What's Up Westside

• August 22nd - Fall Sports Begin

• August 23, 24, 25th - New Student Q&A Sessions (ONLY FOR NEW STUDENTS GRADE 10-12)

• September 1st - New Student Ice Cream Social 6 -7:30pm WSHS Courtyard

• September 2nd - First Football Game 7pm at SWAC

• September 7th - First Day of School 8:50am start time

• September 9th - PTSA Outdoor Movie 6-10pm WSHS Courtyard

• September 22nd - PTSA Meeting: Meet Your Administrators 7-8:30pm School Library

Let's Go Wildcats! The first What's Up Westside of the 2022-2023 school year. Welcome back to our returning students and families and welcome to our new students and families. The What's Up Westside newsletter is a 2x's per month newsletter in partnership with the PTSA. We strive to provide up to date information on what is happening at WSHS. I am optimistic for a wonderful, productive and positive school year. There are a couple of new things that will welcome students for 2022-2023. Here is a preview of two of them:

• NEW STAFF: We have been busy hiring a number of incredible new staff members to our WSHS Team. There are at least 17(and maybe a couple more before Sept. 7) new staff members starting with us this year. It is a great mix of brand new and experienced teachers and support staff. I look forward to you meeting them and you will see why I am so excited.
• NEW SCHEDULE: You can see the schedule listed below. There are several new features:

1. Start Time Change: Start and end times have shifted by 5 minutes.
2. One Lunch: One of the bigger changes is that we will now have 1-lunch. Meaning that all students will have the same lunch and the lunch time will be 60 minutes. Benefits: There are several benefits for students and staff including time for clubs to meet during lunch, not worrying about not having lunch with classmates or friends, teachers time to collaborate, a pace to eating lunch that is reasonable. Challenges: There are also challenges and we will need your help in preparing students for the responsibility of some additional time. Please discuss with your student about being a responsible and positive influence in the community and to treat our neighboring businesses with respect. All grade levels are allowed off campus for lunch.
3. Wednesday and Advisory: We will still have early dismissals for students on Wednesdays. However, our Advisory program will be changing. We are in the process of re-naming advisory and we will be shifting from a stand-alone separate advisory class, to extending our 5th period. Students will stay in their period 5 class for an additional 30 minutes on Wednesday for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum, class meetings, and career/college programming. More details to come over the next couple of weeks.

The next couple of weeks will continue to be busy on campus, as we gear up and prepare for our over 1300 students to arrive on Sept. 7. This also includes the start of Fall Sports on Aug. 22. Football has already started with all other sports kicking off on Monday. See below for information on how to get involved.

One of our strengths and one that I want to emphasize this year is COMMUNITY. We cannot do any of this alone. The start of the school year is an anxious time for students and parents. We will do everything we can to make that transition from summer to school as smooth as possible. Continue to reach out with any questions and we will keep putting out information to help prepare for Sept. 7 and beyond. Go Wildcats! Principal Vance

NEW STUDENT(GRADES 10-12) Q&A SIGN UP

We will be offering three new student Q&A Sessions August 23, 24,and 25th at noon. THESE SESSIONS ARE FOR STUDENTS NEW TO WSHS FOR GRADES 10-12. NOT INCOMING GRADE 9. This is an opportunity to tour the building and ask staff members your pressing questions before school starts. Please visit the Counseling registration page for more information.

NEW STUDENT FAQ

• Schedules will be available to families on The Source September 7th - first day of classes.
• Because of varying content and learning styles, there is no "supply list". You can't go wrong with a folder to organize your classwork, a composition book for notes in each class, and your favorite writing tool, but on the first day of classes teachers will go over their syllabuses and necessary material lists with students.

INCOMING GRADE 9 STUDENT ORIENTATION

• All grade 9 students will participate in an orientation on the first day of school, Sept. 7. More details will come out next week. Incoming 9th grade students will start school at the regular school time of 8:50am on Sept. 7. and will participate in a 1/2 day orientation prior to the remaining students grades 10-12 arriving. There is also an ice cream social for all new students and families on Sept. 1. See below for details.

NEW BELL TIMES

School Hours: 8:50 a.m. – 3:40 p.m.
Wednesdays: 8:50 a.m. – 2:25 p.m.

1st period: 8:50-9:45 a.m.

2nd period: 9:50-10:45 a.m.

3rd period: 10:50-11:45 a.m.

Lunch and Club Block: 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

4th period: 12:45-1:40 p.m.

5th period: 1:45-2:40 p.m.

6th period: 2:45-3:40 p.m.

STAYING CONNECTED

There's a lot going on at WSHS and we want you to be a part of it!

Here are the ways to stay connected:

• Talking Points Messages: you are automatically enrolled and will receive text messages sent by the school and district. Translations are available in over 100 languages!
• What's Up Westside: bi-monthly newsletter automatically delivered through the Talking Points App.
• School Website: westseattlehs.seattleschools.org
• ASB Instagram Posts: @wshasb
• Music Program: wshsmusic.org
• Drama Club: sites.google.com/westsidedrama.com/wshsdrama/home
• WSHS PTSA Facebook Page: Like and follow facebook.com/WildcatsWSHS
• WSHS PTSA Website: http://wshsptsa.org/

• Email questions to: wshsptsacommunications1@gmail.com

The text notification service Remind will be transitioning to customized Talking Points groups. Watch for additional information as the transition is still in the works.

