Sunday, April 30, 2017

Welcome to the May-June edition! Finals and Graduation are just around the corner...


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It is truly hard to believe we are fast approaching the end of this school year! The tremendous learning and growth in each of our students is rewarding and gratifying. As we look at our next 5 weeks of school, we want to encourage every student to stay engaged with their learning. While we are in our special testing schedule, we have final exams to prepare for and culminating projects and performances to give. We look forward to a strong finish for each and every student!

 If you have any questions or concerns about your student, please continue to talk with their teacher(s) first--this is the best line of communication. Please remember student grades and attendance is available online in the parent and student portal in Infinite Campus. If you have any problem with the portal, you may call West Hills at 956-0400 during normal business hours, 7:00-3:30 p.m. or our District Technology Help line 619-956-4357. 

Save the Dates....


District Art Show May 5 - 7



Please plan to join us for the 31st Annual GUHSD Student Art Show at Westfield Shopping Center-Parkway Plaza. The opening reception begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 5, with an awards ceremony. Student artwork will be on exhibit through Sunday afternoon, May 7.

May 24: Multi-Cultural Fair in our Gym; Students attend in their Social Science class.

Thursday, June 1, 6:30 p.m. Bob Guess Theater for the Performing Arts: Senior Awards Night: Seniors please return your awards sheet to Guidance ASAP by this week so we know to celebrate YOU! All are welcome to attend. 

Final Exams are coming up:

Final exam days are minimum days and listed below:

Monday, June 5

Finals      Period 1 or 7       8:14 - 10:11 
                 Break                10:11 - 10:27
                 Period 4            10:33 - 12:30

Tuesday, June 6
Finals       Period 3            8:14 - 10:11  
                Break              10:11 - 10:27
                Period 5          10:33 - 12:30

Wednesday, June 7 – last day of spring semester 
(Seniors in good standing attend Senior breakfast and MANDATORY Graduation Practice in the Gym beginning at 7:30 a.m. More information given to them in English or Social Science class). 

Finals        Period 2          8:14 - 10:11 
                 Break             10:11 - 10:27
                 Period 6         10:33 - 12:30

Thursday, June 8, GRADUATION in our Stadium, 8:30 a.m .All are welcome; Parking is very limited. No parking on MAST Boulevard; Seniors get one parking permit each; Disabled parking is available in front of the tennis courts on the home side. Please car pool, consider taking Lift, Uber or other car service. Thank you! 

West Hills does it again...Ms. Kathy Worley GUHSD "Teacher of the Year"....We are so proud of you Ms. Worley! 


Damein Patterson & Kathryn Worley, GUHSD Teachers of the Year, who Advance to the County Competition

Kathy Worley – Representing West Hills High School

Ms. Worley is an Industrial Technology and Manufacturing Teacher, who began teaching at West Hills in 2010. Kathy joined the District in 1988 and has been an inspiration to many people over her long and distinguished career. In addition to teaching, she coached and led a highly successful athletics program.

Principal Robin Ballarin remarked, “with warmth, kindness, a “get to work” attitude and humor, Kathy leads students to multiple levels of success, she cares deeply about their learning.” A quote from one of her students, “she is a role model for all of us; she goes above and beyond to help us succeed.”

Image result for class of 2017   Exciting news for Seniors--you may purchase your Chromebook for $20! This is optional--if you would like to take your Chromebook with you completely "unlocked" and ready for you to use after graduation,you must be on track to graduate and have no fines in order to purchase it. It will be "unlocked and wiped clean" of any GUHSD software. Look for more information and how to purchase it within your English classes in mid-May. 

Did you know there is a specific "Seniors" link on our website? Keep an eye on this tab for up to date information regarding Prom, Graduation, and other items of interest for seniors. 

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News from our Guidance Department....
Students – It’s Not Too Late
As the school year comes to an end, we would like to remind all students that there is still time to improve your grades. Many classes will have final projects, essays, presentations and tests that you need to prepare well for and not miss! Finish strong and make sure to attend our on-campus tutorials when you need assistance and communicate with your teachers regarding what it is you need to do to finish this semester strongly. Your grades matter so step it up now!

4-year College/University Night
Wednesday, May 24 at 6pm in West Hills High School Room S-8
Attention all 9th, 10th and 11th grade students and their families! Counseling will be hosting a 4-year college/university information night on campus for underclassmen to learn more about what it takes to earn admissions to our local universities. Please sign up in the counseling office as space is limited.

Final "Counselor Corner" newsletter of the Year
Look for the June edition of the Counselor Corner in your inbox the first week of June!


Sophomores visited the National College Fair downtown at the Convention Center where hundreds of colleges and universities from across the country were represented. Every October, the GUHSD hosts our own "Got Plans" College and Career Fair at a local community college. Please look more information in the Fall regarding this regional event.


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West Hills Yearbook is pleased to announce that our 30th edition has been finalized and is currently being printed.  Our dedicated team of 24 students completed the 320-page book just before spring break.  Distribution will be Tuesday, 30 May 2017 during lunch for students who have cleared fines, but juniors and seniors who have cleared all fines can pick up their books early on Friday, 26 May and enjoy them over the long weekend!  Students must have a photo ID and will need to sign for their books.  (School- or State-issued IDs are both accepted.)  Some books are still available for purchase at yearbookforever.com.  



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WASC Parent and Student survey results

Every public high school in California must be an accredited institution through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This is a rigorous intense process where we are evaluating and self-reflecting on our progress in meeting the needs of our students, parents and school community. On PACK Day earlier this year, we surveyed our students and parents present and sent out, through our parent and student portal, the same survey to seek feedback. The results of these surveys are linked below. 

