“Home of the Falcons” August Back-To-School News 2021-22
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WOODINVILLE HIGH SCHOOL “Home of the Falcons” August Back-to-School News 2021-22 “One Falcon, One Family” Volume 38 MAIN OFFICE HOURS: Mon -Fri, 7:50 a.m. – 3:50 p.m. 425-408-7400 ~ [email protected] WHS August Newsletter 2021 PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Greetings from Woodinville High School! Back to School 2021-22 Dear Falcon Families: • Returning sophomore Falcons who previously attended WHS and would like a tour of the campus, WHS faculty, staff, and the administrative can do so from 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August team look forward to celebrating the start 31. This is a student-only tour that will take of the 2021-22 school year! It was a sophomores through the different buildings, the pleasure to welcome the classes of 2022, attendance and main office windows, the gym, 2023, 2024, and 2025 at Falcon Days last week and we are lunchroom, and bus area. anxious to see all our Falcons on campus for in-person o Any returning WHS sophomore interested in learning five days a week starting in September! Focusing touring the campus, may sign up for a time at on meeting all of our students’ individual needs within our the Woodinville High School Sophomore “One Falcon, One Family” culture is something we are Tours 2021-2022 link through 8/27: proud of here at Woodinville High School. We pride https://forms.gle/Wywvkddu3e8nvMdRA ourselves on offering outstanding academic and activities o We will meet in front of the school at the programs alongside rich traditions with opportunities to Main Office Drop-Off Loop to begin the tour. build new ones; an emphasis on welcoming, keeping, and o Please note that masks are required. making new friends; being there to support each other • The school year begins for freshmen on through defeats and challenges; and cheering for each Wednesday, September 1 for Link Crew & other’s victories as spirited Falcons. Orientation Day, 8:20 a.m. – 3:20 p.m. See page 4 for additional details. • Seniors, juniors, and sophomores who never previously attended a school in the Northshore School District and are brand new students to WHS for the 2021-22 school year are invited to attend an orientation at Woodinville High School on Wednesday, September 1 from 10:45 a.m.-3:20 Building relationships is at the heart of what we do here at p.m. Please note transportation will be on a regular WHS. This, combined with a new future of learning schedule this day. Our new to WHS seniors, juniors, opportunities that involves innovation, overcoming and sophomores who may need to ride the bus can challenges, and combining our outstanding educators’ also arrive at 8:20 a.m. if alternate transportation is complementary skills, experiences, and new ideas, will not available. move our students forward in their educational journeys. • Finally, ALL students return to school on Thursday, Although we are living with everchanging local, state, and September 2. global dynamics due to COVID, our teamwork and School Day Start and Dismissal Times: 2021-22 collaboration, where we remain steadfastly focused on exceptional teaching and learning, health and safety Start times and dismissal times for the 2021-2022 protocols, and “what’s best for kids”, leaves us destined to school year shifted to support the District's phased improve outcomes for our students. Although it’s clear the approach to supporting healthy start times. This work school year will once again include COVID safety protocols has been a focus for over a decade with countless as shared by Dr. Reid in her August 19 Thursday Thoughts*, reports and input from multiple shareholders. as we go back to familiar in-person learning and school • Periods 1-7 (M, T, F): 8:20 a.m. – 3:20 p.m. routines that provide students and staff alike with a sense • Block 2/4/6 (eRW): 8:20 a.m. – 1:50 p.m. of comfort and “normal”, we also look to the future and • Block 1/3/5/7 (Th): 8:20 a.m. – 3:20 p.m. the promise of the new, different, and innovative teaching Please note block schedules will occur on Wednesdays strategies and learning opportunities we gained during the and Thursdays beginning the week of September 13. past 17 months. https://www.nsd.org/blog/~board/superintendent-blog/post/thursday-thoughts-august-19-2021) * “One Falcon, One Family” Details are subject to changes in guidance from the Northshore School District, King County Department of Health, and/or the State of Washington. Page 1 WHS August Newsletter 2021 PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE You can further review the district’s start and dismissal time Welcome New Faculty and Staff initiative information at https://www.nsd.org/schools/get- There are some new Falcon faculty and staff to greet at started/start-dismissal. Midway through the year, the Healthy WHS this year. We are pleased to announce that Start Times Technical Work