WHS: Dec. 2022 News You Can Use

Greetings Patriot Families,

It’s a great time to be a WHS Patriot. Our school year is rolling along and there have been tons of reasons to celebrate so far this year. I love being out on campus and in classrooms throughout the day, and it’s great to see so many students cognitively engaged in rigorous academics each class period. Since our return from remote learning, I think every high school has struggling to keep students in class. It’s good to see that more of our students are in class on time and stay engaged throughout the period. Consistent class attendance is a key indicator for academic success.

I had the recent privilege of attending our 2023 Daffodil selection ceremony and watched three outstanding candidates, Brigit Ulrich, Mayvel Roces, and Marissa Romero stand before family, staff, and community members to deliver inspiring words about how this community has impacted their lives. Congratulations to Marissa, who was selected as our 2023 Daffodil Princess, and while only one person can move on to represent WHS in this capacity, I was proud to see how each of these wonderful young women represented themselves and our community that night.

Finally, I want to acknowledge all of the outstanding sports and extra-curricular activities so far this year. In addition to post-season appearances by members of our cross country, boys tennis, football, and volleyball teams, as well as individual league honors for several of our athletes, both our football and volleyball teams went on this year to compete at state. Our football team secured a home playoff victory for the first time in 30 years, and our volleyball team took the district title (again) and rode it all the way to an impressive 6th place finish at the state tournament in Yakima. A successful fall concert and haunted theatre have us excited for our upcoming winter concert (December 13th) and play (January).

Our students continue to amaze me, and I look forward to their future successes. I hope that each of you have a peaceful and relaxing holiday break.

GO PATS!

Brent Whitemarsh

Principal

General:

• Winter Concert - December 13, WHS Theater, 6:30pm/Choir, 7:30pm/Bands.
  Our Vocal and Instrumental Ensembles will be performing all your favorite festive tunes. Come hear the beautiful sounds of the season from our PATS musicians. All are welcome and this event is FREE!
• Panorama Survey - Franklin Pierce Schools has partnered with Panorama Education. The Parent/Guardian survey asks feedback on topics such as School Climate, School Safety, and Barriers to Engagement. The student survey gathers student perceptions of teaching and learning around 19 topics—from School Climate, to Student Engagement, to Pedagogical Effectiveness. Please see flyer/links below for access! Your voice and experiences are important to us!
• Winter Break - December 19 to January 2. School resumes on Tuesday, January 3 (B Day).

Upcoming All School Events/Assemblies:

• 12/9 Assembly for the Arts (Formal Seating, B Day Assembly Schedule)
  
• 12/12-12/16 - Winter Wishes Spirit Week!
  *Monday - Family Photo/Pajama Day
  *Tuesday - Ugly Sweater Day
  *Wednesday - Class Color Wars (12th - Red || 11th - Green || 10th - Blue || 9th - Gold/White)
  *Thursday - Dress Like A Christmas Tree
  *Friday - WHITE OUT & Winter Wishes Assembly!

Winter Sports Calendar:

• Girls Bowling - Varsity
• Boys Basketball - Varsity, JV
• Girls Basketball - Varsity, JV
• Boys & Girls Wrestling - Boys, Girls
• Boys Swimming - Varsity
• Girls Flag Football - Varsity

Mrs. Rouleau White is asking for donations of QUART SIZE mason jars (and lids!) for the Advanced Culinary Arts students. They will be making layered soup in a jar as part of their canning unit.

Please drop off donations by December 12th. Questions? Contact Mrs. Rouleau White at rrouleauwhite@fpschools.org.

Congratulations to Laz Noland, the CBL Employee of the Month! Mr. Robinson would like to recognize his leadership, citizenship, and hard work!

WHY DOES STUDENT VOICE MATTER? Research into teaching effectiveness and school climate shows that student voice plays a powerful role in helping schools and districts create engaging educational experiences for students. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) Project*—created to help schools and districts assess teacher quality and encourage teacher professional development—provides evidence that student surveys can offer meaningful and valid data about effective teaching and learning practices.

• More info: https://panorama-www.s3.amazonaws.com/files/panorama-student-survey/User-Guide.pdf
• Students: Students in grades 3-12 will receive an introduction email directly from Panorama today, December 5. This email will contain a general website link that will prompt students to input their FPS Student ID number (same as their lunch number)
• Students can access the survey link until Friday, December 16 at www.fpschools.org/studentvoice

WHY DO FAMILY-SCHOOL RELATIONSHIPS MATTER? Schools that effectively engage families find that their students earn higher grades, score higher on tests, develop better social skills, and are more likely to graduate.

