NEWS AND VIEWS A NEWSLETTER FOR THE WAUSAU WEST HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY December 2020/January 2021 Dear Parents/Guardians: Wausau West High School Office Hours: 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Having completed our first quarter of the school year, I feel compelled to compliment our students, our staff, and our parent community. We have all faced many challenges this fall and I am proud to Office - 715-261–0850 say we have done it with a positive Warrior spirit. Seeing and interacting with our students continues Office Fax - 715-261-3260 to be a highlight of the school year for me and the West staff. We have wonderfully respectful stu- dents at Wausau West and I am proud to know so many of them. Thanks for instilling strong charac- Website: west.wausauschools.org ter traits that serve to positively influence our climate and culture. In early November we celebrated our Veterans and specifically Veterans on our West team -- Mrs. Sinz, Mr. Andreske, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Jensen. Mrs. Sinz served 8 years in the Army National Principal: Guard and finished as a Sergeant. Mr. Andreske served for 4 years as a Sergeant in the US Army Jeb Steckbauer – 715-261-0855 and works part-time at West as the outdoor supervisor. Mr. Brown works on our custodial team. He Associate Principals: served two tours in Afghanistan with the 10 Mountain Division. Additionally, Mr. Brown received a purple heart for being wounded in combat in 2009. Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Ray Jensen served Amber Haluska – 715-261-0861 in the United States Army for 24 years, beginning in 1989. He was stationed in Germany, South (Special Education) Korea, and in multiple locations in the United States. He participated in 2 combat deployments dur- Arrin Woller – 715-261-0871 ing his time in the Army, and commanded units at multiple levels. He is now our career center coor- dinator. I would like to once again thank our Veterans here at West and throughout our nation for (Programming) their dedicated service. Jon Tomski – 715-261-0862 As we look ahead, it is time to begin planning for next school year. Students currently in grades 9- (Pupil Services) 11 and their parents will have the opportunity to schedule an appointment with their Home- Athletic/Activity Director: room Advisor during the week of February 1 - 5, 2021 in place of our traditional Advisor/Advisee Night to review and finalize course selections. Brian Miller - 715-261-0874 Parents of eighth grade students planning to attend Wausau West High School will be re- Other Important Numbers: ceiving information regarding the registration process in early January 2021. We are excited to wel- Counseling Office come you to Wausau West! 715-261-0890 Finally, on behalf of the entire Wausau West staff, I would like to extend our warmest greetings to Nurse’s Office you and your family. As the winter and holiday seasons continue, our wish for you is continued 715-261-0851 good health, safety, and happiness. Enjoy this time with your family! Attendance Office 715-261-0880 Jeb Steckbauer, Career Center Principal 715-261-0853 SECOND SEMESTER PLANNING Follow Wausau West on Twitter As we are planning for the second semester, we need to know the number of stu- dents that will be choosing to remain virtual and in-person for the remainder of CALENDAR OF A & B the year. We realize there is a lot of time between now and second semester, but WEEKS your decision will allow us to ensure appropriate classroom seating to maintain A WEEK B WEEK social distancing. JAN. 4 JAN. 11 If you are currently a virtual student, you will automatically remain virtual for sec- JAN. 19 JAN. 25 ond semester. If you are currently an in-person student, you will automatically FEB. 1 FEB. 8 remain in-person for second semester. FEB. 15 FEB. 22 IF YOU WISH TO CHANGE YOUR STATUS, YOU MUST CALL THE MAIN MAR. 1 MAR. 8 MAR. 15 MAR. 22 OFFICE NO LATER THAN JANUARY 4 TO MAKE THIS CHANGE. APR. 5 APR. 12 After this deadline has passed it may be difficult to make a change as we may be APR. 19 APR. 26 rescheduling students due to room capacities. MAY 3 MAY 10 MAY 17 MAY 24 **May be subject to change based on community pandemic conditions & school board decisions. 