Attention cross country runners:
There will be an option to do cross country practice at 6 am this week due to the heat. If unable to do the morning practice, A 1 hour afternoon practice with frequent breaks will be offered.
Attention JW High School Families! We are looking for 6 more high school host families for 1 female student & 5 male students that arrive on September 6th. Please click the link below if you would like to help our partner school program.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MY78G98
Picture Day is coming up on Thursday, 8/24! Order before Picture Day to receive free shipping to the school. Order online at https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/78627QF.
For those interested in FFA, come and join us!
Tiger Community:
The Advanced Ag Mechanics class at Jefferson West High School is looking for projects to work on during the school year. Response has been GREAT, and we are still looking for a few more projects. We are looking for metal construction and repair projects. Unfortunately, we will not be doing any engine or vehicle repair projects due to liability issues.
If you or someone you know has a project that needs to be done and is willing to allow the Ag Mechanics students to work on it, please contact Steve Buss at steve.buss@usd340.org, or Jefferson West High School at 785-484-3331.
Wishing all our students and families a great first day back at school. We are looking forward to a making this year the best for your student yet! #HeedTheRoar
https://youtu.be/GlIc0Lw-pII
2 days away from the 1st day of school for the year 2023-2024. Class begin at 8am.
Don't forget to join us at the Back-to-School Bash on Tuesday, 8/15, 5:30-8pm. There will be free food and lots of fun. This is an event for staff, students, and community members. Come one come all!
Practices begin today for fall sports. Forms must be turned into the office before you may practice.
The parent meeting for Jefferson West Middle School and High School fall sports (football, cross country, volleyball, and girls golf) is Monday, August 7th at 7pm at the High School.
Just a quick reminder our first Pizza With a Purpose & Patrons is at 5 PM Tonight at the community room next to Gambino's in Meriden
August 1, 2023
Dear Tiger Family!
As the summer is quickly winding down, our staff is working hard to plan for another great school year. Much like celebrating the New Year, we experience the same feelings as educators as we start a new school year. That excitement never fades for our educator families. As you may have heard, we spent a lot of time listening to students, staff, parents, and surrounding areas about how we can continue to make the Jeff West community even better.
You may be asking yourself why this is important. Our community schools are the economic engines of our Kansas communities and the most significant investment in our future generations. As you may have heard, the legislature changed the laws governing how parents can choose which public school their children will attend starting next year.
Here in Jefferson County, we proudly have six community school districts serving our communities. For those outside of Jefferson County, they don't understand the impact our beloved community districts provide to our families and patrons and they want to see this changed.
Now, for the first time in K-12 public school history in Kansas, we will have to start competing for students much like our public universities have done for many generations.
Our family of staff has been working hard to adapt to the ever-changing landscape facing our public school systems. With that, we have taken all the information and began to work on improving the areas where we most need to improve. You will see many more things completed next year based on that feedback, leading to our theme, Reason to Believe. With that in mind, we must ensure we are ready to tell the world how wonderful our community and schools are here at Jeff West so we can save the communities our past generations have built.
Our board of education has worked hard to position our district to be ready for the new changes we will face with the 2024-2025 school year. We want to make it easier for students and parents to receive communication from us and to better align our district functions to best support student success. As a parent and patron, we want to ensure that the Jeff West experience is great across all aspects of the district, by better aligning policies and expectations. I look forward to joining you as we share our Reason to Believe. Wishing you and your family a great rest of the summer and a very successful new school year. I look forward to seeing you at one of our many great activities.
It's always a great day to be a Tiger!
Jason
Kansas FCCLA Students Shine Bright at the FCCLA 2023 National Leadership Conference in Denver
Denver, Colorado, July 1-6, 2023 – Two members from the Jefferson West High School FCCLA showcased their remarkable talents and skills at the highly anticipated Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) 2023 National Leadership Conference in the vibrant Mile High City of Denver, Colorado. This prestigious event brought together approximately 8,000 members, advisers, and supporters from all corners of the nation, offering a platform for personal growth, career exploration, and community service. Among these passionate attendees, a group of nearly 400 courageous individuals from Kansas embarked on a memorable journey to the neighboring state of Colorado. Brimming with excitement, these Kansas representatives enthusiastically shouted "LIGHTS, CAMERA, LEADERSHIP!" to ignite the conference with their energy.
