HELLO WOLF PACK STUDENTS AND FAMILIES,

We hope that you have been able to connect with your quarter 3 teachers and are engaged with them.

If you have a questions about your Quarter 3 classes, contact your teacher via email or during their scheduled availability.

In an effort to continue improving communication to our families and community of West Hills High School, please take a moment to review the weekly, informative messages below.

Are you looking for previous editions of the Wolf Call Weekly? The West Hills website has them as a resource. (Info, Wolf Call Weekly)

We encourage your participation as an active reader of these communications that will help bridge our communication between WHHS and Students & Families. Thank you for your continued support for all students at West Hills!

WHHS Administration,

Robin Ballarin, Principal

Apri Baker, Assistant Principal (A-G)

Carrie Gaeir, Assistant Principal (H-O)

John Hoadley, Assistant Principal (P-Z)

Cyndi Nowlen, Manager of School Facilities

Vice President Kamala Harris who was sworn in last week as the first woman, Black American and South Asian American to take the Vice Presidential oath of office in the United States.

Chromebook Repair/Exchange Info Link

Upcoming Event this week:

• January 25-29: Great Kindness Week led by WH ASB
• January 26 @4PM: Equity Committee Meeting (see below for more info)

Our quarter 3 tutorial schedule is now set! Many students are accessing tutoring and doing well. Please consider doing so if you are struggling. Reach out to your Teachers, Guidance Counselor, or Assistant Principal for extra help and/or ideas if you need them!

Please click HERE for our tutorial schedule. All students (including blended and distance learners) are encouraged to attend any sessions that we offer tutorial services for!

Be well Wolf Pack!

We are proud to announce our Semester 1 Honor Roll students!!

These students have earned a 3.5 GPA or higher in Q1 and Q2.

We know this is the most difficult time for learning and that online learning and one day a week on campus as a choice is NOT easy for anyone!

Congratulations to these students and families in doing well! We are proud of you!

The class of 2023 has prepared Cocoa CarePACKs for their fellow members of the sophomore class!! These little care packs contain a packet of hot cocoa, 3 Hershey's Kisses, a positive quote, and apps recommended by Mending Matters to destress and take a short break. Most of all, they are completely FREE! Check out the video below for more information! A BIG thank you to WHHS student leadership for putting this tougher!

Pick up is:

• Date: Tuesday January 26- Friday January 29
• Hours: From 11:10-11:40 (lunch)
• Location: Outside PA1.

Students will need to bring their student ID or chromebook to confirm they are a part of the class of 2023!

Class of 2023.. we will see you then!

Please know that our Equity Committee is working on all fronts and welcomes anyone and all within our school community to join our meetings, read out minutes, and know that we are committee to a peaceful, equitable, and successful school community for all.

If you would like to join us, please email April Baker (abaker@guhsd.net) or Robin Ballarin (rballarin@guhsd.net) and we will add you to the email invite for our next meeting January 26 at 4 p.m. online.

Our sub-committees were the idea of students in our committee at large and are student lead! We welcome all who want to work on our racial, gender, religious and cultural equity issues within our community.

You may read the notes from our latest meeting here.

A College Admissions/Financial Aid Specialist from Grossmont College will be hosting a Zoom specifically for West Hills seniors and senior parents on:

• Tuesday, January 26
  
• 5:30-7pm.

The event will cover both the application process and offer detailed information on the FAFSA application. We encourage seniors and senior parents to attend this important event to get information and help with the Admissions Process (application, course registration, and academic advising) and Financial Aid process.

Click HERE for the zoom link!

Questions? Please email Mrs. Albrecht: malbrecht@guhsd.net

There have been ever changing guidelines and dates that have been received from the California Department of Public Health and our CIF governing bodies. Our 2020-21 athletic programs have tentative start dates. Dates may change with changes to state regulations.

Click HERE for more information about tentative start dates for our sports programs.

Thank you to our Athletic Director, Lucas Hondros, and Assistant Principal, Mrs. Baker, for keeping us up to date in these challenging times.

We hope you all had a great start to quarter 3! We understand you may need some additional supports. If you are in need of any mental health resources, please reach out to your Guidance Counselor or our Mending Matters resources linked below:

• crisis/access lines,
• phone apps designed to support mental health,
• some wellness tips from our Youth Advisors.
  

Also, please see our upcoming parent forum! More info below..

Our District Student Support Services and Mending Matters will be hosting a webinar for parents on February 2, 2021 from 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. on the topic of mental health awareness and resources.

