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Dear Walnut Hills High School Families:

Happy New Year! We trust everyone had a restful break. It has been wonderful to see all of the students and their smiling faces back in the building. As we dive right into 2023, it is also time to start thinking about scheduling classes for next school year. All students received a 2023-2024 Course Guide this week. Please talk with your students about the optioning process and utilize THIS information to help with future planning.

We are excited to help your students through this process and watch them SOAR.

Sincerely,

John Chambers

Sursum ad Summum

January

16 School CLOSED for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

18 Applications due for Optioning

25 - Feb 3 Online Optioning

26 Registration Night for New Incoming Students

27 PD day - NO SCHOOL for students

This is a reminder if your student becomes ill during the school day, they must see the nurse in order to be dismissed. If you pick up your student without your student being seen by the nurse, the absence will be considered unexcused.

All Day Absence:

Please use either the attendance email (whhsattendance@gmail.com) or the All Day Absence Hotline (513-363-8404). Email is actually preferred and student name and grade level should be in the subject line. We are trying to do away with paper notes.

Early Dismissals:

Parents/guardians should email the attendance office to request early dismissal the day before or the morning of the early dismissal date. Please remind students that they need an Early Dismissal Permission Pass from the office to leave campus (even during the passing bell).

Late Arrivals:

If students ride a bus and arrive late at school (any time after 8:00), please make sure they stop by the attendance office for a Late Bus Pass. There is a new late bus code (B) that only the office can use to code these late arrivals.

If a student is running late and arrives at school after 8:15, they should stop by the attendance office for a late pass to class.

Students arriving late after a doctor/dental/therapy appt need to check in with the attendance office. Doctor's notes should be emailed or turned in upon return.

You can find this information and more using the link below "Reporting Absences & Dismissals" in the Stay Informed! section.

Parents/Guardians of Metro Bus Riders:

Please make sure your student has Emergency Bus Fare on them every day in case they misplace their bus card during the school day. Metro charges $2 for each ride.

If your student does lose their bus card a new one can be purchased in office 2209 for $10.

Attention Student Drivers, lower Lot D (between the tennis bubble and the gravel lot) is now open for student parking.

Please be advised that no student is allowed to park in Lot A, Upper Lot D, or in any Visitor Parking space during the school day. If a student is found to be parking in an undesignated spot, disciplinary action will be taken and will result in a loss of their parking permit.

Click here for SCHOLARSHIPS

Click here for SUMMER PROGRAMS

The optioning process has begun at Walnut Hills High School for the 2023-2024 school year. This important process begins right after Winter Break each year so that students have adequate time to select their courses for the next school year. Your students will attend optioning meetings in their Social Studies class if they are in grades 7-10 and in their English class if they are in grade 11. All optioning information is accessible on the Walnut Hills website, under the counseling tab, on Naviance, and on Schoology.

You can view the optioning timeline along with PowerSchool optioning instructions HERE.

The important dates coming up:

January 18, 2023 - all applications must be submitted. You can access the applications HERE.

Online optioning: January 25, 2023 - February 3, 2023

Paper optioning forms due by February 3, 2023.

*Students must also submit a paper optioning form.

Grades 7-10 Turn optioning forms into your Social Studies teachers.

Grade 11 Turn optioning forms into your English teachers.

Additional copies are available in the counseling office, Room 2203.

The Annual CCP Information Session will be held on Jan 26, 2023 at 5PM in the Walnut Hills auditorium. If your child is considering taking CCP courses at Walnut, online or on campus, this meeting is a must! Representatives from local colleges and universities will be on hand to answer campus specific questions. See Ms. Brooks or Ms. Meininger for more details.

The City of Cincinnati is seeking students from all schools and grade levels to enter the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Oratorical Contest. The deadline to submit a speech is February 1, 2023.

CRC is looking to hire pool staff ASAP! Please find more information here below.

https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/recreation/programs/aquatics-home/aquatics-jobs/pool-staff-jobs/

Save the Date: BigFuture Live with Dr. Laurie Santos (January 25)

Yale University’s Happiness professor, Dr. Laurie Santos, will share 5 tips to manage stress and get students' mental and emotional health questions answered. Registration will be available soon at bigfuture.org/live.

ACT Practice Exam: Saturday, January 21, 2023, from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM EST | Live Online Cost: $10 - All proceeds go to Walnut Hills High School

PSAT/NMSQT Practice Exam: Saturday, February 4, 2023, from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM EST | Live Online

Cost: $10 - All proceeds go to Walnut Hills High School

Step 1: Register here: www.revolutionprep.com/partners/21232/

Step 2: Schedule a free 30-minute score report review with a Revolution Prep testing expert to help you interpret the results and develop a customized plan to prepare. Please schedule this appointment for the few days after the exam. You can pre-schedule this Score Report Review here: www.revolutionprep.com/shannon-norris​

Step 3: Attend the mock exam and get your results immediately with Revolution Prep’s mobile scoring app!

The College Board National Recognition Programs are now housed within BigFuture®. As in previous years, the program will continue to award academic honors to top performing Hispanic, Black, Indigenous, and rural students.

