WMHS Weekly Information
January 22 - 26
From the Principal's Desk
Zebra Nation,
I hope that you had an amazing weekend!
Sending this out a little later as I was watching the Lions Playoff Game today. :)) GO LIONS!!
Lots of 'winter weather days' last week. Looking like there is a chance for some more 'winter weather' coming Monday night to Tuesday morning? We shall see.... please watch the weather and drive safe.
Below are the 13 students who had 'PERFECT Attendance' in the first semester. Well done Zebra's!! I will be buying you 'Breakfast with the Principal' to honor your dedication to your studies! More information coming soon....
- Kamryn Ballard
- Jordon Blue
- Ezra Bousley-Crane
- Olivia Farmer
- Anthony Gillin
- Christopher Hensler
- Elizabeth Jaynes
- Kendall Lilly
- Jayden Myers
- Paige Nepsey
- Addison Schaaf
- Ian Spurlock
- Jacob Thomason
Wayne-Westland Early College provides students an opportunity to simultaneously complete the high school diploma and an associate degree at no cost to families. To learn more, visit: www.wwcsd.net/earlycollege -- Early College Information Chart
Have a great week!!
#WaynePride
Cory J. Gildersleeve
Principal
Ms. Green
Student Last Names H-O
Mr. Loomis
Student Last Names A-G
Ms. Rawsky
Student Last Names P-Z
WEEKLY THOUGHTS:
As we move forward into the 2nd semester, I ask you to reflect on where you are as a WMHS Student right now ---
- Achievement - are you on the Honor Roll (All A's and B's) or do you need to put in some more effort into working towards making the Honor Roll?
Attendance - are you coming to school everyday, on time AND getting to class on time AND staying in class where the magic happens? Were you able to take advantage of our Final Exam Opt Out? Will you come to school the 2nd semester so that you can take advantage of the Opt Out this time around?
Discipline - are you making good choices? Being a positive contributor to our WMHS family?
Mental and Social Emotional Health Supports - are you seeking out our offerings for support when you need it? Who is your trusted adult in the building?
Fri-Yay PBIS Drawings - has someone recognized you and given you a Golden Ticket? Have you heard your name on the loud speaker on Fri-Yay and been given a prize?
If you are in a good place, congratulations!! Keep going!! If you have some work to do, you can do this.... Set goals for yourself! You got this! We got you!
Inclement Weather Procedures (from our Superintendent, Dr. Dignan)
Dear Wayne-Westland Students, Staff and Families,
As winter weather approaches, we want to share the district's process and factors when determining a weather-related school closing. The decision to close school due to inclement weather is not easy. We know students should be in class, but we can’t control the weather. Our top priority is the safety of our students and staff.
- The Superintendent decides to close school based on the factors below.
How do we decide to close school?
Information on current road conditions from our transportation and maintenance staff, who monitor the roads throughout the night and into the morning
Current weather conditions and predicted weather conditions
Amount of snow and ice accumulation
Duration and timing of the snow or ice
Temperature and wind chill (We use a -20 wind chill for a sustained time as a guide). Here is a chart that explains how the windchill factor can cause frostbite when it approaches cold temperatures.
School building conditions (electricity, heat, water)
School parking lot and sidewalk conditions
Operation of buses and the ability to travel on snow-covered or icy roads
Consultation with neighboring school districts and weather officials
- When possible, we determine a school closing the evening prior. But most times, we have to wait until the early morning hours due to changing weather conditions or giving our maintenance staff time to clear parking lots and sidewalks and our transportation staff to travel the routes safely.
- The notifications go out as soon as we decide to close school to give families as much notice as possible. We will NOT call after 11 pm or before 5 am.
- We use various communication methods to notify the community of a school closing. As soon as the decision is made to close school, we:
Send an automated or Robo-call to parents and staff
Email parents and staff via the school principal
Post on the District website (wwcsd.net)
Post on the District’s social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Post on local news stations, including Channel 2, 4, 7 and WJR and WWJ radio
- Due to the last-minute nature of these calls, it would be difficult for our staff to transition to virtual instruction from a remote location. Therefore, snow days will remain the same as in previous years and be non-instructional for all WWCS students. If there are many inclement weather days, that could be revisited.
Are there snow days built into the calendar?
- No, but Michigan allows up to six days for emergency closings.
Parent Decision
- Remember, the District will make the best decision for the majority of our students. While we do our best to monitor conditions throughout the cities in our district boundaries- Wayne, Westland, Inkster, Canton, and Romulus, we cannot evaluate every road or side street. Parents always have the right to decide in the best interest of their children and families. If you feel that it is not safe for your child to attend school, you always have the option to keep your child at home.
