West Middle School

NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT! Meet our new Mathematics teachers, Mrs. Bishop! This will be her 12th year teaching. Mrs. Bishop is "most excited about getting to know new families and staff at West!" She is "also excited to join the middle school environment for the 1st time, and...looking forward to the faster paced schedule." Welcome Mrs. Bishop! #AllIn #TheWestWay

Today our 7th & 8th graders participated in our "Back to School Blitz" where staff members led reviews of school procedures and practices. Our 6th graders went to all of their classes, met their teachers, and tomorrow will participate in the "blitz." Great day Pioneers! #AllIn #TheWestWay

Day 1 is in the books! 6th graders went to each of their classes and 7th/8th graders participated in our "Back to School" blitz this morning. We ended the day with a school pep rally! School's back in session! See you tomorrow for our 1st full day! #AllIn #TheWestWay

REMINDER: The first day of school is Monday, August 28. It is a half day. We can't wait to see you!

The Portage West Middle School Spirit Store is now open through Sunday, September 17th! T-shirts, hoodies, bags, hats, 50 Year Anniversary gear and more are available! https://www.pwms.ctoutfit.com/ Celebrate a new school year with new Pioneer school swag! #AllIn #TheWestWay

NEW STAFF SPOTLIGHT! Meet our new ESI teacher, Mrs. Orozco! She comes to West with 7 years of teaching experience. Mrs. Orozco is "looking forward to meeting her students and building relationships with them and their families." Welcome Mrs. Orozco! #AllIn #TheWestWay

WELCOME BACK! Yesterday, the Portage Central High School Marching Band helped us kick off the new school year. Staff also heard from two current PPS students on what they need to succeed and from Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist and PPS Alumnus Lindsay Tarpley.

This morning 2 Time Olympic Gold Medalist Lindsay Tarpley was the Opening Day speaker for Portage Public Schools. Lindsay is a graduate of Portage West Middle and Portage Central High. In Tarpley's message she spoke of 3 branches for PPS staff members to remember as we begin the new school year: "Branch 1 - Treat people the way you want to be treated, Branch 2 - Be confident, and Branch 3 - You never know what someone is going through." She reflected on stories from her years in PPS, including one with our very own Mr. Galer! We also heard from 2 outstanding student speakers, with one of them being Alanna H., a rising senior at Portage Northern who also attended Portage West Middle! Alanna spoke of the support she received from Mrs. Hively when she arrived to PPS. It was an exciting morning filled with inspiration from a couple of our former Pioneers! #AllIn #TheWestWay

Bus Route Information is now available in your student's Skyward Family Access. Please check your account and call 269-323-5151 if you have any questions.

At last night's meeting, the Board of Education approved a partial 2023-24 School Year Calendar. The complete calendar is contingent on ongoing contract negotiations with the Portage Education Association. Click here to view https://www.portageps.org/o/pps/page/school-year-calendar

What a fun-filled morning w/ our 6th graders led by our 8th grade WEB leaders! Plenty of smiles, activities, competitions, & discussions. Remember our WMS Open House is Tuesday, August 22nd starting at 6pm! All grades & families are welcomed! #Pioneers #AllIn #TheWestWay

We are loving our new website and app! Have you downloaded the app yet? Access documents, news updates, and even emergency notifications, right from your pocket. You will find even more on the new website, which is more mobile friendly and can be translated into your chosen language. Download for Android https://bit.ly/3OXzqri Download for iPhone https://apple.co/42pWwtJ

We're looking forward to seeing all of our incoming 6TH GRADERS on Monday for orientation from 8am - 12:30pm!! See you then Pioneers! #AllIn #TheWestWay

You're invited to come view the new English Language Arts curriculum for K-8 at the PPS ELA Family Night 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Portage District Library. There will be games, activities, raffles, and an opportunity to see the units for each grade level. Don't miss it!

PIONEERS! August 22nd is our Open House! This is open to all grades & their families. Students will receive schedules, locker assignments, tour the building, and more! Also food trucks will be on site! Have dinner and a sweet treat! See you soon Pioneers! #AllIn #TheWestWay

Winston is having a great time so far at his comfort dog training! He had a visit from his home family last week and was excited to see them. He is learning skills to be an even more loving and comforting dog than he already is. He also loves jumping around in the water and playing with his brother, who is being trained there as well. We are so excited with Winston’s progress and look forward to having him later this school year. Check out some pictures and see how big he’s grown! We are asking our Pioneer community to help us pay for the cost of the extensive training program he is receiving now as well as the ongoing needs that come with a growing puppy. At this time, we need to raise $8,500 to cover the purchase of Winston and his training costs. If you would like to contribute, feel free to click the link below! https://portage.revtrak.net/middle-schools/portage-west-middle-school/#/v/west-middle-school-donations-for-comfort-dog Please share with your friends and family as we prepare to welcome Winston to West! #WinstonOfTheWest #WinstonGoesWest #AllIn #TheWestWay

Greetings Pioneers- Though it hardly seems possible, this year West Middle School will celebrate its 50th Anniversary! While we have many wonderful plans ahead to recognize West’s legacy, one particularly special group of people we want to identify and honor is our Pioneer alumni who have served - or are actively serving - in the military. If this includes YOU, please complete the attached form, so we can share details of our Pioneers Veterans Recognition later this fall. Please feel free to share this information and access to the Google Form with anyone you know who attended West and donned a uniform for any of the United States military branches. Should you or any of your classmates have questions, please contact Betty Bianco at bbianco@portageps.org. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdLpEZU8QWuwYya8xo-8FVRxvLOMS13XNDp3Ygt_UeEyUYdng/viewform

PIONEERS! Fall sports officially begins with cross-country, football, and volleyball kicking off the season on Monday, August 21st! Click here to find out more details: https://www.portageps.org/o/wms/page/student-athletics #ScholarAthlete #Pioneers #AllIn #TheWestWay

PORTAGE WEST TURNS 50! 1973 - 2023 This year we're celebrating 50 years of Portage West Middle School! There will be a celebration the evening of SEPTEMBER 27. Spread the word to former Pioneer students, staff, & community supporters! More details to come! #AllIn #TheWestWay

Office secretaries are back at PPS and attending training all day today to prepare for the new school year! Reminder, you can find back-to-school information at https://www.portageps.org/page/back-to-school-at-pps.