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September 2019

Chaska Middle School West
 
140 Engler Boulevard 
Chaska, MN 55318

952-556-7400

School Hours
8:40 - 3:30 
 


Attendance Line 952-556-7499

Attendance Email
CmwAttendance@District112.org 


 
Counselors -
 
Scott Buschena 952-556-7432
6th grade Comets
8th grade
 
Shannon Hanlon 952-556-7433
6th grade Meteors
7th grade 


Nurse -  Marcie Bartholomew 
952-556-7419 


Intercultural Specialist -  
(Spanish speaking)
Lucia Seeman
952-679-0605


Nutrition Site Manager - 
Kari O'Konek 952-556-7404


Bus Company
Positive Connections - 
952-361-0899 


District Transportation Dept. -  
952-556-6160 

 

 

Quick Links
Principal Points from Sheryl Hough  
We were excited to welcome your children back to Chaska Middle Middle School West this week and hope everyone had a fun, relaxing summer. We greeted over 900 students, an increase of 100+ students over last year. For those of you who are new to West, the  Star Tracker  is our newsletter that will come out monthly to keep our families notified of events happening at West, along with important dates and information you need to know. Whether your child is a returning 7th or 8th grader or brand new to our school as a 6th grader or transfer student, we are thrilled to welcome each and every learner to West!

There is a lot that goes on in our District while students are away in the summer. CMSW administrators and teachers, together, logged over 2,478  hours of professional development. Over the summer, many of us presented at our Personalized Learning Summit, as well as attended sessions on literacy, quality feedback/assessments, equity, standards based learning, etc. We continually strive to improve our practice to meet the needs of all learners. We will focus on three themes this year which support our District areas of focus as well:
  • Collaborative Culture
  • Equity
  • Standards Based Learning
 
Equity Work Continues at Chaska Middle School West
This year, Arika Mareck, an outside consultant, will continue to facilitate us in our learning. Arika is a former West teacher and Equity Coach who has an understanding of the staff and students and was able to provide a more personalized professional learning plan for our school specifically. Arika is also a parent of two students in the district and works in Education Transformation across the nation. In addition, staff continued learning over the summer using resources including:
  • "Waking Up White" Debbie Irving
  • "Daring Greatly" Brene Brown
  • "The Pedagogy of Confidence" Yvette Jackson
  • TED Talks - "The Danger of a Single Story", "Every Kid Needs a Champion"
As we transition into 2019-2020 school year, we will focus our learning on using our Equity Audit to form multiple pathways for staff and students to deepen our awareness and understanding of equity. In addition, we will:
  • Continue meeting with our student group - VOICES
  • Continue our Equity Team meetings to learn about ourselves & support others in our work
  • Continue meeting with our LGBTQ group (created 4 years ago)
  • Continuing to offer daytime conferences to accommodate parents who work evening

We met many of you at our at our Back to School  Nights . Your next opportunity to meet your child's teachers, walk their schedule and find out what they will be learning this year will be at our Curriculum Night on September 19th from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm .  We encourage you to attend this informative event that will help us stay connected and work together to support your children. Watch for more information to come your way soon.

Please know that your children are our number one priority. Our West mantra is "Every Learner, Every Day". We pride ourselves on hiring staff who understand the unique characteristics and needs of young adolescents. We value each child and our goal is to create strong relationships with our students and their families. We will partner with you to ensure your children have a successful middle school experience. Our hope is for each child to reach their full potential as we partner with you to provide support and guidance through these crucial middle school years.


PTO is a great way to keep abreast of what's happening at school, keep involved in your child's education, volunteer and connect with other parents. We meet monthly throughout the school year. Our first meeting of the year is September 10th at 4:00 pm in Main Office Conference Room. During this time, we will decide which day of the week and time works best for most parents and schedule our future meetings around your availability.


District 112 has transitioned our grading system at the secondary school level which includes CMSW. You should have already received an email with a link to a letter containing details about it. For your convenience, here is the link to the  2019 Grading System Transition Letter.

 Message from Assistant Principal,
Mark Shoquist  

Walkin' on the West Side School Fundraiser
Our fall school fundraiser is a walk-a-thon. The event kicks off with a student pep-rally on Thurs. 9/19 and the main event is on Thurs. 10/10. Our goal is to raise money for our school while promoting Health and Wellness, and our school receives 100% of every donation! For more information or to donate, click HERE.

We are seeking Corporate Sponsors  to defray costs. In exchange for a donation, their corporate logo will appear in all promotions in print and on social media. If you or anyone you know might be interested, please share this letter with them:
Message from Dean, Irv Andrews  
Last year, we were recognized as a Sustaining Exemplar PBIS School for the 7th straight year for our outstanding PRIDE program. We are the only secondary school in the state of Minnesota to receive this recognition every year the award has been in place. 

We were also named one of 14 PBIS Ambassador Schools. Being an PBIS Ambassador School involves teaming with colleges and universities in the state to help increase awareness and knowledge of how to effectively use PBIS and its strategies for college students who are in teacher preparation programs. 