UPDATE COMMUNICATION PREFERANCES

Update Your Contact Information

Make sure we have your most up-to-date contact information. During the month of September, parents and guardians can update family contact information on the Student Verification Form in the Source. After September, families should contact their student’s school to update contact information. Visit ps.seattleschools.org to log in to the Source.

Manage your Messages

Want phone calls for some messages, but only email or text messages for others? You can manage your communication preferences online.

• Visit go.schoolmessenger.com
• Log in with the email on file at your child’s school
• After you log in, select ‘Preferences’ in the menu and update how we connect best with you!

PICTURE DAY

September 20th is picture day! The school is looking a few volunteers to make it go smoothly. If you are interested in volunteering contact Amy Huber at: aahuber1@seattleschools.org

VOLUNTEER PAPERWORK

In order to volunteer with Seattle Public Schools, you must go through an application process. For all volunteer resources and application instructions visit: https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/volunteer/

SAVE THE DATE - OCTOBER 13TH: CURRICULUM NIGHT

The start of a new year is always stressful as we sort out schedules. Please be patient and remember there are 3 counselors for roughly 1300 students.

Counselor Caseloads:

Last Names A- GL, Erica Nguyen etnguyen@seattleschools.org

Last Names Go-Pa, Mallory Neuman mlneuman@seattleschools.org

Last Names Pe-Z, Christine Nutters canutters@seattleschools.org

TEEN LINK RESOURCE

Where to Turn For Teens - Teen Link

Teen Link is a program of Crisis Connections that serves youth in Washington State. Teen volunteers are trained to listen to concerns and talk about whatever's is on your teen's mind – bullying, drug and alcohol concerns, relationships, stress, depression or any other issues your teen may be facing.

If a teen or an adult concerned about a teen or has questions or concerns about drug use, they can now call, chat, or text to www.teenlink.org

FALL COMMUNITY BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES

We are so looking forward to being back to in-person meetings and opportunities to come together this fall!

Please join us for:

• September 1st - New Student Ice Cream Social in the WSHS Courtyard 6-7:30pm
• September 9th - WSHS Family Outdoor Movie Night in the WSHS Courtyard 6-10pm.
• September 22nd - PTSA Meeting: Meet Your Administrators in the WSHS Library 7-8:30pm

We look forward to seeing you in-person at these events!

WHY PTSA?

At it's core, the PTSA is about advocating for kids, supporting staff, and building community. It takes donations and volunteers to do it. Be a part of making WSHS the school community you want! Become a member of the PTSA at: http://wshsptsa.org/

ACADEMIC SUPPORT FUNDING

While donations to the PTSA are always welcome, and always go directly to supporting our community of parents, staff, and students, this year we have a special ask. The school is asking the PTSA for the funds to support Saturday School and afterschool tutoring due to an expired levy. We are hoping to raise the funds necessary to fill the gap. If you are able, please consider making a donation toward student academic support. http://wshsptsa.org/you-can-help/donations

TOUGH TOPIC PARENT SUPPORT

As a PTSA last year we have supported our community by concentrating our virtual meetings on Parent Education around some tough topics: mental health, diversity and inclusion, college and career planning, consent, and drug and alcohol prevention. You can find many of the resources shared at those meetings on our website under Parent Resources: http://wshsptsa.org/

AMAZON SMILE - SUPPORT PTSA WHEN YOU SHOP

Did you know that when you shop on AmazonSmile your purchases can also support the West Seattle High School PTSA? It's free and only takes two minutes to setup. A percentage of your Amazon purchases will be donated to the WSHS PTSA. Just follow these simple steps to turn your purchases into donations for the WSHS PTSA. https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/community/how-to-sign-up-for-amazonsmile

Fall Sports Start Up

August 17th for Football.

August 22nd for Cross Country, Girls Swim, Girls Soccer, Girls Volleyball

For all the details visit: https://westseattlehs.seattleschools.org/student-life/athletics/fall-sports/

Current physicals need to be updated on FinalForms before tryouts

Fall Home Game Football Schedule (Games at SWAC 7pm kickoff)

Sept 2nd - WSHS vs Renton HS - Parent Appreciation

Sept 23rd - WSHS vs Chief Sealth HS - Huling Bowl

Sept 30th - WSHS vs Lincoln HS

Oct 7th - WSHS vs Lakeshore HS - Homecoming

Oct 14th - WSHS vs Ingraham HS - Senior Night

We're excited to make some music!

• Sept 1st - Percussion Camp is happening in the music rooms 9am-12pm
• Sept 9-11th - Band Camp
• Sept 12-16th - Jazz Ensembles placement auditions

For more information go to the Music Department Website: www.wshsmusic.org

If you would like to share something with the West Seattle High School community, please contact wshsptsacommunications1@gmail.com

https://westseattlehs.seattleschools.org/calendar-and-news/whats-up-westside/

Email: wshsptsacommunications1@gmail.com
Website: westseattlehs.seattleschools.org
Location: 3000 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116, USA
Phone: 206-252-8800