*9/5 Thursday and *9/6 Friday are ICA Testing for all grade levels -- Please see special ICA Schedule
Wednesdays are Early Dismissal at 2:35 for Staff Collaboration Meetings. (Click Here for the Bell Schedules).
SUHSD Food Services Information
Where can I find the menu?
Check out the weekly menu on MealViewer:https://schools.mealviewer.com/school/WoodsideHighSchool
ALL students districtwide are eligible to receive free meals (a reimbursable breakfast & lunch) for the 2024-25 school year. During this time, SUHSD will collect Meal Applications.
Although all students will receive meals for free, that does not qualify them to receive the supplemental benefits (Income Eligibility Benefits) that Free/Reduced families typically receive (i.e. Internet discounts, P-EBT Cards, cable discounts, bus passes, reduced college application fees, etc.). In order to qualify for those benefits, families will need to complete a "Meal Application". Direct certifications will also be utilized with San Mateo County and the State of California through CALPADS.
Please note that households that are directly or categorically certified with eligible children will not need to complete the Meal Application.
Comments and Feedback for Food Service: https://www.suhsdfoodservice.org/form-builder/#/form/65240ba6e96f1e2482167999
Principal van Putten is often supervising the MUR Brunch and Lunch line and encouraging students to eat the fresh fruit provided (see photo).
Dear Woodside Families,
I hope you enjoyed the last days of August and a beautiful Labor Day Weekend. I very much enjoyed seeing many families along with our SUHSD Board President, Shawneece Stevenson, on Back to School Night. Your positive involvement in your teenager's school life is a critical component to their success: academically, socially and emotionally.
uplift - verb
1. raise the level of; improve.
2. lift to a higher position.
uplift - noun
1. an instance of being raised or increased.
2. something that makes a person feel more cheerful, positive, or optimistic.
“Education and work are the levers to uplift a people. Work alone will not do it unless inspired by the right ideals and guided by intelligence.” W.E.B. Du Bois
Each year, students involved in our Leadership program select a word or phrase to help guide the energy of our school. We invite and encourage all students, staff and our community to uplift one another for a positive Wildcat experience through the Four A’s: Academics, Activities, the Arts, and Athletics.
P-D-F: Playtime, Downtime and Family Time
As we begin our fourth week of school, students should be finding a rhythm in their day to day routines: sleep schedules, healthy eating choices and a balance of school work and "P-D-F" or "playtime, downtime, and family time." Yes...high school students [and adults] need all three of these types of time. It is very important that students take advantage of the time given in class and during the school day such as Tutorial to get some homework or reading completed. Perhaps one of the most important life skills is time management, so I am including a resource from Challenge Success in English and Spanish (also included below) to help our teens carve out time to balance school and all their other priorities and interests that bring them joy.
ICA: Interim Comprehensive Assessment
This week, students in grades 9-12 will participate in the SUHSD Interim Comprehensive Assessment (ICA) in Literacy and Math. Students received a message in CANVAS from Instructional Vice Principal Cara Klackle last week with information. I am re-sharing the email message sent from Diana Wilmot, Director of Program Evaluation & Research on August 30th:
Each year we strive to better understand how SUHSD students are progressing on the Common Core State Standards, which provide clear and consistent learning goals to help prepare students for college, career, and life. The standards clearly demonstrate what students are expected to learn at each grade level, so that every parent and teacher can understand and support their learning. This September, we will continue to administer an Interim Comprehensive Assessment (ICA) in Literacy and Math. It is the only District assessment that allows us to measure student progress year after year, throughout our students’ high school career.
Focus skills assessed on the Literacy ICA include: developing claims, evaluating a speaker's point of view, citing strong and thorough textual evidence and determining the central idea of a text. The Math ICA will measure student progress in the domains of procedural knowledge, application and problem-solving, and communicating mathematical reasoning.
The results are formative and will not impact your student’s grades. Students are able to best demonstrate what they know and can do when they have had a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast.
