Winston, we made it!
Week of 1 of the 2026-27 school year is officially in the books!
Way to represent The West Way all week, Pioneers! Shout out to our students, staff, families, and community for helping us get the year off to a great start!
Looking for some new Pioneer gear? Don't forget to check out the Portage West Spirit Store: https://www.pwms.ctoutfit.com/
Enjoy the long weekend, Pioneers! You've earned it!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
PIONEER FAMILIES!
The Portage West Spirit Store is OPEN!
Check out the latest Pioneer gear—including some oldies but goodies and several fresh new styles. A portion of every purchase directly supports Portage West Middle School!
Shop today at https://www.pwms.ctoutfit.com/. Orders must be placed by September 14.
Gear up and show your Pioneer pride!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
DAY 1 IS IN THE BOOKS! ❤️🤍💙
We kicked off the 2026-27 school year with Assistant Superintendent Gerbers and Portage City Councilmember Ledbetter welcoming our Pioneers as they entered the building!
We ended the day with a pep assembly celebrating our newest Pioneer Leaders and a school-wide rendition of our school chant!
What a great first day, Pioneers! The energy was high, and it was great having our students back in the building!
See you tomorrow for our first full day!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
PIONEER FAMILIES — WE’RE ALMOST THERE!
See the attached reminders to help your Pioneer get ready for the first couple days of school!
🔴 6th Graders: Bring your red folder from orientation. If you weren’t able to make it to orientation, no worries! We’ll have one for you when you arrive.
🎥 WELCOME BACK VIDEO: If you haven’t watched the “Welcome Back” video from Mr. Bailey, set aside some time to watch it with your Pioneer. It includes information about:
• The first two days of school
• Drop-off and pick-up procedures
• Lunch schedules
• Michigan’s wireless device law and what it means at Portage West
• WMS and PPS handbooks
Watch the video here: https://www.wevideo.com/view/4164477879
💻 CHROMEBOOKS: Students will not need to bring their Chromebooks this week.
7th & 8th graders can leave their devices at home. 6th graders will receive their devices this week and can leave them at home once they receive them.
All students should begin bringing their Chromebooks to school daily on September 8.
That’s it for now! Our staff is excited to get the new school year going!
See you tomorrow, Pioneers!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
We are ready for our Pioneers! Looking forward to Monday!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
WEATHER ANNOUNCEMENT
Due to the forecast of storms this afternoon, cross country and football practices are cancelled today, Wednesday, August 26th.
#AllIn #TheWestWay
Are you a high school student looking for volunteer hours?
Portage West is looking for volunteers to assist with our Open House on Wednesday, August 26th.
Interested? Click to sign up here!
And as a bonus, we'll have food trucks and vendors on site - grab a bite while you're here helping out!
We appreciate your support!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
PIONEER FAMILIES!
The countdown is on to welcome our Pioneers back to West, and we are excited to introduce the newest members of our staff! Each brings a unique background and skill set that will strengthen our community and support our scholars.
Take a moment to scroll through the graphics and learn more about each of our newest Pioneer Leaders.
Please join us in giving them a HUGE Pioneer welcome as they begin the 2026–27 school year with us!
See you soon, Pioneers!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
Here is this week in sports!
Volleyball tryouts are today and tomorrow with practice to follow through Thursday. Cross Country and Football have practice Monday - Friday this week.
Stay hydrated and have a great week student-athletes!
#Volleyball #CrossCountry #Football #AllIn #TheWestWay
PIONEER FAMILIES!
The countdown is ON! We have a busy and exciting week ahead as we get ready to welcome our Pioneers back to West!
Check out the graphic attached for all of our important Back-to-School dates and details.
A FEW EXTRA REMINDERS:
6th Grade Orientation – Monday, 8/24
Orientation is for 6th grade students only from 7:57 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Parents/Guardians are invited to join Mr. Bailey for a brief session from 11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in the Blue Gym.
Missing Orientation? Stop by the main office Tuesday–Thursday from 8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. to pick up your schedule and locker information.
Extra Locker & Schedule Practice
For 6th graders and new 7th/8th grade students who want a little extra practice before school begins:
• Wednesday, 8/26 | 1:00–3:00 p.m.
• Thursday, 8/27 | 9:00–11:00 a.m.
These are self-guided opportunities to walk your schedule, find your classrooms, and practice your locker.
Then join us Wednesday evening from 6:00–7:30 p.m. for our WMS Open House!
Summer is winding down, Pioneer Families. Enjoy these last few days, and then it’s time to get ALL IN for an incredible 2026–27 school year!
We’re ready for you, Pioneers!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
Our 8th grade WEB Leaders began their training today in preparation for Monday’s 6th Grade Orientation!
WEB stands for Where Everybody Belongs and pairs our incoming 6th graders with trained 8th grade leaders who will help welcome and support them throughout their first year of middle school. Beyond Monday’s orientation, our WEB Leaders will periodically check in with their 6th grade friends to see how they’re doing and help them along the way.
One more day of training tomorrow! Thank you to our friends at Moorsbridge for hosting us, and great work today to our WEB Leaders and advisors!
#WEBLeaders #8thGrade #AllIn #TheWestWay
Teamwork makes the dream work!
Thanks to donated sleds from Portage Northern Football, support from the Portage Central Football Boosters to purchase new pads, and the hard work of our West Football coaching staff to move, power wash, and repaint them, our student-athletes now have newly refurbished equipment on the field!
We are incredibly thankful to both Portage Northern and Portage Central for helping make this happen! And a special shout out to our coaching staff for truly “Taking Care of This Place” and getting these sleds ready for our players.
Way to represent The West Way!
#Football #AllIn #TheWestWay
VOLLEYBALL TRYOUT DATE CHANGE 🏐
Due to unforeseen circumstances, our volleyball tryout dates have changed.
NEW DATES:
Monday, August 24
Tuesday, August 25
TIME REMAINS THE SAME:
3:00–4:30 PM
We apologize for the late change and appreciate your flexibility and understanding. Please help us spread the word to our Pioneer volleyball families!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
Greetings Pioneers!
Tomorrow officially kicks off our Fall sports season! Cross Country and Football have their first practices, and Volleyball tryouts begin. A few reminders for our Pioneer student-athletes:
In order to participate in a practice or tryout, you must have an updated physical uploaded to FinalForms and your account must be all green. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you are having any difficulty, feel free to email Mr. Moon at tmoon@portageps.org. He will also be around during practices and tryouts tomorrow.
Wear appropriate clothing for your sport and bring water!
Reach out to the coach of your Pioneer’s sport if you have any questions:
Cross Country: Mr. Hall – trhall@portageps.org
Football: Mr. Messing – cmessing@portageps.org
7th Grade Volleyball: Ms. P – aprzewozniak@portageps.org
8th Grade Volleyball: Ms. Ha – kha@portageps.org
Lastly, attached are our Fall season schedules! Dates and times are subject to change throughout the season, so make sure you bookmark our website and follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram at @GoWestMS for the latest updates.
Good luck tomorrow, Pioneers! We’re excited to get another season underway!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
We are looking forward to welcoming the Class of 2033 in less than a couple weeks! Here's a letter with details about 6th grade orientation on August 24th as well as other pertinent information for the upcoming school year.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12TcJBKadAgT9Mv2ShfcAlixCOEkpbP80Qo_GJHuXink/edit?usp=sharing
See you soon Pioneers!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
