Weekly Reflections
 

DONATE TO PTO NHF by 5pm TODAY for raffle entry...see below!

September 28, 2018

 
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College Fair 2018

Juniors and Seniors filled the Chap Court on the morning of September 25th as they visited with college representatives from over 140 colleges.  Many thanks to Kristin Paull and Kelli Brown for organizing the fair and the army of Guidance Committee volunteers (a.k.a. the Red Aprons).

 

DID YOU KNOW THAT.....Each year, WHS graduates historically attend over 150 different colleges throughout the country ?!

 

College Admissions Process & Life After WHS

"It simply can't happen...."

 

Every year we host an amazing College Fair for our Juniors and Seniors. This year it was a marvelous event with great planning by our Counseling Department and PTO. Our Juniors usually spend the most time visiting representatives as the future college experience becomes a little more concrete. Juniors can be thrilled with thoughts of independence, leaving home and beginning a new life. This also can cause the first true anxiousness and discomfort about these same thoughts. Our Seniors seem to peruse and gleefully meander between the schools they have on their personal list. Some you see, are set with their choices as the application process is on-going and time-consuming. The College Fair is also a time that our teachers and counselors see a surge in requests for recommendation letters. This may be a good time to have a quick check-in about college plans with your Junior or Senior as you may gain insight into your child's plans since they can change sporadically.

 

Read more here.....

 

HOMECOMING SHOUT OUTS

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THANK YOU,

STUDENT COUNCIL

for another wonderful Homecoming Dance!  Your special touches, decorations, and music created a festive environment which contributed to the fun

had by all.  

 

Thank You, MUM MOMS!

 
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A HUGE THANK YOU to our amazing "Mum Moms", a committee of the WHS PTO that works tirelessly nearly year round (February through Homecoming Day in September) to create and personalize these works of art to reflect the wearer, complete with ribbons and trinkets!  All of the profits from our mum sales go straight back into the PTO to support our students, teachers, and campus.

PTO

 
 
WHS PTO
 
 

Hard to believe, it's been a little over a month since school started! The Mums team did a great job in getting everyone suited up for our early Homecoming.

 

Football season is off to a good start and the Concessions Team is staying busy.

 

The No Hassle Fundraiser (NHF) campaign is currently underway, and the NHF Team has put together an exciting package that will be raffled on Oct 1st.  ALL 2018-2019 donors will be automatically entered in the raffle if you donate by 5PM TODAY.

 

We are very grateful for your support!

 

Warmly,

Shalini Komarla

President, WHS PTO 

 

Please VISIT OUR WEBSITE whspto.net 

NHF

ONE DONATION - ANY AMOUNT.

ONE BIG WINNER!

Donate to the WHS PTO No Hassle Fundraiser

by 5PM TODAY (Friday, 9/28).

 

ALL donations prior to this time 

will be entered into this AMAZING RAFFLE. 

Drawing on Monday, 10/1.

 

 
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PTO NHF VIP Ticket Raffle
 
 

Please email kpaull@planetpaull.com in case of error or omission- we want to be sure we correctly capture all of our generous donors!

FRESHMAN PARENT NIGHT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2nd 6pm

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Freshman Parents -- the Counseling Department hopes you will join us Tuesday, October 2nd for Freshman Parent Night at 6pm in the Concert Hall (PAC).

 

This presentation will help you see how counselors can serve your students and provide suggestions for how together we can work to develop well-rounded, healthy individuals who can communicate effectively, become engaged citizens, and have a life-long love of learning.

COLLEGE ESSAY HELP

Does your student need help with College Essays? WHS English Teachers, sponsored by our PTO, are available to help!  Have your student fill out the form, which can only be accessed by students with their Eanes ISD email.

  

Here is the form link: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1n4Dd4-Ae_OK5DrEkhObg3KGF0KrbMPvqlCaKB4eB41Q/viewform?edit_requested=true

COUNSELING CORNER

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We are looking forward to cooler temperatures! Check out our blog for some ideas on how to take advantage of it.

 

We hope you were able to attend this week's 2018-2019 Speaker Series presentation about "Everyday Mindfulness for a Peaceful (Stress-Less) Presence!" with Stacy Thrash (peacebox.com).  Don't worry if you had to miss because we have them online we have them online! and now as PODCASTS!

 
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Speaking of PeaceBox, Stacy Thrash and the PeaceBox will be on campus Tuesday, October 2nd. Read more about that here

TEACHER FEATURE - Katie Hensle

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Coach Hensle has been a teacher and coach at WHS for 6 years and continues to innovate her classroom strategies to motivate and challenge her students. With the help of other US History teachers the group has created an efficient and effective system for organizing, planning, and executing their daily learning targets. US History continues to achieve close to 100% passing rates on the End of Course (EOC) test and 40%-60% mastery rates, making WHS one of the top schools in the state for US History EOC scores.

Coach Hensle continues to innovate her classroom instruction using the latest iPad applications to help her students stay engaged and on track. She uses tools such as Google Classroom for formative assessments which assists in skill building and writing. Coach Hensle adds, "This allows them to get quick and focused feedback [and] helps their confidence in historical writing." Students are able to receive and return assignments digitally with the Google Classroom app, making workflow efficient for all parties involved.

