What's Up Westside

• October 25: Halloween Movie Night (WSHS 6:30pm)
• October 28–November 8: WSHS Food and Clothing Drive
• November 1: PTSA Mini-Grant Proposals Due (Apply Now)
  

• November 2: Saturday Study Hall (WSHS Library, 9am–12pm)
  

• November 4: WSHS Booster Club Meeting (West Seattle Realty, 7–8pm)

• November 5: First Tuesdays Parent Social (Larry's Tavern, 7pm)

• November 6: AP Exam Registration and Payment Due

• November 11: No School (Veterans Day)

• November 12: Parent to Parent Night (WSHS Care Center, 6–7:30pm)

• November 14–16 and 20–22: Ophelia (WSHS Theater, 7:30pm)

• November 15: PTSA Fall Fundraiser (WSHS Commons, 5–7pm, $20 Tickets)

Friday, October 25, WSHS, 6:30pm

WSHS Key Club invites the community to a showing of "Hocus Pocus," benefiting UNICEF. Tickets are $6 for the general public, $4 for students, with a $1 discount if you show up in costume. Children 8 and under are free!

Monday, October 28–Friday, November 8

Please help us collect food, hygiene products, and clothes for WSHS students and families. Drop off during school hours at the bins in front of the ASB Store (Room 131). There are also two after-hours drop off opportunities:

• Wednesday, October 30, Historical Entrance, 4–5pm
• Thursday, October 31, WSHS Volleyball Game, 7pm

Shout out to Bee Organized Seattle for donating time and supplies to organize the Care Coordination Closet ahead of the food and clothing drive!

Monday, November 4, West Seattle Realty (2715 California Ave SW), 7pm

Parents, alumni, and passionate fans are all welcome to learn how you can support the West Seattle High School athletic program.

Tuesday, November 5, Larry's Tavern (3405 California Ave SW), 7pm

Come play bingo with friends to get your mind off the election for a couple of hours! Every first Tuesday of the month, Larry’s Tavern donates partial proceeds to the WSHS PTSA. Bingo starts at 7:30pm. All are welcome! You do not have to be a PTSA member.

Due Wednesday, November 6

The registration and payment window for AP Exams is now open.

• Students must Register for the AP Exam(s) via CollegeBoard. Teachers will provide a join code for each AP course.
• Students must Pay for the AP Exam(s) via SchoolPay. The standard exam fee is $120.00 plus a 3.99% SchoolPay transaction fee. Payments can also be made via check or exact cash in the main office to avoid the processing fee.

Click here for full details.

Tuesday, November 12, WSHS Care Center, Room 129, 6–7:30pm

Join other parents and caregivers as we create a safe space to support one another during this important and often challenging time in your teen’s life. Facilitated by school social worker and adolescent therapist Crissa Parsley, LICSW, this monthly meeting brings together parents/guardians to discuss the issues facing you and your teen: friendships, mental health, substance use, setting boundaries, discipline, and more. This is not a class, but rather a space where parents share wisdom and understanding, creating community around the shared experience of parenting.

November 14–16 and 20–22, WSHS Theater, 7:30pm

Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for ticket information.

Friday, November 15, WSHS Commons, 5–7pm, $20 Tickets

We're kicking off our Direct Give donation drive with a "happy hour" celebration of West Seattle High! Join us for a showcase of student talent and an opportunity to meet other WSHS parents and staff. Your ticket includes appetizers prepared by our culinary arts students and one mocktail. Come celebrate, while raising money to fund grant requests from staff and students. Bid on generously donated auction items and raise your paddle for our school!

Fall Fundraiser Sponsorships and Donations Needed

Season tickets to share? Cabin in the woods? Ski or sea weekend away to offer? If you own a business, work for a business, or frequent a business, please consider a donation for our auction. If you would like to expand your reach within our community, check out our sponsorship packages. Please email Fred Northup at fred@frednorthup.com with any questions.

Volunteers Needed

Help us bring our amazing fundraiser together! Sign up here for set-up, clean-up, and everything in between.

Can't Make the Party?

You can still help bridge the funding gap for our students by making a gift directly on the PTSA website.

Opt In by Sunday, November 24 by completing this consent form.

