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Principal’s Message
Welcome to the first issue of the 2019-20 Principal’s Newsletter, the monthly newsletter of Nor thwest High School! The new school year is off to a terrific start here at Northwest as we all, students and staff alike; continue to strive toward excellence in all that we do! For those new to Northwest, my name is Eric Hofer-Holdeman and I am honored to be the principal of this wonderful school. Our mission here at Northwest is to “empower all students with college and career ready skills and challenge all students to achieve their per-sonal best through increased opportunities for success in a global society.” The heart and soul of what I do on a day to day basis is to assure that we are all striving to achieve this mission; it is my hope that you will help us in this noble endeavor! Moving forward into the 2019-20 school year, if you ever have a question, concern, or comment, please know that my door is always open. Feel free to contact me at 973-6000, email at [email protected], or stop by for a face to face chat. I want nothing more than the best for your student and will do everything in my power to make that happen! SCHOOL WILDLY IMPORTANT GOALS FOR 2019-20: ACADEMIC AND BEHAVIOR I would like to share with you our two school-wide wildly important goals (WIGs) that we as a staff will focus on this year, one academic and one behavior: Academic WIG: NWHS will increase the percentage of passing grades in each course from ___ to ___ by December 20, 2019 and by May 22, 2020. (The blanks are intentional as each individual course will have its own percentage goals)
Lead Measure: NWHS Teachers will increase student active engage-ment by utilizing WICOR (Wr iting Inquiry Collaboration Organiza-tion & Reading) active engagement strategies an average of once per class per week.
Behavior WIG: NWHS will reduce the total number of office refer rals from 734 to 697 by May 2020.
Lead Measure: NWHS Teachers will utilize Restorative Practice strat-egies an average of once per class per week.
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1
September 1, 2019 N O R T H W E S T H I G H S C H O O L
Principal’s Newsletter SEPTEMBER
2 NO SCHOOL-Labor Day
4 After School Tutoring Begins @3:20 in Com-mons
5 Junior Class Ring Orders during lunch in Commons
Junior Class Ring Orders @5pm in Commons
6 Fall Sports Pep Assembly @2:30pm in Gym
9 Grizzly Pride Meeting @6:30pm in Library
10 Concurrent Credit Enroll-ment w/Newman U @2:30pm in Auditorium
11 Senior Top 10% Recogni-tion breakfast @7am in Library
After School Tutoring @3:20pm in Commons
14 ACT Test @8am
16 Fall Pictures All Day in Auditorium
Virtual Parent Conferences @4-7pm
17 Fall Pictures All Day in Auditorium
18 Traditional Parent-Teacher Conferences @4-7pm in Commons
20 Official Enrollment Day
Improv Show @7pm in Auditorium
23 Project Grad Meeting @7pm in Library
25 After School Tutoring @3:20pm in Commons
Senior Hot Dog Roast @6pm at Stadium
Powder Puff Football Game @7pm at Stadium
27 Homecoming Parade and Game vs. West
28 Homecoming Dance at 8pm in Commons
30 Student of the Month Celebration @2:30pm in Library
Continued on Page 2
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Parent Teacher Conferences We are changing how we conduct Parent/Teacher Conferences this year. To better accommodate the busy sched-ules of many of our parents and families, we are switching to a “virtual” conference night on Monday, Septem-ber 16th but keeping our “traditional” conference night on Wednesday, September 18th. You are invited to choose whichever option works best with your schedule. If you prefer virtual, we will have email, phone, and texting available. We look forward to visiting with you about your son or daughter in September!
Tardy Policy The Northwest tardy policy has drastically reduced the number of tardies. We continue to see a decrease in tar-dies from year to year. This may be due, in part, to the implementation of our tardy sweeps each class period, but is also a result of our parents partnering with us to make sure an important life skill is learned. The trend shows that as the school year progresses, more and more students will start coming to school or class late. Each student gets four free tardy passes per semester for emergencies. Once they pass the fourth tardy, students are given de-tentions which eventually can lead to other consequences. Please help us by reminding your students that attend-ance and getting to class on time is important so they don’t get behind and don’t disrupt the class that is already in session.