How can you help
- Make sure you have a current phone number and email in Parent Connect. Don’t rely on one communication method to get notifications. Check social media, our website and news channels.
Does school closing include after-school and evening activities, including sports?
- That decision is made on a case-by-case basis depending on weather and road conditions later in the day.
- When school is closed, Champions will be open to registered families at Stevenson Middle School.
Have a wonderful week.
Sincerely,
John Dignan, Ed.D.
Superintendent
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
- Attendance is the #1 factor in your academic performance!
- Come to school everyday!
- Get to class on time!
- Stay in class, as nothing good is happening in the halls during class time!
- Make good choices!
- Develop good habits!
Habits for Success!!!!
Get Organized - use folders, eliminate clutter
Make Lists - list what needs to be done
Plan - break down list by how much time each item will take
Develop routines - set aside time each day to review the day and to study
Use your time wisely
Ask for help
Wayne-Westland Attendance Policy
Regular attendance is crucial for your child's academic success. Please make every effort to ensure your child attends school on time every day and stays throughout the whole day. Consistent attendance throughout the school day allows your child to engage in learning and maximize their educational opportunities fully.
Illness: If your child is not feeling well and cannot attend school, please notify us immediately. Students who are ill should not attend school to prevent the spread of illness to others.
Excused Absences: We understand that there may be instances when your child needs to be absent due to illness, medical appointments, family emergencies, or other legitimate reasons. Please notify the school in advance whenever possible to classify the absence as excused.
Unexcused Absences: Unexcused absences negatively impact your child's education. Absences without valid reasons will be considered unexcused, and appropriate actions may be taken per district policy.
Timely reporting of absences helps us maintain accurate attendance records and ensures that your child's absence is properly documented. Absences must be reported within 24 hours.
There are two convenient methods for reporting your child's absence to facilitate efficient communication and accurate attendance records.
You can notify your child's school through the dedicated attendance line. Please leave a detailed message stating your child's name, grade, and reason for absence.
You can report absences directly through MiStar, our secure online portal for student information. MiStar provides a user-friendly interface that allows you to submit absences.
Thank you for your ongoing support in creating a positive and productive learning environment for all our students.
District Attendance Protocol At A Glance:
● (Grades K-12) 1st absence and every absence thereafter - Parents receive an automated call from MiStar indicating that their child has missed an attendance period. If the parent has called the school to excuse the absence, this call does not go out.
● (Grades K-12) 3rd day unexcused absence or equivalent - A teacher will make a phone call to the family to discuss the reasons for the absence and seek to support the family in getting the child in school.
● (Grades K-12) 6th day of unexcused absence or equivalent - A letter is sent to families communicating the District’s concern about attendance and to highlight the steps in the attendance protocol.
● (Grades K-12) 9th day of unexcused absence or equivalent - A meeting will be set up between the parent and an administrator or support staff member.
● (Grades K-12) 12th day of unexcused absence or equivalent - (Grades K-12) For all students grades K-12,student’s name and address are submitted to Concentric to conduct a home visit. The details of that home visit are shared back with the building to support the child being in regular attendance in school. School will call to notify parents of the upcoming home visit by Concentric. In grades 6-12, students' names and addresses are submitted to Westland Youth Assistance or Wayne Youth Services for enrollment in their programming. The second attendance letter is also mailed home at this time.
● (Grades K-12) 15th day of unexcused absence or equivalent - Final letter sent home.
● (Grades K-12) 18th day of unexcused absence or equivalent - Student is referred to County through formal petition for chronic absenteeism.
When the students of Wayne-Westland Community School District attend school regularly, they are recognized in the following ways:
● Perfect Attendance Announcements in School Newsletters on SMORE on a monthly basis with building certificates
● Monthly breakfast, lunch, or other reward with building administration on a monthly basis for those students at or near perfect attendance for the month.
● Perfect Attendance highlighted in the district newsletter on a semester basis with board meeting recognition and certificates.
● Regular intervals of community partner awards (ice cream, pizza hut, etc.) for students positive attendance. Determined by the number of incentives we have to work with.
● Possible grand prize at the end of the year or semester for all district students with perfect attendance.
● Smaller drawings at each of the three buildings for perfect attendance specific to the first 3 days of school.
● Upon achievement of a certain mark (percentage or number of days of absences) students are given the option to be exempt from final examinations until they are eliminated at the district level.
When the students of Wayne-Westland Community School District struggle to attend school regularly, the following interventions and supports will be implemented:
● Building Attendance Team (Principal, Attendance Monitor, MTSS Interventionist, SSW, ML Multilingual Learner Teacher and any others) should meet on a weekly basis to analyze and review (“scrub”) the eduClimber Attendance Report before moving forward with the steps in the protocol. Those with excused absences should be omitted from the step.
