Happy New Year WHS families!

We hope your family had a happy, healthy winter break and Holiday season! It was fantastic to see our students and staff back for the first days of school in 2025. Please see the updates for important information as we begin the new year.

Have a great weekend!

Course Selection Rollout is right around the corner! In homerooms, WHS students will have the opportunity to choose classes for the 2025-2026 school year, beginning January 9, 2025. Course selection will be due by January 24, 2025. While WHS staff members have already begun conversations with students regarding post-secondary plans, please ask your child what interests they have and encourage them to seek out classes to help them achieve their goals. Not sure what classes connect with their plans? The WHS Coursebook is the place to go for course offerings and descriptions. As always, WHS counselors are happy to help clarify any questions or concerns you may have. We look forward to this collaboration every year :)

The WHS local scholarship information was released to senior students this week during ELT. Please check out the WHS scholarship webpage as it is updated frequently with more offerings. If families have any questions, please contact Ms. Pirkel, WHS Scholarship Chairperson, at pirkelk@mywusd.org.

WHS continues to prepare 11th grade students for the statewide ACT test on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. Junior students began accessing digital ACT resources during homeroom this week on Monday, December 16th through IXL. Students received their results from the Spring 2024 PreACT in homeroom to complete the Goal Setting Student Handout, input their scores into IXL, and IXL developed a personalized skill plans to guide ACT practice. IXL is a resource that WHS 11th grade students can use as much as possible before the ACT exam on March 12th.

In January and February, students will be given information about using myact.org as another resource to prep for the test. 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!

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:

• 1/25/25 - Science - 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.

• 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.

WHS staff will continue to share important resources with students but want to also equip families with as much information as possible in preparation for the 2025 ACT exam. One helpful resource for understanding the value of the ACT can be found here. Note the article is written for educators, but it is more important than ever for our students and families to understand the value of the ACT test regardless of future career path.

An additional resource WHS staff will share with students is “What Can the ACT do for you?”.

As you are aware, Watertown High School is participating in the Direct Admit Wisconsin program for the Class of 2026. UW Direct Admit is an opportunity for 11th grade students to be automatically admitted to participating University of Wisconsin system schools free of charge. Direct Admit Wisconsin offers early and proactive admission to participating Universities of Wisconsin for rising seniors at participating Wisconsin high schools.

In order to participate, 11th grade families must log into Skyward Family Access and “opt-in” by Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Directions are attached on how to locate the Direct Admit Wisconsin in Skyward Family Access. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. True, WHS counselor, at (920) 262-7500 x6825 or truea@mywusd.org

Junior students interested in government, leadership, and meeting other juniors from around the state, are encouraged to check out Badger State Boys and Badger State Girls! It is an all-expense paid week long opportunity at UW-Eau Claire for Boys and UW-Oshkosh for girls. It also looks great on a high school resume. If interested, see Ms. Pirkel in the Main Office.

Do you have a student who is currently in their junior or senior year and is interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement or related field? If so, the Wisconsin American Legion Law Enforcement Career Academy (WALLECA) is a great opportunity for these students. WALLECA is a 5 day camp that offers physical fitness training, class room instruction and hands on experiences.

The 2025 academy is scheduled for June 23- June 27, 2025 at the Wisconsin State Patrol Training Academy at Fort McCoy. The academy is totally free to the cadets as we are funded by generous sponsors. The cadets stay in the dorms at the academy, all meals and supplies are furnished. The graduation ceremony is held on the last day of the academy, friends and family can attend. The cadets receive a certificate of completion.

Some of the classes offered during the academy are: Ethics, Crash Investigation, Crime Scene Investigation, Tactical Response. Probation/Parole, Firearms Training, Confidence Team Building Exercises, Physical Fitness training, and many more.

The application process is now open until March 31 – see link below. The application must be printed out, completed to include all required signatures. It can be sent in the US mail or scanned and emailed to me at sheri@wilegion.org. Families that have any questions about the program can contact me directly. Applications will be reviewed in the month of April and all applicants will be notified if they are accepted into the program by May 1.

On December 15th, German students attended the Christkindl market in Chicago! They enjoyed the experience of riding with the Metra, as well as sampling German food and buying handcrafted gifts.

• Parent Teacher Conferences: Thursday, January 16 (4:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.)
• Freshman Preview Night (current 8th graders): Thursday, January 16
• No School - Staff Professional Development Day: Monday, January 20

WUSD Newsletter: The District Download

Order a 24-25 Yearbook

WHS Student Handbook: English

WHS Student Handbook: Spanish

Gosling Flight Feather Nomination Form

Watertown Athletic Calendar

👉 Click here to access WUSD’s Anonymous Bullying Reporting Tool

Class of 2026 Updates

WHS Main Line: 920-262-7500

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