June 2016

PRINCIPAL’S COMMENTS The end of the school year has been filled with so many great activities involv-ing several recognition events for the stu-dents and staff at Washington. The an-nual Honor Fest assembly was held on May 20th. Several students were recog-

nized for their outstanding academic achievements. We recognized our seniors that attended the Governor’s luncheon for a day of Academic Excellence Recognition. The students attending this event were Carter Huber, Hunter O’Connor, Isaac Smith, Annalee Leggett and Jes-se Belrose. Ten seniors were recognized for maintaining perfect 4.0 unweighted GPA’s for all four years of High School. The following seniors were presented perfect at-tendance awards: Dan Prescott (perfect attendance for 3 straight years), Ashleigh Chov (missed only one class pe-riod in 4 years), Alexandar Meh (missed only 2 class peri-ods in 5 years), Diane Haiar (missed only 1 day in 6 years) and finally Solomon FastHorse (has not missed any days of school in the past 6 years). The WHS “Students of the Year” were awarded at each grade level and are as follows: Charlotte Goodhope (9th), Topher Zahn (10th), Feven Goitom (11th) and Logan Eck-hoff (12th). The “WHS Activity Leaders of the Year” were: Anna Goodhope, Feven Goitom, Hailey Nold and Sam Siganos. This year’s “PTSA Washington High School Teacher of the Year” was Lupita Lueck. Mrs. Lueck teaches Spanish at Washington High School. The Spirit of Washington award for special contributions to Washing-ton was given to Hirsi Mohammed from the African Com-munity Center (community member), Tim and Heather Walker (parents) and Heather Dickson (Staff). Congratu-lations also go out to those receiving the “Top Ten Sen-iors” award. We also had 115 Regent Scholars and 107 Presidential Education Award Winners, both numbers are outstanding academic accomplishments. We want to con-gratulate each of the award winners listed and all that were recognized for their academic and activity success-es. I encourage everyone to be involved in summer activities at Washington. Washington High has several camps, ac-tivities, and groups that meet consistently during the sum-mer. To be informed and involved, ask your child’s activity leader for a copy of the summer schedule or look for the summer camp listings in this newsletter.

VOL. 39—NO. 11 WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL - 501 N. SYCAMORE AVE. – SIOUX FALLS, SD 57110-5752 (605) 367-7970

MISSION STATEMENT: TO DEVELOP LIFELONG LEARNERS TO SUCCEED IN A CHANGING WORLD. http://www.sf.k12.sd.us/high/washington

Summer = Construc�on Galore!

By: Dr. Brian Maher, Superintendent

Summer may offer a brain-break for students in the

Sioux Falls School District but ask any of the 24,000

children who a�end our schools each day and most

will tell you summer vaca!on isn’t long enough.

While parents might disagree, our crews in the Opera!onal Ser-

vices Department share the thinking of students on this par!cu-

lar topic!

The summer of 2016 will be a busy one! When the final

bell rings on Friday, June 3rd

, our dedicated custodians and the

local companies we hire to help with new construc!on, renova-

!ons and maintenance will kick their work into high gear know-

ing every minute of summer break is valuable.

Punch-list items will be checked off one by one at the

new Sonia Sotomayor Elementary in prepara!on of its opening

in the fall. Staff for the Spanish Immersion Program will move

from three loca!ons – Rosa Parks Elementary, Robert Frost Ele-

mentary and classrooms on the north side of the Instruc!onal

It has been my sincere honor to have been the Principal of Washington High School for the past 10 years. The staff, students and parents have made this school an outstand-ing place to earn an education and more importantly Wash-ington has a very strong sense of community and Warrior Pride. This will be my last newsletter article as the Princi-pal of Washington, but I will always hold a special place for Washington in my heart. Mr. Conrad will become the new principal on July 1st and will continue to do an outstanding job in leading this building. I want to thank each of you for allowing your children to be part of this building and com-munity. I look forward to seeing the great things this school will accomplish over the next few years. I again thank you for your active involvement and support of education and activities at Washington High School. Go Warriors! Jamie Nold Principal

IMPORTANT DATES

Mark your calendars for the following important dates for the 2015-16 school year:

June 2—Semester Tests—Early start/dismissal (7:30-12:30)

June 3—Semester Tests—Early start/dismissal (7:30-12:50)

June 3—LAST DAY OF SCHOOL June 5—Graduation, 4:00

Students of the Month (May):

12th—Vincent (Sunny) Saiyasith, Stanasia No Heart

11th—Elliot Hartwig, Kate Barker

10th—James Slattery, Jada Moore

9th—Nate Freese, Hanna Zwach

Activity Leaders of the Month (April):

Jazz Band:

Matthew Questad, Cassidy Waggoner

Baseball:

Tyler Olmstead, Logan Eckhoff

Girls Golf:

Kelsie Massman, Amber Obenauer

Boys Tennis:

Elliott Hartwig, Carter Huber

Girls Track:

Kelsi Kearner, Isabel Kinzer

Boys Track:

Ethan McKinney, Alex Derr

Book Club:

Dakota Lannen, Josh Freese

Spring Drama:

Noah Schlekeway, Insaf Omar

Planning Center - to provide a more efficient educa!on under

one roof.

