The Wolverine Word
Monthly Community Newsletter -- vol. 1, ed. 4
Good afternoon, Wolverine Families!
Hard to believe that next week is already Fall Break! This school year seems to be flying by!
We are approaching the end of the first nine week grading period, so please be sure to read through the entire September edition to stay in the know about all the great things happening at West!
Hope you all have a great Fall Break!!
Gulo Gulo!
Dr. Aaron Archambeau
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Wolverine Time
Wolverine Time (WT) is an academic period built in to the daily schedule that is designed for students to complete missing work, receive assistance from teachers, make up tests, or engage in activities such as study halls or subject-specific remediation. WT sessions are held every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, with Thursdays reserved for WT Homebase, during which no sessions are offered. Each session can accommodate up to 30 students, and teachers are required to plan and schedule their weekly sessions by Wednesday afternoon, covering the period from the following day (Thursday) to the next Wednesday. Students must sign up for sessions each Thursday during WT Homebase through Student Support Time (found on MyFCS), and those who fail to sign up are auto-assigned into a session with one of their current teachers. During this auto-assigned session, students are asked to register for WT sessions for the remainder of the week.
The following expectations for Wolverine Time were shared with students throughout the first seven days of school:
All students who are on campus during WT will be expected to attend a session.
All students will use the Student Support Time program to sign up for sessions.
If a teacher assigns you to their session, you must attend that session.
If a teacher hasn’t assigned you to a session, you get to choose which session you want to attend.
Students will only be able to attend one WT session per day.
Students must go where they are listed in Student Support Time.
Not attending an assigned Wolverine Time session is considered skipping.
Wellness Wednesday
Wellness occurs for 45 minutes on Wednesday after our two Wolverine Time sessions. Wellness is a non-academic period of time designed for students to “unplug” and get involved with a variety of activities. Every teacher offers a session that provides an opportunity for students to attend. From “Taylor Swift Karaoke” to "Cross Stitching" to “Walk and talk”, there are a wide variety of sessions for students to attend.
Students must sign up for a Wellness session each Thursday during WT Homebase through Student Support Time (found on MyFCS), and those who fail to sign up are auto-assigned into a session with one of their current teachers. During this auto-assigned session, students are asked to register for the next week's Wellness session.
What is Student Support Time?
Student Support Time (SST) is the system we utilize at West to schedule students for Wolverine Time and Wellness Sessions. SST is located in MyFCS Classlink and is accessible on any device. SST allows students, teachers and administrators to easily schedule and track which sessions students are signing up for and attending during WT and Wellness.
Registration to participate in AP Exams is now open for Forsyth County students. Registration closes on October 25, 2024, and students who register after that date will have to pay an additional $40 per exam. Registration can be accessed on the WFHS website.
Please note that registration is a two-step process, and students must register with College Board and on Total Registration for this to be complete. We will continue to update the testing website through the year and throughout the registration process to provide additional information as it becomes available.
The parking application is still open with limited space available in the Gold Lot. The parking application can be found using this link: West Forsyth High School Parking Application & Payment (please click on the gold button that says “Parking Fee $135”). Once you have completed the application, the parking fee will be added to your student account through School Pay. After payment has been received, students may visit the front office with a copy of their drivers license and proof of payment to pick up their parking pass.
At this time, students who drive to school should have already picked up their parking permit. In the event that your permit has not yet been picked up, please see the front office. WFHS Admin will patrol parking lots to ensure students have a valid parking permit and are parked in the correct lot. Students are only allowed to park on campus after purchasing a valid permit. If a student does not park with a valid permit or in their assigned lot, WFHS administration will apply appropriate consequences. Additionally, students must follow ALL parking signage related to speed limits and no parking. This is an important measure for student safety on the WFHS campus.
Please be aware of the cell phone policy that will be implemented beginning this school year. In order to limit distractions during instruction and ensure students are engaged in their learning, cell phones and headphones/AirPods should be put away during instructional time unless directed by the teacher.
While we understand this will be an adjustment for our students, we appreciate your support in helping communicate this new policy to your students prior to the first day of school!
Bus Information
Our transportation department works very hard to ensure all of our students have transportation and arrive to school/home safely. Just know that routes for both morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off will run late every now and then. This is no fault of our transportation department but more a result of being short drivers and transporting tens of thousands of students each day.
Your student's bus information, including pick-up and drop-off times, can be accessed in Parent Portal. Please be patient for the first few weeks of school as drivers solidify their routes. If you have questions about bus transportation, please contact our District Supervisor -- Mrs. Kelly Kurisko (770-667-2580 ext. 230508).
