Friday, August 17, 2018

August/September/October 2018

From the Principal

Greetings, West Geauga parents and students!

August is certainly underway, and it is nice to see so many of our students on campus, involved in band and athletics. I look forward to having all of our students in the halls on August 21st when I can hear about everyone's summer experiences.

It is with great pride that I share the news that West Geauga High School has been named one of the America’s Top High Schools by Newsweek Magazine. In order to qualify for the ranking, schools have to meet particular performance indicators which include state test proficiency ratings. The magazine then collected data from each qualifying school to determine college readiness. Data collected includes student to counselor ratio, Advanced Placement participation and performance, college acceptance and enrollment, ACT and SAT participation and performance and College Credit Plus participation.

Our parents, students and teachers should be proud of this national attention and recognition. It is their hard work and determination that ensures students are prepared for college and careers following high school. Congratulations!

The new school year provides opportunities for all of our students to become involved in some of the many organizations offered by our school. Whether you are a freshman entering the high school or a senior taking your last high school courses, I encourage all of you to get involved. West Geauga High School provides a wealth of opportunities in academics, athletics, clubs and community service organizations. Colleges, universities and future employers look at more than just a grade point average when deciding to bring you into their organization. Get involved!

Along with involvement, it is important for everyone to set goals and learn to live outside of his/her comfort zone. Personal growth occurs when you establish what it is you want to do and continually work toward reaching the goals. Some examples of strong goals for high school students include taking increasingly rigorous course loads, getting good grades, acceptance into a certain post secondary education program, improving your character and getting involved.

West Geauga High School utilizes an advisory period in the middle of the day to allow students to work on their individual goals and school activities. The advisory period consists of a 30 minute window each day where students have opportunities built into their class schedule to work with teachers outside of the class period, meet with clubs and organizations, to allow AP science students to take an extra class during the year, and provide more time for freshman mentoring. All students will be assigned an advisory teacher who will serve as an advocate for those students.

I want to thank you for allowing us the pleasure of being a part of your child's learning day-in and day-out. Your children are your most precious gifts and we thank you for sharing them with us and allowing us to share our knowledge with them.

We look forward to an exciting 2018-2019 school year ahead. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Jay Bishop
Principal
West Geauga High School
440-729-5955
Jay.Bishop@Westg.org


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From the Assistant Principal

Welcome Back! The start of a new school year is an exciting and nervous time for all our students. For our seniors, it is the beginning of the end of one chapter in their lives. For the freshmen, it is just the start. For our sophomores, it means that you are no longer freshmen.

A few things to keep in mind as we beginning the new school year.....

Attendance
Parents are required to notify the school anytime your student will be absent from school. The attendance line (729-5951) is manned from 7:15 – 9:00 a.m. and voice mail is available 24/7. Requests to leave school early for appointments etc. should be made at least 24 hours in advance in order to assure that the proper passes are issued. Any time your child needs to leave school or arrive late, he/she must go through the attendance office. Please provide a doctor’s note when your child visits a medical professional during the school day. A parent can not excuse a child for medical reasons. Students will be referred to the Geauga County attendance officer if they are absent five or more consecutive days, seven or more days in a one school month, or twelve or more school days in a year without a legitimate excuse. Your cooperation with the attendance procedures will assist us in recording and reporting accurate attendance. Students with chronic tardiness may also be reported to the Geauga County attendance officer.

Excessive Absenteeism
It is important for every student to attend school every day. Missing too much school has long-term negative effects on students. In December 2016, the Ohio General Assembly passed House Bill 410 to encourage and support a preventative approach to excessive absences and truancy.

Habitual Truant:
  • Absent 30 or more consecutive hours without a legitimate excuse
  • Absent 42 or more hours in one school month without a legitimate excuse
  • Absent 72 or more hours in one school year without a legitimate excuse
Excessive Absences
  • Absent 38 or more hours in one school month with or without a legitimate excuse
  • Absent 65 or more hours in one school year with or without a legitimate excuse
Consequences Include:
  • Saturday School(s)
  • Meetings with staff members and parent(s), 
  • Absence Intervention Plan, 
  • Juvenile Court Referral 
Cell Phones
If you need to contact your child throughout the day, it is imperative that you contact the school’s attendance office at 440-729-5958. The school will locate your child and deliver the message. Please do not call your child on his/her cell phone. Teachers discourage students from carrying their cell phone throughout the day. Phone calls and text messages during instructional time disrupt the education process.

