The Wolverine Chronicle
Monthly Community Newsletter -- ed. 1, vol. 3
A Note from Dr. Archambeau
As we get ready to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, I reflect on these first few months as a principal and realize how truly thankful I am to be serving the West community. This community is special and it is because of the endless support we receive from each and every one of you.
During this break, I hope you get to connect with family and friends and that you get some much-deserved rest and relaxation!
Aaron Archambeau
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ICON Teacher and Support Staff of the Month Winners
One of the best parts of my job is having the opportunity to recognize the staff members in our building for a job well done! Each month we collect ICON Teacher of the Month (TOTM) and ICON Support Staff of the Month nominations from students, faculty/staff members, parents, and community members.
Nominations are grouped by month and the person with the greatest number of nominations each month is named our Teacher and/or Support Staff of the Month. Our Teacher of the Year is selected from among our 10 ICON TOTM nominees from the previous school year. Teachers who are named the Teacher of the Month during the 2022 - 23 school year will be a nominee for Teacher of the Year next year.
August Teacher of the Month - Jessica Hoffman
- Jessica has truly shown how to be INVOLVED and she has dove headfirst into this year with the students.
- Whether it's always having some type of help session any chance she can, joining the athletic dept as an assistant coach, putting in awesome efforts to make her classroom 3DE focused, or just being kind to all the students and staff, Jessica is getting involved at West and making an impact.
August Support Staff of the Month - Mary Friday
- Mary is always a wealth of information that is always helpful when supplies need to be ordered, food needs to be ordered, or something needs to be set up.
- She always knows where to find what you need and willing to talk through your event to ensure you aren’t leaving something out.
September Teacher of the Month - Sarah Henderson
- Ms. Henderson is very noble, no matter what grade you get in her class she will always help you out to do the best you can. So is so kind and has helped me improve this year in math tremendously.
- Sarah Henderson always puts the wellbeing and academic needs of the students first, and she is a wonderful advocate in our PLC's for students who are struggling to understand. She stays after the last bell to do what needs to be done to give her students her best always.
September Support Staff of the Month - Amanda Teixeira
- I see her often helping kids and staff when she is busy and trying to help everyone. She goes out of her way to make sure that people understand concepts and doesn't mind repeating herself. She also shows what it takes to be a leader by trying to learn everything she can about her job and others. It sets a good example for the kids when they see her trying to learn.
- Amanda takes ownership for the large undertaking that is the Media Center. Despite how busy she is (she has MANY plates spinning--but don't we all?!) she takes the time to follow up on small tasks the help individual teachers give their best to students in classrooms.
- Entering a new role this year, Amanda continues to positively engage students who prefer to be disengaged, providing opportunities for them to interact with others and grow.
October ICON Teacher of the Month -- Sadie Ewing
- Ms. Ewing is known among the student body for being encouraging, welcoming, and an incredibly fun teacher. She also does her absolute best to help her students succeed, and makes her lessons engaging and memorable.
- Sadie cares so much about her students and doing the best possible job she can in her classroom. She teaches underclassman and I see her teaching them everyday not only the content, but how to improve study skills, be kind and compassionate to each other. She appreciates each student for their differences, spends her free time encouraging students who feel lost, giving them a safe space in her classroom. She sponsors several clubs and has stepped up to be the JV boys soccer coach. Day in and day out, she is here after 4:00 with a smile on her face. She deserves to be recognized for her endless efforts to provide the best possible classroom environment, in every way, to all of her students.
October ICON Support Staff of the Month -- Christine Jackson
- Ms. Jackson is truly one of the most caring people I have ever met. At the drop of a dime, she will stop everything she is doing to help a student or staff member in need and never ask for anything in return.
- Christine Jackson is always a ray of sunshine and welcomes everyone with a smile on her face! We are blessed to have Christine working with us here at West!
- Ms. Jackson heads up the Welcoming Wolverines, and due to Ms. Jackson's leadership, this group has provided a comfortable place for all students at West! Some of my students used to feel isolated and alone, but after meeting Ms. Jackson and her group of Wolverines, these same students have expressed how they have a group of friends now that they have connected with and feel truly cared about!
