The PARCC Assessments will be administered on April 27-May 4 in Reading and the Math Assessment will follow May 5-May11. Please impress upon your children the importance of this high-stakes state testing and that they do their very best. Your support and encouragement will make a tremendous difference in their efforts and performance. Testing will conclude each day by 12:00. We strongly encourage you to make appointments around the testing schedule. Being present each day is first and foremost the best advantage a student can have. Having to do the make-up testing in isolation is difficult.
ACPS TO HOST P-TECH PROGRAM STUDENT RECRUITMENT MEETING WESTMAR Middle: April 6, 2017 at 6:00
Beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, Allegany County Public Schools will offer incoming ninth grade students the opportunity to participate in an early college program through the Allegany County Pathways in Technology Early College High (P-Tech) Program at essentially no cost. This opportunity is made possible through collaboration between ACPS, Allegany College of Maryland, the Western Maryland Health System, and other businesses and industries in Allegany County.
The P-Tech program is a high school and beyond (9-14) model, which combines high school, college and the world of work. The program’s mission is to provide students with a free education that starts in grade nine, continues through high school completion with a high school diploma, and culminates in the attainment of an Associate Degree in Computer Technology.
Participating students will gain workplace skills and have access to mentoring and other career experiences through a partnership with WMHS. “The Western Maryland Health System is proud to be both a corporate partner as well as a sponsor of the P-Tech grant program,” said Barry Ronan, President and CEO of WMHS. “Last year, during a meeting with Governor Hogan, I had the opportunity to discuss the grant program, and he was excited to hear of Allegany County’s interest.” He went on to say, “It is great to see those very early discussions and all of the work of the Board of Education and Allegany College come to fruition.”
The ultimate goal of the P-Tech program of study is for students to earn an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Computer Technology with a Cybersecurity option within two years of graduating from ACPS. Students who move through the coursework at an accelerated pace will have other options available. These students can potentially earn a second Associate of Applied Science Degree in another option within the Computer Technology program within six years or transfer to Frostburg State University to complete a Baccalaureate Degree in a computer science field.
“The Allegany County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to support the Allegany County P-Tech partnership,” stated the Chamber’s Executive Director, Stu Czapski. “The P-Tech model compliments the already successful collaboration among Allegany County Public Schools, Allegany College of Maryland and the Center for Career and Technical Education and is another positive step toward the goal of economic growth in the IT sector for Allegany County. The Chamber continues to collaborate on the planning grant to ensure this educational opportunity is a success.”
ACPS will begin to host student recruitment meetings in all of the district’s middle schools beginning in April. Meetings are scheduled for April 3-6, 2017, at 6:00 p.m., and interested parents and students are welcome to attend any of the meetings listed below. Staff from ACPS, ACM, and a business partner will be in attendance to explain the program and answer questions. Parents of eighth grade students are strongly encouraged to attend. The window to apply for admission to the P-Tech program is April 3 - 28, 2017. Applications will be available at the recruitment meetings, or click here to apply online.
For more information about the P-Tech program or the upcoming student recruitment meetings, contact Dr. Kim Kalbaugh, ACPS Chief Academic Officer, at 301-759-2053, or Mrs. Candy Canan, Principal of the Career Center, at 301-729-6486.
Congratulations to Dawson Ternent, 8th grader at Westmar Middle School, for qualifying as a 2017 Recognized Carson Scholar. Dawson was previously honored with a scholarship award, and is now receiving a commemorative pin and certificate to acknowledge his continued academic and humanitarian achievements. He is among nearly 8,000 gifted students from across the country that have been named Carson Scholars. Their academic achievements and service to their communities are what makes them stand our as future leaders. Dawson will be honored in front of family, peers, and educators at the Carson Scholars Fund 21st Annual Awards Ceremony on Sunday, April 30, 2017 at Martin’s West in Baltimore, MD.
Congratulations to Ms. Jones and the following students who were selected to represent Westmar Middle School in 6th grade 2017 All County Middle School Honors Band program: Carly Crawford, Gwen Fazenbaker, Tanner Clark, Julia Barth, and Owen Llewelyn. The concert will be hosted at Fort Hill High School this Wednesday, March 8th at 7:00p.m.
Congratulations to Mr. Moon and the following students who were selected to represent Westmar Middle School in the 2017 All-County Orchestra Honors program: Joseph Crawford, Lily Cutter, Rachel Whiteman, Bo Berg, Colten Crawford-Twigg, James House, Avery Jacobs, Emily Liller, Jordan Nolan and Paige Swisher. The concert will be held this Thursday, March 9th at 7:00p.m.