● Please Note: For Students who have IEPs, in addition to the steps taken below it would be expected that case managers attempt contact with the legal guardian of the student and document all attempts in eduClimber. The absences could be due to medical reasons, resulting in the District’s requirement to offer homebound services, with the parent providing medical documentation for the need.
Weekly Information
Mon, 1/22
- Full Day, Normal Schedule
Tues, 1/23
- Full Day, Normal Schedule
- Senate Meeting 3rd hour, Lecture Hall
Wed, 1/24
- Full Day, Normal Schedule
- Blood Drive for RivalZ Week, 7am-2pm
Thurs, 1/25
- Full Day, Normal Schedule
Fri, 1/26
- Full Day, Normal Schedule
- Senior Class Meetings - 2nd Hour and 5th Hour
- Fri-Yay PBIS Drawings, 1:53pm
Important 2nd Quarter Dates
1/22 - 2/2: New Upward Bound recruit interviews
1/25/2024: Upward Bound field trip to Arab American Museum
2/5-2/9: RivalZ week
Cool Classrooms
WMHS CLUBS
Student Senate
RivalZ week is approaching quickly!! This week is a week of friendly competitions against John Glenn to raise money for our district Unified Team. Look next week for more information!
Upcoming Senate Events:
1/23 Senate meeting 3rd hour
2/5-2/9 RivalZ week (stay tuned for more information)
Upward Bound
See Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Moore in Upward Bound office in library for more information.
1/22/2024 - 2/2/2024: New recruit interviews
1/25/2024: Arab American Museum Field Trip
Interact
High school version of Rotary. Lots of community service! Yummy snacks. See Mrs. Webb for more information.
Next meeting is Wednesday, January 17 from 2 - 3 in room 101. All are welcome!
Bright Futures
Counseling, College, & Career Readiness News
- College and Career Hub
- Quarter 2 Counseling Newsletter
- Seniors: The FAFSA will tentatively open up in December. You will have a very short window of opportunity to complete this. This year changes have been made to make the FAFSA easier to complete. Start gathering the items that you need now. You will need to gather tax returns from last year. You will want to start gathering income documentation (ex. child support if you receive any - you will want to get those totals). Student and parent(s) will each need the FAFSA ID which you can get now. Visit StudentAid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch to create an FSA ID. You'll need your Social Security number, full name, and date of birth. You'll also need to create a memorable username and password, and complete challenge questions and answers so you can retrieve your account information if you forget it.
- Seniors: The local scholarship application is now available on zebracounseling.net from the homepage. This application is due December 15, 2023 by 3:00pm.
Learning Lab at Jefferson Barns
Champions of Wayne - Goal Updates!
Congratulations scholars - the first semester is in the books!
In regard to first semester goals:
We are aware everyone is anxiously waiting to see if they meet their goal (we are too!). However, please be patient as there are 340 champions and we will not know who has achieved their goals until AFTER grades are submitted. We anticipate being able to share results sometime late in the week. In the meantime, place a hold on Thursday, February 1, 2024 for the Champions Banquet celebration! Details will be sent out to those who have achieved their incentive.
In regard to second semester goals:
Once we have announced who has achieved their goals, we will begin collecting goals for the second semester. If you met your first goal, you will be required to create a new goal. If you did not achieve your goal this semester, you have the option of leaving your goal as is or making a new one. The decision is up to you and your mentor.
Second semester goal sheets will be available in the office (Room 249) and will be emailed to all Champions and mentors.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to email us at tgccow@gmail.com or visit us in room 249.
Zebra HOPE
WMHS Athletics
Interim Athletic Director, Mr. Mark Woodson
Athletic Director, Mr. Steve Barber
Come out and support our teams!
Go to https://waynememorialathletics.org/main/calendar for updated schedule of events. Please use this link for our most up-to-date upcoming games this week.
Student passes are available through Go Fan. You must have your student ID to purchase, Students will still need to show ID at the gate when redeeming tickets. The link is below. https://gofan.co/app/school/MI10119
- No Backpacks or School Bags allowed at home events.
- All Elementary and Middle School Students must be accompanied by an adult at all sporting events.
- Students must show ID at gate when redeeming ticket.
- No Re-Entry
ABOUT US:
Email: gildersleevec@wwcsd.net
Website: https://www.wwcsd.net/schools/high-schools/wayne-memorial-high-school/
Phone: (734) 419- 2200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wwcsd
Twitter: @wwcsd