 

In-class assignments cover a wide array of content and skills, making collaborative and engaging activities a must. "She keeps class very interactive and fun...we have to apply what we learn in collaborative projects," commented Ellie, one of Coach Hensle's students. Coach Hensle has brought in different activities and tools, including a pilot application for online and in-class discussion. By incorporating various activities in class, students stay engaged and are able to retain more information.

 

When asked about curriculum and planning, Coach Hensle gives praise to her fellow US History teachers at WHS and the work they continue to do to build the course curriculum. As most of the US History teachers share responsibilities as coaches, digital planning and shared responsibilities are a necessity in the US History department. "[Google Drive] is effective in creating a viable curriculum that is not dependent on any one teacher and can be built on and improved from year to year, thereby allowing our course to improve in all aspects which allows for most importantly improved student understanding and engagement."

 

Katie Hensle is a shining example of not being satisfied with excellence, and striving to make what is great even better through relationships and innovation.

KUDOS TO MODEL UN!

 
Model UN Conf winners
 
 
Model UN conference
 

Westlake Model United Nations participated in the first annual AUSMUN Conference at Austin High School today, our first conference of the year.

 

Students debated issues including CRISPR gene editing, reduction of nuclear arsenals, and historical crises including Weimar Germany and the formation of the Security Council. Out of 6 Committees, and 18 awards granted in all, WHS earned 9 delegate awards.

 

Please join me in congratulating the following delegates:

Honorable

Jacqueline Garibay as Belarus in the Formation of the Security Council Committee
Liam McNamara as Ernst Däumig in the Weimar Germany Crisis
Ryan Quinn as Argentina in the General Assembly: CRISPR Committee
Mariana Silveyra as Italy in the UN High Commissioner for Refugees


Distinguished

Connor Bowerman as Friedrich Ebert in the Weimar Germany Crisis
Nikita Kakkad as France in the Disarmament Committee
Emma Guan as China in the UN High Commissioner for Refugees

 

Best

Sachi Kulkarni as India in the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Emily Yang as the Republic of China in the Formation of the Security Council Committee

 

REMINDERS

 
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Picture Make-up Day

for Underclassmen

 

OCTOBER 16th

Chap Court

During Lunches

 
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PSAT/NMSQT Testing on October 10th

WHS will be testing over 1,000 Sophomores and registered Juniors for the PSAT/NMSQT in the morning on October 10, 2018. 

 

From 8:50am-12:15pm

  • All Freshmen will be in the PAC, involved in planned activities with our counseling and campus staff.
  • Testing Sophomores and Juniors will take the PSAT in their designated testing room.
  • Non-testing Juniors will be in the Chap Court for study hall.
  • Seniors will not be required to be on campus until 12:15. (This morning would be a great time to schedule doctor and dentist visits).  Seniors on campus before 12:15 will report to the Chap Court for study hall.

 

WHS will resume a half-day schedule at 12:15 and we will dismiss as usual at 4:15.

 

Reminders for testing Sophomores and Juniors

  • BE ON TIME and in your testing room at 8:45am
  • Dress in layers for warmth
  • PLEASE BRING
    • #2 pencils (not mechanical pencils)
    • Approved calculator
    • Water or snack to eat during a short break
    • Proof of ID (student ID, driver's license, passport)
 
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Last day

for

Voter Registration

is October 9th

SENIORS

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SENIOR PORTRAITS
In order to appear in the yearbook, seniors are required to sit for a formal portrait with Photo Texas Photography. We encourage seniors to go to the studio for their sittings; however, the photographers
will be on campus Oct. 29-31 and Dec. 10-11. Deadline: Dec. 14

 

SENIOR TRIBUTES

Early Bird Discount Deadline:  Friday, 10/5 (save $50!)

Honor your child in the 2019 yearbook by purchasing a senior tribute. Tributes can include pictures, a good luck message, congratulatory remark, etc.

 

Learn more about Senior Portraits and Tributes 

EANES EDUCATION FOUNDATION

 
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CAMPUS & DISTRICT NEWS

*New session added on Nov 1st at 5PM* Does talking about our differences make you anxious? Are you afraid of saying the wrong thing, or offending someone else? If we have trouble talking about diversity as grown-ups, how can we help our children to navigate the diverse world they are inheriting? Join Eanes ISD parent and author, Carolyn Helsel, for a three-part discussion series on the Gifts of Diversity: Understanding our Differences through the Lens of Gratitude.

Fact Sheet on e-cigarettes from the American Academy of Pediatrics


Calling all Dancers 6th through 12th grade!! Our very talented Hyline directors are holding our Annual  Jazz Intensive on October 8, from 9am-1pm focusing on cutting-edge technique.  All dance levels are welcome! Visit the Hyline website, www.whshyline.com to register.



TECHNOLOGY CORNER

Parent Webinars

Check out our PARENT RESOURCES site for prior year webinars. Topics range from digital distractions and social media to study skills and note-taking and much more. We will be offering additional webinars this year.  

ATHLETICS

VISIT westlakenation.com for info on all Athletics programs.

 

CHALLENGE SUCCESS

CHALLENGE SUCCESS

How much sleep do your kids really need? How much activity is too much?  How do you know if they are too stressed? Do your kids need study tips?  Where are WHS kids really going to college? Want some facts on sleep, cheating, mental health, media, play, and more?!

Learn more about WHS Challenge Success, what we've done and where we're headed. 

 

It will make a BIG difference in the life of your child.

SCHOOL CALENDAR

 
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WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL
4100 Westbank Drive, Austin, Texas 78746

http://whs.eanesisd.net

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