We have had great seasons with both girls and boys basketball. Due to our inclement weather, we are moving on to the post-season with action this week. There are two playoff games for both teams. On Tuesday we will host District Western Conference Play-in Games that will also serve as our 8th Grade Night.

Tuesday, January 23rd beginning at 5:00pm.

Girls vs McKissack first with Boys to follow vs IT Creswell

Winners advance to Division tournament on Feb 12-15.

Then on Thursday we travel to other schools for Play-in Games for the State Tournament.

Girls will play at Madison and Boys play at MLK.

Winners advance to State tournament beginning on Saturday Jan 27.

There is an opportunity for your student athletes to receive FREE sports physicals this spring at Belmont University.

A parent/guardian must accompany the athlete to the appointment. The athlete will need the following information to complete a form at the appointment:

• Pertinent health and medical history, including a list of current medical conditions and medications for such conditions such as allergies and asthma.
• Primary care provider contact information (if applicable; not required)
• Insurance information (if applicable; not required)

 

Location: Belmont Ministry Center (2005 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204)

Dates/Time: Saturday, February 17th, 10am-12pm OR Friday, February 23rd, 11am-2pm

Important Details: Appointment only; ages 18 years and under; parent/guardian MUST accompany the athlete to the sports physical appointment.

Please click the following link to register your athlete for their sports physical: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=26448822&appointmentType=34154619

Attention 8th graders!

We're midway through the 2023-2024 school year, which means that this coming fall you will be high school freshman! Many of you have begun the selection process of which high school you will be attending for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. If NSA is on your list, be aware that the Visual Arts Portfolio and Essay Review auditions are quickly approaching!

If you have any questions regarding the portfolio and essay requirements, please take a moment to view the attached flyers, and speak with Ms. Lake if you have any questions/ or concerns regarding the audition. Depending on the number of students that are interested in attending NSA, Ms. Lake will be able to set up a date and time with the NSA Audition Review Committee to come and conduct the auditions here at West End Middle!

Do you know a family that is looking for a great middle school? Let them know about our Prospective Parent Night this Thursday (Rescheduled to January 25th) from 5:45-6:45. Parents, students, and staff will be on hand to show families why West is Best!

Families can visit Summer.MNPS.org to access the registration link and additional information.

Promising Scholars will run May 30 through June 28 (school locations here) from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Families have the option for their child to attend their zoned school or school of choice. Some sites will offer before and aftercare.

The baseball team will be building upon a successful first season back with a greater focus on skill development and MORE games! The team will also be competing in the newly formed MNPS Middle School Baseball League. Tryouts will be held on January 20th at 12:30. 407 42nd Ave, weather permitting.

Please contact Jeff Middlebrooks at [email protected] to register for tryouts and to receive more information on the team.

West End Drama proudly presents Catch the Waves this Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday starting at 6:15p. This is a science fiction and pop culture comedy by Patti Veconi. Concessions will be available.

 

Suggested donations of $8 students and $10 adults will go to support future drama activities.

Do you have creative ideas that you would like to express through an art form? We are having our annual art contest with three categories this year: Sculpture, Paintings, and Drawings. Art submissions will be entered in our silent auction for the West Arts Fest which raises money for the arts at our school. If you are interested in submitting a piece for the contest without putting it up for auction, just let Ms. Lake know.

 

Winners of the contest in each category will also earn prizes.

3rd Place – choice of candy bar

2nd Place – lunch for you and a friend purchased from Chick-fil-a, McDonalds, Wendy’s, or Panera (and choice of candy)

1st Place – Choice of $25 gift card from Target, GameStop, or Amazon (lunch choice and candy choice)

 

All submissions are due to Ms. Lake by February 9th.

The Transit Artwork Project consists of a unit that was provided by the Civic Design Center. For this unit students from art classes will engage and participate in a collaborative community art project to create artwork that communicates representation of their neighborhood. Selected works from schools within the MNPS district will be displayed on Transit Bus benches throughout Nashville. This will be a great opportunity for our students because it's so relevant to IB!