Please take a look at the information linked below in the language most comfortable for you. All are welcome! Registration is required.

English

Spanish

Arabic

After a months long renovation, we are excited to announce that our Administrative staff has moved BACK into our main Admin. building! Please find us here as the B building has been transformed back to classrooms!

If you need to find our nurse or any other services, please FIRST check in with our Receptionist and they will direct you where to go. We are open from 7am-3:30pm M-F.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation!

• February 3rd @6PM- WHHS Virtual Freshman Showcase (see below for more info)
  
• February 8th - No School- Campus closed in observance of Lincoln's Day
  
• February 15th- No School- Campus closed in observance of Washington's Day
  
• March 12th- End of Quarter 3
  
• Monday March 15th - Thursday March 25th -Campus closed for Spring Break
  
• Friday March 26th- Quarter 4 begins- No students attend campus: log in to your email, check Schoology or Google Classroom for your distance learning schedule, activities, assignments & class updates.

If yes, ALL FAMILIES should complete their registration through their parent portal.. don't wait.. get started today!

Please click HERE for more information!

Questions? Please contact Assistant Principal's Secretary Mrs. Lenhoff at 619.956.0425 or mlenhoff@guhsd.net.

Now is the time you can help them create their future with us! We are excited to highlight everything that makes West Hills High School a wonderful place to learn and explore!

We have 2 opportunities for future pups to learn about WH!

1. Visit our West Hills High School Showcase website
2. Join our live zoom on February 3rd @6PM

• Please email spitones@guhsd.net for the zoom link/invite!
• A big shout out to Mrs. Gaeir and the WHHS faculty for putting together this virtual event!
  

Note: 2021/2022 Enrollment is now open. If you are the parent of a current 8th grader, please register your student as soon as possible.

• You can click HERE to do so!
  

Third year Manufacturing Engineering students are competing against three community colleges to design a testing fixture for OtterBox using Fusion 360 3D modeling software. Good luck to all participants!

Click HERE for more information!

Check out our Real World Math and English course taught by Mrs. Tropiano! Students are learning how to read and follow a recipe that called for the use of measuring cups. The lesson started with a review of how to read cooking measurements. Students used the interactive white board to answer questions about different cooking measurements. Next, students used the ingredient list to locate their individual ingredients, choose the correct measuring cups to measure the ingredients according to the recipe, and last but not least get to drink their delicious creations! Mrs. Tropiano, her instructional aides, and students are able to do so all while practicing social distancing and proper sanitation. Thank you Mrs. Tropiano, Instructional Aides, and students for allowing us to "peek into your classroom!"

This month, Mrs. Addy's Honors and AP Chemistry students started off the quarter with a zoom guest speaker from I Love a Clean San Diego! They learned how elevated levels of CO2 in our oceans are impacting the shells and skeletons of marine life. They also tracked their CO2 emissions for a week to understand more about their carbon footprint.

Thank you Mrs. Addy for sharing such a wonderful experience for our students!

Science Club Zooms started back up this quarter with a guest speaker from Grand Canyon University. Participants learned about the vast career paths in the field of chemistry and used a pharmaceutical technique called "compounding" to make their own lip balm at home! They even had the opportunity to talk to a GCU councilor about admission options.

Science Club meets virtually Tuesdays at 12:30pm.

Email Mrs. Addy (saddy@guhsd.net) for more information.

As part of our ongoing effort to increase learning, teachers began tracking student participation on a daily basis on January 11. Previously, participation was tracked weekly and was tied to completion of weekly assignments.

Starting on Monday, January 25, parents and guardians will have access to the attendance tab in the Campus Parent Portal so you can track your student’s daily class participation.

Teachers have shared their participation guidelines with your students. Those guidelines may include:

• Attendance at required live Zoom meetings

• Accessing assignments in Schoology or Google Classroom.

• Student self-reporting in the Student Campus Portal before 3:00 pm (Video Instructions). Self-reporting entries are accepted or amended by each teacher.

Teachers may also have other participation guidelines specific to their classes. Please contact your student's teacher with any questions.

Need more info? Click HERE for the memo that was sent to parents last week.

Hello Wolf Pack Seniors and families:

Please take some time to fill out the Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) form online for eligibility for two years of California Community College for FREE!

Regardless of your household income, if you are a graduate of a California high school, you could get two years of Community College class fees for FREE! Many families think you have to have a certain income to be eligible and you do NOT!

