
Panther Print for Parents 🐾
NEWSLETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL WEEK ENDING October 20
A big thank you for the delicious potluck that was provided for the staff during conferences! We truly appreciate your kind gesture. The roasted red pepper soup, smoky cheese and chocolate chip cookies were some of our favorites. We are fortunate to have such amazing parents like you who go out of their way to show their appreciation. Your support means a lot to us. -WHS Teachers
FRESHMEN FIELD TRIP TODAY!
YOUR FRESHMEN attended a career fair today at Lake Michigan College!
During this activity, your student encountered community professionals and senior students
that are currently engaged in the different career pathways. No matter where your student is in
their exploration of careers, it is our desire that today provided them with an excellent
opportunity to begin or deepen their knowledge of what is available to them.
This was an opportunity for students and employers to interact in a new and creative way.
FIELD TRIP GIFT CARD WINNERS
IMPORTANT REMINDERS for STUDENTS
Next Week is Red ribbon week. Check your email for the 5 days of dress up days. Monday is LEI OFF DRUGS DAY which means dress HAWAIIAN on MONDAY !
Monday there is a Fall Band Concert at 7 pm in the Auditorium. All students and staff are invited.
Next Wednesday is an early release day. You will eat the same lunch as your 5th hour teacher and we will be dismissed at 1:10. There is transportation to tech and back. Tech students are required to go. All early release days are pajama days.
Next Thursday is a fall choir concert at 7 pm in the auditorium. All students and staff are invited.
ANNUAL COLLEGE FAIR
The ANNUAL COLLEGE FAIR at WHS brought out a number of schools, graduated students, and military representatives. THANK YOU to WHS 2022 graduates:
Allison Pline--Michigan State University
Hannah Hart--Michigan State University
Andrew Van Lente--Michigan Tech
Haiden Edelberg--Grand Valley State University
Parker Lanning--Western Michigan University
Ryan Knapp--Central Michigan University
US Air Force
US National Guard
US Navy
Lake Michigan College
Southwestern Michigan College
Grand Valley State University
Indiana University at South Bend
Lawrence Technological Institute
Saginaw Valley State University
CONGRATULATIONS ELLA HARRIS!
Watervliet High School has selected Senior, Ella Harris to participate in the annual Rotary Scholarship Essay Contest. She was selected among all of the students in the Senior class by the English teachers to participate in this opportunity. ONE senior from every Berrien County high School is selected each year. In February, Ella will go to Berrien RESA to write on a specific writing prompt in this essay contest representing Watervliet High School. This year's writing prompt pertains to mental health issues among teenager. We wish Ella the best of luck and know that she will represent us well!
My name is Ella Harris and I am a senior at Watervliet High School! At my school, I am involved in Varsity Football Cheer, Basketball Cheer and Varsity Girls Soccer. I am also President of Student Council, President of the Watervliet High School Concert Choir, a member of National Honors Society and I am the editor of the band/ choir and school spirit sections of our student newspaper. One of my strongest passions is musical theater. I have been performing on stage since I was very young but I discovered musical theater in 7th grade when I played Scuttle in The Little Mermaid Jr at my school! Ever since, I have been an active participant in community theater at Children’s Music Workshop (CMW), Performing Arts Workshop (PAW), and Lake Michigan College! Some of my favorite roles have been Mal in Descendants the Musical, Miss Hannigan in Annie Jr, and Sandy in The SpongeBob Musical! At the time of writing this, I am rehearsing the roles of Fiona in Shrek Jr at CMW and Anya in Anastasia Youth Edition at PAW! I plan on continuing my education at college where I can pursue a degree in Musical Theater or Vocal performance! My dream is to be involved in theater in some form: whether it be performing on the Broadway stage or encouraging a new generation of artists to chase their dreams.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT--MRS. DAWSON, SCHOOL COUNSELOR!
