Westwood Junior High

This week has been amazing, truly the best start to a school year! From our Wolf Camp counselors to teacher planning and your engagement, this powerful trio of students, staff, and families is what makes Westwood great.

Check out this article by Mateo Wolff highlighting Wolf Camp, also featured on our Westwood website. This work is led by Coach Neese, Mr. Worthington and the Leadership 2 students, whose dedication and creativity are positively impacting our campus culture.

Next week in advisory:

• All students will review and participate in safety protocols and complete required checklist items.

• 8th graders will choose their DEN Time sessions on Thursday (8/21) to begin during the week of August 25. During DEN Time, students attend a different session each day in advisory, from targeted tutoring to student-selected topics of interest, class support, and enrichment opportunities.

• 7th graders will continue Wolf Camp during the week of August 25, covering Belonging & Social Life, Communication & Asking for Help, Organization & Time Management, Study Habits, and Digital Tools. They’ll learn how to use RTI Scheduler and will choose their DEN Time sessions on 8/28.

We are here to connect with you and your child for their learning, growth, and success. Thank you for your partnership, and please continue to follow Westwood news through our email newsletters, Twitter page, school website, and PTA updates.

With Wolf Pack Pride,
Katie Mottram
Principal, Westwood Junior High

kathryn.mottram@risd.org

• 10/03 – RHS Homecoming (early release @ 2 pm for parade & game)
• 10/24: Fall Picture day
• 11/04 – Road to RHS (8th grade parents at WWJH @ 6 pm)
• 11/06 – MST Ed Talks
• 12/16-19 – Fall Exam Week

Next week is Safety Week (Aug 18-22). Schools in RISD periodically practice safety-related drills in order to be prepared in the event of an emergency safety situation at school. This message is notification that Westwood Junior High will be performing drills for staff and students, every day next week during advisory.

The safety drills we will perform are the Evacuation drill, the Hold drill, the Secure drill, the Lockdown drill, and the Shelter drill. No action is necessary on your part as a parent, however we encourage you to talk with your student about the drills to ensure they feel like they understand what to do in the event the drill is necessary in an actual safety situation.

Additionally, each RISD school holds periodic I Know What To Do Days throughout the school year that can include drills, lessons and scenarios related to safety.

If you have any questions about this message, please contact (Mie-Vincyea.Williams@risd.org).

Thank you for your partnership and support as we work to keep students and staff safe.

Today’s iPad rollout was fantastic — thank you to the RISD iTeam, RLA department, Jen Yon for organizing a seamless process, and Jennifer Moore for assisting with password resets and device distribution. Please remember to purchase iPad insurance to protect your student’s device.

The decision to have iPads was made after careful review by our instructional and technology teams, with a focus on providing students with a more robust, flexible, and engaging digital learning experience. iPads offer several advantages over Chromebooks that better align with the evolving needs of our learners and our instructional goals.

Why the Switch?

Greater Versatility: iPads combine the power of a computer with the portability and touch interface of a tablet. Students can type essays, annotate PDFs, create multimedia projects, and interact with digital content using Logitech Crayon and touchscreen functionality—all on one device.

Enhanced Creativity Tools: With access to apps like Keynote, iMovie, GarageBand, and Pages, students have a wide range of creative tools at their fingertips for presentations, video projects, music composition, and more. These tools support deeper engagement and personalized expression.

Better Integration with Learning Platforms: iPads support all major learning platforms and tools, including Google Workspace, Schoology, and Microsoft Office, while also enabling access to high-quality educational apps specifically designed for iOS.

Improved Accessibility and Ease of Use: Apple’s iPad offers industry-leading accessibility features that support diverse learning needs, including voice dictation, text-to-speech, magnification, and guided access. The intuitive interface also reduces learning curves and technical issues.

Longer Device Lifespan: iPad hardware receives consistent software updates (application and security) and hardware will last longer (fewer refreshes) than comparable Chromebook models, ensuring a longer usable life.

We understand that changes in technology can raise questions, and we are committed to making this a smooth and beneficial transition for all students. We will provide training for both students and staff, along with ongoing support throughout the year. Protective cases and content filters will be in place to ensure safe, appropriate, and responsible use.

We believe this shift will provide students with a richer and more future-ready learning experience.

Thank you for your continued support as we work to provide the best tools for your child’s learning journey.

At Westwood, we follow all Richardson ISD student guidelines, which outline expectations for student conduct, safety, and success. These guidelines are an important part of creating a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.

We ask that you take a few minutes to review these guidelines with your student before the school year begins so that everyone starts the year on the same page. The RISD Student Guidelines can be found here: https://web.risd.org/studentservices/guidelines/

• For student and staff safety food deliveries from third parties such as Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc. are NOT accepted on campus. Student lunches should only be delivered by a parent or others who are listed on the students emergency card only.
• Students will not be called out of class to pick up lunch deliveries please ensure that you communicate with your student before school starts if you will be dropping off lunch.

View RISD Attendance Policies HERE

How to monitor attendance:

1. You can ask your child’s campus for an attendance report to review routinely.
2. Students and parents can monitor attendance records in Focus. Please click here to sign into RISD Focus. In addition, parents can sign up to receive notifications from Focus.

