The Weekly Memo

Hope you're having a great week!

Please note the front office will be closed on Tuesday, August 20 as the full staff will be participating at inservice from 8-3.

You can count on a Weekly Memo sent to your inbox every Friday during the school year. Some of our Weekly Memos will be more informative than others depending on what's happening. Ultimately, we hope this form of communication can be your consistent source for updates. If you're talking with other Western parents who are not receiving the weekly newsletters, please encourage them to check their junk mail! And if you have friends and relatives who may benefit from reading The Memo, please send us their email addresses so we can add them to the list.

Later in August we'll have a printed Activities Calendar that has all of Western's school activities listed in the 2024-2025 school year. We hope this printed calendar can be a regular go-to for you as well. We'll let you know when they are available.

One very important detail for families who qualified for ESAs this year: You should have received an email from Odyssey to authorize the use of your student's funds. Please be sure to confirm the one-time payment for the fall semester at your earliest convenience. If you do not do this, Western Christian will not receive your tuition payment. Thanks!

School starts in a week. We're excited to welcome each student!

Mr. Brian Verwolf

Head Administrator

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The Weekly Memo serves as a weekly communication to our parent community. We'll send it to your inbox each Friday during the school year. If you would like the newsletter to be sent to an additional account, let us know! Grandparents & supporters may request to receive the communication, too. Please email Mrs. Kathy Mouw with contact information: Kathy.Mouw@westernchristianhs.com

“You are Invited…” Aren’t those wonderful words to hear or to read? We love to feel welcomed and wanted! In fact, I think this is a core need for all of us. I believe God understands that too; why wouldn’t He, He created us!

The theme verse for our year of learning and growing together is a sweet reminder of how much God loves us, and how welcomed we are by Him! Ephesians 2:19-22:“...You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

High school can be a time of great growth, great opportunity, but also great wondering. Where do I fit in? Why did God create me the way He did? Why is this so hard? Who sees me and loves me? We want God to use Western to welcome His children (and their families) into His household. Because of Jesus Christ, we have a place at God’s eternal banquet table. Sometimes, in great error, we imagine that it’s our table, and we get to decide who else is invited to take a seat. This verse prompts us to remember that it’s God’s table. It always has been and it always will be. The only one who deserves a place in God’s household and a seat at God’s table is Jesus Christ. But the compassion of our God, the love of our Savior, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit extend an invitation to us, God’s children.

You Are Invited. What wonderful words! Let’s embrace that invitation. We lift our voices and hands in joy as we humbly, gratefully take our seat at His table. And when those around us come to His table, we open our arms and our hearts and thank God for His beautiful BIG table. We hear our Savior say, “Welcome Home!” and then we warmly welcome all who love and follow Jesus! This is our forever home!

Mrs. Karen Christians,

Director of Discipleship

• Senior BBQ at Verwolf’s House - Thursday, August 15 at 6:30pm

• Society Meeting - Monday, August 19 at 6:30pm

• Front Office Close for Staff Inservice - Tuesday, August 20

• Opening Staff Inservices - Monday-Tuesday, August 19-20

• Freshman Orientation - Thursday, August 22 from 4-7pm. We'll feed the students supper! Parents are welcome to join for a 15-minute parent meeting at 6:45pm in the Event Center.

• First Day of School - Friday, August 23 - noon dismissal

Western Christian is excited to welcome all new families into the WC community! Like with any new experience, there are always questions. It is our hope that this publication will help answer some of them. Enjoy!

Handbook for New WC Families

On Thursday, August 22, we welcome all freshmen to campus to officially kick-off a new school year. We will begin promptly at 4pm in the Event Center. This portion of Freshmen Orientation will include students and staff only. We ask that parents join us in the Event Center at 6:45pm to help us close out our meeting by 7pm.

We will serve pizza to students and practice a "mini-schedule" to give students a better feel for how to navigate their school schedules before the first day of school. Our goal is to make your student completely comfortable in a new setting!

