October Newsletter

It is hard to believe it is almost the end of the 1st quarter. We have had an exciting and productive start to the year. Our students have been working hard to settle into new routines, navigate more rigorous coursework and embrace the challenges of junior high. They are also finding balance between after school activities, homework and free time. Thank you again for your continued support.

Years ago a group of students wanted to bring awareness to breast cancer. They had the idea of a PINK OUT and from that day, things have evolved. Besides dressing up and assemblies, students have raised thousands of dollars over the years to donate to Breast Cancer research. This year, led by the yearbook class, students will once again bring awareness and raise money to donate to the cause. On October 9, PINK OUT DAY, we will gather on the football field for a whole school photo. On October 29th, all the proceeds from the concession stand at the girls' basketball game will be donated to breast cancer research. There will also be activities throughout the month to bring awareness.

Parent Teacher Conference will be held in person this year on Tuesday, October 14th from 4pm-7pm and on Wednesday, October 15th from 4pm-7pm.

Parent Teacher Conferences at junior high are very different than at elementary school. Parents can come anytime between 4pm-7pm (conferences end at 7pm) and are completely voluntary. You do not need an appointment to talk with the teachers.

Teachers will be arranged alphabetically in the small gym and the cafeteria for you to go in any order you wish. You may want to talk with all of your child’s teachers or only just a few. It is totally up to you who and how many teachers you meet with on these nights. Each conference should last no more than 5 minutes. If you have something to discuss with your child’s teacher that is more in depth and will require more than 5 minutes, please contact your child’s counselor to set up a different time for all of you to meet.

We do not print 1st quarter report cards since we are on a semester grading system. Quarter grades are just a progress report at this point in the semester. Infinite Campus has the most current and up to date grade for your child as well as your child’s current class schedule and teacher names. Having your child’s schedule (electronically or a paper copy) will help you find all of your child’s teachers.

If you cannot meet in person, you are always welcome to email your child’s teacher(s) for information.

We also encourage you to check the Lost and Found for any of your child’s belongings. Any items not claimed after these nights will be donated or discarded.

This would also be a great time to drop off any donations for our food pantry or to donate for more "Flexible Seating."

Loren at Loren Orr Photography shared the link to the Fall Sports 2025 gallery, which is ready for viewing. To view your student's gallery, please follow the instructions noted below.

- Click on the following link:

West JH Fall Sports: https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001303715

West School Pictures 2025: https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001280611

- When prompted, please enter your student's school ID number in the Online Code prompt.

- When prompted, please enter your email address in the Email Address prompt.

- Hit the Login button.

After you have logged in, you can review the picture, select backgrounds, and several single or package photography products. Please note that all orders are completed online, and your order will be shipped directly to your home. If you order in the first 7 days that the galleries are available, please use the coupon code "FREESHIPNOW" to receive free shipping.

Please contact Loren at Loren@Lorenorr.com or call him at 208.320.2782 if you have any questions.

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Loren Orr Photography will be offering a Fall 2025 Studio Retake & Make-Up Day for any students who missed Picture Day or would like a retake.

The event will take place at the Orchard Park branch of the Meridian Library located at 1268 W. Orch Park Dr., Meridian, ID 83646 on Saturday, October 4th from 2-4 PM.

How to Participate:

• Please use our online booking page to select a convenient time.

• A $25 booking fee is required to reserve your spot.

• This fee will be applied as a credit toward any order of $25 or more.

We’re excited to provide this opportunity to ensure every student has a great school portrait!

https://lorenorrphotographyllc-creativearts-0-2-9-9.youcanbook.me

If you have any questions, please contact Loren Orr Photography directly at 208.320.2782 or at loren@lorenorr.com.

Thank you,
Loren Orr Photography

Hello West Junior High Parents!

If you would like your student to receive a flu vaccine or any of their age-specific vaccines, Central District Health will be on site the morning of October 28th. If you would like your student to receive any vaccines you would need to see the attached fliers/QR codes – if you want your student to receive the flu vaccines AND their age-specific vaccines, you’ll need to fill out both QR codes. The forms ask for insurance information; you do not need to have insurance to sign up and vaccines are free to the patient/guardian.

To be very clear, no student can receive a vaccine without being signed up ahead of time by a

parent/guardian.

Of note from Central District Health:

Central District Health utilizes an online registration form for our School Clinics. Using

the online form ensures that the needed documents and consent are completed. Once

completed, a digital copy is sent directly to both CDH and to the parent/legal guardian

who completed the form.

This form is compiled of 3 documents

i. 1st page: the Registration form collects needed demographic info, insurance information, acknowledgement of clinic being held during school hours when parents/legal guardians are not present and provides space to list any unwanted immunizations.

ii. 2nd page: the Screening Checklist for Contradictions to Vaccines is a federally required questionnaire that helps ensure there are no safety/health concerns in administering immunizations.

iii. 3rd and 4th page: Central District Health’s Consent for Services form outlines patients’ rights and responsibilities and reviews HIPAA practices.

This form is meant to be completed online. Due to consistent issues with paper forms being turned in that are incomplete and/or not legible we can no longer accept hard/paper copies of the online form.

Submission deadline: The deadline for submissions of the online registration form is four business days prior to clinic – Tuesday, October 21st.

Please don’t hesitate to email or call with any questions,

Veronika Parr, RN, BSN

School Nurse - West Junior High

Phone: 208.854.6468

Email: veronika.parr@boiseschools.org

Last summer, our district adopted ParentSquare as our primary parent communications platform. And, even though we’re only a month into the new school year, we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from parents and staff. That said, we also know that having almost all information sent by the district, your child’s school, and their teacher(s) arrive in one place at one time can feel a bit overwhelming.

