WHS Family Newsletter
October 4, 2021
A Big Week Ahead
I continue to be so proud of our students and their efforts both inside and outside of the classroom. At WHS, we believe in helping all of our students find connection, passion and purpose through involvement with sports, performing arts, academic teams and other student club opportunities. We continue to add new clubs and new opportunities based on student needs and interests. If your student has not yet found something to be involved with, we would love to help them get plugged in! #EVERYRockConnected #EVERYRockValued
New Information This Week
PTO Coffee With Mrs. Denniston
Join WHS Principal, Mrs. Denniston for coffee Friday, October 15th at 9 AM in the WHS Learning Center/Coffee Shop! She will share a few WHS updates and then open it up for a Q&A time to answer questions you may have. All are welcome!
PSAT Day - Wednesday, October 13, 2021
On Wednesday, October 13th, WHS students in grades 9-11 will be taking the PSAT. There will be no classes on this day. Seniors will be excused for college visits, community service, job shadowing, or other approved activities. While transportation will be provided at the end of the school day, students may elect to leave early with parent permission. We will release students at the following times:
10th and 11th Grade Testers without accommodations released at 1:10 PM
10th and 11th Grade Testers WITH accommodations released at 3:05 PM
Parents do NOT need to call students out on the attendance line if they are being picked up at the end of testing. Parents may pick their students up at the above release times in front of doors 1, 2, 3, and 32. Students who are staying until 3:39 PM and will ride the buses home at the end of the day, will need to report to the main cafeteria following the end of their PSAT test.
WHS Attendance and Grade Update
Right now, our attendance rate is 98.7% for the year. This is outstanding, and we are so proud of our students and families for making this such a priority. Moreover, our Leadership Team has made a daily commitment to contact families directly when we are uncertain as to the reason behind the absence. The ability to report our absences accurately and communicate with the families has led to increased attendance at school. Additionally, our COVID numbers and quarantine numbers have been very low, and we are so thankful for that.
It is our hope at WHS that all students earn the maximum amount of credits each trimester and that each one feels that they have learned and been successful in their courses. Currently, 18% of our students are failing at least one course. This is higher than we would like it to be, and we are determined to see the number of F's cut in half by the end of the trimester. We will be working to provide support to students through meetings with our counselors, administrators and teachers and emphasizing the importance of CORE time as a means for relearning and additional assessment opportunities.
We would invite you to partner with us by looking at your student's Powerschool and Canvas pages weekly, setting a good home routine with your student, setting some end of trimester goals, and communicating with our staff with any questions and concerns you may have. I am confident that working together, we can improve learning and achievement for each and every student.
Rocks Spotlight
Westfield Education Foundation Grant Winners
Gabrielle ONeal - Food For Students, Grown By Students!
Breanna Bever - Engaging Multilingual Learners in Science
Katy Harbison - Verbatim Literary Magazine
Erin McKinney - Getting Interactive
Sydney Bartel - Adaptive Art Class
Reminders
Picture Retake Day THIS Thursday!
Retakes and photos for those staff/students who did not have a photo taken in August will take place this Thursday, October 7th in the Learning Center from 10am until 2:30pm. Students wishing to have a retake will need to return their original photo package.
Our Students Need YOU!
We need your help! WHS is specifically looking for Special Education Instructional Assistants, English Learner Instructional Assistants and an ISS/Student Support Instructional Assistant!
You don't need a college degree for support staff positions in the WWS district - only a high school diploma. Our teachers and students need you! Please consider joining the Shamrock family!
For more information, visit the Human Resources tab of the district website https://www.wws.k12.in.us/Page/1011
Passport to the Globe
This event will feature a concert from our Steel Pan World Drumming group and food from different countries catered by FCCLA Foodies Rock! We will also have some of our clubs/students presenting cultural information, performing and displaying art from other cultures/countries.
Advance tickets are available at https://whspa.booktix.com/. Individual tickets are $6 - a family pass can be purchased for $25 (for up to six people).
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