Chronic Absences Attendance is crucial for the success of your student. An absence issue that tends to go unnoticed is what we refer to as “Chronically Absent”. Excused and Unexcused absences are calculated for chronically absent. It is crucial that your child does not miss over 9 days for the entire year.
Truancy only takes into account the unexcused absences. Nevertheless, absences, whether excused or unex-cused, will eventually have a negative impact. We want you to be informed and assist your student with being on time and regularly attending school so that we can provide the best educational experience possible.
We will continue to keep these wildly important goals in front of us as we move throughout the school year tracking data weekly to help in this endeavor. The help that you, as parents and families, provide in regard to these goals is critical to our success. Thank you in advance for your partnership with us.
As I conclude my writing for this first newsletter of the year, I want to thank you parents and families for being a part of our greater Northwest Family. Thank you for sending your students to us, for entrusting this great respon-sibility upon us. Together we will do all that we can to best prepare your students for college or career. Together we will demonstrate Pride, Respect and Excellence in all that we do!
Principal’s Message cont’d.
Northwest Boys Soccer Our 17th Annual Northwest JV Tournament will be played on September 13-14. We have 32 teams
entered to play this year. Come on out and support your Northwest Grizzlies. Schedule will be coming
out soon!
VO L UME 3, ISSUE 1 PAGE 3
Project Graduation PARENTS OF SENIORS: Are you looking for a way to help your son or daughter have a memorable graduation night? Then Project Graduation 2020 needs YOU! If you’re able to donate time, food, or money, please contact Monica Givens at [email protected]. Here are a few opportunities for you to consider lending your support:
Lunch sales on Wednesdays: September 11 and 25
The 50/50 Raffle at the varsity football games on Fridays: September 6, 12, and 27
Junior Varsity football concessions on Mondays: September 16, 23, and 30
MAKE IT A DATE!! This month’s Project Graduation Spirit Nights:
Thursday, September 5 @ Freezing Moo on Maize Road from noon ‘til 10 p.m.
Thursday, September 26 @ Chick-Fil-A at 21st & Maize from 5-8 p.m.
Important Senior Dates September 11 ..................... Top 10% Breakfast (by invitation only – 7:00 am) 16/18 ................ Parent/Teacher Conferences
25 ..................... Senior Hot Dog Roast (6:00 pm – Stadium) 25 ..................... Powderpuff Football Game (7:00 pm – Stadium)
27 ..................... Homecoming Parade/Game 28 ..................... Homecoming Dance
October 9 ....................... FAFSA Night – All Senior Parents (6:00 – 8:00 pm) 16 ..................... Senior Panoramic Picture (9:30- Gym) 16 ..................... Jostens Senior Meeting (10:00 am - Auditorium) 23 ..................... Jostens Grad Supply Orders - $60 down pmt DUE
23 ..................... Jostens Family Night (5:00-6:30 pm– Commons) 28 ..................... Cap and Gown Pictures November 8 ....................... Buff Puff 9th hour – with Faculty Team December 3 ....................... Cap & Gown Retakes (7:30 – 9:30 am) 18-19 ................ Finals
PAGE 4 PR IN C IPAL ’S N EWSL ETT ER
Grizzly Pride Grizzly Pride welcomes you to, or back to, Northwest! We are super excited about this school year and want to invite you to be a part of making it successful! A great way to get the school year started is by joining Grizzly Pride. Grizzly Pride is the combined organizations of the PTA and the Booster Club. Please join us for our next meeting on September 9 at 6:30pm in the NW library and learn what we are all about. Get involved with Grizzly Pride! We’re a fun group of parents and the meet-ings get you “in the know” of what’s happening at Northwest.
