Warrior Weekly

The Waunakee Community School District continues to work with our referendum partners to design and construct the facilities approved by the voters on November 8, 2022. Projects include a new Heritage Elementary School (opening Fall 2024) and Waunakee Community Middle School (opening Fall 2026).

Join us for a Neighborhood Town Hall Meeting to learn about the school district's construction projects in the neighborhood along South Street.

View invitation here. Visit our website for more information.

• Monday - Pj day
• Tuesday - Tie dye day
• Wednesday - Fancy/Formal day
• Thursday - Twin day
• Friday - Rainbow day

The Purple Sage is written and produced entirely by Waunakee Community High School students. Opinions in The Purple Sage are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the newspaper staff or the school district. Students, staff, and members of the community are welcome to submit Letters to the Editor. Letters should be 250 words or less and must be signed.

Follow The Purple Sage on instagram! @printpubwaunakee

• Prom will be held on Saturday, April 13th from 8:00-11:00 PM. This year's theme is "Tangled".
• Junior & Senior students may purchase a maximum of 2 tickets each through the Infinite Campus School Store Portal. To bring a guest that is not a student of WHS, a Guest Permission Form must be completed and returned to the main office by April 10.
• Freshmen and Sophomore students may attend Prom; however, only as a guest of a Junior or Senior WHS student.
• All students must present their student ID or driver's license to be admitted.

Parents and Guardians: If you would like to take pictures of the Grand March please enter the building through the main entrance between 8:30-8:45 p.m. Upon entry, please stay to the left of the commons area.

The Grand March will begin at approximately 8:45 p.m. This is the time of the evening when all students that choose to walk through the arch, down the red carpet, and have their names announced may do so. The Grand March concludes with the introduction of Prom Court and the revealing of this year's Prom Royalty. After Royalty has been announced, we ask that parents make their way to the exits and allow students to enjoy the rest of their prom experience.

Thank you for your cooperation during this time. We're looking forward to seeing our students having a great time.

Post Prom is an inclusive party that is completely funded through donations from individuals, community organizations and businesses. The Class of 2025 Post Prom Commitee looks to provide a successful event and carry on the tradition.

Post Prom is not a school sponsored event and we could NOT provide it without your HELP & SUPPORT! Please review the available slots below to SIGN UP. If you are unable to volunteer, but would prefer to give a donation, please mail your donation to Waunakee Post Prom, c/o Gwen Olson, 1002 Millies Way, Waunakee, WI 53597 or Venmo @Gwen Olson@Post-Prom2024. Any additional donations will be gifted to the Project Graduation Class of 2025 event. If you have any questions, please reach out to waunakeepostprom@gmail.com

Thank you for your time, talent and donations,

Class of 2025 Post Prom Committee

Tickets on sale now at waunakee.booktix.com

We are writing to share news with you about the Direct Admit Wisconsin and The Wisconsin Guarantee and how they might apply to your child. You may have seen recent news coverage of new admissions programs for the campuses that are part of the Universities of Wisconsin. These are The Wisconsin Guarantee and the Direct Admit Wisconsin programs. Each offers distinct pathways to admission at Universities of Wisconsin (UW).

The Wisconsin Guarantee ensures admission to UW-Madison for Wisconsin high school students in the top 5% of their class by GPA rank at the end of junior year and admission to the other four year public campus for students in the top 10% of their class at the end of the junior year. National Merit Scholarship Program finalists are also guaranteed admission to UW-Madison. There are additional provisions for home schooled students.

• At the end of the junior year, we will calculate our top 5% and top 10% based on cumulative GPA at that point in time.

• We will notify those students and their families if they have placed in either designation.

• These top 5% and top 10% endorsements will appear on official transcripts and we will comply with any other sharing of these designations as required by state law.

• For some local context, Waunakee’s Class Of 2023 numbered 346 graduates, which equates to a top 5% of 17 and a top 10% of 35 students. A total of 61 students from the Class of 2023 were admitted into UW-Madison, which is more than triple the 5% designation. We will be actively monitoring the impact of The Wisconsin Guarantee, but this may not have a significant influence on our admissions landscape despite the amount of (deserved) attention it is receiving.

• By policy (345.11), Waunakee does not report class rank, but will generate rank information if needed for college admission or scholarship and will be communicated to such requesting organization(s).

Direct Admit Wisconsin provides proactive admission decisions for rising seniors at participating Wisconsin high schools based on academic records through their junior year without a traditional application.

• Most campuses participate in Direct Admit Wisconsin, but UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, and UW-Madison do not.

• With Direct Admit, the admissions offices for participating campuses review records from the student information systems of participating high schools if families opt in and provide active consent for this information to be shared.

• Waunakee is participating in Direct Admit, but you control whether your child’s information is shared as part of the Direct Admit program.

• More information will be forthcoming for 11th grade families later this school year regarding Direct Admit Wisconsin, including the active consent process.

Both programs aim to retain top students within the state, although they do not guarantee admission to specific programs or majors. For further details, please visit this helpful website from the Universities of Wisconsin that provides a detailed comparison of traditional admissions, Direct Admit Wisconsin and The Wisconsin Guarantee, as well as a section of frequently asked questions.

If you have questions after reviewing the information at the link, please contact your child’s school counselor.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance on COVID-19. You can read the most current press release here. The new guidance provides recommendations and information to help individuals lower their risk from a range of common respiratory viral illnesses, including COVID-19, flu, and RSV. The new guidance removes the 5-day isolation period following a positive COVID-19 test.

