Regent Reporter - August 22nd, 2022

Though our building continues to undergo significant construction, our primary focus is providing you all a quality education. These next few days our West staff is preparing to receive scholars. Below is Key information for Regent scholars.

Please Read the Entire Regent Reporter

Start by reviewing your schedule. Starting Monday, Aug 22, 2022 all students will be able to review their course/class schedule. Print it or take a screenshot and save it on your phone. (more details provided below),

Sept. 1st - (9th Grade Day ONLY)

Sept. 2nd - ALL Students return

(See First Days below)

Arrival/Dismissal

If you drive or are dropped off, please review the NEW Traffic pattern for Buses and Parent/Guardian Drop off. ( Detailed Info & Map Below)

The big change for this year will be that Van Hise Ave. will now serve as a drop-off and pick-up location for buses only. This means that parents/guardians will no longer be able to park and wait on Van Hise Ave. for arrival and dismissal.

Student Drivers

Scholars that drive, due to construction, the two hour parking areas have changed. Simply follow newly marked signs. Also, please note the parking lot near the athletic fields is Staff only parking (sorry). Yes, tickets and towing will happen. Avoid this headache.

Patience is a Must DO

Due to construction, it will take a few days to get acclimated to the building. Also, note that renovation will continue while we’re in school. Our first job is to be safe while at school. So give yourself time, be mindful and ASK adults for help if you’re lost. Lastly, if you see someone that might be lost/confused, be a Regent Leader and provide assistance. That’s what we do, we lead.

We Expect Active Engaged Learners

At West, our job and commitment is to prepare you for life beyond high school. We need you to be active participants in that process. As such, we ask:

That you have a positive mindset about your learning.

Think ahead and bring all your needed materials.

In class, Unplug. That’s right, the expectionation is that phones are off and away unless instructed to do so by your teacher. This would include all other electronic devices. We know this can be a challenge, but because it’s hard doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. As a school community we will be discussing the importance of appropriate use of tech and the WHY.

Regent scholars, we look forward to meeting in a few short days. Thanks

Onwards,

Mr. Kigeya

Happening Now

Daily Bell Schedule

Here is the daily bell schedule for the 22-23 school year.

Locker Update

Due to construction, many of our lockers will be out of commission for the 2022-2023 school year. For that reason, all current locker assignments will be ended, and students can request a locker using this form. Once requested, students will be sent an email with their locker assignment before the start of the school year.

*Note: Please fill out this form ONLY if you are requesting a locker. Depending on interest, students may have a locker partner.

Schedules Available in Infinite Campus

Student class schedules are available to view starting Monday, 8/22 in Infinite Campus. If you need to make a schedule change, please fill out this electronic form. While we'd like to be able to accommodate all requests, scheduling is complex and we cannot guarantee that your request will be approved. They will be considered based on impact on graduation requirements, date they were submitted, and space/staffing in requested courses.

Student Pictures and IDs

Lifetouch pictures will be taken during the school day on October 11th and 12th. Students will receive a school ID with last year’s picture during the first week of school.

Attendance Procedures

If your student will be absent, please report the absence by 8:00am either through the district online form or by contacting their SLC office:

Regent Office, 608-204-4108 or [email protected]

Van Hise Office, 608-204-3091 or [email protected]

Highland Office, 608-204-3075 or [email protected]

Ash Office, 608-204-4116 or [email protected]

For more information about attendance, please visit our Attendance webpage.

Bus Routes & Metro Passes

Bus Routes

Metro Bus Routes are available here.
Fitchburg Blue & Red bus routes are available here.

Metro Bus Passes

Metro will allow students to ride free the first week of school in order for bus passes to be obtained.
Families needing to purchase Madison Metro semester bus passes should contact Metro Transit.
Students who qualify for a district-funded bus pass can fill out the request form that will be emailed to them next week, and then can pick up their pass in their SLC office. Students qualify if they receive free/reduced lunch and live more than 1.5 miles from West.
Students needing to purchase the 10-ride bus cards may do so in the main office.

Construction and Drop-0ff/Pick-up

We are so excited to welcome our staff and students back to West to see all of the construction that has been done over the summer. West The old Library and Van Hise Gym are now classroom spaces that will be used while other parts of the building remain under construction this fall.

Because of the ongoing construction, there will be changes to student drop off and pick up this school year.

Bus drop off/pick up

Metro buses will continue to drop off students on Regent Street, but will now pick up students at two different locations. Please look at the map below to determine if your student will catch their bus on:

Regent Street: (W3 Arboretum, W1 Tokay, W3 Hill Farms, W1 Shorewood, W1 Mineral Point)

Van Hise Avenue: (W1 Nakoma, W3 Leopold, W5 Burr Oaks, W5 Wingra, W7 Olin.

Fitchburg: yellow buses will load on Ash Street.

You can determine your student’s bus route to school by following this link to the Metro website.

Parent drop off/pick up

All parent drop off and pick up between 7:30 am-4:00pm should occur on Ash Street. Please access Ash Street coming from the east on Allen Street as turns onto Van Hise Street from Highland will be prohibited after 2pm in order to accomodate the Metro buses.

Here is the West parking and traffic plan in more detail.

Upcoming Events

First Days

Freshmen Orientation Day (Freshmen only), September 1.

All students start back to school on Friday, September 2.

The first day of school is for Freshmen only. Here is the schedule for the day. Also, on this doc you will find details for the day. Note that on page 2 there are homeroom assignments for students based on their last name and their Smaller Learning Community (SLC). Students are assigned to 1 of 4 SLC’s for their entire time at West. You will find the name of your SLC on line 10 in your schedule in Infinite Campus.

Students do not need to bring their backpack or any supplies - we do recommend bringing a water bottle! Students will get to have a tour, walk their schedule, try their locker, learn more about the school year, and meet peers!

For other important dates, you will find our school calendar linked here. For an overview of MMSD Back to School guidance, you can visit our district webpage.

New 10-12th Grade Student Tour

New student tours (for 10-12th grade students who are transferring in from other schools or attending as special students) will take place on Wednesday, August 31st 1:00-2:30. Students should meet in the auditorium on the Regent side of the building. There is no need to sign up. There will be a short introduction in the auditorium followed by a tour of the building. New 9th grade students will receive a tour on Freshman only day, September 1st.

Leopold Block Party

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