Welcome to West End Middle School

Greetings, West End Families! 💙🤍

Thank you for another wonderful week at West End Middle School! As we wrap up the first quarter, I want to express my appreciation for your continued support and partnership. I hope all of our Blue Jay families enjoy a safe, relaxing, and well-deserved Fall Break!

🍂 Fall Break Reminder

West End Middle School will be on Fall Break next week. Students will return to school on Monday, October 19th. We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for a strong start to the second quarter!

🏀 Girls Basketball Tryouts

Calling all Lady Blue Jays! Girls basketball tryouts will take place on Monday, October 19th, and Tuesday, October 20th. We are excited for another great basketball season!

Please review this week's newsletter below for additional announcements, upcoming events, and important reminders.

📣 Staying Connected

Thank you for taking the time each week to read our Blue Jay Line Up! Our newsletter is one of our primary communication tools between home and school and is updated each Friday by the close of business. It includes important announcements, upcoming events, celebrations, athletics, and reminders.

In addition to the newsletter, I will continue to send a weekly text message and automated phone call highlighting important information for the week ahead.

If you are not receiving these communications, please contact our school office so we can verify and update your contact information.

💙 Our Commitment

At West End Middle School, we believe strong partnerships between home and school are essential to student success. We remain committed to creating a welcoming, supportive, and engaging learning environment where every student is challenged, valued, and empowered to thrive.

Please know that I am here to support you. If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at marysa.utley@mnps.org.

Thank you for being a valued part of the West End Middle School family. Enjoy your Fall Break, and we look forward to seeing our Blue Jays back on October 19th, ready for another quarter of learning, growth, academic excellence, and Blue Jay Pride!

Let's continue to SOAR, Blue Jays! 💙🤍

Here to Serve,
Marysa Utley
Interim Principal
West End Middle School

We’re in the final days of our INVEST in West fundraising campaign! Thank you for supporting every Blue Jay. If you’ve been meaning to give, there’s still time, and any amount helps us finish strong. One of the biggest ways you can help is to share the campaign with grandparents, relatives, friends, neighbors, and alumni who love supporting West End students.

Our Progress

So far, we are at over $14,000 received, more than 70% of the way to the goal! Let’s finish strong for our students!

We’ve reached the $10,000 mark, so we’ll celebrate with ice cream for all Blue Jays after fall break. Now, help us reach $20,000, so students also get a pizza party!

Your INVESTment

Your donation to INVEST in West supports all Blue Jays with quality academics, athletics, and extra curriculars!

· INVEST in Academics: INVEST helps cover the extras that make a real difference: classroom supplies and resources, academic enrichment, and teacher/staff appreciation throughout the year.

· INVEST in Athletics: INVEST helps support West End athletics through equipment and real-time needs that arise during a season like replacing worn-out practice gear, helping with uniforms, and supporting student opportunities when cost may be a barrier.

· INVEST in Extra-curriculars: Whether a student is learning media production skills or picking up an instrument for the first time, your support of INVEST helps keep those opportunities strong.

The Final Ask

INVEST in West. INVEST in your Blue Jay.

Please donate today! A helpful benchmark is $100-250 per student, but every gift – whether it’s $5 or $1,000 – gets us closer to our goal. All gifts are fully tax deductible.

Please give: https://app.givebacks.gives/investinwest26/
Venmo: https://venmo.com/westendbluejays

More info: https://westendptso.org/

And remember, although our formal INVEST campaign season is wrapping up, you can continue to give throughout the year. All donations are always welcome!

Edgar Award-nominated author Greg Howard will be in town for the Southern Festival of Books, and we are excited that he is making time to visit West End when we return from Fall Break! He will speak with our 6th grade students about his latest mystery book, The Travelers, and every student that attends gets to take home a copy of the book. This author's visit is brought to us by Humanities Tennessee and the Parnassus Foundation. To learn more about Greg and his books, please visit https://www.greghowardbooks.com/

Attendance is not mandatory; if you prefer your child to opt-out of this visit please email stephanie.kraft@mnps.org.

Dear Families,

Thank you to everyone who attended our meeting about our upcoming London, Paris & Barcelona trip in Summer 2027 and Japan trip in Summer 2028! I wanted to follow up with answers to a few questions from the meeting and make sure everyone has the important enrollment information in one place.

🌍 ENROLLMENT IS NOW OPEN!

Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis:

• 🇬🇧🇫🇷🇪🇸 London, Paris & Barcelona – Summer 2027: Only 10 spots available

• 🇯🇵 Japan – Summer 2028: Only 20 spots available

• You can reserve your spot with only $95.

💰 CURRENT DISCOUNTS

Enroll by September 25 and receive:

• $150 OFF London, Paris & Barcelona

• $250 OFF Japan

🔥 HOT OFF THE PRESS: Enroll TODAY and receive an ADDITIONAL $100 OFF on top of the promotional savings already available!

Enroll and view complete trip details here:

2028 Japan:
Japan 2028 Tour & Enrollment Page

2027 London, Paris & Barcelona:
London, Paris & Barcelona 2027 Tour & Enrollment Page

👥 CHAPERONE INFORMATION

EF provides chaperone spots based on a 6:1 ratio. For every six travelers who enroll, we earn one chaperone spot. There is not a separate chaperone plan or chaperone discount. Chaperone spots earned through the 6:1 ratio will be handled through EF.

📅 CANCELLATION INFORMATION

For the London, Paris & Barcelona trip, 110 days before departure is March 25. Cancellation fees increase depending on how close you are to the tour departure date. When enrolling, families will be able to review the complete cancellation-fee breakdown and decide whether they would like to add EF’s Plus Plan.

The same process applies to the Japan trip, with the applicable deadline being 110 days before that tour's departure date.

Each tour page also includes a countdown in the corner showing the number of days remaining until departure. I have included a picture showing where to locate this information.

EF also offers risk-free enrollment, which allows you to cancel within 7 days of enrollment for a full refund if your plans change.

📚 ADDITIONAL EF RESOURCES

Once enrolled, travelers will have access to a personal fundraising page and can apply for EF’s Global Citizen Scholarship. You can also learn more about payment plans, what is included with the tour, safety, and other travel information on the EF website:

EF Educational Tours

For additional assistance, you can contact EF’s Traveler Support Team:

Live Chat: Contact EF Traveler Support
Phone: 800-665-5364

If your student has friends who are interested but have not signed up yet, please feel free to share this information with their families.

We are looking forward to two incredible educational travel opportunities and hope your family will be able to join us!

Karlton Davidson
Assistant Principal
West End Middle School