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.
• Engaging arts program that includes band, choir, and world music.
• New STEAM elective classes at 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.
• New technology including interactive whiteboards and projectors, amplification devices, chromebooks, and an updated infrastructure!
• Strong level of parent and community support.

We are proud of these accomplishments and look forward to building upon them in the upcoming school year.

Our school theme for the 2017-18 school year is “Use the FORCE: Friendships, Opportunities, Respect, Cooperation, Excellence.” At West Orient, our common goal is to prepare every student for success, NO EXCUSES! We want each and every student to improve, grow, and achieve, but we know we can not accomplish this goal alone. We believe it takes a “FORCE” from all stakeholders—parents, students, staff, and the community— to accomplish our goals with the greatest success.

Effective communication is our priority and key to student success! Our weekly newsletter, Tuesday News, contains the most current information including school announcements, upcoming events, important dates, and school celebrations. Tuesday News is emailed to parents on Tuesday afternoons and we upload a copy to our School News page. 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. Parents and students are encouraged to utilize ParentVUE weekly to track progress. Tuesday News can be found under Our School > School News and ParentVUE can be found under Parents > ParentVUE.

I am honored to serve as principal of West Orient Middle School. If I can ever be of assistance, please call me at 503-663-3323 or email catanese@gresham.k12.or.us
In the meantime...May the FORCE be with you!

Sincerely,
Elise Catanese
Principal
West Orient Middle School