WBHS Family Newsletter
March 2024
Message from Administration
Happy March!
This month provides such a great time to reflect on the progress our students have made this year and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead. I want to commend each and every one of our students for their hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm for learning.
As partners in your child's education, your involvement is invaluable. Whether attending the upcoming parent-teacher conferences or simply asking your child about their day, your support makes a difference.
In the spirit of collaboration, I encourage you to reach out to our dedicated staff if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas you would like to share. Your feedback is essential as we strive to provide the best possible educational experience for our students.
As always, thank you for entrusting us with the education and well-being of your children. See you soon at our conferences!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Potter
Executive Principal
Important Dates
March 1 (6:30 p.m.): Dancing With Our Stars (see flyer for details - tickets available on gofan.com)
March 4-29: Washington County Youth Art Month Exhibit at The Hub (see flyer for details)
March 13 (5:00 p.m.): Mental Health Awareness Family Sessions (see flyer for details)
March 19:
PreACT Secure and ACT Test Date (Grades 9, 10, & 11)
Virtual Day for Grade 12
March 25-29: Spring Break
April 16 (6:00 p.m.): Community Conversation on Facilities #2 (see below for details)
April 25 (6:00 p.m.): Community Conversation on Facilities #2 (see below for details)*Click upper right corner of photo(s) to enlarge.
Important Reminders & Updates
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher conferences will be held in person on Thursday, 3/7, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
To schedule a conference with your child's teacher(s), parents/guardians will need to log in to their Skyward Family Access account. Conference sign-up opens up today, Friday, 3/1, at 3:00 p.m. and will close at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 3/6. Conferences are scheduled for 10-minute time slots.
Please be conscientious of the time for which you sign up. Only the unfilled time slots for a teacher will appear for you to select. If no times appear, it means all conference appointments have been filled. If you are unable to secure a time, please email that teacher directly, and let them know that you would like to schedule an alternate date/time to meet virtually. If you would like to schedule a conference with our counseling staff, please email them directly.
Please follow the steps to sign up for a conference:
- Login to Skyward Family Access
- Click on the tab “Conferences” on the left hand side of the page.
- There will be 2 links by your child’s name….”View Scheduled Times” and “All conferences”
- “Viewed Scheduled Times” – This will list any scheduled conference date(s) and time(s)
- “All Conferences” – Sign up for conference
- Click on “All Conferences” and find the class that states your child’s teacher.
- Click on “Select a Time” and choose your date and time to meet with the teacher. Once you click “select”, your conference is scheduled.
- Reminder - If no date(s) or time(s) appear, please contact your child’s teacher and a conference can be scheduled through him/her.
If you have any questions, please contact the main office at either 262-335-5530 (East) or 262-335-5570 (West).
March 19: ACT & PreACT Secure Testing
Tuesday, March 19 is an important day; students will be taking the PreACT Secure in grades 9 & 10 and the ACT in grade 11. Students have already received information during mandatory Homebase on Monday, Feb. 26 to communicate the importance of testing day and what they need to do to be prepared. Here is the communication shared with students:: ACT/PreACT Secure Student Communication.
We want to ensure families and students are informed so they are prepared to successful take tests on March 19. Please read the letter(s) and information that are specific to your student(s) grade level:
- 12th Grade Parent/Guardians: Tuesday, March 19 is Virtual Day for Seniors so they do not come to WBHS. Your student will complete the Senior Survey to count for their attendance. The Senior Survey will be emailed to them on March 19.
- 11th Grade Parent/Guardian Letter: ACT Parent/Guardian Letter
- 9th & 10th Grade Parent/Guardian Letter: PreACT Secure Parent/Guardian Letter
The following information is included in the letters linked below but is being highlighted because of importance:
Assessment Information: 2023-24 ACT & PreACT Secure Information for Families Brochure
Dismissal & Transportation on March 19 If you give your student permission to leave after their assessment is over, complete the following online attendance form: March 19 Attendance: Parents Complete (For students in grades 9, 10, & 11).
