ATTENDANCE MATTERS
With only one week to go, we are reaching out to families to encourage positive attendance for our final week of December. As of this week, our current daily attendance rate is 93.2% which is below our goal of 95%. Let’s make the final week of December count and ensure our students are engaged in learning next week.
Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school year negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absence.
As a part of our ongoing effort to increase student achievement, WHS continues to prioritize strategies to decrease tardy arrivals to school and the number of unexcused daily absences. Each year data is compiled and reported to the Department of Public Instruction and calculated as a part of the On-Track to Graduation, which combines scores for student engagement (attendance) and achievement.
Rather than pursuing truancy procedures dictated by state statute, we have continued with the “Lost Learning Plan” implemented last school year. This plan requires students to make up lost learning time due to unexcused daily absences and unexcused tardies to school. Students who arrive to school unexcused after 8:00 am and/or have period or daily unexcused absences are expected to make up all minutes missed. Students who arrive at school tardy unexcused may also be subjected to a phone penalty.
Options for making up lost learning minutes include: Tuesday Morning Late Start (7:45-8:45 am), Thursday, Loss of Privilege (Alternative Lunch Location). Daily truancy procedures will be initiated for those students who fail to make up the lost learning time as established through their Lost Learning Plan.
Attendance at school matters and we hope families will continue to support our efforts to ensure students are in classrooms and engaged in learning.
Come enjoy the Music Masters Ensemble Showcase on Sunday, December 15, at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $10 and must be purchased no later than December 6 by contacting the high school office or any ensemble member. Tickets include snacks and beverages.
White Christmas, presented by the WHS Players, opens Thursday night! Performances are at 7:00 pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as well as 1:00 pm on Sunday afternoon. We hope to see you there!
Calling all alumni (and their parents) who may have a WHS graduation gown in storage that they would be willing to donate to help a future graduate! Please drop off gowns to be donated in the high school office. (For allergy reasons, we cannot accept gowns that have been exposed to smoke or pets.)
Just a reminder - WHS students who ride the bus after school MUST board the bus at the high school.
Please join us for Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday, November 7, from 1:00 - 4:00 and 5:00 - 7:30. Teachers will be located in their classrooms.
The boys are on their way to Wisconsin Rapids for the State CC Meet! If you'd like to follow the race, live results are available at https://live.pttiming.com/xc-ptt.html?mid=7561 . The boys' D2 race starts at 2:35. Go, Whippets!
We are thrilled to share that our seniors have been officially admitted to Gateway Technical College for the Fall 2025 semester through VIP Direct Admit.
This year, we partnered with the college to provide this exciting opportunity to Whitewater High School's entire graduating class!
We chose to do this for many reasons, including the college's solid reputation, variety of in-demand degree options, cutting-edge learning facilities, affordable tuition, welcoming community and much more.
Additionally, our partnership with GTC has allowed students to earn hundreds of dual credits while taking courses taught by WHS staff which has saved hundreds of thousands of dollars!
Senior parents/guardians: Please be on the lookout for an acceptance package in the mail – it should arrive in the coming days.
In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Gateway New Student Specialist, Sam Brewington, at brewingtons@gtc.edu or 262-456-5568. You can also visit gtc.edu/direct-admit to learn more about your direct admissions and all of the opportunities at Gateway.
Congratulations again – I hope you’re as excited as we are about this wonderful opportunity!
Final call for all AP students wishing to register for AP exams! The deadline to register is THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST AT 11:59pm! If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Bleck in the main office. Link to Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddJ0s-c1lWBGdX_lday0BpwAu7I23wJM-vrsHoNCwUyf9q5g/viewform
The AP Exam registration window closes November 1 at 11:59 pm. If students or parents have questions about exam registration, they should speak with Mr. Bleck in the main office.
We will be hosting the Conference Cross Country Meet at UWW on Thursday, October 17. Check out this link for details: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13IMZ3mEiDBhHWv6dYZQe0y1VkDCgYIvyLnUhhb7Wnj4/edit?usp=sharing
412 Students had 95% or better attendance at WHS in the month of September.
10 students' names were drawn, and each will be awarded 2 tickets to the 2024 Homecoming Dance.: Paige Kollwelter, Oswaldo Navejas, Charles Jay, Emma Valadez-Morales, Adalynn Frye, Marcos Sagrero, Payton Brautigam, Yareli Palomec-Garcia, Anakin Knudsen, and Eloy Rodriguez.
AP Exam registration is here! The registration link is https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddJ0s-c1lWBGdX_lday0BpwAu7I23wJM-vrsHoNCwUyf9q5g/viewform
Homecoming Week is about to kick off! Let's make it a great one!
Get to the store this weekend and stock up on food drive items. In order to earn points for your class, all food brought in must be in its original packaging. Want to earn extra points for your class? Bring in bonus items each day.
Bonus items:
Monday: Soup (cream of chicken, mushroom, and tomato do not count toward bonus points)
Tuesday: Rice or instant potatoes
Wednesday: Peanut butter or cereal (mini boxes do not count toward bonus items)
Thursday: Canned fruit or vegetables
Friday: Baby food
Reminder - Tomorrow, Friday, September 27, will be picture day at WHS. Students who still need their photos taken will be called down from their classes sometime between 9:00 and 1:00.
Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will be doing their fall CERT testing on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Students should be in their testing rooms by 7:45 with their fully charged Chromebooks. Seniors will enjoy a late start on those two mornings. All students will resume their class schedule with first period starting at 9:45.
The National Honor Society selection process will soon begin! Juniors & Seniors with a GPA of 3.5 or higher will be receiving information this week.
There will be a meeting about the National Honor Society selection process in the LMC during Homeroom on Monday, September 23.
Visit the NHS Google Site to learn more: https://sites.google.com/wwusd.org/whsnationalhonorsociety/home
See the NHS Advisor, Mrs. Pamela Sonmor-Wintz, in the Student Services Office if you have any questions!
WHS students interested in participating in the Rotary Student Exchange Program during the 2025-2026 school year should attend the fall online informational session:
Rotary OB Informational Meeting
Tuesday, September 17 · 7:00 – 8:00pm
Google Meet link: https://meet.google.com/xra-ivux-mgo
Or dial: (US) +1 503-908-2153 PIN: 745 294 453#
Students must be 15-19 years old, in good academic standing (3.0 GPA), and positive school leaders. Please contact Mrs. Pam Sonmor-Wintz if interested!
The PSAT will be administered on Thursday, October 17. Interested Juniors should register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe7biMiqUZS4i0rOOaNeh8wn-QCTrADOTuTNC2Aakr3yM7yhg/viewform
The homecoming website is live! Check it out at https://sites.google.com/wwusd.org/whs-homecoming/home