Thank you all for a job well done and for being an ICON!!!
ICON Staff Members of the Month
Deadline to submit nominations is Wednesday, November 30th
2022 Food Fight -- West vs. South
Ultimately, South won the competition. But, the real winners in this competition were the people that will benefit from the efforts of everyone involved. I couldn't be more proud of our entire community and the donations they made to this great cause. We are so blessed to be in the West Community!
P.S. I know we will beat South next year!!
Midterm Exam Schedule
- NO Early checkouts from class once an exam period has begun. Checkouts will be allowed at the end of the exam period only
- Midterm/Final Exam Make-ups will be administered on Tuesday, 1/3/23 from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM in the Cafeteria. Students who need to make-up an exam must arrive to the Cafeteria no later than 11:00 AM in order to have enough time to take the exam.
Any student who does not take a missed exam by 12:30 PM on January 3rd will receive a zero in the grade book for the Midterm Exam.
Student Support and Wellness
Student Support
As we are quickly approaching the end of the semester, we have several options available to students for additional academic support. Through December 13th, we will continue to hold peer tutoring sessions every Tuesday and Thursday for students during Wolverine Time. If your student is interested in working with a peer tutor, please have them reach out to either their 5th period teacher or Mrs. Morawsky in room 2006 in the Media Center. Teachers are also available daily during Wolverine Time for additional academic support as needed.
During the week of December 5th – 9th, we will be hosting Wolverine Academy during Wolverine Time. During this time, students will be working on making up missing summative assignments for their classes. Students will be referred to Wolverine Academy by their teachers in hopes of getting any missing assignments made up before the end of the semester.
Lastly, to help students prepare for midterm exams, peer tutors will be available after school on Tuesday, December 13th and Wednesday, December 14th. Sessions will be held in the WFHS Media Center from 3:45 – 5:30 pm. To reserve your spot to attend one or both of these sessions, please complete this form no later than December 9th: https://forms.gle/dDvQt8WT6zZQeHry8
Wolverine Wellness
Our November 9 Wellness Session was a fun time to destress and unwind. Students went to various sessions including: puppy therapy, walk and talk, karaoke, cornhole, and coloring. Students also expressed “leaves of gratitude” if they were not in a wellness session.
We plan to have holiday-themed wellness sessions for December—this includes holiday Bingo and hot cocoa.
The Daffodil Project
"The Daffodil Project was founded to create a "Living Holocaust Memorial" through the planting of 1.5 million daffodils worldwide. Each flower is planted in memory of one child - of the one and a half million - who perished in Nazi-occupied Europe during the Holocaust.
The Daffodil Project was started in Atlanta, Georgia, in the Fall of 2010 with the initial planting of 1,800 daffodils. To date, the Daffodil Project has engaged thousands of people at over 230 locations and planted over 600,000 daffodils worldwide.
Additionally, the project aims to bring awareness to those currently suffering human rights crises around the world."
A special recognition to our teachers, Kristina Strickland and Juliana Je, for organizing and facilitating the planting of the daffodils.
We are extremely proud to participate in the Daffodil Project!
Class of 2023 Information
Senior Dues
Congratulations on making it to your senior year! Graduation will be here before you know it! Now is the time to pay your Senior Dues and order your cap and gown. We recommend that you pay them sooner rather than later, because the fee increases as the year goes on!
Graduation
Graduation will be held at Gas South Arena (formerly Gwinnett Arena) on Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 8:30 AM. As the school year progresses, we will share a lot of information regarding graduation. So, be sure to read future editions of The Wolverine Chronicle!
For more information, please access the Class of 2023 page!
Kyle Hill -- FCS Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist
Instructional Technology Updates
Need a Chromebook?
Does your student need a Chromebook for home? If so, come see Mrs. Teixeira in the media center!Parent Portal
Are you using the Forsyth County Parent Portal to receive updates on the progress of your students? If you have questions regarding the Parent Portal, please click here.
Holiday House 2022
Not sure about what to donate? Check out the list included below or contact Mrs. Ryles or Mrs. Cheatham with any questions!
