Eagle Flyer

Dear Walnut Hills Community,

Happy New Year, Walnut Hills Community!

I hope you had a restful and enjoyable break, with some bonus days to recharge! Thank you so much for your patience with the snow removal. While they short-lived, we're excited for the warmer temperatures today.

We’ve had a great start to the new semester! Our students are already deep into the optioning process for next year’s schedules. We had an amazing course fair yesterday and are thrilled to offer so many fantastic educational opportunities for our students. Be sure to chat with your student about their course selections and the classes they are most interested in taking for the upcoming school year!

Superintendent Murphy shared the news that Mr. Chambers will be returning to his role as principal next school year (August 2025-2026). The momentum we’ve built so far will continue, and we look forward to further collaborating to strengthen our Walnut community.

It has been such a privilege to lead this team, and I’m committed to continuing that leadership throughout the rest of this year. As we transition into next school year, our team will work closely with Mr. Chambers to keep him informed of what has been working well and where we see room for growth, ensuring we carry this progress forward.

Enjoy the long weekend ahead!

Rise to the Highest!

Ashley Morgan

Interim Principal

Sursum ad summum

Go Eagles!

January

20 Schools Closed MLK Holiday

21 Mandatory College Credit Plus meeting (details below in Counseling Corner)

24 Student Applications Due (Optioning for AP, CCP & other required courses)

31 No Students (Staff PD day)

February

3 Midterm Week

3 Optioning Opens in Focus

10 No Students (Conference Day)

14 Optioning Closes in Focus

17 Schools Closed President's Day Holiday

Mark Your Calendars

Please look for the email with key testing dates for the rest of the school year. This email was sent Thursday, January 16th.

If you did not receive it you can find the content with details at this link:

WHHS Semester 2 Testing Information

Dear Walnut Hills families,

As part of House Bill 123 (Ohio SAVES), schools must provide one hour of instruction in suicide prevention, violence prevention, and social inclusion. At Walnut Hills, we are conducting our last session, on suicide prevention, on Wednesday, January 29.

If you choose to have your student opt-out of this lesson, please complete the form below and have your student return it to Office 2207 by Monday, January 27. Hard copies will be available for students to pick-up in the grade level offices.

HB 123 Prevention Education Opt-Out Form

If you have any questions, please reach out to assistant principal Kathy Noland at nolandk@cpsboe.k12.oh.us.

The 2025 Mayor's Career Expo is Saturday, February 15, 2025 9am - 2pm at TQL Stadium. There will be approximately 70 vendors there to hire youth ages 14-21.

The City will be hiring youth for CRC positions in Rec Centers, Police Cadets, Fire Cadets, and various Aquatics positions. Additionally, the Fire Dept. will be recruiting for Fire Recruits.

The Junior High First Lego League Robotics Team, Walnut Challengers, competed this past Saturday at the Regional Invitational and won the award for Best Robot Engineering Design as well as advancing to the District Tournament that will be held this Saturday, January 18th, at the Loveland Intermediate School. The team includes Abe Curran, Arnav Rathi, Kushagra Khandelwal, Rohan Joshi, and William Laurenson. Please wish them well as they get ready for their upcoming competition.

Save the Date!

The WHHS Association Hospitality Committee is proud to host a Coffee & Hot Beverage Bar for teachers and staff on January 24, 2025.

The coffee is sponsored by BIGGBY COFFEE Mills Family stores.

If you would like to donate items, you can look at the Amazon list.

January Teacher & Staff Coffee and Hot Beverage Bar - Amazon Gift List

Sign up to help to volunteer or bring creamer/milk options for the event HERE

Join us for WalnutFest 2025 (February 21, 2025), the Walnut Hills High School Parent Association’s annual silent auction and fundraiser! Your support directly helps bridge the gap between what Cincinnati Public Schools provides and what Walnut Hills students need to excel.

Click HERE for Sponsorship, Volunteer and Ticket information.

If you have any questions please contact whhswalnutfest@gmail.com

All AP Exam fees have been posted to student accounts in Focus under the Purchase & Pay tab. We apologize in advance for any confusion with these fees. Please direct any questions to Penny Hedrick, school treasurer, at hedricp@cpsboe.k12.oh.us

If you have not already done so, PLEASE check your student’s account for AP fees. Payment can now be handled directly through Focus OR you may bring your cash or money order payment to the main office. We cannot accept personal checks. If you do not have an account in Focus, please go to this link: Parent Portal Registration

If you feel you would qualify for Reduced AP Fees but you do not see this reflected in your student’s account, you must provide our school treasurer with a letter of approval for Free or Reduced Lunch from Student Dining Services BEFORE the fees are due on March 31, 2025.

