WAVE Newsletter
January 2022
Principal's Note
WAVE is the perfect training ground for developing a Leader in Me mindset. Every student at WAVE in grades K-12 practices these principles daily.
What does it mean to Put First Things First? Start by thinking in terms of Big and Little Rocks:
"Big Rocks are the most important things for you to do, such as spending time with your family, planning family meals, and getting an education. Little rocks are the less important things for you to do, such as watching TV for long periods of time, playing video games, or aimlessly searching the Internet/social media."
How can you practice Putting First Things First? Start by creating a list of things that matter to you the most and then decide which are the most important= Big Rocks, and which are less important=Little Rocks.
“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
WAVE ELEMENTARY (Grades K-5)
Elementary Social Event for December: A Visit to the Grand Theater
WAVE Elementary Counselor: Ms. Simons
As your elementary school counselor, I am here to support your social and emotional learning. If you are needing some extra guidance around friendships, family changes, school readiness, etc., please reach out to me or your teacher and we will set up a time to chat! I look forward to working with you this school year!
Email: lsimons@wausauschools.org
Phone: 715-261-0197
WAVE Elementary Teachers Attend SLATE
Gifted & Talented Nomination Process
Nominations are now being accepted from parents and teachers of second through fifth grade students in need of gifted and talented evaluations. Parents and teachers are welcome to nominate students who are currently achieving at a high level in mathematics and/or reading, approximately at the top 5% of the class. Please note, students cannot be tested in consecutive years. Teachers have already nominated some students for these evaluations. If you have already completed a Permission to Evaluate for Gifted and Talented Identification Form, no further steps need to be taken. Students who are already identified as gifted and talented do not need to be reevaluated.
Parents whose second through fifth grade child has not been previously nominated as gifted and talented and who feel that they have a high achieving child may pick up a Permission to Evaluate for Gifted and Talented Identification Form with the Parent Inventory Form on the back from the school office. Nominations from parents are due by January 14, 2022.
When the completed parent forms are returned to the school office, each student will be scheduled for several assessments. These will be done sometime during the school day. These assessments, along with other test data, will provide the district with a student profile. This profile will help determine whether or not a child meets the District’s guidelines for gifted and talented identification. The assessment review is expected to be completed in May and the results will be shared before the end of the school year.
The Wausau School District recognizes that appropriate instructional challenge is needed for all students regardless of ability. The GT identification process is one way to help us provide for the educational needs of high ability students. Should you need further information, please contact Tammy Steckbauer, Coordinator for Gifted and Talented, at 715-261-0220.
I-Pad Insurance Reminder
WAVE SECONDARY (Grades 6-12)
Opportunities for In-Person Activities: Middle School Game Day @ the WAVE Center
Middle School Book Club
Book Club Plan for Semester 2
Anyone in WAVE Middle School Language Arts is welcome to join our Book Club for one or all of these books. We meet on Mondays at 1:45 and enjoy casual conversation about our book and sometimes other things :). Our first meeting for Semester 2 will be January 10 at 1:45. If you are interested in reading one of these books, please email Mrs. Matushak at jmatusha@wausauschools.org and let her know which book or books you would be interested in. We can get some of the books from Ms. Hase (our librarian) and we hope to see you soon!
Book 1: (January 9 - 30) The Giver
Book 2: (January 30 - February 20) Walk Two Moons
Book 3: (February 20 - March 13) Percy Jackson: Lightning Thief
Book 4: (March 13 - April 3) Tuck Everlasting
Book 5: (April 3 - April 24) Bridge to Terabithia
Book 6: (April 24 - May 15) A Wrinkle in Time
Learning Has No Boundaries
While spending a week in Iceland the students learned history, geology, geography, culture, toured a lava tube, visited the divergent plate divide between the Eurasian and North American plate, studied the religious and political history of Northern Europe, hiked an ice cave, learned about the fishing industry, and witnessed the Northern Lights in person.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Kerid Crater along Iceland’s Golden Circle
A Piece of the Berlin Wall
Ms. Sether- Grades 6-12 Guidance Counselor
Email: tsether@wausauschools.org
Phone: 715-261-0893
Juniors: Mark Your Calendars
To prepare, juniors should be working in Method Test Prep, a free ACT prep service that can be accessed within a student's Xello account.
Course Exams & Final Grades
COURSE EXTENSIONS:
Up to a two week course extension can be provided to students if a written request is submitted to the WAVE principal before the course end date.