Grizzly Pride provides needed funds to propel Northwest students forward!
Grizzly Pride directly supports all Northwest athletic teams (uniforms, food, equipment, etc.), Drama Department, Instru-mental Music Department, Vocal Music Department, Cheerleaders, AVID, Scholars Bowl, Project Graduation, JROTC, Bear Buddies, DECA, school spirit t-shirts for all incoming freshmen, FEA, BPA, teacher grants, the list goes on and on.
Please support Grizzly Pride at one of the following membership levels:
Grizzly - $100: Receive a free car charger/adapter, NW Grizzly decal, NW carabiner clip, and two Grizzly Pride shirts
Gold - $50: Receive a free car charger/adapter, NW Grizzly decal and one Grizzly Pride shirt
Blue - $25: Receive a free car charger/adapter and Northwest Grizzly decal
A membership form and information about Grizzly Pride is available on the Northwest website under the “Parents” tab, then click on Grizzly Pride. A membership form is also attached to the electronic version of this newsletter.
Have your student come by the Bear Necessities School Store with your membership/donation receipt and pick up your free gifts! Names of all members are placed on a new Grizzly Pride banner that will be hung at many school events to show your support. The promotional free incentives deadline is September 27. All memberships are tax deductible!
Another fun thing Grizzly Pride does is give away themed items to promote school spirit among the students. In the past we’ve given away blue and gold spirit beads, headbands, eyeblack stickers, and more! The themes for this year's football games are:
September 6 v. Bishop Carroll - WHITE OUT
September 12 v. East - USA
September 20 v. Great Bend - NEON
September 27 v. West (Homecoming) - JERSEY NIGHT
October 4 v. Kapaun - HAWAIIAN
October 11 v. Garden City - PINK NIGHT
October 18 v. Heights - FRAT NIGHT
October 24 v. Southeast (Senior Night) - BLUE AND GOLD
Please join us in supporting your Northwest Grizzlies - You can’t hide that Grizzly Pride!
DILLONS COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM
Attention Grizzlies! Did you know that YOU can help Grizzly Pride earn FREE MONEY with almost no effort? IT'S TRUE! The easiest way each and every one of you can support Grizzy Pride is to enroll your Dillon's Plus Card with the Community Rewards Program. It is SO EASY and takes no more than 2-3 minutes. Simply enroll, choose the option to sup-port "Northwest High School Booster Club" and Grizzly Pride will begin to earn FREE MONEY each and every time you shop. You can do this online and it does NOT affect what you pay or your rewards points. For real, it's THAT easy! If you don't register your card Dillons will just keep this money. Isn't it better for this money to go to supporting our kids?!?
Go to: http://www.dillons.com/communityrewards Sign in, or create an account Click on “View Details” under "I’m a Customer" Enter the code HX123 under "Find an Organization" Click “Search” Click “Enroll" under "Northwest High School Booster Club" That's it! You’re done! Now, go ask your aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and friends to do it, too! With more people contributing, Grizzly Pride can do even more for our students! Thank you for helping your Northwest Grizzlies!
VO L UME 3, ISSUE 1 PAGE 5
Homework Hotline Have questions about homework? The Homework Hotline is here to help! Stu-dents at all grade levels who have questions about their assignments, as well as parents and guardians who need support while helping their child at home, can call or email the Homework Hotline. There are certified teachers who can an-swer questions on any assignment from kindergarten through high school. One bilingual (Spanish) tutor is always available during hotline hours.
The Homework Hotline is open Monday through Thursday from 3:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Call for help at 973-4411 or email your questions to [email protected].
Please take advantage of this support system to make Every Student Future Ready.