One of the biggest benefits of ParentSquare is your ability to highly customize how you want to be notified. Not only can you choose whether to receive notifications immediately or through a digest at the end of the day, you can also choose in what manner you receive them (email, app, or text). Plus, if you want to have different protocols for different types of notifications, you can do that as well. For example, you can choose to have district notifications come in a digest format and be notified by email. You can have school-based notifications sent to you immediately by text. You can also choose to turn off all notifications except emergencies (your humble author hopes you don’t choose the last option, but I understand if you do).

We know you have a lot on your plate, but we do highly recommend spending a few minutes customizing your ParentSquare notifications. ParentSquare offers a host of resources online regarding notifications and their 2-minute video is a great place to start. We also suggest downloading the app (available in the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store) for the best mobile experience.

Please have your student check in with Mrs. Campbell in the social worker office if they are in need of a winter coat. The coats are brand new and there are several colors and sizes to choose from.

If your child is interested in participating in girls basketball or wrestling, ALL paperwork has to be completed before Oct. 13th. Athletes may not practice until all of this information is turned in through Activate. Please contact Mr. Miller at mark.miller@boiseschools.org with any questions.

The next PTBC Meeting is on October 9 at 7:00pm in the library. This is a great opportunity to get to know other parents, support students and staff at West and help plan activities and events. PTBC will be sending out a Signup Genius shortly for items needed for Parent Teacher Conferences. Please be on the lookout for that email from PTBC.

October 1-AVID College Day-Wear your college wear!

October 8-AVID College Day-Wear your college wear!

October 9 - Pink Out Day! WEAR PINK! Students are asked to wear pink to support breast cancer awareness. No body/face paint, but dress in as much pink as possible!

October 10-No School for students!

October 14-Parent Teacher Conferences (4:0pm-7:00pm) See format above

October 15-Parent Teacher Conferences (4:00pm-7:00pm) See format above

October 17-No School

October 23-First Dance- (6:00pm-8:00pm) See dance guidelines below

October 27-31-Red Ribbon Week "Life is a Puzzle, Solve It Drug Free"

October 28-Wear Red

Dances are a fun event that all of our students look forward to attending. Here are the expectations about dances at West Junior High so that everyone will have a great experience.

The dance is from 6:00pm-8:00pm in the West small gym

The dances are supervised by West staff and parent volunteers

Students must bring current school ID card (If they need a new card, they need to see Mrs. Leasure in the main office)

Only CURRENTLY ENROLLED West students are allowed

The cost is $5.00 Cash only-we do not take cards

Concessions (pizza, pop and candy) will be sold. Once again Cash Only

Students don't need a "date" to attend

The dance is from 6:00pm-8:00pm (Parents must pick up at 8:00-if parents are late, student may not get to attend the next dance) If walking home, student must leave campus right after dance.

Once a student leaves (or goes outside) they are not allowed back into the dance. They must go home

No outside food or drink allowed

No Bags-If student brings a bag or purse, it needs to be put it in the main office during the dance.

Any type of inappropriate behavior and parents will be called to come and pick up their child

If a student was not in attendance at school the ENTIRE DAY, they may not attend the dance

If a student has in house detention or is suspended on the day of a dance, that student is not allowed to attend the dance.

Since this is the Halloween/Costume Dance, here are the expectations for costumes:

No Masks-We need to be able to identify every student

No weapons-real or fake

Face/Body Paint-Entire face cannot be painted. We need to be able to identify every student

Costumes must be appropriate for the school setting-No offensive costumes

There was a friendly competition among the MCT classes to create a "Brand" for the class. Here are the winners.

From feedback from students, there are two things they would like to see improved at West. The first is to not have classes interrupted by announcements throughout the day. Students suggested having a TV in the main hallway that would scroll the announcements all day. We are pleased to announce that we had enough funds donated on our Back to School Night to purchase the tv!!!! Thanks to everyone who contributed!

Another item students are asking for is more flexible seating like the ones in the main entrance hallway.

If you would like to help contribute to our flexible seating, please scan the QR Code or click on the link to donate.

https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/donor-form?svcid=renxt&formId=54380edf-3073-43b8-b9e2-8e85c9face6a&envid=p-SdsX_pjE80CDMOl1UUUVDA&zone=usa

Are you attending Parent-Teacher Conferences next month? Make a quick stop that makes a big difference!

We're hosting a Food Drive to collect non-perishable items for the West Food Pantry.

When:

• October 14th

• October 15th

• During Conference Hours

Where:

• Look for the designated Drop-Off Box near the main entrance when you arrive for your conference.

What to Bring: Any non-perishable food item is appreciated, but the pantry is especially in need of:

• Canned Meats (tuna, chicken)

• Peanut Butter & Jelly

• Cereal/Oatmeal

• Canned Fruit & Vegetables

• Pasta & Sauce

Every donation helps local families! Thank you for your support.

Remember: Drop off your donation on October 14th or 15th!

The Boise School District complies with federal law (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) as it relates to the release of student directory information to the public. To learn more, log on to www.boiseschools.org and navigate to Parents & Patrons > Parent Information > FERPA Form. Or, please call the Clerk of the Board at 208-854-4123 to obtain a copy of the FERPA form.

https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/Policy/PolicyListing.aspx?S=36030877

Janet Cherry - Principal

Jon Zwainz - Assistant Principal

Website: https://west.boiseschools.org/
Location: 8371 W. Salt Creek Ct., Boise, ID 83709
Phone: 208-854-6450