West Middle School PTCO

WMS PTCO General Meeting
Tuesday, November 8, 2022

WMS in person 

Draft – pending approval in Feb 2023

• Call to order 

1. Attendance

Executive Board members – Brian Brown (president elect), Lisa Britt (treasurer elect), Jill Smith (communications), Kara Martin (secretary)

WMS personnel, including Monica Garcia (principal)

WMS parents, caregivers, and community members (attendance roster signed)

Special Guests: WMS SRO Rodney Valenzuela and Greenwood Village Detective Tony Costarella

1. Notes below taken by Kara Martin 

• Minutes from August 30, meeting: Minutes approved unanimously upon motion of Tanya Rinebarger, second by Jill Smith

1. Hospitality Funds: PTCO received $10,270 in hospitality contributions, exceeding the hospitality budget of $7,500, which is based on the Parent Council guideline of no more than 5% total budget spending on hospitality/non-student related expenditures. Two options for handling this excess: a) spend down the excess in the year of receipt (i.e., 22-23) or b) earmark funds for 23-24. Hospitality expenditures as of Nov. 2 are $1,206, leaving a balance of $9,064. Possible expenditures include Fall and Spring conference dinners, Veterans Day snacks, December 16 Staff Holiday Luncheon, Teacher Appreciation Week, etc. ** moves to approve expenditure of the additional funds exceeding the $7,500 budgeted for hospitality, in this school year (i.e., 22-23). Jill second the motion. The motion is unanimously approved. 

1. Volunteer of the Year: Jill Smith was named WMS volunteer of the year! Congratulations for a job well done, Jill!

1. Drugs and Social Media Presentation, WMS SRO Rodney Valenzuela and Greenwood Village Detective Tony Costarella

**Action Item:  At the next General PTCO meeting on February 7, 2023, approve minutes from the November 8, 2022 meeting

Please join us for our next General PTCO Meeting

CATCH Global Foundation in partnership with the PTCO at West Middle School is providing a webinar to educate parents and caregivers on the dangers of the youth vaping epidemic.  Join us on February 7^th from 9:30-11:00am to arm yourself with an important tool in this battle—knowledge—and with this information, you are becoming a vital part of the solution.

This will be a hybrid webinar offered in person at WMS and virtually (whatever is best for your schedule):  Click here to join the meeting: Click here to join the meeting

As the U.S. Surgeon General has stated, the problem of youth vaping has risen to the status of a national epidemic. In other words, we are in a crisis, and it is imperative that we act quickly to stop the problem from spiraling further out of control. E-cigarettes were developed as a safer alternative to combustible cigarettes, but they have quickly become an on-ramp for nicotine addiction for young people. The CDC has warned that e-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women, or non-smoking adults.

Marcella Bianco, the Director of Community Relations for CATCH Global Foundation will be our guest speaker (in Nashville, TN). The mission at CATCH is to empower school communities to cultivate whole child wellness as a lever for student success and social equity. Our SRO, Rodney Valenzuela, will also join us, so he can answer any questions as well.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend this informative webinar!

Please join us for our next General PTCO Meeting at West Tuesday, November 8th at 9:30am (in the Commons).  Officer Rodney Valenzuela, our very own School Resource Officer and 2020 Greenwood Village Police Department Officer of the Year, will be our guest speaker!  He will provide us with information that parents should know about current trends with youth drug use in our area, warning signs for parents to watch for, and some information on social media concerns (other topics may be covered as well).

We look forward to his presentation and hope you all can join us.  Everyone is welcome!