Students will take this assessment during a regularly scheduled school day and will receive instructions directly from school administrators and teachers about the schedule at their site. Please be sure to send your student with a fully charged device, such as a school-issued Chromebook, and wired headphones on the day of the assessment.
Thank you,
Diana Wilmot
Director of Program Evaluation & Research | Sequoia Union High School District
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Graduation Honors
We are writing to inform you of an important update to our graduation honors system effective this academic year 2024-25. The honor of Valedictorian is usually awarded to the highest academic ranking in a graduating class, and one student is typically given the title based on their grade point average (GPA). Previously at Woodside, every student with a cumulative GPA above a 4.1 was a valedictorian. We are now shifting to a more accurate representation of our distinctions .
Woodside will now use the Latin Honors system of Summa Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude distinctions to honor the academic achievements of our students at graduation.
Summa Cum Laude is a Latin phrase that translates to "with greatest praise" and this will be the highest academic award designated for students in the top 5% of a class or those above a 4.3 GPA
Magna Cum Laude translates to "with great praise" and will be the second highest academic honor, after summa cum laude. Magna Cum Laude will be awarded to students with a GPA within the 4.1-4.29 range.
The weighted cumulative GPA will be used for both distinctions. Recognitions are awarded at the end of the first semester of the student's senior year.
We are very proud of all our students' accomplishments and look forward to accurately honoring them moving forward.
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Woodside Gear
Do you need to add some new WHS gear? Then check out the ABO's shopping link for the ABO Store:
https://woodsideathletics.membershiptoolkit.com!
Included in this week's newsletter:
- Information on Student Time Management for a healthy, balanced life: P-D-F
- Information on the ICA
- Information on Graduation Honors: Summa Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude
- Safety & Traffic / Drop Off / Pick Up Reminders
- Important Dates and Schedules
- Mentors Wanted
- News from the Woodside HS Foundation
- News from the Music Boosters
- Tutorial during school day -- Overview
- Information about Logging Into IC and CANVAS
- Information about Varsity Tutors, an online tutoring program (this replaces Paper)
- The BIG READ Theme is Courage & Resilience - Read one of the books by September 19th and Purchase tickets for the Special Film Screening of Kinstsukuroi on 9/18, 9/19 or 9/20
Goals & Rationale:
To advance literacy & academic performance
To foster a love of reading through self-selection of books of interest
To build community through reflection and discussion of ourselves, the WHS 8 conditions for student /staff success, and the world
With Gratitude,
Karen van Putten, Principal
Please subscribe to this newsletter so that you can receive the Weekly Wildcat News directly in your inbox! Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter and click on the "Subscribe" button.
*If you see a photo of yourself or your child and would like me to email you the photo, just let me know!
Important Dates & Schedules
September 3 - 6 is an "A - B - A - B Schedule" with ICA Testing on Thurs/Fri
- September 3: Washington State University - College Rep Visit during Brunch in C6
- September 3: Occidental College - College Rep Visit during Lunch in B17
- September 3: CA College of the Arts - College Rep Visit during Tutorial in C6
- September 3: ELAC (English Language Advisory Council) Mtg: 6:30PM in the Library
- September 4: Every Wednesday is Wear Your College Gear Day!
- September 5: Music Department Fundraiser at Corner Table Restaurant: 9AM - 8:30PM
- September 5: Literacy - ICA (Interim Comprehensive Testing) - Special Schedule
- September 6: Math - ICA (Interim Comprehensive Testing) - Special Schedule
- September 6: Every Friday is WOODSIDE Colors Day! Wear your WHS Gear in Orange/Black/White
- September 9: USC (University of Southern California) - College Rep Visit during Brunch in C5
- September 9: University of Wisconsin, Madison - College Rep Visit during Tutorial in C5
- September 9: University of Puget Sound - College Rep Visit after school in B17
- September 10: Club Rush - on the Quad During Lunch (learn about all the clubs on campus!)
