July 26, 2018

Dear Panther Nation, 

Welcome, new families! And welcome back to our returning families!

I will begin my letter by sincerely thanking you for choosing Proviso West High School. Gone are the days when families have only one choice for their children’s schooling, and I am deeply honored that you have entrusted the Proviso West faculty and staff to educate your child(ren). Families are the foundation of our school, so on behalf of my staff and administration we thank you for all you do for our children and school community.

Last month, two faculty members, two students and I presented the Proviso West Transformation Plan: Pathways to Prominence. This school improvement plan is the roadmap we will utilize over the next 3-5 years to advance the rigor and whole-child support structures our students need to improve their academic achievements. With this plan, I also fully expect that every Panther student and staff member will thrive because it focuses on the systems and structures needed to improve the leadership, organizational and instructional capacities across the school. The plan can be found within the Panther Roar E-Newsletter and will be uploaded to our new website in August! 

For returning students who have not completed early registration, please bring your registration pin to quicken your registration process.  If you are unable to locate your pin or did not receive your pin; please bring your current lease, mortgage statement or property tax bill AND two of the following:

• current utility bill (gas, water, electric, non-cellular phone, or cable bill)

• driver’s license, State ID, or Consulate card

• bank statement

• paystub with address

• vehicle registration

• car insurance with address

• city sticker receipt

• credit card statement

Also, parents and guardians, please be informed that the Board of Education has developed a Parent Compact in order to increase parental involvement and participation in our schools. Parents are required to check the student performance tracking system (Power School) to stay abreast of assignment completions, grades, absences, tardies and discipline actions. You will be asked to sign this Parent Compact as a memorandum of understanding of how the school will partner with each family to improve the learning outcomes for all students; the Parent Compact will be kept on file in the school buildin

During the 2018-2019 school year, students in Proviso Township High Schools will be required to follow a dress code. The uniform requirement which was previously in effect has been replaced by the dress code. We understand that students are interested in dressing in a way which allows them to represent their individuality, tastes and style. Along with this, however, comes a responsibility for students to ensure that they “dress for success” and avoid dress which may be disruptive to the education process or threatens the health, safety or welfare of others.

We ask that you review the dress code with your child and help them to be successful in complying with expectations regarding appropriate dress. We value student agency and voice and recognize that our powerful partnerships with students will produce improved educational and operational outcomes. 

Finally, I would like to welcome everyone back to our new school year! I am excited about the transformational changes that are taking place at Proviso West and am counting on you to be a catalyst for these changes! Enjoy the rest of your summer and stay safe as we eagerly await our new year to begin. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me.

Important Dates to Remember

PTHS D209 Back to School Bash               August 17, 2018
1st Day of School (All Students)               August 20, 2018
Labor Day – No School                            September 3, 2018
Back to School Night                               September 6, 2018
Bring Your Parent to School Day               October 4, 2018
Parent-Teacher Conferences                     October 18, 2018

Sincerely,

Nia Abdullah, EdD
Principal

For more information on Dr. Nia Abdullah