Tutoring Northwest will begin after school tutoring for all core subjects on Wednesday, September 4th, in the Commons and Library. Tutoring will be available every Wednesday as follows:
Wednesday Tutoring
Tutoring – 3:20-5:00 pm (all students)
Super Snack – 5:00-6:00 pm
Mandatory Study Groups for Athletes – 5:30-6:45 pm
Late Bus leaves at 6:45 pm
(Athletes with D or F’s)
Math, Science, History and Writing Lab help will be available
Tutoring is also available on Tuesdays and Thursdays for all students during Advocacy and after school in the Library until 4:30pm.
Homecoming Floats If you would like to assist in making class floats for the Homecoming Parade on Friday, September 27th, please contact your student’s class sponsor to get details on how you may help: Freshman ...................... Krista Wasinger Sophomore ................... Mara Harvey Junior ............................ Bethany Pringle-Johnson Senior ........................... Ann Burgett
PAGE 6 PR IN C IPAL ’S N EWSL ETT ER
Counseling News
ProjectLit Book Club at Northwest The first NW ProjectLit book club meeting will be on October 1st from 6-7 p.m. in the library. We would love your support! Our goal is to get more kids reading books that are interesting and relevant to their lives. This is part of a national movement by ELA teachers who have seen a need for our students to have modern, relevant connections to stories. These novels are on the national ProjectLit list in order to encourage all kids and community members from all backgrounds to read.
Want to support us?
Read this quarter’s selection: Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
Talk to your kids about the book! You don’t have to be an English teacher to ask kids for their opin-ions! These books are all full of issues that are relevant to teens. They are great conversation start-ers.
Come to our meetings! We promise to make them fun and engaging. This is not a “class” after hours. Sometimes we hope we can even skype with authors. Our first meeting is Oct. 1st from 6-7 p.m. in the library.
Pass along our wish list link https://tinyurl.com/yyaucvbq to community members who may want to participate and support the NW community. Encourage them to read the books and participate alongside us. The books on our wish list are from the national ProjectLit book list.
FAFSA (FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID) NIGHT
October 9th from 6-8pm in the Auditorium
Seniors and their parents are invited to complete the FAFSA that evening. Parents and students will need to bring 2018 tax information (i.e. completed tax forms, W-2’s, etc. in order to complete the FAFSA that evening. We will have area college representatives and volunteers available to help.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be available for the class of 2020 begin-ning October 1, 2019. Come and find out about this important date change and what this means for your student!
If you have questions, please contact Teketa Paschal, College Career Coordinator at [email protected] or 973-6058.
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION There are already scholarship opportunities available for the class of 2020. Check out: http://www.usd259.org/Page/10764 for a link to the College Career Center Scholarship Page. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Teketa Paschal, College Career Coordinator at [email protected] or 973-6058.
NORTHWEST TRANSCRIPT REQUEST PROCEDURE Northwest High School utilizes the Parchment Transcript Electronic System to deliver transcripts elec-tronically to community colleges, colleges and universities.
To utilize Parchment, the student must create an account at www.parchment.com. From there, the stu-dent will be able to request that his/her transcript be sent to the school of his/her choice. Please allow 24 hours for the request to be processed.
You must use your student’s LEGAL NAME in order to process transcripts.
Paper transcripts will only be printed for scholarship applications.
ACT TEST DATES: 2019-2020 Test Dates Registration Deadlines Late Registration Fee Deadline
September 14th August 16th August 30th
October 26th September 20th October 4th
December 14th November 8th November 22nd
February 8th January 10th January 17th
April 4th February 28th March 13th
June 13th May 8th May 22nd
July 18th June 19th June 26th
Register online at www.actstudent.org; our school code is 173214. See Mrs. Tibbetts or Ms. Paschal if you are on free or reduced lunch and need a fee waiver. ACT PRACTICE Need some help practicing for the ACT? Check out the new ACT Academy at www.act.org/academy .
This FREE resource provides your student with videos, practice tests and personalized pacing guides to help them get the best score possible!
SCHEDULE CHANGE POLICY Reminder: Schedule Changes are not allowed once school starts…..
