WHS Family Newsletter
November 22, 2021
Wishing all of our families a Happy Thanksgiving!
Wishing all of our families safe travels, great appetites and the spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving as we enjoy time with our families this week.
New Information This Week
A Surge in Teen Tardies
A reminder that school begins everyday at 8:35 AM except Wednesdays which start at 9:05 AM.
Welcome to WHS New Staff this Trimester
We'd like to welcome several new faces to our WHS Family! Please be sure to welcome them when you meet them!
Sarah Palacino - WHS Office Receptionist (Rachel Krueckeberg is moving to our WHS Attendance Desk)
Emily Hahn - WHS Communications Ambassador/Testing Center Coordinator/Senior Seminar/ ISS - (Emily will job share this position with Beth Ellis)
Tiffany Lienerth - Math Teacher (Geometry)
Nikki Matthews (formerly Nikki Davis) - has returned to teach Junior English
Christin Rudolph - Math Teacher (Algebra)
Jenifer Santiago Ramirez - Instructional Assistant in our EL Department
Michelle Wickham - Mosaics Teacher
Shelter In Place
Here is language from our 2021-2022 Student Handbook that shares a bit more about this partnership:
"In an effort to promote a drug-free campus and to protect the safety and health of the school’s faculty, staff and students, Westfield High School periodically requests the Westfield Police Department to conduct random searches of both the lockers and the school parking lot. The School Board authorizes the use of specially-trained dogs to locate and detect the presence of firearms, deadly weapons, or destructive devices and prohibited drugs on school property as directed by the administration. Moreover, the school may also ask a law enforcement canine division to access classrooms and parking lots at random. Students would exit their class prior to the entrance of the canine team, leaving all articles (book bags, coats, purses, etc.) in the room. After the sweep of the room is complete, the canine team will exit the room and students will re-enter the classroom. If a canine indicates on a car, locker or student article, the school administration may conduct searches of individuals on the basis of ‘reasonable suspicion’. Administration will meet with the implicated student to more fully investigate the situation. This may include, but is not limited to, a more thorough search of the student’s person or belongings, a nurse evaluation of substance-induced symptoms present, and a drug screen. Parents will be notified in a timely manner regarding the investigation. Any search conducted by the administration shall be conducted in accordance with School Board policy, this Student Handbook, and applicable law."
These random sweeps and searches are not planned ahead of time. To ensure these measures are purely preventative, even the administrative team is not given advanced notice.
When our partners are sweeping the building and parking lots, we have our school go into a "Shelter in Place" protocol. This means that instruction continues as normal but students must stay inside their classrooms until we give the "all clear." If there is a threat to the building, we would always put the building on an ALICE Lockdown. That is what makes Shelter in Place different than Lockdown.
Rocks Spotlight
What A Week!
From the set, to the costumes, to the directing, to the music, to the flying actors, to a live dog - every part of The Wizard of Oz completely entertained us! What an incredible job Director Lance Grubb, Assistant Director Eric Shearer- Zabonick, Auditorium Director Jon Majors, and the WHS student cast and crew did! Phenomenal - great job to all of you!
In addition, we want to congratulate seniors Hannah Pensyl and Kai Connor! Based on their individual performances at the Indiana Cross Country State Finals, Hannah and Kai were invited to be members of the Indiana All-Star team which competed in the Mideast Cross Country Championships this past Saturday in Kettering, Ohio.
And last but certainly not least, the SHAMROCKS are headed to the football STATE FINALS for the second year in a row!!!! The team did a phenomenal job defeating Merrillville 48-19 last Friday night and will now take on Center Grove in the 6A State Championship on Saturday, November 27th at 7pm. Ticket Information for Westfield will come out today - please check the WHS Athletic Website for details after 6pm. Let’s Go Rocks!! (football photos courtesy of of senior Maidson Niehaus)
Reminders
Early Dismissals Before the Holidays
Parents, please be aware that if your student will need an early dismissal pass on Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving, our WHS Front Office Staff requests that you call the attendance line (317-867-6801) BEFORE 10 AM on the day of your child's early dismissal and LEAVE A MESSAGE. That line is checked every 10-15 minutes and there is no need to call back to speak to someone live.
If a last-minute early dismissal situation comes up, please know that it may take up to 15 minutes or longer to get your student out the door to leave.
Once you have called our attendance line, your student will receive an early dismissal pass. It is the student's responsibility to communicate with his or her teacher about the early dismissal.
We appreciate your cooperation. Our WHS Front Office staff does a phenomenal job with classroom attendance, early dismissals, and absences, but with over 2600 students in our building, last-minute requests are not able to be granted quickly. Thank you for your understanding.
Class of 2023 Scheduling Open for the 2022-23 School Year!
PowerSchool opened at the end of the school day on November 18th for junior students to request their senior courses. Students will have until November 29 to enter their course requests into PowerSchool. Counselors will meet individually with all students from December 1-17 to discuss their requests.
P.S. Remember to mark your calendars for the College Planning Night on December 14, 2021 from 6:30-8:30 PM!
Don't Forget to Meet Your Student's Teachers on Canvas
This trimester, as we did during first trimester, we will be hosting Meet The Teacher videos via our Canvas platform. We hope that all parents will take a few minutes to log in and become familiar with your student's second trimester Canvas pages. Take a look at the syllabus and learning objectives for the courses. Most will also have introductory videos you can watch to become familiar with the teacher. These videos will be available through Thanksgiving Break.
To learn how to login and much more, please view this Canvas Parent Guide.
About Us
Email: webmaster@wws.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.wws.k12.in.us/whs
Location: 18250 North Union Street, Westfield, IN, USA
Phone: (317)867-6800
Facebook: facebook.com/westfieldhighschool
Twitter: @WWSWHS