Complete yours today...it is never too late and even if you do not think college is for you right now, if you change your mind, you've already completed an important financial aid step for yourself!

We will be hosting Grossmont College free webinars for Wolf Pack Seniors and their families in the near future... see the above post!!

Stay tuned on social media and in your portal!

Go Wolf Pack!

Our Teacher Librarian, Mrs. Sannwald, has provided a "handy dandy" guide if you need help with Infinite Campus (IC).

Please click HERE for more information!

To complement the Daily Attendance and Participation change, teachers may now require students to attend live Zoom meetings:

• either during, before, or after the regularly scheduled class period each day or on specific days.
• to both distance-only and on-campus students.

Teachers will provide live Zoom expectations and anticipated schedules soon. The mandatory requirements will be communicated to students and parents/guardians via their syllabus or other course materials.

Additionally, teachers may award points for activities completed during these virtual class sessions.

Note: It is possible that not all your student's teachers will be doing this.

If the answer is "yes" to either question then please remember these important guidelines:

• All work hours must be outside of school hours.
• This means you cannot work during the classes you are enrolled in (following our bell schedule day) and when your teacher has required zoom meetings.

• Students must meet and maintain a 2.0 G.P.A (grade point average) to obtain and keep a work permit.
• Attend school regularly (including zoom sessions) on time to obtain and keep a work permit.

If you obtained a new job or switched employers, you need a new work permit.

Click HERE for more information about obtaining a new or updated work permit.

Hello Wolf Pack students and families,

Thank YOU for being so responsible, respectful and honorable in staying home if you are ill. We are truly grateful to all in our school community who have emailed, called or let us know of a student's positive circumstance and in keeping them home to fully recover. While we do get notification from the Public Health Department, YOU find out before we do and this makes all the difference on campus!

If you have any signs or symptoms of covid, or if you have had close contact (live in the same household) with someone who has tested positive:

• Please stay home.
• Email our nurse Lori Farra at Lfarra@guhsd.net or call her at 619-956-0471.
• Please include the last date your student was on campus (if they were).
• You can also email teachers (although for student privacy, you do not need to disclose why the student might not be turning in work right away or on campus for 10 days).
  

As a reminder, everyone coming onto campus is required to wear a mask, get their temperature taken, keep 6 ft. social distance, and wash hands frequently.

Thank you for helping us to keep our school community safe.

Go Wolf Pack!

This is a frequent question that we often hear from our students and parents. To help you better gauge your learning please see the time allocations below. Remember:

• school is still 5 days a week.
• students need to be engaged in virtual and/or in-person learning everyday.

• 9th/10th classes- 7 hours a week per class x 3 classes = approximately 21 hours per week
• 11th/12th classes and other classes - 10 hours a week per class x 3 classes = approximately 30 hours per week.

Students and Parents/Guardians:

The faculty and staff are proud to partner with you in the education of your student. Educational success for all students cannot be complete without an effective partnership with all parents/guardians. You are the most essential part of your children’s education, and it is important that we build a strong relationship in order to best serve your student’s educational needs.

We strongly encourage you to review the 2020-21 Student Handbook.

This week we highlight the BICYCLES, SKATEBOARDS, HOVERBOARDS etc. campus policy.

Bicycles, skateboards, roller blades, hoverboards, and scooters are not allowed to be ridden on campus at any time. They cause a disruption to the academic atmosphere and can impact everyone's health and safety.

Students who ride bikes, skateboards or scooters to school must lock them in the bike rack or skateboard racks located outside room IT-3 at all times: Students may not carry any form of wheeled transportation during the school day. Students must provide their own locks. Consequences: Penalties will range from warning through suspension. Wheeled transportation will be confiscated and returned to student on the first offense. Additional violations will result in the parent/guardian being required to pick up the confiscated item

Students must provide their own locks. If you do not have a lock or you forgot to bring one, please contact the Administration office for assistance.

West Hills High School or the Grossmont Union High School District are not responsible for theft or damage of any wheeled vehicles.

For more information, see our policy on page 22 or contact your assigned Assistant Principal.

Please remember:

• to WEAR FACE MASKS at all times while on campus: This is NOT optional.
• if you are wearing a clear face shield, you MUST WEAR A FACE MASK in addition to the face shield.

Neck and Face Gaiters Reminder

• Also, The CDC has updated their website and our District has asked us to make sure we are not allowing neck and face gaiters on campus any longer.
  

• Please see the CDC page here for more information.
  

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!