• More info: https://panorama-www.s3.amazonaws.com/files/family-school-survey/User-Guide.pdf
• Families: Families will receive a link that is unique to their school. If families have children in multiple schools, they fill out one survey for each school that student(s) are enrolled in.
• WHS Family Survey Link: https://surveys.panoramaed.com/fpschools/2028191904

Reserve your Yearbook between December 5-16

to get the lowest price of the year.

Only $45 (regular $50) for 2 weeks. Go to YEARBOOKFOREVER.COM or visit Ms. Pedrique in the office.

Your Yearbook staff is putting together a book of memories you won’t want to forget!!!

Learning Lab

Did you know that when we come back from Winter Break, there are only 15 (!) school days until the end of Semester 1?! Now is the time to use LEARNING LAB on Wednesdays and Thursdays to get caught up in classes where you might have INC or INC+ grades.

Parents/Guardians - Mondays are grade check days during Homeroom. Make it a habit to ask your student(s) about their grades that afternoon/evening or you can check TeacherEase together.

Navigation & Building Community

As the holidays approach, now is a good time for students to think about opportunities for community/volunteer service hours.

Community Service Requirements for graduation (There is a limit to service hours completed in-school/at WHS):

• Class of 2023/Seniors - 20 hours
• Class of 2024/Juniors - 25 hours
• Class of 2025/Sophomores - 30 hours
• Class of 2026/Freshmen - 30 hours
  
  

Speaking of service hours....

Winter Wishes week is December 12-16 and we have some fun days planned (see spirit days listed at top of newsletter!). It is also when we celebrate with "Give Before You Get," which is the community service and community building portion of the week.

After school on Tuesday, 12/13, Wednesday 12/14, and Thursday 12/15, there will be a 1-hour community service opportunity.

• Tuesday - making fleece blankets for homeless shelters
• Wednesday - making sandwiches for shelters
• Thursday - "Golden Broom" campus clean up

See Mr. Booth if you have any questions about participating!

Would your family like to host a student for a semester?

The Foundation of Academic Cultural Exchange is looking for a warm, loving family to host Carla, a 15 year old from Barcelona, Spain. She plays tennis, volleyball and enjoys movies and shopping and hopes one day to be an architect.

Questions or if your family is a good fit, please email face_student.exchange@yahoo.com and get more information here https://www.facexchange.org/host-families/

WHS graduation will be on Saturday, June 10th at 1:30pm at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup.

Seniors -- you will be required to attend rehearsal on Friday, June 9th at 1pm.

As of Monday, 12/5 WHS only has 70 total orders in for students in the Class of 2023.

From Mr. Brimage, our Jostens Sales Rep --

Jostens has decided to have one last chance this fall to still get the discounted pricing, THIS SATURDAY, 12/10/22, at Foss HS. This will be an in-person meeting event, so families can turn in orders with just a deposit.

Click here and go directly to your school ordering HUB https://jostensss.com/washingtonhub

Please upload to yearbookforever.com OR email to Mr. Skolrud at cskolrud@fpschools.org

If he does not receive one from you, the school photo from picture day will be used.

Honor your Senior with their own tribute “brag page” in the Yearbook! Use online design tools or your own assembly of photos and words to remember.

• $120 full page
• $60 half page
• $30 quarter page

Go to yearbookforever.com and find Washington High School, Tacoma. Click “Get Started” under “Create a Senior Ad.” Limited space, reserve yours now!

The Class of 2023 has access to a few amazing college admissions programs.

1. Clover Park Technical College 13th Year Program
   As part of Clover Park Technical College’s goal to increase access to higher education, we’ve designed the 13th Year Program to provide financial and student support through the first year of college. By removing financial barriers and providing support in the transition to college, CPTC will help students pursue a college education and achieve their chosen career path. Students must enroll full-time at CPTC for the fall quarter immediately following their high school graduation to qualify. Students must remain enrolled for all three quarters (fall, winter, and spring) to maintain eligibility. If a student does not enroll full-time for any of the three quarters, they will no longer be eligible for the scholarship.
   
   Students must submit the FAFSA or WASFA to CPTC and be determined to have unmet need*. *Unmet need is the amount of a student’s financial aid need for the academic year (Fall + Winter + Spring) that exceeds the student’s other financial aid awards.
   