Family Engagement Opportunities
Family involvement in a child's education is crucial for their academic success and overall well-being. Involvement creates a supportive environment that can foster learning, growth, and development. We understand that it can become difficult to find time to participate in this experience, and that sometimes it can feel overwhelming to commit time, energy and resources into the high school environment, and we appreciate any time you commit to our schools. If you are interested in being a part of this experience for the 2024-25 school year, please add your information to the survey below. We will follow up with a questionnaire soon after with next steps.
Semester 2 Assessment Timeline
There are many important assessments that take place during Semester 2. Please take a moment to review this document which contains important information about all of these tests.
Principal's Advisory Committee
A special thank you to our Principal Advisory Committee for helping with some very positive changes this school year! These students have helped with our exam schedule, and are now onto working with the future reinstatement of exam exemptions. The team below, along with our Building Leadership Team, helped identify the criteria for exam exemptions. We will be piloting this exemption form for quarter 4, and we are hoping to fully embrace it for semester finals beginning next year.
Please see the pilot form that will be shared out this upcoming quarter 4: Exam Exemption
WBSD Way Team Updates
For the month of March, WBSD Way is focusing on promoting the responsible use of personal technology in our building. In the spirit of March Madness, we are hosting a friendly bracket competition tracking which grade level and school is most responsible when using their personal technology. The winning class will earn ice cream treats during the March Madness event on Friday, March 22nd. The results of round 1 are in.
The Winners from Week 1 are:
East 9 (99.5% of students did NOT have a tech major compared to 99.25% of West 9 students)
West 10 (99.62% of students did NOT have a tech major compared to 99.56% of East 10 students)
West 11 (99.66% of students did NOT have a tech major compared to 99.53% of East 11 students)
Seniors had a TIE!! There were NO tech majors during the week of Feb 19-23–Way to go!!
For a tie breaker, we looked at the minors that week East 12 wins with 99.58% of students NOT getting a tech referral at all compared to 96.67% of West 12 students
Huge Shoutout to ALL OF THE STUDENTS WHO DID NOT GET A TECH MAJOR REFERRAL DURING THE WEEK OF FEB 19-23! That is 99.6% of our students. Stay tuned next week for the winners of Round 2!! Who will head to the championship!?!
Counseling Office Updates
The 2024–2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available.
The changes to the FAFSA form for the 2024–2025 aid year include expanded eligibility for federal student aid and a more streamlined application process. More information about the launch of the FAFSA form and information about major changes and improvements to the FAFSA can be found at this link.
WBHS Highlights & Celebrations
Student Council held an event to give donation checks to all of the non-profit organizations that were donated to during Charity Week. Pictured here is the donation from the Charity Dance ticket sales that went to the Kettle Moraine YMCA.
Congratulations to Chloe Marsch, East Senior, who was recently honored for becoming a National Merit Scholarship Program finalist!
Congratulations to Owen Damkot, West Senior, who was recently honored for becoming a National Merit Scholarship Program finalist!
Helpful Links for Families
WBHS Contact Information
Address:
1305 E. Decorah Road
West Bend, WI 53095
Phone Numbers:
(262)335-5530 (East Office)
(262)335-5570 (West Office)
(262)335-5550 (Attendance)
(262)335-5580 (Counseling Office)
Athletics Websites: East | West
Administration
Jared Kiesow- East & West Assistant Principal Grade 9
jkiesow@wbsd-schools.org / 262-335-5587
Laura Krause-Emerick- East Assistant Principal Grades 10 - 12
lkrauseemerick@wbsd-schools.org / 262-335-5571
Dave Riley - West Assistant Principal Grades 10 - 12
dsriley@wbsd-schools.org / 262-335-5532
Susan Saric - East & West Assistant Principal
ssaric@wbsd-schools.org / 262-335-5569
Dave Uelmen - Associate Principal
duelmen@wbsd-schools.org / 262-335-5592
Jennifer Potter- Executive Principal
jpotter@wbsd-schools.org / 262-335-5629
Counselors
Kara Phillips - East students with last names A-G
Stephanie Stuve - East students with last names H-O
Kris Kemp - East students with last names P-Z
Matt Coyle - West students with last names A-G
Jenni Hanni-Schmitz - West students with last names H-P
jhannischmitz@wbsd-schools.org
Nicole Miller - West students with last names Q-Z
Juliana Delgado - Freshmen Transition Coordinator, 504, and Virtual Learning
Michelle Cattelan - School Psychologist