Thomas Schalmo, Principal
The holiday season is upon us, and there is much to celebrate and be thankful for here at Waukesha North!
Thank you for your support of our Bell-to-Bell initiative this school year. We are working to maximize every instructional minute from the initial bell for each class period to the one that dismisses students. We are grateful for the universal support of our attendance and cell phone policies.
Our staff is laser-focused on students' academic achievement, as evidenced by our monthly work analyzing students' grades. We are seeing year-to-year gains in the grades of our overall student population as well as our subgroups of English language learners and special education students.
The winter season brings with it musical performances, holiday celebrations, and our winter athletic teams. I encourage our entire community to engage with these special events so we can celebrate our accomplishments together.
As we approach the month of January, final exams are right around the corner. In this newsletter, please check out our first semester final exam schedule to ensure your student is prepared for success on those.
As always, please reach out with any comments or questions that you have! Happy Holidays to you and yours from the entire North team!
Tom Schalmo
Principal
Christina Ali, Assistant Principal (H-Q)
Hello Northstar Students and Families,
I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break and are back into the swing of things!
Can you believe we are already almost into the second semester? Please take some time to talk with your child about how they are preparing for their course exams that are taking place January 18, 19,and 20. This is also a great opportunity for your child to utilize their academic planners to schedule time at home and here at school to study.
In addition, students can take advantage of Just In Time Support (JIT) on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. JIT is the perfect time for your child to ask their teacher clarifying questions about an assignment, work with their peers to finish a final project, or to prepare for their exams! If a student is not specifically assigned to a JIT, students can ask their teachers to assign them via Infinite Campus.
Feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher if you ever have questions about their grades or academic progress. We appreciate your continued support as we work to ensure that all our students are successful here at North.
Finally, throughout the course of the next few months, our students will be required to take specific standardized tests based on their grade levels. Here is the outline of our assessment calendar for January, February, and March.
Brian Schlei, Assistant Principal (A-G)
Greetings, Northstars.
This month I would like to highlight school board policies related to dress and grooming, commonly referred to as the dress code. Per policy 5511, the Board of Education recognizes that each student's mode of dress and grooming is a manifestation of personal style and individual preference. The Board will not interfere with the right of students and their parents to make decisions regarding their appearance, except when their choices interfere with the educational program of the schools.
In essence, we respect student’s ability to express themselves through their clothing choices as long as it does not present a hazard to the health or safety of the student himself/herself or to others in the school; interfere with school work, create disorder, or disrupt the educational program; cause excessive wear or damage to school property; prevent the student from achieving his/her own educational objectives because of blocked vision or restricted movement.
Students are prohibited from the wearing of hats or other headwear (including hoodies) and coats in school on regular school days. This includes wearing blankets or carrying backpacks, students should expect to be redirected to remove and put these items in their lockers. It is really important that we are able to identify students and more importantly intruders that may utilize some if these items to conceal their identity to gain access to the building.
Clothing, jewelry, body art, or any accessory advertising alcohol, tobacco or other drugs are at a counter purpose with District AODA programs and therefore deemed inappropriate.
Our staff is very conscious of addressing students in a polite and supportive manner, and we understand that students sometimes associate things such as hoods as a tool for managing anxiety. In those instances we connect students with our school counselors, who have a wealth of more acceptable coping strategies available to share.
Serious and repeated violations of this policy may result in parent notification and/or other consequences. Students who violate the foregoing rules will not be admitted to class and may be suspended from school. If the clothing cannot be removed, the student may be sent home after contact is made with the student's parent.
We take student safety very seriously here at North High School, and we appreciate your support in enforcing this policy.
Respectfully,
Brian Schlei
Assistant Principal (A-G)
Waukesha North High School
Carl Anderson, Athletic/Activities Director & Assistant Principal (R-Z)
Winter sports are off and running. Our athletes are participating in a wide variety of sports and activities this winter season. Some highlights include a visit from Santa at the Boys Basketball game on 12/13, the upcoming Cheer Alumni night at a basketball game on 1/13, and the Boys Hockey Tournament that was held over winter break. All of our winter teams will be participating in their end of season competitions and playoffs at the end of February or the beginning of March.
North is always looking for additional help running scoreboards, announcing games and keeping the book at many of our events. These are paid positions, so please let me know if you are interested in helping fill these important roles.
I would also like to thank our students, families and fans for their sportsmanship at our North Events. The North students, families and fans are some of the best I’ve seen at any school I’ve coached at in terms of positively supporting our student-athletes. Please continue to display the fantastic sportsmanship North is known for.