Please encourage qualified students at your school to apply next month. The 2023 application cycle will open Wednesday, January 18. Eligible sophomores and juniors will receive an email from BigFuture inviting them to apply.

All Students:

Ohio has new graduation requirements that take effect this year for the class of 2023 and beyond. Please make yourselves familiar with them. Direct any questions regarding graduation requirements to your school counselor.

The Cincinnati ZooTeen Program is focused on empowering teens to become community leaders in conservation and stewardship. ZooTeens are volunteers who engage and inspire guests at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens. For more information about how you can become a ZooTeen, follow this link and click the tab for ZooTeens. You must be aged 13-17. The application is open from December 1st through February 28, 2023.

Jr. High December Newsletter

Simply calling or texting 988 or chatting 988Lifeline.org will connect you to compassionate care and support for mental health-related distress. #988Lifeline

Parents/guardians should request early dismissal by using the Attendance Email (whhsattendance@gmail.com). Please send emails the day before or the morning of the actual date of the dismissal. Students should pick up passes the morning of the appointment. Be sure to include your student's name and grade level in the email subject line.

LINK to Reporting Absences & Dismissals

Please see attached for volunteer dates, all the needed info, and the link needed to register. Any questions students or parents have can be sent to the following address: MondinA@cpsboe.k12.oh.us

Walnut Woods Volunteer Days

Recent Happenings in Walnut Woods

--In October, Walnut Woods was officially dedicated as a Cincinnati Park! https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks/news/walnut-woods-of-evanston-grand-opening/

--The Walnut Woods Project was recently featured in a podcast! The "Nature Guys" podcast is one of the most popular nature-themed podcasts in the country, and they recorded an entire episode in my classroom one day after school. Give it a listen to learn more about Walnut Woods and to hear SENIOR Hannah Terrell speak eloquently about the project. https://natureguys.org/walnut-woods/

-- There have been multiple FOX sightings in Walnut Woods over the past several months! We are hoping he (or she) is not just a visitor but a permanent resident! (Fingers crossed for kits this spring!) Keep an eye out, and if you see our sly friend, do let me know! If we can locate a den, the bio-eco club hopes to set up a trail camera to monitor it throughout the spring.

Families, please make sure you create a school cafe account and make sure your child knows their pin number if they currently are or plan on dining at school using the school lunch service.

You can get information about the School Cafe account here:

https://www.schoolcafe.com/CINCINNATIPUBLICSCHOOLSf

Here is the live link for Student Dining Services:

Blair Circle Morning Traffic

We cannot thank you enough for helping to make the morning arrival flow smoothly! As a reminder, vehicles utilizing the Blair Circle drop-off for 7:30 AM morning arrival please be advised that when you enter Blair Circle, you continue to move forward around the circle until the car in front of you has stopped. Once your vehicle is in the circle area and all cars in front of you have stopped, please have your rider(s) begin to unload. We ask that your students be ready to exit the vehicle in a timely manner as a courtesy to those in the traffic line. Please do not drop off your students before entering the Blair Circle or near the Arts & Science building doors. We appreciate your continued cooperation in making sure the flow of traffic is consistent, efficient, and safe for our families and students.

Blair Circle Afternoon Traffic

We thank you in making the dismissal process safe and efficient for our families. As a reminder for families that are using Blair Circle to pick up your student(s) at 3:00 PM dismissal, please be advised that you need to fully pull your vehicle into the circle area and continue moving forward around the circle until all traffic ahead of you has stopped. Keep your vehicle close to the sidewalk curb. Once you have your student(s), you may safely proceed out of the circle area and out onto Blair Avenue. No traffic from Blair Circle will be entering the Gilbert Avenue/Jr High Gymnasium traffic circle. The visitor parking area of Blair is off limits for pickup traffic in the afternoon. Thank you again for your help!

3:00 PM Dismissal Policy

Parents, our aim is to have our students off campus by 3:30 PM each school day. Students who utilize Yellow Bus service or METRO, need to report to their bus stop directly after the 3:00 PM dismissal. Any students who are not involved in an after-school activity or Help Night should be picked up no later than 3:30 pm. Students need to be picked up immediately after their activity or Help Night concludes. In the current state, we as a building are not equipped to offer supervision beyond 3:30 PM. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Please use the following link to review our drop-off/pick-up directions.

Student Arrival/Dismissal Procedure

The Spirit Shop, located in the cafeteria, is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:45-12:15 each week during lunch. The Spirit Shop is open to all students, parents, alumni, teachers, staff and friends of Walnut Hills High School. Please go to the Main Office off Blair Circle to get a visitors' badge.

Reporting Absences and Dismissals

LINK to current Covid Protocol

Grades 7-9 Information Google Site

Grades 10-12 Information Google Site

2022-2023 Club List

WHHS Important Phone Numbers

WHHS Association Mailing List

Our community communicates using a system called Constant Contact, so join our mailing list using the link above and get up-to-date information about what's happening at Walnut Hills!

Email: whhsattendance@gmail.com
Website: walnuthillseagles.com
Location: 3250 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Phone: 513-363-8400
Twitter: @high_walnut