Wolfpack Howler
Volume 19 Issue 16 - January 4, 2021
Questions about the upcoming shift:
Does everyone need to complete the Survey?
- YES - all students will need to have a survey response completed. We will start calling families on Thursday who have not completed a survey for their students.
- Click here to take the survey on Quarter 3 Instructional Options
When can I get my Quarter 3 Materials?
- Tuesday (Jan 5) & Wednesday (Jan 6) books and course materials will be ready for pick up from 8am-3pm at the front entrance to West Valley.
- Call the front office 479-4221 x0 when you arrive and we will bring your materials out to you.
When does the day start and end now?
- 1st Period starts at 9:15am now
- 3rd Period ends at 2:45pm now
- Each teacher will determine the specific schedule for each class period and students may not need to be present online for the entire time and may only meet synchronously for part of the time and then have independent work for the rest of the period.
- See the full bell schedule below for Remote Instructions
What about SSP?
- All students should now have an SSP in their schedule that correlates to their 2nd period class.
- During Jan 6-Jan 29 we will not have regular SSP class meetings as SSP will begin once students return In-Person on Feb 1
- Ms. Gillam will now host an AFTERNOON MEETING @ 1pm - Register for the Zoom Webinar!
Below is all of the information sent out last week regarding our shift in instructional models and if you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Quarter 3 Updates and Instructional Options
Hello Students, Parents and Guardians,
Starting in January, the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District intends to provide more options for in-person learning, while still providing remote learning, eLearning, and BEST Homeschool choices for families. At the start of this school year, parents and students were presented with three options, a blend of In-Person and Remote Instruction, eLearning with a FNSBSD teacher, or homeschooling through the Fairbanks BEST Homeschool. Due to many factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the schools have operated in a remote learning environment for all of first semester, with only the most high need students having access to in-person instruction. Starting next semester, all students who wish, will have access to in-person instruction at their school.
However, knowing that choice is important and that not all families will feel comfortable with their student(s) returning to in-person schooling during the pandemic, we will continue to offer instructional models that allow students to remain home.
The Four Instructional Options for 2nd Semester are explained in images below in basic terms. Each school will have a slightly different way of addressing Remote and In Person Instruction, so please keep reading for school specific details.
At West Valley our In-Person option will look like this:
Instruction will vary depending on teacher and subject area, however, in-person students will follow their current 3rd quarter schedule and can expect that during their class time, their teacher will also be interacting with classmates who are remote. There will likely be a mix of direct instruction and independent work and students may have synchronous/asynchronous interactions with remote classmates as well.
Students will attend their 3 classes every day, five days a week following the new bell schedule.
1st Period: 9:15 - 10:35am
2nd Period: 10:45-12:05
Lunch & SSP: 12:05-1:15 (there will be 2-3 staggered lunch periods)
3rd Period: 1:25-2:45
Also note: Passing periods, end of day release, lunch time, and bathroom breaks will be staggered at assigned times by Zones.
Here are some of the major changes students can expect to see if they choose to attend in-person. Additionally, there is a video below highlighting these changes.
NO LOCKERS - you will be required to carry your belongings with you to your classes.
All students will need to have a device with them during the school day - if you need one, call us!
Social distancing to the extent possible as well as assigned seats in all classrooms.
Hand sanitizers and wipes will be available in each room. Students will be responsible for cleaning their desk areas.
Lunch will be eaten in assigned locations throughout the building. WE WILL BE A CLOSED CAMPUS, so leaving the building during lunch will not be an option. Students will either need to bring their own lunch, or get lunch from the school cafeteria and will be required to stay in assigned lunch locations for the entirety of the lunch period.
Water fountains are turned off, so please bring your own water bottle.
And our Remote Instruction option will look like this:
Remote students will also follow their current 3rd quarter schedule and can anticipate that instruction will vary depending on teacher and subject area. Following the new bell schedule, remote students will be notified of the times during the period that they will meet with the teacher synchronously. During the rest of the class period, they may have independent work to complete or students may have synchronous/asynchronous interactions with remote and/or in-person classmates.
Students will attend their 3 classes every day, five days a week following the new bell schedule.
1st Period: 9:15 - 10:35am
2nd Period: 10:45-12:05
Lunch: 12:05-1:15
3rd Period: 1:25-2:45
Please keep this in mind as you complete the choice form below. Also, remember that the choice you make today can be revisited later. You are not locked into your choice. Please feel free to contact West Valley for assistance. Call 479-4221 Jan 4 and later. Or email us at contact-wvh@k12northstar.org.