I have lived in Southwest Michigan my entire life. This is my fourteenth year as an educator. Prior to serving in my current role as High School Counselor, I was a Special Education Teacher for nine years at the high school level. Currently, I co-advise the Watervliet High School Chapter of National Honor Society. I am proud to be a Panther because of the outstanding work that we do serving students every single day. My family consists of my husband of sixteen years, our twelve year old son, and our family dog. In my free time I enjoy running and lifting weights. I also enjoy spending time with family and friends and attending my son's many sporting events. Something about me that may surprise people is that I am an avid sports fan, this particular time of year is my favorite because it is football season! Go Blue!
COLLEGE GEAR MONDAY!
Students and staff were encouraged to wear U of M or MSU gear on Monday! Staff wear college gear every Monday during College Application Month!
SENIORS COMPLETE COLLEGE APPLICATIONS IN ENGLISH CLASS
During College Application Month, seniors complete college applications in English classes with the help of classroom teachers, Mrs. Dawson, Mrs. Tyler and Mr. Coburn. Two days in the month are designated for this purpose. This week seniors completed that Common App, and applications for both LMC and SMC. Another day at the end of the month has been identified for the same purpose. All senior lockers are tagged with signs for all of the different places that they have applied.
ALL SENIORS AND SENIOR PARENTS:
Parchment is a transcript sending platform. This platform allows schools (high school and college level) to send and receive official transcripts electronically. Your senior received an invitation via email this week to set up their account in Parchment. This account will allow them to request official transcripts to be sent directly to employers, colleges, and other post secondary institutions. Parchment is a free platform, however, after graduation there is a small fee associated with requesting a transcript be sent.
THANK YOU --LAUREN LAWS!
CLASS OF 2027 FUNDRAISER
Freshman Give Back Night--OPEN TO EVERYONE TO ATTEND!
November 9th 5:30-8:30
Surfari Joes - Watervliet
$20/swimmer
Surfari Joes will donate half of all sales back to the Class of 2027.
WHAT'S UP IN ANATOMY?
ALL SOPHOMORES HEARD A PRESENTATION THIS WEEK ABOUT THE EARLY MIDDLE COLLEGE WHICH ALLOWS YOUR CHILD TO EARN AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE AT NO COST WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR TRIP
UPCOMING ATHLETIC EVENTS
Friday, October 20
7:00 PM Varsity Football at Allegan
Saturday, October 21
10:00 AM HS Cross Country at Kalamazoo Christian Elementary School
MCBA Jennison Marching Band Competition
Tuesday, October 24
5:00 PM Varsity volleyball at Dowagiac with Lakeshore and Hopkins
Saturday, October 28
9:00 AM Varsity Cross Country Regionals Meet at Portage Central HS
WATERVLIET VOLLEYBALL
Panthers traveled to St Joe High School to start play at 8:30am, Saturday morning. It was competitive day, a day of growth and a day of playing smart. The Lady Panthers have been putting in the work and their commitment to each other is paying off! The Panthers had three players with over 20 kills, five players with over 25 digs, four players with at least 5 aces and 4 players with over 4 blocks. Grace Chisek led with 92 assist. Panthers ended the day as undefeated tournament champions for the second year in a row.
Panthers play Tuesday, 10/17 at home against SAC Valley and Central Divisional Champs Kalamazoo Christian and Martin.
Watervliet vs Kalamazoo Central, 25-22, 25-10
Watervliet vs LoyNorrix, 25-11, 25-14
Watervliet vs Brandywine, 25-21, 25-21
Watervliet vs Decatur, 25-21, 25-14
Watervliet vs St Joseph, 25-11, 25-15 – Championship Match
(Teams eliminated out of pool play, Bridgman, Dowagiac, LoyNorrix, Kalamazoo Central)
MS CROSS COUNTRY
Congratulations to the cross country team from Watervliet for their historic win at the Portage Regional Championship! Winning the Regional Cross Country Title for the first time in school history is a remarkable achievement, especially under challenging rainy and muddy conditions. The team’s performance, led by Daniella Romero’s second-place finish and personal record (PR) with a time of 13:32, is truly commendable.
