Message from Principal Kuhnert
WELCOME TO STILWELL!
I am honored to serve our students, families, staff and community as the principal of Stilwell Junior High School. I will be dedicated to building strong relationships with our students, families, and the surrounding community. Community is an important word for me in our work. We want all of our students to feel that they are a part of something bigger than themselves and to proudly represent the Tiger tradition in their own unique individual way.
As we start the 2023-24 school year, these two classes will get to open our new auditorium which started construction in 2022. Our families will experience our new drop off and pick up lane and more importantly the education from our amazing staff. I always tell families that these years are the most important years to lean into your students. They are growing up and are becoming independent but they need adults to help problem solve and navigate their teenage years. Stilwell is committed to walk with our families to develop all of our students so they are ready for high school and beyond.
This is our school Newsletter and it comes about about once a week with important and timely information about our school for parents and students. We also have a link in this to our daily announcements which gives even more detail to our students about important information. If you ever find yourself questioning or wondering about something about Stilwell, please feel free to call us directly. We know you have a choice in schools and am thankful for each of our families that selected Stilwell and the West Des Moines Community Schools.
Mitch Kuhnert- Principal
David Perrigo- Associate Principal
Important Dates
Monday, August 21st
Tiger Launch- 2pm-7pm Families can come into the school and walk their schedules and check their locker. Families that purchase supplies last year can pick them up in the office.
Open House- 5pm-7pm Teachers will be available to meet in their rooms during these specific times. It is the same as Tiger Launch but the teachers will be in their rooms with the ability to speak to familes.
Wednesday, August 23rd
First day of School! It is an early out day as well so students will be dismissed at 1:50pm. Students will rotate through their teachers but will spend most of the time getting oriented to Junior High.
ACTIVITIES
7th Grade Participation
This year all 7th graders have officially been cleared to fully participate in the sports of Cross Country and Wrestling. This includes all home and away meets!
Registration and Physicals
Registration is open for all sports. All physicals will need to be uploaded to our sports registration website-Varsity Bound. STAY WITH THE VALLEY PAGE to register. (The Stilwell page is only for entering track meets and will not show sports to register for). All athletes must have an active sports physical (within 13 months) to participate during each season. When registering for the fall, please also click on sports of interest in the winter and spring, ensuring your athletic registration is complete for the year!
Practice Start Dates/information
Football practice
The official practice start date for Football is Monday, August 21st from 3 PM - 5:00 P.M. Starting on Wednesday after school the bus to and from practice will start. Players will catch the bus to practice after school and then around 4:45 they will load the bus to come back to Stilwell. You can pick up your athlete from Indian Hills after practice if you would like.
With this week's weather, we are aware of the hot temps that are going to occur. Unfortunately, we have to have 10 practices prior to our first game as it is a state rule. We will need to practice each day this week and next to get our 10 practices in. Coaches will give players lots of water breaks and find ways to keep them cooled off. Any Football Questions? Email Coach Nichols, at nicholst@wdmcs.org.
Volleyball practice
The official 8th-grade Volleyball practice start date is Thursday, August 24th after school. Any Volleyball Questions? Email Coach Svestka, svestkar@wdmcs.org
Calendar link:
8th Grade Volleyball Information
Cross Country practice
The official 7th and 8th grade Cross Country practice start date is Thursday, August 24th, after school. any Cross Country Questions? Email Coach Muenzenmay, muenzenmaya@wdmcs.org.
Schedules
Schedules are posted by and can be found at: https://cimlcentral.org/public/genie/79/school/7/
School Committees
This year our teacher committees have been tasked to have student focus groups to support and help develop their focus and to get student input. If your student has a desire for leadership please have them reach out to kuhnertm@wdmcs.org if they would like to be a part of these committees. All work will be done during the school day so families don't have to worry about transportion.
PBIS- Positive Behavior Intervention System is how we promote positive interactions between all members of our community. This committee looks at areas we need to improve and can create lessons and also support the fun activities when students earn them.
Tier 1- We are always looking to improve our instructional pratices and this committee looks at consistent practices in the classroom and promotes the learning that our students are looking for and expecting.
Student and Staff Wellness- We want our students and staff to feel like the belong in our space. This committee promotes the fun for all and creates activities that all can engage in to feel more connected to our school.
School Highlights
Student Anouncements:
Parents if you want to see our daily anouncements you can save this link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11pYrFf2fw6qy_E0zBL0RF5Kc5J1JorIGm5lvRliGle8/edit
Principal
Mitch Kuhnert
Assistant Principal
David Perrigo