A Letter from the Principal
November 22, 2016
Volume 5, Issue 2
‘Canvas’ Information 2
2017-18 Course Handbook
3
AP Teacher of the Year Nominees
4
Best Practices Teacher Column
5
Athletic Update 6-7
Upcoming Events 8
Inside this issue:
Rocks Update: A WHS Quarterly Newsletter
Greetings! As we begin our 2nd trimester, I am reminded how
quickly we move through the school year. In addition to completing
over 10,000 course/credit hours, our students have taken PSAT,
SAT and ACT exams; successfully competed in athletic, academic and extracurricular
events; participated in thousands of hours of service; and even had some fun during their
first 60 days! The early college admission deadline of November 1st has come and gone,
and our seniors are doing exactly what they are supposed to do to prepare for their next
steps. In addition, our community voted to renew an operating referendum for the next
seven years. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to everyone who voted “yes.” Many,
many thanks to the students, parents and staff for making the Fall of 2016 such a success.
I hope the excitement of new courses and new teachers empowers each of us to give our
personal best to new opportunities to learn and grow. I hope that our students are ready to
take on the exciting changes and challenges that accompany a new beginning. One of the
challenges for the beginning of next year is already here: building the 2017-2018 master
schedule.
In the upcoming weeks, your student will be attending class presentations and meeting
with their counselors to determine their schedule for 17-18. WHS offers hundreds of
courses to our students, including a wide range of options and challenging courses in each
subject area. This variety distinguishes us from many other public high schools and I am
hopeful that students take advantage of these opportunities. The courses that students se-
lect drive the entire process of building and staffing a master schedule, which is why your
selections are so important. Students should seek the advice of current teachers, counse-
lors, peers and parents when determining their courses for next year. When selecting
courses, I believe all students should challenge themselves with courses that will require
them to develop new abilities and deepen their cognitive and non-cognitive skills. How-
ever, a student’s course load should not be overwhelming. Determining the “sweet spot”
of challenging courses as well as finding balance between required and elective courses is
imperative for student growth and achievement. Please spend some time with your son or
daughter discussing the courses available for next year and working with our staff to find
that right balance.
Finally, make sure you clear your calendar and come to Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday as
our Rocks fight for our first football state title. Wear your green, and be loud and
proud!!!!
-Dr. Stacy McGuire
Keep up with WHS Happenings on ‘Canvas’
Page 2 Rocks Update Volume 5, I ssue 2
Westfield High School has adopted the learning management
system ‘Canvas’ for the 2016-17 school year. The middle
school adopted it last year, and then we followed suit this year.
We are excited about what this offers our students and our par-
ents in the name of communication. This platform allows teachers to
post a calendar of upcoming assessments and important dates and also
post homework and reading assignments. They can attach documents
and videos and hyperlink material. Students can take part in discus-
sion platforms and can take quizzes and tests for immediate feed-
back—right inside of Canvas. And this just scratches the surface of what is avail-
able on Canvas in terms of informing students of happenings in the classroom.
There are also observer log-ins for parents so that they can see what is taking
place in their students’ classes. Many parents have shared that it has been very
helpful and convenient to be able to log in to Canvas and see one page with all of their students’ classes together. So
one calendar can show each of the upcoming assessments and important announcements. This platform also makes it
very easy for students to see what they missed if they are absent and get caught up when they have been out.
We will follow up this newsletter shortly with an email to all WHS parents explaining how to obtain and utilize a
Canvas log-in to access your student’s portal. At WHS, we truly believe that your child’s education is a partnership
between school and home, and Canvas is a great tool to strengthen this relationship. We encourage you to stay in-
formed through Canvas, as well as through Powerschool, Twitter, Facebook and our WHS website page.
By Alicia
Denniston,
Assistant
Principal
“At WHS we truly
believe that your
child’s education is
a partnership
between school and
home, and Canvas is
a great tool to
strengthen that
relationship.”
Attendance Reminders and a Snapshot of First Tri
By Ginny Smith,
Dean of
Students
Here are a couple reminders for students and parents regarding attendance:
Remember that students who are coming late to school and arriving during a passing period
still need to sign in at the attendance window.
The tardy count resets at the start of each new trimester. The fourth tardy to class is a
Thursday School whether or not a student receives a detention from their teacher for the
third.
An absence to first period only (late arrival to school) will be counted as a tardy unless there
is documentation supporting the absence.
When returning to school after an illness or a doctor’s visit, please turn in medical notes to the
attendance window in a timely manner so that Powerschool is accurate.
First Tri Attendance %
9 97.48%
10 96.92%
11 96.79%
12 96.81%
Grand
Total 97.01%
Goal:
97% or
Greater
in All
Grades
and
Overall
The Course Handbook and Scheduling Process at WHS
Page 3 Rocks Update Volume 5, I ssue 2
The Westfield High School Course Handbook for the 2017-2018 school year
was approved by our School Board on Tuesday, November 15th. The handbook
for grades 10-12 has 253 courses available: 223 at Westfield High School, 25 at
J. Everett Light Career Center, and five new courses in the two new pathways of
Hospitality and Tourism and Nursing- Health Services. The 9th grade handbook
offers 88 courses for our incoming freshmen. As we continue to grow our offer-
ings and truly focus on preparation for careers, we are so excited about the num-
ber of opportunities and experiences students will have.
