Eagle Flyer
A newsletter for Walnut Hills High School
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
February 23, 2024
Dear Walnut Hills High School Families:
The weather is warming up as Spring inches in and winter athletics are beginning to wrap up. We celebrated Coach Lazar and his 200th career basketball coaching win. The Girl’s Basketball Team had a fantastic win against Milford and will continue to advance in the State Tournament. They will be playing Mount Notre Dame on Monday, February 26th. In addition, the Boy's Basketball Team, Bowling Team, Wrestling Team and Swimming and Diving Teams have been making advancements in their prospective state tournaments. The theater department completed their production of Chicago last weekend which was the highest gross production in Walnut Hills History while also receiving over 20 Cappie nominations. The celebrations don’t stop there. Tonight the Walnut Hills community will participate in Walnut Fest at Rhinegeist beginning at 7:00 PM and our Jazz Band is also performing a show on campus. Students completed the optioning process and we are looking forward to planning another great school year. Have a wonderful weekend!
Sursum ad Summum
John Chambers
UPCOMING DATES
February
23 Walnut Fest
27 ACT for juniors and No School for seniors (details below)
March
4 PD day - No School for Students
8 End of third quarter
25-29 Spring Break - Schools Closed
ANNOUNCEMENTS
MORNING ARRIVAL ENTRANCE CHANGES
For the remainder of this school year, we are implementing the following changes to Morning Arrival entrances available to students.
During the 7:30-8:00 AM timeframe, students may use the following three entrances to enter the building.
1. The Senior High Gym/Lot D entrance
2. The Sulsar Steps entrance
3. The Blair Circle main lobby entrance
**The Arcade will no longer be an entrance available to students for morning arrival.**
For the Blair Entrance, there is appropriate signage indicating the two Blair doors that students can use for morning arrival. This will lead to the two metal detectors that are now present in the Blair lobby.
Our purpose with this change is in the interest of maintaining the safety and security of our building and to best serve our students and faculty. We appreciate your cooperation in communicating this change with your students.
National Merit Finalists
Fifteen students at Walnut Hills High School have been named National Merit Finalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. Congratulations to:
Angelina DiPaola, Reese Doty, Marie Flessa, Raghav Gangatirkar, Owen Hastings, Sabine Johns, Brooklyn Kongdech, Benjamin Krietemeyer, Alexander Krol, Amira Malave, Lap Nguyen, Jonah Swift, Logan Symson, William Walker, and Sidney Woolley
A Certificate of Merit from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, was presented to these scholastically talented seniors.
Class of 2025 Fundraiser
The Class of 2025 is raising money for PROM with a DoubleGood Fundraiser! Their focus for raising money is venue and food costs.
When? Tuesday February 20th from 5pm until February 24th at 5pm
What? Premium popcorn!
How? Click here to order starting Tuesday, February 20th at 5pm.
ACT Day 2/27 - No School for Seniors Permission Slip
While the entire junior class is involved in the administration of the ACT on Tuesday, February 27th, the plan for SENIORS is to have a day dedicated to college application work. SENIORS are welcome to work from home or take advantage of the day for a college visit as long as they have their parent’s/guardian’s permission to do so. Please click HERE for more information and to access the permission slip.
Student Congress Fundraiser
Please support Student Congress on Wednesday, 2/28 by stopping by the Hyde Park Currito at any point during the day! You must show this flier BEFORE you order for your meal to benefit StuCo. Thanks in advance for your support!
HB 123 Prevention Education (SAVE Students Act)
The final session of House Bill 123 (Ohio SAVES) is coming up at the end of the month on Wednesday, February 28. This session is on Suicide Prevention.
CPS has chosen The Sandyhook Promise as the approved prevention program. As with the previous two segments, this session will include students viewing a vendor-created video (20-25 minutes) and a guided question packet in their classrooms. The upcoming lesson is called Say Something and engages students in the following topics:
1. Warning signs of suicide
2. Social media
3. How to respond once warning signs are detected
4. How to identify and confide in a trusted adult
The accompanying parent guide can be found HERE.
If you choose to have your student opt-out of this lesson, please complete the form below and
have your student return it to the Office 2207 by Friday, February 23 . Hard copies will be available for students to pick-up in the grade level offices. If you already signed the opt-out form, there is no need to resubmit it.
HB 123 Prevention Education Opt-Out Form
If you have any questions, please reach out to assistant principal Kathy Noland at nolandk@cpsboe.k12.oh.us.