- Forsyth County Schools Transportation Webpage
- Bus Route Information
- Student Transportation Verification Form
- Job Opportunity for Bus Drivers
Car Rider Line
Thank you to those that are following our car rider line procedures because the flow of the car rider line has continued to improve week to week! The only thing I would like to continue to stress is the importance of not utilizing other parking lots to drop-off or pick-up your student(s). We have found parents/guardians parking in student parking spaces while waiting for their student(s) to be dismissed from school. As we have outlined below, drop-off or pick-up should only occur in the main lot off Drew Road. Thank you!
Mandatory Car Rider Line Rules:
- There will be no student drop-off or pick-up in the following areas: gym lot, bus lot, stadium lot, or in the back by the tennis courts. All vehicles must enter through the main lot off Drew Road.
- Students must remain in cars until they reach the appropriate drop-off spot.There will be no drop-off in the middle of the line (even if your child is running late).
- Drivers must be fully attentive to traffic directors at all points of the car rider line. If using your phone, drivers must be hands-free.
Below is a link to a first-person look at how our car rider line operates.
Car Rider Line - First Person Video
Additionally, please see the map below to help navigate student drop-off and pick-up.
Senior Parents - Graduation is Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 7:30 PM at the Gas South Arena. The link to pay Senior Dues is now open online at www.3rdascent.com.
The Senior Dues include your child’s diploma and cover, his/her cap and gown, the Senior Breakfast, and other items specifically related to graduation. Senior Dues do not cover the cost of Senior pictures, graduation announcements, a yearbook and/or ad, or a Senior yard sign.
Please be sure to place the order under your child’s name, not yours. You will also need to know your child’s height and weight when placing the order. Senior Dues are currently $160, but the cost will increase after December 1, 2024.
If you have questions, please contact Donna Duncan at dduncan@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
When we return from Fall Break, the WFHS counseling Office will kick-off Junior Meetings. These are 20-minute, individualized, meetings for our Junior students and parents to help them to plan for Senior year and the years beyond high school by answering specific questions posed both to parents and to students. Juniors and their parents can sign-up by scanning a QR code that will come out when we return from Fall Break.
Some other happenings include college visits during Wolverine Time:
- Piedmont University on 9/30
- Ohio State University on 10/4
- Vanderbilt University on 10/7
- University of North GA Corps of Cadets on 10/8
- GA Gwinnett College on 10/11.
The counseling department will also hold a 10th Grade Parent Information Night on Tuesday, October 29th. The purpose of the 10th Grade Parent meeting is to review information for students’ 10th grade year and as they prepare for 11th and 12th grade.
While we love having visitors on campus for planned events, please be aware that our track, fields, and other areas of campus are NOT open for general public use. Our county has many public parks and greenways for recreational use, but our schools and the space and equipment that make up our campus and support our extracurriculars are for our students, under the direct supervision of trained staff. In order to keep students safe and maintain our grounds and facilities, we ask that our community works together to support these rules.
Here a list of important dates for you to know throughout the 2024-2025 school year. It's never too early to add these to your calendar!
As the year progresses, we will keep these dates in the newsletter and will add any additional ones.
Fall Semester Dates
Monday, September 23rd - Friday, September 27th
Fall Break - No School for Students and Staff
Tuesday, October 1st
West Fest on WFHS Campus
Saturday, October 5th
Homecoming Dance in WFHS Gym
Friday, October 18th
Online Learning Day - PSAT Testing Day
Monday, October 21st
Student Holiday - Professional Development Day for Staff
Tuesday, October 22nd
Parent Info Night for Spanish Speaking Families
Monday, October 28th
WFHS Trunk-or-Treat
Tuesday, October 29th
10th Grade Parent Night in WFHS Auditorium (6 PM)
Tuesday, November 5th
Election Day - Student Holiday
Monday, November 25th - Friday, November 29th
Thanksgiving Break - No School for Students and Staff
Tuesday, December 17th - Friday, December 20th
Midterm Exams
Monday, December 23rd - Friday, January 3rd
Winter Break - No School for Students and Staff
Spring Semester Dates
Monday, January 20th
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No School for Students and Staff
Friday, February 14th - Monday, February 17th
Student and Staff Holiday
Tuesday, February 18th
No School for Students - Professional Development for Staff
Friday, March 14th
No School for Students
Monday, March 31st - Friday, April 4th
Spring Break - No School for Students and Staff
Saturday, April 12th
Junior/Senior Prom at The Ramsey Conference Center (7:30 PM - 10:00 PM)
Monday, May 5th - Friday, May 16th
Advanced Placement Testing
Monday, May 12th
9th & 10th Grade Underclass Awards Ceremony
Tuesday, May 13th
Senior Awards Night in the WFHS Auditorium
Wednesday, May 14th
11th Grade Underclass Awards Ceremony
Sunday, May 18th
Graduation at Gas South Arena (7:30 PM)
