Announcements
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Oregon Battle of the Books OBOB)
Teams forming now!
Does your student love to read? Do they enjoy competitions? OBOB is a state-wide program to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading. We will have a meeting during lunch/recess time for all interested students the week before winter break. To participate in OBOB: students complete a sign-up form available in the library, form 4-5 person teams on their own or with Mrs. Strobel's help, read at least 6 of the OBOB books before mid-February, and then meet after school 2 days a week as an OST club during February and into March. OST club will prepare them for the battles to determine who will represent West Orient at regional competition in March! All OBOB books have 4 or more copies in the WOMS library and can be found on MackinVIA digitally here (https://gresham.mackinvia.com/Enter/NoAuto). Just login under West Orient Middle School and use the student's school gmail username and password. Please contact Mrs. Strobel at strobel6@gresham.k12.or.us with any questions. -
Parents & Guardians,
If you pick-up and/or drop-off your student at school, please follow our traffic flow guidelines to keep the busy traffic times flowing and all of our students safe.
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Chipotle PTC Fundraiser Event
Wednesday, December 18th - 4:00pm - 8:00pm
2065 NE Burnside Rd
Bring in this Chipotle Flyer or show it on your smartphoneTell the cashier that you're supporting Orient PTC
Join us at Chipotle restaurant for a fundraiser to support Orient PTC.
33% of the proceeds will be donated to Orient PTC for the Teacher Grant Fund.
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2019 West Orient Giving Tree
Please join our Orient tradition of GIVING by choosing a gift tag from our
Giving Tree for our students in need of assistance.
Please deliver your wrapped gift with identifying gift tag to the office by Friday,
December 13th. Gifts need to be ready for family pick-up on Decemnber 16th.
Thank you for your generosity!!!
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Fred Meyer Rewards Card Fundraiser
You can help WOMS earn donations just by shopping with your Fred Meyer Rewards Card!
- Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to West Orient Middle School at www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards.
- You can search for us by our name or by our non-profit number, TN147.
- Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping West Orient Middle School earn a donation!
- You still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points, and Rebates, just as you do today.
- If you do not have a Rewards Card, they are available at the Customer Service Desk of any Fred Meyer store.
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Parents & Guardians,
Communication with our families and safety for all students are very important to us at West Orient Middle School. Here are a few key items to to help ensure communication and student safety.
- Please update your contact and emergency contact information often. Many time we are unable to contact families when needed. In case of an emergency it is imperative that we are able to reach you.
- ParentVUE is an important tool to track your students grades, absences, class schedule, change demographic information and much more. If you do not have a ParentVUE account please contact the office at 503-663-3323.
- Log into ParentVUE
- Download ParentVUE Getting Started Guide (pdf)
- Periodically we send out School Messenger Broadcast email messages. Please do not unsubscribe from receiving these messages. We try to only send out important information to you as we do not want to overwhelm you with too many messages. If you unsubscribe you will miss receiving important information. Please contact the office if you would like to re-establish the email connection and begin receiving our email messages.
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Math iReady
Wednesday mornings from 8:30am - 9:30am
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Smarter Balanced Tests
West Orient Middle School will give Smarter Balanced tests in English Language Arts and Math in the spring of this school year. These tests measure more complex, real-world skills such as critical-thinking, writing, and problem solving so that your child can successfully transition from grade to grade and be prepared for his or her next steps after high school. We know that an end-of-the-year test cannot possibly tell us everything about your child’s academic progress. However, the results do act as a snapshot of your child’s strengths and areas for improvement and can be used as a way to ensure they are getting the support they need. Additionally, the tests help Gresham Barlow School District’s efforts to equitably distribute resources and support student learning. When fewer students take the test, we are left with an incomplete and inaccurate picture of how our students are performing, and this limits our ability to address issues, better serve students, and continue to improve our educational system.
ORS 329.479 establishes a Student Assessment Bill of Rights permitting parents or adult students to annually opt-out of statewide summative assessments in English language arts and Mathematics. The opt-out forms will not be available on the Oregon Department of Education website until later this school year. We will let you know when the opt-out forms become available. This notification will be sent to you at least 30 days prior to when your student would begin testing. More information about the annual opt-out / testing notification process can be found here:
Oregon Annual Testing Notification - English
Oregon Annual Testing Notification - Spanish
In the Gresham Barlow School District, we are deeply committed to inspiring and empowering each student and ensuring that every student in our schools has the support they need to achieve at high levels and graduate prepared for their next steps. If you have general questions or want more information about the end-of-year tests, please see http://www.smarterbalanced.org/parents/.
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West Orient's Calendar of Events for the 2019-2020
West Orient's Calendar of Events is a great source of information all in one easy to view format. This is a compiliation of activities and events happening this year at West Orient Middle School.
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Attendance Matters
As part of our work to improve school attendance at West Orient we want to make sure every student misses no more than 9 days of school, or 1 day a month. Attending school has a huge impact on student success.
Look for the following student attendance incentives.
- Raffle prize drawings
- Prize incentives
- Recognition bulletin board
Absences can add up. Missing just two days every month puts students at risk of falling behind. Please let us know how we can best suppport you and your student so that they can show up for school on time every day.