BELIEVE CANDY BAR FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT BAND AND ORCHESTRA STUDENTS FOR THEIR TRIP TO KENNYWOOD PARK, PA
Candy bar varieties- Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Crispy Chocolate, Cookies and Cream, Almonds, and Caramel Toffee.
Sold by Westmar Band and Orchestra Students $1.00 each
B & B Hoagie Sale for 8th grade begins March 14th and will be delivered on March 30th.
The Maryland State Board of Education (MSDE) adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in 2013. As these standards are implemented in Local Education Agency science curricula in grades K-12, the assessments administered in science must change. This year, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), will be introducing the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA) in grades 5 and 8. This assessment is based on A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas.
In an effort to develop the best possible assessment, MSDE will be conducting a field test during which all 5th and 8th grade students will participate, but will not receive individual scores. The purpose of a field test is to gather data that will guide the development of a valid and reliable operational assessment in future years.
The assessment consists of 4 units and will address the disciplinary core ideas in the content areas of life science, physical science, Earth/space science, and Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science. These core ideas will be intertwined with science and engineering practices, which will allow for inquiry based investigations, as well as crosscutting concepts in the science disciplines.
The NGSS will help to properly prepare students for college and/or a career. Due to the high cognitive demands of the NGSS, we have provided transition years to local educators in order to shift instruction to enable all students to meet the requirements to be ready for college and/or a career.
Eighth grade students at Westmar will take the MISA on March 21st and March 22nd. We look forward to a successful field test administration.
Mountain Ridge High School Scheduling Process Begin For 2017-2018 School Year
It is that time of year where the 8th grade students will begin their transitional process into Mountain Ridge High School. Listed below are some activities that your child will be participating in:
IMPORTANT: You will be receiving a letter in the mail from the Board of Education containing your student’s ID number, Password, and Course Selection. Please do not throw this away.
February 14 – Mr. Eisel and Mrs. Blank from Mountain Ridge will be here to go over 9th grade course selections. Students will also have the opportunity to learn about the Bio Medical program. The new P-Tech program will be discussed at a later date.
February 21 – Parent Meeting in Media Center at 6:00 – 8:00. Topics to be discussed include graduation requirements, high school assessments, class offerings, and using the ASPEN system. Mr. Eisel from Mountain Ridge will be here to answer any questions.
February 23 - “Make Up” Parent meeting if needed.
February 27 – March 10 ASPEN will be open for 9th grade course selections. Course selections will NOT BE TAKEN after March 10.
February 28 – Frostburg State University Upward Bound program. Interested students will be bringing home applications.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at Westmar Middle School at 301-463-5751.
The 8th Grade Team has many great things planned to make your student's last year of middle school a memboriable one. Activities that we are hoping to provide include the following:
Career Center Visitation
Mountain Ridge High School Visitation
West Virginia University Tour
Hershey Park Field Trip
8th Grade Farewell Presentation
Field Day With Picnic
Mountain Ridge Class of 2021 Tee Shirts
Lst year, due to the success of our fundraising campaign, we were able to off ALL activities FREE of charge to our students. In order to this accomplished we need your help to raise adequate funds. We will be holding three fundraisers to obtain the money needed to carry out our plans. We will kick-off our fundraising campaign with Little Caesar's Pizza Kits. The students will take orders and colect money beginning September 9th through September26th. We are asking each student try to sell a minimum of 5 kits. The delivery date will be October 13th. the orders may be picked up from 2:00-3:30 in room 32. Please enter through the Barton Lobby.
Westmar Middle School will be collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald house in Morgantown, WV. Pop tabs will be weighed and then recorded on a bar graph monthly. Westmar students have delivered over 200 pounds per year for the past two years. Wow, that’s a lot of TABS!
Pop Tabs allow the Ronald McDonald Foundation to turn tabs into cash. This helps families who have a child admitted into Morgantown’s Hospital for extended stays. The Ronald McDonald Foundation provides these families and children with, not only a place to live during their stay, but playgrounds, gas cards, activity centers, and much more to help families feel a sense of home, while away from home.
Such a small contribution, with such big outcomes! Please drop tabs in Tabby’s collection cup located on the second floor, near Mrs. Snyder’s room. Thanks for all your help and support.
Welcome to the 2016-17 school year. It will be another exciting year at Westmar and with hard work and determination, your time with us will foster academic excellence and lead to positive choices in the future.
