYP report card does not replace the traditional quarterly Zangle report card that all students receive.  In order to have a better understanding of the format and the methods used in determining grades, Mrs. Hershey, the MYP coordinator, will have a parent meeting to explain the reporting system and answer parent questions.  

Please mark your calendar to attend the 6^th-10^th grade parent meeting on Monday, Feb. 6, 7:00 p.m. @ AHS, in the Media Center

 

ATTENTION ALL SWIM FANS
The Andover vs Lahser Men's swim/dive meet will be held this Saturday at 12:00 at Andover's Mike Lane Natatorium. Please come and support the teams and watch some fast swimming and high diving. You can also bring a donation for the St. Leo's soup kitchen.

SWIM/DIVE TEAM FUNDRAISER
The Andover swim/dive team is collecting hats, gloves, and socks for St Leos Soup Kitchen. Starting Tuesday, January 17 - Friday, January 27, you will be able to drop off new and gently used items in the box outside the Andover pool. We will be delivering them to the soup kitchen on January 28 on our annual trip to the soup kitchen.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

 

SURVEY: FUTURE BLOOMFIELD HILLS HIGH SCHOOL MASCOT AND COLORS SELECTION—FINAL ROUND VOTING ENDS ON Jan. 30---CAST YOUR VOTE

Final voting began via Moodle on Monday, Jan. 23 and ends Monday, Jan. 30 (at midnight) to vote in the final round. The mascot and school colors are now narrowed down to three. We encourage all of our 7^th and 8^th grade students to vote! This is a great opportunity for students to actively participate in the future of the new high school.  We encourage you to have an open dialogue with your student(s) regarding the selection process. The three choices (in alpha order) for each are as follows: Colors-  Blue & Black; Blue & Gold; Purple, Black & Silver. Mascot- Blackhawks, Chargers, & Royals.

 

Attention 8^th Grade Parents

The AHS counselors will meet with the 8^th grade students on Friday, Feb. 10, to discuss course selections for next year.   The meetings are scheduled for 10 minutes.  Parent attendance is not required, although you have the option of joining your son/daughter for this short meeting.  Please contact WHMS (248-341-6100) for an appointment.

The students will receive an AHS course selection sheet on February 2, and participate in a group meeting with their respective counselor.  If you have any questions regarding the 9^th grade course selection sheet, please contact Mrs. Jahnke at 248-341-6103. 

Mrs. Klein            A – Fe

Mrs. Hollyer-Madis      Fi – La

Mrs. Acton          Li – R

Mr. Gilley             S - Z

 

West Hills - 4^th and 5^th  FUN FAMILY NIGHT!

AT

 

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

6:00 – 9:00 PM

31506 GRAND RIVER at ORCHARD LK RD (248)471-6777

 

UNLIMITED LASER TAG, BUMPER CARS

& GLO-GOLF

$20 TICKETS

Prepaid tickets receive extra fun factory game of Jump Zone, Go Karts, Mini Bowling or Cannon Blaster. Siblings and friends welcome. Must have parental supervision. Prepaid sales are from January 31^st – February 14^th. Look for your                                                                                               order             form!  Questions: zari...@gmail.com.

 

 

 

Sponsored by West Hills PTO

 

 

 

AHS Bowling Night for 8^th Graders and Families

The Andover chapter of buildOn is hosting a bowling fundraiser called “Bowling for Books,” at Sylvan Lanes in Sylvan Lake on Saturday, February 4 from 7:00-10:00 p.m.  The event will also have a DJ, 50/50 raffle and a silent auction.  Student tickets purchased in advance by Friday, February3^rd are $10.00 and include bowling and shoes.  Student Tickets will be $12.00 if purchased at the Bowling alley. There is no charge for adults. Food and Drinks will be available to purchase at the event. You may send a check made out to BHSD with buildOn in the memo or cash to the office with the ticket form is below Tickets will also be sold at West Hills on Friday Jan 13^th (Bring Your Loved One to School Day) during lunch as well as the night of the eighth grade play on Friday, January 20th.  The event will be a great way for eighth graders and their parents to get introduced to high school.  Siblings are welcome. Parent supervision will be provided by Andover parents of buildOn members.  buildOn is an organization that helps to break the cycle of illiteracy in developing countries around the world.  Andover's buildOn hopes to be able to fundraise enough money to participate in the Trek to build a school in one of the developing countries. Please help support our cause by coming to Bowling for Books. If you are unable to attend but would like to make a donation, please visit our webpage at http://webuildon.buildon.org/ahs-buildon. Hope to see you there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sport Season 3

 

 

Students must have a physical on file with the West Hills’ office and they must have their pay to participate fee paid to be eligible to play ($100).

 

Please contact Mr. Grippo with any questions sgr...@bloomfield.org  341-6113

 

5 grade Girls’ Volleyball starts Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7:00am in the gym.  The $100 pay to participate fee is not required for this team.  Contact coach Purcell for the team handout bpur...@bloomfield.org

 

6 grade Girls’ Volleyball starts Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7:00am in the gym.  Coach Parcell lpar...@bloomfield.org , Coach Ayers pay...@bloomfield.org

 

7 grade Girls’ Travel Volleyball tryouts start Wednesday, January 25 from 3:00 – 4:30.  Coach Cox rcox1...@wowway.com

 

8 grade Girls’ Travel Volleyball tryouts start Wednesday, January 25 from 3:00 – 4:30.  Coach Carey kac...@bloomfield.org

 

7,8 grade Girls’ Intramural Volleyball starts Wednesday, February 8 (updated) from 3:00 – 4:30.  Coach Castellani acast...@bloomfield.org

 

6,7,8 grade Boys’ Swimming starts Monday, January 30 from 5:00-6:00pm at the Andover pool.  There is a parent meeting immediately following practice until 6:15 near the pool area.  Coach Gale tg...@bloomfield.org

 

6,7,8 grade Boys’ Diving there is a parent meeting Wednesday, February 1 @ 5:00pm at the Andover pool.

