Wiss Watch

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Congratulations to the Class of 2023! During Commencement on June 9, seniors were recognized by Superintendent Dr. James Crisfield, Graduation Speaker Solmiya Pankiv, Valedictorian Andy Wang, Assistant Principal Dr. Haney and SCE Principal Paula Venezia. The Class of 2023 includes 345 graduates who will attend one of 113 Colleges/Universities. Their post-secondary plans are as follows:

• 77% - attend a four-year college
• 13% - attend a two-year college/trade/technical school
• 9% - work, gap year, apprenticeship and other
  
• 1% - enrolled in the military

Seniors celebrated their success with Victory Laps around Wissahickon Middle School and the elementary school they attended. Students and staff cheered, hugged, high-fived and shared hand-made signs of congratulations!

Congratulations to the Class of 2023 Scholarship recipients who were recognized at the Scholarship Awards Night ceremony on June 1. In total, $355,098 in scholarships was awarded to

145 students. View the program to see all recipients.

Congratulations to the more than 40 members of the WHS Class of 2023 who were recognized for their accomplishments and contributions at the Senior Awards Night. View the ceremony.

There is no better way to learn about the positive impact our staff makes then to hear it directly from our students. That's why we encourage you to take some time to watch the “Difference Maker” videos from ten graduates. All seniors were asked to choose a WSD employee who has positively impacted their academic journey and/or personal life and write a letter of thanks to them. A selection of ten were recorded and are available on our Difference Makers webpage along with the whole list of staff recognized by the Class of 2023. Below is one of the videos of senior Malka Goldberg thanking Mr. Brodie, WHS Mathematics teacher, and a link to the Difference Makers webpage.

Congratulations to our WMS eighth graders on their promotion to high school and our fifth graders to middle school. Families and students celebrated during recognition ceremonies at each school. Check out some of the promotion ceremony highlights below.

The Wissahickon School District presents the Equity Dashboard, a data-driven and transparent look at sixteen key equity and achievement measures that form the basis of our continued commitment for two areas of focus: to identify and frame any and all gaps that may exist in our district; and to work hard to close those gaps to the best of our ability. Gaps in specific equity and/or achievement measures combine to create a bigger, broader and more comprehensive opportunity gap that can have lifelong adverse impact on students. Our goal is to identify, measure, and work to eliminate all of these gaps resulting in equal opportunity for each and every Wissahickon Student. The data in this dashboard range from Kindergarten Readiness, Special Education Enrollment, and Student Discipline to Mastery of Math Facts, PSSA proficiency, and AP course enrollment, plus many more. We will update this dashboard with new data for each of these indicators periodically throughout each school year. Click here to explore the Equity Dashboard.

Are you interested in supporting our students, athletic programs and advertising your business? Check out the sponsorship opportunities available at WHS including signage on the new multi-purpose field. All donations support athletic program improvements which exceed the district’s budget. In previous years, contributions to the Community of Champions Athletic Improvement Fund included the purchase of windscreens and banners to build our Trojan brand and pride, an outdoor play clock, lacrosse netting and a John Deere gator for the athletic trainer.

VIEW COMMUNITY OF CHAMPION SPONSORSHIPS

Huge shoutout to MHX Designs who contributed $5,000 to the Community of Champions campaign and Hirschberg Mechanical who donated $3,000 this school year.

WSD celebrates and thanks our seventeen WSD retirees for your dedicated years of service! View the recent School Board of Directors meeting presentations.

Check out the talented WMS chorus singing the National Anthem at the Phillies game on May 31. Beautiful! Chorus teacher Mrs. Brown got a little love from the Phanatic.

Check out the cool new school logo sign by the playground at LGE. It was donated by the fifth grade, who raised money for the class gift by selling lemonade at the art show!

Congratulations to eighth graders Tyler F., Gabe G., Joseph C., and Mihir K. for their showing at the 2023 Lower Merion Invitational Math Tournament! The WMS MATHCOUNTS team placed an impressive second place overall in a field of more than 20 teams.

Team Jules presented gift bags to our six graduates in Functional Skills to celebrate their success and honor the memory of Juliet, WMS teacher Mrs. Belcher's daughter, who passed away in 2020 after a life-long battle with Mitochondrial Disease. Juliet also would have graduated this year, so her friends and family (Team Jules) honored her memory by creating special presents for a wonderful group of students! Learn more about giving opportunities to Team Jules at 4jules.weebly.com.

Fourth and fifth-grade students in the four elementary schools showed off their talent singing, dancing and acting in the end-of-year musicals. Elementary, WMS and WHS band, strings and chorus students also entertained the community with their final concerts.

WHS Environmental Club successfully collected three truckloads of materials at their inaugural Electronics Recycling Drive. The club partnered with PAR Recycle and had almost 200 vehicles drop items off to be recycled instead of ending up in a landfill. Bravo!

Look at those smiles! BBE third graders celebrate the number of chapter books they read all by themselves this school year. Way to go. Keep reading!

Check out the new outdoor classroom at Stony Creek donated as the fifth grade class gift. Students will really enjoy this beautiful space, which includes a garden and tables for reading and other learning activities.