Any extension beyond two weeks will be considered if there are extenuating circumstances (i.e. medical reasons, family emergency, etc.). This request must be initiated by the student or parent/guardian and submitted to the WAVE principal for consideration. The principal, and if necessary, guidance counselor and the student’s teachers, will decide on an appropriate end date based on the circumstances.
EXAMS: Students, make sure you are on pace with your assignments, so that you are prepared for the exams at the end of the semester. Teachers may provide exam study sessions or tips for their individual courses; read your teachers' feedback, newsletters, and emails, and attend office hours.
PASSWORDS: Contact your teacher for exam passwords, if your test is password protected. Your teacher may provide the password to you or a trusted adult in your household, other teachers may ask you to contact your academic coach, Mrs. Zollpreister, for the password. Mrs. Zollpreister can be reached azollpriester@wausauschools.org or 715-261-0527.
TEST TAKING EXPECTATIONS: Follow your teachers' guidance and expectations. In most instances, you will be able to take the tests at home with a parent or other trusted adult serving as the test proctor.
FINAL GRADES: Any assignments not completed by the close of a course are calculated into the final grade as a zero. This will have a significant impact on a student's final course grade if there are many outstanding assignments. The "what if" calculator in the Buzz gradebook can help students calculate final grades. Semester grades will be entered on a student's transcript once the grade is finalized and reported by the classroom teacher.
TUTOR. COM- The 24/7 tutoring service available to you in our courses can help you with exam prep. Give it a try!
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY REMINDER: Please remember the importance of Academic Integrity and review WAVE's Policy: Click Here
Student Athletes
WAVE WHOLE SCHOOL & GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Virtual School Learning Continues to Grow in Popularity
WAVE Spring Semester Enrollment Window
As a reminder, current students do not need to reapply to remain enrolled at WAVE.
Welcome to our Newest Staff Member, Mrs. Zollpriester
Mrs. Zollpriester replaced Mrs. Jensen as WAVE's Administrative Assistant / Academic Coach.
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Hello WAVE families! I am excited to introduce myself to you! My name is Alexzandra Zollpriester (Alexz) and have been a Wausau native my entire life. I am also a proud graduate of Wausau West High School. After graduation, I attended NTC and studied Early Childhood Education.
Prior to this position at WAVE, I was a building paraprofessional at Stettin Elementary, spent 7 years at Liberty Mutual as a part of the Claims department, and most recently, was the Receptionist at Wausau West High School. I am also a professional figure skating coach and have been coaching for the past 13 years.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband (Jordan), daughter (Isla) and our two black labs (Bentley & Brody). We spend many weekends at Lake Nokomis, going on pontoon rides, fishing, and taking evening walks.
I am looking forward to being a part of the team here at WAVE, and getting to know you all!
Covid Testing Available
The Wausau School District is now offering free PCR COVID-19 testing to all students, staff, and even their immediate family members.
Testing is now available, on a limited basis in a mobile unit. Below you will find a schedule that shows where the unit will be and when. Then, starting closer to December, ‘Wellness Cottages’ will open up on each school campus in the District, where that testing will be done. The cottages are currently being built.
Everyone who would like to receive that free test must fill out a consent form. The consent form is available on the WSD website.
It’s imperative that you know the District will not test students without parental consent.
All staff and immediate family members of students and staff who would like to receive that free testing, will give consent either at the mobile unit or at the Wellness Cottages when they open up.
You should also know this is all being done at absolutely no cost to the Wausau School District. In fact, the Department of Health Services is paying for it all -- including the testing of students, staff, and their immediate family members, along with paying for the staff who will administer the tests, the mobile unit, and the construction of the Wellness Cottages.
Homework Help 24/7: Tutor.com
Maybe your teacher's open office hours don't meet your schedule, and you are looking for support right now versus sending an email or placing a phone call. This is the perfect opportunity for you to use the "Homework Help Tutor.com" link in your online course to connect in the moment. Here you can meet with a tutor 24/7 (except major holidays). Tutors are available for the core content areas (Math, Science, Social Studies, English-Language Arts); German; Spanish; French; some business and technology courses; and writing support. There is also support for Study Skills and ACT Prep.
Keep in mind the tutor will not have access to your course and will ask you to provide specific questions and details. They are there to help, but will not give the answers or provide support for tests and quizzes.