Here’s a recap of the notable performances from the girls’ team:
Daniella Romero – 2nd place with a time of 13:32 (PR).
Stephany Villareal – 10th place with a time of 14:22.
Payton Yeske – Time of 14:31.
Layla Klimkiewicz – Time of 15:08.
Miranda Lowell – Time of 16:13.
Amara Dodge – Time of 21:06.
It’s impressive that five of the girls finished in the top twenty, contributing to a total of 72 points, which secured their victory with a nine-point lead over the second-place team.
On the boys’ side, Sam Casiano’s first-place finish with a time of 11:25 at the Portage Regional Championship is a remarkable achievement, putting him among the best cross country runners in the State of Michigan. The team’s performance is also praiseworthy:
Sam Casiano – 1st place with a time of 11:25.
Tony Perez – 6th place with a time of 12:32.
Daniel Perez – Time of 14:06.
Gabriel Martinez – Time of 15:22.
David Kerr – Contributed to Watervliet’s team.
It’s remarkable that both the girls and boys teams from Watervliet have achieved such success, becoming one of the best cross country programs not only in southwest Michigan but also in the state. It’s especially impressive that both teams have just enough athletes to score, with six athletes on each team, showing the dedication and talent of the athletes and their coaches. This achievement is a testament to their hard work and commitment to excellence in cross country.
VARSITY FOOTBALL SENIOR NIGHT
Watervliet hosted Parchment on this rainy Senior Night and came away with a big 31-14 Win.
Defensively the Panthers were stingy – Forcing 2 Fumbles and getting a Pick 6 from Joe Coulombe to end the scoring. Coulombe along with Owen Epple, Carson Underwood, Gabe Meachum and Dee White played very well at linebacker and kept the Parchment run game bottled up. The big boys up front held their own as well (Zach Rader, Josh Sturdevant, Reise Bulat and Mike Melcher)
Offensively the Panthers ran for 275 yards on the ground lead by Owen Epple (101 and 2 TD’s) and Underwood (101) along with Wyatt Epple who also had 3 catches and a receiving TD. Chase Tremblay hauled in a 1 armed TD as well from Jacob Schaefer.
We’d like to congratulate our Seniors on their Final Home Game: Zach Rader, Reise Bulat, Mike Melcher, Josh Sturdevant, Aiden Bethea, Colton Swisher, Joe Coulombe, Ben Parritt, Connor Zwar, Kaiden Bierhalter, Levi Getz, Jacob Schaefer, Wyatt Epple and Chase Tremblay all are finishing up a successful Football Career here at Watervliet and have helped our program tremendously over their years!!
JOB POST
JOB POST: GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER COACH
Nancy Scowcroft
OCT 16, 2023
Watervliet Public Schools is seeking an outstanding Girls' Varsity Soccer Coach. Interested parties can learn more about this position HERE.
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PRESENTATION FOR PARENTS
PBIS FOCUS FOR THIS WEEK
REETHS-PUFFER AT GRANDVILLE HS
RED RIBBON WEEK DRESS UP DAYS OCT 23-27
COLLEGE APPLICATION MONTH IS HERE!
Goal: 100% of Seniors will complete at least 2 college applications in October.
College Campus Visits:
9th Graders TBD - SMC (mid to late November)
10th Graders TBD
11th Graders TBD - Combined 11th/12th trip to Hope (45 students, tentatively Oct. 27)
12th Graders TBD
Presentations/Activities YET TO COME!
Dec 4th FAFSA Night for Parents 6pm
Dec 4th FAFSA presentation in all English 12 Classes
Mondays: Jeans day for all faculty and staff wearing college gear to school! All students are encouraged to wear their college gear!
Oct 23
Oct 30
In English 12 classes: students write a college comparison paper; they research careers, scholarships, and colleges in a program called Xello.
College Application Days in English 12 on Oct 19th and Oct 30th; Seniors complete an LMC application. Students also sign up for the Common App and start adding schools to their list.