Per Board of Education Policy 1227, schedule change requests are to be discouraged except for valid education-al reasons. This policy is in the Northwest agenda on pages 25 & 26.
Northwest High School Schedule Change Policy During the spring of each year, the master schedule is determined by student needs and enrollment course selec-tions. Student and teacher schedules are established for the entire school year. The schedule change procedure is designed to assure that students will start all their classes on the first day of the semester, increasing their chances for success. Schedule change requests must be completed for first semester before the first day of school, and second semester by the last day of first semester. The Wichita Public Schools consider the reasons listed below as valid educational reasons for a schedule change. (Course selection during enrollment is extremely important.) Schedule change requests may occur for the following reasons:
Schedule does not have a course for every period of the day;
Duplication of course;
Class incorrectly sequenced or student does not meet prerequisite;
Student lacks a class needed for graduation;
Inappropriate skill level for class (teacher recommendation);
Individual Education Plan (IEP) service and setting needs.
Schedule change requests are NOT made for the following reasons: Request withdraw from Advanced Placement Course(s);
Preference for a different teacher, period or semester;
Preference to be with a family member or friend;
Change of mind about taking a course;
Student or Parent request.
VO L UME 3, ISSUE 1 PAGE 7
Counseling News cont’d.
Counseling News cont’d.
PAGE 8 PR IN C IPAL ’S N EWSL ETT ER
COLLEGE CAREER CENTER EVENTS Lunch and Learn The College and Career Center is excited to offer several workshops throughout the school year to help your student find success!
Students from all grade levels are invited to come to the CCC to hear information regarding careers. This is a perfect opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge about a career you may be interested in. Interested students can stop by the CCC in A-24 to sign-up or to register your student in advance, please contact Teketa Paschal at [email protected] or 973-6058.
Date: Wednesday, September 18th (A-Day)
Time: Lunch (12:16–12:56 PM)
Career: Athletic Trainer
FRESHMEN NEWS It’s never too early to start planning for college and/or careers. Much of freshmen and sophomore years are about exploring options. While exploring, however, your student needs to be organized, taking rigorous courses and getting good grades. The websites below have resources to help guide your student through freshman year. Students must make sure they aren’t limiting themselves in post-high school options by taking only the basics. Our goal is that students are able to pursue whatever they want after high school and have the pre-requisites to be successful. Check them out!
http://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/BCF1A04A/High-School-Freshman-Timeline-and-Checklist/
http://www.connectionsacademy.com/blog/posts/2012-09-28/Getting-Ready-for-College-A-Four-Year-Checklist-for-High-School-Teens.aspx
http://www.collegeprep101.com/uploads/1/1/7/2/11721368/freshman_year_checklist.pdf
UPCOMING EVENTS College Representative Visits to Northwest Throughout the school year various college admissions representatives will be at Northwest during Advocacy (2:28– 3:10 pm) to visit with any junior and senior student interested in learning more about a particular institu-tion.
Interested students MUST get a pass in the CCC (College and Career Center) A24 before the day of the visit.
Washburn University .................................... Thursday .................. 9/5
Hesston College ............................................. Tuesday .................. 9/10
University of Missouri -- KC ........................ Tuesday ................. 9/10
Wichita State University................................ Tuesday .................. 9/17
Baker University ............................................ Tuesday ................. 9/17
Butler Community College............................ Thursday ................ 9/19
University of Miami ...................................... Friday ..................... 9/20
Pratt Community College .............................. Tuesday .................. 9/24
University of Oklahoma ................................ Tuesday .................. 9/24
Ottawa University .......................................... Thursday ................ 9/26
PAGE 9 VO L UME 3, ISSUE 1 PAGE 9
Counseling News cont’d.
