Student

CONNECTION

WEEKLY

Fall 2020

September 11, 2020

Welcome Back Students!

Newsletters will be sent weekly on Fridays to parents/guardians & students. If you have questions or suggestions regarding the newsletters, email Deb Lange. We value your feedback.

Dates to Remember

September 14 - First Day of Fall Semester
September 15 - Open House, 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
September 18 - Senior Seminar, 10:00 a.m.
September 18 - Junior Seminar, 1:00 p.m.
September 23 - Senior Parent Night, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
September 25 - Freshman Seminar, 10:00 a.m.
September 25 - Sophomore Seminar, 1:00 p.m.

Seminars

Grade Level Seminars

Mark your calendars. A zoom link will be sent to you prior to your seminar date.

Friday, September 18 Friday, September 25

10:00 a.m. - Seniors 10:00 a.m. - Freshmen
1:00 p.m. - Juniors 1:00 p.m. - Sophomores

General Information & Updates

Curriculum Materials Distribution a Success!
On Wednesday and Thursday we successfully distributed textbooks, art supplies, and even some musical instruments to over 2000 students! As you can imagine, it was a whirlwind event behind the scenes with teachers taking shifts "shopping" for students' books in the Trojan Media Center which looked an awful lot like a college bookstore. While every effort was made to ensure that all students received the materials they needed, we would encourage students to pay close attention on the first day of class to make sure they have what their teachers need them to have.

If you missed our distribution days or need to make any corrections to what was distributed there are two ways we would like this to happen. If you are able to come into the school building, you can make an appointment to come to the Media Center by reserving a time through our Trojan Media Center (WHSTMC) Google Calendar. Use this link to open the calendar page and arrow ahead to next week. There are six time slots per hour each day. Hover over the slots to see the times. Once you choose a time, please indicate in the description box whether we are pulling all materials or if we are making a correction to materials already distributed. With this information, we will be able to have materials ready for you and ensure a safe pick up experience.

If you are not able to come into the building, please use this form to arrange for a curbside pickup of materials.

Should Your Camera be ON or OFF?

To monitor and ensure student engagement, the general expectation and practice across the building (and district) is that your cameras are ON when participating in synchronous remote learning. Teachers do have the discretion to make exceptions to this expectation if a particular situation warrants it (personal matter, better connection with camera off, etc.). If you are experiencing connectivity issues, please let your teacher know.

Yearbooks - Keep Those Memories Forever!

This year will be like no other. Be sure to purchase your yearbook to capture all the events and memories that will be created as we move through the 20/21 school year. Visit the the Josten's website to purchase your yearbook today? Buy your yearbook by September 25 to get the cheapest price of the year and if you've purchased a personalized yearbook, you can select up to 4 FREE icons. If you have any questions please email whsyearbook@isd284.com.

Support DECA

Need a fun t-shirt for this term? The DECA students designed these fun t-shirts for students, parents, staff and community supporters. Please visit EPay to purchase your t-shirt. The cost is $16.00 and orders need to be placed by September 25.

Culinary Express
Culinary Express will be open daily in Expressway for breakfast (7:50 a.m.-8:20 a.m.) and lunch (11:20 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) Depot Diner will be available for a hot lunch option daily also. (11:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m.) Menus are posted on line in NutriSlice. If you are on campus, please stop in for a meal.

Star Tribune Access for Students

Have you ever followed a news story online only to find out you can't read the whole story because you are not a subscriber? Now you can get full access to all Star Tribune news stories online by subscribing to the WHS digital account. Review this flyer to walk you through getting registered. Once you have set up your account, you will enter your last name as: WAYZATA SR HS and your phone number as: 763-745-6702. If you have any problems registering, contact Jeannie Gosney.

COVID-19 / Health & Safety

Keeping Students Safe at School

Please review this video for guidelines to follow and share with your student(s) as we begin the school year.

