WAVE Newsletter
December 2021
Principal's Note:
At WAVE, there are many ways to practice a Leader in Me mindset. For example, if you know you want to take time off of school during an upcoming holiday, what action steps would help you reach that end goal?
1. Take a good look at your pacing guide to determine a modified schedule for yourself that will put you AHEAD of pace.
2. Spend extra time each day working to meet your goal of being ahead of pace.
3. Let your teachers and WAVE office know you will be offline and your plan for staying on track.
4. Check your pacing guides and "to-do" lists again. If you have all of your work done up through the time you want to be offline, you've met your goal! Congratulations.
Here's another example: You want to be on the Academic Awards List this fall. How can you make that happen?
1. Go through each module with a growth mindset; when you put the time into learn, grades naturally follow.
2. Take notes while you work through your lessons. If something is confusing, ask your teacher.
3. If you need additional help with a subject or lesson, attend your teacher's virtual homework help time. (If you need help outside of your teacher's hours, you can also use tutor.com for in the moment help.)
4. Take advantage of retries in your classes, so you can master the concepts.
5. If you do all of these things, you will meet your goal! Congratulations!
What are some other outcomes you would like to see for yourself? Create an action plan and you can make them happen.
Sincerely,
-Mrs. Seymour
Elementary (K-5)
WAVE Elementary
Students engage in grade level standards based curriculum and interact with teachers both synchronously and asynchronously weekly. Students are working online, completing project based learning, and using old fashioned paper, pencils, and scissors to demonstrate learning.
Additionally, students have the opportunities to interact socially in clubs and during field trips.
The WAVE model is focused on providing flexibility to families, while maintaining rigorous academic outcomes. WAVE thrives when the community of learners work together: students, families, and teachers/staff.
Elementary Homework Help & the WAVE Community of Learners
We are so appreciative of our high school students who are giving back to the WAVE community in this way and for demonstrating their leadership.
The high school students work with the elementary staff to provide guided tutoring and homework help as needed.
This is a great addition for the WAVE learning community.
Secondary (Grades 6-12)
Grade 6-12 Course Registration for Spring 2022 (Current Students)
Hybrid Scheduling at WAVE: Think Win-Win!
Also, WAVE students can participate in clubs, sports, and activities at a brick and mortar Wausau Campus.
If this is something that is of interest to you, contact Ms. Sether to explore your options and a hybrid schedule.
Early College & Start College Now
Early College Credit Program/Start College Now Sign Up Deadline
Interested in taking classes at (ECCP) UW Stevens Point at Wausau or (SCN) NTC while still a high school student? Please visit the WAVE website for the appropriate application and eligibility information. Contact Ms. Sether, for more information or clarification. Students must be in strong academic standing, and on track with graduation requirements. Both programs have strict application deadlines.
DEADLINES:
No later than March 1 for a course taken in fall semester.
No later than October 1 for a course taken in the spring semester.
Youth Apprenticeship Opportunities at WAVE
The Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program is a rigorous one- or two-year elective statewide program that combines academic and technical instruction with mentored, paid, on-the-job learning that makes a real world connection for students.
Youth Apprentices work a minimum of 450 hours at their YA worksite each year of their program and take related high school or college classes to enhance their worksite experiences.
High school juniors and seniors from participating North Central Wisconsin School-to-Career Partnership schools are eligible to participate.
Contact Ms. Sether to learn more.
Ms. Sether, WAVE Guidance Counselor (grades 6-12)
Email: tsether@wausauschools.org
Phone: 715-261-0893
Teacher's Office Hours (Synchronous Time)
Check your course Landing Page and/or Welcome Folder in your courses for days/ times and Google Meet codes. You can also email your teacher and schedule individual 1:1 time.