Carl Anderson
Athletic/Activities Director
Assistant Principal (R-Z)
Get Your Vote In! Horwitz DeRemer Planetarium Nominated for Best of the Burbs!
The Horwitz DeRemer Planetarium was nominated for Best of the Burbs! If given the opportunity to win the title of "Best of the Burbs, this would make the HD Planetarium a household name outside of Waukesha County. Additional Exposure = Additional Funding = NEW Shows!
Vote once, or up to once daily by visiting https://vote.milwaukeemag.com/recreation/attraction-museums-historic-sites-amusement-parks
Deadline to vote is January 15th!
Advanced Placement(AP) Exam Registration
We have passed the regular AP test registration deadline for this school year, however, the final day to register for an AP exam is March 8th, 2023. There is an additional late fee of $40 per exam for any AP test registration completed between 11/8/22 - 3/8/23. In order to take an AP exam this school year, students must register for the exam through Total Registration at www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.
Please click on the following link to view additional AP testing information. If you have questions you can reach out to your child’s AP teacher or Heidi Stigler, AP Coordinator, at: hstigler@waukesha.k12.wi.us
SENIORS
Graduation Information:
Here is a list of important graduation information. Be sure to reference this so you know deadlines and other pertinent information as it pertains to your graduation.
Scholarships Throughout the Year
At this time of year, seniors should be active in watching the Waukesha North Student Services webpage for scholarships available. The key scholarship season for this year’s Class of 2023 is January – March, with many scholarships available that someone at North is guaranteed to earn. Click on the following link to go directly to our North Scholarship Booklet. All scholarships will be announced at Senior Honors Night, May 17th, at 7pm in the North auditorium. As seniors begin receiving scholarships, they need to stop in the Student Services office with the scholarship information so they can be included in Honors Night.
Accepted T-shirts
Have you received an acceptance letter from a college or university? Then stop down to Student Services to receive your awesome "Accepted" shirt and picture for our display. Please see Ms. Wilkum in Student Services with any questions. Remember, you just have to be "Accepted" - this does not necessarily mean this is the school you are going to. Please bring a copy of your letter or email.
Jostens
Seniors, use this link to place your order for your Cap and Gown.
Any questions please contact Chad Kilton / Jostens at - chad.kilton@jostens.com or 262-392-4245.
JUNIORS - Wisconsin Education Fair
Waukesha North is hosting our 6th annual spring Wisconsin Education Fair (WEF) on Friday, March 17th, from 9-11:00am. 100 universities, technical schools, military branches, and other post-secondary options will be present. All juniors at North will be attending the fair between 10-11am, and parents/guardians are welcome to meet their student to walk through the fair with him/her. Every junior will be given tips about attending college fairs and questions to ask admission representatives prior to March 17th. We will also be providing each junior with the list of participating colleges in the weeks leading up to the event. To preview the event now, please go to www.wefs.org
Parking on March 17th: The main parking lot will be reserved for the admission representatives and parents who will be attending the event. We are asking that all students park in the overflow lot to the west of the main lot, or on the street. We appreciate everyone’s support in this effort to help our parking situation for the morning.
Enjoy a 360º experience touring colleges of your choice
Visit any college any time!! Check out this very informative website that can help you narrow down your search to find the school information you need:
https://www.youvisit.com/collegesearch
University of Wisconsin on campus and virtual tours
University of WI campuses have limited in-person tours. Please use the links below to visit our campuses virtually.
Scheduling Information & Timeline
January 30th: Students will be receiving their scheduling information in homeroom on this date. Counselors will also be sending scheduling information and videos to all students and parents via email. Detailed scheduling information can also be found on our North website under “Student Services” and “Scheduling” at https://sdw.waukesha.k12.wi.us/o/northhs/page/scheduling
January 30th through February 10th: Students fill out their course selection sheet and then input their course selections into the Academic Planner of Infinite Campus. This can be done from home or during their Homeroom hour on 1/30 or 2/6. Students are welcome to schedule a meeting with their counselor if they have questions or would like to discuss their selections after they have viewed the scheduling information sent via email.
February 10th: Last day for students/families to make changes to course selections in Infinite Campus.Students will be strongly encouraged to make thoughtful course selections, as they will not be allowed to switch courses to an alternate they did not originally select after schedules are finalized.
June 1st: Schedules released in Infinite Campus for students and families to view. Students and parents/guardians can submit a schedule change request, if there is a problem with the schedule. A Google form will be sent out with instructions regarding how to complete a schedule change request. Reminder: students will not be allowed to select an entirely new course that was not listed as one of their electives or alternates.
June 9th: Last day to submit a schedule change request.