If you have not applied, please do so right away to allow time for processing the application.

Meal & Education Benefits Application and Information

Click on this LINK to learn more about FREE SAY EAST Referee Training

Purchase a senior recognition, or baby ad, in the yearbook to celebrate your senior. All senior recognition ads must be purchased by 2/7/2025

SENIOR yard signs are available for purchase in Office 2209 for $15 (cash only)! Pick yours up today!

There has been an update to the cell phone policy to bring it more in line with what is currently taking place across the district. Please find the updated information below.

Cell phone policy:

1st offense confiscation of cell phone for the remainder of the day and parent pickup

2nd offense ALC and confiscation for the remainder of the day, and parent pickup

If a student lies about having a phone, they will receive the appropriate consequence as stated above, in addition to a Friday School for False Identification/dishonesty.

Students who arrive to school without a Yondr pouch will turn in their cell phone to the main office upon entering the building. After the third time of not having their pouch, the cell phone will be held until a parent is able to pick it up, or they purchase a new Yondr pouch.

The administration will continue to conduct Yondr classroom checks during the week.

As we enter the Fall and Winter seasons and the weather changes, please be advised that all students are expected to exit the building at 3:15 PM. If a student is waiting for their transportation after 3:15 PM, they will be doing so outside of the building. We appreciate your cooperation in making sure that students have arranged their transportation to pick them up by 3:15 PM.

Please use this LINK to access information about WHHS Athletic Boosters and upcoming events/fundraisers.

Want to stay in know of everything related to Walnut Athletics? The Eagles Week is posted weekly on Sundays and can be found at Walnut Hills - Team Home Walnut Hills Eagles Sports (walnuthillseaglesathletics.com).

Have information to be added each week? Email your leads to whhseaglesweekly@gmail.com !

Please use the link below to see the School Counselor breakout and contact info. for 24/25.

Counseling Department 2024-2025

Attention students and parents/guardians:

Join us on January 21, 2025 at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. in the Auditorium for our CCP Information Night

Counselors and college representatives cover the process, requirements, expectations and deadlines for participation in college coursework for both high school and college credit. Don't miss this opportunity.

The optioning process has begun for the 2025-2026 school year. Your student has attended optioning meetings and the Course Fair this week. All optioning materials from the Counseling Department are accessible on the Walnut Hills website, under Optioning Materials 2025-2026 on the Counseling tab. If your student loses their grade level Optioning Form, they can pick up a replacement in 2203.

WHHS Counseling

See below for Modern World Language CCP information.

MWL Flyer

MWL Google Form

Paying for college can be overwhelming, especially with recent changes to financial aid policies. That’s why we’re excited to share an upcoming webinar hosted by Revolution Prep:

Affording College – Expert Advice from NYU’s Financial Aid Leader

Date: Wednesday, January 29th

Time: 5:00 PM PST / 8:00 PM EST

Register Here

Scott Wallace-Juedes, NYU’s Assistant Vice President of Financial Aid (and former Director of Financial Aid at Yale), will share expert advice on FAFSA and CSS Profile updates, scholarships, grants, and strategies to finance your child’s education.

This is a must-attend event for families of high school students who want clarity and confidence in navigating the financial aid process.

Savannah College of Art and Design will be here during lunch on January 30th to discuss their programs and advise students on art portfolios. Come to the CIC (room 3101) during either 9th-10th lunch or 11th-12th lunch that day!

CIC Upcoming Wednesday Topics - during 2nd lunch in room 1109

January 22 - Scholarships (Juniors and Seniors)

January 29 - Fly-In Programs and Selective Scholarships (Juniors)

The CIC office is hosting a Sophomore/Junior College Night on Monday February 24, from 6:15-8pm at WHHS. Please look at this Google Form to share your interest in topics we plan to present.

The Kilgour PTA Alumni Scholarship Committee is accepting applications for the $2,000 scholarship given by the Kilgour PTA to a deserving high school senior. The recipient must have attended Kilgour Elementary for at least 3 years and graduated from 6th grade at Kilgour. The scholarship is awarded on the basis of community involvement and demonstrated leadership skills.
The application is available to download here.

The deadline is March 15.

