Regent Reporter - January 11th, 2022

As I mentioned in Saturdays’ family letter, we have more information today on specific items. We are still waiting on the district for communication regarding the change in CDC guidance and contact tracing. When that comes, we’ll certainly be in touch.

While West staff continues to rise to the occasion, it is possible that your child may have classes with substitutes. We know you are aware of the challenges we are all facing each and every day as we navigate the virus and its impact on our families. This is why we continue to stress the importance of our teachers having up-to-date Google Classrooms so that your child, if they are absent, can access the day’s learning. This also allows students who are in-person but their teacher is absent, to also access the day's learning.

Thank you for your continued support.

January Counseling Newsletter

Check out all the new updates from the Counseling department in their January Counseling Newsletter!

Happening Now

Bridge Week & Grading Guidance

Here’s an important update on Bridge Days and Missing Work: Please be aware that we have shifted our deadline for students to turn in or redo assignments and assessments from the semester (not including the current unit) to Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 (we had previously communicated a due date of January 7). Additionally, a reminder that if a student does not have a grade of C or higher in a class and they still have the possibility of passing a course, they should plan to attend bridge days on January 19 and 20 (see West’s Bridge Week schedule here), so they can redo or complete missing assignments/ assessments.

For detailed information, please see West’s First Semester Bridge Week and Grading Guidance.

Covid Update

At this point the district has not changed any of its protocols regarding isolation and quarantine. Staff and students who are diagnosed with COVID still need to isolate 10 days from their symptom onset or the date the test was collected if asymptomatic. Staff and students who are close contacts and fully vaccinated should be tested, but do not have to quarantine. Close contacts who are not fully vaccinated will need to quarantine for a minimum of 7 days.

If your child has symptoms of illness (even if they are minor) he/she should stay home and receive a PCR test. They can return to school when negative results are received. Please remember to fill out the MMSD health screen that is emailed daily.

Grades Through the End of the Semester

MMSD Key Beliefs about Grading

Grades reflect daily teaching and learning
Grades are a communication and feedback tool for students and families
Grades must be consistent, accurate, and transparent reflections of our students’ progress towards mastery of standards and skills
Grading practices should support our district vision that learning is a process; effective grading includes providing multiple opportunities for our students to learn and demonstrate their knowledge while building a growth mindset.

As we come to the end of the semester, teachers are currently working on entering final semester grades for students. These grades will be finalized by the end of the day on January 28th and should be posted on student transcripts by February 1st.. Here is the revised grading scale for teachers to use during the 2021-22 school year.

Get Involved

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

Thank You to Genin's Autocare!

Genin’s Autocare has graciously donated $350 to West’s Tech-Ed fund after their October Oil Change promotion! To date, Genin’s has donated just under $30,000 to West from their “One Penny a Gallon” fund, and we are so appreciative of their efforts.

Genin’s Autocare is conveniently located on University Avenue - check out their website here.