Newman University Advanced Standing (Concurrent College Credit) Current sophomores, junior and seniors enrolled in Northwest courses approved by Newman University have the opportunity to earn college credit if they have a 3.0 GPA. The courses are listed below for Fall enrollment with Newman:
AP Language and Composition AP Literature and Composition Speech AP European History AP US History 2 AP Government Precalculus/Trigonometry
The charge for the concurrent credit is set by the university and therefore is subject to change. If you have
questions regarding requirements, please contact Kyla Tibbetts @ 973-5983.
Newman University Enrollment is on-line
Enrollment meeting: Tuesday, September 10th during 9th hr Advocacy
Where: Northwest Auditorium
Eligible students will receive a pass in their class for the meeting.
WSU Shocker Saturday Saturday, September 14th
RSVP: https://apply.wichita.edu/RecruitNewWFE/Events/EventDetails?eventId=58958da6-d7a4-e911-810e-005056beddba
Pratt Community College Senior Day Wednesday, September 11th
RSVP: http://prattcc.edu/student-services/senior-day-registration
University of Kansas (KU) Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in September
Jayhawk Days are designed for high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors, as well as seniors who have yet to be admitted to KU, who want to learn more about KU.
RSVP: https://go2.ku.edu/portal/jayhawkdays?_sp=8ec5537e-42d1-4a34-b773-1a72fa0673ea.1566576160639#register
Discover K-State Day Friday, September 20th
We encourage current high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have not been admitted to the university to attend a Discover K-State Day.
RSVP: https://k-state.secure.force.com/events/#/list?category=Discover%20K-State%20Day
STUDENT AND PARENT RESOURCES Crisis Text Line Crisis Text Line serves anyone, in any type of crisis, providing access to free, 24/7 support and information via a medium people already use and trust: text messaging. How it Works:
Text Hello to 741741 (from anywhere in the United States 24/7.) You can text about whatever is a crisis to you – addiction, anxiety, assault, bullying, depression, eating disorders, self-harm, suicide etc.
The Crisis Counselor listens without judgement, invites you to share more, and helps you move from a hot moment to a cool calm. You’ll text back and forth sharing only what you feel comfortable.
PAGE 10 PR IN C IPAL ’S N EWSL ETT ER
Official Enrollment Day–Friday, September 20
Although every day is an important day to be at school, September 20th is a very special day for all students to attend. We call September 20th “Official Enrollment Day” and the district gets funding from the state for every student that attends on this day. We want all our students to be at Northwest on Friday, September 20th. Please try to avoid doctor’s appointments on this day and have students at school on time. Thank you for your coopera-tion!
Social Networking Help Social networking is the practice of expanding the number of one's social contacts by making connections to individuals through technology or the internet. As a result, we are seeing many types of social networking such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Snapchat and even cell phone text messages becoming a problem in schools. Pic-tures or videos taken at school could then be posted on different social networks for negative reasons like cyber-bullying, name-calling, etc. When this happens, we spend a large amount of time trying to find out who is post-ing these negative comments. We are asking parents to help us monitor your student’s use of social networking sites so we can solve these problems together before it causes a disruption to the school day. It is imperative that we monitor our student’s use of social networking, cell phones and internet for their safety and the safety of all students. Thank you for your help in managing this challenge.
STUDENT AND PARENT RESOURCES (CONT’D)
After 2 automated responses, you’ll connect with a live trained volunteer Crisis Counselor who receives the text on their computer.
The goal of the conversation is help you find calm. That may mean sharing resources for you to check out for more help; sometimes it means listening.
It usually takes less than 5 minutes to connect you with a Crisis Counselor, maybe longer during busy times.
Conversations usually end when you and the Crisis Counselor feel comfortable that you’re in a “cool”, safe place, after 15 – 45 minutes.
Parents Helping Parents Are you dealing with a child of any age abusing alcohol or other drugs? You are not alone. “Parents Helping Par-ents” can help by offering hope through resources, education, and shared experience.
Parent Meetings on 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month @ 7 pm Reflection Ridge Golf Course Clubhouse 7700 W. Reflection Road, Wichita, KS 67205 779-444-3380, [email protected]
