The Warrior
Washington High School Newsletter
Mission: To Develop Lifelong Learners To Succeed In A Changing World
Newsletter Date:
November 2020
Principal Comments
It is hard to believe that we are one quarter of the way through the school year. As first quarter ends, I would like to encourage and remind parents to stay connected with your child’s academic progress. As parents, you serve as a key partner in your child’s education. Please take time to review their grades on Infinite Campus and communicate any questions or concerns with your child’s teachers. I also ask that you join us in emphasizing to your student the importance of engaging in school every day. All of your student’s classes can be found on Google Classroom. Please take some time to explore what your child is learning about and working on in each of his or her classes. As we continue to battle the COVID pandemic, please encourage your student to bring a mask to school and be diligent in practicing other hygiene measures that will keep them safe, healthy, and in school, especially as we head into cold and flu season.
As fall activities come to an end, we have had an opportunity to celebrate a variety of student achievements. Recently we celebrated our first state championship of the year: Competition Dance. Congratulations to the Competition Dance team, Coach Angela Nieman and Coach Jordan Boyd, as they won their 6th consecutive state title and their 12th state title in 13 years. We will recognize approximately 880 Honor Roll students on November 17th and 18th. That equates to approximately 44% of our eligible student body of seniors, juniors and sophomores. Those being recognized includes our 4.0 Honor Roll, 3.5 to 3.99 Honor Roll and our 3.0 to 3.499 Honor Roll recipients. Last fall we recognized 682 students for the Spring Semester of the 2018-2019 School Year. Great job Warriors!
The Spirit of the Washington High School Community continues to shine bright as we work together to meet our goals of 100% of WHS students graduating in four years with a rigorous and meaningful education, and 100% of our students involved in an activity, club, or attending school events. Parents and families of Washington High, we need your support and partnership to meet our goals. As parents, you truly have the greatest impact on your son or daughter’s success. Be involved, be active, and encourage your child to get involved as the memories they create will last a lifetime.
Thanks to all for making Washington High School a great place to learn!
Go Warriors.
Kari Papke, Principal
Superintendent Message
Every day we are faced with the possibility that every word spoken, and every action taken will be scrutinized through a political lens. While it is the right of every American to choose how they align their values, and with whom, it is also imperative that every citizen respects the rights of their neighbors to the same degree they value their own.
While our nation and the media continue to dissect the news of the day and the actions of those in power, your public schools are a place where we will continue to encourage diversity of thought and unity between people above divisiveness.
This year, we chose the theme of #together to characterize those values. As we face the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, we are stronger when we are #together, encouraging one another, serving each other, and caring for students. As we see the needs of our country and community, we are better when we seek to understand all viewpoints and choose to work #together for the common good.
Every day in our Sioux Falls classrooms, teachers are delivering meaningful lessons in the core content areas, in the arts, and in the subjects that teach students how to analyze and express their own ideas and viewpoints. As we teach the mathematical principles of Pythagorean Theory and the difference between a noun and a verb, we are also developing independent thinkers and the leaders of tomorrow. These lessons help students weigh information from many sources and use critical thinking skills to make important decisions throughout their lives.
As I meet with students across the district, I am continually encouraged and uplifted. They believe in the power of listening to others, understanding and building on the ideas of their peers to make things better, and respecting the value of diversity and the importance of inclusion. I believe if we invest well in these leaders of tomorrow, we have a brilliant future ahead for both Sioux Falls and our country.
These are challenging times, and from challenges come opportunities – in politics, in learning, and in life. Each day is a new opportunity in your public schools, and we are grateful for every moment we spend with your child, supporting them as they grow into a unique individual who will bring their gifts and talents to shape the future.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OCTOBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
12- Andrew Dickens
12- Rahele Megosha
11- Cooper Binkerd
11- Shewaye Kawaja
10- William Hansen
10- Kayla Richardson
09- Sage Clark
09- Alba Saravia Siliezar
REVISED QUARANTINE PROTOCOL 9/30/2020
The 14-day quarantine is now recommended, but not required if specific conditions are met.
A person identified by the school as a close contact may return to school IF:
The close contact was wearing a mask when they were exposed
The exposure occurred in a school setting
The person has no COVID-related symptoms
The parent/guardian has called the school to confirm eligibility to return
The close contact MUST monitor for symptoms daily and wear a mask during the 14-day quarantine.
