Frequently Asked Questions - West High School

Calling WEST HIGH SCHOOL

801-578-8500 is the main school number. When the recording comes on you can enter the extension you are trying to reach. You can also wait for a staff person to answer and transfer you.

Absences and Excusals

Room 208 (x2080) Students should be in school every day by state law, but parents have the right to have absences excused. If your students needs to leave school during school hours, have the student report to room 208 BEFORE the class starts during which they would need to leave. Students will not be allowed to leave class without an office excusal note. Absence/Excusal Form 2021-2022

Academics

West High School is a school of Scholars and Champions. Academics is the primary focus of our educational system. Students should use their years here to prepare for future education, career, and interest opportunities. Graduating on time should be the goal for each student.

Administration

There are six administrators at West who are very concerned and interested in your student getting a great education. Contact Main Office for current Administrator's Assignments.

Bullying

Report Bullying to a teacher, counselor, administrator or youth advocate

Busses

x2080 See transportation. Late busses to the Avenues and Rose ark neighborhoods leave at 5:15 PM, Monday - Friday.

Career Pathways

x3650 CTE Offices - to get the latest career pathways and learn how WHS can prepare students for them.

Class Changes

x3640 Guidance Center and Counselors. Class changes are only permitted at the end or beginning of a term and may involve a fee. Changes based on academic placement might occur at other times. Talk to your counselor.

Class Fees / Fee Waiver

x2170 Fees are approved at the district level and are waived if students have an approved fee waiver form which can be done at anytime during the year.

Clubs

x2080 Call for a list of currently approved clubs. Club applications are approved at the school board level. Clubs are a way students can connect to school and to students with similar interests.

College/ Scholarship Support

x3250 College Access Advisor, x3260 Scholarship info.

Computer Use

All students must sign and follow the Acceptable Use Policy signed online during registration. See Board Policy I-18 (English) and Política I-18 del Consejo (Spanish)

Counselors

x3640 Guidance Center and Counselors are available all day during school hours. Appointments can be made in person or on the phone. Counselors truly want to help your students do well at school and be on track to graduate on time.

Daycare — Preschool

x1060 Faculty and neighborhood members can utilize the WHS daycare and preschool services. Students taking Child Development classes help to care for children under adult supervision.

Electronic Devices

All electronics must be turned off and be out of sight during class time unless permitted by individual classroom teachers. We expect students to be mature and able to handle having phones, tablets, etc. at school. We will talk to parents if we see that a student cannot handle these devices appropriately or if their education is suffering because of them. Please talk to your student about this issue.

Eligibility for Teams

x1610 Call if you have questions or are transfering a student athlete to West High School.

Employment Information for Students

x3180

Family Resource Center

x2310 This center is here to help families with clothing, food, furnishings if needed, and help navigating the community and school system. Please call!

Fee Waivers

x2170 Fees Waiver forms are available during registration and at other times during the year. If this is approved most school fees and team fees are waived.

Food Pantry

x2310

Gear Up

x3140 room 314. Students who need help getting to college are targeted by GearUp and other programs at West High School. Applications are required.

General Information

801-578-8500

Grade Changes

Talk to the teacher who issued the grade if you feel there was a mistake to see if a correction is warranted.

Grades

Grades are important in high school. Each quarter of a class has a grade and a credit attached to it. These credits add up to allow a student to graduate from high school. Grades affect a student's GPA which then might impact college and future training opportunities.

Graduation Requirements

For more information, please see the document, Graduation Requirements (English) and Requisitos para la graduación (Spanish).

Our goal is to provide opportunities so each student can graduate on time and be ready for work or further education or training.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

West High offers two International Baccalaureate Programs - the Diploma Program and the Career-Related Program. These rigorous two-year programs begin junior year and prepare students for post-secondary success. For more information on what IB is and how to enroll, please visit the West High IB website

Library

The library is open from 8:15 AM to 5:00 PM Monday - Thursday and 8:15 AM to 3:45 PM on Friday.