 

6,7,8 grade Wrestling starts Monday, January 30 from 3:00 – 4:30.  Coach Delfin kurtd...@aol.com

 

 

Important Upcoming Dates:

Monday, Jan. 30: 2^nd Semester begins; District 7^th/8^th grade Honors Choir performance @ LHS, 7 p.m.; Town Hall meeting @ WH, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 31: Town Hall meeting @ Conant, 7 p.m.; Music information night @ AHS, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 1: Preview Tours, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; 4^th -5^th grade Popcorn Day; Report cards go home

Thursday, Feb. 2: National Geographic Society & Gale Cengage Learning visit with WH Media Specialist & 8^th grade students

Friday, Feb. 3: PYP Learner Profile Assembly, 9:15 a.m.

Monday, Feb. 6: MYP Report Card Parent Meeting, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 3: School resumes

 

 

 

6^th – 8^th grade A/B schedule for next week:

1/30, Monday: A day

1/31, Tuesday: B day

2/1, Wednesday: A day

2/2, Thursday: B day

2/3, Friday: A day

 

I wish everyone a wonderful weekend,

 

 

 

Heidi S. Kattula

Principal

West Hills Middle School

Bloomfield Hills Schools

248-341-6105

http://westhills.bloomfield.org

"Comprehensive Education at its Finest"

 

 

 

January 27, 2012

WEST HILLS IB UPDATES

 

 

The IB Learner Profile Trait for January: RISK-TAKER

The PYP Attitude for January: TOLERANCE

 

Community & Service Update

 

This year the MYP Community & Service group worked in conjunction with the 6^th – 8^th grade Leadership Club to organize our yearly holiday drive.    Together we were able to offer our support to two organizations in our community that were in need of basic bedding and bath supplies.  The entire West Hills community worked together to collect items to donate, and once again, helped to make our project a huge success.  Through this holiday community service project we were able to donate hundreds of bath supplies to the Community Response Team of Oakland County (CCRT) as well as over 50 bedding kits that were donated to The Academy of the Americas in Detroit.

 

Although this community service project was sponsored by the MYP Community & Service group along with the 6^th – 8^th grade Leadership Club, we would also like to recognize the many community members who generously supported our efforts in a variety of ways, and helped to make this event such a huge success.  These include:  all of the 4^th – 8^th grade students and families of West Hills who donated items, the students of West Hills who offered their time to pack and organize the materials collected, the staff and administration of West Hills who support our efforts in a multitude of ways, the district who donated the use of a van to transport items and finally, Nick Philko from Town Coin Laundry in Waterford who offered his services and facilities to clean and wrap all of the gently used bedding items that were donated.  Without this combined community effort this service project would not have been such a huge success – Many thanks to everyone!

 

The MYP Community & Service group will continue their efforts this school year by sponsoring a clothing drive, promoting the use of the clothing collection bin that has been placed in the parking lot of West Hills.  Items collected will benefit Planet Aid, as well as individuals and families in Pontiac.  This bin can be used by both members of the West Hills school community as well as members of our larger community.  Watch for more information about this event in February.    

 

 

MYP Report Card Update

 

Beginning this year the overall academic grades for MYP assessments are given with a number from 1-7. Descriptors are described in the Middle Years Program Assessment Guidebook which can be accessed on our website. The document is located in the Academics section named Middle Years Program and titled: MYP Report Card. 

On the January and June MYP report card each student receives a summative MYP grade on the criteria in each course that were appropriate for the content being taught.  Due to the number of criteria that have to be covered as well as the nature of the curriculum in different disciplines, some teachers will not have scores for all their MYP criteria by the end of the first semester. Therefore, in any class where the instructor did not assess every MYP criterion, a final MYP grade will not be provided.

 

The new MYP report card will not replace the traditional State curriculum standards Zangle report card that students and parents receive each quarter.

 

In order to have a better understanding of the format of the report and the methods used in determining grades, Ms. Hershey, the Andover and West Hills MYP coordinator, will have a final parent information night to explain the reporting system and answer parent questions.  

 

Please mark your calendar to attend the 6^th-10^th grade parent meeting about our new MYP report card.  It will be on Monday, February 6, 2012, at 7 pm in the Andover Media Center.

 

NOTE:  If you attended a parent meeting in January, the same information will be presented at the February meeting, so you do not need to attend.

 

 

We appreciate your efforts at home to help support the Learner Profile Traits and the PYP Attitudes each month.

 

As always, please feel free to contact us with questions, ideas, or news at any time.

 

Kathy Janelle, PYP Coordinator

kjan...@bloomfield.org

Sarah Hershey, MYP Coordinator

sher...@bloomfield.org

 

“Our reflection and action as individuals—and as part of the IB continuum of international education—can make the world a better place.”

 

Some information in our listserv is derived from various educational websites and documents published by the International Baccalaureate Organization.