Parking
Students may not drive to school the first day without purchasing a permit. You can apply for a permit on the high school website. After applying, permits can be picked up beginning August 12 through August 20 from 7:00AM to 2:00PM. A driver's license and proof of insurance must be shown at pick up along with $30.

Dress Code
A student’s dress, grooming and appearance, including hair style/color, jewelry, make-up and nails, must be safe, appropriate and not disrupt or interfere with the educational process. Recognize that brief garments are inappropriate and unacceptable. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: backless tops, single-shoulder tops, tube tops, halter tops, spaghetti straps, see-through, sheer or transparent shirts/pants, exposed midriffs, plunging necklines (front and/or back), skirts/shorts above mid-thigh length, shorts that are excessively revealing and net/mesh garments. Tank tops should not have spaghetti straps, plunging necklines or expose the midriff or undergarments

Lockers
All students are provided with lockers to store personal belongings and school-related materials. Students should not share the locker combination with anyone. Lockers should be kept closed at all times. Students should not leave the locker “preset” to open and valuables should never be brought to school. All assigned lockers remain the property of the school district and the school reserves the right to inspect any locker at any time.

Anytime you have questions or need clarification concerning attendance procedures, parking permits, or discipline issues, please contact me. I am looking forward to making this year a successful one for each of your children.


Ron Dahlhofer, Assistant Principal

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West Geauga High School uses Google for Education to integrate documents, forms, spreadsheets, presentations and even calendars. We also use Google Calendar on our website to update all of our school academic events. We think this is an easy calendar to read and can be incorporated into your own personal Google Calendar. You can find the direct link to the calendar by clicking here.



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2018-2019 End-of-Course Exam Information

The State of Ohio requires all of our students to take state issued end-of-course exams in the following areas: Algebra 1, Geometry, English 9, English 10, American History, Government and Biology. Students need to earn at least 18 points on seven end-of-course state tests. Each test score earns students up to five graduation points. You must have a minimum of four points in math, four points in English and six points across science and social studies.

It is important for all our students to do their best on these assessments. While the scores are necessary to graduate, they are also reflective of the assessments given in college or to receive industry standard credentials. These tests will serve as examples of what they will see in their academic futures.

Resources for the upcoming end-of-course assessments are found by visiting the Ohio Department of Education’s State Test website. Practice tests can also be found on ODE’s website or by clicking here.

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Chris Rader - Social Studies
Meagan Belan - School Psychologist
Dr. Lynne Shields - Special Education
Rebecca Dietz - Special Education
Lisa Dwyer - Special Education
Roger Sines - Special Education
Brian Kidwell - Special Education
Eileen Sypen - Educational Aide
Karen Cipriani - Educational Aide
Deb Wilson - Educational Aide
Mark Rich - School Resource Officer
Bob Marotta - Custodian

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I hope you all had a wonderful summer!  I look forward to seeing everyone during the first few weeks of school. 

Attendance reminders for the 2018 – 2019 School year

When calling your student in absent please make sure to leave detailed information about your child’s absence on the confidential attendance line 440-729-5951.



According to Ohio Law, the following is a list of reasons that are considered excused absences or tardies:

A. Personal illness
B. Illness in the family
C. Quarantine of the home
D. Death of a relative
E. Observance of religious holiday
F. Emergencies due to the absence of parent or guardian

* Please note, tardy arrivals to school are considered unexcused even if a parent calls in for the student. If your student is driving to school this year, please remind them of this policy.

Early Dismissals
Notes for early dismissal should be turned in to the attendance office the day before your child needs to leave early whenever possible. Last minute phone calls, other than true emergencies cannot always be delivered immediately and create unnecessary disruption to valuable instruction time in the classroom.

Vacations
Please check the student handbook for our District policy regarding family vacations. Ohio Law states that all vacations are considered unexcused absences. If a vacation during the school year is unavoidable, a Vacation Request form MUST be filled out and turned in to the attendance office with all appropriate signatures 5 days before the absences occur. These forms can be found in the attendance office, online under the forms link, or by clicking here.

Medical Excuses
If your child is missing school for medical reasons, including orthodontist appointments, please provide a note from the doctor and turn in to the attendance office.

Thank you and have a great 2018-2019 school year!

