West Family Members:

That is a phrase your child will hear a lot this year at West Elementary. We certainly know it is true. For kids, like adults, the future is made by the present. We know, for instance, that a student’s success in high school can be directly traced to his/her success in elementary school. It is a long-standing economic fact that the more education a child has, the greater his/her lifetime earnings will be. For us at West, we see it as a critical component of our job to help students – even those in the early grades – begin thinking about life after high school.

We are going to prioritize this idea in a variety of ways this year. For our 5th graders, we will likely have a field trip later in the year to the University of Southern Indiana and/or the University of Evansville, giving students the opportunity to see a college campus and envision themselves as a part of it. Further, one of the parent programs we’ll hold this Fall will feature a bank official who will help parents begin planning and saving for their child’s post-secondary education. Stay turned for more details on these and other exciting programs.

We strongly encourage West families to reinforce with your student that their tomorrow begins today. We want all of West’s children to be engrained with the idea that high school will not be the end of their education. As the principal, I want every West student to walk through the halls of this school embracing the idea that “I am going to go to college, trade school, etc…”

I ask all West’s families to partner with us on this important mindset.
You will see any number of new faces on the West staff this year, faces we hope you and your student will get to know over the course of the school year.

On behalf of our staff, I want to welcome you and your student to a new school year here at West. We once again look forward to partnering with you to help make your child’s tomorrow everything it can be.

Sincerely,
Amanda Wilson
West Elementary School