Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to the entire West community. I wish all of you a restful holiday break, full of joy with lots of peace sprinkled in!
West Holiday Concert - On Thursday, December 16th the West Choirs performed their holiday concert titled the "Sounds of the Season." Please enjoy below:
Orchestra Concert - On Wednesday, December 15th the West Orchestras performed their holiday concert. Please enjoy below:
Cream City Suzuki Strings - The director for Cream City Suzuki Strings, Julie Bamberger-Roubik, hosted a free concert at Waukesha South High School on Sunday, December 12th. This event was for the entire Waukesha community to attend and enjoy together as she reached out to the school district looking to bring peace and joy to our community after the parade tragedy. Below are the videos of the concert. Thank you to Julie for this thoughtful gesture!!
Waukesha West Marching Band... Hawaii style - The Cadets of Waukesha West had the privilege to travel to Hawaii to be part of the festivities to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The first video is of the Cadets marching to the area in front of the USS Arizona Memorial where they were to perform, followed by a picture of them post-performance. The second video is the parade for the 80th commemoration. The Cadets can be found at the 35:45 mark on the video. I know they had a great trip and were honored at the experiences they were a part of to learn and celebrate our greatest generation!
West Jazz Band - We are spoiled to be able to have our talented students perform for us, right at school! Enjoy the video of our Jazz band spreading some holiday cheer with their music:
Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) and Mr. Foley...
Our RAK members sold "Waukesha Strong" ornaments and raised $500 for the Waukesha Community fund. The RAK members made a tree (out of boxes) and pinned the ornaments on it for a display and to spread some cheer. Speaking of spreading cheer... math teacher Mr. Brian Foley is always decked out for our holiday week, and yes his suit coat does have blinking lights on it.... festive!!
One-Act Play Official Recognition - The letter below confirms what we already know, that our West End Players are the most talented students in the State of Wisconsin...
Archived Announcements(Link) Please access this link to find all of the information in our daily announcements from previous weeks.
Purpose Corner -This week I share with the West community more detail about our evacuation this past Friday. We will continue to support our students and the West community as we worked through a long week last week. The transcript of the video can be accessed through this link.
Welcome to West Night - It is an expectation for students at West High School to stretch themselves and select a rigorous course schedule. For all underclassmen, the scheduling process happens in early February, but we encourage our students and families to begin thinking about that schedule today. All current families are welcome to attend our “Welcome to West Night” which is TONIGHT to connect with teachers and learn more about courses and programs we offer at West. Below is the one-page flyer for this event, we hope to see you there!!
School Report Card - The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has recently released the 2020-21 state School Report Cards for all public schools in Wisconsin. I’m sharing our score with you for this past school year as we are proud of "Exceeding Expectations" because of the investment of our staff, students, parents, and community members. The criteria of this Report Card do not take into account all of the outstanding things that happen at West High School on a daily basis, but it is a measure that we celebrate as one indicator of our school's academic level. I want to specifically highlight our "Growth" score which is an indicator that our staff works hard to ensure students progress in their achievement. This score is better than 92% of Wisconsin high schools. Below I have the overall score and growth score visible. You can access the Waukesha West School Report Card for more detailed information here.
Principal Advisory Committee - The Principal Advisory Council for 2021-2022 met most recently on Wednesday, November 17th. Please access the updated meeting minutes linked here. Please contact any one of the representatives (below) to bring up topics or questions you have to bring forward for next month's meetings.
Purpose Corner -This week I share with the West community the announcement I made to our entire student body this past Monday morning as we started school for the first time since the Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy. The announcement focuses on the support of our students. We will continue to support our students and the West community as we work through processing all that has happened. Our hearts are with all of those who are grieving!! The transcript of the video can be accessed through this link.
Support from others... -Along with the greater Waukesha community, West High School is thankful for all of the encouragement and support we are receiving from the outside. AVID is a nationwide program of which all Waukesha secondary schools implement. I wanted to give a shout-out to Madison East High School (Thank You!!) and some of their AVID students who handwrote and sent encouragement to our AVID students upon learning about the parade tragedy. Below is an example of that encouragement...
