WAIS Parent Newsletter

*Italicized events are open to or targeted for parents

10/7- Class of 2026 Parent Meeting at 6pm in the Media Center(Library)

10/9- High School (9-12) Early Dismissal at 1pm

10/11 and 10/14- No School

10/16- PTA Meeting at 6:30pm in the Media Center(Library)

10/24- Taste of WAIS at 6pm

Middle School Student Portraits

10/25- High School Student Portraits

10/26- Homecoming Dance at 7pm

Beginning next grading period, Oct. 15th, we will follow the practices below as they apply to homework and tests/quizzes/major projects for all grades, 6-12.

Homework:

No more than 30 min per day should be assigned.

An assignment given in class that is expected to be completed in class and is not, will be counted as late work and the teacher’s policy on late work submission will apply.

Tests/Quizzes/Major Projects:

May be administered in class or due on the following schedule:

English/Sci—Even days

Math/ SS—Odd days

The time has come for all parents who haven't paid the Chromebook coverage fee of $25 to do so now. Any damages to an uncovered Chromebook will be the full responsibility of the parent before a replacement Chromebook is issued. There will be no allowance for the $25 to be paid at the time of damages presented since that is after the fact.

Get covered now to avoid costly repair fees!

On Wednesday, October 9, students in grades 8th-12th will have the opportunity to take College Board exams.

-8th and 9th grade students will take the Digital PSAT 8/9.

-10th and 11th grade students will take the Digital PSAT/NMSQT.

-12th grade students will take the Digital SAT School Day.

The SAT is a measure of whether a student is prepared to succeed in college, while the PSAT-related assessments measure whether students are on target to meet the SAT benchmark and, thus, on track to being prepared for college level coursework.

Juniors will be taking the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). Students who score well on this test, may qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program.

On Tuesday, October 1st students in grades 8th-12th will be given an overview and information about the exams they will be taking during Wildcat Time. Students will be given a link to online resources.

For additional information for grades 8th- 11th please visit

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt

For additional information for grade 12th please visit

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat

Get your taste buds ready for The Taste of WAIS!

¡Prepare sus papilas gustativas para The Taste of WAIS 2024!

All grades, WAIS family and friends are invited to participate and attend An evening filled with international culinary delights, performances, and fun presented by YOU…the WAIS community!

Event: Taste of WAIS 2024

Day: Thursday

Date: Oct 24, 2024

Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Place: WAIS Cafeteria

We hope you will join us for this wonderful evening!

Ways to get involved….Taste of WAIS will need volunteers for setup, decorating, and cleanup. Please consider signing up to host a table representing your home country or one of your favorite countries. More information will be available in the upcoming weeks for details on table presentation ideas, event setup, and cleanup plans, event timelines, and all grades service hour opportunities.

The current Taste of WAIS Chair, Holley Nguyen, and incoming Chair, Lynn Thompson are already working hard on setup for this event.

Please reach out to Holley (832-434-7451) or Lynn (214-850-2536) with any questions or to sign up as a country table host.

“¡Calienta tus papilas gustativas con The Taste of WAIS 2024!

Todos los grados, familiares y amigos de WAIS están invitados a participar y asistir a una velada llena de delicias culinarias internacionales, actuaciones y diversión presentadas por USTED... ¡la comunidad WAIS!

Evento: Sabor de WAIS 2024
Día: Jueves
Fecha: 24 de Octubre de 2024
Hora: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Lugar: Cafetería WAIS

¡Esperamos que se una a nosotros en esta maravillosa velada!
Formas de participar... Taste of WAIS necesitará voluntarios para la instalación, decoración y limpieza. Considere registrarse para organizar una mesa que represente a su país de origen o uno de sus países favoritos. Habrá más información disponible en las próximas semanas para obtener detalles sobre ideas para presentaciones de mesas, planes de preparación y limpieza de eventos, cronogramas de eventos y oportunidades de horas de servicio para todos los grados.

La actual presidenta de Taste of WAIS, Holley Nguyen, y la presidenta entrante, Lynn Thompson, ya están trabajando arduamente en la preparación de este evento.

Comuníquese con Holley (832-434-7451) o Lynn (214-850-2536) si tiene alguna pregunta o para registrarse como anfitrión de una mesa de campo.

The late buses will be available Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Students may stay for after school tutorials or after school club activities with a teacher. After school activities are over at 4:15pm. 3 bus routes are available and will drop off students at their closest elementary school.

Parents wishing to check out a student at the end of the day must do so by 2:45pm. This is so that there is time to locate the student and have them exit the front office in time for the parent to leave the parking lot prior to the line up of busses.

All absences must be verified by a parent with either a written note, including email, or a telephone call to the attendance office.

Notice must be given to the office within two school days if the absence is to be excused

Claribel Gatica: Attendance Specialist
claribel.gatica@springbranchisd.com

713-251-1839 phone
713-251-9152 fax

Any questions regarding Transcripts or Registration contact Claudia Puente at (713) 251-1804 or email: claudia.puente@springbranchisd.com.

The Spring Branch ISD Digital Toolkit was created to support our students, parents and teachers with digital learning tools, information and resources.

Help Desk

713.251.TECH (8324)

Monday - Friday: 7:00am to 10:00pm
Saturday - Sunday: 9:00am to 10:00pm

10670 Hammerly Blvd
Houston, Texas 77043

To stay on top of all communication, make sure your email and phone number is up to date in Skyward. You can update your contact information when you complete the online verification forms in Family Access in Skyward.

Some of our methods of communication are:

• Parent Newsletter--link emailed every Friday
• Remind groups
• Social Media--Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

Westchester Academy for International Studies, or WAIS, is a public IB Continuum School in West Houston. WAIS is part of Spring Branch ISD and serves students in grades 6-12.
WAIS is the only public authorized IB school in Spring Branch, and offers 3 of the 4 IB programmes.

WAIS Mission Statement

Strengthening learners to be designers and contributors to a dynamic, intercultural community.

SBISD's only International Baccalaureate School

Email: wais@springbranchisd.com
Website: wais.springbranchisd.com
Location: 901 Yorkchester Drive, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: (713) 251-1800
Facebook: facebook.com/WAISSBISD
Twitter: @WAISSBISD