With the new recommendations, students and staff can return to school and normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:

• Your symptoms are getting better overall, and

• You have not had a fever and are not using fever-reducing medication

With the removal of the isolation period, the CDC recommends that when you return to your normal activities, you take precaution over the next 5 days such as steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masking, physical distancing, and/or testing when you are around others indoors. You can view more information here. There are additional considerations for individuals who are at higher risk of severe illness from respiratory illnesses.

If you have further questions, please reach out to your building school nurse.

Lisa Jondle, Director of Student Services; Ashley Weier, RN, WCSD School Nurse; Jenny Sydow, RN, WCSD School Nurse

It's hard to believe that Graduation is less than 2 months away!

We hope to host Project Graduation following Graduation on June 2 from 6:00 PM - 1:00 AM. This substance-free party is a long standing Waunakee tradition and FREE for our graduating seniors! It was designed to provide our graduates with a safe place to celebrate while keeping them from drinking and off the roads.

We want to thank you for your generous donations which will go towards lots of fun activities, food and prizes including cash. See event schedule below.

HOWEVER....in order to make this night happen, we need your help! We have lots of volunteer shifts in varying lengths. We ask that you PLEASE SIGN UP by April 30. If we do not fill the majority of these slots by April 30, we may have to consider canceling the event or paring back on activities. We DO NOT want to spend the month of May pestering you for help, so sign up today!

Senior registrations are due by May 31. If your senior is under 18, please complete the permission slip. Please note that all attendees must stay until the event is over. We will be taking keys and securing them for the night.

Project Graduation Event Schedule:

• 6:00 - 7:00 PM: Registration/Check-In (You may NOT enter after 7:00 pm), Food, Game Room, and Tournament Sign Up
• 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Hypnotist Show
• 8:30 PM - 12:00 AM: Activities (Volleyball, Dodgeball and Cornhole Tournaments; Digital Photo Booth; Caricature Artist; Temporary Tattoo Artist; Ping Pong; Dance Club; Karaoke; Game Room; and Food)
• 12:00 - 1:00 AM: Price is Right Game Show and Check Out

Thank you,

The Project Graduation Team

"Dreams do come true. It's Jude's job to make sure they don't. Born with the curse of prophetic nightmares, Jude sees violent murders through the eyes of the killer before they happen. His father, who shares Jude's dark gift, has trained Jude to save the innocent and to kill the killer. A life for a life - it's the only way. But everything goes awry when Hanna Smith, the young woman he was supposed to save, rescues herself instead, and catches Jude in her home. Fate isn't inescapable, but it demands balance. While Hanna may be safe for now, Jude knows that the killer will strike again, only next time there will be no warning. Jude must now find the killer, without the visions to aid him. If he fails, he and Hanna will not live to see graduation."--Provided by publisher.

Student Council is hosting a food drive for the River Food Pantry, one of the largest food pantries in Dane County. This drive will span through April 12. Suggested items to donate include:

• individual cereals
• granola or fruit bars
• nuts
• meat stick
• pretzels or chips
• fruit or pudding cup
• fruit roll-up or fruit snack
• individual mac 'n cheese
• microwave popcorn

**unexpired goods only please**

Here are some important details about graduation for you to note:

• When: Sunday, June 2, 2024 at 3:00 PM
• Where: Waunakee High School - Field House
• Field House doors will open at 1:30 PM.
• Seating is based on a first come-first serve basis. Reserving seats with blankets, signs, etc., is prohibited and the items will be removed.
• The number of guests each graduate may invite has not been set due to the large seating capacity in the Field House. However, please be considerate in the number of guests you invite.
• Stadium seats (seat cushions with backs) are acceptable and may be used for your seating pleasure.
• Honor Cord/s: Students who achieve academic honors may wear the acceptable honor cord(s) of purple, silver, white or gold. All other cords are not permitted and may not be worn in commencement services. Seniors who earn honor cords will be notified May.
• Handicap seating is available upon request. Please call 608-849-2100, ext. 2046 to make arrangements.
• Link for the Live Stream will be made available prior to the event.
• Empire Photography will again photograph commencement ceremonies. Each graduate is photographed as they receive their diploma and a solo portrait is taken after they exit the stage. Proofs will be sent to graduates and their families within 48-hours of the ceremony.
• Diplomas will be distributed in the High School main office immediately after the ceremony for graduates to pick up. Diplomas will not be mailed.

Homecoming Dance: September 28, 2024

Scholarships or payment plans are available to any student who has been approved for the free/reduced meal program and may be available to any student whose families have a financial need due to unique circumstances.

https://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/families/student-financial-assistance

Please contact Teri Reible at 608-849-2000 to learn more about these opportunities. If you need assistance in a language other than English, please call the district interpreter and translator at 608-849-2000, option 2.

The Waunakee Community Cares Coalition (WCCC) is dedicated to keeping Waunakee healthy and resilient. To receive updates of all of the trends, resources available, and community initiatives in the spaces of alcohol/drug prevention and mental health, please sign up for their monthly newsletter.

Link to sign up to receive newsletter: https://www.waunakeecares.org/contact

Link to our resource pages: https://www.waunakeecares.org/resources-1

Click the following link to view the High School LUNCH MENU

Waunakee Community High School

301 Community Drive

Waunakee, WI 53597

Phone: (608) 849-2100

Website: whs.waunakee.k12.wi.us