How to submit excuse notes:

RISD policy mandates parents submit an excuse note to the school attendance office within three days of returning to school.

Excuse notes, which can be an email, must include:

• Student name
• Student ID number
• A written statement giving the date and reason for the absence
• Parent or guardian signature for handwritten notes only
• Parent phone number

Please send emails to westwoodattendance@g.risd.org

Learn how to upload your attendance excuse for Focus.

Log into your Focus account.

Need to check out your child early?

• You must come to the front office to check them out - we can not release a them even if you call.
• Any person checking out your child must provide a form of ID and be on the students emergency card
• Students will not be released if you cannot provide an ID and are not on listed on the emergency card
• Students will not be dismissed in the last 15 minutes of the school day to avoid interruption of end of day instruction

To promote an optimal learning and social atmosphere within Richardson ISD, students are required to refrain from using their cell phone, smartwatch, and wireless headphones and ear buds throughout the school day. Each student will have their cell phone out of sight for the duration of the school day.

Please click below to review the RISD Cell Phone Guidelines.

Please do not call/text them during the school day. If you need to relay a message to them please call the front office at 469-593-3600 and we can communicate you with your child.

Parents, please assist us in keeping our students safe and following these procedures when dropping off/picking up students.

• Students should only be dropped off/picked up in the front circle lane in the front of the building
• All students should enter/exit a vehicle in lane # 2
• Students should not enter/exit a vehicle in lane #1
• Lane #1 is a passing lane only - please do not stop while in lane #1
• Morning drop off: all students should enter the building through the cafeteria doors
• Dismissal: all car riders exit through east side of the building - students must be picked up through the carpool lane

We are happy to announce that there is no increase in the RISD self-funded program cost for the fourth year in a row! It remains at $20 per student device, or $10 per student device for Free and Reduced Lunch Students. Go to risd.schoolpay.com. Once logged-in (using parent email associated with Focus), then all fees/programs (not just technology) will be in your ‘carts’. All students should join the DRRP since it offers substantial savings to even routine repairs. Repair parts can get very expensive as compared to the cost of the premium. Take a look at the second page of the agreement to get an idea of the price of parts should they choose not to join and need a repair!

DRRP open enrollment will be from today to Sept 8th, 2025 – appreciate your help in getting our students the device-protection they need.

WWJH Athletics Store Re-Opening: During the weeks of August 10th - September 5th, if you need to reorder or purchase additional items, 7th and 8th grade practice items, along with WOLVES spirit wear (t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, sweatpants, polos, and hats), will be available through the WWJH Athletics Store link. Please keep in mind, delivery takes 14-21 days after the store's closing date. In order to create and maintain a culture of unity, student-athletes are encouraged to wear the approved 7th and 8th Westwood Athletics Uniform.

IMPORTANT: All students must have an updated physical using the correct 2024 form and all UIL Rank One paperwork completed prior to participating in any tryouts, practices, or games. Updated and valid athletic physicals allow students to actively participate for one calendar year from the date of the doctor's examination. All UIL information can be found on Westwood, RHS, and RISD Athletics websites. In order for a student to remain in the Athletics period, all eligibility requirements (physical and Rank One) must be completed by Friday, August 29th. If you have any questions or would like to speak with one of the athletic coordinators at Westwood, please contact Coach Lockett or Coach Cervantes.

Football: Football conditioning workouts will begin August 14th and 15th. Football equipment is tentative scheduled to be issued on Saturday, August 16th.

Volleyball Tryouts:
During the week of August 12th-August 15th, students will receive information about volleyball tryouts, which will begin Monday, August 18th and continue through August 22nd. If necessary due to the number of participants, a second round of cuts might be necessary, which would extend the tryout dates to Wednesday, August 26th.

Cross Country:

Cross Country teams will begin practices in September. More information will be provided to student-athletes during athletics, advisory, and the next edition of the Westwood Wire publication.

Sincerely,

Coach Lockett
beverly.lockett@risd.org

Coach Cervantes

andres.cervantes@risd.org

All Westwood students will have their first library visit by September 2nd! They will learn about the new genrefication of our fiction section, all the library events that we host, Book Club and more! We hope your child enjoys their visit!

Upcoming Dates:

8/25 – Library Ambassadors meeting during Advisory (8th graders who applied last year)

8/28 - Book Club Meeting – during their lunch period

8/29 – Fun Friday – during their lunch

9/12 – Teachers Back in the Day Forms due! (optional)

If you’d like to support the library, we have an Amazon Wishlist of items we would love to

add to the library. Please make sure you add a note if you donate something.

Thank you for your support!

Join the WWJH PTA and show your support for our students! We welcome and encourage parents, grandparents, neighbors, extended family, friends and members of the community to join the WWJH PTA! Support your school and your child by joining WWJH PTA!

RISD recognizes the work our teachers perform to support every child, every day. And we believe there is an opportunity EVERY day to show our appreciation for all they do to ensure student success. Click here to learn more about the Thank a Teacher program and how to sign up, and we will connect you with a campus.