Wauwatosa West Updates

West students benefitted from a recent series of career exploration events with We Energies (WE). Professionals came to West earlier in the Fall to introduce students to careers in their field. They followed that with a recent field day where students were able to participate in a series of activities to get first hand experience with the skills required to thrive in the energy industry.

Students are now able to apply for paid summer internships that could lead to a paid Youth Apprenticeship during the school year in 2024-25. Applications are due November 17th.

West is fortunate to have had this opportunity. It will be a priority for us to develop more partnerships and opportunities to connect students with a wide range of opportunities to explore career fields. We are confident that as we connect students to a viable plan for their future they will come to school with a greater sense of purpose. Thank you We Energies for providing this opportunity and a model we can build from.

Thank you to everyone that partnered with us and participated in parent conferences. We will continue to work to establish a consistent format that meets the needs of families. To that end please take a few moments to provide feedback on your experience through this survey. Your feedback will help us meet your needs.

Please see the Attendance Framework below to understand the steps we have in place to monitor and intervene when students are not attending school consistently. West has a lot to offer for our students in the way of rich programming, engaging co-curricular activities and support personnel and programs to help remove barriers to success. Chronic absenteeism continues to prevent students from accessing these opportunities. If your student is struggling to attend school please reach out to a counselor or administrator for help. We are confident we can help.

Thank you to our Dean of Students, Kaci Smith and School Social Worker, Felicia Perkins for their work on building structures and supports to improve our attendance. They are both skilled and compassionate resources here to support our students.

Mayor McBride came to West this morning to officially proclaim today as the "Day of Frozen" in Wauwatosa. All tickets are sold out for the entire run run of Frozen; our students will perform for a packed house.

We are proud to partner with the Educational Theatre Association, Music Theatre International and Disney Theatrical Group to produce this pilot production. We are grateful to have received this honor, thanks to our talented students and dedicated staff. We are equally proud of our supportive community.

Thank you Director Adam Steffan, Music Director Alex Hunt and the entire theater staff for building this opportunity for our students at West.

We’re ready to take Wauwatosa by (snow)storm! See you in Arendelle! #tosawesttheatre #varsitytheatre #tosawest #tosaproud #UsofFrozen #loveisanopendoor

Enjoy this feature on CBS58 to hear more about our upcoming production.

Good luck at the State Finals!

Wauwatosa is proud to be recognized by AFS, our key Foreign Exchange partner, as 2023 USA Medallion School. We have received this for our participation in the Youth Exchange and Study program. You can read more about the program here.

Semester Exams will be held at West on January 17-19th. Please save those dates on student calendars.

We are fortunate to have exceptional student leaders at West that would be great candidates for the Senate Scholar Program.

The Senate Scholar Program is an intensive week-long educational program offered by the Wisconsin State Senate. Admission to the program is highly competitive and is limited to 33 academically exceptional high school juniors and seniors from around Wisconsin. Each Senate Scholar receives a hands-on, up-close view of the Legislature’s role in our democracy.

Senate Scholars gain experience in such diverse areas as policy development, constituent relations, and processing legislation by working with Senators, legislative staff and University of Wisconsin faculty. Interested students should click here to learn more and submit an application. Applications are due by November 17, 2023.

Students can thrive when they are well fed and satisfied.

Our Food Service partner, Sodexo, has launched a Student and Family Survey, which will be active through November 17, 2023. Through this survey, Sodexo will gain insights from students and families to influence change to its services, programs, and support if necessary.

Sodexo’s global customer experience provider, InMoment, will be collecting all field survey results. Sodexo will share survey results in January. Please click here to complete the survey no later than Friday, November 17.

Thank you Sodexo for taking this step to continue developing our food options at West.

On Sunday, November 12 from 4-6 p.m., learn about four teens’ experiences with mental health and other challenges at a TED Talk-style presentation that also features resources and a dessert buffet. Click here to view the event flyer or RSVP at www.wishuknew.org.

To deepen our auditor’s understanding of Social Studies in the Wauwatosa School District, we would like to extend an opportunity to hear from our families. Dr. Melissa Gibson will be present for focus group sessions on Thursday, November 16 at the Fisher Administration Building, in conference room C. This is a great opportunity to share ideas and provide feedback around the current state of Social Studies programming within the District. Your input and insights are valuable!

Recommended time frames for this discussion are as follows:

• JK-5 families: 5-5:30 p.m.

• 6-8 families: 5:30-6 p.m.

• 9-12 families: 6-6:30 p.m.

Virtual on Zoom: 6:30-7 p.m.

The next WSD Parent University professional learning session, Promoting Early Literacy Strategies, will take place on Tuesday, November 14, from 6-7 p.m. at the Fisher Administration Building, Conference Room C. Please RSVP by completing this form.

Members of the community are strongly encouraged to stay up-to-date on the Tosa 2075 Task Force’s activities by reviewing materials, meeting agendas and recaps on the Tosa 2075 Task Force web page. The Task Force will meet again on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.