Click on this link to access choice form: FNSBSD 2nd Semester Instructional School Choice
Thank you for taking the time to complete this form. Please make sure to fill out a new form for each of your children.
Sincerely,
Sarah Gillam
Principal, West Valley HS
Spring Lottery Application Dates
Looking to enter an application for a lottery? Here are the dates of when the applications will be open:
- Hutchison: Dec 7 - Feb 17
- North Star College: Jan 11 - Feb 26
- Secondary Out of Attendance Area: Jan 8 - Feb 24
The Centralized Application Portal can be found online here: https://lottery.k12northstar.org/
Upcoming Events:
2021: Link to School District Calendar
Jan 4 & 5 | NO SCHOOL - Professional Development and Work Days
Jan 5 & 6 | 8am-3pm - Materials Pick-up
Jan 6 | Classes Start
Jan 12 | PTSA General Membership Meeting @ 6pm | Zoom Link
Jan 26 | PSAT - More details to come
Jan 4 | Work Day
Jan 5 | Professional Development Day for all Staff (7:45-3:15)
Jan 6 | Quarter 3 Classes Begin for Students | Quarter 2 Grade DUE at the end of the day
Jan 12 | West Valley General Membership PTSA Meeting
Jan 18 | No School - Holiday in Honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
Jan 19 | In-Person School Begins for Elementary
Jan 19 | School Board Meeting @ 6pm
Jan 25 | In-Person School Begins for Middle School
Feb 1 | In-Person School Begins for High School
Feb 2 | School Board Meeting @ 6pm
Feb 15 & 16 | Parent-Teacher Conferences
Feb 16 | School Board Meeting @ 6pm
Feb 17 | Professional Development Day
Non-Senior Yearbook Portrait Instructions - DUE Jan 17th
Hi West Valley Students and Families!
This year, the yearbook staff has decided to do things a little differently. We have not been able to have school photographers take pictures of the entire student body, so Instead we are asking all non-senior students to go through the process at the following link to submit a photo for their school picture.
Go to this website: https://high5.id/p/epl2y
Enter your student id number (JUST THE 6-DIGIT #, NO ‘s’)
Follow the steps and use the provided frame to capture your portrait and send it to us via High5
Photos will be checked for quality and you may be asked to retake
You do NOT have to do anything with the ID card
These portraits should be submitted no later than January 17th @ 11:59pm.
Requirements:
100% school appropriate content.
School admin has the final word on this; any inappropriate content, even accidental, will result in the photo being permanently removed from the book without a second chance.
Pictures must be recognizably you.
If you are unable to complete the portrait process, or if you have any other questions, please contact West Valley Yearbook: wolfpackyearbook@gmail.com.
Thank you!
COVID-19 Vaccine Info with Dr. Mishelle Nace
Counseling Office Contacts
The Counseling Department:
WVHS Counseling Office: 479-4221 ext. 46520
Mr. Blackburn - A-G (10th-12th) ext 46525 - willie.blackburn@k12northstar.org
- Ms. Everts - H-N (10th-12th) ext 46527 - paula.bettano-everts@k12northstar.org
- Ms. Gillis - O-Z (10th-12th) ext 46523 - karin.gillis@k12northstar.org
- Ms. Sprague - all Freshmen ext 46524 - anna.sprague@k12northstar.org
COVID-19 Safety Protocols
Current Risk Level = HIGH
GENERAL SAFETY PROTOCOLS:
- All visitors, students and staff in the building must wear a mask and maintain social distancing at all times.
- The student daily decision tree is posted below, but students should not come to school if they have any COVID-19 symptoms, have traveled outside of Alaska or have had close contact with a positive COVID-19 case within the last 14 days, or has tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 10 days.
- At the bottom of this email, Dr. Anne Zink explains in a video the different between quarantine and isolation in case you've wondered what those terms mean.
- If you have any questions or concerns - please call our school nurse, Corinne Roe (x46540).
INDOOR ACTIVITIES:
- At the High Risk Level, no spectators are allowed for indoor events
ALL ACTIVITIES:
- For all activities, both indoor and outdoor, all spectators must wear masks covering nose and mouth at all times while at the activity.
West Valley High School
Email: contact-wvh@k12northstar.org
Website: https://www.k12northstar.org/westvalley
Location: 3800 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Phone: (907)479-4221
Facebook: facebook.com/wvhWolfpack/
Twitter: @wvhWolfpack