Not long a7er the last runner crossing the finish line

at the State Track Meet at Howard Wood Field demoli!on and

construc!on will begin on a new field house. The long-

awaited project consists of four locker rooms, two restrooms,

showers and training rooms, dressing areas for coaches and

officials, a conference room, maintenance and storage areas.

The project also upgrades the stadium’s sewer system and

field/track ligh!ng.

The playground at Anne Sullivan Elementary will get a

complete rebuild while play structures at John F. Kennedy,

Terry Redlin and Susan B. Anthony will also undergo changes

to increase accessibility for the children with disabili!es who

a�end school at these loca!ons.

Add to those projects the laundry list of others, such

as roof repair and replacement, masonry work, floor and !le

upgrades, HVAC needs, landscaping, security fencing, pain!ng,

waxing and just general cleaning at 35 buildings across the city

and you can see why our crews need every minute of summer!

As if all that work isn’t enough, custodians and crews

will be working around the many educa!onal enrichment pro-

grams going on in our schools over the summer like Kids Inc.,

elementary and high school summer school, Driver Educa!on

classes, band prac!ces, and much more!

The Sioux Falls School District prides itself on having

well-maintained facili!es. We know a safe, welcoming, and

comfortable learning environment is an important element in

student success so we vow to use every minute of summer

break to get your child’s school ready to welcome them back

on Tuesday, September 6th

!

CITY BUS PASSES

The Sioux Area Metro

(SAM) Freedom Pass Pro-

gram allows any student

that a�ended Middle or High School during the

2015-2016 school year to ride SAM busses for free

during the summer vaca!on. The Freedom Pass

program will accept any 2015-2016 Middle School

or High School Passes to

board the bus. So,

please have your chil-

dren save their school

ID cards. If a student

does not have a school

pass or the school pass is

lost, a special Freedom Pass can be secured

through Sioux Area Metro offices or the Down-

town Bus Stop with a document showing proof of

age.

NOTES from the WHS Library WHS Summer Library Hours & Events

This summer, the WHS Library will be open on Wednesdays from 12:00-4:00 pm from June 8th

-July 27th

and Warrior Day, Aug 24th

, from 8:00-3:00. Every Wednesday, we will also have events at 2:00 at either the

WHS Library or the Oak View Public Library. The schedule of events will be available at h�p://

teenreadingrocks.weebly.com/.

WHS & Oak View Library – Summer Events for Teens – 2:00 on Wednesdays, June-July

June 8th

– Smart Smoothies @ WHS

June 15th

– Henna Art @ OVL

June 22nd

– Beau!ful Braids @ WHS

June 29th

– Paracord Bracelets@OVL

July 6th

– Sweet Book Share @ WHS

July 13th

– Taste Off @ OVL

July 20th

–Mini Golf @ WHS

July 27th

– Quidditch @ OVL

July 29th

– Lock-In @ 7:00pm - WHS

WHS & Oak View Annual Summer Lock-In

The WHS Library and Oak View Library are once again collabora!ng to host a summer reading challenge.

WHS students who read five or more books over the summer will be able to a�end the WHS Library Lock-In

on July 29th

at 7:00 pm to July 30th

at 7:00 am. During the lock-in, student s will be playing games, watching

movies, reading, and ea!ng a colossal amount of food. Students must stop in the WHS Library to share the

five books they have read with Ms. Smith and get a signed parental consent form .

To receive weekly text or email messages about summer library hours and events, text @whsreads to

81010 or (424)322-7977 or send an email to whsreads@mail.remind.com

WHS Summer Reading Lists

All students going into grades 9-12 have required summer reading. Please go to my website at h�p://

teenreadingrocks.weebly.com/whs-reading-lists.html to find your student’s summer reading op!ons. Copies

of books from all the lists will be available in the library, and many of the books can be accessed as eBooks

from Overdrive. I will indicate which books are available on Overdrive within the lists.

WHS End of Year Library Procedures

It has been a busy and exci!ng year in the library; already students have checked out more than 34,000

items. Hopefully, we met your students’ reading and research needs. Please make sure your students re-

turn all items that they have checked out by the end of the school year. Also, students who have fines or

who have lost items should pay all fees by the end of the year. This greatly assists the library in purchasing

replacement copies of lost books for next year.

Kerri Smith

WHS Librarian

End of Year Reminders

Medication that your child may have left at the end of the school year will need to be picked up in the office. On the last day of school we will send any remaining medica-

tion with your student. If you do not wish for us to send the medication with your stu-dent please contact the school office and we will hold the medication for you to pick up.