A friendly reminder to make sure masks are being worn properly:

How to safely wear a mask video
How to safely wear a mask handout
WPS District Policy 103: Face Coverings

COVID-19 Point Person at WHS

Students, Staff, and Parents/Guardians who have questions related to COVID-19 should be directed to Jean Parsons via email or by phone at 763-745-6616. Dawn Willson is serving as the district COVID-19 coordinator and is also happy to provide additional guidance as needed.

The MDH decision tree was recently updated. We will follow these new exclusion guidelines when working with staff and families. Everyone needs to be prepared to be home in isolation or quarantine if they become ill with or exposed to COVID-19.

Find The Club That's Right For You

How to Get Involved

Check out the Activities page to find out ways you can get involved in extra-curricular activities.

WHS Student Council Work-On Application (House Members)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Student Council has amended some of the procedures to become a work-on member of the House. Specifically, the required work-on hours to become an active member of the House will be waived this year. Instead, work-on members will complete the steps listed below and submit the application materials prior to the October 2 deadline.

Once the application materials are submitted, you will be added to the Student Council Canvas Course. Here you will have access to meeting times and locations. You will also be assigned to a Student Council family. These small groups plan and execute events throughout the year and work to create a positive school culture. To remain in good standing, work-on members will need to participate in 10 hours of events each term. Hours are accumulated by attending meetings, participating in family events and planning large scale events like Homecoming, Adopt-A-Family and Survivor.

Step 1: Read the attached Summary of the WHS Student Council Constitution to better understand the purpose of the WHS Student Council and the role of a work-on Student Council member. The entire Constitution is available upon request. Please email Advisor Amy Swenson if you would like a copy.

Step 2: Complete the Work-On Application and submit before 11:59 p.m. on October 2. If you miss the submission deadline, your next opportunity to become a member of the WHS Student Council will be during the Spring Senate elections.

Step 3: Register via E-pay to participate in WHS Extracurriculars. There is no fee to participate in this Student Council.

Science Bowl Club

Do you enjoy science? Do you want to spend time with others who do, too? Consider joining Science Bowl Club. The focus is on learning and competition, but you don't have to compete to participate! Everyone is welcome to see what the club is like at our first meeting via Zoom on Friday, September 18 from 3:30 p.m- 4:45 p.m. Please email Amanda Laden if you have further questions.

Club Y.E.S.
Club Y.E.S. (Youth Extending Service) is a student volunteer program at Wayzata High School that engages students in opportunities to serve and make a difference within our communities. Registration is now open for the 2020-2021 school year. A variety of volunteer opportunities will be available for members including remote and in-person projects. Meetings will be held virtually. Watch the Join Club Y.E.S. video to learn more.

Chess Club

Chess Club will start meeting thru Zoom from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. each Friday from October 9 until in-person school is resumed. The Chess Team has won the State Championship four years in a row. All players are welcome, no matter your experience in chess. Please fill out this form if you are interested to be included in further emails from the club. Please check the Chess Club website for more details. Please contact James Titus at if you have any other questions.

Math Team

A number of students have inquired about joining the Math Team. Math Team practices officially start in mid-October, and all practices and regular-season meets will be held online. Check the newsletter for more information at the end of September or the beginning of October. Email Advisor Bill Skerbitz or check out the Math Team website for more information.

Attention Seniors!

Senior Portraits

Your senior portraits are due Friday, October 30. Be sure to visit whsyearbook.com for all the information about picture requirements and submission details. If you have any questions, please email wayako.portraits@gmail.com.

Transcript Requests

Please review this document for instructions on how your student can request transcripts for submission to a post-secondary institution, the military, scholarship application, etc. If you have questions, email Terri Marr or call 763-745-6631

Attention Juniors!

PSAT/NMSQT Early Registration Deadline is September 16

The Preliminary SAT(PSAT)/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test(NMSQT) is a great tool for students considering college. For the 2020 PSAT/NMSQT, students at Wayzata High School will register online through Total Registration. Early registration is September 16, after this there will be a late fee applied. Registration will close on October 15.

PSAT Registration Information