Principal's Newsletter

 A message from Dr. Gibson: Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year at Joliet West High School! The first day of school is Monday, August 19, 2019. Please download and review the West Summer Newsletter prior to the first day of school to learn about our school's procedures, expectations, and resources. I look forward to working with you this year at Joliet West.

Sign up for JTHS Text Messages
Text messaging is used to deliver district information of high importance such as school closings and emergency information. To receive JTHS text messages, text "Y" to 67587.

Cashless System for Student Lunch
Cash is not accepted in the cafeteria. All students and staff should create and pre-pay a lunch account online at www.myschoolbucks.com. Deposits can be made online or through the school Textbook Center/Cashier Office. All deposits take 24-hours to be processed. To purchase meals, individuals scan their school ID to deduct the meal cost from their prepaid balance.

West Bus Routes
Students must live more than 1.5 miles from the school to be eligible to ride a bus. The 1.5-mile boundary is shown on the Map of NON-Busable areas shown below. Students living less than 1.5 miles will NOT be allowed to ride the bus.

Click on the following to learn more:

• West Routes
• Busable Street Dividers
• West Campus Map of NON-Busable Area
• Activity Bus Routes - West

West Summer Newsletter
Make sure to check out the Joliet West 2019 Summer Newsletter, which contains important information that families should read before the new school year begins. Click here to download the West Summer Newsletter.

Topics in the Summer Newsletter include: 

• 1:1 Initiative Device Distribution 
• Academies
• Appropriate Cell Phone Use
• Athletics
• Attendance
• Back to School
• Blended Learning
• Cafeteria News
• Calculator Recommendation
• Class of 2020
• Communication
• Daily Schedule 
• Emergency E-Learning Days 
• Family Engagement Liaisons
• Free Hotspot Devices Available 
• Home Access Center
• Nursing News
• Perfect Attendance 
• Safety and Security
• School Fees and Waiver Application
• School Safety
• Senior Pictures and Yearbook Sales
• Student IDs
• Student Media Permissions
• Student Parking
• Summer Learning Activities
• Summer Reading Information
• Student Arrival and Dismissal 2019 - 2020
• Teacher Qualification
• Transportation

Support Groups for Students
Support groups for students are facilitated by JTHS, community organizations, or government agencies. All groups are held on campus during the school day. Click here to download the Support Groups Flyer to learn more. 

Upcoming JWHS events include:

• August 19: First Day of Classes
• August 20: Board of Education Meeting
• September 2: Labor Day - No School
• September 4: Open House & FAFSA Night- Early Dismissal

VISIT THE CALENDAR FOR MORE DETAILS.
Joliet West Athletic Update
Visit the Athletic Calendar to see next week's athletic events. Go, Tigers!

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 A message from Dr. Gibson: I hope you are enjoying summer break. The summer months are important for continued academic progress. Students who take the summer off can lose 2.6 months of math computational skills. I encourage students to enroll in Khan Academy’s SAT Practice Course to ensure that students do not suffer from the “summer slide”. Learn about this resource and other opportunities in this newsletter.

Also please save the date for Schedule Distribution (more information below). All JTHS students are required to attend.

Preferred Language for School Communications
JTHS communicates to parents in both English and Spanish. If you are not receiving communication in your preferred language, please contact our Bilingual Communication Specialist, Isabel Gloria, at igloria@jths.org or (815) 727-6904.

Idioma preferido para las comunicaciones escolares
JTHS se comunica con los padres en inglés y español. Si no está recibiendo comunicación en su idioma preferido, por favor contacte a nuestra Especialista en Comunicación Bilingüe, Isabel Gloria, en igloria@jths.org o (815) 727-6904.

West Summer Newsletter
Make sure to check out the Joliet West 2019 Summer Newsletter, which contains important information that families should read before the new school year begins. Click here to download the West Summer Newsletter.

West Schedule Distribution August 5-8
Schedule Distribution will be held on  August 5, 6, 7 and 8 for Joliet West High School students. The purpose of Schedule Distribution is to pick up your student’s schedule, ID, locker assignment, update demographic information, pick up school issued computers, pay school fees, place yearbook orders and more.

In order to attend Schedule Distribution freshmen must bring a new completed physical with them, OR already have submitted the student’s physical to Joliet Central or West High School in 2019.  All seniors must show proof of having obtained the meningitis vaccination in order to get a schedule.

Students who do not complete Schedule Distribution will be assessed a $25 fee which cannot be waived. In addition, students may be dropped from classes and required to schedule an appointment to re-enroll.

West Campus Schedule Distribution Information
Freshman
Sophomore, Junior, and Senior

JTHS Required Summer Reading Program
Joliet Township High School requires all students to participate in the JTHS Summer Reading Program. Click here to learn more. 

Semester 2 Honor Roll 2019
Joliet Township High School congratulates the 2018-2019 Semester 2 honor roll recipients. This academic success is to be commended. Click here to see the West Semester 2 Honor Roll List. 

Free or Reduced Lunch Application
The online application system for Free or Reduced Lunch is now available. The Free or Reduced Lunch status expires at the end of each school year, and families interested in the program must apply again each year. Click here to visit the Food Services webpage that includes the link to the application. 

Keep learning over the summer using Khan Academy
 Khan Academy uses students’ PSAT or SAT results to provide personalized practice. Students should spend 20 – 60 minutes daily practicing math skills on Khan Academy to make progress toward meeting college and career readiness standards in mathematics. Incoming freshman took the PSAT 8 in the fall of 2018.  All other students took the PSAT or SAT in the spring of 2019.  To view these scores, students will need to follow a few easy steps to create a College Board Student Account.  This document  has instructions if they have trouble accessing their scores. Click here to learn more about the partnership between Khan Academy and the College Board.

Summer Meals
An Illinois State Board of Education program provides free meals during the summer to all children 18 and under, regardless of income level. For more information, call (800) 359-2163 or text FOODIL to 877877 or visit www.SummerMealsIllinois.org. 

Senior Scholarship Application Process—Start Now!
Attention, Seniors: start the scholarship application process now.  Visit: https://opportunity.collegeboard.org/?excmpid=vt-00248

Upcoming JWHS events include:

• August 5 - 8: West Schedule Distribution
• August 19: First Day of Classes
• August 20: Board of Education Meeting
• September 2: Labor Day - No School
• September 4: Open House & FAFSA Night- Early Dismissal

VISIT THE CALENDAR FOR MORE DETAILS.
Joliet West Athletic Update
Visit the Athletic Calendar to see next week's athletic events. Go, Tigers!

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