Parent Update

Watertown High School

Parent Update 1.24.25

Greetings WHS families,

Thanks to our students, staff, and families for their flexibility as we navigated the short week due to the inclement weather. There are many exciting events in the weeks ahead so be sure to review the updates below.

Have a great weekend!

Strike Out Stress at "Bowling Your Blues Away" Event

A special mental wellness event – Bowling Your Blues Away – will take place at Watertown Bowl 18, 102 W. Cady St., on Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 5-7 p.m.

All members of the community are invited to attend this fun, family-friendly activity where they can bowl for just $2 per game and network with local mental healthcare providers. The event is organized by Watertown Unified School District Mental Health Coordinator Kenda Roman.

“This event isn’t just about bowling – it’s about boosting your mental wellness, too!” Roman said. “Local mental healthcare providers will be onsite with resources, information, and giveaways designed to support families and students. It’s the perfect chance to connect with experts, learn something new, and discover tools for a healthier mindset.”

Roman encourages families to attend to experience a “unique mix of fun and wellness” in a safe and relaxed environment. “Whether you are coming for the strikes or the support, there’s something for everyone!” she said.

For more information, contact Roman at romank@mywusd.org or call (920) 262-3268.

Course Selection Process Update

WHS is in the final hours of the course selection for 2025-2026. Course selection is due TODAY (Friday, January 24) for our current 9-11th graders and extended to the 27th for our current 8th graders. Thanks for all your communications as we support all students throughout this planning process!

YRBS Survey

Watertown High School will be taking part in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) sponsored by the Department of Public Instruction in early February. The YRBS is designed to determine the prevalence of health behaviors now and over time, examine the co-occurrence of health behaviors, create usable data sets, and monitor progress through the use of objectives and indicators. All student responses to the survey are confidential and no information is provided in a personally identifiable way. If you would prefer your child not participate in the YRBS, please return this form to Student Services by Monday, February 3, 2025.

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Rooms App Coming Soon

Parents and Guardians, please check your email and/or text messages for your invitation to join Rooms!

ACT Overview

ACT Prep Courses

WHS will be offering ACT prep courses in the areas of Science, English and Math on Saturdays mornings. Students can sign up for an individual course for a fee of $12 per course OR students can sign up for all 3 courses for $30. Students interested in participating should sign up with the Bookkeeper, Mrs. Klinger, in the Front Entrance Office. The dates and times for each course are as follows:

2/1/25 - ELA and Reading - 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
3/8/25 - Math - 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Stacci Barganz, WUSD Advanced Learning Coordinator, will be offering a general test prep session for students on Tuesday, February 18 from 3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. in the WHS Lecture Hall.

Homeroom ACT Prep

Students in 11th grade can access IXL to build a personalized ACT prep plan designed to focus on individual skills across ACT subject areas. Students will be using this tool over the next couple weeks during homeroom. This is a resource that WHS 11th grade students can use as much as possible before the ACT exam on March 12th.

Families are encouraged to communicate with their student about their ACT goals, progress on IXL test prep, and the importance of putting maximum effort into the ACT exam day on March 12th, 2025. Thanks in advance for your support as we help our students take advantage of as many career opportunities as possible by demonstrating academic excellence on the ACT!

Technology Resource

The district technology team has launched a podcast. This month's podcast highlights the benefits of the one-to-one device program. They aim to release a new episode for the community each month. Be sure to check out this month’s edition!

One-to-One Benefits.wav

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Great Things Happening at WHS!

The weekend of January 10-12, WHS Science Teachers, Carrie Hein and Brian Gerike, took 24 kids to Minocqua and Eagle River to experience the "Trees of Tomorrow" field trip.

On this trip, students learned about natural resources through outdoor education and were introduced to some careers in Environmental Science. Students first visited the Northwoods Wildlife Center in Minocqua where they learned about wildlife rehabilitation and education. We then continued to Eagle River where we stayed on campus at a natural resource school and participated in numerous activities. These activities included survival skills, map and compass orienteering, radio telemetry, forest measurements, wildlife tracking, and learning about wildlife adaptations through studying skulls, skins, and bones.

Important Upcoming Dates

Course Selection Due for 2025-2026: Friday, January 24
No School - Staff Professional Development Day: Monday, February 10
Local Scholarship Deadline: Monday, March 3, 2025
End of Trimester 2: Thursday, March 6 (No early release)
No School - WHS Work Day: Friday, March 7
Start of Trimester 3: Monday, March 10
Junior State Wide ACT Test: Wednesday, March 12 (no school for grades 9, 10, & 12)
Career Fair: Wednesday, March 19
Spring Break: Monday, March 24 - Friday, March 28