Shash Hane’ dóó’ Ádahooníłígíí WHS Student and Family Newsletter

November ~ Niłch’its’osi [Small Wind] 2015 1737 Shush Drive, Ft. Wingate, New Mexico 87316 http://whs.bie.edu/

Yá’át’ééh Nihi K’e dóó’ Nihi Diné’é,

The time has come to change your clocks back, take out your sweaters and make sure you have enough wood for the stove. We certainly hope you are starting off this month warm and ready for the upcoming busy winter months.

Our students are working hard and have begun Quarter 2. Please keep encouraging your student to stay on task, be at school, do their homework, and check Infinite Campus Parent Portal daily to make sure they are passing all of their classes.

To assist your students’ learning, WHS also offers After School Tutoring Monday through Thursday from at 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. They will have supper from 4:30 to 5:00 p.m., then get on the Tutoring SUV at 5:00 p.m. Students must provide a pass from their teacher(s) they are tutoring with. Be advised, students will lose their transportation privilege if they fail to provide a pass or are staying after-school to socialize. Please talk with your student in using this service wisely. If you have any questions please contact counselors [day students] or Randall Joe [dorm students].

If you would like to add anything to next month’s newsletter, send an e-mail to olivia.gonzales@bie.edu

~Please join us for our Annual~

“Mr. and Miss Wingate Pageant” November 18th from 6-9 p.m.

WHS Gym

The pageant will start promptly at 6:00 p.m. Please join us as our contestants share their modern and traditional skills. There will be entertainment, refreshments, and a concession. Contestants must have a 2.0 (no F’s) and no behavior referrals. As part of the application, you must write a well written essay on a theme given in the application. During the pageant you must also share a modern talent and a traditional talent.

If you are interested in running or have any questions related to the pageant, please contact Miss Wingate Princess, Tonya R. Fuson, or Mr. Wingate, Jared Thomas. In addition, you may also contact the NAYC advisor, Ms. Nettie Yazzie at (505)488-6405.

~Sponsored by the WHS Native American Youth Council~

November Events

November 4th – School Board Meeting

November 10th – Veteran’s Recognition School Assembly and Luncheon

November 11th – Veterans Day – No School

November 18th – Mr. Wingate & Miss Wingate Pageant @6:00 in WHS Gym

November 18th -19th – Parent Training 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

November 18th – WHS Annual Open House 4-8 p.m.

November 23rd thru 27th –Thanksgiving Holiday –

No School

School Hours First bell 7:55

Tardy Bell 8:00 School Ends 3:25

Important Numbers School 488-6400 Delay/Closure 488-6400 Attendance 488-6406 Registrar 488-6407 Gloria Arviso, Principal 488-6401 Aaron Billie, Head Teacher 488-6417 Grace Benally, Head Teacher 488-6456 Margie Long, 11/12 Counselor 488-6415 Marjean Benally, 9/10 Counselor 488-6416 Randall Joe, Dorm Supervisor 488-6408

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WHS Jump Rope Club Alta Mitchell

Jump Rope Teams are very popular at many schools around the country. The goal of the Jump Rope Club is to teach students how to jump, learn new tricks, have fun, work as a team, learn about good nutrition and be fit. A Jump Rope Club/Team is starting here at Wingate High School. We hope to build self-worth in each member of our students, as well as, the Wingate High School community at large. We will strive to have a top performing team before too long. Jumpers will have the opportunity to perform at different public events. The Jump Rope Club is open to all 9-12th grade students. Practices will be held in the dance room downstairs every Wednesday afternoon from 3:30-5:00 pm. Students are asked to stay focused during practice and work as a team. Club members must be willing to commit to practice, show respect for others, be a mentor to other youth and perform in front of an audience. Additionally, the WHS Jump Rope Club will apply for a membership to the Generation Indigenous Native Youth Challenge (Gen-I). This program creates a platform through which Native youth can access information about opportunities and resources, and have their voices and positive contributions highlighted and elevated. We look forward to a great year of jumping rope! If you have

any questions, please feel free to contact Ms. Alta Mitchell at

(505)488-6411.

WHS Teacher Spotlight

I was born into a business family. My parents were Mike and Bunny Neff who are members of the Western Oklahoma Hall of Fame. I have two brothers and a sister.

My high school was in a small town with only one stoplight and lots of drama. Most of us would “make the drag” of cruising around town. I played drums in the Sayre Eagle Band. My graduating class had 43 students, in a small town way, we were all friends and still are today.

