Wayland High School eNews January 22, 2016

Greetings!

Happy Friday! I'd like to highlight that next Tuesday evening at 7 p.m., the Northeastern Center for Sport in Society will present their findings and recommendations after a comprehensive study of our athletic program within the context of best practices and current research. All community members, students, and parents are welcome to attend. We'll gather in the WHS lecture hall, and the presentation is expected to last until 8:30 p.m. Please join us!

Winter Week, which will take place during the week of February 1 and which Student Council is busily organizing, promises to offer a variety of enriching and fun activities outside the classroom! This week in Advisory, we gave students a heads-up on some exciting events that will take place during Winter Week, including an all-school showing of the movie "Selma"; a presentation by author and Emerson College professor Jabari Asim on race in modern America; a student-staff talent show; and an all-school Poetry Slam. Other speakers and activities are also in the works. After next week's midyear exam flurry, this will be a particularly enjoyable week featuring outside- the-box ideas and a different pace.

Speaking of midyear exams, please see the reminders below for our bell schedule on Monday, January 25, and the schedule of exams. You'll notice that exams generally last until 10:00 a.m. or noon, leaving some time for students to review their materials, meet with their peers or teachers for extra help, and make time for stress-reducing activities and a good night's sleep. We have confidence in our students' hard work and efforts, and wish them well on exams!

P.S. In my WHSPO Newsletter, I promised to send a link to some student compositions in this eNews post. We're still working on making this happen - please check back next week!

Allyson

Allyson Mizoguchi Principal Wayland High School

Third Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Basketball Game Tuesday, February 9 ~ 5:30 & 7:00 pm Wayland High School The WHS girls varsity basketball team will hold its third annual Coaches vs Cancer fundraiser game in memory of Jim Griffin on Tuesday, February 9. The girls and boys varsity basketball teams will play in a double header at home vs. Weston High School. The girls will play at 5:30 pm followed by the boys at 7:00 pm. These games will be dedicated to Jim Griffin, a former WHS guidance counselor and freshman girls basketball coach who passed away four years ago from pancreatic cancer.

The teams will be selling Coaches vs. Cancer t-shirts with Jim's initials on them for $10.00. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt or would like to donate in Jim's name, please email Coach Amanda Cosenza at [email protected].

Thank you!

WHS Mid-Year Exam Schedule Tuesday, January 26 - Friday, January 29

Please click here for the complete mid-year exam schedule.

WHS Mid-Year Exam Bus Schedule

Click here for the mid-year exam bus schedule and bus routes.

Late Night 2016 Informational Meetings Tuesday, 2/2 ~ 7:45 am ~ WHS Faculty Lounge Thursday, 2/4 ~ 7:00 pm ~ WHS Commons

Next Parent Information Exchange (PIE) Meeting Thursday, March 10 ~ 7:00 p.m. WHS Lecture Hall

Reminders

Attention All Parents & Guardians Special Bell Schedule Monday, January 25

In order to give students an opportunity to connect with all of their teachers just before midyear exams, on Monday, January 25, we will run a different bell schedule where all periods will meet. We are still calling January 25 an "F" day, so electives that meet on this letter day will run. We are adding periods 1 and 5 as "bookends" to the day, so the sequence of periods will be as follows:

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 5 (The blue is a usual F day .)

Period 1 7:30 - 8:12 Period 2 8:17 - 8:59 Period 3 9:04 - 9:46 Period 4 9:56 - 10:38 1st lunch: lunch 10:40 - 11:07; class 11:12 - 11:54 Period 6 2nd lunch: class 10:43 - 11:04; lunch 11:06 - 11:31; class 11:33 - 11:54 3rd lunch: class 10:43 - 11:25; lunch 11:27 - 11:54 Period 7 11:59 - 12:41 Period 8 12:46 - 1:28 Period 5 1:33 - 2:15

Northeastern Sport in Society Study Update Community Presentation Tuesday, January 26 ~ 7:00 pm WHS Lecture Hall

In September 2015, Wayland High School partnered with the Center for the Study of Sport in Society to envision and realize an athletic program that is based on best practices and shared values. Over the past few months, Northeastern has administered surveys to all current WHS students and staff and to Wayland community members. Additionally, the Northeastern staff has facilitated focus groups involving students, staff, coaches, and parents of both athletes and non-athletes.