Lockers

x3640 Students can have a locker if they wish. Younger students are assigned a locker and older students can also be assigned a locker.

Lost and Found

x2180 Please remind students to keep ahold of their belongings and consider leaving their most prized possessions at home.

Lunch Fees

x1180 the Cafeteria can help answer questions about lunch accounts and they have free lunch forms for students who qualify. These forms can be filled out during registration or at other times during the year. Students either have 1st or 2nd lunch depending on where their third-block class is held.

Lunch Time

Two lunch periods are held at West each day. West is an open campus but we recommend that students not leave campus during lunch. If they miss class after lunch their grades suffer and their graduation status might change. Students can eat in several places in the building and are asked to clean up after themselves.

Marmalade Library

(801) 594-8680 This new library is just up the street and has room and resources for students who need to complete school work and projects.

Night Events

Many school events are held in the evenings with adult supervision. Football and basketball games, dances, academic meetings and other events are scheduled throughout the year. These are great times for students to spend together and we recommend that students be allowed to participate to the extent that families allow.

PACE

x2530, room A211 PACE serves students who are getting ready for college and need extra support. Contact Chanelle Konzak

Parent-Teacher Conferences

We encourage you to attend conferences twice a year to make connections with your student's teachers and learn how we can better work together to reach our goal of having students all graduate on time.

Partnership — School and Home

We at WHS believe you want the very best for your student. We want to provide the education for your student that will help them reach the goals they have for themselves. We need you to trust us that we are doing our best to that end. We, in turn, trust you to do your best as the parent or guardian of your student. We will try to talk to you about any issues that impact your student during their educational journey.

Phone Calls to Parents / Guardians

Automated and in person phone calls need to reach the people in charge of each student. We try to communicate things you need to know and if we have old or disconnected numbers that communication is harder to achieve. Students should not enter their own number as a parent's or home number during registration.

Red Day / Black Day

Student have alternating days with four classes each day. One day is called Red Day and the other day is called Black Day. The website calendars also have those days marked.

Rentals

Building rentals are done by Rachel Townsend. She can be reached through email at rachel.townsendl@slcschools.org or at extension 1610.

Salt Lake Community College

SLCC is a partner in our school, especially because they work with our CTE staff to provide opportunities for students to attend concurrent enrollment classes which award high school and college credit if students complete the class with a C grade or higher.

Scholarship Advisor

x3260 Resource to help students find and apply for scholarships.

Sports / Athletics

Sports participation is a way for student to feel connected to school, to be motivated to do well academically, and excel physically in a sport. WHS supports student athletes with great coaches, training periods, and great facilities. Our athletic director is Rachel Townsend x1610.

Student ID

Students receive an ID card after registration and after having the opportunity to have a school picture taken. While you don't need to buy picture packages, the ID card is critical. Entrance to dances, school events like Spirit Bowl and games requires this form of identification.

Tables

Display tables need to be arranged by Laurie Russell. Her email is laurie.russell@slcschools.org.

Tests

Tests are an important way for teachers to know if your student is learning the material and can apply it on their own. Please encourage students to study for tests and to take them seriously. Talk to teachers during parent teacher conferences about their philosophy of testing.

Theft or Problems to Report

x3850 or 3840 SRO office

Transportation / Buses

x2080 Room 208. Many students can take school buses or UTA buses to school. Find about routes and other information by looking at a display of the different routes found outside of room 208 or online.

Treasurer

School fees of all kinds can be paid in person in room 217 or online at www.myschoolfees.com You need your student's ID number to set up an account and pay fees online. Your account will be linked to an email you chose.

TRiO

x2550, Room A215 Federal program to assist first-generation students prepare for college enrollment.

Tutoring

Tutoring is available Monday - Thursday from 3:30-5:00 PM in the Library.

Visitor Policy

Room 2100 - Visitors must sign in and receive a visitor sticker while visiting at WHS. Check in at the office or security.