Monday, December 6th Daily Schedule - We have adjusted the Monday, December 6th schedule for next week. We adjusted some morning class times only by five minutes in order to give us additional time during our Advisory period to complete the student YRBS survey. This is not a significant change. Below is the updated schedule.
West One Act State - Congratulations to our One Act Play cast and crew on their annual amazing performance at the state competition. Their play of "Lend Me A Tenor" took home numerous awards including the highest honor of the "Critics Choice" award! They also received recognition for Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Technical, Outstanding Crew, 7 - Outstanding Actor/Actress awards, and the award for Outstanding Director! Below is a video of their performance:
Girls State Swim Shout Out - Congratulations to Livi Wanner, Tori Brostowitz, Karlee
Marusik, Elizabeth Beam, Clarie Wright, Ellana Brown, Zowie
Farence for placing 4th at the Wisconsin Swim and Dive
State Championship!
The relay team of Elizabeth Beam,
Claire Wright, Tori Brostowitz, and Livi Wanner placed 2nd,
breaking the school record!
In the 200 free, Karlee Marusik
placed 14th!
In the 200 IM, Claire Wright placed 15th, and Tori Brostowitz placed 2nd, breaking the school
record!
In the 50 free, Livi Wanner placed 4th breaking the school record!
In the 200 free relay, Karlee
Marusik, Zowie Farence, Ellana Brown, and Claire Wright placed 16th!
In the 100 backstroke, Karlee
Marusik placed 16th and Elizabeth Beam placed 4th, breaking the school record!
In the 100 breaststroke,
Claire Wright placed 9th, and Tori Brostowitz placed 2nd, breaking the school record!
In the 400 free
relay, Livi Wanner, Elizabeth Beam, Karlee Marusik, and Tori Brostowitz placed 3rd, breaking the school
record! Congrats on a phenomenal season!
Welcome to West Night - It is an expectation for students at West High School to stretch themselves and select a rigorous course schedule. For all underclassmen, the scheduling process happens in early February, but we encourage our students and families to begin thinking about that schedule today. All current families are welcome to Attend our “Welcome to West Night” on Monday, December 6th to connect with teachers and learn more about courses and programs we offer at West. Below is the one-page flyer for this event, we hope to see you there!!
Student Of the Month (SOM) - If you were not aware, every month each of our departments chooses a student to recognize for a variety of reasons. They are then called up to the office to receive that recognition and are celebrated by us! We definitely enjoy celebrating them more than they do on most occasions, but below is a sneak peek into what this looks like...
School Report Card - The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has recently released the 2020-21 state School Report Cards for all public schools in Wisconsin. I’m sharing our score with you for this past school year as we are proud of "Exceeding Expectations" because of the investment of our staff, students, parents, and community members. The criteria of this Report Card do not take into account all of the outstanding things that happen at West High School on a daily basis, but it is a measure that we celebrate as one indicator of our school's academic level. I want to specifically highlight our "Growth" score which is an indicator that our staff works hard to ensure students progress in their achievement. This score is better than 92% of Wisconsin high schools. Below I have the overall score and growth score visible. You can access the Waukesha West School Report Card for more detailed information here.
Principal Advisory Committee - The Principal Advisory Council for 2021-2022 met most recently on Wednesday, November 17th. Please access the updated meeting minutes linked here. Please contact any one of the representatives (below) to bring up topics or questions you have to bring forward for next month's meetings.
Purpose Corner -This week I share with the West community the announcement I made to our entire student body regarding expectations of what it means to be a Wolverine, specifically in what we say to each other, as words matter. The transcript of the video can be accessed through this link.
