See this update in: Hmong / French
March 1st, 2022
Happening Now
9th & 10th Grade Honor Roll
Every year, we recognize our 9th and 10th grade students who have an outstanding start to the year. Returning back to in person learning has been both exciting and challenging as we’ve learned to navigate Covid and adjust to our new realities. We commend these students for working hard to achieve this level of academic excellence. 
 
Please see all Honor Roll students here:
National Honor Society
Juniors interested in being considered for membership in the National Honor Society at West need to have volunteered a total of at least 45 service hours in two or more activities; no more than 25 hours from a single service activity. In addition, a student must have earned a cumulative Grade Point Average of at least 3.5. Service forms can be found through the West High home page, or at https://west.madison.k12.wi.us/students/national-honor-society

First week of March – Letters of Invitation to join NHS will be sent to eligible Juniors in email and US Mail. Students will apply by submitting two short essays and all service forms documenting 45 volunteer hours. This will all be made clear in the Letter of Invitation.

March 24th – Thursday. NHS application materials due by 4:00 p.m. in room 2032. 

April 11-15th -- Congratulations letters will be sent out to inductees.

End of April – Our NHS Ceremony of Induction will not be in person, and instead feature a video tribute and celebration of students’ performance. These new torchbearers will have come a long way--often through dimly lit passages of time--and will be encouraged to hold their torches high in the years to come through their character, scholarship, leadership and service!

Karly Frisch advises our NHS current Senior members’ organization. For admissions questions, please contact the Chair of the Selection Committee, Gary Powell, at [email protected]  Looking forward to our new inductees’ Character, Leadership, Scholarship and Service in the new year!

“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little   
  matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.” -Colin Powell
Summit Credit Union March News
Please Return Library Materials!
The library is about to relocate temporarily into a smaller space because of West's renovation work! To help us with our upcoming move, please return anything you are no longer using as soon as possible.
Upcoming Events
ACT Update
The ACT for Juniors is on Tuesday, March 8th. Freshmen, sophomores and seniors do not have school on this day. Please see below for more specific ACT details.
 
Transportation
  • Yellow Fitchburg buses (Red & Blue lines) will pick up at normal morning times and will also run at dismissal at 1:30.
  • City buses will run the normal schedule - no express W buses will run.
Timing
  • Students must check into their ACT room by 8:15.
  • The test should conclude by 1:30, unless students have extended time accommodations.
Food
  • Breakfast will be provided at 7:30 on the morning of March 8th, prior to ACT testing. It is a catered breakfast provided by Little Johns. Please complete this form ASAP to let us know if you plan to come for breakfast.
  • A snack and a bottle of water will be provided during the break.
  • Lunch will not be served, unless your student is testing with extended time accommodations. In that case, lunch will be provided and consumed in the testing room. 
Room Assignment
Students were emailed their room assignment on Sunday, January 27th. Please refer to this chart for general room assignments - if students have accommodations their room assignment may not follow this chart but will be accurate in the email they received.
 
Pre-Test Requirements
Students are required to complete pre-test details online on myACT.org. Students are receiving reminder emails about this consistently which includes directions and the student code they need to complete this.
 
Testing Requirements
  • BRING A VALID ID. STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ADMITTED TO THEIR TEST ROOMS WITHOUT AN ID.
  • BRING NO. 2 PENCILS.
  • BRING A CALCULATOR. Here is the ACT Calculator Policy. Your child is responsible for knowing if his/her calculator meets ACT standards of use. IF YOU DON’T HAVE A CALCULATOR, A SIMPLE 4 FUNCTION CALCULATOR WILL BE PROVIDED FOR USE DURING TESTING.
  • NO CELL PHONES OR OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES INCLUDING SMART WATCHES OR ANY OTHER INTERNET CAPABLE DEVICE! THERE IS NO CELL PHONE/ELECTRONIC DEVICE USE AT ANY TIME, INCLUDING DURING THE BREAKS. STUDENTS WILL BE DISMISSED FROM TESTING AND THEIR SCORES WILL BE CANCELED IF CELL PHONES ARE FOUND.
Make-up
If students are absent on March 8th, 2022 they may take the make-up test on March 22nd, 2022.
 
If you have any questions, please email Melanie Thiel ([email protected]) or Natalie Van Den Brandt ([email protected])
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Spring Parent Teacher Conferences will be taking place on the evening of March 10 from 4:30-8:30 and also on March 11 from 8:00-4:00. The conferences will all be via Zoom or telephone. We will be using Power PTC for scheduling again. There will be an email sent out to parents with a link for signing up on Monday, March 7.
ACT Diagnostic Test for Sophomores
Attention Sophomores: GalinEducation is offering a FREE diagnostic ACT test on March 8. While your 11th-grade friends are taking the ACT in school, use this as an opportunity to better understand your starting score and areas you can focus on over the coming year. You can take it at a local library or community center, but you have to RSVP to hold a spot: www.galined.com/soph

Locations: Lakewood, Meadowview, and Goodman South libraries and Shorewood Community Center, Lussier Community Center and Galin's office next to Hilldale.