- September 11: Minimum Day - SUHSD PD - School dismissed at 12:30
- September 12: Indiana University - College Rep Visit during Brunch in C5
- September 13: End of Quarter 1 Progress Report
- September 18: Special Film Screening of KINTSUKUROI in the PAC--6:00PM - Part of the BIG READ
- September 19: The BIG READ - Make sure you have finished reading your summer reading of one of the four books -- students can check out a title from the library.
- September 19: Special Film Screening of KINTSUKUROI in the PAC--6:00PM w/ Cast & Crew - Part of the BIG READ
- September 19: Photo ID Make-up Day in the MUR
- September 20: Special Film Screening of KINTSUKUROI in the PAC--6:00PM - Part of the BIG READ
- September 21: Special Film Screening of KINTSUKUROI in the PAC w/ Cast & Crew Q&A--1:00PM - Part of the BIG READ
- September 30: SUHSD Staff Development - No School for Students
- October 9: College & Career Day at Woodside - SAT, PSAT, Job Shadow, College Bus Trips
- October 11: End of Quarter 1 (Academic Eligibility for Athletics!!)
- October 14: Indigenous Peoples Day - NO SCHOOL
- October 21 - 26: HOMECOMING WEEK Activities
Have You Considered Mentoring? Want to make a difference in a teenager's life? Had a mentor yourself or wish you did? Easy communication in person as well as through email, phone, and Zoom
Mentoring Program: Woodside HS is looking for career mentors. The mentor program will pair students with professionals to discuss both academic and career goals. The student's career interests are wide-ranging from graphic design and marketing to soil science and green building. I'm hoping that you, or someone that you know, might be able to participate in this program as a mentor, we will be offering a flexible hybrid approach.
Commitment: Approximately 2 hours per month from January to May 2025, with a set curriculum that is focused on career exploration and developing the students' business communication goals. Key deliverables include an elevator pitch, SMART goals, resumes, mock interviews, and a job shadow.
Signup: Please contact us at WHS Mentor <whsmentor@seq.org>
Woodside's Engineering Class
Who: Professional engineers, electricians, welders, machinists, fabricators, robotics, etc.
What: Speak to WHS Engineering classes
When: Pick a date that works for you, we do ask that you try to speak to at least 2 classes, but will work to find a time that fits your schedule
1* 8:30-9:20
3* 9:30-10:50 (A Day)
4* 11:20-12:55 (B Day)
7* 2:10-3:40 (A Day)
Where: 199 Churchill Ave., Woodside CA 94062
How: Sign Up Here or email Faith Velschow with any questions.
Parent-hosted auction parties are a great way to meet other WHS parents and support the WHS Foundation. There are three September parties that still have open spots. Whether it’s an end-of-summer reading brunch, Rocktoberfest or Bunco, there’s something for everyone.
Click here for more information and to sign up! https://www.whsfoundation.org/2024-buyin-parties
SEASON TICKET FAMILY 4-PACK
Ticket package includes 4 tickets to all regular season home games for football (fall) and boys & girls varsity basketball (winter). Click here to purchase.
The ABO spirit wear store is OPEN for the 2024-25 school year! New items and restocked items may be added, so be sure to check back!
You can shop for additional spirit wear on our online store through Goetz Brothers Sporting Goods all year round! Shop for a variety of spirit wear items with multiple color and design options not available in our campus spirit wear store. Order items online directly from Goetz Brothers and select in store pickup or delivery to your home.
Tutorial Embedded in the School Day
Students have a chance to start homework and ask for help within the school day
Students can make up work from absences without using brunch/lunch
Access to all of a student’s teachers in one given time period-- all teachers are in their rooms.
Do the things that might normally interrupt class time like surveys, counselor meetings, school-wide activities, etc.
This is the BEST time to start or complete HW, make up or finish labs or assessments, meet with teacher(s) for clarification, meet with members of a group project -USE THE TIME EFFECTIVELY!
Woodside High School
Email: kvanputten@seq.org
Website: woodsidehs.org
Location: 199 Churchill Avenue, Woodside, CA, USA
Phone: (650) 367-9750
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Woodside-High-School-584534558341797/