Principal Blog Week of November 28th, 2022

Purpose Corner - This week I provide information on our journey through "focused instruction" and setting purpose in this phase as well as the importance of our "Welcome to West" open house on Monday, December 5th, 2022 from 6:00 - 8:00 P.M. at Waukesha West. 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” on Monday, December 5th, 2022 to connect with teachers and learn more about the courses and programs we offer at West. Below is the one-page flyer for this event, we hope to see you there!! If you are not coming please tell a friend to ensure anyone who is attending West knows about this opportunity!!

Rigorous Course Schedule for 2023-2024 - Our data has been clear at West for the past several years in that approximately 90% of West students state they will go on to a two or four-year college for their post-high school education, yet, only 50% of students will make it past year one of college and that is why we push as a school to prepare our students better. A big part of preparing students to meet the challenges of their college and/or career path is high school course selection. Course scheduling is not far away and is coming up in early February 2023! It is time for students to think about stretching their academic resumes. A stretch class is rigorous, possibly AP or Honors, a class that a college admissions counselor would find impressive, and/or a class that will help you reach your fullest potential as a student. You could also choose to take an additional class instead of a study hall. This is a goal class for you. Think about what content area you excel in and stretch in that area or try something new and challenging like one of our many elective classes in the areas of Business, Family & Consumer Science, Technology Education, Art, Music, World Languages, or Drama!! Now is the time to think about your STRETCH class as part of your rigorous course schedule for next school year. Attending our "Welcome to West" event on Monday, December 5th (see info above) can be helpful to learn more about the areas you want to stretch in, that is what the night is for!

One-Act Play at State!! - Congratulations to the cast and the crew of "Doubt" who competed at the state one act play contest at UW Whitewater the weekend of November 17th and 18th and continued their string of strong showings, bringing home the contest's top overall prize, The Critics' Choice Award, for the 12th year in a row! West also won the award for Outstanding Ensemble (Evan Hansen, Alex Bonell,Hema Subramanian, and Morgan Washington) and the award for Outstanding Technical Theater. Individual awards for Outstanding Acting were taken home by Morgan Washington, Hema Subramanian and Alex Bonell (who won her second!) Bravo, everyone!

Waukesha MADE - What is Waukesha MADE? It is a partnership between the School District of Waukesha and local businesses that focus on Manufacturing, Automotive, Design, and Engineering.  As of today, a majority of those businesses are local manufacturers but the partnership is looking to grow in the areas of construction, automotive, and printing. One of the best portions of the MADE partnership is the collaboration of our students with these companies. These companies bring real-world projects to our students looking for real-world solutions and look to have their people work with our students to problem-solve and accomplish these tasks. The mentorship is amazing and this partnership is continuing to grow in a positive direction. Our core partners graciously donate funds for equipment repair and purchasing as well as for student scholarships at each of our Waukesha High Schools. We also partner with the MADE businesses to offer co-op opportunities for district students. I just wanted to give a shout-out to this great partnership that offers quality career paths for our students! Students in our CTE courses benefit most from this partnership.

Principal Advisory Committee - The Principal Advisory Council for 2022-2023 met on Wednesday, November 16th. The meeting minutes are linked here. Please contact any one of the representatives (below) to bring up topics or questions you have to bring forward for our next meeting on Wednesday, December 21st. You still have a little time!

Angela Schaaf	angelamschaaf@gmail.com
Carri Marlow	carrimarlow@yahoo.com
Christy Grunewald	Christygrunewald@gmail.com
Danielle Lark	iammizlark@gmail.com
Elizabeth Mcdowell	elizabeth.mcdowell526@gmail.com
Jennifer Micheau	JMicheau@waukeshacounty.gov
Kari Doepke	Teamdoepkewarnes@gmail.com
Kristin Fredrick	Kpfredrick0521@gmail.com
Lesley Grider	griderville@gmail.com
Wendy Hamilton	wendyhamilton4@gmail.com

Archived Announcements (Link) Please access this link to find all of the information in our daily announcements from previous weeks. 

GO WOLVERINES...WHOOP!!