WMS PTCO General Meeting
Tuesday, August 30, 2022

WMS in person

Draft – pending approval in Nov 2022

1. Call to order
2. Attendance

Executive Board members – Kyle Johnson (president), Brian Brown (president elect), Lisa Britt (treasurer elect), Jill Smith (communications), Kara Martin (secretary)

Other Board members – Erika Cheley (slating chair)

WMS personnel: Monica Garcia (principal), Emily Carter (6^th grade counselor), Justin Cantrell (8^th grade counselor), Ali Holstein (7^th grade counselor), Tom MacDougall (psychologist, 6^th grade and 7^th grade A-K), Sara Mong, LCSW (social worker, 8^th grade and 7^th grade L-Z), Bryan Terry (7^th grade administrator), Timothy Wimsatt (8^th grade administrator/campus administrator)

WMS parents, caregivers, and community members

1. Notes below taken by Kara Martin

1. Monica Garcia update
   1. 2022-2023 is Principal Garcia’s 5^th year at WMS and 11^th year at CCSD
   2. WMS actual enrollment exceeds projections.

1. WMS added sections in 6^th and 8^th grades. Counselors are working on schedule adjustments. Affected families/students will receive notice of any schedule adjustments, intended to ensure classes are not too large, within 48 hours.
2. Academic data on CMAS is available. Colorado Department of Education is delayed in releasing the data, which is scheduled to be sent home the week of September 12 and will be shared at the WMS accountability meeting on September 13.
3. Students will take Fastbridge Learning assessments in reading and math during class time. This assessment is not subject to opt in/out. Assessment results will likely reveal a lack of mastery because assessments are conducted at the beginning of the year regarding material/skills to be taught during the year.
4. Student athletics and activities have launched for the 2022-2023 school year. More than 240 students registered to participate in track, and the first meet is today. Art Club, Steamblazers (a/k/a Girls Who Code) and Yearbook are also starting.
5. Partners for Academic Success (PASS) meets September 6. PASS is open to all parents, with a focus on families of color.
6. WMS accountability meeting is September 13 and is also open to all.
7. Parent/Teacher conferences are September 22, although parents are encouraged to request conferences when desired and need not wait for official conference dates. The second round of conferences will be November 10 and 11.
8. PTCO Introductions: Principal Garcia introduced PTCO president Kyle Johnson, PTCO president elect Brian Brown, communications lead Jill Smith, treasurer elect Lisa Britt, slating chair Erika Cheley, and secretary Kara Martin.
9. Wildcat Challenge is the WMS fall fundraiser, which will kick off September 12 with grade level assemblies attended by mascot Wesley. The Wildcat Challenge funds classroom-related teacher grants, technology, PBIS behavioral support programs, and other items or services benefitting WMS students for which no other source of funding is available. Students will learn how to create fundraising accounts through the Get Movin’ fundraising platform. Highest fundraisers for each grade level and overall will receive prizes. All students, regardless of fundraising, will participate in two-hour celebrations, separated by grade level and held during the school day on Friday, October 7. Otherwise, October 7 will be a regular school day. The celebration will include Ninja Nation inflatable obstacle courses, a teacher “dunk tank,” “race the radar,” recreational games/sports, and other fun. The Wildcat Challenge fundraising period will run from September 12 through October 7.
10. Fall Fest will occur the evening of September 30 at WMS. Fall Fest is a free school/PTCO-supervised student-only event separated by grade level, for 1.5 hours each, starting with 6^th Eighth graders will finish at 8 p.m. Fall Fest will offer an inflatable maze, games hosted by Cherry Creek High School honor society students, optional music and dancing, and other fun.
11. Eighth graders will tour the Cherry Creek Innovation Academy and will discuss high school planning. WMS counselors will visit WMS feeder elementary schools to talk with 5^th graders in February and March.

• Bullying and Social Media Presentation by WMS Mental Health Team and Counselors

To find slides from the presentation, go to WMS website, https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/west. The slides are fund under “Our School”, “Mental Health/Counseling”, then “Resources”: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1j1fLYyA5-8Uzng-rINbJ3FANiRynBjHCMVh0BxWkqbc/edit?usp=sharing.

