WHS Weekly Update and Information-Week 9 & End of 1st Quarter

WHS Panther Update and Information-Week Nine & End of 1^st Quarter

Conference Week is coming up the week October 29-November 2.   All students will be released at 11:25 a.m. during conference week. For all students, lunch will be from 10:55-11:25.  If you are interested in meeting with a teacher, please contact that teacher to set up a conference (first.last@washougalsd.org).  If you want to meet with multiple teachers, please contact Misty Young at 954-3106 and she will attempt to set up a multiple teacher conference.  Ms. Mackey, 10^th and 12^th grade counselor will be meeting with all seniors during conference week.  Seniors need to make sure to meet with Ms. Mackey during that week…not optional.

Math Support For Parents-We will be offering support for parents during conference week, Thursday, November 1 from 6:00-7:00 pm in the library.  This will be a chance for interested parents to see all of the math resources provided by our new math textbook.  We will be assisting parents with logging into skyward as well.  We will also be offering a math training session and skyward assistance for parents Thursday, November 1 from 2:00-3:30 pm in the library.

End of 1^st Quarter-November 2 marks the end of 1^st Quarter.  Teachers will be submitting grades the following week and we will be sending home Progress Reports no later than Tuesday November 11.  Students will be given two progress reports. We are expecting one of the Progress Reports returned with your signature.  1^st quarter graders are not transcripted, but do reflect where your student is currently in each class.

Parent Advisory Council-Our next meeting will be October 29 starting at 6:30 pm in the library.  We will be discussing the WHS School Improvement Plan.   If you want to know more about PAC, please visit www.washougal.k12.wa.us/whs/schoolinformation/pac.htm.  We are looking for individuals who want to commit to helping make WHS great.

Winter Sports-Winter Sports practices begin on Monday, November 12, 2012.  Please get paperwork turned in and make sure that sports fees are paid before that day.  Student-athletes do not want to miss the first practice because the paperwork was not completed.  If you have questions about winter sports contact Doug Cox, Athletic Director at 954-3104.

WHS Booster Club-We are having our next meeting Monday, November 5 from 6:00-7:00 in the WHS commons.  If you are interested in supporting WHS students or want to know more about the WHS Boosters please attend. Whether your student wants you to help or not, WE NEED YOUR HELP!  This is your chance to get involved with what is happening at WHS.  Let’s make WHS great together!

Washougal is on the map with its fall DRAMA production!   WHS is producing 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, a fast-paced and exciting look into the lives and careers of the men who have held the nation’s highest office.  Don’t miss a chance to both see and be part of history! 44 Plays for 44 Presidents runs November 2-3 in the Washburn Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are only $5 for adults and $3 for students. Don’t miss it!

Stuff the Bus 2012-For the last four years, the Washougal School District has joined Camas School District in a friendly rivalry to see which district can gather the most food and toys for needy families on one day.  This year the winner will be the school who donates the most (lbs) per student. The real winners are the families in need who live in Washougal and Camas. The Children's Home Society, Camas Treasure House and other charities that provide food and household supplies to needy families received over 60, 000 lbs of food last year.  This year, Stuff the Bus begins November 1 and will run through December 7. Community members are invited to drop off non-perishable canned or boxed foods, household supplies and unwrapped toys at any Washougal school.  If you have any questions about this event please contact Jim Reed at 954-3133.

After School Help and Computer Availability-All teachers are available from 2:30-2:55 after school. It is best if students communicate with their teacher to schedule after school assistance. The WGIL (Whole Group Instruction Lab) is available after school from 2:30-3:30 pm, Monday-Friday.  The Career Center (7 computers) is available from 2:30-3:30 pm, Monday-Friday.  The library is available from 2:30-3:00 pm, Monday-Friday.

Family Access-If you are not aware of Family Access, please contact Ann Jendro at 954-3169.  Mrs. Jendro can provide you with your username and password so you can access your student’s academic progress.  It is very important that you are familiar with your student’s progress.  Family access is a link on our website or you can simple go to http://www.washougal.k12.wa.us/teach_learn/parentaccess_studentinfo.htm.