Here's the agenda:

• 4:00 - Student Welcome - Event Center
• 4:15 - The Domino Effect - Event Center
• 4:45 - Logistics of School - Event Center
• 5:15 - Practice Lockers and Class Schedules, and Eat Pizza
• 6:45 - Parent/Student Meeting - Event Center
• 7:00 - Dismissed

We are pleased to announce that student schedules are now available on JMC via both the Family and Student portals. In the Family portal, schedules can be accessed under Academics > Schedule.

Freshmen will receive their login credentials during Freshmen Orientation on Thursday, August 22 at 4pm, so we encourage you to review their schedules through the family portal prior to the event. Upperclassmen can view their schedules through their JMC accounts.

For any schedule change requests, please contact Mrs. de Boom: karinda.deboom@westernchristianhs.com.

Students have until Friday, September 6 to request changes to their schedules. Please note that class additions can be made until Friday, August 30, while class drops can be processed through Friday, September 6. Students must ensure they maintain a minimum of six Western classes per semester.

As we approach the beginning of another year, the tech department would like to remind you that each student must have a working laptop to begin the year. Please have your child power up your laptops, fully charge them, and update them before taking them to school.

If you are still considering purchasing a laptop for your student, please refer to our BYOT specs page for minimum requirements.

Finally, we will be handing out Freshmen emails at Freshmen orientation. Please assist students in logging into Google and JMC at that time and encourage them to email Mr. Fenchel with any change requests or questions: mark.fenchel@westernchristianhs.com

If you qualified for ESAs for the 24-25 school year, you should have recently received an email from Odyssey to authorize the use of your funds. Please be sure to confirm the one-time payment for the fall semester at your earliest convenience.

Once again we need families to host a Dutch student (girls and boys) for just 3 weeks from October 25 to November 15. The goal is to experience life in NW Iowa; however, that looks for each family. In order to participate though, families need to have a child currently attending Western Christian. If you are interested in being a part of this or would just like more information, please contact Carey Van Donselaar at carey.vandonselaar@westernchristianhs.com or 712-449-5923

Hey Wolfpack Fans, we have a great Back to School Store open right now to get all your Wolfpack gear! Store Closes August 21:
https://712customdesigns.com/collections/western-christian-back-to-school

Here is another clothing option:

X-Grain- Football Warm-Up shirts are in the store along with many other great options for anyone to purchase: https://stores.inksoft.com/WS104809/shop/home

Follow us on our social media platforms to stay updated with all new apparel/accessories for the wolfpack!

• Instagram - wcpackshack
• Facebook - The Pack Shack

At Western Christian High School, we recognize our students’ unique creation and the variety of God-given talents and skills. We know that each student presents a unique combination of such strengths. We believe it is our responsibility to meet students where they are at in their journey and equip them with the tools and resources required to exceed their potential. To meet the need, we have a Student Support Team with a variety of resources. Go here to learn more about who to connect with!

Abby Vanden Bosch, Western's Social Worker, is providing mental health counseling services to students. She is available to meet with students throughout the summer, so please contact her if you feel your student could benefit from these services: abby.vandenbosch@westernchristianhs.com.

We have found that many students become anxious near the start of a new school year. It may be helpful to consider your school transition early, and Abby is happy to help you process!

Psychologist Peter Gollwitzer suggests having “implementation intentions." He recommends making advanced mental commitments. It’s the idea of preloading a response. Deciding ahead of time, that if _________ happens, I will do ___________.

Studies have shown that people who use advanced mental commitments are far more likely to achieve their goals than those who do not, including a higher efficiency of students turning in homework, more loyalty to individual fitness plans, healthier relations with peers, and so on.

When signing up for the ACT, there is a deadline for regular sign up, and if you miss that deadline, you may be able to register prior to the late deadline–complete with a late fee. The late deadline can be found on ACT’s website. (All fees can be found at the link below.)

Registration: https://www.act.org/

Fees: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration/fees.html

Preparation: See Mrs. Dirksen in the Learning Center for assistance with test preparation: Mary.Dirksen@westernchristianhs.com

Western Christian High School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs (if any exist), and athletic or other school administered programs.