Speak Up, Speak Out (SUSO) App - Students and families, the SUSO app is on every district iPad for use. Students, please take the time to go through the presentation link here on SUSO, to understand what SUSO is so you can use it as/if needed. There is also a link on the main page of the West website that will take you to the SUSO website. If you have any further questions about SUSO after going through the information, please ask any trusted adult in our building about this app and they will get you the information you need. You can... see something, say something, do something through this app.
Welcome to West Night - It is an expectation for students at West High School to stretch themselves and select a rigorous course schedule. For all underclassmen, the scheduling process happens in early February, but we encourage our students and families to begin thinking about that schedule today. All current families are welcome to Attend our “Welcome to West Night” on Monday, December 6th to connect with teachers and learn more about courses and programs we offer at West. Below is the one-page flyer for this event, we hope to see you there!!
Christmas Clearing Council - Our Ignition Mentors club has consistently partnered with the Christmas Clearing Council to support students and their families in our community during the holiday months. The Christmas Clearing Council of Waukesha County (CCC) promotes and coordinates giving to families in need during the holiday season. They provide a clearinghouse that matches these families with area groups, other families, businesses, and individuals who wish to help people less fortunate on a person-to-person basis. If you are interested in financially supporting local families please consider donating to the Council. Student mentors plan to collect cash or check donations on Tuesday the 16th, Wednesday the 17th, and Thursday the 18th, of November during 5th hour. Checks can be made out to Waukesha West. Parents are welcome to donate as well and can drop off that donation at our front kiosk anytime during the school day. Mentors will also have members collecting donations at the West Girls Basketball game on November 19th.
Dress Code Reminders - Below in italics is the dress code for all Waukesha high school students. As we move into winter, I want to clarify that winter coats are not allowed to be worn in the classroom, but light jackets and sweatshirts are allowed.
The Board of Education recognizes that each student’s mode of dress and grooming is a manifestation of personal style and individual preference. The Board will not interfere with the right of students and their parents to make decisions regarding their appearance, except when their choices interfere with the educational program of the schools.
Accordingly, grooming guidelines are necessary to promote discipline, maintain order, secure the safety of students, and provide a healthy environment conducive to academic purposes. The following will be used as a guideline for student dress and grooming; does it:
present a hazard to the health or safety of the student himself/herself or to others in the school:
interfere with school work, create disorder, or disrupt the educational program;
cause excessive wear or damage to school property;
prevent the student from achieving his/her own educational objectives because of blocked vision or restricted movement.
Students are prohibited from wearing hats or other headwear (including hoodies) and coats in school on regular school days. The administration of any school may allow exceptions to this policy for legitimate reasons (religious, medical, or otherwise) or in the celebration of a specified pep rally, spirit day, or hat day.
Any clothing, jewelry, body art, or any accessory advertising alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs are at a counter purpose with district AODA programs and therefore deemed inappropriate. Students should dress appropriately for school and must refrain from wearing items that display excessive midriffs, low-cut tops, and undergarments. Students who violate the above expectations may receive disciplinary consequences.
Principal Advisory Committee - The Principal Advisory Council for 2021-2022 will be meeting this week, Wednesday, November 17th. Please contact any one of the representatives (below) to bring up topics or questions you have to bring forward in our monthly meetings. Please access the updated meeting minutes linked here:
JIT (Just-In-Time) - JIT has been going well here at West!! JIT is a critical part of that journey. This is to ensure our students start strong in their academics!
WHO?
Any student who has a failed learning target at every 4 ½ week progress check or before that time
OR
Any student who is missing work for that previous
week or is in need of academic support in that class
WHAT?
The student is assigned in IC (students need to check IC for their JIT assignment on Monday afternoons) for a two-week period to receive teacher support in order to complete missing work and be passing the learning target. Students may be released early based on completed work. Students may be grouped together to work on similar targets/summatives
WHEN?
Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 7:20-
7:50 A.M. Attendance will be taken and recorded in IC
HOW?
A standard email communication will go out to both
parents/guardians and student
Archived Announcements(Link) Please access this link to find all of the information in our daily announcements from previous weeks.
