Westwood Junior High

Happy RHS Homecoming! What a beautiful day for a parade. Thank you to all the families helping make today memorable for our Wolf Pups, from donations to car rides, your support is invaluable.

It’s hard to believe we’ve already spent nine great weeks with your child at Westwood Junior High. The first quarter ends October 9th, so please check your child’s grades regularly in FOCUS. All grades will be finalized on October 9th, and if you don’t have a FOCUS account yet, please set one up soon, link to RISD FOCUS for parents. Our teachers and staff are here to support both you and your student. Be sure to explore our Virtual Open House to access teacher contact information and class syllabi.

All students are setting growth goals in each class as well as one goal aligned with the RISD Graduate Profile. Westwood Wolves helped pioneer this district-wide goal-setting process because a WOLF is future-focused. In Math, RLA, and Science, growth goals will be based on NWEA MAP. You can access a copy for your child’s MAP Growth assessment results in FOCUS, and more information about the assessment is available here. Students will house their goals in a Schoology portfolio, building on them every year toward graduation. The Family Growth Camp will be held on February 10, 2026, after the Middle of Year NWEA MAP Assessment.

We are excited to watch your child meet and exceed their goals this year. Please reach out with any questions, we value our partnership in your student’s learning, growth, and success. Continue to follow updates via newsletters, Westwood Twitter & Facebook, our school website, and PTA platforms. Next week's Wire, will hi light learning in AVID and our Spanish and French programs.

With Wolf Pack Pride,

Katie Mottram
Principal, Westwood Junior High

kathryn.mottram@risd.org

• 10/09 - Future Eagles Night (rescheduled)
• 10/10-13 - Fall Break - No School
• 10/15 - Fall Choir Concert @ 6:30 PM
• 10/22 - Fall Band Concert @ 6 PM
• 10/24 - Fall Picture day
• 10/27-31 - Red Ribbon Week
• 11/3-4 - Student Holiday/Staff Professional Learning Day
• 11/05 – Road to RHS (8th grade parents at WWJH @ 6 pm)
• 11/06 – MST Ed Talks
• 11/18 - Orchestra Fall Concert @ Richardson HS Auditorium @ 6:30 PM
• 12/16-19 – Fall Exam Week

Haga clic aquí para español.

Catch up on all the updates from our September 26th edition. Click below to view the full newsletter.

A Parent's Guide to Substance Use Prevention

In honor of Red Ribbon Week, we want to provide our parents with some resources on how to talk to your kids about substance use. This can be a difficult topic to broach and we want to give you tools to begin your conversations. Please see the flyer below for this year’s theme. As always, we are here to help.

We will be hosting an informational night for all 8th grade parents here at Westwood called Road to RHS. This event is designed to educate and equip you as you prepare to transition your student from junior high to high school. We will be discussing Personalized Graduation Plans, high school credit requirements and course offerings, extra curricular activities, and parental involvement at RHS and with their PTA. Westwood and RHS counselors will be present, as well as RHS Principal, Chris Choat, and CTE Counselor, Jennifer Sweaks. Please RSVP for the event using the QR code below, and we look forward to seeing you!

Hello Westwood Families,

It’s that time again! Westwood Junior High, Math, Science, and Leadership Magnet is excited to invite speakers to chat with our students about how the skills they are learning in the classroom connect to future careers. This year’s event will take place on November 6th.

We are so grateful for the incredible community support we’ve received in the past and would be thrilled to have you join us again this year—either in person or virtually!

If you’re willing to share your time and experiences to help inspire and develop young minds, please let us know by completing this Google Form.

Our students truly benefit from the knowledge, stories, and skills our community members bring, and we deeply appreciate your involvement in continuing the tradition of Westwood EdTalks!

If you have any questions, please contact:
Melissa Compton 📧 melissa.compton@risd.org

We’re looking for parent volunteers to support behind the scenes during our MST Ed Talks on Thursday, November 6th! Help us create a smooth experience for our student speakers by assisting with Green Room responsibilities.. Your support at this event is invaluable!

Join us as we travel to London during Spring Break 2026!

Since 2022, Westwood 8th grade students and parents have explored London together, experiencing highlights such as:

• Oxford University
• The Tower of London
• The London Eye
• Westminster Abbey
• The Globe Theatre
• West End Musicals such as:
• Matilda
• Back to the Future
• Walking Ghost Tours
• ...and much more!

This action-packed five-day trip is the perfect way to make lasting memories while discovering the history, culture, and excitement of London.

Questions? Contact Coach Lockett at beverly.lockett@risd.org.

Dear Families,

As we prepare for the upcoming admissions process for our elementary and junior high magnet programs, we want to share important updates regarding eligibility requirements.

Before students may be considered for the magnet lottery, they must first meet basic academic, attendance, and behavior expectations. These criteria ensure that students are well-prepared to thrive in our rigorous and specialized magnet learning environments.

Please take time to encourage your child to:

• Maintain regular attendance (at least 90% or higher).

• Strive for high academic achievement by keeping an overall average of 80 or above in the core subjects—Math, Reading/Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies and avoiding course failures.

• Demonstrate positive behavior that reflects our Code of Civility by being safe, respectful, and responsible. Students with repeated discipline incidents or suspensions may not be eligible.

We are sharing these expectations early so that families and students are fully aware of the requirements well before the application window. Our goal is to prevent any student from losing access to the lottery process due to attendance, academic performance, or behavior concerns.

Finalized entry and acceptance guidelines, as well as application timelines, will be communicated soon on our district website and other district publications..

