Wolverines News- Nov. Newsletter

Hello WHS Families, Students, and Staff,

Our Winter activities season is off and running! We've already had some incredible successes with our winter sports teams, and our fine arts department has delivered some amazing performances! We hope you join us soon at one of our events!

Students will have no school during Winter break from December 22-January 2. We will dismiss 2 hours early at 12:55pm on Thursday, December 21. School will resume on Wednesday, January 3rd. The 1st semester ends on January 11th. There will be no school on Friday, January 12th due to a teacher work day. The 2nd semester begins on January 15th.

I truly hope all of our Wolverine students, families, and staff have a wonderful and safe winter break! We are just an email away if anyone needs anything during that time.

Sincerely,

-Ms. Rebecca Rieken

#WeAreWEST

Mrs. Lisa Rhymer serves West High School as a building special education instructional assistant! A former WHS graduate herself, Mrs. Rhymer is a Wolverine through and through! She is always so positive and willing to help others! We are so fortunate to have her as a part of our team!!!

School Counselors have been meeting with students to gather their interests and requests for what courses they would like to take during the 2024-2025 school year. Some of their schedule will be filled with required courses for graduation, but each year students have the opportunity to choose what elective courses they would like to take. We encourage students and families to discuss these elective options. Students have the opportunity to take electives at their home high school building, to take courses at the Career Academy, and to even take dual college credit courses through Western Iowa Tech Community College, which are all paid for by the school district.

All of our course options are described in our High School Course Guide. We encourage students and families to explore our Course Guide by accessing the link below:

Student from West High enjoyed drummers, dancing, Native American food, and a tour of WITCC while participating in the Native American Heritage Month Celebration at Western Iowa Technical College on November 21st.

This season our West High Student Council was honored for over 20 years of participating in the Festival of Trees. They also gave back to our WHS families with their annual Giving Tree Toy Drive!

West High Instructional Assistant, Sam Irish, was recently inducted to BOTH the Iowa and South Dakota Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame! Our WHS staff and Sam's family (son, Sam, Jr., wife, Steph, daughter, Maggie, and his new grandson, JJ) all came together to acknowledge and celebrate his amazing lifetime accomplishment!!!

Thank you to the following staff WHS for your remarkable years of service to West High!

• Karl George, 25 years
• Tim Schmitt, 25 years (not pictured)
  
• Lori Bosse, 20 years
• Jen Gengler, 20 years
• Warren Baker, 20 years (not pictured)
  

• January 2-JV and Varsity boys' basketball, theme is Adam Sandler, game time is 5:30-JV, 7:00-V

• January 11-Boys and girls wrestling, theme is Flannel, meet time is 5:30

• February 2-Girls and boys' basketball, theme is PINK night, game time JVG-4, JVB-4(WMS), VG-5:30, VB-7:00

The Sioux City Community School District and the Missouri River Activity Conference uses BOUND for tickets and season passes to all regular home high school athletic events.

Sioux City Community School District season athletic passes provide entry to sporting events at East High, North High, and West High —excluding postseason games and postseason activities (concerts, plays, performances, etc.). A pass can be used for all home events for the school in which the pass was purchased.

Pass options and prices are as follows:

1. Student Pass (K-12) - $30
2. Adult Pass (18+) - $100
3. Senior Citizen Pass (62+) - $30
4. Family Pass (2 Adults and Children) - $240

Individual tickets for all high school athletic events are also available for $7/each.

All season athletic passes and individual tickets can be purchased through gobound.com or in the BOUND App. Fans can download the BOUND App from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Once a purchase is made, the ticket or pass will appear in the BOUND App. The ticket or season pass must be presented in the BOUND App at each athletic event for entry.

Two parents/guardians and children (K-12) living at the same residence are eligible for the family season pass. When placing an order online, families should indicate the number of family members in the "Number of Tickets Needed" box. Once a family pass is purchased, passes must be assigned to each family member in the BOUND App.

