WBHS Family Newsletter
March 2023
Message to Families from Administration
Dear WBHS Families,
Welcome to March! For such a short month with our upcoming spring break, we certainly have a month packed full of fun and learning. We are at mid-quarter, getting ready to take our ACT, and holding parent conferences this month. I will be available during conferences if any parents/guardians/families would like to meet with me. Please feel free to email or call to set up a time.
Please see below for celebrations, updates, and reminders for the month!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Potter
WBHS Executive Principal
262-335-5629
Important Upcoming Dates
Saturday, 3/4 (8:00 - 11:00 p.m.): Charity Dance
Saturday, 3/7 - Wednesday, 3/29: WBSD District Art Show at The Hub
Tuesday, 3/7: ACT Testing for Grade 11 | Distance Learning for Grades 9, 10, & 12
Wednesday, 3/8 (4:00 - 7:00 p.m.): Parent-Teacher Conferences
Wednesday, 3/15 (7:00 - 9:00 p.m.): Chamber Music Concert at Old Courthouse Museum
Thursday, 3/23 (6:30 - 8:30 p.m.): Rock 'N Jazz Fest in the Auditorium
Spring Break: 3/25 - 4/2
ACT Testing Information - March 7 (for Grade 11)
Distance Learning Day - March 7 (for Grades 9, 10, & 12)
All freshmen, sophomores, and seniors will have a distance learning day on March 7.
Teachers will distribute lesson plans on March 6 (if paper copies) or via Canvas by 7:15 a.m. on March 7 (if digital copies). Students are expected to complete their distance learning course work by 2:25 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, to demonstrate their attendance for the day. Teachers will be available via email if students need assistance.
For students in grades 9, 10, & 12 who would prefer to be present in the high school building for their distance learning, they may report directly to the East Cafeteria for the entire day
(7:15 a.m. - 2:25 p.m.). Please complete the form linked below to indicate if your student will be reporting to the high school for distance learning on March 7.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Here are the steps to sign up for conference time slots:
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.
Attendance Reminders
It has come to our attention that we have a number of students who are leaving the building for various purposes without properly signing out and a parent excuses them the following day. We currently do not have an open campus policy.
As a reminder, students must sign out either through the Attendance Office or the School Nurse before leaving school grounds in order to be excused from their class for the day. This is a safety issue for both the District and the Student. We appreciate your help in calling ahead or sending a note with your student and reminding your student to sign out before leaving the building. In the event that this is not possible these offices can call to verify that a student does need to leave the building.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Updates from the Counseling Office
Opportunities for Juniors: Planning for Life After High School
On March 8th, all juniors will receive information about opportunities, resources and options for post high school planning. Options discussed will include technical colleges, four-year colleges and universities, apprenticeships, work and the military. Resources will be shared for each. Juniors are encouraged to watch their Canvas Class of 2024 announcements for small group sessions this spring where they can learn more details and next steps for exploring and pursuing each option. The College and Career Center will also be offering Resource sessions for any students who are undecided about their future goals. Please encourage your teen to check the Canvas announcements and to take advantage of these valuable opportunities!
Updates from the College & Career Center
Inspire Wisconsin is hosting a Junior College and Career Fair on March 15, 2023 at the Washington County Fairgrounds. All juniors from West Bend East will attend the fair from 10:00 - 10:45. All juniors from West Bend West will attend the fair from 11:00 - 11:45. Please visit the list of vendors frequently as more are added almost daily.
Students are encouraged to think about the types of questions they want to ask representatives from the various careers. Some possible questions might include:
What are your main responsibilities as a___________?
What is a typical day (or week) like for you?
What do you like most about your job?
What do you like least about your job?
What kinds of decisions do you make on a daily basis?
What are some career paths in this field?
1:1 Device Program
As a reminder, chromebooks should be with students or in a locked locker at all times. If you hear that bad weather is approaching, please remind your student(s) to bring their chromebooks home for the evening in case we would have virtual learning the next day.
Scheduling Review Committee
At the high schools of West Bend, we are committed to continuous improvement with all of our structures and operations. With this in mind, we created a Staff and Student Schedule Review Committee. This group assembled in February and is reviewing the high schools’ current scheduling format and exploring potential alternatives for the future that can improve student learning. While we are only exploring other options at this point, we highly value the importance of communication and engagement with all of our stakeholders (students, staff, and families).
The Schedule Review Committee will be conducting site visits to other high schools in the North Shore Conference beginning the week of February 27th. It is hoped that this research into the operations of other schools will lead us to opportunities to improve our existing schedule or potentially find a better alternative schedule. More information will be provided to families as the committee continues its work.