COUNSELING CORNER
College Scholarships and Summer Enrichment Opportunities
Family Education Day - Depression/Anxiety
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, 1N5, MindPeace and the University of Cincinnati are proud to present their 2nd annual Education Day event. Education Day focuses on educating young adults (and their family members/caregivers) on caring for those/living with depression and anxiety. This event will take place on Sunday, February 25th from 9a – 4p at the Graduate Hotel (151 Goodman Street, 45219). The cost to attend is $10 per person, but there are scholarship opportunities available. Click HERE for more details and to register.
UC Blue Ash College's Poetry and Songwriting Competition
The submission window for UC Blue Ash College's poetry and songwriting competitions is open! Students can use the QR code on the attached flyer that will take them here or use the links below to submit their entries directly.
2024 High School Poetry Contest
University of Cincinnati DAAP Experience Day! 3/2/2024
We are holding an exposure to DAAP event on Saturday afternoon, March 2nd : DAAP Experience Day!
This is a great short visit opportunity for students who may not have been exposed to an arts/design college studio environment in the past. Current DAAP students will share portfolios, there will be hands-on exercises and a tour of the college as well. This is a complimentary event, however, pre-registration is required in order for us to prepare.
Click on this LINK for more information and to register.
Go to High School, Go to College Event 3/2/2024
The brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (@cincyalumdeltas) will be hosting their annual Go to High School, Go to College program at the University of Cincinnati on March 2nd from 9a – 2p. Young men and women (grades 7-12) are invited out for a series of workshops & breakout sessions geared towards the importance of furthering their education, the transition from high school to college, the college application and admissions process, the FAFSA process, scholarship opportunities, ACT/SAT information, and open forums for attendees to ask questions to current college students and recent college graduates.
This event is FREE, with breakfast and lunch provided. One high school senior will be offered a $1,000 scholarship opportunity at the conclusion of the event. For more information on the event, or to register, please visit https://form.jotform.com/cincinnatialphas/gthsgtc. The College Team will provide bus passes to any student who expresses a need. Please contact Je’Von (calhouj@cpsboe.k12.oh.us) for more information.
College Information Center Wednesday Topic Sessions for Juniors
The CIC will host five Wednesday Topic sessions about factors colleges look for in an applicant. These are specifically for juniors.
February 28 - The top three factors
March 6- Positive Character Attributes- What are they and why many schools find them important.
March 13 - Essays and Demonstrated Interest
April 10 - Letters of Recommendation
April 17 - Extracurriculars and everything else
All Wednesday topics are held in room 3311 during third lunch.
College Information Center - Test Prep Opportunities & Resources
After taking the ACT in school on February 27th, many Juniors will take the March 9th SAT and/or the April 13th ACT. We offer lunchtime test prep sessions for all of these exams. SAT prep sessions have been on Thursdays this month and continue through the 29th. ACT prep sessions will start again on Tuesdays March 12th - April 9th. In the CIC we also have practice tests and tip sheets students can grab, and Mrs. Lee is available for individual appointments. Please take advantage of our resources!
The OSU Young Scholars Program for 8th grade students
The OSU Young Scholars Program (YSP) is recruiting current 8th grade students for next year’s program. YSP is a comprehensive pre-collegiate and collegiate student success program designed to enhance the academic, personal, and career development of its scholars. There are academic and income guidelines for this program, and eligible students must also be first generation. The goal of the program is to help its participants become very competitive college candidates (at which point, OSU would be able to offer them a generous package to attend the university). For more information, or to apply, please see the attached flier. The application deadline is March 15th.
FAFSA Help with CYC & Capital One
Gear Up, CYC and Capital One will be hosting a free FAFSA workshop at the Kenwood Mall Capital One Café (7875 Montgomery Rd Space 2435, Cincinnati, OH 45236). Families will be able to complete their Better FAFSA application, and receive the latest updates regarding the rollout, and adjustments to timelines. The date for this event is March 16th and it will run from 10a – 2p.
$100 paid civic fellowship opportunity for students at Walnut Hills High School
TurnUp, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to increasing youth voter registration and turnout, is hiring students at Walnut Hills High School to serve as high school voter registration fellows. Fellows will be trained and perform a total of 1-2 hours of work over the course of 2 weeks to help register students to vote in their high school. The application link is here at bit.ly/hsvotes and the deadline for applications is rolling. Click HERE for more information.
18th Annual Mayor's Career Expo 2/24/24
Attention students and parents who are interested and are looking for employment in the Cincinnati Area. Scan the QR code to learn more about the Mayor's Career Expo.