My college years were spent at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma. My first Dorm was Neff Hall (strange coincidence-I felt like I owned the place). College was Outstanding!!!! I learned Jazz, played drums and Bass in the Jazz Bands and Orchestra. I made 6 Albums with the SWOSU Band, got to travel a lot and performed in the “Super Bowl” for the New Orleans Saints.

Though College was great, I found that I could perform and make extra money for school. Country music (this was in Oklahoma & Texas) and Jazz kept me busy performing nearly constantly. I performed mostly as a drummer; it kept money in my pocket and kept me out of trouble.

I moved to Fort Wingate in 1989 and lived in school housing for 12 years and then bought a house in Gallup. I have seen the Wingate High School Band go from nearly non-existent (NCLB) to being State Runner Up in Class 3AAA in 1997. I have had the Finest Students in this School pass through the Band and Guitar Program. Many still play their instruments today. Many former Music students are at the upper level in several of the businesses around Gallup. I am Super PROUD of ALL my students!

Currently, I teach Orchestra, Band, Guitar and Treble Choir at WHS. I still have the Finest Students in the School. I believe Music is a way of thinking that stimulates the mind and muscles to work for a finished product that a person can perform and hear. By hearing students play, other people can share student success. Not just in Music, but in Life, it all leads to success. ~Patrick L. Neff

WHS Band ~Pat Neff, Music Teacher Our Wingate High School Band, Orchestra and Choir recently spent an evening with the President’s Marine Band in Concert at Pope Joy Hall at the University of New Mexico.

The students were given outstanding seats and were able to hear and see the Outstanding Musicians of the Marine Band. The students were surprised to hear pieces from a Mozart Opera sung by a member of the Marines. Wingate Students also had a “Meet & Greet” with members of the President’s Marine band after the Concert. Overall, it was a success and our students had an amazing learning experience.

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The Dual Credit Alternative

In last month’s newsletter I mentioned that Wingate High School was conducting dual credit classes on campus again this fall. I wanted to expand on that idea briefly so that our entire ‘Shash’ community understands just how important the Wingate High School/Dine’ College-Crownpoint Center dual credit program is. Last year we had 124 students matriculate in college classes which other than all sports combined; has the largest student participation on campus! We currently have 65 students enrolled in math classes this fall, 2015.

Back in May during the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) spring testing cycle, many teachers, students and parents in Albuquerque ‘opted out’ of testing because they said: ‘raise a child, not tests scores’ as their call to action. Not a single college or university uses the PARCC test as a college placement test so students will have to take a separate placement test in order to enroll. Students in dual credit have already taken the ACT compass placement test so they no longer have to deal with this enrollment requirement.

Every upper level Math and Science class requires a pre-requisite or baseline class that ALL students MUST pass in order to take the 200 or above level classes. The class for EVERY college and university is called College Algebra. Fifty-five (55) of my current students are getting that requirement completed in high school so they can enroll directly into the college level classes they want. However this is the lowest baseline math class. This fall, Wingate High School is offering the first ever Calculus 1 class which isn’t being offered at any of the other branch campuses. Once again we are leading the way in education by doing something necessary for the well-being of our students and preparing them for college in an authentic way. Since last month two new developments are taking shape that could fundamentally change how students get educated at WHS. We have met with the Dine’ College Instructional Technology folks to articulate our distance education program. Many of you know this at Northern Arizona University or UNM-Gallup as the ITV classes. In fall semester, 2016 we will be able to offer (for the most part) the entire Dine’ College academic catalog where our students and their instructors are face-to-face in the virtual sense. The second development is that Navajo Technical University has also been invited to participate so that their catalog of vocational and technical classes will be available to us.

These are exciting times of change in education and we are here on the front lines making that happen. I hope many of you will consider ways to engage in these innovative practices and make yourself a better person because of more and better education.

Slainte! Dr. J.

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Senior News

November 3 - Tulsa Welding School presentation to seniors at 12:30 pm in the

multipurpose room

November 9 - University of New Mexico -Albuquerque presentation to seniors at 1:15 pm

in the multipurpose room.

November 2nd – 20th - New Mexico Standards Based Assessment (NMSBA) science retakes.

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Késhmish Yázhi Góne’

Nił Hózhoo Dóo!

Please join us this month for the following events:

Veterans’ Recognition Ceremony on

November 10th at 11:00 am [Veterans’ Luncheon will follow]

~Sponsored by JROTC & Student Council

Parent Training from November 18th – 19th

8:30 am – 4:00 pm

WHS Annual Open House

November 18th 4:00 – 8:00 pm

School-wide Thanksgiving Dinner

November 19th at 11:55

[Parents and All Staff Invited]