Staff bulletin board: I went to college and you can too! A banner will be created and placed in the hall from the first college gear day with as many faculty as possible.
Daily trivia in the announcements and a prize for the first student responder with the correct answer every day of the month.
Public gauge of FAFSA completion rate and college application rate posted in hall. Thank you to advanced art students for creating this.
Tags on senior lockers to all of the places that each senior has applied.
A sign placed outside each teacher’s door that reads I attended College. Ask me about it! (with the institution attended)
Each day of the month teachers will be assigned one day to talk to all of there classes about the following: Where they went, why they chose that school, how they paid for it, what they studied, what they participated in, what they liked/disliked, knowing what they know now what they night have done differently, etc.
WESCO PEPSI CHALLENGE
Wesco is honored to be a part of every community in which each of our 55 locations resides. We are also fortunate enough to have the ability to give back to these communities. Through our relationship with Pepsi, $20,000 of fountain profits will be given to local public high schools like yours.
Every Wesco location will donate one cent from each fountain drink sold to local public high schools during October, November, and December. Pepsi has committed to donating up to $20,000 of fountain cup proceeds. Each Public High School will receive a minimum of $100. The rest of the $20,000 pledge will be distributed according to sales.
As one of the high schools selected, you will be notified of the amount collected from your local Wesco in early January. We are excited to work with Pepsi on this generous giving program for our local public education.
ENROLLMENT EXPRESS FORMS FOR ALL FAMILIES
Below are the instructions to complete the registration/enrollment process for the new school year.
Step 1: Set up a PowerSchool account. If you do not already have a PowerSchool account, you can set up one by doing the following:
A. Open the Internet browser on your computer.
B. Type https://watervlietpowerschool.berrienresa.org/public/home.html into the address bar.
C. Click on the CREATE ACCOUNT tab. You must create a parent account.
D. Fill in the information requested for your desired username and password. You will need to confirm your email before you move to the next step.
If you already have a parent account, log into it and select ACCOUNT PREFERENCES and add student on the student tab. Their Access ID and Access Password will also need to be ttyped exactly s it appears on the welcome letter.
If you forgot your username or password, click on Forgot Username or Password on the parent portal sign in screen.
Step 2: Complete Enrollment Forms
In PowerSchool, select the student you are enrolling and click on the FORMS link with the left navigation menu. Click ENROLLMENT. You will navigate through several forms. Please make sure that you complete all forms.
Step 3: Provide Documentation
If you are unable to upload documentation vis the document upload elements on the form, please bring the following documentation to your school office from 7:30 AM -3:00 PM.
If you have questions, please call the school office at 269.463.0730 between 7:30 AM -3:00 PM, Monday -Friday.
PBIS TEAM--WE NEED YOUR HELP!
WHS has a PBIS team that includes parents, teachers, students, and staff. PBIS is a system of positive behavior and supports in the building that define expectations for kids and guide their decision making and behavior. The team meets on the last Monday of the month at 3:15 to review, update and add to our PBIS plan in the building. We are currently looking for additional parents to add to this team for the 23-24 school year. Our next meeting is Monday, October 30th at 3:15 PM in the high school media center. If you would like to join the team, or just come to learn more about it, please email Ms. Powers at cpowers@watervlietps.org or Dr. Mosher, who serves as the chair of the team at donya.mosher@watervlietps.org.
ACCESS CANVAS THIS YEAR!
We want all of our parents to be able to access their child's grades and progress in Canvas at any time. Please follow the directions below in order to access Canvas for your child this year !