Some of the new courses offered next year, including the two new pathways,
include: Cadet Teaching, Career Exploration Internship, Digital Illustration,
AP Art History, Advanced Nutrition and Wellness- Global Nutrition, College
Math Prep: CCR Math
Bridge, Macroeconomics, US History divided
into three time periods, Philosophy and Religion,
and Elective P.E. Fitness Fusion and Boot Camp
101 classes. JEL has two new courses:
Healthcare Career Exploration and Graphic and
Web Design.
WHS counselors will begin with a ninth grade
scheduling meeting on Tuesday, November 22nd. The handbook will be online directly following that meeting. They
will then meet with every student individually and discuss his or her course requests and academic plans. Sophomores
and juniors will follow that same plan in January and February.
If students have questions concerning their future schedule, they should sign up in the counseling center and their
counselor will call them down to meet and discuss.
By Kevin Scanlon,
Assistant Principal & Dan Doberty
Director of School
Counseling
“”As we continue to grow our offerings
and truly focus on preparation for
careers, we are so excited about the
number of opportunities and experiences
students will have.”
Online Scheduling Instructions:
Use Mozilla Firefox, Chrome or Safari… they all work better than Internet Explorer
Log in to your Power School Account
Click on “Class Registration” on the left side of the screen, under “Navigation”
Follow directions carefully. Enter 17 total courses/credits (15 credits/2 alternates)
Hit “Submit” when you are done
Once courses are submitted, print the list of your course requests
Go over your course requests with parents
If anything needs to be changed, you can do so prior to the December 4th deadline
Counselors will answer questions and make appropriate or necessary changes when we
meet with you
Page 4 Rocks Update Volume 5, I ssue 2
By Mark Ewing,
Student Life Co-
Coordinator
By Bill Naas
Assistant
Principal
WHS Congratulates AP Teacher of the Year Nominees
Congratulations to AP Environmental Sci-
ence teacher, Jason Bousman, and AP
Chemistry teacher, Kevin Morse for being
named AP Teacher-of-the-Year Finalists by
APTIP-IN. Both Mr.
Bousman and Mr.
Morse are very deserv-
ing of this honor due
to their commitment to access and success in their AP courses. Mr. Bousman
has grown AP Environmental Science from just 13 students two years ago to
132 students enrolled this school year while maintaining an impressive AP
exam pass rate. Mr. Morse has doubled the number of AP Chemistry sections
being taught at WHS. All of his students have passed the very difficult AP
Chemistry exam the last two years. WHS is very lucky to have these two very
dedicated teachers challenging and preparing our students.
A congratulations is also extended to all teachers and students at WHS for
being named an AP School-of-the-Year Finalist by APTIP-IN. WHS had
744 students pass 1110 AP exams last school year. These numbers rep-
resent the strong commitment and hard work our teachers and students have
dedicated to the rigorous course work needed to build prepared and successful
graduates.
“A congratulations is also
extended to all teachers and
students at WHS for being named
an AP School-of-the-Year
Finalist by AP TIP-IN.”
An Update from our PTO
By Becky Henn,
PTO President
We have had a very busy first trimester with the PTO. We've had an amazing
group of volunteers help with everything from teacher appreciation lunch, school
pictures, to hearing screenings. We've also had some very interesting meetings,
including a meeting with Dr. Grate our new superintendent, coffee with Dr.
McGuire and we even learned how to use Raspberry Pi with Mr. Bruns!
Our next trimester looks to be just as busy. Coming up in a couple of weeks
we'll be posting Honor Roll signs on the lockers of all the students who make
honor roll in the first trimester. That is usually over 900 lockers! We will be
having a Chick Fil Fundraiser on Dec. 1st, Coffee with Dr. McGuire on Jan.
10th and our next PTO meeting on Jan. 17th. We can't wait to have you join us!
Page 5 Rocks Update Volume 5, I ssue 2
With state and national
standards, textbooks, stand-
ardized tests, and other factors influencing what
is happening in the classroom, sometimes it’s
hard to keep the focus on the students. A major
focus of PLCs (Professional Learning Commu-
nities) is using student learning to guide what
and how we teach. Instead of focusing on
whether a topic was taught, we look at if the
students learned it. Looking at homework,
quizzes, and tests in meaningful ways allows us
to reflect upon what was taught and how well
students learned it.
In the Chemistry PLC, we have been improv-
ing how we look at student data over the past
several trimesters. We look at the quality of the
tests and quizzes themselves, but we also use
the feedback to help change our teaching. We
reflect as a group and individually to find
strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improve-
ment.
When looking at quizzes and labs, we analyze
the data (looking at performance on specific
questions) to find where the students are strug-
gling. This allows us to make changes as we
teach, allowing us to reteach and/or focus our
test review towards what the students need. We
are also able to share and compare our data to
see which teachers have the most success teach-
ing specific topics, hoping to figure out what
they are doing well.