Yearbook Information
Yearbook Purchases
Yearbooks are on sale now. Order now before prices go up! The final yearbook order deadline is February 28. Order at www.westforsythyearbook.com
West Forsyth PTO Updates
Happy Thanksgiving from WFHS PTO! We are thankful for our supportive community, teachers, staff, bus drivers and PTO members!
Thanks to PTO membership dues and donations, we approved Teacher Grants funding teaching resources for students in Senora Mcglumphy’s Spanish classes and stabilizers for the AV Program. We also set up a treat table for staff and teachers and passed out candy to students.
Not only do we appreciate all who have joined WFHS PTO, we are thankful to those who volunteer for the Copy Parent Program and for those who helped pass out candy!
SAVE THE DATE:
Friday, December 2, 2022
WFHS PTO will be selling Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuits for $4 in the car rider lane and front entrance before school the first Friday in December.
How can you support the WFHS PTO programs?
- By joining WFHS PTO: Click the link to complete our membership form: 2022-2023 WFHS PTO Membership Form
- By serving on our WFHS PTO Board: We are looking for a Treasurer for our PTO Board. If you are interested, please e-mail us: westforsythpto@gmail.com
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram:
Make "West Forsyth HS PTO" your AmazonSmile Charity!
Make "West Forsyth High School PTO" your Kroger Community Rewards!
Make "West Forsyth High School PTO" your Publix Partners Charity
Athletics
Fall Sports Summary
Our Fall sports, except Flag Football, have wrapped up and our teams have had a very successful run this year!
Volleyball finished second in the region to Lambert (a final four team) and hosted a first-round state playoff match against North Cobb HS. Our Wolverines battled throughout the entire match but, ultimately, their season ended with a 3-0 loss to the Warriors. It was a great season for all involved! We have a lot of young up-and-coming players and expect big things out of volleyball again next year!
Softball made it to the first round of the state playoffs by finishing 4th in the region this year. Our team traveled to Kennesaw Mountain HS to take on KMHS in the first game. The Wolverines lost 3-0, but turned around and defeated Duluth HS by a score of 7-3 to stay in the hunt. The win pinned our Wolverines against Mill Creek HS in a must-win situation. Unfortunately, our Wolverines came up short, but we couldn't be prouder of the entire program! They battled some key injuries throughout the season and still had a strong showing in the state playoffs!
Cross Country ran in the region meet against some very tough competition. Our boys finished 1st in the region and our girls finished 4th, qualifying both teams for the state championship meet in Carrollton, GA on Friday, November 4th. Both teams ran incredibly hard with the boys finishing 4th in the state and the girls finishing 10th in the state! Congratulations to the runners and coaches for a great season!
Varsity Football's season came to an end after a 24-7 loss to South Forsyth HS. While the season didn't go according to plan, I am very proud of the players and coaches for playing hard until the final whistle and representing West with dignity and class. Coach Svehla and his staff do an amazing job of teaching the team about more than just football and it shows!
The Flag Football team finished fourth in the region and will head to the first round of the state playoffs the week after Thanksgiving where they will travel to Blessed Trinity. Good luck to our Wolverines!!
Winter Sports
We hosted our first basketball games of the year this past week with both girls and boys basketball defeating Mill Creek on Tuesday night. Both teams will compete over Thanksgiving break in the Thanksgiving Invitational at North Forsyth HS.
Wrestling will be hosting their annual Thanksgiving Duals on Tuesday, Nov 22nd. There will be approximately 12 high schools from around the metro Atlanta area competing all day here at West.
Swim and Dive has had a strong start to the year in its first two meets and now is getting into the middle of their schedule over the holidays.
Below are the schedules for each of our Winter sports programs:
Spring Sports
Tennis, Soccer and Baseball will start the first week we are back in January and all the other spring sports will be joining them by February.
A reminder that you can purchase tickets for all West games throughout the entire year at GoFan.com or just click on the link below.
We look forward to seeing you at future West games and we thank you for your continued support of the West Forsyth Athletic Department.