For some attendance tips – click here
When is too sick for school? English Spanish
Attendance in Early Grades English Spanish
Attendance Information Flyer English Spanish
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Attendance Information Sheet
Attendance Information Sheet - English
Attendance Information Sheet - Spanish -
West Orient now has apparel and shoes available for purchase
Apparel: westorient.gearupsports.net
Shoes: gearupsports.net/shoes
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SafeOregon.com
All kids should feel safe at school and in their communities.
SafeOregon gives kids, parents, schools and their communities
a way to report safety threats or potential acts of violence.
Together, we'll empower people to speak out and spark a change.
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Early Arrival & Late Departure of Students
West Orient’s school hours are 9:05am – 3:35pm.
There is morning supervision available in the cafeteria beginning at 8:35am on M, Tu, Th & F and 9:35am on Wednesdays.
Students should not arrive to school prior to these times unless they are attending our Wednesday morning Math iReady from 8:30am – 9:30am. Students should be dropped off at the cafeteria door and not the front office.
In the afternoon there is no supervision of students after 3:35pm. Students should be picked up no later than 3:45 pm. There is no after school supervision available. Thank you for your understanding while we work to keep all children safe.
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Student Registration Information
Enrollment Packet (New students to our district)
Spanish Enrollment Packet (New students to our district)
Immunization Requirements 2018-2019
Immunization Requirements 2018-2019 - Spanish
Immunization Requirements 2018-2019 Russian
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Proposed Social Science Resources
A teacher selection committee has recommended the adoption of McGraw Hill’s Networks as the new primary Social Science resource for GBSD middle school classrooms. Networks is a combination of digital and print resources aligned with the new social science standards adopted by the Oregon Department of Education. With school board and budget approval, these resources will begin being used in classrooms in the fall of 2019.
Stop by the school to see a sample of the student textbooks, or click on this link https://www.gresham.k12.or.us/Page/8164 to see digital samples.
Reach out to Director of Teaching and Learning at kautz@gresham.k12.or.us with your feedback or questions. -
2019 Immunization Results
The State of Oregon requires schools to notify parents of their immunization rates for each required vaccine. These rates will be posted on our school’s website, in our school office, and sent home to parents. The rates attached are the exemption rates as of the February exclusion date - which is always the third Wednesday of that month. Schools are required to publish this information twice each school year. These rates will be posted within thirty days of the February exclusion date. The same information will be shared again during the first month of school next school year. Again, these rates are collected and tallied each February.
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Boundary Review Process Underway
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Updated GBSD Mobile App is here!
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West Orient's Bus Snow Routes
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Join the conversation!
Every voice matters at West Orient Middle School
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Receive School Reminders/Updates via Text Message!
Sign up to receive messages from your child's school and GBSD!
District News
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GBSD's Amy Nimz named Oregon's Assistant Principal of the Year
Nimz honored for work to develop systems aimed at supporting student learning
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GBSD School Board Meeting tonight at 7:00PM
Live video of the School Board meeting will be available tonight at 7:00PM. A link to the live video will be available in the district news section 5 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.
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District selects next student support services executive director
Cook to begin serving in new role January 6
Principal's Message

Phone: 503-663-3323
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
Ms. Catanese
Greetings,
I’m Elise Catanese, principal of West Orient Middle School, home of the WOLVERINES. As a community of learners, the students and staff at West Orient Middle School strive to practice respect, responsibility, relationships, and results. High standards and expectations for each student in regard to academic performance and responsible citizenship are the foundation of our school. It is with pride that we hold these high standards and ask each of our students to commit to maintaining the extraordinary record of achievement and contribution that has been the legacy of West Orient Middle School students.
What we celebrate:
- High academic and behavioral standards.
- Dedicated and collaborative staff that focuses on teaching and learning to improve student growth and achievement.
- Positive and safe school climate & culture.
- Strong level of parent and community support.
- Project based learning with our STEAM elective classes at 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.
- Updated technology including one-to-one computers, interactive whiteboards and projectors, amplification devices, chromebooks, and an updated infrastructure.
- Bond improvements: new classroom furniture, floors & paint, and new security upgrades.
School Mission
Wolverines are EPIC! Engaged Persistent Intentional Career and college ready
School Vision
All students are socially, emotionally, and academically prepared to reach their fullest potential.
School Communication
Communication is key to student success! All school information can be found on our school website, westorient.gresham.k12.or.us. Our weekly newsletter, Wolverine News, contains the most current information including school announcements, upcoming events, important dates, and school celebrations. Wolverine News is emailed to parents on Tuesday afternoons and we upload a copy under the Wolverine News link on our school website. ParentVUE is another valuable communication tool that provides parents and guardians access to information regarding their child’s academic progress, current grades, attendance activity, and class schedules via the internet. You can sign up for ParentVUE during registration on August 21. Both Wolverine News and ParentVUE can be found on our school website. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @WOMSwolverines.
School Theme
We have officially started the 2019-20 school year with a "Level Up" attitude! Now it’s time to LEVEL UP our attendance, behavior, and academics to build a successful community of learners. I’m grateful for our amazing staff that has the necessary skills to ensure each student is socially, emotionally, and academically prepared to reach their fullest potential. As your principal, it is important that everyone who steps through our doors - staff, students, and parents - are excited to be here! This attitude enables us to meet the challenges of academic success in a positive, fun and nurturing environment. I look forward to working with all of you to achieve our collective goals! Now let’s LEVEL UP and make this the most EPIC year ever!!!
If I can ever be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Go Wolverines!
Elise Catanese
Principal
West Orient Middle School
"LEVEL UP"