All-Color Yearbooks $75
The award-winning, all-color Waukesha North Northern Lights yearbook is now on sale! Yearbooks can be ordered online at yearbookforever.com for $75.
Last day to order to be guaranteed a yearbook is January 6th!
Order TODAY!
Yearbook Senior Tributes
Are you looking for the perfect way to acknowledge your graduate? Consider placing a Senior Tribute in the 2022-2023 yearbook. Senior Tributes are available as an 1/8 page, 1/4 page, ½ page and full page ads. Tributes appear in color and prices start at $40.
Tributes include one or two photos and a personalized message. Tributes can be ordered online at yearbookforever.com through February 3, 2023. Please contact Kristin Kamenar at 262.970.3681 or kkameanar@waukesha.k12.wi.us if you have any questions.
Students! Make Sure You Refresh Your Schedule Every Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday Each Week
JIT schedules are constantly changing
If you do not have a JIT assignment Wed, Thurs, Friday,
You must go to your Monday/Tuesday Homeroom.
If you have questions about your schedule
stop in the main office or student services.
At North, we are focused on ensuring students are in a productive learning environment from the bell signaling the start of class to the bell ending class -- in other words: bell-to-bell.
From bell-to-bell:
1) Students' cell phones should not be seen or heard. Like last school year, students may either turn their phone into their teacher's cell phone caddy at the start of class or leave their cell phone locked away in their locker.
2) In order to be able to safely identify all students, hats and hoodies may not be worn in the classroom or in hallways.
3) Students must be in their classroom on time and must remain in the classroom until dismissed by their teacher at the end of class.
Thank you for your partnership in ensuring your student is successful from bell-to-bell!
Is Your Child Too Sick To Attend School?
Deciding when to keep a sick child home from school can be a difficult decision. To help identify illnesses in our schools, parents/guardians are encouraged to report their child’s specific symptoms when calling in sick to the health room at their child’s school. Voice messages can be left for our health room assistants 24 hours a day on a confidential voicemail. For guidelines and additional information, please review the following information:
Click here for ENGLISH
Click here for SPANISH
Library Catalog - Destiny Information
Did you know that you have the ability to search, hold and read books in our district libraries from anywhere, on any of your devices? Just have students use the app on their iPads called "Follett Destiny'' (the one with a tree) that takes them directly to the traditional catalog. Or the newer look is the Destiny Discover app (see image below). Both apps will accomplish the same task- just a different look. Click on "Catalog" to search for a book or another resource. If you would like to place a hold on a book, or read an electronic copy of the book, or to view your own account, you just need to be logged in first. You will see “Log in'' in the upper-right hand side of your screen. Use the same username and password that you use for your other accounts in the district. Username is a first part (before @) of your student’s SDW email account (first initial+last name+###@stu.waukesha.k12.wi.us). Password is lunch code+safe word.
Find some New Titles and place them on hold. We will deliver it to your English class.
Don’t have an English class we will then look to see what class we can bring the book to.
Here is how you see Recently Added Titles
Backpacks
School safety and security has become a key issue across our nation.
Therefore, all backpacks must be stored in student’s lockers during the school day. Students will not be allowed to have backpacks, cinch sacks, bins, etc. and full size purses (no larger than 7” x 10” x 2”) in classrooms and during passing times, unless they are coming to or leaving school.
We understand that there may be some student exceptions to this practice due to a variety of circumstances. A backpack exemption form is available in the office or student services.
Parents United 2022-23 Free Programs
iPad Problems or Questions?
If your iPad is damaged, doesn’t work correctly, isn’t backed up, is lost or stolen, or isn’t in a Protective Case, you need help from the Media Center!
If you answered yes to anything above, please see
Mrs. Sajdak in the Media Center for help.
If you are using one of our loaners while yours is out for repair PLEASE DO NOT remove our Loaner iPad from the case it is in when you receive it.
Media Center Hours
Monday-Friday
7:35am - 3:15pm
Student Parking - Main Lot Parking Pass
Our Main Lot requires assigned spot parking passes this year. The fee for parking in the main lot is $100 per semester. Students will be provided with an assigned parking stall and matching hang tag. Any violators will be ticketed by the Waukesha Police Department.
If you have a current parking pass, please renew by paying the fee with a credit card online or by cash/check in the Main Office. You do not need to fill out the registration form again. Then pick up your new hang tag by January 27th.
If you need a new parking pass, please read and fill out the registration form, and bring your insurance, vehicle registration, and driver's license along with payment to the Main Office. All school fees need to be paid if full before a parking pass can be issued. Any questions please contact Mrs. Schaefgen at mschaefgen@waukesha.k12.wi.us
Bus Transportation