Student Shout-Outs
From Mrs. Stiers to Michelle Mwangi for Showing Compassion
Michelle has been supportive of her classmates. She is responsible for helping one of her classmates almost daily. Michelle is patient and kind. She has a gift for mathematics and takes the time to share that gift with her peers.
From Ms. Nolan to Tian Zhang for Showing Compassion
Tian (TIna) is new to the US and has shown an amazing amount of initiative within all of her classes. She is proactive in completing her assignments and sharing/discussing within the classroom. She currently is rocking the English language and currently has all A's in her classes. Did I mention this is her first year in the U.S.?
From Mrs. Martin to Justin Farmer for Getting Involved
Justin is always actively engaged in learning. He comes to class early, he's always prepared, and he is always focused on the instruction. He is a model student in the classroom, and a great inspiration and influence on others.
From Mrs. Henderson to Lizbeth Sanchez Silva for Showing Compassion
Liz recognized a friend in need who was having trouble in math because of a language barrier. Even though Liz isn't in the class anymore, she has been getting the notes and asking questions about it so she can translate for her friend.
From Mrs. Teixeira to Noah Boaz for Taking Ownership
Whenever Noah spills something, he cleans it up. I more than appreciate this because it is very rare. He knows where the broom and paper towels are located, and does not complain when asked to clean. Additionally, even when he is far away from an adult and could leave trash, he does not. I really admire him for this. : )
From Mr. Turco to Kristina Koehler for Showing Compassion
Kristina is one of our peers who works with our SBA classroom. Her compassion, patience and genuine interest in our students is awesome. Kristina is making a difference!
From Mrs. Tjong to Keaton Wheeles for Taking Ownership
Keaton is a huge part of our classroom. She is loved by all the students in the SI classes. She is a self starter and easily shows initiative. She just knows when and where to jump in and help. I appreciate her maturity and compassion for others.
From Mr. Turco to Sean Donaghy for Taking Ownership
Sean is a Senior who will be graduating this year. He has taken ownership in his education... and after a long journey filled with countless challenges, he battled through to be on track to graduate in the spring of 2023. Super proud of this young man! He is a warrior!
From Mr. Turco to Jackson Lennen for Taking Ownership
Jackson is a Senior who will be graduating in the spring 2023. He has taken ownership in his education....he has battled to be on track to graduate in the spring of 2023. Super proud of this young man! Jackson's strength and tenacity is equal to that of a Super Hero!
From Mrs. Alexander to Holland Wheeler for Showing Compassion
Holland took the time to turn a student’s debit card, that she found in the 2800 hallway. She was very sweet and caring.
From Mrs. Pena to Sofia McNabb for Showing Compassion
Sofia offered to show a brand new student to their next class so he wouldn't lose his way, even though she was not going to that class. She took the time to introduce herself and make the new student feel welcomed.
From Ms. Gilmartin to Aaron Joseph for Being Noble
When he noticed that a student spilled water on the floor, AJ rushed to help clean the spill. This is just one example of how he demonstrates great kindness and respect for others on a daily basis.
From Mrs. Reagan to Jordyn Covan for Taking Ownership
Jordyn has completely taken ownership over her classwork! She sets the example for her peers by advocating for herself, asking questions, and staying on task in class. I am so proud of her!
From Ms. Dutton to HOSA students who attended Fall Leadership for Getting Involved
Each of these students (9-12th grades) got involved in HOSA to the state level attending the Fall Leadership Conference in Athens for two days. The learned, experienced, and shared their experience with their classmates. They handled the freedom that they had in Athens with grace and maturity and I am proud of everyone that attended.
Upcoming Events
11/18 - 11/19 -- Fall Drama Show - The Play that Goes Wrong
11/19 -- Wrestling at Cambridge HS
11/19 -- Swim & Dive Meet at Cumming Aquatic Center
11/22 -- Thanksgiving Wrestling Tournament at West
11/21 - 11/25 -- Thanksgiving Break
12/16, 12/19, 12/20 -- Midterm Exams (Early Release Days)
12/21 - 1/2 -- Winter Break