WBHS Family Newsletter

February 2025

Message from Administration

Dear WBHS Families,

Happy February! I want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support of our students, staff, and school community. These winter months can sometimes feel long, but together we are making great progress toward a successful school year.

We’re excited to host our annual Charity Week February 24-28, followed by our Charity Dance on March 1. This year, our students and staff will be working together to support a number of great causes. Throughout the week, there will be fun events and activities, including spirit days, fundraisers, and a pep rally. See below for some details about this fun-filled week. A full schedule of events will be shared soon!

As we settle into the second semester, this is a great time for students to reset, refocus, and set new goals. We are committed to providing a supportive and engaging environment to help every student succeed. If you have any concerns or questions about your student’s progress, please don’t hesitate to reach out to their teachers or counselors.

Please mark your calendars for our next staff professional development day on February 17. There will be no school for students that day, but our staff will be hard at work focusing on professional growth and student success. Additionally, we have our spring conferences a little earlier this year, so please note that conferences are February 27 from 4:00-7:30 p.m.

Thank you again for being part of our West Bend High School family. Together, we can make February a fantastic month for everyone in our school community. As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Potter

WBHS Executive Principal

Important Dates

February 12: Parent Advisory Meeting (4:30-5:30 p.m. in the East Cafeteria)

February 13:

WBSD Way Community Partner Breakfast
Symphonic Band Concert (5:30-6:30 p.m. at Silverbrook Intermediate School)

February 14, 15, & 16: WBHS Musical - Little Shop of Horrors (see flyer showtimes)

February 17: No School for Students | Staff Professional Day

February 19: End of Mid-Quarter for Quarter 3

February 24-28: Charity Week

February 24: Junior Class Meeting (7:15-7:44 in the Auditorium)

February 27:

Sophomore Class Meeting (7:15-7:44 in the Auditorium)
Parent-Teacher Conferences (4:00-7:30 p.m. - more details to come in an upcoming Tuesday Touchpoint)

February 28: Freshman Class Meeting (7:15-7:44 in the Auditorium)

March 1: Charity Dance

March 3: Senior Class Meeting (7:15-7:44 in the Auditorium)

Important Reminders & Updates

Parent Advisory Meetings – Save the Dates!

We value your input and invite you to join our upcoming Parent Advisory Meetings! These meetings are a great opportunity to collaborate, share ideas, and stay informed about important events at the high school.

Meeting Dates & Topics:

February 12th, 4:30–5:30 PM: Engaging families at our Parent-Teacher Conferences (RSVP Link)
April 16th, 4:30–5:30 PM: Planning for a great Staff/Teacher Appreciation Week in May (RSVP Link)
May 21st, 4:30–5:30 PM: Celebrating the year with end-of-year Celebrations (RSVP Link)

All meetings will be held at the high school. Please use the RSVP links above to RSVP to each meeting that you’ll be able to attend. RSVPs will continue to be shared in each newsletter, so keep an eye out! We look forward to seeing you there and working together to make this year a success.

Testing Schedule Reminder

Please make sure to mark your calendars for these upcoming testing dates:

ACT for 11th grade: March 18
PSAT for spring testers: March 18
PreACT Secure for 9th and 10th grade: April 10
FORWARD for 10th grade: April 10 (10th grade will complete the FORWARD exam after Pre-ACT secure)

ACT Prep Class for Math

The WBHS Math Department is hosting an ACT Math Prep Class for any juniors who are interested in additional support. There are 2 dates offered, but students should only sign up for one of the 2 dates. (The same content will be covered at each session.) Please sign up no later than Friday, February 14.

ACT Math Prep Class 2025 Sign Up

Attention Senior Families: Graduation Reminders

If you didn’t already order your graduate’s cap & gown unit, there’s still time! You can order online at the links below or drop off paper order forms in the WBHS Office.

Please note that only school-approved academic cords and stoles will be recognized during the graduation ceremony. While we appreciate the many accomplishments of our students, any other cords or stoles will not be part of the official regalia.

Thank you for your support in maintaining the integrity and tradition of our graduation ceremony. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Kelsey Petersen, 12th Grade Assistant Principal.