School Event & Classroom Highlights
Students competed in a national cybersecurity competition, CyberPatriot, using their knowledge and skills to secure a simulated network environment. They placed 33rd out of 100 in the semi-final round!
Students in Principles of Engineering have been engaged in engineering real world machines, including a cookie topper written entirely in code.
Students in TC Culinary Arts I had some special guests who helped them learn about the culinary opportunities in the military as well as military MREs (meals ready-to-eat).
Athletics Highlights
The winter sports teams at WBHS have had exciting seasons!
Cole and Connor Mirasola, juniors at West, were WIAA Division 1 State Champions in wrestling for the second year in a row! Connor won at 195 lbs and Cole at 285 lbs. In addition to Connor and Cole, West senior Ben Bast placed second at 120 lbs and his brother West sophomore Ethan Bast placed third at 106 lbs. East was represented by senior Kasey Gish, who placed fourth at 182 lbs. Congratulations to all the wrestlers.
The West gymnastics team qualified for the WIAA State Championship this coming weekend by placing second in its sectional last week. The team will compete on March 3 and 4 at Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School. Good luck West gymnasts!
The East boys bowling team qualified for its state championships taking place this weekend in Weston, Wisconsin. In addition, Hailey Koehler and Jameson Leibham qualified for the individual championships as well as West senior Hailey Koebrel. Good luck to all bowlers!
For the East and West Co-Op Boys Swimming and Diving, Ryan Meyer finished 5th at state in diving. Other results include:
Dawson Walters 7th 500 freestyle and 14th 200 freestyle
Drew Gundrum 21st 100 backstroke
Weston Keppert 23rd 500 freestyle
Walters, Will Tibbitts, Quentin Willmas, Wesley Aleithe 15th 200 freestyle relay
Walters, Tibbitts, Gundrum, and Aleithe 17th 400 freestyle relay
Both the boys and girls co-op snowboarding teams placed third at the state championships! Top 20 finishes include:
- Boardercross: Johnny Mundell 5th, Gavin Schauble 13th, Pierce Reiner 18th, Brianna Schauble 6th, and Brooklyn Phillips 17th.
- Giant Slalom: Johnny Mundell 5th, Gavin Schauble 10th, Gavin Bayer 15th, Brianna Schauble 7th, Fran Anderson 19th, and Eeva Luukas 20th.
- Slalom: Johnny Mundell 6th, Gavin Schauble 13th, Gavin Bayer 20th, Eeva Luukas 11th, Brianna Schauble 13th, and Brooklyn Phillips 19th.
The girls co-op downhill skiiing team finished 2nd at the state championship! The boys co-op downhill skiing team took 7th. The top West Bend finisher was Markus Briedis who was 32nd out of 160.
Both the East and West Dance teams qualified for State East dance team took fifth in the division two kick and the West team took eighth in the division one poms. Rachel Hopper, Kaitlin McFarland and Lauryn Seidel from West all qualified for state with their solos.
Congratulations to all of these amazing athletes!
Spring Sports Sign-Ups
Spring sports are right around the corner! See below for start dates. Please contact Erin Felber, West Athletic Director, or Molly Hengst, East Athletic Director, with any questions.
Optimist Club Oratorical Contest
Each year, the West Bend Optimist Club sponsors an oratorical contest. This year's topic is Discovering the Optimism Within Me. Students write a five minute speech and present it at the local contest on March 16th. The top two winners from there advance to the zone contest held in April. If students continue advancing through the competition, they can reach the national competition, where they can earn up to $22,000 in scholarships. For more information and to enter, click on this link. The contest is open to any West Bend student under the age of 19. This includes elementary, intermediate, and middle school students.
Yearbook Ordering Information
Don’t forget to order your 2022-2023 West Bend High Schools yearbook! A yearbook is a great way to capture memories of the year’s activities. The cost is $57 and may be paid with check (WBHS), cash, e-Funds (with a small service fee), in person credit or debit card (with a small service fee) or directly with our publisher Herff Jones. Direct orders with Herff Jones do incur a handling fee per book but this is the only option if you wish to order a name plate for your yearbook for an additional charge. To purchase your 2022-2023 yearbook with Herff Jones, please click here: https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/job/21582. (You will receive a marketing email from Herff Jones every two weeks until either a yearbook is ordered or you unsubscribe in the email.) All orders are due by late April. Please email Sue Maus with questions smaus@wbsd-schools.org.