Real Talk program for Black students and families
Real Talk is a College Board program specifically for Black students and families. Some of their upcoming programming includes:
Parent Events
March 12: MONEY TALK$: Finding Colleges You Can Pay For
Student Events
February 27: Secure the Bag & Your Dream Job
March 26: Sip and See the Real Tea on HBCUs
University of Cincinnati Bearcat Blueprint Event 3/8/24
Help your sophomore and junior students map out their future by encouraging them to attend Bearcat Blueprint: Mapping Your Future, on Friday March 8th from 10am-3pm. Use this LINK to view details and register.
Study in the UK Info Session & College Fair
The BEST of U Consortium – Study in the UK Info Session & College Fair on Wednesday March 6th
will be held at St Xavier High School. Click HERE for more information.
New Graduation Requirements
All Students:
Ohio has new graduation requirements that took effect last year. Please make yourselves familiar with them. Direct any questions regarding graduation requirements to your school counselor.
Meetings with your School Counselor
Click HERE to access School Counselor Meeting QR codes.
If you have any issues making an appointment, email your counselor.
Crisis Help and Support
Children's Mental Health
NPR's A Martinez talks to Dr. Pamela Cantor, founder of Turnaround for Children, about a Pew report that finds U.S. parents' biggest concern is the mental health of their children.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Campus Dismissal Updates
Attention Walnut Families: Please see below for Dismissal Updates
3:00 PM Dismissal
Students have until 3:15 PM to report to their scheduled after school activity where a supervising adult is present. The library is open Monday-Thursday until 4:00 (or until 3:30 on Fridays), many teachers hold help nights, and there are many extracurricular club options. Otherwise, all students must exit the building promptly by 3:15 PM.
If a student needs to re-enter the building after 3:15 PM, it must be via the Blair Circle steps/Main Office entrance only.
Please be aware that as we enter the winter months, students who are waiting for their ride after 3:15 PM must do so outside of the school building. We do not have the ability to provide adequate supervision for these students after 3:15 PM.
If a student is found to be in the building, unsupervised after 3:15 PM, then there will be disciplinary consequences consistent with the CPS Code of Conduct that can include a Friday School or an Alternative Learning Center (ALC) assignment.
We appreciate your cooperation and support with dismissal procedures.
Please click on this LINK for a detailed list of campus safety updates.
If your student is eligible for a Metro pass, but does not have one, please fill out an Inquiry Form on the CPS website. Bus passes are available 1-2 weeks after ordering. Students can use the Metro to be taken to a public space, such as a branch of the Cincinnati library or a Cincinnati Recreation Commission location. Please check with those specific locations for information about their programming and hours. If your student is not eligible for a bus pass, please click here to see a list of purchasing sites.
Too Sick for School Policy
Please keep in mind, illness is an excused absence and students will be able to make up work they will miss. Please do not send ill students to school because they have a quiz or test.
FREE SAY East Soccer Referee Training
The next SAY East Soccer Referee training is coming up on March 2nd. Click on this LINK for more information.
New AI Policy
Attention students and parents! Walnut Hills High School has a new AI policy, effective now. Please read it below:
If given teacher permission, any/ all generative AI used to complete assignments must be disclosed prior to the assignment being turned in and cited within the assignment. Failure to do so is considered academic dishonesty.
■ MLA Style - Generative AI
■ APA Style - ChatGPT
■ Chicago Style - Generative AI
■ These links are also available on the library Schoology or Canvas page under
Assignments
Any use of AI that violates the CPS student code of conduct (cheating, bullying, harassment, both in images and/ or text) will be handled according to the CPS code of conduct.
Family Technology Support Center
For CPS students and their families, help is a phone call away by dialing the Family Technology Support Center, (513) 363-0688 or emailing fts@cps-k12.org. Tech support is available in English and Spanish from 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday when school is in session.
Student Parking on Campus
Blair Circle Drop Off and Pick Up Traffic Info
Get Involved - Walnut Hills Parent Association
The Parent Association communicates using a system called Constant Contact, so join our mailing list using the attached link and get up-to-date information about what's happening at Walnut Hills! Get Connected
STAY INFORMED
Reporting Absences and Dismissals
LINK to current Covid Protocol
Grades 7-9 Information Google Site
Grades 10-12 Information Google Site
Our community communicates using a system called Constant Contact, so join our mailing list using the link above and get up-to-date information about what's happening at Walnut Hills!
STUDENT WELLNESS
2023-2024 Student Services Support Flowchart
Where Do I Go? Who Do I Ask? page 1
Where Do I Go? Who Do I Ask? page 2
Walnut Hills High School
Email: whhsattendance@cpsboe.k12.oh.us
Website: walnuthillseagles.com
Location: 3250 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Phone: 513-363-8400
Twitter: @high_walnut