*Medication that is left at school after 3:00 on June 6th, 2016 will be destroyed, as

it cannot be kept at school over the summer. If you wish for us to destroy the medication in place of picking it up, i.e. small amount left, no longer need, etc., please notify the nurse.

Reminder: Medication forms must be renewed each school year. If your child

needs medication at school, a new form must be completed in the fall. These forms can

be found on the SFSD website, or in the school office.

Wishing you a fun, safe, and healthy summer!

Once a Warrior Always a Warrior!

Carrie Clarke, RN

School Nurse

Carrie.clarke@k12.sd.us

2016/2017 Athletic Participation Packets/Physical Forms

The new 2016-2017 school year Athletic Initial Participation Packet and Interim

Participation Packets are now available for you to pick up in the school offices. The Athletic Participation Packet will also be attached to the Blue Online Registration

Forms that you will fill out/update prior to school starting. If your child does not need a physical please fill out the Athletic Initial Participation Packet online or it

can be picked up in Student Service’s Office. If your child is in need of a physical you can pick that form up in the office or you will also be able to find the 2016-2017

Physical Form on the School District web page. If you are not sure if your child will need a physical this year please feel free to con-tact WHS Activity Office at 367-7968.

REMEMBER: Your child needs to have a valid physical on file before they step on to the playing field of their sport.

GRADUATIONGRADUATIONGRADUATIONGRADUATION

JUNE 5, 2016JUNE 5, 2016JUNE 5, 2016JUNE 5, 2016

4:00 P.M. @ THE ARENA4:00 P.M. @ THE ARENA4:00 P.M. @ THE ARENA4:00 P.M. @ THE ARENA

• Find YOUR locker loca�on and combina�on

• Prac�ce reading strategies

• Problem solve fun challenges

• Walk YOUR high school schedule

• Review math skills

• Understand credits, G.P.A., and averages

• Tour the en�re building

• Learn the “rules” of high school

• Navigate the lunch room layout

• Meet new friends

• Earn a half credit toward gradua�on

• Talk to the principals and building staff

Why should a student a�end Connec�ons?

You will . . .

Todd Novak, Freshman Academy Coordinator

(605) 367-7970 Todd.Novak@k12.sd.us

Connec!ons students start high school right and earn a half credit toward gradua!on. The 10 days are packed

with ideas, strategies, people, and new experiences that will help prepare students for a great first day and a suc-

cessful first year of high school.

Connec!ons students review important reading, math, and study strategies. They also learn problem-solving

techniques and organiza!onal ideas that make the transi!on to high school less stressful.

Connec!ons students also par!cipate in ac!vi!es that increase confidence, create rela!onships, and familiarize

them with how high school works so that they are ready for high school. A7er Connec!ons they will be able to assist

2020! Freshmen! Start High School Ready!

Scholarships available!

Tuition for 0.5 credits is $150

or $110 for those with reduced lunch

or $80 for those with free lunch

Registration Form Available

http://www.sf.k12.sd.us/schools/summer-school-

high-school

June/July 2016

(10 School Days)

Session #1 8:00 am—3:15 pm

June 9th—June 23rd

(Not mee!ng on Fri., June 17)

Session #2 8:00 am—3:15 pm

ASK About feelings, thoughts

L ISTEN To what is really said

INFORM An adult about concerns

For 24 hour help call: HELPline 211 or 334-6646

(outside Sioux Falls 339-4357)

CRIME STOPPERS SIOUX FALLS CRIME STOPPERS 367-7007

TOLL FREE 1-877-367-7007 On line at www.crimestopperssiouxempire.com Or text to: Crimes (274637) include TIP635 at the

beginning of your text tip WHS CRIME STOPPERS

HOT LINE 367-7970 MAILBOX 2498

“The City Of Sioux Falls does not allow the use of to-bacco products on City-owned playgrounds or at facili-ties where youth activities (under 18 years old) take place. (Baseball, basketball, football, hockey, ice rinks, skateboard, soccer, softball, tennis, etc.) You will see this sign posted at the locations where this policy ap-plies. Please help educate family and friends of the new policy which is currently in effect. ”

Your senior class party is here! We’re planning an amazing event...great prizes, food, and entertainment!

Graduates, arrive wearing your senior class party t-shirt for admission between 10:00-10:30 pm. The party

will go all night until 5:00 am. Let the games begin!

Questions? Contact WHS2016seniorclass@gmail.com or any of the steering committee members: Stacie Kray

(cskray@sio.midco.net), Jill Hoflock (toddnjill@sio.midco.net), Tina Daly (tina@hegg.com), Renae Berke

(berke007@msn.com), Kathy Grosz (natkatmar@sio.midco.net), Jane Hannestad (jane.hannestad@gmail.com).

WHS Class of 2016 Graduates!!WHS Class of 2016 Graduates!!WHS Class of 2016 Graduates!!WHS Class of 2016 Graduates!!WHS Class of 2016 Graduates!!WHS Class of 2016 Graduates!!WHS Class of 2016 Graduates!!WHS Class of 2016 Graduates!!