Westchester Middle School

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General Information

School Hours
8:00 AM - 2:45 PM
Doors open for students at 7:50 AM
Students must be in class when the bell rings at 8:00 AM

School Office Hours
7:30 AM - 3:30 PM
 
Attendance 
If you need to report your child absent, tardy, or request an early release, please contact the health office directly at 708-498-0429. If you get the voicemail, leave your child’s name, grade, and the reason for their absence, tardy or early release. Please do not call the main school line. Our phone lines are extremely busy, especially in the morning, and in order to help everyone we ask that you please follow this request.
 
Bikers
Students are allowed to ride their bike to school. There is a bike rack on Norfolk near the front office. Please make sure to bring a bike lock. After locking up their bike, students should proceed to their grade level door.

 

Breakfast

Breakfast is offered beginning at 7:40 a.m. at a cost of $2.25. Hot lunches are available through the school at a cost of $3.75 per day. You may load money on to your child's account through MealTime Online. You may also send cash or a check to school. MealTime Online will send you a notification when your child's account is low.

 

Bus Students 
Always arrive to your stop 5 minutes early. The bus will not wait for any late students. The bus will drop off students on the west side of the building (parking lot), then students will walk to their assigned grade level door.
 
 
Calls From School 
If you receive a call from the school number, please check your voicemail before returning the call. There is a phone in every classroom and we are not able to track where a call was made from. A staff member will always leave a message when calling home.
 
Classroom Interruptions
Our 5Essentials survey results have consistently shown that classroom interruptions are a concern for parents, students, and teachers. In order to address this concern we have put in place the following procedures: Students will not be called to the office throughout the day for items delivered to the office. Lunches that are dropped off will be brought to the lunchroom. PE uniforms will be delivered to the gym. Homework will be left in the office for the student to pick up during passing periods. Homework that is not picked up by the end of the day will be placed in the teachers mailbox. Calling students out of class is a distraction to the student, the teacher, and all others in the class. Please help us eliminate classroom interruptions by following these procedures.
 
Early Release
Please call ahead of time to inform us if you or someone else is picking up your child early. A child will not be released to anyone other than the custodial guardian (the parent/guardian the child lives with), or the person the custodial guardian has informed us will pick up their child that day. If you have questions about this procedure, or need clarification, please contact the office. Entrance Doors - In the morning, 8th graders will line up at Door 15 (by the Media Center/Computer Lab), 7th graders will line up at Door 11 (by Band and Music Room) and 6th graders will line up at Door 8 (by Canterbury/Norfolk).
 
Forgotten Items
If a student forgets their lunch or homework at home they are allowed to call home from their 1st period class only.
 
I.D. Checks
Please be aware that we will I.D. anyone we do not recognize. This may happen several times, especially for our new and 6th grade families. Please do not be offended, we see a lot of new faces each year and our staff members may not recognize your face. Your child's safety is the most important thing. 
 
Late Arrivals
The grade level door is closed and locked at approximately 7:55 a.m. Anyone who arrives after this time will need to walk to Door 1 by the main office to be let in by the Administrative Assistant. Students who are late to school must immediately go to the health office to be checked in. After checking in with Mrs. Litwin, they will be given a pass and can go to their locker and then their classroom.
 
Late Bus
A late bus is available to take students from after school clubs to neighboring District 92.5 schools. The bus leaves WMS at approximately 3:50 PM and makes stops at WIS, WPS and the Britten building. Students staying after 3:50 PM will need to make other transportation arrangements.
 
Lunch
Students may purchase a hot lunch for $3.50 a day or they may bring a lunch from home.  Hot lunch is ordered at the start of 1st period. Please keep track of your child's lunch account. You can do so by logging on to MealTime Online. Students will need to bring a lunch from home if their account goes into the negative.  
 
Main Office
Students are not allowed to enter through Door 1 prior to 7:55 a.m. This door is only for certain busses and parents, so please do not park or drop off students on Norfolk.
 
Messages
Per Board Policy, messages will not be delivered to students during the school day and students will not be called out of class to take a phone call. Only emergency messages will be delivered at the end of the school day.
 
Morning Drop Off
If you are driving your student to school, please drop off your student on Canterbury. We ask that you exercise extreme caution as this is a very busy street with cars and students walking to school.  Please be patient as there are many students walking and crossing the street during this time.  We appreciate your patience and support in making our entrance to school safe.
 
School Hours
The WMS school day runs from 8:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. School doors open at 7:50 a.m. Please do not drop students off any earlier than 7:45 as there is no supervision provided.
 
Visiting the School
If you need to come to WMS for any reason, please report to Door 1 by the main office on Norfolk. Push the button on the intercom and when addressed, state your name and the reason you are coming to the school (Ex. "This is John Smith, here to drop of Jane Smith's lunch"). Please be patient as we may seek clarification of your reason for coming to school. After being buzzed into the first set of doors, make an immediate right where you will be buzzed into the office through the wooden door.