Duke News

March 25-31 Benchmark Make ups

M:

T:Writing SOL Makeups

W: Writing SOL Makeups/Reverse Job Fair

TH:

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UPCOMING:

April 2 End of Quarter 3

April 3rd Open House like event for reviewing course options for 25-26 school year.

April 4th Blood Drive 8-1pm

Are you ready to take your career to the next level?
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) program is offering exciting opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience, industry-relevant skills, and a competitive edge in their chosen field.

Apply today for an opportunity to enroll in one of the following double block CTE courses:

· Agriculture/IWCS Land Lab (WES)

· Building Trades (WHS)

· Certified Nurse Aide (SHS)

· Cosmetology (WHS)

· Culinary Arts (SHS)

· Early Childhood/Little Sprouts (WES)

· Patient Care Technician (SHS)

· Welding (SHS)

🔗 Application Link: CTE Student Application- SY25-26

🗓️ Deadline: March 31, 2025

If you’re already enrolled in a double-block CTE course, you do not need to reapply to continue.

Interested in applying for more than one double-block CTE course? Be sure to submit a separate application for each program.

For any questions or assistance, please contact your school counselor.

Don’t miss out—apply today!

• WHS will hold an open house-like event on April 3rd at 6:00 PM.
• Learn about elective choices and advanced course offerings before students must submit their course requests for next school year.

• Current 8th-11th graders are invited

Monday, 3/24

Tennis Match at Franklin (4:00 pm). Bus will depart at 3:00 PM.

Varsity Softball at Southampton Academy (4:30 pm). Bus will depart at 3:00 PM

Varsity Boys Soccer Match at Greensville Co (5:30 pm). Bus will depart at 3:15 PM.

JV/V Girls Soccer Match vs Northampton (5:30 pm/7:00 pm).

Tuesday, 3/25

JV Softball game at Grassfield (5:45 pm). Bus will depart at 3:30 pm.

JV Baseball game at Portsmouth Christian (4:30pm). Game will be played at Wilson Little League. Students will be dismissed from class at 2:15 pm.

Varsity BB/SB game vs Franklin (4:30 pm).

Wednesday, 3/26

Tennis Match vs Nansemond River (4:00 pm).

JV Boys Soccer at Surry Co (4:30 pm). Bus will depart at 3:00 pm.

JV/ V Girls Soccer at Smithfield (5:30/7:00 pm). Bus will depart at 4:15 pm.

Varsity Boys Soccer match vs Franklin (5:30 pm).

Thursday, 3/27

B/G Track @ Franklin (3:00 pm). Students will be dismissed from class at 1:15 PM.

JV BB/SB at Southampton (4:30 pm). Bus will depart at 3:00 pm

Varsity BB/SB Game vs Southampton (4:30 pm).

Friday, 3/28

JV Baseball vs Randolph Henry (4:30 pm).

Varsity Baseball @ Randolph Henry (6:00 pm). Students will be dismissed from class at 1:45 PM.

JV/V Girls Soccer at Arcadia (4:30 pm/6:00 pm). Students will be dismissed at 12:30 pm.

Saturday 3/29

Speech/Forensics State Championship at Salem High School Salem, VA (9:00 am). Students will depart at 1:00 pm on Friday March 28th.

The Marketing & Entrepreneurship students are hosting a Career Day session at Carrollton Elementary on April 11th. We are looking for a few supplies to enhance the experience for the 2nd and 3rd graders at CAES. Please reach out to Karissa White if you have any questions about what donations are needed. Thank you for supporting us!

Seniors, please see Mrs. Ashburn in the guidance Department to complete your information for the newspaper and check name and diploma type.

If you haven’t ordered your cap and gown yet, please do so as soon as possible. Instructions for ordering can be found in the Senior Class Information module on the Twelfth Grade Canvas page, titled Ordering a Cap and Gown Package from Jostens. Be sure to place your order early enough to receive your items before graduation—time is running out. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. McManaway at dmcmanaw@iwcs.k12.va.us. Jostens will be here April 7th to deliver cap and gown packages.