Overall students and parents indicate we are meeting our goals well. Email communication for parents remains the most effective choice given phone calls, texts, and website postings as additional communication tools. Parents and students also agree that our school is very safe and secure. Additionally, they note that teacher communication is timely or fairly timely about 88% of the time. Both groups note that a variety of teaching and student engagement strategies are used, and that students are asked to use the 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking skills "always" or "almost always". This is excellent feedback and is used in our WASC meeting days with teachers as we go through our self-reflection process.

We thank all of our students and parents who participated in this survey. In the Fall, 2017 semester we will continue this work as we prepare for our on campus visit by the WASC Visiting Committee March 5-7, 2018. 

Complete Student Survey Results are here

Complete Parent Survey Results are here

Highlights from the Student Survey include, with 1056 responses: 
Part of our WASC process is to clearly communicate our Student Learner Outcomes...what each student will know and be able to do and experience in their time here at West Hills. Please take a look and help us implement and support each of our students in their journey through high school.


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Important news for Seniors is linked on our website on the "Seniors" tab-- here is the latest regarding graduation and all the details you and yours will need for this day.
Boyd Anderson Photography will be taking pictures of each graduate as they receive their diploma. All photos will be available to view and purchase online shortly after the ceremony.

Senior Prom is May 20 at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine; 7-11 p.m.
Buy your tickets NOW at the Finance office.
West Hills Dress code applied--if in doubt, bring a sweater or belt; All individuals will be searched prior to entering.


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 to pick up any medications left with our Nurse byJune 7 at 3:30 p.m. or it will be diposed of responsibly. We want you and your student to have your medications back with you. Thank you. 

News from the classroom....


West Hills Strictly Strings  Winter Concert Series ‘2017’



Beginning and Intermediate Guitar Concert: Thursday, May 11, 7:00 p.m.

Advanced Guitar and String Orchestra: Saturday, May 13, 7:00 p.m.

Bob Guess Theater for the Performing Arts
8756 Mast Blvd. Santee, Ca. 92071
$10.00 adults, $8 .00 students  


Please join us for our Spring Performing Arts programs...all are welcome and all events begin at 7:00 in our Bob Guess Theater for the Performing Arts:



May 3
Senior Concert
May 11
Spring Beginning / Intermediate Guitar Concert
May 13
Spring Advanced Guitar / String Orchestra Concert
May 19
Band Pops Concert
May 25
Spring Choir Concert
May 30
Advanced One Acts
June 2
Theater Production One Acts


West Hills Guitar Students, Brighton Plante and Jacob Patino Performed in a master class (playing Bach) for an internationally acclaimed artist from Scotland. They were the only high school performers/ Everyone else was college students. The festival brought international performers from Russia, Spain, Scotland. https://www.sdguitarfest.org/copy-of-artists

And, continuing the focus on college and career preparation, WHHS guitar and orchestra students performed for guests on a local three day  Carnival Cruise. They put their musicianship and performance skills to the test in front of  audiences to an enthusiastic and warm reception during Spring break. Way to go Wolf Pack performers! 



And, from the world of Image result for dramaDrama....

On Saturday, April 22, West Hills students participated in the  Drama Teachers of Southern California (DTASC) Shakespeare Competition.  There were 46 schools and over 1,000 students.  West Hills was the only San Diego school represented.  This was our first time attending with three submissions and all three performances made it to the semi-finals, and one of those to the top 10! 



Performers: 
1. Modern Adaptation of a Shakespeare Scene-Top Ten Finals-Sheamus O'Brien, Jake Cameron, Kaya Goats, Kristina Davidson

2. Theme Collage-Danielle Revilla, Jenn Bologna, Christina Keegan, Madie Mock, Ashley Carter, Abby Button-Semi Finals

3. Contrasting Monologues-Jacob Rodebaugh-Semi Finals

Crew: Timers for the day: Savanna Clyne, Ben Cobbs, Irene Streeper, Selena Noriega, Karley Franc.

WHHS Choir was active this semester as well...




West Hills Honors Choir students recently competed in the Music In The Parks Music Festival at Disneyland where they earned a Superior and placed first in the choir division.  The students learned quite a bit from the judges feedback and had a fun time socializing with each other as well as students from other choirs.



We are so proud of all of our Performing Arts! If you have a student interested in joining our Performing Arts, we welcome ALL students! Please see the Guidance department about next year and joining any of our programs! 


Image result for AthleticsOur Spring sports are well underway  and our students and Coaches have had great fun and skill building as they compete with honor throughout the season. We are already looking ahead to Fall sports next year.  All student athletes must complete the online Athletic clearance process to participate in tryouts and Fall sports will be available on the website soon. Individual sports create their own schedules within their CIF season, so please check out our website for up to date information on how our athletes and teams are doing. In the meantime, take a look at our NEW FOOTBALL FIELD! Replaced under warranty, we thank Track and Field and all sports that have had to be patient this month as the entire stadium was closed to replace our field. 


 


We also want to THANK the WHHS Foundation, the Louis and Gladys Foster Foundation and many individual donors who made our new WEIGHT ROOM EQUIPMENT refurbishing possible. Completed over Spring break, the new equipment brings a new level of safety, utility and access to our facility.
                                                             
   


Image result for remind app logo Join the free resource for information if WHHS has urgent information for you regarding an EMERGENCY or for a timely TRAFFIC update. Text @bf6c9d to 81010 from your cell phone to join. This is a "one way" messenger only and you control if you want to continue receiving the texts or not. 

Go Wolf Pack! wolfpack.guhsd.net 

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