Congrats to the WHS Frisbee team who claimed the 2023 State Championship!

Take a look at WHS seniors Alyssa W., who interned at Steinbach Veterinary Hospital, and Bella R. who interned at Centre Square Fire Company this year. The Senior Internship Program has been a part of Wissahickon High School for decades, allowing twelth-grade students to participate in half day internships to earn academic credit in an occupation field of their choosing for a semester or the entire school year. Mrs. Inderbitzin shared that "this experience helps seniors determine if their career path is the right fit for them while walking away with a greater appreciation for what it means to be a professional employee." Thirty-five students interned at local organizations or within WSD.

Shoutout to the Blue Bell Safeties - a caring group of students who take their job seriously! Safeties monitor hallways, escort kindergarten students, help teachers in the bus rooms and at parent pick-up, and assist students and bus drivers with ensuring our students stay safe. All four elementary schools offer interested students the opportunity of being a Safety.

Mr. Radel's WHS Environmental Science classes took a field trip to Four Mills Nature Reserve hosted by Wiss Trails and his AP Physics 2 students learned about optics by using a candle and a lens to form an image on paper and calculate the focal length.

Blue Bell third-graders in Miss Savalia's class learn had fun together on a field trip to the Wissahickon Watershed and at the Fun Run.

WHS ninth, tenth and eleventh grades celebrated their end-of-year Blue and Gold Day by enjoying the sunshine, playing games and eating ice cream sundaes with lots of sprinkles and whipped cream.

One of our students' favorite activities is Field Day, organized with the help of many parent volunteers in the elementary schools. Thanks to all who make this fun event possible.

WHS members of the Asian Student and Indian Culture Associations participated in the Read Aloud program to help elementary students celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

This month, Wiss Nation celebrates the achievements and contributions of members of the LGBTQIA+ Community during LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Mrs. Keziah La Torre, the WSD Director of Equity and Cultural Responsiveness, shared highlights from our schools as well as quarterly highlights of Social and Emotional Learning across the district. Watch the presentation.

Each month this year, our schools incorporated lessons and activities that support social emotional learning (SEL) skills - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making. The SEL theme for June was Reflection. Check out a few of the great learning activities below.

Shoutout to the WMS eighth grade who donated field games, candy and chips to the Rising Stars Homework Club as their class gift!

Bravo to LGE's fourth and fifth-grade chorus on their “SELebration of Song” - a musical celebrating the SEL themes that Wiss Nation explored this school year. The show kicked off with “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang” and featured other popular music that tied into the monthly SEL themes, like “Stand Up” (Giving Back), “Treat People with Kindness” (Inclusivity/You Belong), “My Shot” from Hamilton (Goal Setting), “We’re All In This Together” from High School Musical (Teamwork/Collaboration) “Seasons of Love” (Reflection) and more! The music was interspersed with inspirational quotes and dialogue.

Shoutout to the WMS LEAP (Leadership Excellence Achievement Program) students, advised by Mrs. Rawley and Mr. Wilson, who organized a donation drive for the Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard. Cindy Wedholm, Executive Director, accepted the donations of toothbrushes, juice boxes, cookies, coffee and tea. Thanks to the WMS community for their generosity.

WHS Key Club members have been busy doing projects to serve our community! Outreach included organizing an eyeglass collection with the Lions Club of Oreland, fundraising by selling chocolates and donating funds to Josh Shapiro’s Superhero Fund to support families experiencing pediatric cancer.

This is how Wiss Nation shows their love! LGE staff and students had a clap out for Principal Kanopka to wish her well in her new position of WSD Supervisor of Curriculum next year. LGE will clearly miss Mrs. Kanopka!

Stony Creek Student Council hosted their annual Alex’s Lemonade Stand and there were LOTS of smiles as they raised funds for pediatric cancer. They raised OVER $800 with online donations and are very excited to count all of the in-school donations! Thank you to the VERY generous donations from the Stony Creek families!

As a reminder, the district has shared bi-weekly health and wellness tips and resources with families this year to help support our students' physical and emotional well-being. You can view this tip and all of the Wiss Well-being tips on the WSD website.

The Wissahickon Board of School Directors welcomes residents and community members to attend its monthly public meetings (e.g., work sessions, regular meetings, and committee meetings). These public meetings are held in-person at the District Administration Office and/or virtually via Zoom and YouTube. Click here to learn more about the school board.

Three Things to Know about the May 30 and June 5 Board Meetings (Watch May 30 Work Session Public Meeting; Watch June 5 Regular Public Meeting)

• At the May 30 Work Session, the Board celebrated 17 retiring staff and their service to the Wissahickon community!
• At the May 30 Work Session, the Board recognized Asian American Pacific Islander month to showcase the various activities happening in our schools.
• At the June 5 Regular Public Meeting, the Board approved the final budget for the 2023-2024 school year.

Upcoming Board Meetings

• July 17, 2023 at 7:00 p.m., Special Public Board Meeting
• August 21, 2023 at 7:00 p.m., Regular Public Board Meeting