Parents, we need your support! Parental consent is required to administer the JED High School Student Survey. So far we have just a 15% response rate, and we need to get to 40% in order to administer the survey to our students.

The survey will inform our school's delivery of JED High School by Forefront, a 3-year program designed to address teen mental health tailored to our community's specific needs. Student input is critical to improving student well-being, academic success, and social connectedness. Click here for more information. Opting in takes two minutes: Just click “Yes” for consent and add your student’s name. Student responses will be kept confidential.

Amy Vattuone is the new teacher-librarian at WSHS. She has been a teacher for 24 years, starting out as a high school Language Arts teacher and literacy coach, and more recently transitioning to the role of librarian. Ms. Vattuone has big plans for transforming the WSHS Library and its programming to best meet student needs. Her guiding words for the vision of the library are joy, curiosity, and belonging. She is already seeing increased use of the library before school and at lunch, with students playing chess, working on puzzles, studying, or simply being together in the space.

Ms. Vattuone curated a list of 50 books she is recommending to students this year. The Fresh 50 list includes recently published books of all genres and themes. She chose these 50 with an eye on representation, ensuring that there are BIPOC authors and stories as well as LBGTQIA voices. Ms. Vattuone also solicited donations of gift cards from local businesses to give to students who read books from the list. When a student reads one the Fresh 50 books, they fill out a form letting Ms. Vattuone know what they read and what they thought of it, and this enters them into a monthly drawing for the gift cards.

Ms. Vattuone also started an Instagram account for the library to keep students and families in the loop with events and special announcements. Please follow @wshs.library.

Ms. Vattuone is not alone in the work of transforming the library. Library Club at WSHS is a thriving club of students who also want to work to make the library a vibrant place for all to belong. They have two key projects for the year: updating the physical space of the library and introducing new programming to the library schedule to get students excited to use the space. The first project is to buy new comfortable seating for the library that will allow for flexible arrangements and more lingering in the space. The second project is for materials to launch a maker space for activities such as origami, button making, and bookmarks. Again, these ideas come straight from the WSHS students in Library Club! Please check out the Donors Choose page if you would like to support a student-led project!

There are many ways to help the library thrive. Please do not hesitate to reach out to acvattuone@seattleschools.org with your ideas or your willingness to help transform the library.

2024–2025 Club List

See the full list of clubs at WSHS. Follow them on social media or send an email to connect.

Saturday, November 2, WSHS Library, 9am–12pm

Saturday Study Hall is available for all WSHS students to finish the first quarter strong with a tutor's support. Tutors will be available to assist with test prep, test corrections, late assignments, and missing assignments. Students should connect with their teachers in advance to get missing work/projects and arrange test retakes. We provide breakfast; students bring their laptop and a desire to learn!

• November 20: Senior Quotes Due
  
• January 10, 2025: Senior Portrait and Baby Photo Due
• January 31, 2025: Senior Shoutout Due

Applications Due Friday, November 1, Apply Now

WSHS PTSA is pleased to fund mini-grants to support teaching and learning at WSHS. Grants are available to teachers, student groups, and school volunteers. Grants can be used to purchase equipment, supplies or other tangible goods. We prioritize projects that have a lasting impact, improve equity, benefit a greater number of students, and receive no funding from SPS.

The WSHS PTSA advocates for our students, supports school staff, and builds community. It takes members like you to do this well! Become a member of the WSHS PTSA today. The WSHS PTSA offers membership scholarships to those who are unable to afford membership dues; please email membership@wshsptsa.org. Be a part of making WSHS the school community you want!

• Erica Nguyen, Student Last Names A-Et, etnguyen@seattleschools.org, 206-252-8909
• Kinsey Hedeen, Student Last Names Ev-Mad, krhedeen@seattleschools.org, 206-252-8769
• Mallory Neuman, Student Last Names Mah-Pet, mlneuman@seattleschools.org, 206-252-8779
• Christine Nutters, Student Last Names Ph-Z, canutters@seattleschools.org, 206-252-8819

The PowerSchool mobile app enables parents to see all of their students' grades, assignments, scores, attendance, schedules, and school bulletins. The SPS district code is: KDND.

• October 28: UW Bothell (Commons)

• October 29: University of Portland (Library)
• November 6: San Diego State University (Library)
• November 6: California Polytechnic State University (Library)

Questions? Contact your school counselor.