Western Golf Association Evans Scholars Foundation is partnering with local schools to connect high achieving and low-income students to caddying jobs at clubs such as Hyde Park Golf and Country Club. Specifically, I am offering an opportunity for 9th grade students to caddie as a summer job. Caddying is a great summer job where they will make great money outdoors, connect with leaders and successful people within their community, and develop a strong work ethic and personal skills that will serve them throughout their life and careers. There is then the potential reward for their hard work and commitment to caddying through the Evans Scholarship.

Click HERE for more information.

Spencer Groessl | Director, Caddie Recruitment

Western Golf Association | Evans Scholars Foundation

O: (224) 260-3767

groessl@wgaesf.org

Cancer Pathways Teen Writing Contest closes in 6 weeks! As a reminder, this is a writing contest for any teen around the country touched by cancer. This annual event encourages teens in grades 9-12 to write about their experience with cancer for the opportunity to win one of several $1,000 prizes. The deadline for entries is February 28, 2025.

Click on this LINK to view the flyer.

The Zoo Academy is a full-time (8:00 AM - 3:00 PM M-F) upper high school program through Cincinnati Public Schools with a focus on plant and animal sciences. For next school year, 10 incoming juniors throughout the district will be selected via a lottery (opening in February) to attend the Zoo Academy. These students will attend the Zoo Academy full time but will still belong to their original school (extracurriculars, dances, diploma, etc. will still come from WHHS). If you are interested in attending the Zoo Academy during your junior and senior years of high school, notify your WHHS counselor.

Click HERE for details.

Juniors, as you prepare for this winter and spring's sittings of the ACT and SAT, take advantage of Walnut's free test prep sessions during your lunch bell! Lunch Bunch meets Tuesdays and Thursdays in room 1109, and topics are announced weekly. Come for as many sessions as you'd like!

Studies have shown that taking a practice test is the best way for students to preview what’s ahead and to help inform their decisions about submitting a test score in their college application.

Our friends at Revolution Prep are offering our students a FREE SAT and ACT practice exam. Please see details below:

SAT Practice Exam: Saturday, January 25 | 9:00 am -12:00 pm ET | Live online

ACT Practice Exam: Saturday, February 8 | 9:00 am -1:00 pm ET | Live online

Step 1: Register here: Walnut Hills High School landing page

Step 2: Schedule a free 30-minute score report review with a Revolution Prep testing expert to help you interpret the results and develop a customized plan to prepare. Please schedule this appointment for the few days after the exam. You can pre-schedule this Score Report Review here: https://www.revolutionprep.com/jaime-wareham. We highly recommend both the student and a parent/guardian attend the score report review.

Step 3: Attend the mock exam and get your results immediately with Revolution Prep’s mobile scoring app!

Questions? If you have questions or want to learn more about Revolution Prep, you can reach out to Jaime Wareham at (412) 552-3532 or by email at jaime.wareham@revolutionprep.com.

Hello senior families! Do you need help completing your FAFSA application? Sign up for our FAFSA Help Meetings for students and parents/guardians.

Last meeting is scheduled for March 11, 2025

College representatives will meet individually with parents and students to assist in completing the FAFSA application. Appointments must be pre-scheduled.

The earliest appointment for each session is 10am, and the latest is 5pm.

Here is the Registration Link.

Use this LINK to access a list of local and national scholarship opportunities.

Use this LINK to access a list of summer opportunities for students.

If you are a parent of a junior or senior and still need to register for a Naviance account, send an email request including your student's name and grade level to Mrs. Christie (christt@cps-k12.org) to receive your registration code.

Senior Monthly Newsletters 24-25

Junior Monthly Newsletters 24-25

Gr. 9 & 10 Monthly Newsletters 24-25

Click HERE to access School Counselor Meeting LINKS. (Also available on the Counseling page of the Walnut website)

If you have any issues making an appointment, email your counselor.

All Students:

Ohio has new graduation requirements that took effect in 2022. Please make yourselves familiar with them. Direct any questions regarding graduation requirements to your school counselor.

Simply calling or texting 988 or chatting 988Lifeline.org will connect you to compassionate care and support for mental health-related distress. #988Lifeline

NPR's A Martinez talks to Dr. Pamela Cantor, founder of Turnaround for Children, about a Pew report that finds U.S. parents' biggest concern is the mental health of their children.

NPR Link (to transcript and sound recording)

We are always looking for new ideas, with a goal of involving more people so that we can reach the entire Walnut community.