To sign up for the senior class trip, please use the Google Form located in the Senior Class Information module on the Twelfth Grade Canvas page, titled Senior Trip. To be eligible, you must have paid your dues, have no chronic absences at the time of the trip, and demonstrate good behavior, following the "Windsor Way" without any student code of conduct violations. The trip includes a ticket to Kings Dominion and transportation to and from the park (from school). You are responsible for additional expenses such as food, drinks, and souvenirs. The trip will take place on May 2, 2025, an asynchronous school day. Exact times will be announced once the park confirms the hours for that date. For questions, please contact Mrs. McManaway at dmcmanaw@iwcs.k12.va.us.

Please be advised that Mrs. Carroll will be on medical leave starting Thursday, February 20. In her absence, the Duke Team is available to assist with any needs you may have. For general inquiries, our office staff is more than happy to help troubleshoot or direct you to the appropriate contact. You can reach us at 757-242-6172.

Additionally, the following individuals are available to provide support:

• Shantell Basking, Dean of Students: sbasking@iwcs.k12.va.us
• Melinda Hodgkiss, Assistant Principal: mhodgkiss@iwcs.k12.va.us
• Angel Randall, Administrative Assistant & School Testing Facilitator: arandall@iwcs.k12.va.us
• Lajuane Gaddis, WHS Athletic Director: lgaddis@iwcs.k12.va.us
• Anne Fike, School Counselor (Students Last Name A-J): afike@iwcs.k12.va.us
• Tiffany Duck, School Counselor (Students Last Name K-Z): tduck@iwcs.k12.va.us

Students and parents are reminded of the cell phone procedures as outlined in the information below:

Windsor High School's HVAC system operates differently than a home HVAC system. To switch the unit to air conditioning or heating, the process takes several days and involves heating water in pipes throughout the building. In other words, a decision to switch the school to AC or heat requires prior planning and predicting that exterior temperature forecasts will remain stable.

As we move through the change of seasons, students should prepare to dress in layers. Blankets are not permitted.

For our 100th edition of the yearbook, the WHS Yearbook staff is seeking high quality photographs of the outside views of the original Windsor High School building and the building from the 80s. If you have those photographs or access to those photographs, please contact Mrs. Presson @ cpresson@iwcs.k12.va.us. Thank you!

Available Mondays & Fridays. Sign up or See Mrs. Davis

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2kOAqhTfbqhk62NE3F2LFSuemS57AjpBZj8Rl9cMkffr8yA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Parents, please join your student’s grade level Canvas and Remind for great information. This year WHS has created grade level Canvas accounts. This is the PRIMARY source for grade level information such as scholarship opportunities, class events, graduation information, etc.

Attendance notes can be sent to lsigler@iwcs.k12.va.us and lalston@iwcs.k12.va.us

In order to be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities (including, but not limited to athletic events, club activities, school dances, etc.), a student must attend 50% of the school day. Students who are absent from school are not permitted to be on school property for any reason, this includes extracurricular activities such as athletic events or school dances. Students who are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year) may lose the opportunity to attend particular social events (e.g. Homecoming Dance, Prom, participation on athletic teams, or other extracurricular activities).

Students who engage in a pattern of unexcused absences for less than a school day (early dismissal or late arrival) may be required to make up the missed instructional time at the principal’s discretion.

A note requesting early dismissal must be received in the office by 10:00 a.m. The note must be written by the student’s parent or guardian or sent from the authorized email account as verified in PowerSchool. The office staff will verify the written note by contacting the student’s parent or guardian via the contact number/email in PowerSchool. At no time will 18 year-old students be permitted to sign out of school without proper documentation that declares the age of majority and demonstrates his/her emancipation from his/her parent(s)/guardian(s).

