West Side Story 2.0

Today we officially kick off second quarter! We hope your student is feeling energized and ready for a fresh start. This next chapter brings new learning opportunities, projects, and growth.

Check Your Student's Mid-Term Grades

The mid-point of the semester is the perfect time to review your student's progress. Please take a moment to check their grades in Infinite Campus. While these are mid-term grades and will not be recorded on their official transcript, they offer a valuable snapshot of where your student currently stands. Reviewing these results together is an excellent opportunity to celebrate successes and identify any areas where they might need additional support or attention before final grades are recorded.

Attendance: Every Day Counts

A cornerstone of academic success is consistent attendance. There's truly nothing that can replace the in-class experience and the authentic learning, collaboration, and discussion that happens with their peers and teacher. When students are in the classroom, they receive direct instruction, participate in key activities, and build employability skills like collaboration, communication, and problem solving.

We want to highlight the importance of being in school every day. At this point in the year, a student who has accumulated five or more days of absences (whether excused or unexcused) has already missed more than 10% of the school year. Missing this much instruction time can significantly impact their learning trajectory. Please help your student prioritize being present and on time for school each day!

We look forward to a fantastic second quarter with all our students!

Our Fall Conference Night is scheduled for Thursday, November 6th, from 5:45 PM to 7:45 PM.

Please use this link https://ptcfast.com/schools/Mankato_West_High_School to schedule conference times with your student’s teachers by Tuesday evening, November 4. You will find your student’s teachers by viewing your student’s schedule on your parent portal in Infinite Campus.

We look forward to seeing students and parents Thursday evening!

If you missed the FAFSA night in October, you can catch another session during our Conference Night on Thursday. Kim Walters, Financial Aid Advisor from South Central College will be presenting for parents and students at 6:30 in the media center. This will be a 30 min presentation with time for questions.

Feature Pathway: Education and Training

Are you a student interested in a career in education? Our Education and Training pathway offers a comprehensive sequence of courses to prepare you for this exciting field!

Recommended Exploration Courses:

• Child Development

• Psychology

• Sociology

To deepen your experience, consider taking:

• Mentorship

• Advanced Child Development

Real-World Engagement and Certifications:

For hands-on application, students can enroll in our concurrent enrollment course KSP 150 Exploring Careers in Education and Field Experience in Education. This will give students college credit and start them on their journey to an major in education. KSP 150 does meet a goal area for students going to college but may not be interested in the field of education.

Affiliated Academic Courses:

These courses also support the pathway: Peer Tutoring, AP Psychology

Get Involved:

Students interested in the field of education should consider being involved in Student Council, Key Club, Mental Health Connections, Hope Squad and SHINE.

High school music courses are essential for developing cognitive skills, fostering self-discipline and creativity, and building collaborative abilities that contribute to overall academic success and personal growth. Courses in this department include:

• Symphonic Band
• Concert Band
• Wind Ensemble
• Scarlet Choir
• Concert Choir
• Scarlet Orchestra
• Orchestra
• AP Music Theory
• Music Tech

Students interested in music should consider participating in Jazz Band, Pep Band, Lancers, West Connection, Chamber Orchestra, plays and musicals.

Keep an eye on this newsletter for more highlights as we approach registration!

To ensure the safety of all students and to manage the current construction, we need to remind everyone about our traffic flow rules:

• All student drop-offs and pick-ups must occur in the front lot.

• The back lot is restricted to buses only. Construction activity in that area is increasing, making it more congested.

The only exception to this rule is for students with mobility issues who have difficulty with stairs.

Your cooperation helps us keep our traffic moving smoothly and, most importantly, keeps our students safe! Thank you for helping us during this construction period.

Nov 5 - Construction Trades

Joe Holtmeier, owner of Holtmeier Construction, will be speaking with the Geometry in Action class.

Nov 7 - Neurology

Adam Steiner, MSU Professor of Psychology & Behavioral Neurology, will be meeting with students who saved Neurology related fields in Xello.

Nov 11 - River Hills Pet Care Hospital

9:15 - 10:15 am

River Hills Pet Care Hospital

Students who saved veterinarian or vet tech in Xello were invited. The first 10 students to respond to the calendar invite will be attending the event. This site has a 10 person maximum.

Here is the latest construction update from Kraus-Anderson on West High School.

Click here for important information from our Student Support Staff.

Shout out to our school psychologist, Mikell Franke! Mr. Franke's support for our students, families, and staff is foundational to our success, particularly through his contributions to both our MTSS and PBIS initiatives. Thank you, Mr. Franke!

If you know a family who could use some extra support, please consider sharing these Food Resources with them.

Starting this week, our school is holding a food drive to benefit ECHO. Students are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item and place it in the collection box in their 2nd period classroom.

November 6

Conferences 5:45pm - 7:45pm

November 11

Veteran's Day

Career Event - River Hills Mall Pet Hospital 9:15am

November 12

Early Out Day

Fall Signing Day (D1 and D2 student athletes) 2:00pm

Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech in our auditorium

November 13, 14, and 15

Fall Play Performances

November 20

Quarter 1 Shining Scarlet Breakfast

November 27 - 28

No School - Happy Thanksgiving!