Student Success & In the News

Rotary Scholar of the Month for October: Grace Collins

Grace Collins was selected as the Camas Washougal Rotary Scholar of the Month for October 2012.  Grace is a sophomore at Washougal High School and has a 4.0 GPA.  WHS Honors Chemistry Teacher Bruce Stanton says that Grace “is an excellent chemistry student AND a very nice person.” WHS Textiles and Apparel Teacher Mary Walker says Grace is “thoughtful of others” and that “She helps other students with a smile., always does her best work, and is a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day or  a sunny day!”    WHS Spanish Teacher Rochelle Aiton describes Grace as “sweet and attentive, intelligent, talented and self-disciplined, in addition to being a joy to have in class.”  WHS Honors Sophomore English Teacher Sheila Good says she “really enjoys having Grace in her class.”  She adds that she is “very pleasant and kind, and sets a positive tone in the classroom.  She is also extremely conscientious and makes sure that her work is as perfect as it can be.”

Washougal High School actors feeling presidential-The Columbian

Kelly Gregersen, drama teacher at Washougal High School, is wearing more hats than usual as he directs "44 Plays for 44 Presidents."It's not just one play, but 44 very short plays, each about a different U.S. president, from Washington through Obama. The show has 200 roles acted by 25 students, and 100 sound cues — including a snippet of music from each president's era, played before the play begins. There's even a Nixon musical.  The school's drama department is among 44 theater groups nationwide selected to perform the play as part of the Plays for Presidents Festival 2012. Only a handful of the theater groups are high school groups. Gregersen and his students produced the play a few years ago in a small, black box theater setting. The director of the festival and lead playwright, Andy Bayiates, asked them to participate in the festival leading up to the presidential election.

Washougal Students Score Above State and National Average on ACT and SAT Tests

Scores for the ACT college readiness test were released August 22 and the news is good for students in our state, but even better for students in Washougal. Washougal students exceeded state and national average scores in all subject areas. WHS students had a composite score of 26.3, above the state average of 22.9 and the national average of 21.1. Fifteen WHS students took the test, representing about ten percent of students in Grade 12. "Though just 10 percent of Washougal High School students took the test, those that took it did very well and we are very pleased to see this progress," said David Tudor, Curriculum Director. "We plan to increase the number of students participating in these college readiness tests. A larger sample size of data will help to inform our instructional system and our goal of students leaving our district college and career ready."

We received similar news with our SAT results.  Washougal students exceeded the stae and national average in all subject areas.  WHS students had a reading score of 541, above the state average of 519 and national average of 496.  WHS students had a math score of 566, above the state average of 530 and national average of 514. Finally, WHS students had a writing score of 518, above the state average of 503 and national average of 488. 

We continue to encourage our juniors and seniors to take either the SAT or ACT.  The vast majority of colleges and universities require either the SAT or the ACT test for admission to their school.  The SAT or ACT can be used to meet standard on the HSPE and/or EOC depending on the score.  If you have questions about either test, please contact our counseling office or visit http://www.collegeboard.org/ for information about the SAT or http://www.actstudent.org/ for information about the ACT.

WHS Panther Recap, Update and Information-Week Eight

WHS Panther Recap, Update and Information-Week Eight

Week 7 Recap    

• 10^th and 12^th graders completed the Healthy Youth Survey. 
• Monday, the JV football team defeated Aberdeen's JV. During halftime there was a performance by the cheer camp participants and future panthers…great job WHS cheerleaders!  Unfortunately, the game time was moved at Aberdeen’s request and we didn’t updated our publications so several supporters were late arriving…..sorry for the miscommunication! We reviewed our process and will hopefully avoid those types of issues occurring in the future.
• Tuesday, our soccer team had an amazing win over Ridgefield…..Great Job Girls!
• Wednesday and Thursday our Golf team competed at districts.  We had two golfers qualify for state. Beau Scott and Bryce Samwell will be representing the Panthers at state in the spring….Great Job Beau and Bryce. 
• Wednesday, 10^th graders and interested 11^th graders took the PSAT. We were very pleased with how hard all the students worked.  We also had our second PLC early release. PLC time gives staff an opportunity to work together on a variety of things. Course-alike teams, departments, and district teams meet to discuss instruction, alignment to state standards, etc.
• Our Girls and Boys Cross Country teams won districts…Great Job X-Country!
• Thursday  night, those in attendance had a great time at the Booo Note Cafe'.  Students from each grade level, staff members, alumni and several first-timers participated.  The next Blue note will be Thursday, December 14.
•  Friday we had our best assembly of the year in which school spirit was tremendous.  The cheerleaders had a routine and demonstrated their amazing skills and hard work.  The band rocked the Fight Song as usually and got us all pumped up. 

