Did you know that October 15 is Blind Americans Equality Day, also known as White Cane Safety Day?
This day celebrates the abilities, independence, and rights of people who are blind or have low vision. It’s also a great opportunity to learn about accessibility, build understanding, and make our school community more inclusive.
🦯 Why Is the White Cane Important?
A white cane helps people who are blind or have low vision navigate their surroundings safely and independently. Assistive technology and accessible learning materials also help students learn, participate in school activities, and reach their goals.
Did you know? Michigan law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians who are blind and using a predominantly white cane, with or without a red tip, or a guide dog. This helps protect pedestrians and promote safety.
🌟 How Can We Make a Difference?
We can all help create a school where everyone feels welcome and included!
**Include everyone: Invite classmates to participate in group projects and activities.
**Show respect: Recognize everyone's abilities, interests, and strengths.
**Ask before helping: Offer assistance instead of making assumptions.
**Learn and share: Help others understand the importance of accessibility and inclusion.
Small actions can make a big difference. When we support one another and make sure everyone has opportunities to participate, we help build a stronger school community.
🔎 Want to Learn More?
Explore these resources to learn more about blindness, accessibility, and White Cane Safety Day:
American Council of the Blind - https://www.acb.org/recognizing-white-cane-safety-day-celebrating-independence-and-accessibility
Lions Clubs International - https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/resources-for-members/resource-center/white-cane-safety-day
White Cane Laws by State - https://www.acb.org/white-cane-laws-states
Let's work together to build a school community where everyone feels respected, included, and empowered to succeed!
Shared by Felicia Vliek, COMS, and BLV Team
#BlindAmericansEqualityDay #WhiteCaneSafetyDay #AllIn #TheWestWay
#Football #AllIn #TheWestWay
#Volleyball #AllIn #TheWestWay
PIONEER FAMILIES: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14 REMINDERS!
This Wednesday will look a little different for our Pioneers! Please review the following reminders:
8TH GRADE – IN-PERSON PSAT TESTING
Report to school at the normal start time.
Bring a fully charged, school-issued Chromebook and a pencil.
Testing should conclude around 11:00 AM for most students.
Students may leave after completing testing with parent pickup.
Buses will depart West at 12:00 PM.
8th Grade Lunch Reminder: Families whose students plan to stay for school lunch must complete the Lunch Survey TODAY, Monday, October 12! - https://forms.gle/ME4uxFixgL7aArxe7
6TH & 7TH GRADE – VIRTUAL LEARNING
Students will remain home on Wednesday.
Complete assigned virtual learning activities through Google Classroom.
Thank you, Pioneer families, for your support as we prepare for Wednesday!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
What a day for our West Pioneers!
Both our boys' and girls' cross country teams captured outright FIRST-PLACE finishes at the Portage Invitational, competing against nearly 60 middle schools!
A few outstanding individual performances:
🥇 Eli Deming – 1st in Division 1 and 4th overall in the boys' race!
🥇 Riley Scott – 1st in Division 1 and 3rd overall in the girls' race!
🥇 Rowan Halvas – 1st place among sixth-grade girls!
Congratulations to ALL of our Pioneer runners! Your hard work, determination, and commitment to one another continue to pay off. A huge thank you to our coaches for their leadership and dedication to our student-athletes!
TWO TEAMS. TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS. ONE WEST! 🏆
#AllIn #TheWestWay
#CrossCountry #Volleyball #AllIn #TheWestWay
The evening was extra special as players from both teams were recognized before the games, and we had a very special guest announcer—our very own Breast Cancer Survivor, Ms. Jenny Gale!
Before the A Team match, Ms. Gale was honored and presented with flowers in recognition of her strength and courage.
We love you, Ms. Gale! 🩷
#BreastCancerAwareness #AllIn #TheWestWay
Well done Pioneers! Next up: Portage Invite this Saturday!
#CrossCountry #AllIn #TheWestWay
#Football #AllIn #TheWestWay
#CrossCountry #Volleyball #AllIn #TheWestWay
Congratulations to our September Students of the Month!
We are proud to recognize these Pioneers for making a positive impact at West and showing it means to live The West Way!
Our mathematics department nominated the following students this month:
6th Grade
Leo B.
Reet K.
Grant K.
Matilda O.
7th Grade
Sloan F.
Colin S.H.
Lavell W.
8th Grade
Wesley B.
Victoire M.
Graydon T.
Keep up the great work, Pioneers!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
Count Day is this week, Pioneers!
7th & 8th Grade: Wednesday, October 7
6th Grade: Wednesday, October 7 AND Thursday, October 8
Be at school. Be on time. Stay all day. Make it count!
As always, if your child is sick, please keep them home and contact our Main Office to report their absence.
Pioneer Families, check your email tonight for additional Count Day information.
Every Pioneer counts!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
Portage West Cross Country Day is OCTOBER 4!
Once a Pioneer, always a Pioneer.
Get outside 10/4 and celebrate with a walk, jog, or run!
#AllIn #TheWestWay
#CrossCountry #AllIn #TheWestWay
Morning PPS Families - At this time, the phones in our buildings are working again for both inbound and outbound calls. The outage persists with our internet providers - very similar to mid-September - and we may experience additional issues until that is resolved. We'll continue to monitor the situation and provide additional updates as needed.
If you need to contact the school building and your phone call is not going through, we again suggest using email. You can go to our district website at https://www.portageps.org/, click on the Schools tab at the top of the home page, then click on the Menu to find and use the Staff Directory. Thanks for your patience and understanding, have a great day!
Morning PPS Families - There is another large telephone network outage impacting Portage Public Schools - similar to what we experienced in mid-September. Currently, we cannot accept calls from outside of our schools or make calls to the outside.
If you need to contact the school building, we suggest using email for now. You can go to our district website at https://www.portageps.org/, click on the Schools tab at the top of the home page, then click on the Menu to find and use the Staff Directory. We do not have an estimated restoration time from our network phone provider yet, but will update families and staff once we have more information. Thanks for your patience and understanding!
#Volleyball #AllIn #TheWestWay