The Intent to Return form is turned into the school upon return
NOW changes format for 2020-21 school year
Some of you may have missed seeing the daily WHS newspaper, The NOW. Changes took place this year when I was asked to assume the duties of both the school newspaper and the school yearbook. As you might imagine, both of these are big jobs, so something had to give. With teacher Jason Lueth’s blessing, I made the decision to move to a monthly publication so that both the students and I would be able to produce both publications.
Our plan is to publish papers in November and December, and then resume publication with the February issue. I hope that you enjoy the variety of stories and topics. The students have done a great job and have made the transition a smooth one.
Happy reading!
OCTOBER ACTIVITY LEADERS OF THE MONTH
DENTAL CARE AT NO COST!
Your student’s teeth are important. Dental disease (cavities) can threaten a child’s health, wellbeing and achievement. Children with oral health problems can have difficulty eating and sleeping and paying attention in school. Nearly 1 in 4 South Dakota children has untreated tooth decay.
The Delta Dental mobile truck will be at Washington High School November 30th – December 4th. If your student has not seen a dentist in the last two years, please call Student Services (605) 367-7970 or have your student stop by Student Services and pick up the required paperwork.
Thank you!
Nurse Clarke
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER FOR NOVEMBER:
SENIOR CLASS PHOTOS
SENIORS – Submit a senior class photo taken by a professional or personal photographer for the SENIOR SECTION OF THE YEARBOOK by Dec. 22, 2020 or your student ID photo will be used.
Specifications follow:
- Tasteful poses with school appropriate clothing and makeup will be published. No hats or other head coverings, sunglasses, low cut tops or muscle shirts accepted. You are responsible to check your email to see if we have asked for a new picture.
- In recent years we have accepted a variety of poses. If the picture is not a head and shoulder shot, we reserved the right to crop as needed to fit the specifications of our layout.
- Goofy ID pictures MUST be replaced, or the student will not be in the yearbook.
- Photo size: please send a jpg file that is 1-2 MB in size.
- Photos without enough resolution cannot be published. Be sure to check this before you submit the picture.
Nearly all photos downloaded from an internet site will not have enough resolution to be publish in print form. Please be sure to send the original digital file taken with the camera. We CANNOT use low resolution photos due to publisher specifications. Your ID pic will be used if you do not send in a file that does not comply with these requirements.
The Warrior staff reserves the right not to accept senior photos that do not meet the above specifications. Email a jpeg file to SFSDWHSYearbook@k12.sd.us or drop off a wallet-sized photo to Student Services or the Journalism Lab (A133-4) by Dec. 22, 2020. We will begin monitoring this email account in December.
SEMESTER TEST DAY SCHEDULE CHANGE
The Sioux Falls School Board approved a plan to eliminate the early start/early dismissal schedule on semester test days at the high schools. The change was brought forth by high school principals, with input from teachers, parents, and students. The District’s Calendar Committee, representing all employee groups, supported this decision, and it was unanimously passed by the School Board.
This means January 13 and 14, 2021 will follow the normal start of the day and end of the day times. The testing schedules for each day will be set by the principals and communicated to families. There will not be a 7:30am or 12:30pm dismissal on those days. The same is true for May 24 and 25, 2021, which will also follow normal start and end of the day times.
Yearbook Information
The 2020 yearbooks have arrived. Graduates can pick up their yearbook at Student Services. There are a limited number of 2020 yearbooks still available to purchase. If you are interested please contact Cindy Heckenlaible at: cindy.heckenlaible@k12.sd.us.
The 2021 yearbook can be purchased at: www.jostens.com.
All senior pictures are due by December 22nd.
WHS Library Information
WHS BOWLING TEAM
THE WARRIOR ZONE'S NOVEMBER "DEAL OF THE MONTH"
Be prepared for the cooler days and nights with a WHS blanket. For the entire month of November, WHS blankets are an incredibly low price of $29.99. You can view these blankets along with all the rest of the merchandise that is available in The Warrior Zone at www.whswarriorzone.weebly.com
WHS BOOSTER CLUB
Contact us
Website: http://www.sf.k12.sd.us/washington/home
Location: 501 N. Sycamore Sioux Falls SD, 57110
Phone: (605) 367-7970