February 20 - 24: Special Activities at WHS

February is Teen Dating Violence
Awareness & Prevention Month

Wahkiakum High School Student Leadership Class is partnering with The Charlotte House in hosting numerous activities throughout the week of February 20th - 24th. All activities are designed to bring awareness, education and hopefully prevention of dating violence & sexual assault among teens. This week's activities include:

The Charlotte House staff will be at the high school each day to answer questions and participate in discussions. If you have any questions regarding teen dating violence, sexual assault or domestic violence, please call the Charlotte House at 360-795-6400. All their services are free and confidential.

The Charlotte House would like to thank Dan Casler and the members of the WHS Student Leadership Class who are: Blaine Land, Ashley Silva, Abby Buennagel, Brianna Olson, Brittney Martin, Marissa Washington, and Dylan Hansen.

WHS Principal's Newsletter

November/December, 2011

November marks the completion of the first quarter of the 2011-12 year. There are so many activities planned and we're moving forward.

As we transition into weather that may impact roads and our school schedule, please note the School Closure Information at the top of the call-out box to the right of this letter. The District will update this information as needed and you can also check out the School Closures and Delays page, for more information. In the event of inclement weather, other communications will include automated messages to student families via the School Messenger system, local TV and radio stations, and the District Recorded Hotline: 360-430-4858. Now is also the perfect time to contact each school where you have a child attending and update any recent changes to your phone, address, or email.

During our November 7th inservice, teachers worked together on two significant areas. First, as a building staff, we revisited our School Improvement Plan and discussed instructional best-practices for targeting the stated learning goals. It is clear our teachers appreciated the planning and discussions during this inservice and are challenged to improve. Second, we focused on cooperative grouping strategies, which relates to how we use student groups to discuss concepts in our instruction. Teachers shared strategies and learned about new ways to develop effective social skills and more intentionally use group time. We will continue this topic in future staff meetings.

I would also like to point out that our students and faculty are meeting at least monthly as inidvidual graduating classes in Advisory. This time is focused on the High School & Beyond requirements for graduation. Students can expect to complete the majority of this requirement during their high school experience which culminates in a presentation in May of their senior year. Note that this website always has the HS & Beyond page-link in the left-hand nav bar, in case you're looking for more detailed information. Advisory is also a time for classes to discuss "class business" with the help of their Class Officers.

I would like to spotlight one new curricular component at WHS. Mrs. Niemeyer has taken the reigns of our Graphics with Business Operations courses. In this class, students focus on techniques of computerized graphic development, while also learning some of the basic skills of computerized operations like keyboarding, spreadsheet manipulation, and operating various software applications. As I write this letter, we are anticipating the publication of a new Wa Ki Hi Monthly Newsletter! Through a ton of work within her classes, Mrs. Niemeyer's students are creating, editing, and releasing a document that will be distributed within the school and also posted to this website. We look forward to community feedback throughout the year!

Fall Sports culminated with District competition for both Volleyball and Cross Country. If you were at all in the neighborhood for playoff matches for our girls on the court, you know how hard they competed. Although our girls just missed State qualification, we enjoyed watching the team progress and beat out some major competition in our League. Just wait 'till next year! Our Mules fought hard 'til the bitter end on the Football field to compete with a tough league, not to mention a competitive match with Naselle to close out the season. We are proud of all of our student athletes who never give up.

Winter Sports practices kicked off on November 14th, with games starting the first week in December. The interest level is high for our girls & boys Basketball and Wrestling teams. A great symbol of this energy is once again Donkey Basketball on Saturday, November 19th. We will be hosting our 2nd Annual Fundraiser that is a barrel of laughs, emphasizes friendly competition, and is a way to raise funds for our Athletic Fund. SAVE THE DATE: Nov 19th and come out and watch our student athletes saddle up for a night of fun!

And, here's another date to mark on your calendar: Friday, December 2nd for the upcoming Winter Concert and Drama Production. If you have not attended this event in the past, we encourage you to attend, as our kids have been preparing for months and they will be showcasing some true talent. On a related note, we congratulate 2nd time All-State qualifier Eva Vik on clarinet. Nice job Eva to represent our school proud!

In closing, it is always difficult to NOT share the many other events happening at WHS. Our kids are the best. They work hard, arrive with a smile, and together they maintain Mule Pride in our school and community. Please continue to encourage solid attendance, sound study habits, and a careful ear with your student each day. It does take a community to raise each and every student.

Thank you for your continued support, and as always, don't be a stranger.

Go Mules!!!

Dan Casler
Principal, Wahkiakum High School
Wahkiakum School District