Charity Week 2025

The 21st annual WBHS Charity Week is February 24-28 with the Charity Dance taking place on Saturday, March 1.

The charities being supported this year are as follows:

Monday, 2/24 - Washington County Humane Society
Tuesday, 2/25 - St. Vincent DePaul
Wednesday, 2/26 - Big Brothers Big Sisters
Thursday, 2/27 - Children’s Wisconsin Foundation
Friday, 2/28 - Wisconsin Guardian Foundation
Saturday, 3/1 - Full Shelf Food Pantry

Westbury Bank is also collecting money at their West Bend & Jackson branches throughout the month of February and purchasing food for the Full Shelf Food Pantry.

Charity Dance tickets are $20, and 100% of the ticket price is donated to the Full Shelf Food Pantry, AND students who purchase a ticket are automatically entered in a drawing to win one of the following:

$500 Southwest Airline Voucher for anywhere in the continental US donated by Shooting Star Travel
1 of 3 - Full family year long membership at the YMCA ($1,140 value donated by the YMCA)

Counseling Office Updates

National School Counseling Week

National School Counseling Week 2025, “School Counseling: Helping Students Thrive,” sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), will be celebrated from Feb. 3–7, 2025, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems and how students are different as a result of what school counselors do. National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

School counselors are known for being actively engaged in helping students examine their abilities, strengths, interests and talents; for working in a partnership with parents as they encounter the challenges of raising children in today’s world; for focusing on positive ways to enhance students’ academic, career and social/emotional development; and working with teachers and other educators to provide an educational system where students can realize their potential and set healthy, realistic and optimistic aspirations for themselves. School counselors are certified, experienced educators with a master’s degree in school counseling. The combination of their training and experience makes them an integral part of the total educational program.

Learn more about our high school counseling team here!

Course Selection

Course Selection for the 2024-2025 school year ends on Friday, February 7th. Please ensure your student has selected their courses for next year. Please review the course selection materials and if you have questions about which courses your student should take, please work with their school counselor, IEP coordinator and/or teachers.

Summer School for both credit recovery and credit advancement is available. Signups for those courses will begin Mid-March via the Family Skyward Portal. Please review the summer school website for further information. Counselors and IEP coordinators will send information home if credit recovery is recommended for your student.

Junior Parents/Guardians

Students were notified during the January Class Meeting of the upcoming FREE ACT Prep available to them. Students can utilize the Methodize test prep through their Xello Account. Students can access Methodize on their own, but will be expected to participate on the dates listed in the photo.

Career Readiness Center Updates

Early College Credit or Start College Now Programs

If students are interested in taking college courses in high school in Fall, 2025, Early College Credit Program (ECCP - all high school students) and Start College Now (SCN - juniors and seniors) forms are due March 1.

ECCP forms are for any high school student wanting to take a college course at a 4-year university or college. SCN forms are for juniors or seniors wanting to take classes at a technical college.

Youth Apprenticeship for 2025-26

Any current sophomore or junior wanting to participate in the Youth Apprenticeship program during the 2025-26 school year must submit an application. Please stop by the Career Readiness Center with questions.

Scholarship Application Information

Columns/Local scholarship applications are due Thursday, February 13th by 3pm in the Career Readiness Center. Transcripts will be available around February 10th for pick up in the Career Readiness Center. If you have a student that has questions about their applications please have them stop in the Career Readiness Center or email Mrs. Barnes at abarnes@wbsd-schools.org.

Columns is offering some workshops to help students with their applications/Interviews on the following dates:

Application Help (drop in anytime)

Monday, February 3 from 7:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Tuesday, February 4 from 10:30 a.m. - 2:25 p.m.
Friday, February 7 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Interview Workshops (sign up here)

Tuesday, February 25 from 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, February 26 from 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Friday, February 28 from 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Career Readiness Updates & Events

Friday February 14th we will be hosting an Engineering and Healthcare Fair in the South Gym from 9-11am. Colleges, Universities, and local businesses will be here to talk with students interested in education and careers in both fields. All students are welcome.

Please encourage students to visit our calendar for upcoming workshops and recruiter visits to the Career Readiness Center.

Career Readiness Calendar

Career Readiness Workshop SignUp