Here is a link that captures some of our PRIDE/PBIS data from last year. 

We will continue to work to improve at teaching expected behaviors and recognizing the great work that is done by our students and staff.

  
Looking Ahead
9/9 - 13  MAP Reading testing
9/16 - 20 MAP Math testing
9/19       Curriculum Night  6:00 - 8:00 pm
10/3       2-Hour Late Start 
10/8       School picture make-ups and retakes
11/4-8    6th grade Deep Portage Trips 
11/14 & 21  Conference Nights
 
MAP Testing
Fall MAP Testing has begun at CMSW. During the week of Sept 9th, students will have MAP Reading testing during Language Arts classes.  

During the week of Sept. 16th, students will have MAP Math testing during Math classes. Any student can listen to the Math test with headphones. They should bring their own headphones or we can help them find some if needed. Headphones are available for sale for $1 in the Main Office.


Curriculum Night
Thursday, Sept. 19, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
This is a very important evening and we strongly encourage all parents/guardians to attend. Come hear grade level presentations, follow your student's class schedule and meet their teachers.

Student Attendance Reminders
If your student is absent or arriving late to school, please call the Attendance Line at 952-556-7499 or email Cmwattendance@district112.org. If you have called them in, you may drop them off and send them in to the office alone to get a pass to class. 
 
When picking up your student before 3:30 please send a note with them. They should give their teacher the note 5 minutes before the pick-up time to be dismissed so they can be waiting for you in the office when you come in to sign them out. 
 
Students should be at school in time to be seated in their classroom, ready to learn at 8:40. Thank you for your support. 


New Student Sign out/ Visitor Check in System
The District has installed an updated security system which will be used during school hours to check out students as well as check in visitors. During school hours, people picking up students and  all visitors entering the building beyond the main office will need a driver's license or a state-issued ID. 

Please remember to bring your ID into the office with you so we can register you in the new system. Once registered, it will be updated at all District 112 schools.  For more information, click HERE .

Lunch Accounts

Meal prices:   Lunch -- $2.75,   Breakfast -- $1.70

The District Nutrition Services has made a change that will impact your student's lunch account number. Students will be purchasing meals and a la carte items using their student ID number. Former PIN numbers will no longer be valid.  Here is a link to the  Nutrition Services Update .


Here is a link to the District 112 Nutrition Services web site which has complete information and forms regarding student meals including links to Applications for Educational Benefits for free and reduced price meals available for students who qualify.

 
Chromebooks
All students are expected to arrive at school each day with their chromebook fully charged.

Incoming 6th graders will exchange their current chromebook from elementary school for a brand new one during the first few weeks of school.   
 
All students new to the district will receive a new chromebook.  We will do our bes t to issue them during the first week of school.


Chromebook Protection Plan  - if you are interested in finding out more about it or want to sign up, click here  for more information.

School Pictures
All students should have their photo taken  and will receive a student ID. Ordering school pictures is optional. If students did not get their picture taken during Open House, they will have a chance to take school pictures on Tues. 10/8. Picture re-takes will also be done that day.

  
Parent Teacher Organization 
We have an active, supportive PTO. The first meeting will be on Thurs. 9/10. The PTO meets once a month and offers several areas of support. Please consider being a member. Click on this PTO Volunteer Form to see how you can help even if unable to attend meetings.  
Student Health
Here is a link to the   District 112 Health Services web site which has complete information and forms regarding student health.

Here are some useful links:
Bus Information 
Here is a link to the District 112 Transportation Department web site which has information and forms regarding busing.

Student bus information is posted in Parent Portal. Please contact the Transportation Department directly with questions at 952-556-6160.

MyStop is a web-based app available to all Eastern Carver County Schools parents and students that allows them access live bus GPS information. Using a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer, parents and students can view the current location of buses on routes and the estimated time of arrival at their neighborhood bus stops. Learn more  here .

Here is a link if you need a Transportation Registration Form .
Your Contact Information
At CMSW we are paperless regarding communications with families. Be sure that all of your contact information is accurate - all emails and phone numbers.  

If you need to check or update your information, here is the link to Parent Portal . If you do not have an account yet, call the office at 952-556-7400 to get one set up. 

If you have an address change, please call the office for assistance.
Community Resources
There are may community resources available for local families.  Click this link for more information: 

Text Messaging "Opt In" Directions
We encourage all families to register to receive text messages from the school and district.
For complete directions on how to do this click this link: Enable Text Messages from ECCS
School Supplies
Here is the link to the School Supply List .

 
Box Tops for Education 
We collect box tops to earn cash for our school. Please support us by clipping and bringing them in to the office by Wed. 10/16. 

After that date, Box Tops for Education is starting a new program through an app where receipts are scanned and submitted by families directly. Click on this Box Tops link for more information regarding this new program which will continue to raise money for our school.