For those of you I have not yet had the opportunity to meet, my name is Joanna Brooks. The 21-22 school year was my first as principal of The Castle. I was excited to return for the 22-23 school year, the 23-24 school year, and now for the 24-25 school year and see many new and familiar faces! Please take a moment to read through each of the sections of this newsletter for information on extracurricular opportunities, school uniforms, supplies, new policies and more.

See you at The Castle!

Email: joanna.brooks@sccpss.com
Website: https://spwww.sccpss.com/schools/wfhs/Pages/default.aspx
Phone: 912-395-3400

Each year the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System recognizes support staff such as nurses, paraprofessionals, custodians, cafeteria workers, counselor clerks, secretaries and school resource officers. Each school chooses a site-based representative who then competes to be named the District’s Instructional Support Person of the Year.

The Instructional Support Person of the Year will act as a representative for all Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools’ instructional support personnel. Responsibilities include: serving on the Superintendent’s Professional Senate, providing updates during monthly School Board Meetings, serving on the ISPY Selection Committee and acting as an advocate for the school system.

The five finalists for our 2026 Instructional Support Person of the Year were surprised at their schools last week with the announcement. They are:

• Jabari Hymon–School Resource Officer/Windsor Forest High School
• Qunnie Parker–Paraprofessional/Georgetown K-8 School
• Monique Singleton–Administrative Secretary/Haven Elementary School
• Robbie Lindsey–Administrative Secretary/School of Liberal Studies at Sav. High
• Raessha Stanley–Social Worker/Savannah Chatham E-Learning Academy

The surprise visits were made even more special with the help of their school principals, and district administrative staff who joined in the visits and shared in the excitement of honoring these outstanding support professionals.

Some finalists were moved to tears upon hearing that they had made it into the top five, a testament to the passion and dedication they bring to their roles. Raessha Stanley, a school social worker nominated by the Savannah-Chatham E-Learning Academy, expressed her gratitude, saying, "To be recognized for this award means a lot to me. I truly want to make an impact on my community."

The day was filled with smiles, laughter, and heartfelt moments as we celebrated the incredible contributions of these Instructional Support finalists. It was a reminder of the vital role these individuals play in shaping our students' experiences and fostering a positive learning environment across Chatham County Schools.

The District representative for the 2025-26 SY will be announced at the inaugural SCCPSS Excellence in Education Gala on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Our students participated in a Community Involvement Expo organized by a group of students led by WFHS Senior, Tyler Elliot and advised by Ms. Hooker! Thank you to the team and our community partners for making this event a success!

These students scored Distinguished on the GMAS! A big shoutout to Western Sizzlin - Pooler, GA for buying lunch for everyone and Campbell & Sons Funeral Home for donating limos to get these amazing kids to and from school for lunch!

The five finalists for SCCPSS 2026 District Teacher of the Year were named at a reception held at the Woodville-Tompkins Technical and Career High School Auditorium on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. The announcement was made after 58 school level Teachers of the Year were recognized by the Superintendent and Board Members in attendance. WJCL News Anchor Shannon Royster was the event emcee.

The five finalists as seen in the photo attached are:

Jameson T Meadows of Godley Station K-8 School

Christy Lynes of May Howard Elementary School

Jennifer Hughes of Southwest Elementary School

Kaleena Jedinak of Tybee Island Maritime Academy

Brooklyn Howard of Windsor Forest High School

The finalists were determined by scores from Community Readers of each teacher’s essay application, which is based on the State Teacher of the Year application.

The five finalists will now move on in competition to name the District Teacher of the Year for the 2025-26 School Year. That process includes classroom observations and panel interviews over the next month. The District Teacher of the Year will be announced at the annual Gala expected to take place in March 2025.

Being in school and in class on time and for the duration of the school day, every day has a positive impact on student achievement. Students who frequently miss school due to absences, tardies, or early dismissals miss valuable instructional time, which negatively impacts achievement and progress toward graduation.

If your student must be absent from school, please send an excuse with your student when they return to school. Only 5 excuses written by a parent will be accepted each school year. Other absences will require documentation such as a doctor's note. You can check your student's attendance by logging into the Parent PowerSchool Portal.

Apply here today!

