Panther Print for Parents 🐾

This week’s Press Box Player of the Week is Watervliet’s Natalie Hart.

Natalie is a senior outside hitter on the Panther volleyball team. She was named third team all-state last season on a team that reached the regional finals and was a key part of the 2021 regional championship team. She was preparing for this season when she suffered a compound fracture in her lower-right leg, breaking both bones during a summer scrimmage on July 11. News of the injury was a gut-punch to the

entire Panther community. Was her promising senior season over before it even began?

Days after surgery to insert a rod and four screws she was put into a walking boot and then healed faster than you could imagine. She began therapy and then workouts and made her way back onto the court in September, barely two months later. This past week she played nearly all of 17 sets and is approaching full strength, making an amazing recovery just in time for another playoff run. Her team rallied around her in the days after the injury, visiting after practices and keeping her spirits up. “My team is really close, we are all close friends and that makes us play a better game.” Outside of volleyball she’s the reigning Miss Watervliet, raises pigs and shows them at the fair, is an officer in both Student Council and National Honor Society, and serves on the principal’s advisory council. She’s passionate about science and plans to attend the University of Tennessee to pursue a nursing degree and eventually become a nurse anesthetist.

She said “Breaking my leg and the recovery taught me to take nothing for granted and make the most of every opportunity.”

Congratulations, and good luck Natalie!

Panthers,

As we get closer to our bond proposal vote on Tuesday, November 7th I wanted to thank the Rocket Football program for their continued support and collaboration with the Watervliet Athletic Department.

The communication, collaboration, and partnership between our two organizations over the years has contributed to the success for both organizations. From scheduling practices, picture nights, games & scrimmages to ordering equipment, both groups work well together to provide some of the highest participation rates of school kids in and around this area.

Please check out the attached bond proposal sheet for all of the benefits and opportunities this bond provides our kids and community.

If you are a voting citizen in our school district, please take the time to cast your vote on Tuesday, November 7th.

Thank you,

Ken Dietz

Congratulations to our middle school and high school choir members for their excellent performance on the fall concert! The night was filled with music following the theme, “Live in Color”. Some of the featured songs were: “Blackbird”, by the Beatles, “True Colors”, with solos by Ella Harris and Christopher Parkhurst. “For Good”, from the musical “Wicked” with solos by Gabby Guthrie and Sienna Harris, “Let It Grow” from The Lorax movie with solos by Billy Varner, Jaxon Anderson, and Cierra Woodson, “The Song That Nature Sings”, “Rainstorm”, “Shoshone Love Song” and a mass choir number entitled, “More to Me” with solos by Cadia Raines, Jenna Ritter and Lauren Lovell.

Great job, choirs!

Anyone interested in Science Olympiad please see Dr. Mosher. The team is assembling quickly!

Varsity Basketball Cheerleading tryouts are this Friday, October 27th, from 3:30-4:30 in the auditorium lobby! The sign up sheet is in the front office

Sign-up for the Senior Trip is in Mrs. Tyler’s office. Sign-up and $40 can be turned into Mrs. Tyler and are due by November 3rd. First 50 people to sign-up are guaranteed a ticket/seat!

The only students permitted to be in the building after school are those who are working with a coach or a teacher. If you are waiting for ride, wait at the cafe doors please. Students are not permitted to be in the building after school unless with supervising adult.

Semester 2 dual enrollment is open now. If you plan on dual enrolling for semester 2 see Mrs. Tyler ASAP and get registered.

If you choose to dress up for Halloween on Tuesday, no weapons, real or fake can be brought into school. If a teacher asks you to remove a mask in class, you are expected to do so.

NEXT WEDNESDAY is another early release day. PJs are allowed. You will eat the same lunch as your 5th hour teacher.

MARKING PERIOD 1 IS OVER. REPORT CARDS WILL BE MAILED HOME NEXT WEEK. 9 weeks remain in this semester.

My husband, Jim, and I grew up in Watervliet and bought a house here after we were married. We still live there with our two kids, Addy and Preston. Addy and Preston both attend elementary school in Watervliet as well. Jim and I were high school sweethearts, and will be celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary next weekend! This is my third year working in the guidance office, and I love it!