1. Electronic Devices at WMS, 8^th Grade Dean/Campus Administrator Tim Wimsatt, former Dean of Eagle Crest High School
   1. Acknowledgement that schools will never win the fight of abolishing phone usage because phones/electronic devices are a part of our world. The goal is to teach responsible usage. WMS teachers vary regarding their approaches to phone usage, with some allowing phones as an academic tool or for music during study/work time, and other teachers prohibiting them.
   2. To address the dilemma, WMS convened a cell phone/ECD committee of 12 teachers to produce a 2022-2023 action plan for phone usage. WMS makes decisions based on data and stakeholder input. WMS surveyed teachers and 6^th/7^th grade students last year. Students and teachers agreed that phones were used in class 1-2 times per week. Students and teachers predictably disagreed on whether phones are a distraction from learning. The survey asked students what guidelines they would like to see regarding phone usage and 70% preferred structure on when phones could or could not be used.
   3. WMS reviewed past incidents of discipline related to phones, which ranged from 3 incidents in 2018-2019 to 31 incidents in 2021-2022, excluding 2020-2021, when students were not attending in person school full-time. The discipline data did not indicate a large-scale problem with inappropriate phone usage, perhaps because teachers were managing it.
   4. The committee reviewed the WMS student handbook policy on phone/electronic devise usage, which was clear and appropriate regarding permissible academic usage and permissible times for parent/child communication in ordinary circumstances (i.e., before 8:50 am and after 3:45 pm). The committee discerned that the problem was implementation of the policy, which lacked structure. The committee adopted a stoplight model to infuse consistency and structure regarding phone usage:

• A red battery with one or two bars indicates “no device allowed.”
• A yellow battery with more bars indicates “computer use only allowed.”
• A green battery with full bars indicates “teacher approved devices are allowed.
• Phones use is prohibited in the halls.
  1. The first week of school, students received a grace period regarding this approach. The second week of school, on August 17, the Deans spoke to the students in Access classes regarding expectations concerning phone usage. On August 18, parents received this communication. In case of a first violation of the electronic device rule, the teacher will notify parents or caregivers. For a second violation, the student turns the device over to the Dean, who secures it in a locked drawer, documents the incident on Power School, and notifies the parent/caregiver. For third or fourth violations, the student receives a consequence, along with steps taken for earlier violations. Subsequent violations could result in a more comprehensive plan.

1. Minutes from March 29, 2022: Tanya Rinebarger moved for approval of the 3/29/22 minutes, and Erika Cheley seconded the motion. The minutes are approved.

Nov 8, 2022 – approval of August 30, 2022 minutes.

Please join us for our next PTCO General Meeting!

When:  Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 9:30am

Where:  West Middle School

Agenda:

• Ryan Silva, CCHS Principal, guest speaker
• Monica Garcia, WMS Principal to discuss school updates
• PTCO–vote on proposed budget for 2022-2023 school year, updated bylaws and General Meeting Minutes from 1/18/22, discuss potential volunteer openings for 2022-2023 school year

We hope to see you!

Fundraisers

We hold two fundraisers annually, which fund many WMS programs that PTCO supports.  Everyone has busy lives, so we keep these events simple!  There is no gift wrap to sell and students don’t have to go door to door.

-Wildcat Challenge-

This is held each fall and is an event that involves students raising funds through online or in person donations.  Students celebrate meeting their school wide fundraising goal with a prize day.  We encourage donations from friends, family & co-workers.  Employer matching contributions are always welcome.

-Family Giving-

This event is held in the spring and is a “direct ask” campaign, where families can “write a check and be done”.  It is intended for parents of WMS students.  Employer matching contributions are always welcome.

Spirit Events

-West Fest-

We hold this annual carnival within the first few weeks of school starting.  This is an event where you can meet and mingle with new friends and classmates.  Students and their families are welcome to join in this fun event.  This is a free event.

-Class Parties-

Parties will be held in the spring this year.  More details TBD.

-Teacher Appreciation-

We love our WMS teachers and PTCO shows our appreciation at different events throughout the year. 

• Conferences
• Teacher appreciation week