Furthermore, during the process and development of the project students will complete surveys, and meet guest speakers/ artists that will come to our school to speak with them about community art.

All students are welcome to join us, if they're interested!

We are excited to offer another season of the Metro Outlaws Lacrosse Club (formerly JTM/WEMS)! We had a great season last year, making it to the semi-finals of our conference!

We have raised over $1,000 of our goal of $4,000 for new equipment and supplies. Every dollar counts to keep public school lacrosse alive in Nashville! Donations can be made to our Venmo: @outlawslax. All donations are tax deductible.

If you would like to sponsor the club by purchasing a field banner to represent your business, sponsoring a player, having a logo on shirts, or sponsoring our roster sheet for games, please contact Shawn Demers: [email protected]. We have a lot of options and different price points!

2024 Season Information:

• Fees: $300 per player. We are entirely self-funded. We do not receive any money from MNPS.
• Do not let fees deter you from playing! We will not turn away any player due to costs!
• ALL players must register with USA Lacrosse ($30) and record their registration number. https://www.usalacrosse.com/
• Practice: Monday-Wednesday 4:15-5:30 at West End MS: Starting Monday, February 12, 2024. Saturdays 11:00-1:00 – Starting Jan 27.
• Transportation to and from practice/games is required. For safety reasons, I do not drive any students in my car. Parents will often carpool to help with transportation.
• The season runs from January until early May. Games begin after Spring Break and continue until the playoffs in early May.
• MNPS Club Form MUST be submitted.
• Any level of experience welcome, grades 6-8. Most students start playing in middle school.
• Club Website: tinyurl.com/outlawslacrosse
• We use the “GroupMe” app for communications. Payment and registration will be through a WEMS sports website or Venmo.
• Our first official practice will be on SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM at West End Middle School! We are partnered with the Hillsboro High School team as their feeder program. They won the state championship in 2021. Hillsboro players volunteer their time to help coach and mentor our players. It is a great relationship for everyone involved.
• Girl's Lacrosse: We have an option for 8th grade girls to practice with Hillsboro this year. Please contact Joyce Claassen for more info: [email protected]

 

Any questions? Please reach out to Coach West: [email protected]

Save The Date!

Our Annual West Arts Fest will be held Thursday February 22nd.

Every single parent, teacher, staff member PLUS family members, friends, and neighbors are invited! During our event, we will be having a silent auction to help raise funds for our wonderful teachers and school. Any contribution you make, be it time, goods and services, or money, will have an impact on our children.

WHAT: Food, Drinks, Music & Silent Auction

WHERE: The Cafe at Thistle Farms

WHEN: Thursday evening, February 22nd, 2024

WHO: YOU! We'd love you to come AND we need your help!

We are in need of items for the silent auction. We're looking for restaurant gift cards, jewelry, handbags, artwork, lessons, vacation homes, staycations, photography sessions, big items, small items, anything you can think of to contribute! Do you have an airbnb you'd be willing to contribute? Sport memorabilia? Sommelier skills? Season tickets to Bridgestone or Nissan or Geodis? Do you have friends who own businesses in town that might want to contribute? Concert tickets?

Please email [email protected] with any contributions or ideas!

Here is our master list of what clubs are meeting (WEST END CLUBS (2023-2024).docx)

 

Find something to participate in to truly personalize your West End experience.

Ari B. is the winner of the Black Girl Joy Challenge! She beat out participants from 13 states. This is a challenge whose sponsors include Nike, Megan Thee Stallion, and Southern Black Girls and Women Consortium to name a few. The challenge was to create a way to spread joy in the community by focusing on Mental Health and wellness. Ari created a club by the name of “Ari’s Sisterhood club”.

By winning this competition she will be receiving a micro grant to fund her club. Ari’s sisterhood club focuses on positive affirmations, positive self-image development, and being a safe place for girls to talk about whatever they are going through.

If you would like to be apart of this club or know someone who would be interested, please let it be known. The first meeting will be planned for February.