   This is the easiest part: you don’t have to go through any extra process to apply for the scholarship! You’ll fill out an intake form with different questions to help identify scholarships and resources you might qualify for, including the 13th Year Program!
   
   
2. Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program
   

   To qualify for this Guaranteed Admissions program for Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, The Evergreen State College, Washington State University or Western Washington University you:

   • Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher;
   • Are on track to complete the College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADRs); and,
   • WHS/Franklin Pierce SD has an agreement with the participating universities and college to be part of the program!
     
     
3. Pacific Lutheran University Guaranteed Admissions Program
   

   The PLU Automatic Admission Partnership requires two main criteria to be met for a student to be eligible:
   (1) a minimum GPA of a 3.3 and
   (2) completion of 2nd year algebra (Algebra II) or an agreed upon equivalent (if in progress, we can look at past grades in math courses and likelihood to complete). PLU will also work with the districts and schools to make decisions related to students enrolled in ELL courses, on IEP/504 Plans, International students, and other special populations.
   
   

   If a student meets the criteria or is on track to meet the criteria by high school completion, they are guaranteed admission to PLU. Upon receiving the automatic admission offer, a student will need to complete:

• An Acceptance Form to let us know they are interested - this is NOT the university application and will not require an essay or letters of recommendation. It takes most students around 5 minutes to complete.

• A FAFSA or WASFA for full financial aid consideration More info here: https://www.plu.edu/admission-first-year/apply/automatic-admission-partnership

Greetings from the Counseling Team!

Somehow November went by in the blink of an eye. As of today (12/7/22), there are only 22 school days until Semester 1 finals! Heading into break is a great time to (re)familiarize yourself with TeacherEase for the most updated information about progress in classes. We would appreciate if you can remind your student(s) that grades do count! Students must earn 24 credits in specific areas to earn their diploma.

If TeacherEase lists INC as a grade, then your student is NOT passing that class at this point. We want to make sure that we work together to get students to standard/passing, so if you haven't already heard from teachers, reach out to make an action plan to get your student back on track. You can find a list of contact information for teachers here.

We also encourage students to take advantage of the many opportunities to get extra help if needed:

• Grade Checks during Monday Homeroom to see if they need to catch up in any classes
• Learning Lab (during Homeroom on Wednesdays and Thursdays)
• Thirstin' for Knowledge Thursdays - after school help from Ms. VanGundy, Mrs. Wilson (ELA), and Ms. Williams (Math)
• Parkland Literacy Center - free tutoring, in-person or virtually, through PLU. https://www.plu.edu/humanities-int-studies-social-sciences/parkland-literacy-center/
• Pierce County Library Online Homework Help - Online tutors are available every day* from 1 - 10 p.m., for one-on-one homework help. https://www.piercecountylibrary.org/kids-teens/tools-students/online-homework-help.htm

• Jamie Zapanta, School Counselor, students last names A-G, jzapanta@fpschools.org
  
• Eduardo Ortiz, School Counselor, department lead & students last names H-O, eortiz@fpschools.org
  
• Matt Summers-Smith, School Counselor, students last names P-Z, msummerssmith@fpschools.org
  
• Annie Plutko, Grad Coach & Running Start students, aplutko@fpschools.org
• Taneesha Jenkins, Social Worker, tjenkins@fpschools.org
• Brian Rice, School Psychologist, brice@fpschools.org
• Alyssa Vangundy, MTSS Lead & Instructional Coach, avangundy@fpschools.org
• Savali Tuivaiave, Intervention Case Manager/Family Resource Support, stuivaiave@fpschools.org

• Kimberli Pacheco, Records & Enrollment Specialist, 253.298.4744
  
• Bonnie Wiklund, Registrar & Data Manager, 253.298.4713
  
• Sheryl Moore, College & Career Specialist, 253.298.4871

The South Puget Sound League (SPSL) has partnered with VNN to provide a streamlined experience for students, parents, and community members to get information about Patriot Athletics!

Office Hours: 7:00am-2:30pm

Closes at 1pm on Early Release Wednesdays

• Phone: 253.298.4700
• General Email: washington@fpschools.org
• Office Manager: Nancy Barber, nbarber@fpschools.org
• Assistant Principals' Secretary: Madison Phipps, mphipps@fpschools.org
• Attendance Coordinator: Annie Jaquez, ljaquez@fpschools.org
  *Report an absence - 253.298.4714
• Financial Coordinator/Cashier: Lana Pedrique, lpedrique@fpschools.org
• Fax: (253) 298-4715