Blue Streak Bulletin

Blue Streak Families,

Welcome to the 2023-24 school year! In our efforts to help bridge communication, we have a parent newsletter that will be issued monthly. Please review this, as there will be important dates, events, and opportunities to know about and get involved included in each issue. As always, feel free to reach out to us should you have any additional questions. Thank you for taking the time to be an active supporter of WHS!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GO STREAKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woodstock High School was ranked 58th of all Illinois High Schools and is the second-ranked public high school in McHenry County, according to the annual U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings.

The 2023-2024 ranking, released on Aug. 29, put Woodstock High School ahead of all McHenry County Schools other than Prairie Ridge High School (52nd) in Crystal Lake School District 155.

Woodstock North High School was ranked 118th on the list and placed within the top 100 Illinois High Schools in College Readiness Index and College Curriculum Breadth Index.

The ranking is the highest that Woodstock High School has ever achieved since U.S. News & World Report began ranking high schools in 2007. If magnet and other schools without set geographic boundaries like those Woodstock High School has were factored out, Woodstock High School would rank well within the top 50 of Illinois public high schools.

“This ranking is really a testament to the hard work that happens every day at WHS and all of District 200," WHS Principal Art Vallicelli said.

“The students and staff at Woodstock High School are exceptional in all that they do. The education and opportunities are second to none. We have our staff to thank for creating them and our students to applaud for making their education and future a priority,” he added.

The rankings are based on a number of factors including state standardized student test scores, the number of students taking AP exams among other data including how minority and economically disadvantaged students perform academically and graduation rates.

According to the analysis, Woodstock High School ranked 42nd in Illinois in the College Readiness Index. Woodstock High School students outperformed the state average in reading, math and nearly doubled the state average in science.

Don’t let 2 missed days define your year! Research shows that most students with just 2 absences in the first month of school go on to miss more than 25 days total. Start the year off strong by making sure students are in school whenever they are not sick.

Homecoming is almost here! Here's what you should know:

Opening Homecoming Assembly: Sept. 22

Held at approximately 2:50 p.m., Friday, September 22, in the Shipley Gymnasium. At this assembly, the week’s events are announced, the band, cheerleaders, and poms perform, the homecoming court is announced, and class games occur.

Click HERE for the bell schedule for Friday, Sept. 22.

Door Decorating Contest: Sept. 22

3:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.@ WHS

Each class will have a designated door to decorate at WHS that will coincide with our "Candy Land" theme.

Window Decorating: Sept. 26

3:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. on the Woodstock Square

9th: Anime & Things

10th: Sewing Concepts

11th: La Placita

12th: Read Between the Lynes

Float-building: Sept. 26-28

Float-building will take place at McHenry County Fairgrounds

Tuesday, 9/26 from 6 pm - 9 pm

Wednesday, 9/27 from 4 pm - 9 pm

Thursday, 9/28 from 4 pm - 9 pm

Class Games & Fall Sports Assembly: Sept. 29

Classes will compete in relay races and tug of war. We will announce fall sports teams, our homecoming court, and the winner of the spirit stick! The assembly will begin at approximately 1:45 p.m.

Homecoming Parade: Sept. 29

The Parade will happen immediately after the class competition/Fall Sports Assembly at approximately 2:45 p.m. All clubs, sports, court members, and class floats will move through the square and back to WHS.

Homecoming Football Games: Sept. 29

Sophomore Game @ 5 pm

Varsity Game @ 7 pm

Homecoming Dance: Saturday, 9/30, from 7-10 pm

• Court nominations will take place Aug. 29-30 via Google Form. Only juniors and seniors can nominate a senior to be on the court.
• Voting for King and Queen will be Sept. 6-9 via Google Forms
• Dance tickets will cost $20 in advance, and $25 at the door.

Congratulations to Woodstock High School's very own Elise Raymond! Elise is the winner of the Spring Art Show Award! Her talent is awe-inspiring and we are lucky to have her as part of our school and community! Great job Elise!

Mrs. Tanya Thomas

Position: I am the College and Career Counselor for both WHS and WNHS. I am also the Testing Coordinator for WHS.

Years in education: I started teaching HS English in Sycamore in 2006. Since then I've been a Truancy Specialist and Student Assistance Counselor for WHS, School Counselor at Huntley High School, Testing Coordinator for WHS, and also a stay-at-home mom for 5 years.

Hometown: I don't really have one. I've lived in over 20 different places and did all my major schooling (PK, K, 1-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-12) in different school districts. But, I was born in Tennessee and graduated high school living in Warrenville.

Family: My husband, Andrew Thomas, and I have been married for 16 years.. We have three children (13, 10 and 8), 2 dogs (one that we're training as a therapy dog), a bunny, and a fish. I have one brother, my parents (who are in Florida), and the Thomas clan in Woodstock. Fun fact, my two SIL's work at WNHS, my BIL is the head girls soccer coach for WHS and assistant coach for boys, and my husband's family dates back to 1847 in Woodstock.

Hobbies: I shoot pool in a competitive league. I play in regionals in October for a spot to head to Vegas. I also love scrapbooking.

Favorite movie/movie genres: Ohh -- this is tough. I'm into action movies. I really like John Wick.

Favorite counseling memory: I had a student that I worked with daily from sophomore to senior year. She had a home life that was chaos – consistently homeless, with no stable parents, mental health concerns, and basically had the odds stacked against her. Watching her walk the stage at graduation after all she endured, and seeing how proud she was was a highlight of my career.

One thing people wouldn't know about me: I used to ride a motorcycle (Kawasaki Ninja) and I played softball in college.

A committee of parents, community members and educators met during the 2022-2023 school year to discuss ways that District 200 could discourage and prevent bullying in schools.

Several strategies were identified such as implementing anti-bullying curriculum designed for appropriate grade levels and a reporting form made available that both students and parents can easily access.

Students can also find the form via a dropdown link on the Students section of this website, or by scanning a QR code found on flyers provided to them and posted throughout the school building.

Please visit our website at woodstockschools.org/bullying for more information.

If you are interested in signing your student up for Behind the Wheel, please remember ALL D200 fees must be made in full in order to be scheduled for BTW. If you have any questions regarding Behind the Wheel, please visit our website or contact Matt Prill (mprill@wcusd200.org).

Mission: Woodstock High School’s mission is to create rigorous and relevant educational experiences so learners become purposeful and engaged members of our diverse society.

Vision: The vision of our school is to be better than we were yesterday; to strive for and expect excellence; to make our school a place where everyone learns without limits; to be the best our country has to offer; to be true Blue Streaks.

Email: vbuchanan@wcusd200.org
Website: www.woodstockschools.org/whs
Location: 501 West South Street, Woodstock, IL, USA
Phone: 815.338.4370
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whsbluestreaks
Twitter: @woodstockhs