Grades 6-12 Final Exams
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. Jensen, for the password. Mrs. Jensen can be reached at cjensen@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
Grades & the "What If" Calculator
The most up to date view of your grades will be on your grades page in Buzz. Here you can see the "Due Date" which is the target due date for each assignment/quiz/test (based on your course start and end date) for all graded work in the course. All learners at WAVE have until the end of the course to submit work without loss of points. However, do understand that submitting large quantities of work late might not leave time for you to review feedback and make use of retries to improve your knowledge and skills.
Your progress reports show a "Work In Grade" for all the items you submitted to date that have been graded. The reports also include a "Final Grade," which factors in zeros for all work not completed/attempted.
From your Grades page in Buzz, you can click on the "What If" tab. On this screen, you can enter scores to calculate possible grade outcomes for past due assignments or ones you have not completed. Then, click Re-calculate at the top. This support document walks you through how to use that feature.
Juniors: Mark your Calendars for the ACT Test
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.
WAVE FBLA Field Trip
If you have any questions about FBLA, contact advisor Dawn Jameson- djameson@wausauschools.org or Club President Jalyn Burish- jburish@wausauschools.org
Students are welcome to attend any of the meetings; watch emails for more details.
Academic Awards
Grading
All online grades will be based on a 4.0 pt. scale and monitored by the Local Education Guide (LEG). Grades will be used to calculate Grade Point Averages (GPA) and class rank. The following system will be used for calculation of GPAs for grades 6-12:
A = 4.0
B = 3.0
C = 2.0
D = 1.0
F = 0.0
The percentage necessary for each grade is:
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = 59% and below
Academic Awards (full-time students)
Academic awards are based on semester grades. Qualifications shown below:
Medal Awards: Based on Semester GPA
Gold Award
4.0 GPA
Silver Award
3.75 GPA ↑
Bronze Award
3.5 GPA ↑
Varsity Letters “W” Award: Based on Cumulative GPA
Senior
4.0 GPA
Junior
3.75 GPA ↑
Sophomore
3.5 GPA ↑
Whole School: General Announcements
Items You Can Check Out from WAVE
Virtual School Enrollment Across the State Continues to Grow
We are fortunate to have an established virtual school offering within the Wausau School District!
Source: WSAW-TV
WAVE Spring Application: Opens December 1st
Spring semester starts January 18, 2022.
Sau koj tus minyuam npe los kawm WAVE! Sau npe los kawm WAVE qhib rau lub Kaum Ob Hlis hnub 1, 2021. Cov tub ntxhais kawm xav koom nrog WAVE virtual kev kawm zej zog pib txij lub caij nplooj ntoo hlav, losis Spring, xyoo 2022 yuav tsum ua kom tiav daim ntawv nyob online txuas hauv qab no. WAVE yog ib lub tsev kawm ntawv charter virtual hauv Wausau School District, thiab peb qhib rau cov menyuam kawm ntawv hoob K-12.
Caij nplooj ntoos hlav, losis Spring semester pib lub Ib Hlis hnub 18, 2022.
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.
School Calendar: Days Off
Not everyone celebrates the same holidays, has the same scheduled vacation, or time off. The target due dates you see on your grade page might not match your planned schedule. So if you want to take time off when assignments are due you can:
- Work ahead and get them done early, or;
- Schedule some extra time to catch up upon your return
Likewise, if teachers are planning days off during the holiday season, they will communicate their revised schedules with you.
WAVE Enrollment Commitment
Families who enroll at WAVE are agreeing to commit to at least one semester of enrollment. If after a semester the decision is made that the student is better served in the brick and mortar environment, arrangements will be made to transfer the student to his/her resident school at the end of the term.
Take Care of your Technology
This is just a friendly reminder that technology devices do not like being left in the cold, the heat or damp areas.
Leaving them in the cold will cause them to have different errors and issues. The battery will begin to die and the screens will begin to have issues as well. Bringing them into a warm room quickly after they are in the cold may cause condensation inside and also long term damage.
In general - you will want to avoid leaving any technology devices in extreme temperatures (cold or heat) as much as possible.