Thank you for your continued support in helping our students excel both in and out of the classroom. Together, we can ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed and thrive in our magnet programs.

Beginning in late September, your student began receiving lessons through Advisory to start preparing them for high school. PGPs (Personalized Graduation Plans) are a tailored educational roadmap aligning to a student's high school courses with their specific interests and graduation goals in mind. While students will continue to receive information through Advisory every couple weeks, Ms. Kennedy and Mrs. Trujillo will be going into 8th grade Language Arts classrooms in November and December to draft these with your student. All PGP lessons throughout the semester will be posted on the Counseling Schoology Group page for students to revisit.

Please see the timeline below and know it is subject to change as we receive information from the district. We will keep you informed of any changes!

All students should have joined the grade-appropriate Counseling Schoology group in their Advisory class. This is a place where counselors share important lessons, links, and resources for students throughout the year.

7th Grade Group Code: 4FC5-7FCS-55HPF

8th Grade Group Code: XNMJ-6D5K-R3FHW

If your student needs to see a counselor, they are expected to fill out the Counselor Request Form. We are notified immediately when this form has been completed, and we call them down as soon as we are available. Unless it's an emergency, students are not allowed to come to the Counseling Office without filling out the form and waiting to be called down.

Hopefully by now everyone has settled into their routines and know their schedules. We want to remind you that we are unable to change electives at this time. Our staff was hired and class allocations were made based on the requests made in the spring.

Fall Sports Update

FOOTBALL:

• This week the Wolves will take on Lake Highlands Middle School at Eagle/Mustang Stadium on Tuesday, October 7th.

• 8th Grade game starts at 5:30 PM

• 7th Grade game will begin at 7:00 PM

VOLLEYBALL:

• The volleyball teams will play on Wednesday, October 8th.

• The 7th grade games will host Liberty Junior High 7B will play at 5:30 PM, followed by the 7C team at 6:30 PM, and 7A will close out the night at 7:30 PM.

• The 8th grade teams will play at Liberty JH. Game times are set for 8B @ 5:30 PM and 8A @ 6:30 PM.

• Tickets can be purchased online https://richardsonisd.brushfire.com/ or at the door.

• Girls Athletics will participate in the RHS Volleyball Future Eagle Night on Thursday, October 9th

Cross Country:

• Boys will compete at Huffhines Park on Monday, October 6th at 4:30 PM.

• Girls next competition is Tuesday, October 7th at Huffhines Park. The start time is 4:30 PM.

Athletic Shop:

• If you ordered merchandise on the WWJH Athletic Store website that closed on September 16th, orders will be delivered to Westwood next week.

• All orders will arrive at Westwood and distributed to student-athletes.

Westwood Athletic Coordinators

• Girls: Beverley Lockett beverly.lockett@risd.org

• Boys: Andres Cervantes andres.cervantes@risd.org

Go WOLVES!

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.

Tickets for all RISD Athletic Events can be purchased at the gate or by visiting the link below:

https://richardsonisd.brushfire.com/

October’s Database of the Month is Discovery Education. This resource is video based and provides lots of information on a variety of topics in videos. Each video has a citation attached to it, so it can be used as a reference resource. Check out all the features HERE. Students will be exposed to this during their library visit this month. There is a Database Challenge posted for them in their Library Schoology Group that is due at the end of the month. We’re hoping they’ll explore the resource and find ways to use it for school, but also for personal knowledge seeking!

October’s Reading Challenge will be during the week of October 14th. We will have a Mystery Reader who will be searching for students reading on their own time. When caught, the students will be shouted out for reading and receive a treat!

The Richardson Reads One Book Program at the Richardson Public Library sponsored an activity to coincide with their pick for this year. We hosted The Chocolate Olympics during RTI time! Oreo stacking, taste testing, a Hershey relay race and more! Thanks to RROB! We had a blast!

September’s Book Club meetings were filled with lively discussion about our two selections. We will meet once a month to discuss the selected books!

My Library Ambassadors have been working hard this year. Each ambassador is creating a book teaser slide each month for a book to promote on the big screen in the library. We have a slideshow of them rotating while classes are in the library checking out books to give them some ideas of what to check out!

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!

PTA Reflections is a nationally acclaimed student recognition program to encourage artistic creativity in the classroom and at home. Students of all grades and abilities may participate and explore the arts. For more information, visit our website WWJH PTA Reflections 2025-26 or email artsed@westwoodpta.org.

The theme for 2025-26 is "I Belong..." Express your artistic talents with PTA Reflections in the categories of dance choreography, musical composition, photography, visual arts, film production, and literature. Entries due Oct 29!

The Richardson ISD Bond 2025 is designed to address projects across the district, encompassing construction, facilities, safety and security, transportation, fine arts, athletics, technology, and various instructional programs.

Early Voting is from Oct. 20-31 and Election Day is Tuesday, November 4.

See proposed projects for our campus and others.

Information Sessions:

To help parents and community members learn more about Bond 2025 and its potential impact on their campus, Richardson ISD is holding a series of information sessions.

You are highly encouraged to attend an information session in our community to learn more. The next meeting will be held October 16 at 6:30 PM at Westwood Junior High.

All information sessions are open to the public.

Spanish interpretation services are available. To submit your request, please email Teresa Ordóñez or call 469-593-0312 with 24-hours in advance.

For more information, including a video overview and a schedule of all information sessions, please visit the official Bond 2025 website at https://web.risd.org/home/bond2025/.

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.