We have a new club happening at West End in partnership with the Nashville Chess Center! The club will meet Thursday afternoons from 4-5pm at West End (Room 103). Coach Rory Wasiolek from the Nashville Chess Center will be leading the group. He is a National Chess Master and coaches programs at other schools in the area. The cost is $175 for the semester and includes membership to the Nashville Chess Center (which provides reduced rates for their summer camps!) and a ChessKid.com gold membership. Register at: https://ncc.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=4008&club_id=164844&item_id=2147432.

Please contact West End parent, Zarabeth Davis with any additional questions. [email protected]

The SSMV application is now live on our website - https://www.vanderbilt.edu/cseo-ssmv/prospective-students/- and ready to be completed by 8th graders who are interested in the SSMV.

 

We hope this week's snow days have been pleasant and enjoyable. The information session that was scheduled for Friday has been rescheduled to next Wednesday, 1/24. There are still spots available for anyone who would like to attend and hear from current students and parents, the faculty, and walk through the application together.

The link to register is on the same page above the application link - https://www.vanderbilt.edu/cseo-ssmv/prospective-students/.

 

The application deadline is February 11 and teachers will have until February 18 to complete recommendations.

Answers to most of your questions can be found on our website. Below are answers to questions that were recently submitted.

• There is no cost to apply or to attend the program.

• The only requirements to apply are being a current 8th grader who will turn 13 by the end of this school year, attending an MNPS-operated high school next year (charter and home-schooled students are not eligible), and submitting a complete application with parent approval and teacher recommendations.

• SSMV holds class all day from 8-2 one day per week. You will not attend your regular school that day. The days vary by grade and are on the website.

• The essays are meant to be thoughtful, original answers to the questions. They are not research questions, but you may use sources as long as you cite them. Think about your answers. Brainstorm, write, rewrite, ask someone to read it over, check your grammar and spelling, read it over again, and then submit your answers. This takes time. Starting now will help!

• SSMV earns MNPS advanced, elective credit. The courses do not replace any required courses in high school.

• Summer attendance is required. Summer sessions begin after freshman year. Look at the summer dates on the calendar now to see when each class attends. The dates do not change much from year to year.

• The due date for students to submit their applications is February 11, 2024. Teachers have until February 18 to complete recommendations.

The weather has made many things difficult. If you or a loved one is having complications with work or experiencing food insecurity due to the cold or other factors, know that there is help. Reference the Emergency Food Resources documents below and reach out if your family is in need of assistance.

Sign up for the personalized student dashboard if you have not done so already. This dashboard provides families with on-demand access to current student attendance, behavior, and academic achievement (course grades and test scores). To see student information, you need to have access to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Visit the Portal page for instructions to sign up for an account.

Tours are offered at 9:30 AM on select Saturdays when school is in session. Please make sure to reserve a date 72 hours in advance. Tours last 1-15 hours. Go to Schedule a Tour – We Are Hillsboro for the sign up link.

Kroger Plus Card

1.Go to https://www.kroger.com/account/communityrewards

2. After signing in, select community rewards and enter West End Middle School

Publix Rewards

1. Sign up for an account at https://corporate.publix.com/community/corporate-campaigns/publix-partners

2.Select Publix partners supporters and select West End Middle School

Box Tops

1-Download the Box Top App

2-Select West End Middle School”,

3-Take a picture of your grocery receipt and earn free money for WEMS

Want to help with basketball concessions? Lots of our PTSO dollars come from running this vital service at our sporting events. Sign-up today:

 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F094EACA92AA2F49-45596529-west

To help ensure the protection of students, families, and spectators at sporting events, moving forward we will be utilizing security wands for attendees to be screened prior to entering the facility.

This is not related to any specific concerns about West End, but rather it is a district-wide policy to promote safety at athletic events which are open to the public.

• Please be patient and anticipate longer lines for entry while we implement this policy.
• Please notify your guests that this spectator policy will now be in place.
• The process is swifter when you have your keys, phone, or other items in your hands in advance.

 

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

We express ourselves confidently and creatively in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.

Email: [email protected]
Website: https://westend.mnps.org/
Location: 3529 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN, USA
Phone: 615-298-8425
Twitter: @westendmiddle