group, in concert with our Assistant Principal Michael Griffin transportation coordination, will reevaluate and provide has joined WHS! Mr. griffin fills the additional recommendations for the 2022-23 school year. position vacated by Matt Wallace who is now the principal at Skyview Bell Schedules Middle School. He joins WHS after serving as the principal of We thank you for your patience as we update the bell Lockwood Elementary. Prior to schedules on the website that are set to be confirmed by staff joining Northshore, Mr. Griffin during the August 24-26 inservice. We will post the bell served in the Seattle School District as an assistant schedules as soon as they are available. principal at West Seattle High School. He also served as an assistant principal at Rose Hill Middle School in the Throughout the year, bell schedules can be found in the middle of the WHS website homepage under Quick Links, as Lake Washington School District, as well as various school well as under “Our School”, “Bell Schedules”; “Our School”, roles at all levels in New York, Tacoma, and through Teach “Daily Bulletin; and within the homepage Events Calendar. for America. Mr. Griffin earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Washington. He completed Technology: Schoology, StudentVUE/ParentVUE, his Master's in Science of Education from Pace University School2Home Computing Device Program, and TouchBase in New York, New York and completed his principal certification for the State of Washington through the Danforth Program at the University of Washington. Mr. • Students and staff will continue with the use of Griffin is looking forward to meeting and working with Schoology for distribution of class assignments and Woodinville students, parents, and guardians! learning materials, along with StudentVUE and ParentVUE for grading and access to near real-time Additionally, please join me in welcoming these information on attendance, class schedules, report outstanding educators to WHS! cards, course history, graduation status, and more. • Amy Strandy, Counseling • My Kiakotos (Ms. 'Kia'), College & Career Counseling • Information about School2Home device distribution for • Joanna Lowell-Forker, English the fall will be shared by NSD Technology in August. • Marie Lassley, Mathematics Families will not have to request a device for the • Kandi McHenry, Mathematics upcoming school year – one will be made available to each student in grades 2-12 and provided in the • Kaitlyn Webster, Science classroom for students in grades K-1 • Jonathan Glass, Science https://www.nsd.org/n/~board/district- • Eric Daviscourt, Social Studies news/post/district-to-expand-school2home-computing- • Andrew Taylor, Special Education device-program). Within our office team, staffing news includes Nicki Kongkarat opting to return to the part-time office • TouchBase is available for parents/guardians to make support specialist role alongside Denise Schwans who has payments at any time, from anywhere with VISA, returned to the ASB secretary/bookkeeper position. Jenn MasterCard, or American express credit or debit Diaz has moved from the main office to the counseling cards. Parents with more than one student can also office as the student information specialist/registrar and make payments for each student all in one transaction, we welcome Ellen Esteves as our new main office as well as view all payment history at your convenience. secretary. In other staffing news, Mike Emerick-Cayton joins us as an intern under Karen Eberly’s leadership in the Math Department. In extra-curriculars, Ben Scozik is welcomed as our new Athletic Trainer. “One Falcon, One Family” Details are subject to changes in guidance from the Northshore School District, King County Department of Health, and/or the State of Washington. Page 2 WHS August Newsletter 2021 PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE "One Falcon, One Family" – Communicating & Connecting Thank you for continuing to partner with us in your student’s education. Your support is an invaluable gift and your input and communication is appreciated. Please let us know how we can be of any assistance in making the transition to the 2021-22 school year the best it can be by reaching out to me, my administrative team, your student’s counselor, or our office staff if you should have any questions, feedback, or suggestions. We can only improve when we understand what we are doing well or what we may need to improve upon. • Mark your calendar now for the Virtual Open House & Curriculum Night on Tuesday, September 14. Additional details will be forthcoming. • We invite you to stay connected through ParentVUE, the NSD mobile app, E-News from the Principal, and the Daily Bulletin, as well your student’s teachers’ websites. o You can anticipate receiving E-News in your inbox almost every Friday throughout the school year and the Daily Bulletin is posted every school day afternoon on our website under Our School, Daily Bulletin.