At 7:00 pm on Tuesday, January 26, the team from Northeastern will present their findings and recommendations at an open community presentation at the Wayland High School lecture hall. All community members are welcome to attend.

Important Guidance Dates to Remember

- January 23: Gap Year Fair, Noble & Greenough School (in Dedham), 1-4 pm - January 24: Gap Year Fair, Philips Academy Andover (in Andover), 3-5:30 pm - January 26-29: Mid-year exams schedule is here - February 5: Deadline for the March 5 SAT - March 4: Deadline for April 9 ACT - not offered at WHS - March 10: PIE meeting, 7:00 pm, WHS Lecture Hall - March 19: Sudbury Educational Resource Fund College and Gap Year Fair, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School - March 23: TEC Higher Education Night (College Fair), 6:30-8:30 pm at Westwood High School. More info here. - April 8: Deadline for May 7 SAT - May 6: Deadline for June 11 ACT - not offered at WHS - May 22 & 23: Boston National College Fair, Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. More information here.

8th Annual Student & Staff Talent Show Informational Meeting February 3, 2016

If your student missed the informational meeting last week, they can still sign up for the talent show by emailing Mrs. Lowen at [email protected].

Attention All Parents & Guardians Attendance Policy

Please click here to review the attendance policy as stated in the 2015-16 Student Handbook which can be found here. This is a gentle reminder of the daily attendance, excused absences, and dismissal procedures and policies put forth by the WHS School Committee. Thank you for your cooperation with these important issues.

Attention All Students Snack & Relax Wednesdays - 1:15 pm Room B115

Snack & Relax is located in room B115 immediately after school on Wednesdays from 1:15- 2:15pm. Students can stop by to have a snack, chat and try guided mindfulness meditation exercises with WHS Adjustment Counselor Mr. James Chiarelli and Wayland Youth and Family Services Psychologist Dr. Dossie Kahn.

Mark Your Calendars P.I.E. & Coffee Discussions

Mark your calendars for the Parent Information Exchange (P.I.E.) and Coffee Discussion meetings. Below is the remaining schedule for the 2015-2016 school year. All meetings will take place in the WHS Faculty Lounge with the exception of Thursday, March 10 at 7:00 pm which will be in the Lecture Hall.

*Thursday, March 10 - 7:00 pm Friday, April 8 - 7:45 am Friday, May 6 - 7:45 am Friday, June 3 - 7:45 am

Attention Seniors & Parents/Guardians of Seniors

The New England Regional Tuition Break Program allows students from to attend other New England colleges for state tuition rates for certain majors that are not offered at any of our public colleges or universities in Massachusetts. So if your senior is interested in a unique major, check out the resources at the following links:

The 2016-17 Tuition Break Brochure for Massachusetts Residents - lists the bachelor's degree programs offered by public colleges and universities in the five other New England states The 2016-17 Tuition Break Undergraduate Catalog (available online only) lists approved associate and bachelor's programs by area of study and by institution, as well as campus contact information.

The ACT

ACTs are taken in the spring semester. There is no pre-ACT test. Sophomores will have access to ACT test prep for free through their Naviance accounts during Sophomore Seminars.

Here is a link to the ACT website and ACT Test Descriptions for more information. Click this link, Admissions Tests Dates and Fees, for additional information. Parents/guardians can also email their child's counselor who can discuss the ACT with their student as well.

Girls STEM Summit Sunday, April 10, 2016 ~ 8:00 am - 4:15 pm Regis College, Weston, MA

Are you interested in a career using science, technology, engineering or math. If so, Regis College is hosting the Girls STEM Summit on Sunday, April 10. This is a one-day seminar for high school girls in grades 8-12. If interested, click here for more information.