Upcoming Events and Information

WHS Booster Club-Our next Booster meeting is Monday, October 22 from 6:00-7:00 in the WHS commons.  If you are interested in supporting WHS students or want to know more about the WHS Boosters please attend. Whether your student wants you to help or not, WE NEED YOUR HELP!  This is your chance to get involved with what is happening at WHS.  Let’s make WHS great together!

After School Help and Computer Availability-All teachers are available from 2:30-2:55 after school. It is best if students communicate with their teacher(s) to schedule after school assistance. The WGIL (Whole Group Instruction Lab) is available after school from 2:30-3:30 pm, Monday-Friday if your student wants to use a computer.  The Career Center (7 computers) is available from 2:30-3:30 pm, Monday-Friday.  The library is available from 2:30-3:00 pm, Monday-Friday.

Math and Skyward Support For Parents-We will be offering support for parents during conference week, Thursday, November 1 from 6:00-7:00 pm in the library.  This will be a chance for interested parents to see all of the math resources provided by our new math textbook.  We will be assisting parents with logging into skyward as well.  We will also be offering a math training session and skyward assistance for parents Thursday, November 1 from 2:00-3:30 pm in the library.  Parents who are looking for an Algebra refresher course or support please visit: http://go.hrw.com/hrw.nd/gohrw_rls1/pKeywordResults?keyword=MA7+Parent.  You will find it to be helpful.

Conference Week is coming up the week October 29-November 2.   All students will be released at 11:25 a.m. during conference week. For all students, lunch will be from 10:55-11:25.  If you are interested in meeting with a teacher, please contact that teacher to set up a conference (first.last@washougalsd.org).  If you want to meet with multiple teachers, please contact Misty Young at 954-3106 and she will attempt to set up a multiple teacher conference.  Ms. Mackey, 10^th and 12^th grade counselor will be meeting with all seniors during conference week.  Seniors need to make sure to meet with Ms. Mackey during that week…not optional.

Washougal is on the map with its fall DRAMA production-This fall, WHS is producing 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, a fast-paced and exciting look into the lives and careers of the men who have held the nation’s highest office.  Don’t miss a chance to both see and be part of history! 44 Plays for 44 Presidents runs October 26-27 and November 2-3 in the Washburn Auditorium at 7:00 p.m.. Tickets are only $5 for adults and $3 for students. Don’t miss it!

Parent Advisory Council-Our next meeting will be October 29 starting at 6:30 pm in the library.  We will be discussing the WHS School Improvement Plan.   If you want to know more about PAC, please click on the following link: www.washougal.k12.wa.us/whs/schoolinformation/pac.htm.  

We are looking for individuals who want to commit to helping make WHS great.

Family Access-If you are not aware of Family Access, please contact Ann Jendro at 954-3169.  Mrs. Jendro can provide you with your username and password so you can access your student’s academic progress.  It is very important that you are familiar with your student’s progress.  Family access is a link on our website or you can simple go to Family Access.

Stuff the Bus-November 19 we will be officially collecting non-perishable items for the annual Stuff the Bus event.  The final weigh-in will take place the evening of December 7. This is an amazing opportunity for the Washougal School District community. If you are not familiar with the event, the we collect thousands of pounds of food to the Children's Home Society.  If you are interested in helping or want to know more about Stuff the Bus visit the following website: lhttp://www.cwbusinessalliance.com/stuffthebus.html.

Volunteering Opportunities

Parents play a big role in our success

We really appreciate all of your support! We are so thankful for the assistance we receive from our Panther Parents and Community. Through your volunteer work you touch the lives of every child at Washougal High School.  You make us better!

• Thousands of dollars have been earned by clubs and activities because of the WHS Booster Club which has been operating all concessions at WHS sporting events.  It is because of the tireless efforts of parent/community volunteers like Gill Block that our school clubs and activities can fundraise by working at concessions.  Gill will be done at the end of the fall season and we are looking for individuals who want to support clubs, activities, classes and athletics through concessions.