Variety is key, and we are always looking to include new party ideas and locations. (Click here to see the 2024 parties for inspiration). If you are interested in hosting and/or co-hosting a Walnut Gathering, please fill out this form with the information you currently have - we will help you with the rest! If you aren’t sure about hosting but have questions, please send them to WalnutGatherings@gmail.com

What are Walnut Gatherings?

Walnut Gatherings are parties/special events hosted by parents at WHHS with the goal of building community, meeting new friends, and raising funds in support of our school. Each of these events (12-15 throughout the year held March - October) features a variety of venues, cuisine, and entertainment and are open to the entire Walnut community. 100% of ticket sales are donated to the Walnut Hills High School Association.

Walnut Gathering Committee

Becky Gash, Dawn Kurchak, Veronica Tollefson & John Twachtman

ATTN: All Students 15+

Volunteering in a hospital setting is a tremendously rewarding experience, providing individuals, especially high school and college students, with a unique opportunity to give back to their community while gaining invaluable insights into the healthcare field. Click HERE to learn more and apply for our Spring Cohort starting January 13. There are also opportunities for summer and fall.

We have an important update to our Early Dismissal procedures. If your student is unaware of their early dismissal before coming into the building, you must come in (with your ID) and check them out in the grade level office upon your arrival. Please note, depending on the timing of your arrival, it may take a while to find and retrieve your student, so please plan accordingly. Please see our full dismissal procedures here: LINK to Reporting Absences & Dismissals

Parents and students, please note the Walnut Hills Dress Code listed in the Student Handbook.

Click HERE to review

We are so grateful for our brand new cafeteria expansion. We love that all of our students are able to sit and enjoy lunch with their peers and we want to make sure everyone is doing their part to maintain our beautiful space. Please review the following expectations for the cafeteria and cafeteria hallway.

Cafeteria Expectations

Hallway and Lunch Line Expectations

Our goal is to maintain a continuous flow of traffic, so that our students can report to their classes on time. Please help us to achieve this by following these expectations:
If you are using the Blair Circle or Junior High Gymnasium Traffic Circle please make sure that you pull forward as far as you can in the circle prior to stopping and dropping off your student(s).
If you have entered the circle and all traffic in front of you is stopped, then you may proceed with dropping off your student.
All traffic entering and exiting must stay in one line; no cars should try and pass other cars that are in the circle.

Attention Families: Please click on this LINK to review Drop off/Pick-up directions and Dismissal details

Membership Fees for our 2024-25 clubs are now live on Final Forms. If your student participates in any number of our clubs, please submit the flat-rate payment of $25 as soon as possible. This funding will allow our school to continue to offer the variety of programming that you've come to expect! Please view this letter that explains the need for our membership fee.

During the PowerSchool to Focus rollover, some contact information has been scrambled. We want to make sure that all stakeholders are receiving our communications. It takes a village, and we appreciate those of you forwarding our emails to families who are not getting messages. Please share THIS LINK with anyone you know not receiving emails from Walnut, so we can gather accurate information and update our system.

Are you not sure when to keep your student home if they are not feeling well? Please use the link below to access the CPS current Too Sick for School Policy.

Too Sick for School

Please keep in mind, illness is an excused absence and students will be able to make up work they will miss. Please do not send ill students to school because they have a quiz or test.

For CPS students and their families, help is a phone call away by dialing the Family Technology Support Center, (513) 363-0688 or emailing fts@cps-k12.org. Tech support is available in English and Spanish from 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday when school is in session.

New to Walnut? Hearing about important events after the fact?

The Parent Association communicates using a system called Constant Contact, so join our mailing list using the attached link and get up-to-date information about what's happening at Walnut Hills! Get Connected

Reporting Absences and Dismissals

Grades 7-9 Information Google Site

Grades 10-12 Information Google Site

2024-2025 Student Handbook

2024-2025 Club List

WHHS Important Phone Numbers

WHHS Association Mailing List

Our community communicates using a system called Constant Contact, so join our mailing list using the link above and get up-to-date information about what's happening at Walnut Hills!

This summer our school decided to go in a different direction, looking for a new school-based mental health partnership. After interviewing several mental health organizations our mental health team representatives collectively decided Children's Hospital would be the best fit for our Walnut Hills community.

Please click HERE for more details.

Click HERE to meet our new therapists.

Email: whhsattendance@cpsboe.k12.oh.us
Website: walnuthillseagles.com
Location: 3250 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Phone: 513-363-8400
Twitter: @high_walnut