Hello Westside Village Families!
Here are a few things to look out for this week:
Important Dates:
Jan 5-Jan 23: Choice Options Lottery for Grades 1-12
Jan 5-Jan 23: Priority ACR (Attendance Area Change Request) Window
Jan 5-Mar 20: Choice Options Lottery for Kindergarten
Jan 19: NO SCHOOL, MLK, Jr. Holiday
Jan 19: MLK Day of Service, 9:00-12:00
Jan 28- Feb 6: Winter Conferences (sign-ups coming soon)
Jan 30: NO SCHOOL, Teacher Work Day/End of Semester
Feb 11 & 12: Friendship Day Ice Skating @ the Pavilion, Groups TBA
Feb 16: NO SCHOOL, Presidents Day Holiday
Mar 18-20: NO SCHOOL, District Conference Days
Mar 23-27: NO SCHOOL, Spring Break
Apr 23: Save the Date! Village Rhythm & Bingo (VRB)!
Click here for the full WVMS School Year Calendar.
Choice Options Lottery/ACR is Open
The Choice Options Lottery opened on January 5th. Visit this link for more information. If you know of any families that would be a good fit, send them our way! We will have two more info sessions:
Monday, March 2nd (Tour at 5:00, Info Session at 5:30)
Wednesday, March 4th (Tour at 1:00, Info Session at 1:30)
- Remember that all incoming siblings of Westside students MUST complete an application
- Current Westside Village students do not need to re-apply for the lottery
Entry into the Choice Options lottery, Dual Immersion lottery, and Priority Area Change Requests all require a current enrollment in a Bend-La Pine School for the school year requested. Enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year is open.
Don’t hesitate to call Marcie with any questions. 541-355-2001
MLK Day of Service, Jan 19
There is NO SCHOOL on Monday, January 19th! Join us at WVMS from 9am to Noon as we work together to beautify our school grounds. Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with us by giving back to our community. Let’s come together in the spirit of service and make a difference!
Youth Truth Survey
The Youth Truth Survey is a district-wide survey that we ask students, families, and staff to complete so that we can better our schools. Our Bend LaPine District and schools use the information from the survey to plan for school improvement.
Families, please take the time to complete the survey by Friday, January 30th: ytsurvey.org/blsfamily26. For more info: Family Survey Letter.
To opt-out your student or read more about the Student Youth Truth Survey: Family Opt-Out & Information Notice.
2025-26 Oregon Statewide Tests (OSAS)
This school year our 3rd through 8th grade students will take the Oregon Statewide Tests. Parents have the right to opt their child out of the English Language Arts and/or the Math tests. We have made it a mission to be creative and smart about how we administer the OR Statewide Tests. We are not going to make students sit for hours at a time testing; we are going to offer them fun snacks, breaks when needed, and all the support we can give. We would like to take this opportunity to turn this challenge into a fun and meaningful experience.
Here are links to the Annual Notice for Statewide Testing – this contains information about the testing and the Opt-Out Form.
OSAS Annual Notice and Opt-Out Form English 25-26
OSAS Annual Notice and Opt-Out Form español 25-26
If you have any questions about the test, please email Felicia at [email protected].
Cell Phones: Off and Away All Day
Starting January 1, 2026, all Oregon K-12 public schools, including those in Bend-La Pine, must fully implement a statewide policy (Executive Order 25-09) banning student cell phone use during the entire school day (“bell-to-bell”) to boost focus and mental health.
NO SCHOOL Days in January/February/March
Jan 19: NO SCHOOL for the MLK, Jr. holiday.
Jan 30: NO SCHOOL for Teacher Work Day/End of Semester.
Feb 16: NO SCHOOL for the Presidents Day holiday.
Mar 18-20: NO SCHOOL for District Conference Days (Westside will have had conferences already).
Mar 23-27: NO SCHOOL for Spring Break.
Friends of WVMS is offering camp on all of these non school days. Sign up through Bend Parks and Rec!
Please Return Borrowed Clothing
If your student has come home in clothes that were borrowed from WVMS, we would appreciate if you could please wash and return those clothes. Also, if you have clothing that you could donate (small sizes, suitable for K/1st grade), that would be appreciated as well!
News From Friends
Roundabout Books Book Fair @ WVMS, Feb 3-5
Roundabout Books will be hosting a Book Fair at Westside Village February 3rd – 5th! Stay tuned for more details and times.
We’d love to get a book into every student’s hands! If you would like to donate to this cause, please make a donation in the amount of your choosing on the friendsofwestside.com site. Any donations received between now and February 5th will go towards books for our underserved students. Thank you in advance!
NexTrex Recycling Challenge
Help us reach our goal of collecting 1,000 lbs of clean plastic bags and film in one year! Westside Village is participating in the NexTrex Recycling Challenge starting in February and we need your help! You can collect at home and bring to the school OR collect at home, weigh it, and take it to one of our participating drop-off retailer locations for recycling. Make sure to email Ms. Marcie your weights so that we can log it! [email protected]
Plastic bags and film packaging are important durable and lightweight protection for food and merchandise in transit. But these materials SHOULD NOT be recycled in most curbside carts or single stream programs. Thankfully, many grocers and retailers and some communities provide specific collection bins for bags and film to be recycled separately from other recyclables.