• Thousands of dollars have been raised and spent on Boys and Girls Basketball and Football because of individuals like Mike Adams and others who make-up the Panther Foundation.  Last Saturday there was a golf tournament at Orchard Hills to support both Boys and Girls Basketball (Youth and HS).  Our student-athletes have benefited because of the volunteerism of those who support the Panther Foundation.

Organizing volunteers is not a strength of mine nor has it been a priority until now.  I am asking for your assistance.    There are many opportunities to get involved and I encourage you to find your niche.  Some of the different service areas for adults here at Washougal HS are as follows: 

• Join the WHS Booster Club (Supporting Clubs, Activities, Classes, Sports and Academics)-Contact Doug Cox at 954-3104 or Aaron Hansen at 954-3101
• Volunteer as a dance chaperone-Contact Jim Reed at 954-3133
• Volunteer in the library-Contact the Main Office at 954-3100
• Volunteer to tutor students during or after school-Contact Marsha Spencer, CTE Director and Career Specialist at 954-3121
• Volunteer to serve on a committee (Parent Advisory Council, School Improvement Team)-Contact Aaron Hansen at 954-3101
• Help with the Grad Night Committee (Senior Party, the Senior Breakfast, Senior Sunrise-Sunset and/or Student Awards Night)-Contact Christina Mackey at 954-3114.

WHS Booster Club Meeting -Wednesday, October 10 at 6:00 pm we will have our first WHS Booster Club Meeting in the WHS Commons. 

We are looking for individuals who are interested in supporting WHS by being a member of the WHS Booster Club. At our first meeting we will be sharing our mission, and purpose as well as providing those interested information about how they can help.  We are excited about the opportunities this year for the WHS Booster Club and are looking for individuals who want to support the WHS community.

Parent Advisor Council  (PAC) next meeting is October 29 in the library starting at 6:30 pm.

The Washougal High School Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is comprised of parents who want to know more about the inner workings of Washougal High School. The PAC meets once a month to discuss issues of importance to the entire school community and is a representative body that provides the perspective of parents to the WHS administration through regular communication with the principal. The PAC also serves to provide parent feedback on school policies and procedures and has a role in the development and implementation of the WHS School Action Plan.

Please contact me if you have any questions at aaron.hansen@washougalsd.org or by phone at 954-3101.

Go Panthers!

Aaron Hansen

WHS/EHS Principal

Homecoming Week 2012 & Upcoming Events

We just completed our 4th week of the 2012-13 school year.  I want to recap Homecoming Week and share some information about what is coming up.

Homecoming Week 2012

From my perspective Homecoming 2012 was a success.  Students and staff dressed up all week.  Our sports teams competed hard.  We sent a team of students and staff to Ashland for the Shakespeare Festival and they returned inspired.  We had a good Homecoming assembly on Friday during 3^rd period where we recognized our Homecoming Court. 

The football game was exciting and well attended.   Unfortunately, the Panthers ran out of time, but we are proud of their effort as they fought until the end.  Our band under the direction of Kelly Ritter sounded amazing.  I had numerous individuals from Washougal as well as RA Long comment on how great our band sounded.  The Grad Night committee barbequed burgers.   The WHS Turf Campaign was available to answer questions and encourage support for the replacement of the fieldturf through purchasing.  You can find out more by visiting their website at http://whsturfcampaign.com/ .

The Homecoming dance was well attended and the students were respectful, responsible and appeared to enjoy themselves.  We had plenty of chaperones who were a tremendous help all night.  Thank You Chaperones!  Homecoming Week ended at about midnight Saturday when the commons was cleaned up and the last student was picked up.  Special commendation to Jim Reed, Lorie Webb and the ASB students who did the majority of the planning, setting up and taking down.  Thank you for all of your hard work!

Healthy Youth Survey

All 10^th and 12^th grade students will be participating in the 2012 State of Washington Healthy Youth Survey Monday, October 15 during their English and CWP classes. 

The Healthy Youth survey includes questions related to physical activity and diet, unintentional and intentional injury, substance use, risk and protective factors, and access to school-based services.  Survey results are used by schools, communities and state agencies to plan programs to support our youth and reduce their risks. Participation in the survey is voluntary and the students’ answers are anonymous.