Here is the direct link too. https://www.watervlietps.org/o/wps/page/canvas-resources
23-24 SCHOOL DATES--UPDATED PERIODICALLY
Oct 23 Fall Band Concert
Oct 25 Early Release Day
Oct 25 Picture Retake Day
Oct 26 Fall Choir Concert
Oct 27 End of MP 1
Nov 1 Early Release Day
Nov 1 SAC 7:30 AM
Nov 3 October Student of the Month Breakfast 8:15 AM
Nov 15 Early Release Day
Nov 15 SAC 7:30 AM
Nov 16 Military Informational Night 6 pm
Nov 22 NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF
November 23/24 Thanksgiving Break
Nov 27 FAFSA Informational Night 7 pm
Nov 29 Early Release Day
Nov 29 PAC 6 pm
Nov 29 SAC 7:30 AM
Nov 30 Blood Drive
Dec 1 Progress Reports
Dec 1 November Student of the Month Breakfast 8:15 AM
Dec 6 Early Middle College Informational Night 6 pm
Dec 13 Early Release Day
Dec 13 Career Fair
Dec 13 SAC 7:30 AM
Dec 14 Winter Band Concert
Dec 18 Winter Choir Concert
Dec 20 PAC 6 pm
Dec 25-Jan 5 Winter Break
Jan 8 Return to School
Jan 10 Early Release Day
Jan 10 SAC 7:30 AM
Jan 12 December Student of the Month Breakfast 8:15 AM
Jan 17-19 Half Days for Exams
Jan 22 Start of Semester 2
Jan 24 Early Release Day
Jan 24 SAC 7:30 AM
Jan 24 Senior /Scholarships Informational Night 6 pm
Jan 31 Early Release Day
Jan 31 PAC 6 pm
Feb 2 January Student of the Month Breakfast 8:15 AM
Feb 5-9 Winterfest Week
Feb 7 SAC 7:30 AM
Feb 8 Parent/Teacher Conferences 4-7 pm
Feb 9 Half Day Start of Mid Winter Break
Feb 12 No School Mid Winter Break
Feb 15 Pre Festival Band Concert
Feb 19 MCTI/Project Search Informational Night 6 pm
Feb 21 SAC 7:30 AM
Feb 22 Pre Festival Choir Concert 6:30 pm
Feb 23 Progress Reports
Feb 28 Early Release Day
Feb 28 PAC 6 pm
Mar 1 February Student of the Month Breakfast 8:15 AM
Mar 6 SAC 7:30 AM
Mar 12 LMC Accommodations Informational Night 6 pm
Mar 13 Early Release Day
Mar 20 SAC 7:30 AM
Mar 21 Van Buren Tech Informational Night 6 pm
Mar 27 PAC 6 pm
Mar 27 Early Release Day
Mar 28 End of MP 3
Mar 29 Good Friday No School
Mar 29-Apr 5 Spring Break
April 11 Work Keys testing for Juniors
Apr 12 March Student of the Month Breakfast 8:15 AM
Apr 17 Early Release Day
Apr 17 SAC 7:30 AM
Apr 18 SAT for JUNIORS, PSAT for 9th and 10th Graders
Apr 19 MSTEP for Juniors (Science and Social Studies)
Apr 22 Dual Enrollment Informational Night 6 pm
Apr 24 PAC 6 pm
May 1 Early Release Day
May 1 Decision Day 10 am (Seniors)
May 1 SAC 7:30 AM
May 3 Progress Reports
May 3 April Student of the Month Breakfast 8:15 AM
May 9 Blood Drive
May 11 PROM 7-11 PM; place TBD
May 15 Early Release Day
May 15 Senior Awards Night 6 pm
May 15 SAC 7:30 AM
May 16 Spring Band Concert
May 22 PAC 6 pm
May 21-23 Senior Exams Days
May 23 Spring Choir Concert
May 24 Seniors’ Last Day
May 24 Car Parade
May 27 Memorial Day; No School
May 29 Baccalaureate 6 pm (Seniors)
May 29 SAC 7:30 AM
May 30 Senior Picnic/School visits and grad practice
May 31 May Student of the Month Breakfast 8:15 AM
May 31 Graduation 6:30 pm
June 3 Underclassmen Awards; time TBD
June 4-6 Half Days for Exams
June 6 Last Day of School