If a need to leave early develops after 10:00 a.m., the parent, or approved contact, as indicated in the PowerSchool account, must come to the WHS office with proper identification to sign the student out.

Windsor High School Attendance and Tardy Policy Reminder

At Windsor High School, we prioritize consistent student attendance to ensure access to quality education. To help families stay informed, we want to remind you of our attendance policy as outlined by IWCS Regulation JED-R, our specific tardy policy at Windsor High School, and our attendance appeal policy:

• Unexcused Absences: These occur when the school is unaware of the reason for the absence, or the provided reason/documentation is insufficient. Please note that if a note is not submitted, the absence will be considered unexcused. We accept up to 5 parent notes per semester. If the absence is due to an appointment, please submit a doctor's note or other professional documentation to excuse the student.

  Example of an Acceptable Note:

  • Date
  • “My child (Insert Student’s Name) was absent on (Insert Date of Absence) because of (Insert reason for absence).”
  • Parent/Guardian Signature
  • Parent/Guardian Email Address/Parent/Guardian Phone

School personnel will implement the following notification process to improve attendance:

• 3rd Unexcused Absence: The principal or designee will call the parent/guardian to explain compulsory attendance requirements.
• 4th Unexcused Absence: A letter will be mailed to the parent/guardian.
• 5th Unexcused Absence: An Attendance Improvement Plan will be developed with the parent/guardian.
• 8th & 9th Unexcused Absence: The principal or designee will contact the parent/guardian to discuss possible next steps if attendance does not improve.
• 10th Unexcused Absence: An attendance conference will be scheduled within 10 days.
• 11th Unexcused Absence: The student and family will be referred to the IWCS attendance officer for a truancy review team meeting.
• 15th Consecutive Unexcused Absence: The student will be withdrawn from Windsor High School as per VA Code 8VAC20-110-130.

Tardies: The tardy policy at Windsor High School applies to each block. Students are allowed to provide notes for tardies to school ONLY on the same day as the tardy and with reasonable and appropriate excuses.

Tardy Consequences:

• 3 Unexcused Tardies: An automated call will be made to the student's home.
• 6 Unexcused Tardies: The student will receive 2 days of lunch detention or after-school detention, and there is a possible suspension of parking privileges for 5 days.
• 9 Unexcused Tardies: The student will receive 4 days of lunch detention or after-school detention, and there is a possible suspension of parking privileges for 10 days.

Attendance Appeal Policy: It is especially important to note the expectations for student attendance as it relates to student retention and course credit. High school students may not be granted credit for a course if unexcused absences from class total more than five (5) class periods for a semester course, or ten (10) class periods for year-long courses. The entire policy JED and regulation JED-R may be found on the division's website by navigating to: Board → Policy → J. Students → JED and/or JED-R.

We encourage all families to be proactive in managing attendance and tardiness and to communicate any concerns with the school administration. Regular attendance and punctuality are crucial for academic success, and we are here to support our students in every way possible.

Thank you for your attention to these important matters.

Missed the New Duke Presentation before Open House? Click this link to review the slides:

New Dukes Presentation 2024

Instructional Hours: 7:35am -2:50pm

Office Hours: 7:00am--4:00pm

The calendar is available on the IWCS website at https://www.iwcs.k12.va.us/apps/pages/school_calendar

Dawn Carroll, Principal

Melinda Hodgkiss, Assistant Principal

Our goal at Windsor High School is to always put our students’ best interests first and provide a variety of opportunities so all students can achieve success and make connections with others. We believe a strong partnership with families and the entire school community is vital for our Dukes’ success.The philosophy of Windsor High School aligns with Isle of Wight County Public Schools' vision to create a learning environment that will enable every child to discover his or her unique gifts and talents.

Website: http://whs.iwcs.k12.va.us/
Location: 24 Church Street, Windsor, VA, USA
Phone: (757)242-6172
Twitter: @dukeswhs