For tests, we use the data to reflect on the unit.
Instead of merely relying on the “feeling” that
something went well, we have evidence that
shows what students learned. That allows us to
modify future instruction to reteach and review
the topics in later units. We also have direction
on how to change and shape the course for fu-
ture students.
Although analyzing data isn’t all that we do, it
is a big part of truly understanding what stu-
dents learned.
Best Practices Highlight: Letting Student Learning Data Drive Instruction
By Kevin Morse,
Science Co-Content Area
Director
The Fall athletic season is coming to a close as the Winter athletic season begins!!! Our Fall teams
competed at a high level, and we are proud of the achievement. We strive to give our kids the op-
portunity on a daily basis to become better leaders by experiencing the world of athletics and all that it
affords. They are making numerous decisions on a daily basis that will help them the day after they
leave our doors.
This fall, our girls’ golf team repeated as Conference, Sectional and Regional Champions!! We
also were IHSAA State Runners-up for the second year in a row. Our girls cross country team ad-
vanced to the IHSAA State finals and finished 10th. Our boys team advanced to the IHSAA Region-
al level and we had
two individual runners
advance to the State
Finals!! Our volleyball team defeated Car-
mel in the IHSAA Sectional final in becom-
ing champions!!
Our cheer competition team advanced to their
State Finals and finished 9th!
Finally, our football team repeated as Sectional
Champions for the fourth straight year and won
the IHSAA Regional and then the IHSAA
Semistate this past Friday night versus Fort
Wayne Snider. We are state championship-
bound!
Page 6 Rocks Update Volume 5, I ssue 2
Fall Athletic Season Wrapping Up: Lots to Celebrate...
By Bill Davis
Athletic Director
Page 7 Rocks Update Volume 5, I ssue 2
The Winter Athletic season promises to be just as competitive. Our boys and girls basketball, cheer, boys and
girls swimming and wrestling teams are working hard to get their seasons off to a great start. We hope you come
out to support our teams.
One thing that we know
is VERY im- portant is our
past history that has led
to the high achievement
in the athletic department.
We will be "Celebrating
20 Years" in the current
high school facili-
ty. Westfield Athletics is excited to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of opening the new high school. The current
building opened for the 1997-1998 school year and 2016-17 will mark the 20th year in this building. In honor of
this milestone, Westfield Athletics will be recognizing our former athletes, managers, and coaches that graduated/
coached between the years of 1998-2016. We will have our second recognition ceremony this winter. The second
recognition event will take place at the varsity boys basketball game on Saturday January 14, 2017 when the
Rocks host the Lafayette Jeff Bronchos. We have sent information via Twitter and Facebook along with asking all
of you to spread the word soon. We have a registration page that all former athletes during this time period will
need to go online to our athletic website to complete. We look forward to seeing all the alum that built the power
of the Rocks!!! Please share this information with everyone that you know, so that we can honor as many individ-
uals as possible.
The Westfield Football team defeated FW Snider for the Semistate Championship
and will be playing for the IHSAA 5A State Championship on Saturday, November 26
at 7:00 PM at Lucas Oil Stadium. Presale tickets will be available per the schedule
below. Tickets are $15.00 for school age children and up (pre-school children and
younger do not need to purchase a ticket) $1 of every presale ticket goes towards
Westfield Athletics so we encourage all Rocks Fans to purchase them ahead of time
rather than at the gate.
Winter Season Promises to be Just as Exciting!
WWS Mission
To provide meaningful and engaging work in the pur-
suit of profound learning.
WWS Vision
To be the world-class learning organization focused on
continuous quality growth for all
WHS Mission:
We desire to move WHS from a high performing to top
performing school academically, athletically and in
student activities.
Westfield High School
18250 North Union Street
Westfield, IN
46074
Keep informed on Facebook and Twitter!
https://www.facebook.com/
westfieldhighschool
www.twitter.com/WWSWHS @WWSWHS
Phone: 317-867-6800
Fax: 317-867-2909
www.wws.k12.in.us
Westfield High School
Upcoming Events Our community won the right to host a presentation by the KIND Campaign which focuses on
the issue of teen bullying amongst girls. On November 16, the KIND presentation was given to
our WHS freshmen girls. Upperclassmen leaders also led some small group discussion follow-
ing the presentation. As the girls left to head back to class, they were given the opportunity to
sign a Kindness poster that will hang in our Learning Center. 11/23-25:
Thanksgiving Break
12/5:
Grade 11 College Planning
night
12/13:
Band Holiday Concert
12/15:
Choir Holiday Concert
1/10:
PTO Coffee with Dr.
McGuire
A Special Note of Thanks: Several area businesses donated coupons, gift cards or other services to our students
and our teachers to be used this school year as a form of recognition and appreciation for all of their hard work. We
appreciate their partnership with us and their generosity. A special thanks to: Grand Junction Brewery, Gan-
dolfo’s, Red Robin, Titus Bakery, Westfield Diner, Domino’s, Chick-Fil-a, Ricker’s and Regal Cinemas. We
thank you for your support of Westfield High School staff and students.