About Our School... On behalf of the staff and student body of Onondaga Hill Middle School, welcome to our website. We're justifiably proud of our program, our building, our district and our tradition of excellence. We appreciate your interest! Westhill truly enjoys an outstanding reputation and receives a good deal of public recognition. Academics and athletics are frequently identified as areas in which the District excels. Realtors and developers seem anxious to point out that their properties are served by Westhill Schools. I am frequently asked by acquaintances and colleagues from neighboring districts, "How does your district do it? ." While I'd love to be able to personally accept some measure of recognition for the Westhill mystique, the truth is that there is an abiding sense of community within this district that is largely responsible for our many successes. To give credit where credit is due, many thanks to: ...Our well-mannered, enthusiastic students who work hard in school each day and who recognize the importance of doing well in their studies. ...Our parents who have high aspirations for their children and who help them achieve those expectations. Their attendance at school functions and their involvement in lives of their children makes a tremendous difference ...An active Parent Council whose volunteers work tirelessly to provide enrichment programs, motivating experiences and social opportunities for our students. ... A community that takes pride in, and demonstrates continuing support of, their schools. The sacrifices they have made to provide excellent facilities, adequate supplies and up-to-date equipment are greatly appreciated. ...Our positive, caring and responsive staff who are dedicated to their profession and devoted to the District. ...A central administration that provides the direction, the resources, the professional development opportunities and the curriculum leadership necessary for us to achieve our mission. ...The members of our Board of Education who are sensitive to the wishes of the community and committed to assuring continued excellence. Their insistence that Westhill attract professionals of the highest caliber and embrace innovative, cutting edge programs provides the spark. As the only middle school in the Westhill District, OHMS serves 675 students in grades 5 - 8. We take seriously our mission to guide students through an exciting and challenging four-year social, emotional and academic transition. Our entire program has been specifically designed to facilitate that transition of students from grade 4 at Cherry Road School to their freshman year at Westhill High School. We embrace the responsibility of supporting parents through these challenging years as well. Each of our seven fifth grade classrooms is self-contained with a single teacher delivering the academic program and providing a single focus for students. While our fifth graders enjoy the benefits and amenities of a full service middle school, they are somewhat isolated from the rest of the student body and are treated as traditional elementary students. Teachers meet daily to assure academic consistency. For the seven sections of sixth grade, students are assigned a particular homeroom teacher who provides instruction in at least two academic subjects, stays keenly aware of student progress and accepts responsibility for ongoing communication with parents. Each class moves through the day as a group, experiencing several other academic and special area teachers. This design provides students the experience of changing classes but preserves the comfort of interacting with a limited number of classmates and teachers. Teachers enjoy the advantages of having fewer academic preparations and remaining more focused on students. Seventh and eighth graders attend classes in fairly typical secondary school fashion, changing classes each period throughout the day. Students are grouped to share a four member academic team of teachers. This allows teachers the opportunity to become closer to their assigned students and to share information within the team to increase instructional effectiveness. Students typically take English, mathematics, science, social studies, foreign language, art, home & careers, technology, health, physical education and music. Academic teachers meet daily to plan, coordinate instructional efforts, meet with parents and address student issues. Students and their parents may take advantage of many guidance and counseling services. Programs and events such as Career Day, Team OHMS, Teen Issues Workshop Day and the Plus Five Club have been developed to support and encourage students. A wide variety of intramural and interscholastic sports, musical performance groups, social events and co-curricular activities are available to students in grades 7 and 8. The Westhill Community has been generous in providing an up-to-date facility and the resources necessary to fulfill our mission to students. During the 1997-98 school year, OHMS benefited from a major capital project that included construction of a sixteen classroom addition to house grades five and six and renovation of all seventh and eighth grade classrooms. State of the art science classrooms were built, classrooms were wired for internet access, the cafeteria and office areas were modernized, the gym was fully renovated and a well-equipped exercise room added. Although our students perform well on State tests, we continue to focus on curriculum improvement and staff development to meet the challenges of the New York State Standards. Eighth grade students face New York State assessments in foreign language, mathematics, English/language arts, social studies, science and technology. All students in grades 5-7 are assessed yearly in English/language arts and mathematics using NYS assessments. Fifth graders take the NYS social studies assessment each November. We feel confident that recent curriculum work, continuation of academic intervention services and continued instructional innovation will help our students to meet these challenges. Communication is one of the keys to a successful school and we encourage participation of our parents in helping to shape the program we offer students. Participation in Parent Council, the OHMS Site-Based Management Team, in student activities and at school events is welcomed and encouraged. Much of what we are able to offer students, and many of the policies that govern day-to-day operations at OHMS, are a direct result parent input and participation. Once again, thank you for your interest. If we may answer any question or be of assistance in any way, please contact Assistant Principal Jeannette Clark or me at 426-3400. Sincerely, Douglas E. Hutson Principal