Mrs. Poelking

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Opening Day paperwork will be online again this year thanks to the OneView program. If you completed your forms online last year all you will need to do is, verify the information we have is correct. An informational letter with instructions was sent home with instructions before school started. If you have any questions or did not receive the letter in the mail, please call the school. We are asking that all accounts be updated no later than Tuesday, August 28th.  Click here for the OneView login page.





This year we are pleased to provide you with access to the West Geauga Local Schools Infinite Campus Parent Portal. This access will give you a single login for student fees, lunch payments, grade progress, report cards and other information. A letter was sent out last week providing you with directions to activate and set up your Parent Portal. Please call Lisa Porter at (440) 729-5961 if you have questions or did not receive the letter.


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W.G.H.S. School Counseling News                                  August 2018

Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year. We have some changes this year. Kim Zannetti is now a counselor at Lindsey Elementary School. Mr. Callahan and Miss Widman will be be taking over her part of the alphabet. We are excited to begin a new year and hope to help make it your son or daughter’s best year yet! Please follow us on Twitter @WGHSCounselors for updates and timely information!

W.G.H.S. Counseling Staff

Mr. David Callahan (Students A – K)               (440) 729-5963                    david.callahan@westg.org

Ms. Sarah Widman (Students L – Z)                 (440) 729-5965                     sarah.widman@westg.org

Mrs. Michelle Sargent (Guidance Secretary)     (440) 729-5962                michelle.sargent@westg.org


Student/Parent Notes
SENIORS

Congratulations, you made it to your senior year! Please remember that you are not done yet. Colleges will want to see your first semester grades and your senior year-end grades.

Come visit your counselor if you need help with career or college information. Remember to focus on your strengths! Set goals for this year, put them in writing, and do the things required to meet those goals!

College Applications:
Fall is the time for seniors to begin filling out their college applications. The school counseling department will be meeting with all seniors and their parents on Wednesday, September 12 at 7:00 p.m. in Room 124 to review the college application process. At this meeting the counselors will address all of the policies and procedures for applying to college, therefore, it is recommended that students wait to apply to colleges until after this informational session. In the meantime, use your Family Connection account!

JUNIORS

This is your last year to work on maintaining or bringing up your GPA. Set some solid academic goals for yourself this year and try to stick to them. Remember that when colleges receive your transcript next fall, your cumulative grade point average is only based on your 9th, 10th, & 11th grade marks.

SOPHOMORES

You have one year under your belt. Congratulations! Now that you have figured out what high school life is all about, why not make some positive changes? What can you improve on from last year to make this year even more of a success? Continue to build your resume by volunteering and participating in school and community activities.

FRESHMEN

Welcome to West Geauga High School! This is an exciting year for you because you have the opportunity to start fresh. You have a clean slate, so stay organized and work hard. Please remember that the school counselors are available to help you reach your goals. You will also have Freshmen Mentoring to help you through your transition to the high school. Do not forget that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness!
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The all-color edition of the Westwind 2019 is guaranteed to be the best ever!! Ordering your student's copy is easier than ever. Two options are available for your convenience. Order online at www.jostensyearbooks.com or from WGHS by printing out the form in the Yearbook tab. Order now and save!!!



Class of 2019:
Your senior and baby pictures must be submitted by September 17th. Please refer to the Yearbook tab above for submission instructions. Grad ad forms are available there as well.

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The first Upper School PTO meeting of the school year will be held on Thursday, September 27th at 7pm in the Middle School library.  Please join us!

PTO Officers -

Chris Skerbec - President
Joanne Obranovich - Vice President
Meghan Metz - Treasurer
Kim Koshar - Secretary

Click here to join the PTO!




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WGEF 1st Innovative Grant Application Deadline is 11/9/2018. Visit WGEF.org for application and details! 

30th Annual Thanksgiving Day Pancake Breakfast: Thursday, November 22, 7:30am-11:00am at Chesterland McDonald's

Look for upcoming Practice ACT & SAT dates & times for the 2018-19 year @ WGEF.org

Support the Cause!!! Become a Member or Renew your membership with a minimum donation of $25 (and get a free t-shirt!) at wgef.org using our secure online donation portal.

Interested in learning more about what WGEF does? Join us at our first meeting of the year - Wednesday 9/26, 7:00pm at the High School Library.

Caise McHale
WG Ed Foundation
President
216-789-4842
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WEST GEAUGA ATHLETIC BOOSTERS

Please click here or on the above tab to find out any information about the West Geauga Athletic Boosters (including this year's membership application and Spirit Shop calendar).