See this update in: Spanish/French/Hmong/Khmer
September 14, 2021
Upcoming Events
September
September 20 - 12th Grade Parent/Financial Aid Meeting (Virtual)
September 21 - ESL Parent Meeting (Virtual); Go to School Night (Virtual)

October
October 1 - Regent Pride Lesson
October 1 & 2 - West Homecoming
October 13 - Choir Concert
October 20 - Orchestra Concert
October 22 - NO SCHOOL (Staff Only Day)
October 27 - Band Concert
October 28 - Blood Drive
October 29 - Regent Pride Lesson; End of 1st Quarter

Grade Level Pages
Keep an eye out on your grade-level news updates for all the latest info!
From Principal Boran
Happy Tuesday. The school year has started and we’re adjusting to another year of COVID mitigation and the challenges they bring to in-person instruction. We are working with the district to determine how best to address the rituals of school -- Homecoming is a great example -- and still keep people safe. More on that later.

Thank you for your continued support as we pivot and adjust to the various challenges we face as we do everything we can to keep your child safe and learning in person at West.
September Counseling Newsletter
Our lovely counselors put together a counseling newsletter every month - check out the September Counseling Newsletter here!
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Happening Now
Free & Reduced Lunch Application
Even though breakfast and lunch are free for students, we are encouraging ALL families to complete an application for free and reduced meals (educational benefits) by September 15, 2021.
 
Qualified families could also receive additional benefits - such as discounted/reduced or waived school fees as well as fees for sports, activities, MSCR programs and more. Even if you don’t qualify for benefits, completed applications directly impact school district funding.
 
This year, we are using a new application vendor, so the form does look slightly different from prior years. If you need assistance completing an application, please call the Food Services department at (608) 204-4003.
Up & Down Stairway Reminder
As a COVID mitigation strategy in a building of 2500 people, we have been advised by MMSD best practice guidelines to have stairways for students and staff to travel in the same direction. This prevents some of the natural bottleneck caused by people traveling quickly in opposite directions in a very small space. We are policing the stairways and finding that West students are traveling in the appropriate direction -- the bottleneck comes when too many try to be in the same place at the same time. We have many, many people moving between classes and our stairways are crowded. They are less crowded with one way traffic, however, than they would have been in other years. We will continue to follow MMSD best practice guidelines until those guidelines change.
When Your Child is Quarantined
It’s tough to know what steps you and your child should take when you are asked to quarantine for COVID. Here’s the district’s COVID Decision Tree which should help clarify the steps. If you have specific concerns about these steps, please call our Health Office at 608-204-4120. As far as school work, all West teachers use a Google Classroom to provide access to daily learning. We suggest that the student notify the teacher and West teachers will work with the individual student to determine the next best steps.
ID Reminder
A reminder to students that your ID must be visible at all times! If you need another lanyard or protector, you can find them in SLC offices. If you need your ID reprinted, there is a $5 fee that can be paid in SLC offices and then you can go to the library to get the ID printed.
Advanced Placement Exam Registration
The College Board's Advanced Placement exam registration period continues to occur in the fall this school year. 

What do families need to know?

WHO SHOULD REGISTER?: All MMSD students seeking to take Spring 2022 AP Exams

WHEN IS THE REGISTRATION WINDOW?: 
MMSD's registration dates are September 13 – October 24, 2021 for this spring's final exams. Exam fees remain at $110/exam or $143 for Seminar/Research exams, but please note a $40/exam deposit per exam is due at this time. The remaining balance will need to be paid between January and February 24, 2022.

WHERE DO I REGISTER?: Full registration details are found at aptsusa.com/mmsd
 
WHY SIGN UP IN FALL?: Studies have shown students who commit earlier in the school year have a higher engagement and commitment, as well as an increase in scores of 3 or higher across multiple groups.  
 
HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION?: Specific registration information regarding MMSD's exam sign up, fee payment and AP updates can be found at HERE
Upcoming Events
Go to School Night
Go to School Night is Tuesday, September 21st. This is generally a time for you to meet the teachers and other staff members who will be working with your student. Teachers will share information about what your student will be learning this year and how we can support you and your student.

Since we can’t have families in the building per the most current Dane County Public Health Order and MMSD guidance, we will provide an asynchronous presentation for Go to School Night similar to last year. We will send the presentation to you next Tuesday for you to view at a time that is convenient for you.
12th Grade Parent/Financial Aid Meeting
The 12th grade family presentation, focused on College Applications & Financial Aid, will be held Monday Sept 20th at 6:30 pm via Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to 12th grade parents on the morning of 9/20. A recording and slides will be posted on the counseling website after the event.
Get Involved
Taiko Drumming
The West High Taiko Drumming Club is starting up again!

Meeting Time: Mondays, 2:45-4:00pm (starting September 20th)
Meeting Location: Ash Street lawn

Taiko Drumming Club practices the Okinawan style of drum/dance. No experience needed!

For more information, please contact Heidi Hastings at [email protected] or see the club on Facebook.
Peer Tutor Recruitment
Students, are you interested in earning credit or community service hours through tutoring? Are you interested in helping out your fellow Regents by becoming a peer tutor? If so, come to a lunch meeting on Friday, Sept 17th in room 2020 to hear all about how you can sign up to tutor @ West! If you can't make it to this week's meeting, email Ms. Swenson and/or fill out the peer tutor interest form.
Community Connection
UW Madison Technology and Adolescent Mental Wellness (TAM) Colloquium
The UW Madison Technology and Adolescent Mental Wellness (TAM) program is hosting its third annual colloquium on Sept 29 and 30. This two day virtual event invites researchers, healthcare providers, educators, technology industry professionals, parents as well as youth to engage in discussions around technology and mental health and wellbeing.

This year’s meeting will have two themes, Day 1 will focus on TAM programs including our new data consortium and what data is available to share, as well as discussing challenges in navigating technology and mental health research during a pandemic. Day 2 will focus on integrating youth into research processes and building successful youth-centered programs for youth. 

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