Fans who are unable to make a purchase online or through the BOUND App are encouraged to visit the main office at East High, North High, or West High from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm Monday through Friday for assistance.

West High Students are encouraged to become involved and join an activity or club! If you have questions about our activity and club offerings, please email our Activities Director, Mr. Gabe Hoogers: hoogerg2@live.siouxcityschool.scom

You can order online at www.yearbookforever.com or see Mrs. Schiller in Room 236 before school, during Homeroom, or after school.

The cost is $40 right now and increases $5 at the end of every quarter. Sales run until April 30, 2024.

October 26-January 15: $45

January 16-March 19: $50

March 20-April 30: $55

Senior photos are due to Mrs. Schiller by 3 pm on December 21 in order to be included in the Yearbook: schillk@live.siouxcityschools.com

Photo requirements:

1. Portrait-orientation (up and down; not wide)
2. High resolution JPG file
3. No costumes, pets, props, or hand gestures in the photos
4. No "selfie" photos or photos with social media filters
5. Attire for photographs must comply with West High School’s dress code

Ordering for Cap and Gown has already begun. Please go to Jostens.com and search Sioux City West High to order.

Orders due by December 20th. Fee will increase after that so order TODAY!

For Questions or Assistance, please see Ms. Chauncey in the Main Office.

The West High School Food Pantry is available to meet the needs of the West side community. We can assist families with food, limited toiletries, and diapers.

Please call West High School with any requests, 712-279-6772 ask for Mr. VanBuren or Mrs. Husk.

*We will no longer have clothing except for homecoming and prom dresses, thank you!

Current Items Available:

Instant mashed potatoes

Cream of chicken soup

Canned beef ravioli

Vegetarian refried beans

Mandarin oranges-individual cups

Chicken and rice condensed soup

Tomato condensed soup

Applesauce-individual cups

Canned green beans

Canned corn

Canned seasoned green beans

Parmesan garlic wing sauce

Spaghetti noodles

Hot sauce-one gallon

Toilet paper

Men's deodorant

Women's deodorant

Canned pears

Boxed mac-n-cheese

Chicken stuffing mix-boxed

Bagged hamburger pasta mix

Similac formula

Newborn diapers

Chicken leg quarters-frozen

Chicken-8-piece count-frozen

Ground turkey-frozen, one-pound packages

A priority of our school must be student safety, both emotional and physical safety. Students must feel and be safe at all times, both in and out of school.

It is important to remind our students and families of our student handbook which outlines district expectations for our student code of conduct. In this code of conduct, item 12 states:

12. Disobeys Classroom Rules or Engages in Disorderly Conduct or Fighting — Classroom and/or school rules include written rules, teacher and/or administrative instructions, and the general educational prohibition against all forms of cheating, fighting, or material disruptions to the learning environment.

If students engage in fighting at school they will receive school consequences. Such consequences may include being suspended from school until an intermediate school hearing at which night school may be recommended. Students who are found to be promoting school fighting by posting about school fights on social media may also receive school consequences.

West High School is a school all should be proud of, and a place where all should be safe. Our students, families, and staff should not be tolerant of school fighting. We need to work together to continue to demonstrate West High Pride by engaging in behaviors that are Welcoming, Engaged, SAFE, and Trustworthy.

Please help our school achieve this safety in the following ways:

• When students, families, or staff become aware of unsafe situations, they will notify the school administration and staff immediately.
• If unsafe situations arise, students will seek school staff assistance immediately and they should not be a bystander who encourages or records such unsafe situations.

West High School Administration always welcomes communication regarding school safety. Staff may call the school during school hours at 712-279-6772, or they may email school administration directly:

Rebecca Rieken, principal: riekenr@live.siouxcityschools.com

Gabe Hoogers, assistant principal hoogerg2@live.siouxcityschools.com

Brant Bemus, assistant principal: bemusb@live.siouxcityschools.com

Pam Husk, assistant principal: huskp@live.siouxcityschools.com

The Sioux City Community School District has outline specific expectations for student code of conduct. This code of conduct is outline in our Student Handbook. We encourage all families to review this code of conduct with their children. There are specific consequences outline in the code of conduct related to cell phone and personal technology use during the classroom, as well as vaping.

Iowa law requires that children enrolling in 9th grade are required to provide proof of a dental screening to their school. As an update on the screening rules, please note the following:

1. A screening for 9th grade is valid if it occurs one year prior to enrollment to four months after the enrollment date.

12th grade students must have their meningitis vaccination up to date before starting school. If you have questions regarding this, or any other health related matters, please contact our school nurse, Mrs. Mary Mason: masonm@live.siouxcityschools.com

At West High our counselors loop with their grade level class throughout all four years, and students identified as TAG will loop with Mrs. Still. As students and families have questions, please contact the counselor for that student's grade level, or the TAG counselor, either by email, or by leaving a voicemail for that counselor.

Our team invites parents and guardians to connect with them anytime throughout the school year so we can partner with you as we guide our students to success. All are welcome to call West High School to schedule an appointment, or email the administrator directly:

West High School, 712-279-6772

11th & 12th grade primary contact, Rebecca Rieken, Head Principal- riekenr@live.siouxcityschools.com

Gabe Hoogers, Activities Director- hoogerg2@live.siouxcityschools.com

10th grade primary contact, Brant Bemus, Assistant Principal- bemusb@live.siouxcityschools.com

9th grade primary contact, Pam Husk, Assistant Principal- huskp@live.siouxcityschools.com

Stay connected with family-friendly activities, programs, and clubs in the community through Virtual Backpack. The e-newsletter, which includes information from various Siouxland organizations, is sent out monthly to all district families. Or, view the most up-to-date lists of events and activities on the Virtual Backpack website.

If your student qualifies for free or reduced meals, you will need to complete the online application if you have not done so already.

Families that do not qualify for free or reduced meals can deposit money into their student’s MySchoolBucks account. Information on meal prices for the 2023-2024 school year is available on the District’s website.

For questions or assistance with school meals, please contact the District’s Food Service Department at 712-279-6860 or 712-279-6862.

The District sends out important information regarding school closings and cancellations and other updates to our families via phone, email, and text. Additionally, our school will contact you in case of an emergency or student health concern. Make sure your contact information is updated in our system and that your phone accepts the school’s phone calls. Doing this will ensure you receive school communication promptly and we can reach you in case of an emergency. To make updates to your contact information, please contact our office.

In the social world we live, many kids use some form of social media. While social media can help kids connect with friends and family, explore new interests and areas of the world, and enhance their creativity, it can also lead to risks and added responsibility. Social media can be harmful if it is not used appropriately.

Without meaning to, kids can easily share more online than they should. Kids often post photos of themselves online or use their real names, birthdates, location, or school name. This information can make them easy targets for online predators or others with bad intentions.

Additionally, kids sometimes forget that photos, videos, and comments made online can’t be taken back after they have been sent or posted. It’s impossible to completely erase something once it’s been posted online. This may not cause problems for a child now but can lead to issues years later as they apply for college or a job. It is common for a college admissions office or recruiter to scour the internet for information on an applicant, ultimately discovering something a child may not want them to find. If a child would be embarrassed for a family member or future boss to see a photo or video, they shouldn’t post it.

Studies have shown that social media can negatively impact a child’s mental health. The pressure to get “likes” or keep up with other peers online can lead to depression and anxiety as well as unrealistic expectations.

What can families do?

• Limit the time kids spend on social media.
• “Friend” or “follow” your kids’ social profiles and remind them never to “friend” strangers.
• Encourage kids to use privacy settings.
• Remind kids that mean behavior is never okay, including online.

Check out the District’s website for additional social media tips.