Washington Family Newsletter
November 2023
Have You Completed the iUpdate for Your Students?
Each student enrolled at Washington must have a completed iUpdate. Students can see Ms. Friesen in the second floor office (michelle.friesen@spps.org) to assist in their parents with login information.
College/Career Center Newsletter
"Please see link for information and updates from the College & Career Center!"
- Wallin Scholarship for Seniors
- Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship
- HBCU College Fair
Career Pathways
Save the Date!! Construct Tomorrow Event!!
Construct Tomorrow is a program that brings the construction and building
trades to high school students through an experiential learning process.
Please see the attachment PDF for more information.
Inspire Conference Flyer see attachment PDF for more information..
ACT Prep Sessions for Juniors
"The ACT is an entrance exam used by many colleges and universities to make admissions decisions...The purpose of the ACT test is to measure a high school student's readiness for college and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants" (Princeton Review).
Juniors are invited to sign up for four 1-hour sessions to prepare for the ACT. This opportunity is specifically designed to help students be familiar with the ACT Test. It is NOT an academic tutoring opportunity.
Students will:
- explore question styles and samples for all four areas of the ACT test (reading, English, math and science), as well as sample prompts for the writing portion
- learn strategies to best approach a timed test or test anxiety
- learn techniques to approach unknown answers to tough questions
- understand the raw scoring of the ACT along with strategies that focus on point accumulation
- learn about free ACT practice resources
Registration is limited to Juniors who plan to take the ACT test this year.
- Nov. 15 (3:30-4:30 PM)
- Dec. 13 (3:30-4:30 PM)
- Jan. 24 (3:30-4:30 PM)
- Feb. 28 (3:30-4:30 PM)
All sessions are after school in the library. Transportation home is not provided.
University River Falls/TRIO UPWARD BOUND
Mission & Vision:
Upward Bound provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. The program provides opportunities for participants to succeed in their precollege performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits.
The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education.
How we are different from other Pre-college services/programs
- Residential, 6 weeks summer camp on UWRF campus
- Only serves WTM- all academic year meetings are at Washington
- Cohort model & peer bonding engagements
- UB Leaders component
- Social Emotional Learning focus
- Monthly stipends w/ US Bank Focus Card
Academic Year
- 1x Saturday Monthly Sessions
- Advising and mentoring
- Tutoring
- Cohort focus: Retreats, ACT prep, Scholarship essay writing, SEL, etc.
- College visits
- Volunteering
- Social/Cultural activities
Summer
- 6 week summer program living on campus (dorms)
- Core and enrichment courses
- Field trips
- Exposure to colleges and careers
- Group Travel
Who Can Join
- Low-income family background (free/reduced lunch)
- First-generation college student (families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree or with whom primary residence does not hold any bachelor’s degree)
- Current 9th grade students
Questions or More Information
- Bee Vang, Director (bee.vang@uwrf.edu)
- Mai Tao Yang, Coordinator/Advisor (mai.yang@uwrf.edu)
Washington High School Athletics
High School Winter Sports registration is open. For more information, check out the Washington Athletics website.
News from the Health Office
Children's Dental Services
Don't have a dentist? Haven't had your smile checked in a while? We will be scheduling a dental clinic for students at Washington with Children's Dental Services later in the school year. Please watch for more information and consent forms in the Washington Family Newsletter or stop by the Health Office for more information.
News from AVID
The turn to cooler temperatures always marks the time of the year when Washington's AVID classes get to two pillars of the program: Tutorials and College Visits.
- AVID Tutorials: Once per week, AVID students bring a question from a core content class (Math, Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts) to the AVID class. Students present their question and where they are struggling to a small group then work to help each other clear up their points of confusion. The tutorial groups are led by peers and college-aged students.
- AVID College Visits: Students in the AVID program visit two colleges each year to learn about college life, school-specific programs, admission processes, and more. Washington's upcoming college visits are listed below.
- November 17: AVID8 and AVID10 to Mankato State University
- November 27: AVID11 to Augsburg University
- November 30: AVID9 to UW-Eau Claire
To learn more about AVID at Washington and the process of joining, please visit our WEBSITE.
From the Library
Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead
Latinx students made displays honoring their loved ones. Day of the Dead combines the ancient Aztec custom of celebrating ancestors with All Souls' Day, a holiday that Spanish invaders brought to Mexico starting in the early 1500s. The holiday, which is celebrated mostly in Mexico on November 1 and 2, is like a family reunion—except dead ancestors are the guests of honor.
Mark Your Calendars!
- Nov. 17 - AVID10 (Mankato State University)
- Nov. 18 - ACT Prep (3:30-5:00 PM)
- Nov. 24-25 - No School
- Nov. 27 - AVID11 (Augsburg University)
- Nov. 30 - AVID9 (Eau Claire)
- Dec. 14 - Picture retakes
Save the Date: Hmong New Year Celebration
The WTMS Hmong Club is hosting a celebration Thursday, December 7, 2023. More information to come!
Turkey Giveaways & Meals for Thanksgiving
Family Centers
Family Centers are site-based offices for Neighborhood House located at:
- Bruce Vento Elementary (East Side: 409 Case Ave E, St Paul, MN 55130)
- Dayton’s Bluff Elementary (East Side: 262 Bates Ave, St Paul, MN 55106)
- John A. Johnson Elementary (East Side: 740 York Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55106)
- St. Paul Music Academy (North End: 27 Geranium Ave. East, Saint Paul, MN 55117)
- The Wellstone Center (West St Paul)
- Highland / Sibley Manor (West 7th)
Neighborhood House is “a full-service hub for those seeking assistance with basic needs, from food to housing, as well as helping create future opportunities through family coaching and education programming.”
To contact Family Center for all services:
- Visit a Family Center in person
- Contact Neighborhood House Service Connect: 651-789-3602
Family Center services/resources available include:
- Diapers, clothes, food, housing
- County service navigation
- Internet connectivity
- Bridging/My Very Own Bed
- PSOP (Parent Support Outreach Program)
- Referral for all other Neighborhood House services (youth programming, Latino Leadership, parent and early childhood education, adult education…)
Eligibility:
- Family Center is open to all – students/families in their home-base schools AND families from the community
- For most direct needs (food, clothing, diapers…), Family Center collects very little information – mainly only recording data to account for resources in and out (not family information)
- Other longer-term services and some of those offered through government funding do call for additional family information; Family Center staff will help families work through these questions to see if the services are a good fit.
Washington Technology HS Title I Information
2023-2024 Parent's Right to Know
School districts must notify parents of children attending Title I schools that they can request information regarding their children's teachers, including, at a minimum, information on (1) completion of state requirements for licensure and certification; (2) emergency or other provisional status; (3) educational background; and (4) whether paraprofessionals are serving the child and, if so, the paraprofessionals' qualifications.
Minnesota Report Card
About Minnesota Report Card
The Minnesota Report Card gives you easy access to understandable district and school data.
This tool is designed to provide parents, educators, schools, districts and citizens with easy access to important information about schools to help them make decisions and be engaged in the education of Minnesota students. Choose from several reports to learn more about the state of education in your local district, a specific school, or the state as a whole. MDE Report Card