Throughout the duration of the NLC, attendees were captivated by captivating keynote speakers, actively participated in empowering leadership, workshops and engaging RED Talks, and fearlessly stepped into the spotlight to ensure their voices resonated far and wide. Kansas students actively participated in various competitive events, starting at the district and state levels, with the most accomplished among them earning the opportunity to present their projects on the grand stage of the National Leadership Conference in Denver. An outstanding example of achievement is Caroline Small, who competed in Fashion Design Level 3 and proudly received a silver medal. Chase Holman was one of three Kansas FCCLA members who were selected to represent all Kansas District Presidents, Kansas FCCLA PEER Educators and Kansas FCCLA State Officers from Kansas to be on the National Executive Council voting delegate team. During this three-day process of voting, Chase met and interviewed 20 candidates for the coveted positions of the FCCLA National Officer team for 2023-2024. Chase is the District E-West President and Caroline is the District E-West V.P. of National Programs. The Kansas delegation extends their heartfelt appreciation to the community for their unwavering support of FCCLA.
(Please see the photo attached to include in this article in your publication taken by the advisor Leslie Abbott).
Photo: From left to right. Chase Holman, advisor Leslie Abbott, and Caroline Small.
Public Notice: The July Board of Education Meeting will be held now on Monday, July 17th at 6:30 PM at the district office.
Newly Formed Big East League
Administration from the Big 7 and Mid-East Leagues have voted to approve a league merger. Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year the Big East League will consist of the following high schools: Hiawatha, Holton, Jefferson West, Nemaha Central, Perry-Lecompton, Riley County, Rossville, Royal Valley, Sabetha, Silver Lake, and St. Marys. Middle school membership will include the aforementioned schools as well as Atchison Middle School.
The Mid-East League, formed in 1948, currently consists of Riley County, Rock Creek, Rossville, Silver Lake, St. Marys, and Wabaunsee. Rock Creek will depart to join the North Central Kansas League and Wabaunsee will depart to join the Flint Hills League at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.
The Big 7, formed in 1926, currently consists of Hiawatha, Holton, Jefferson West, Nemaha Central, Perry-Lecompton, Riverside, Royal Valley, and Sabetha with Riverside leaving to join the Northeast Kansas League at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.
The formation of the Big East League will improve scheduling logistics, increase academic and extracurricular opportunities, and further elevate these historically successful member schools.
Calling Golfers! The Annual JWHS Cheer Golf Tournament is June 16 at Village Greens Golf Course. To sign up or more information contact Carrie Bahr: Carrie.bahr@usd340.org
Girls 4x1 finish third at regionals with a time of 52.62! STATEBOUND! Congratulations Ladies!
Regional Track Delays start time to 4:00pm today, 5/19/23.
Field events will begin at 4:00.
Running Prelims will begin at 6:00.
Running Finals will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 4x800.
Congratulations to Natalie Meyer, Leena Turner, Caroline Small, and Arwyn Faulkner, who all earned 1 ratings at the state Speech festival on Saturday. Meyer earned a 1 rating for her poetry interpretation, and the team of Meyer and Turner earned a 1 rating for their team performance in Improvised Duet Acting. Small earned a 1 rating for her prose interpretation and a 2 rating for her POI (Program of Oral Interpretation) performance. Faulkner earned a 1 rating for her prose interpretation.
Congratulations to the 10 journalism students who helped Jeff West earn the distinction of taking 2nd in 3A state sweeps!
Bryce Midgley placed 2nd in News Writing
Brock Dobbie placed 4th in News Writing
Leena Turner placed 2nd in Digital Illustration
Natalie Meyer placed 3rd in Infographic
Hannah Haslett placed 2nd in Sports Feature Photography
The team of Sydney Sage, Aspen Wheeler, and Katelin Lohmann took first for their softball Sports Promo VIdeo
Kamryn Fleischer placed 5th in Copy Editing
Sydney Sage placed 5th in Yearbook Copy Writing
Bryce Midgley placed 6th in Feature Writing
Abigail Smith placed 3rd in Academics Photo
Kamryn Fleischer placed 5th in Editorial Cartoon
Brock Dobbie placed 3rd in Headline Writing and Design