For more information about the Healthy Youth Survey contact Julie Vanover, Prevention-Intervention Specialist at 954-3156

PSAT Testing  for All 10^th graders and 11^th graders who are interested on October 17

October 17 we will be testing all 10^th graders and interested 11^th graders in the morning.  The district funds the 10^th graders PSAT test.  11^th graders must register and pay in advance.  We feel very fortunate that the district supports all of our 10^th graders in taking the PSAT. 

The PSAT (Prelimiary Standard Achievement Test) serves as practice for the SAT, commonly used in college admissions. It's a standardized test that provides hand-on practice for the SAT Reasoning Test. PSAT scores are intended to serve as prediction for scores on the real SAT (which is taken later). This makes the PSAT a valuable test to take because it can lead to higher results in evaluation for college admission. The PSAT assesses 10th and 11th grade students' verbal, math, and writing skills.

For more information about the PSAT feel free to contact WHS Counseling Center at 954-3126

Senior Project Approvals-October 3, 4 and  5

Seniors will be seeking approval for their Senior Projects Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week.  If you have questions about our approval process, please contact Ann Jendro, Senior Project Coordinator at 954-3169.  You can also contact your student’s English teacher for additional information about the Senior Project and Paper.

Attendance

We want to remind all parents and students about excusing absences in a timely matter.  For parents, when you view your student’s attendance on family access and you see either a “W” or “U” that represents an unverified or unexcused absence.  Unexcused absences are not good.  Unexcused absences lead to attendance agreements, detention after school and if not resolved, we file truancy with Clark County Truancy Court.  

When a student is absent, it is the parent’s responsibility to either provide a note to be delivered to the attendance secretary or call our attendance secretary, Kay Ritter at 954-3115. 

Punctuality Matters...Be on Time!

We continue to have too many students arriving late to school in the morning.  When this happens students miss the first part of the class period.  This is impactful not only to the student but to the class when students come to class late.  We are also seeing too many tardies after lunch.  It is typically the juniors and seniors who have off-campus passes.

If you are not sure if your student has any tardies view attendance history in family access and if you  see either a “T” or a “L”, that represents a tardy.  Each tardy represents 10 minutes of detention.  Detention is served after school.  If your student has been assigned detention, it will be noted under discipline in family access.

Arriving to school on time is important! 

Parent-Student Conferences (October 29-November2)

Conference week is the last week of October. The entire week students will be released at 11:25 am.  In order to make this week worthwhile, we are asking for your cooperation in attending conferences if you are invited or scheduling a conference if you are concerned.

Our focus will be on students who are failing multiple classes.  This week we will be identifying those students who are failing multiple classes and begin scheduling conferences for Conference Week.  Misty Young will be contacting parents in order to schedule multiple teacher conferences. 

Parents can also request a conference.  If you are interested in meeting with a single teacher, please contact that particular teacher.  If you are interested in meeting with multiple teachers, please contact Misty Young at 954-3106 or via email at misty.young@washougasd.org.  She will attempt to schedule the teachers you want to have present at a conference.

End of First Quarter

November 2 is the end of first quarter.  We will be sending home with students progress reports sometime around the second week of November for the first 9 weeks.  We want you to sign one copy and have your student return that copy to their 2^nd period teacher.  The grades at 9 weeks are not transcripted grades, but do reflect the grades at the midway point of the semester.

Discipline Referrals on Family Access

All of our discipline referrals are currently being entered in Skyward.  Hopefully, you will also receive a phone call from either a teacher or administrator when a referral has been written.  The electronic referral will include the offense as well as the action taken.  The consequence varies depending of the infraction or offense.   If you have questions or concerns regarding our discipline referral procedures or need clarification regarding a decision, please contact the office at 954-3100.

Senior Lounge Update

The furniture has arrived.  Thank you Class of 2012 for the donation!  The Senior Lounge is reserved for SENIORS from 7:30-2:25.  This type of special treatment comes with expectations.  Seniors need to take care of the Senior Lounge.  They need to keep it clean and orderly. 

Staff Commitment

The WHS staff is committed to the following goals:

Increase student performance on state assessments

Increase the number of students passing all classes each semester

Increase the graduation rate 

Improve the WHS culture

We appreciate your support!  Go Panthers!