Thursday, January 17, 2019

January 2019


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Mrs. Robin Ballarin



Welcome to our second semester! We are very excited to CONGRATULATE all of our HONOR ROLL  (3.5 GPA and higher) students and our PERFECT ATTENDANCE (not missing any school for any reason) students! Your hard work and dedication results in these kudos--THANK YOU for investing in yourselves! Thank you, too, to all parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and community members who support every student on our campus. We also want to CONGRATULATE ALL of our ALPHA PLUS students! This unique award was conceived by Mr. David Hunter, first ASB teacher and Assistant Principal of West Hills. He visioned an award in which each teacher would choose one student from each class period to be their "Alpha Plus". Students who had stood out as the one who improved the most, or demonstrated leadership and dedication to the subject matter the most, or who just impressed the teacher with their character in exemplifying the "West Hills Way" the most that semester. Mr. Hunter wanted West Hills to celebrate the development of leadership "among the many" and so we celebrate each and every student on this list and the many who have received this prestigious pin and award throughout their high school career. Here's to continued great good success for all this year!


If My Parents Only Knew: January 23, 2019 at West Hills High School 
In partnership with Santana High School, El Capitan High School, San Diego Youth Services and the Santee School District, we invite all parents in the community to join us for honest and informative discussion from Santee and Lakeside teens around the topics of Suicide Prevention, the pressures on teens today, how to communicate with teens today and much more! Opening with a key note speaker for about 15 minutes in the West Hills Bob Guess Theater for the Performing Arts, we then move into break out sessions where panels of teens will share on a topic and an expert moderator will then facilitate a conversation with parents and community members around that topic. You will be able to attend 2-3 sessions in this one evening. Please see this flier for parking and an overview and this flier for a list of the break-out sessions to choose from. for more information.



    

Make a International Student's Dream Come True!!
Looking for host families at West Hills High School.
Learn about another country without leaving your home.
For more information call Karen Toledo @844-723-7403.



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Thank you for your efforts in stemming the tsunami of vaping use and vaping devices among out teens!

West Hills, in partnership with San Diego State University and the Graduate School of Nursing, engaged in an Action Research Project semester 1 with West Hills students in 10 classes. They conducted an anonymous survey sent out to all students regarding their knowledge and use of vaping. They then gave a presentation on the realities of vaping, the potential effects on the human brain and body and then surveyed the students again. The results were encouraging--education works! Students who said they might vape or had vaped now reported a 72% decline in that choice. Please see the presentation below. We want to educate ALL in our community about vaping in general, and know that if we can prevent a student from smoking or vaping by the age of 18, they are 86% less likely to use cigarettes or other inhalants in their futures.

E-cigarettes may help tobacco smokers quit. But the alluring devices can swiftly induce a nicotine habit in teenagers who never smoked. This is the tale of one person’s struggle. Read the full story

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Please take a read through the most recent newsletter from our Guidance Department. News for each grade level is included and was sent via our Parent and Student Portal in December. 

Class of 2023: Freshman Showcase 
All are welcome..please share with family, friends and anyone searching for a great school for their students!







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Save the Date: Young Men's Leadership Conference on 1/26
Mount Miguel High School will host its 14th Annual East County Young Men’s Leadership Conference on Saturday, January 26, 2019, from 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
This year’s theme is Make Every Day Count. The event will be held in the school's new Multicultural Center as educators and professionals share wisdom and knowledge in numerous interactive workshops and engaging remarks. The target audience is young men in grades 6 - 12. A tie drive, breakfast and lunch is included. There is no charge to attend.
For more information on how to sponsor or attend the free conference, please contact Mike Love at mlove@guhsd.net.


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Health Occupations Center (HOC) 
Please take a look at  this link and this website if you know of any who might be looking for career ideas / pathways in the Health industry sector. Our own Health Pathways is a great academic preparation for our students towards this program as well!


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Seniors: If you are a member of PTSA, keep an eye on the Counseling Scholarship page. PTSA sponsors scholarships each year for deserving Seniors but you have to be a PTSA member to apply AND you have to complete the application and turn it in. PTSA membership forms are in the main Admin building in reception.

Did you know that if you shop at smile.amazon.com and choose "whhs PTSA", Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase (at no cost to yourself) to WHHS? smile.amazon.com is the same exact pricing and website as the traditional Amazon url but it allows you to select a non-profit organization for Amazon to support. 
Please "share" with family and friends and help WHHS!