All families must complete a new form for the 24-25 school year, even if they have completed it in previous years.

Click here to find your route information.

Students will be permitted to wear school spirit T-shirts with uniform bottoms on Wednesdays.

The following items, however are not permitted or appropriate for school:

• Leggings, sweatpants, and joggers are not permitted. Please read the policy carefully for the appropriate bottoms.
• Hoods and hats may never be worn at Windsor Forest High School. Staff will take hoodies/hats from students and return them at the end of the day, if they are worn in the building.
• Hoodies without a zipper may not be worn at school.
• Slides and slippers are not appropriate footwear for school.

*If you need uniform assistance, please contact the school.

Students must be on time to school and all classes throughout the school day. Students who are late to school or class will receive the following consequences:

1st Tardy - Warning

2nd Tardy - Warning

3rd Tardy - Warning

4th Tardy - Warning/Phone Call to Parent/Guardian

5th Tardy - After School Detention

6th Tardy - After School Detention

7th Tardy - After School Detention

8th Tardy - After School Detention or Saturday School

9th Tardy - After School Detention or Saturday School

10th Tardy - Mandatory Parent/Guardian Conference

Parents/guardians will be notified when a student is tardy via email through our Student Conductor System. Please make sure you regularly check the email you have listed on PowerSchool.

*A student being late to class counts as 1 tardy. A student could earn up to 5 tardies in a day if they are late to advisement, 1st period, 2nd period, 3rd period, and 4th period.

** If a student is more than 10 minutes late to class, this is considered skipping, not tardy. Skipping will be addressed with a disciplinary referral.

***Student drivers who are tardy to school 3 times will have their parking passes revoked.

The second time a staff member collects a student's cell phone, it will be returned to the parent, not the student.

Are you interested in volunteering at Windsor Forest High School? We would love to see you around The Castle!

Please click here to complete the volunteer registration.

The Title I Family Resource Center is located in Room A-7. The center is open 7:40am-3:00pm daily, and Mr. Barth is ready to assist parents with Internet access, PowerSchool help, setting up a Parent Conference, curriculum questions, volunteer information, and anything else you may need help with!

Come into the Parent Resource Center for a hot cup of freshly made coffee - free, of course! - and leave with many of your questions or concerns addressed. Young children are welcome too! We have some books and toys to keep them busy while you are getting the assistance you need.

See you soon!

Mike Barth

Family and Community Resource Specialist

Student drivers will have their parking permit revoked after their 3rd tardy to school.

Please purchase parking permits at https://www.schoolcashonline.com/

If you are interested in participating in athletics during your time as a WFHS Knight, please contact Coach Turner. No experience is required to come out for conditioning and/or tryouts! All you need is a current physical on file with the school.

Click here for a copy of the physical packet.

Fall Sports (Start July):

Football

Flag Football

Cheerleading

Volleyball

Cross Country

Winter Sports (Start October):

Girls Basketball

Boys Basketball

Wrestling

Swimming

Spring Sports (Start January):

Track & Field

Baseball

Softball

Boys Soccer

Girls Soccer

Golf

For athletic questions contact the Athletic Director:

Coach Turner (cameron.turner@sccpss.com)

Ms. Alai was recognized by WTOC for her tremendous impact on students at The Castle!

The five finalists for SCCPSS 2025 District Teacher of the Year were named at a reception held at the Woodville Tompkins Technical and Career High School Auditorium on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. The announcement was made after 58 school level Teachers of the Year were recognized by the Superintendent and Board Members in attendance. WJCL News Anchor Shannon Royster was the event emcee.

The five finalists as seen the photo attached are:

Zavonna Gould of Windsor Forest High School

Kelvin Oxendine of New Hampstead High School

Ann Marie Hartley of Jacob G. Smith Elementary

Emily Graham of Islands High School

Angela LaPlante of Charles Ellis Montessori Academy

The finalists were determined by scores from Community Readers of each teacher's essay application, which is based on the State Teacher of the Year application.

Congratulations to the Superintendent’s Student of the Month for November, Ms. Trizariah Freeman of Windsor Forest High School! 🥳

Learn more about Triz here ➡️ https://www.sccpss.com/Pages/SSOM-November.aspx