I attended high school here at Watervliet High School, and graduated as one of three valedictorians of my class. I then went to Lake Michigan College, where I earned an Associate in Science degree. I worked in the medical field for many years, but decided that I wanted a new path and Watervliet High School was a perfect fit!

As the guidance secretary, I get to meet many of our students at the high school. I spend lots of time coordinating our dual enrollment program, both in helping our students choose courses and ensuring that they have what they need to be successful during the semester. I am also in charge of student records, and help in whatever other ways I am needed.Mrs. Richcreek and I co-advise Student Council; it has been great working with the group of kids we have this year! I am also the treasurer for the elementary school PTO.

In my free time, I enjoy reading and crocheting; I taught myself to crochet with YouTube during the pandemic. My family and I spend lots of time dedicated to sports, if we aren't watching my kids play basketball, football, or softball we are at the high school cheering on our teams.

I am proud to be a WHS Panther because I believe we have one of the best school systems in the area. Not only do we have many academic options, but we have a wonderful staff who truly care about our students as well as students who are willing to work hard for what they want to achieve. I am a product of WHS and I am very proud of the life I have given myself!

One thing people might not know about me is that my family has a goal of visiting all 30 MLB ballparks!

On Saturday, October 21st The Watervliet Marching Band traveled to the Jenison Invitational. They received 1st place in flight 5 with a score of 76.8 and received awards for Best Music, Best Visual, Best General Effect, and Best Color Guard.

Social Studies classes are starting to get into the thick of things as the first marking period comes to a close. Here is a snapshot of what everyone has been up to recently.

Mr. Linderman's World History classes are discussing the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Students worked collaboratively on a cause-effect analysis and groups then designed posters to creatively and visually demonstrate what they felt were the most impactful causes of the fall of the empire.

Mr. Andrews' U.S. History classes have been looking at American life around the turn of the century (1900). Recently students learned about some of the underlying problems caused by rapid industrialization and population growth. After learning about this students wrote newspaper articles as if they were reporters exposing the variety of problems to their readers. Students are now exploring Progressive Era solutions to these problems.

Meanwhile, in Mr. Weber's Civics classes, the students have been taking a comprehensive look at the founding principles of the American government and the U.S. Constitution. The students are now moving on by examining the individual rights and liberties they have as citizens within the United States as well as the limitations on those rights and liberties.

The social studies elective classes have been hard at work as well. After examining the role of societal and cultural norms in the world, Mr. Weber's Sociology students are now in the midst of a deep dive into the U.S. criminal justice system, including such topics as deviance, crime categories and definitions, courtroom procedures, sentencing guidelines, incarceration, and rehabilitation. On the horizon is a unit focusing on the different social classes in American society and the distribution of power and wealth within America.

U.S. History In-Depth classes, taught by Mr. Andrews, have chosen to take a deep dive into World War II. Students recently completed an Inquiry project on either Pearl Harbor, the Bataan Death March, or another early war topic. These included presentations to the class. Coming up will be a closer examination of the war in the Pacific, as well as a project on different types of popular American foods throughout our country's history. This will culminate in a feast in which students will prepare popular foods from different era's for everyone to sample.

Saturday, October 28

9:00 AM Varsity Cross Country Regionals Meet at Portage Central HS

Wednesday, November 1

7:00 PM Varsity Volleyball District Semi-final at Coloma

Thursday, November 2

6:00 PM Possible Volleyball District Final at Coloma

Saturday, November 4

9:30 AM Cross Country State Finals, MI International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI

MCBA Band State Competition at Ford Field, Detroit

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.

Each week, the high school teachers take some time out in their 3rd hour classes to review the expectations in an area of the building. This coming week we will focus on TECHNOLOGY. Please review these expectations with your child. Students can enter a PBIS raffle in the main office anytime a raffle ticket is earned for demonstrating SAFETY, RESPECT, and RESPONSIBILITY at school!

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.

New for the 23-24 school year is Enrollment Express Forms through our student information system., Powerschool. We will not be sending home paper forms this year for returning students. All forms will be updated and/or completed online through Watervliet PowerSchool Parent Portal.

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.

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.

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 !

For information and directions on how to use your parent Canvas account to check grades, view assignments or message teachers, visit www.watervlietps.org and click on the Canvas for Parents Link in the middle of the homepage.

Here is the direct link too. https://www.watervlietps.org/o/wps/page/canvas-resources

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

Apr 8 School Resumes

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