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Avid Update: The Avid Class of 2022 completed a group research project on a CSU or UC College of their choice. In addition to creating a Google Slides presentation, the student groups completed a chalk drawing of their college logo. These logos were located on the west side of the English building. A special thank you to Mr. VanDyke for helping the class with the chalk drawing!




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This year's varsity academic league team has brought home the Mayor's cup with their win over Santana.  The team is currently in second place. Matches are held on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.  for both JV and Varsity. This season has had many close matches for both teams. Come out and cheer them on!


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Science students attend The Scripps Research Institute's Science Saturdays.  We have been very lucky again this year to participate in the Scripps Science Saturday program. Students are able to listen to a research scientist speak about their work, and to visit working laboratories.  The first event took place on November 17th and next one is January 26th. 




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Best Buddies will be selling small bouquets of flowers on Valentine's Day again this year!
Please have students come to room PD4 at lunch or break in the days before Valentines Day to place their orders and pay for the flowers. Bouquets are $5 each and will be ready for pickup at snack and lunch on Valentine's Day.
A limited number of extra bouquets will be available on Valentine's Day, but they sold out in less than 10 minutes last year, so please pre-purchase them!  




Image result for embARC Summer Design Academy  logoThe Summer Programs Office at UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design to let you know that we are now accepting applications for our embARC Summer Design Academy.

This four-week program, held on the UC Berkeley campus, offers rising juniors and seniors with an interest in architecture and design an opportunity to immerse themselves in design studio culture and the college experience, develop a design portfolio to use for college applications, work in a team with peers who have similar interests, and earn an official UC Berkeley transcript. Tuition scholarships and on-campus housing are available,

Connect with the library: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

January Calendar: Start the new year off on the right paw! (bit.ly/jan2019challenge) - With the help of some student aides, we share this calendar to help you start off the new year. Check out all of the activities going on this month at school. There are many opportunities for all students to participate! Feel free to print your own copy and follow along.

Inkwell Literary-Art Magazine Currently Inviting Student Submissions - Calling all creative Wolf Pack students! Start off the new year by sharing your art and writing with our West Hills community. Any student may submit original work to be considered for Inkwell, our school's annually published literary-art magazine. The deadline is Friday, March 8th, but you can submit work now. Check out the digital version of last year’s Inkwell for inspiration!

Mr. Reyes’s AP World History Bonfires - It is always a joy to see the creative learning going on in classes. For instance, during December finals, Mr. Reyes hosted bonfire chats for AP World History. Based on what they learned during the semester, students prepared notes on and then discussed how various historical figures would react to issues such as technology in our current age. To create the appropriate ambiance, several student aides helped transform the library’s classroom space into a cozy circle of virtual bonfires. Enjoy some excerpts from the fun: part I and part II,


Image result for infinite campus parent portalParent Portal assistance is available from our staff by calling us at 619-956-0400. There is also a Campus Portal App for SmartPhones. We can assist you with this as well IF you already have your parent account set up with your login and password. If you need technical assistance you can also call our District  ETS office Monday - Friday  7:00 AM - 4:00PM at (619) 956-4357. 

Newly added ability to get Infinite Campus on your SmartPhone...make sure you have the right app by following the directions below:

Infinite Campus Portal App "Campus Parent" and "Campus Student"

   Campus Parent AppCampus Student App
  • You must set up your Campus Portal account BEFORE you can use the App on your Smartphone.
  • Search the App Store for the Campus Parent app and download
  • District Name = Grossmont
  • Enter your username and password that you have already set up



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Please check out our ATTENDANCE policies linked in our STUDENT HANDBOOK (see page 19) online at wolfpack.guhsd.net under "Students". Please remember to CALL in 956-0434 all day absences, and send a note for partial day absences. We are sorry, but we are not able to deliver to classrooms forgotten items--if a student knows to come to attendance to come pick up their items, they are welcome to do so without MISSING class. 

Please remember to UPDATE your home address or phone number with the West Hills office staff if you move or you have changes.This is critical if your student has an emergency and we need to reach you. Simply call 956-0400 and tell us you need to update your information. The PRIMARY parent or guardian listed in our parent portal can also do this online via their login. 


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 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! 

The "Wolf Call" is a monthly news blog for students, parents and community partners.