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| Mrs. Robin Ballarin |
It is great to be six weeks into the new semester. Progress Grades are due on Friday, Feb. 15 and this is a minimum day schedule. We have quite a packed semester -- PACK Day on Friday, March 1 (Parents At Class with Kids Day), a celebration assembly February 19 for all students and honoring teacher and coach Jeff Armstrong who we lost in October, and looking forward to great academic and personal growth for all students throughout this semester! With Seniors anxiously awaiting college acceptance letters, our wonderful Military partners providing information at student lunch regarding careers in the military, winter sports wrapping up with spring sports starting, the opportunities for students keep coming. With wonderful theater performances and performing arts happening as well as Advanced Placement testing and state testing coming up in late April and early May--WHEW! We are busy! If we can assist you in any way on any of these topics or more, please let us know. If you have questions or concerns about your student in one class, please contact the teacher. If you have concerns or questions about your student overall, please contact their Counselor. If you have questions or concerns about programs, testing or the school as a whole, please talk with us in Administration. We are here to support your student and you in this journey through high school. Go Wolf Pack!
Day
Friday March 1, 2019
Please join your student(s) in our Minimum Day schedule as you attend classes with them. Experience a bit of what their day is like! Linked on our web page will be a letter for your employer if you like. We hope to see all who are able to attend for a terrific Parents At Class with Kids Day!
Course "Wish List" Process for current 9th, 10th and 11th graders...each year in February and March our dedicated Counselors go into classrooms to explain academic planning for the next school year. Presentations are made in classrooms and students come home with "Wish Lists" to be completed by both the student and the parent. Please look for these "Wish Lists" for current 11th graders the week of 2/08, for current 10th graders the week of 2/22 and for current 9th graders 3/08. Incoming 9th graders are getting their "Wish Lists" from our Counselors as they go out to our middle schools and present. Please read, complete, and sign the forms, following the directions given to students on how and when to return them. If you have any questions, please contact the Guidance Department
Please view the January 2019 "Counselor's Corner" newsletter for more information.
Class of 2023: Freshman and Incoming New Student Showcase
All are welcome..please share with family, friends and anyone searching for a great school for their students!
News from around campus....
Great Kindness Challenge...West Hills Students participated in a variety of ASB led activities for the week of February 4-8. All week students had spirit "dress up days" and each lunch time they had activities to engage students in "Acts of Kindness". Whether it was from thanking law enforcement and first responders through writing letters, or our Art Students below beautifying the campus, we were please to engage the school community with the Great Kindness Challenge and participate in this national week of good deeds!
Check out more on our Twitter feed
It’s #kindnessweek and WH students are writing letters of thanks and support to our wonderful first responders. A special thanks to ASTREA for the awesome flyby!! @GUHSDTweet @WestHillsASB @CityofSantee @SDSheriff
Check out the permanent reminder of kindness courtesy of our talented third and fourth year 3D Design students. Their beautiful positive word mosaic may be enjoyed now and for years to come in the west Commons wall! Thank you to John Goodman, teacher of the skills to do this work to student artists Dax N, Courtney O, Jessica, Vittoria B, Izabella T, and Jade D,
From the world of Science...
Students in Physiology have been learning about all things having to do with blood, blood typing, nutrition and blood supply and the importance of this limited human resource--only people can make and donate human blood. During the first week of February, students went on a field trip to the San Diego Blood Bank They sat in on a lecture about blood, blood donations, and past and current research in blood cancer treatments. We heard from a mom and her daughter about what life is like living with sickle cell disease and how blood transfusions are life saving in so many ways. Students got a tour of the labs and heard about many job opportunities available at the blood bank. In some photos you'll see students getting their own blood type determined right in front of them - perfect timing in our unit!
February Calendar: Feel with your heart! (bit.ly/feb2019challenge) - Did you know that The Miracle Worker is a play about the life of Helen Keller? Inspired by our West Hills Wolf Pack Theatre students who are preparing to perform The Miracle Worker, each day of this month's calendar features a quote from Helen Keller. Feel free to print your own copy to follow along and make sure to attend the show this spring!
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 students should submit work as soon as possible. Check out the digital version of last year’s Inkwell for inspiration!
What’s Next for Our Seniors? - With the Year of the Dog ending, we retired our popular Wolf Pack Dogs slideshow & unveiled: Class of 2019's Got Plans! Senior library aides Annabelle and Christina inspired the idea and helped bring it to life by creating our first slides. Check out the slideshow as it grows in the library and on our website - join in celebrating our awesome Class of 2019! Seniors are invited to share their plans as they make decisions by copying this linked template that includes instructions:bit.ly/
ELPAC NEWS:
A reminder that all students whose primary language is something other than English will be participating in the annual English Language Proficiency Exam (ELPAC) on Feb. 27th, 2019 at West Hills.
English Learner (EL) Parent Forum:
Parents of English Language Learner students are strongly encouraged to attend the EL Parent Forum on Feb. 12th from 6-8 p.m. at the District Office located at 1100 Murray Drive, El Cajon, 92020 (shares the same entrance as Grossmont High School; Turn right after entering). This is a great opportunity for parents to meet and discuss their student's academic progress so far. Interpreters in Spanish and Arabic will be available. If interested, please use this link to complete a short survey by Feb. 12th. Thank you so much and I look forward to meeting you soon.
Barbra Ruggles, EL Coordinator, West Hills High School.
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.
In World History student's in Mrs. Reid's class have just completed a unit on World War I. For the final project students were asked to create a piece of art that represents the time period along with an essay that describes their art and answers one of the framework's essential questions; "Why was World War I (WW I) a Total War"; "What were the consequences of WWI for Nations and People." or "What was the impact of WWI on ordinary people?" Students submitted many thoughtful and reflective pieces, demonstrating their learning and understanding of this critical period in our history.
Trent S. recreated Cubism to express his understanding of Total War. He explains, "In the painting, large cannons sit squarely on their entire country, representing that the war included not only military resources to fight the war, but civilian-associated resources, infrastructure, and populations. Each country in the painting is taken over for the war effort, as all of the resources of society are utilized to fight the war, and give priority to warfare. The oceans are painted in multiple blue hues, with sharp edges representing the turbulent time period."
West Hills is currently TIED with Valhalla for first place and we celebrate and Congratulate our current SENIORS who were victorious again on Senior night last week! They final match coming up this week on February 12 will be recorded for television (air date Feb. 28 at 6:00 p.m. on ITV6). Kudos Seniors and the entire Academic League program!
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!
Please check out our ATTENDANCE policies linked in our STUDENT HANDBOOK 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. We send out important information via our Parent and Student Portal. Please check your email, mobile phone text or home phone voicemail for this information or contact the school if you know your student has missed a full day of school and can attend Saturday School / Scholars to have additional time to make up the attendance time and the school work. 
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!
Parent 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. Infinite Campus Portal App "Campus Parent" and "Campus Student"
- 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