1 IMPORTANT DATES For 8th grade parents/students and those in grades 9-11 who plan to attend Wausau West in 2021-2022 January 4-15 8th grade students make course selections for 2021-2022 January 4 & 11 Students will receive Semester II schedules in homeroom January 15 End of Semester 1 & Conflict Resolution Day January 18 NO SCHOOL – DISTRICT WIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT January 19 Start of Semester 2 - “A Week” January 19 Students in grades 9, 10 and 11 continue to discuss 2021-2022 course February 1 selections in homeroom February 1 - 5 Advisor/Advisee week and course selections finalized Parents and eighth graders, it is time to begin thinking about high school course registration. Below are some important dates that will assist both parents and students in this important process. Elective Area Video for 8th Grade students: Students will be receiving a video in place of our traditional student tours. The focus of this video is to welcome students to Wausau West and to introduce them to our elective course offerings. During the video, students will hear about our elective offerings from Agriculture, Art, Business Education, Computer Science, Family and Consumer Science, Global Language, Music and Technical Education teachers. They will also listen to a presentation by our Counseling staff. The video will be sent to students during the first week of January along with a google form to make their elective course selections. 8th Grade Student Registration: Counselors will be sharing presentations with John Muir students to ex- plain the registration process. The counselors from West/East schools work together with eighth grade stu- dents. By January 15, 2021, students will complete their finalized course selections. Wausau West counse- lors also work with Horace Mann, Trinity Lutheran, Our Savior’s, other private schools and home school stu- dents during January to assist with registration for 8th graders. Parents of 8th Grade Students: Students planning to attend Wausau West High School will be receiving information regarding the registration process in early January 2021. We are excited to welcome you to Wausau West! ADVISOR/ADVISEE Week February 1 - 5 Advisor/Advisee Week is a time for high school parents and students who are currently in 9th, 10th and 11th grades to meet with their homeroom advisor to discuss goals and finalize course selections. During the week of January 18, a message will be sent home with directions on how to schedule a time to meet. The following questions will help generate discussion with your child prior to this Advisor/Advisee Week: 1. Have you signed up for the courses that are required for next year? 2. Are you taking elective courses of high interest and rigor appropriate? 3. Have you thought about what you would like to do after you graduate? 4. If you’re thinking of college or technical college, do you know what courses you need to meet admission requirements? 5. What courses can you take to help you prepare for your future? 6. Have you read the Career Pathway information and course descriptions in the Career Planning/Course Registration Handbook? 2 PLANNING 2021-2022 COURSE REGISTRATION INFORMATION When planning course registrations for next year, please keep in mind our graduation requirements. Full details are available in the Career Planning and Course Handbook. A few specific reminders follow: 1) Required to earn a minimum of three years (three credits) of mathematics. 2) Required to earn a minimum of three years (three credits) of science. 3) Required to earn a minimum of three and a half years (3.5 credits) of social studies. 4) Required to take a financial literacy course which can be fulfilled by any of the following courses: - Personal Financial Management – Business Education Course - Money Matters - Family Consumer Sciences Course - Economics - Social Studies Course 5) A Civics test is now required in Wisconsin. The social studies teachers will be providing more information in class. COURSE REGISTRATION MATERIALS 2021-2022 course registration materials will be distributed on January 5 & 12. Students will have roughly 3 1/2 weeks to deter- mine their course selections. This process culminates on Advisor-Advisee Week, February 1-5. COURSE SELECTION 2021-2022 The key to successful course selection begins with thoughtful planning. Parents, please take the opportunity to discuss career/work goals and aspirations with your son or daughter. Consider their inter- ests, talents, and work habits. A visit to our outstanding Career Center can also make this exploration even more meaningful. Wausau West offers a tremendous variety of course offerings. Please work proactively with your son or daughter to help select courses that support their interests, strengths, and areas of exploration. The Wausau West handbook is a very good resource for information on career planning and course descriptions. Parents and students will receive an elec- tronic copy of this registration handbook during the week of January 4. We will also have this available on our Wausau West website. A limited amount of paper copies of this handbook will also be available in the Counseling office. It is important to invest careful thought into this process, as later course changes and adjustments are done only in necessary situations. Please refer to the registration dates on the front page of this newsletter.