Challenge Day - I have previously blogged about guest speaker Terrence Talley who spoke to all four grade levels at Waukesha West in March. His message was powerful and focused on the knowledge that we all matter in this life and have immeasurable value. The positive reaction of our students was wonderful to witness and we want to continue to focus on a positive message for breaking down barriers between students through bringing "Challenge Day" to Waukesha West next Fall. Our Wolverine Leadership Academy is going all in to bring this program to West High School. They have begun a fundraising campaign in partnership with our Student Services department and I encourage everyone to learn more about "Challenge Day" to see if it something they would want to support financially. I have budgeted approximately half the cost of the program in support of the positive student outcomes it produces. Here is the link for the "Challenge Day" website and West Challenge Day GoFundMe page. If anyone is looking to donate, please donate to the West GoFundMe page and not on the "Challenge Day" website as we would not be able to use any funds that are donated on that site. Thank you in advance for any support provided and contact any one of our school counselors with questions.
Finals Week Expectations - The email below that was sent to students and families provides information for our students regarding for our finals week expectations:
Finals begin on Tuesday, June 5th and end on Thursday, June 7th. I changed the schedule this year as compared to last year for Seniors so they could enjoy their last day of school at West. What that means is that the schedule on our last day of school, Thursday, June 7th has Seniors not taking any exams so they can focus on graduation practice and activities for the day. Seniors will have taken the 5th and 8th hour scheduled exams for this day early. I want to be clear that we have 180 school days, and our last week of school is equally as important as the first day and all days in between. As is the case during finals week, all students are expected to be present for every class hour of each day including study halls. There are no special releases granted because it is the last week. The last day of school is no different. Students are expected to be at all classes and receive feedback from their teachers around their work for the year, prior to a long summer break. I thank you for supporting our expectations as we maximize learning every day of school. Please see me with any questions. Thank you.
West Fishing Club - Our West Fishing Club members had a fishing tournament this past Sunday evening as a culminating event of the school year. It was all catch and release with an honor system for keeping track of fish caught to create some fun competition. The weather was a bit difficult, but as a group, students caught 25 or so bass, a dozen or so crappies, 8-10 walleye, some bluegills, and a couple pike. Enjoy the pictures below!
Waukesha Education Foundation (WEF) - The Waukesha Education Foundation has been supporting students in the school district of Waukesha for many years. The WEF raises money and grants that money through their application process to teachers looking to enhance student learning. This year the WEF received 67 applications (a record!), which consisted of over $109,000 of requests (another record). They were able to award $30K this year in grants. In my nine years in the school district, I have seen the impact of the WEF directly within our classrooms. The WEF wants to fill every grant request and is always looking to take strides to improve it's funding for grants. Please check out their website here to see some of the ways they are looking to increase the funding for grant requests. They have an upcoming golf outing that I am looking forward to participating in, please see the information below and consider supporting the WEF as they do great things for kids in our schools!!! The WEF has recently hired Executive Director Lynnette Kalmadge and she is available to connect with you about any questions regarding the WEF. Her contact is
execdirector
NAMI of Waukesha - Recently I was able to sit down with representatives for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Waukesha and along with Waukesha high school principals to discuss what NAMI does for mental health support in our community. They have outstanding resources for our community and I encourage you to check out their website here for more information. As a school community, we want to have resources for parents and families and mental health is of great concern among our families. I look forward to working with NAMI in support of our community! It is Mental Health Awareness month!
NAMI of Waukesha - Recently I was able to sit down with representatives for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Waukesha and along with Waukesha high school principals to discuss what NAMI does for mental health support in our community. They have outstanding resources for our community and I encourage you to check out their website here for more information. As a school community, we want to have resources for parents and families and mental health is of great concern among our families. I look forward to working with NAMI in support of our community! It is Mental Health Awareness month!
Graduation Information 2018 - Graduation day for the all three Waukesha legacy high schools will be Saturday, June 9th, 2018. Waukesha West High School will be holding graduation ceremonies in the West Fieldhouse on this date beginning at 2:00 P.M. As we are one community divided into three high schools, this year graduation times among all three high schools are staggered per usual to enable friends and family to attend multiple ceremonies if they so choose. South High School ceremonies will begin at 10:00 A.M. and North High School ceremonies will begin at 12:00 P.M. on this date. Please begin informing friends and family who will be attending.
Summer Lunch Program - The district will once again be participating in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) during summer school. This program provides free breakfast and lunch to all students age 18 and below. They do not have to be enrolled in summer school to participate, they don't even have to attend our schools during the regular school year. They just have to live in our district. There is no application process and students can show up at one of the 5 sites that are serving. Please see the flyers below:
Principal Advisory Council - Below are the names of the individuals on the Principal Advisory Council. We met most recently on Wednesday, May 16th. Please access the minutes for more information about our discussions for this school year. I want to thank the members of the council for their listening skills, feedback, and suggestions for this year. I will be looking for new representatives again for the 2018-2019 school year so look for the sign up in late summer or early in the school year! The meeting minutes are linked here:
Amy Holzinger
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aholzinger@sbcglobal.net
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Ann Pascavis
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mapascavis@hotmail.com
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Cathy Frantz
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cathyk21@gmail.com
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James Boling
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jmbjrboling@gmail.com
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Jennifer Engel
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j_rengel@sbcglobal.net
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Jim Karpowitz
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karpman@aol.com
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Mark McGinnis
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wxmarkmc@gmail.com
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Mercedes Rawson
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Rawson96@wi.rr.com
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Sarah Bristol
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north_physics@yahoo.com
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Wendy Hamilton
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wendyhamilton4@gmail.com
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Betsy Peters
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bpeters1247@gmail.com
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Michelle Werner
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michelle@hatchstaff.com
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Archived Announcements (Link) Please access this link to find all of the information in our daily announcements from previous weeks.
Preview of this week: Please check the calendars by clicking on these two links to preview what is happening at West High School this week:
