Rebel Review

South Families,

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break. It was nice to see our students in the building the past week beginning the 2nd Semester of the school year. My newsletter this week contains important information regarding Advanced Options Night, Guidance and Scheduling Information, our upcoming Winter Formal Dance, and several more information as we begin the second half of the 2024-25 School year.

I send "The Rebel Review" every two weeks to keep you informed and to celebrate the great things our students and staff are doing. I would also encourage you to visit our school website anytime to view our latest updates. As always though, If you have any questions that you need answered directly, please feel free to call our main office for assistance (440-975-3648).

Sincerely,

Andy Suttell

Principal

Mark your calendar for these important events during the first few weeks of school:

January 20: MLK Day - No School

January 22: Advanced Options Night at PAC 7:00pm

January 25: South Winter Formal 7:00pm

January 31; Senior Panoramic/Group Picture Day

February 3: High School Scheduling Process Begins for 2025-26 School Year

February 14-15: Spring Musical

February 17: Presidents' Day - No School

February 20: 3rd Quarter Parent-Teacher Conferences

February 24: Professional Development Day - No School for Students

As a reminder, there will be no school on Monday, January 20, 2025 in recognition of MLK Day.

Students and families entering grades 7-12 for the 2025-26 School Year are invited to learn more about our advanced opportunities including Advanced Placement (AP) and College Credit Plus (CCP) on Wednesday, January 22 at 7:00pm at the North High School Performing Arts Center. In addition to AP and CCP options, we will also discuss our new innovative course offerings including FLEX Courses, Capstone electives and Workforce Development offerings.

Student Council is happy to be planning our Winter Formal Dance on January 25!

Winter Formal is Coming! Get ready to glide into a magical night at our Ice Gala Winter Formal on January 25, 2025, from 7pm to 10pm. Tickets will be on sale January 17, 21, 22,and 23 during all lunch periods. Tickets are $20 (cash or check only).Tickets will also be sold before and after school on January 23rd in the 200 area. Don’t miss out on the chance to experience a night with friends, music, and memories to last a lifetime!

**For those bringing a guest - you must turn in Guest Approval Form when purchasing a ticket.

Senior Parents! Please join Rebel Families on Wednesday, January 15 at 6:00pm to help plan the Senior After Prom. We need as many parents as we can to help plan and make this year's After Prom special and memorable for our Seniors! Hope to see you there. The monthly Rebel Family meeting will be at 7:00pm following the After Prom meeting.

Guidance Department Information:

Mrs. Grant – Alison.grant@weschools.org, 440.975.3653 Serving students A-G

Mrs. Scripp – Lindsay.scripp@weschools.org 440.975.3624 Serving students H-O

Ms. Joyce – Virginia.joyce@weschools.org 440.975.3657 Serving students P-Z

If your student needs academic support, please reach out to guidance and Ms. Laura Albertone (National Honor Society) for tutoring help. Ms. Albertone can be reached at laura.albertone@weschools.org

Scheduling process information and timeline:

In February, we will begin the schedule process for the 2025-26 School Year. On February 4 counselors will be in classrooms to present information outlining core courses and electives and the scheduling process. After that information has been given to students, you and your student will be able to go choose courses for the 2025-2026 scholastic year. Guidance counselors will then begin meeting with students individually to discuss and ensure that course selections are appropriate for each students requirements and needs. This is a process that will take us into March. Once guidance counselors have met with the students, the master schedule will be created and students will receive their actual schedules for next year. (Approximately Mid-May) It is important that our students are on a path that fits for their future plans. If you have questions throughout the process, please encourage your child to discuss their plans during individual counselor meetings. As always, you can reach out to your child's counselor anytime with questions.

Athletic Eligibility - Check your Schedules, Talk to your Counselors or Coaches

Please review your students’ schedules and make sure they are carrying at least five credits in order to be eligible to play/participate in athletics or school activities that require eligibility. Looking ahead. Fall sports and related activities, the student must be carrying and passing 5 credits

in the 4th quarter in order to participate in the Fall. Physical Education does not count toward athletic eligibility. If you have questions, please reach out to your student’s coaches or counselors at any time!

This is what is happening over the next couple of weeks in our counseling department:

1-22 Advanced Options Night. 7:00 p.m. at North PAC

2-4 Scheduling Presentations for students in grades 9-11 for the 2025-26 School Year

2-4 Scheduling Domains open for students to request courses

2-14 Scheduling requests close, guidance to begin individual student scheduling meetings

3-7 Scheduling meetings finish, master scheduling process begins

If we can be helpful, please reach out to your guidance counselors. Happy New Year!

Our school store, Rebels Express, would like your feedback!

Please take a few moments to answer their Market Research Survey.

We have extended the deadline into late January and that senior picture submissions are still being accepted. If you have not turned in your senior picture for the yearbook, there is still plenty of time! Please see the information below for submission details.

Senior Picture Directions and Requirements:

• Portraits must be from chest or waist and up. No full body .
• The main focus should be on the student, not the background,. If the students is leaning on a tree, brick wall, or any other objects, the focus must mainly be on the student's face

• No hands, hoods, or hats covering the student's face .

• No props, animals, or other faces in the picture.

• Students must take the picture in school appropriate clothing.

• All files must be submitted as .JPEGs

• Files must be titled "Full Last Name + Full First Name + 23"

• Original digital copy is preferable, but the higher resolution the result the better.

• Please do not submit screenshots, selfies, or any picture from social media.

• The picture must be emailed to south.yearbook@weschools.org

**Failure to submit an acceptable picture will result in using the picture that was taken on school picture day or being listed as "not pictured."

I want to continue to tell you how hard the staff at South High School works and shows care for our students. Please consider using our Staff Shout-Out Form anytime you want to recognize the good work of any staff member at South. Nothing is more meaningful to an educator than to hear that they are making an impact with their students and community.

Get ready for an exciting opportunity to support our students! You could drive home in a brand new 2025 Chevrolet Trax 1LS.. Thanks to our generous partners at Serpentini Chevrolet of Willoughby Hills, 100% of the proceeds from this raffle will benefit our students. The winner will be selected on January 24, 2025, during halftime of the North/South Boys Basketball game. When you purchase your raffle ticket, you'll have the chance to choose a school and/or group to represent.

On January 16 during the last two periods of the school day, our Wrestling Team will take on conference rival Kenston. Our purpose in hosting this event during the day is to provide our wrestling team with an opportunity to compete to a home crowd that they typically do not get a chance to do. Students who achieved Honor Roll (3.0 gpa or above) will be invited to attend this event.

As we enter the Second Semester of the school year, Senior events and planning for the culmination of the school year becomes a main focus. In my newsletters moving forward, I will provide a section on information for your planning for the end of the year. This week, I want to provide the important dates of some senior events that are currently on our calendar:

January 31 Senior Panoramic in the Gym 8:00am

March 6 Cap and Gown Pick-up During Lunch Periods

March 21 Senior Letter Sent Out - Will have detailed information on all Senior Events

March 31 Prom Tickets go on sale

April 25 Prom

May 15/16 Senior Exams

May 19 Senior Breakfast

May 27 Graduation at Palace Theatre

As we get closer to the events, I will provide you with detailed information as needed.

All 9th graders who eat 6th period with a B Average or higher in Q2 will begin their incentive of "Full Lunch" on Monday. Schedules are updated in PowerSchool now! Students who did not quite reach the Honor Roll goal can still earn Full Lunch for Quarter 4 by earning a B Average or higher during this quarter! Those students have been redistributed among the split lunch/study hall rooms and should verify their 6th period room and study hall half assignment on PowerSchool as well. It may be different than previous!

Enjoy some pictures and information of some of the great things happening at South over the last two weeks.

Each week, our teachers nominate students who are consistently positive in their approach to school both academically and behaviorally. At the end of each month, each nominated student will have a chance to earn Student of the Month.

The following students have earned Rebel Student of the Week during the past 2 weeks. Congratulations!

Our Students of the Month winners receive a pizza from Pizza Booyah during their lunch period to share with friends!

Congratulations to 9th Grade Tyler Hacker, 10th Grade Quinn Kha, 11th Grade Legend Young, and 12th Grade Alannah Estvander for being our December Students of the Month!

Congratulations to South Softball Senior Summer Bliss. During a ceremony on January 5, Summer signed her National Letter of Intent to attend Lake Erie College on a full athletic scholarship. We could not be more proud of Summer for this tremendous accomplishment. She is an absolutely phenomenal representative of Willoughby South! Congratulations!

Rebels Express, the South High Spirit Shop, would like to welcome everyone back to school!

Our store is now open for business online.

You can place an online order and pickup in the main office from 7-3. We can also send your order home with your student. The online website is : https://rebelexpress.square.site/

Please follow us on social media to stay updated on new items, special promotions and store hours.

Instagram: @rebels_express

X (Twitter) : @RebsSchoolStore

Facebook : Rebels Express Spirit Shop

With the cold weather months approaching, it's important that everyone is aware of the district's calamity day policy. Please see the Willoughby-Eastlake Letter for info about how and why the decision to close school is made, and how you will be notified.

Willoughby South High School has 3 phenomenal Booster Organizations that support the students!

• Our BAND BOOSTERS support our Rebel music and band programs
• Our REBEL FAMILIES support our Rebel academic programs and provide scholarships
• Our ATHLETIC BOOSTERS support our Rebel athletics teams

Please support these fine organizations! They volunteer their time to give back to our kids in so many ways!

Cardinal Credit Union provides South Students with a free checking account. They put the first $20 into an account for you. An ongoing bonus is that they add a dollar to the account for every dollar you earn throughout your entire high school experience. Cardinal also wants to reward you for you’re A’s at our Kiosk during lunchtime at South HS! IF you have one of their FREE CARDINAL ACCOUNTS, Cardinal will give you a $1 for every A. Just see us at our Kiosk at lunch with any documentation from your student records and your High School Mascot Debit Card so we have your account number, and Cardinal will add the bucks to your account!!!!

IF you do not yet have an account, see us at our Kiosk and we’ll help you get started!

It is time to start preparing for Graduation! See the attached flyer for all of the information you need to order your Cap & Gown, Graduation announcements, Senior Ring and other items. At our Senior Class Meeting in the First Semester, seniors were provided with an ordering packet. If you did not receive the packet, please stop by the office to pick one up.

Senior Flier Information

Sophomores - It is time to order your Class Ring! Your ring is a symbol that you are a part of South HS and your graduating class. It is also a reminder of all of the great moments and accomplishments you will have while you are here. See the attached flyer for all of the information you need to design and order your Ring.

Class Ring Information

The Argus, South's annual year, is busy planning the 2025 yearbook edition. Please see the Argus Update 2025 for information about our yearbook, school pictures and senior photo information. If you have any questions related to the yearbook, please email them to our Yearbook Advisor, Ms. McChesney at south.yearbook@weschools.org.

Bussing Information: The radius for school transportation widens from Middle School to High School. Transportation information is now available in PowerSchool Parent Portal. Please call Transportation Department at (440) 975-3736 if you have any transportation questions.

Food Services Flyer

Please see the following for information about our Food Services - Food Services Flyer

School Fees, Lunch Accounts & Free/Reduced Lunch Application: Manage student meal accounts & Apply for free and reduced meals at https://www.weschools.org/PayForIt.aspx

Open Positions at W-E Schools

Check out the Employment page to find opportunities for joining the Willoughby-Eastlake team: https://www.weschools.org/AssistantSuperintendent.aspx

The Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools and the Cleveland Food Bank will provide monthly produce for any family in the community. The markets are open from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Service will not begin prior to 10 a.m. See the posting below for upcoming dates and location.

In partnership with the Educational Service Center of the Western Reserve, our district is excited to offer a limited number of "Drive to Succeed" scholarships, thanks to a grant from the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO). These scholarships provide free driver training scholarships to low-income high school students.

If your child meets the income requirements and has a temporary permit, they may be eligible for a scholarship. Please note that only 20 spots are available for the year. To learn more or to apply, please contact your child's guidance counselor. We encourage eligible families to apply!