Wednesday, November 6, Seattle Central Library, 5:30–7:30pm

Are you interested in getting an early start on the FAFSA? College Success Foundation is holding a Beta FAFSA before the FAFSA officially opens.

• In order to participate and complete the FAFSA early, students and parent/guardians (contributors) must create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID by October 25. Note: this process may take 1–3 days.

• Complete the FAFSA Beta Sign Up Form by October 28.

• Bring student & contributor info to complete the FAFSA.
• Bring a laptop as a back-up.

Applications Due Friday, February 14, 2025, Apply Now

The Seattle Promise scholarship provides up to two years or 90 credits of tuition at one of the three Seattle Colleges. All SPS graduates from the Class of 2025 are eligible for Seattle Promise, regardless of GPA, income, or country of birth.

Good luck to all of our students and teams in the post-season: Boys & Girls Cross Country, Football,

Boys & Girls Golf, Girls Soccer, Girls Swim/Dive, and Volleyball!

• October 25: Girls Soccer vs. Ballard (Walt Hundley, 4pm)
  
• October 25: Girls Swim/Dive vs. Bishop Blanchet (Meadowbrook, 4pm)
  
• October 25: Football vs. Nathan Hale (NEAC, 5:30pm)
  
• October 26: Volleyball vs. Eastside Catholic (Eastside Catholic HS, 2pm)
• October 28: Boys Golf 3A District Championships (Druids Glen, 9am)
• October 29: Volleyball vs. Bishop Blanchet ( Bishop Blanchet HS, 7pm)
  
• October 31: Cross Country 3A District Championship (Lower Woodland, 3:30pm)
• October 31: Volleyball vs. Holy Names ( WSHS, 7pm)
  
• November 1: Girls Swim/Dive 3A Metro Championship (Snohomish Aquatic Center, 4pm)
  
• November 1: Football vs. TBD (SWAC, 7:30pm)
  

Every three years, SPS asks voters to consider renewing two levies that support our students, staff, and schools. While SPS receives funding, based on enrollment, from state and federal sources, the district also relies on local levies to fund our schools. Levies help bridge the gap between what we need for students, staff, and schools and what we receive from the state.

Join SPS online to learn about the proposals to renew two educational levies: the Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) Levy and the Building Excellence (BEX) Capital Levy.

• Wednesday, October 30, 6:30–7:30pm
• Thursday, November 7, 6:30–7:30pm

Click here for more information and links.

Stay up to date with vaccines including boosters at vaccination clinics for children and adults. Find a Vaccination Clinic date and location that is convenient for you and your family. These are regional clinics open to all in the SPS community. School-based health centers also offer free vaccinations for students including COVID-19, flu, and required childhood vaccines.

Saturday, October 26, Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster St), 10am–2pm

This is a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs.

Sunday, November 3, UW Campus, 8:30am–2pm, FREE, Register Now

This event aims to help high school students explore STEM majors and careers. This free admission fair will exhibit UW STEM departments, student organizations, and research. It will also include informational sessions to help attendees navigate college decision-making and opportunities to explore STEM careers with STEM professionals.

Thursday, November 7, 7pm, via Zoom

Tuesday, December 10, 7pm, via Zoom

Join a a FREE college planning webinar to learn about the latest changes to college admissions. Find out how these changes might impact your high school student on their path to college.

• Teri Thompson, of Thompson College Consulting, will discuss the latest from the UW, including the role of extracurricular activities in the college process. She will also discuss merit scholarships and surprisingly affordable international options.
• Greg Smith, of Northwest Educational Services will discuss the test-optional landscape and how students can prepare for tests, including the new Digital SAT and updates to the ACT.
• Finally, financial planner Albert Israel will talk about the updated FAFSA, how college aid is quantified, and what you can do to prepare when it comes to planning for paying for college.

WSHS Website * WSHS PTSA * ASB Instagram

Bell Schedule * Calendar * Volunteering

Athletics * Attendance * Counseling Center * Library * Teen Health Center

Friends of West Seattle Music & Drama * West Seattle Booster Club * Westside HEY Coalition

Read past issues of this newsletter

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If you would like to share news or publicize an event or opportunity relevant to the West Seattle High School community, please contact us at communications@wshsptsa.org.