Warrior Bulletin

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Westside High School NO LONGER utilizes the SchoolPass app for parents to connect with the WHS Attendance Office. To report absences or appointments, call the WHS Attendance Hotline at (402) 343-2806 and leave a voicemail or email whs.attendance@westside66.net. When leaving a message with the WHS Attendance Office, please include the following information:

Your name and relationship to the student
The student's name
Relevant information about the student’s attendance

September 7, 2026: Labor Day(NO SCHOOL)

September 8, 2026: Teacher Professional Learning Day (NO SCHOOL)

September 16, 2026: Homecoming Parade/Pep Rally

September 19, 2026: Homecoming Dance

September 24, 2026: School Picture Retake Day

September 30, 2026: Senior Class Panoramic Photo

October 7, 2026: PSAT Testing

October 7-8, 2026: 1st Quarter Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 9, 2026: NO SCHOOL

October 12, 2026: Teacher Professional Learning Day (NO SCHOOL)

October 27, 2026: Assessment Day

Grade 12 (ACT or Senior Seminar)
Grade 11 (ACT Testing)
Grade 10 (Pre-ACT Testing)
Grade 9 (No School)

November 25-27, 2026: Thanksgiving Break (NO SCHOOL)

December 17, 2026: 1st Semester Final Exam Day #1

December 18, 2026: 1st Semester Final Exam Day #2

December 18, 2026: Last day of 1st Semester

December 21, 2026 - January 4, 2027: Winter Break (NO SCHOOL)

August 2026 school lunch menu calendar highlighting daily choices for "Corner" and "Diner" options

September school lunch menu calendar framed by an autumn leaf and pumpkin illustration border, listing daily "Corner" and "Diner" options:

September 1: Corner: Meatball Subs | Diner: Crispy Chx Sandwich
September 2: Corner: Walking Tacos | Diner: Motz Sticks
September 3: Corner: Pizza Hut | Diner: Caesar Chx Wrap
September 4: Corner: Asian Bowl | Diner: Spicy Chx Sandwich
September 7: Corner: Nachos | Diner: French Toast Sticks
September 8: Corner: Mac and Cheese | Diner: Frito Burrito
September 9: Corner: Monster Bowl | Diner: Honey Garlic Chx Sand.
September 10: Corner: Pizza Hut | Diner: Southwest Chx Wrap
September 11: Corner: Rice Bowl | Diner: Chicken Tenders
September 14: Corner: Chicken Fried Steak | Diner: Phillies
September 15: Corner: Wings | Diner: Carnita Tacos
September 16: Corner: Walking Tacos | Diner: Chx Tikka Masala
September 17: Corner: Pizza Hut | Diner: Buffalo Chx Wrap
September 18: Corner: Asian Bowl | Diner: Cheeseburger Penne
September 21: Corner: Ham & Cheese Croissant | Diner: Spaghetti & Meatballs
September 22: Corner: BBQ Chx Thigh | Diner: Asian Dumpling
September 23: Corner: Monster Bowl | Diner: Fried Chx Leg
September 24: Corner: Pizza Hut | Diner: Warrior Mac Wrap
September 25: Corner: Fajitas | Diner: Chx w/ Emoji Waffle
September 28: Corner: Totchos | Diner: Crispy Chx Sandwich
September 29: Corner: Meatball Subs | Diner: Crispito
September 30: Corner: Walking Tacos | Diner: Motz Sticks

WHS LIBRARY NEWS

Students can check out LG Crayons for their ipads in the library.

Westside Middle School and Westside High School's libraries offer digital access to a curated collection of ebooks and audiobooks through the Sora app. The Sora app now offers parental controls that can be used to view the digital collection, lock individual books, see your student's checkout history, and receive email notification when books are borrowed. To set up these controls, please use this link to access your student's account. If you have any questions or need support, please contact the WMS or WHS librarian.

DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Daily Announcements are found on the PowerSchool Student/Parent Portal. The announcements are updated on a daily basis and will be an excellent place to keep up with all the latest news from Westside High School.

POWERSCHOOL PARENT PORTAL

The parent portal is an online portal accessible anywhere on the web that parents can log in to and see all of their children in one place, their grades, assignments, scores, attendance, schedules, and school bulletins for each school your children attend. If you have one student in middle school and one in high school, parents will see bulletins for both the middle school and high school. You can access the Student and Parent Sign In Portal by clicking this link.

TECHNOLOGY USE AT WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

PURPOSE OF TECHNOLOGY

At Westside Community Schools, technology use will be intentional and educational, ensuring students are active participants in learning. From this guiding principle, we are committed to implementing high-quality tools that are purposefully designed to have a positive impact on student growth. Our approach is intended to put teachers in the driver's seat, support families with transparent information, and keep student wellbeing at the center of every decision we make.

WHAT WE DO

Westside Community Schools uses technology to improve learning outcomes, meet state established learning standards across the curriculum and provide experiences that wouldn't otherwise be possible. At Westside High School, students use the iPad across the curriculum to complete creative activities, engage with digital resources, review and practice key concepts, and complete assessments. This can allow more personalization to help meet each individual learner’s academic needs.

WHY WE DO IT

We believe every student deserves an exceptional education and the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. Technology supports this work by adapting to each student's learning level, reinforcing essential skills, and giving teachers real-time insights to personalize support. By combining expert instruction, purposeful technology, and a steadfast belief in every child, we ensure every learner is supported, challenged, and empowered to achieve more than they thought possible.

HOW WE DO IT

Technology use in our district is intentional and educational, ensuring students are active participants in learning rather than passive consumers. Every student in grades 9-12 has an assigned device they can use at teacher discretion. Each student also has access to a Logitech Crayon stylus for handwriting, note taking, drawing, and interactive learning.

We analyze our use of technology on an annual basis. Some adjustments we are making this school year include disabling YouTube Shorts on all K-12 devices. We will begin piloting alternatives to direct YouTube access for audio-visual content at WHS, limiting unrestricted access on school-issued devices. Students will continue to have access to teacher-approved instructional videos through approved platforms, ensuring educational content remains readily available while reducing access to non-instructional content.

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

WCS is committed to being a thoughtful steward of your child's screen time during the school day, and we encourage families to carry that same intentionality into the home. With clear expectations, open conversations about media use, and a focus on balance, we can make sure technology serves our children well, inside the classroom and beyond. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its guidance in January 2026, shifting focus from how long to the quality and context of digital media use.

Check out our Technology Use Guide using this link to learn more.

HEALTH OFFICE NEWSLETTER

Click this link to check out the latest Health Office Newsletter. This will help you stay up to date with what is going on in our School Nurse's Office.

ASVAB TESTING AVAILABLE

On Thursday, September 3rd starting at 9:00 a.m. WHS will be offering the ASVAB test for any Junior or Senior that would like to take it. The ASVAB is not just a test for the military, it is an aptitude test that allows students to learn about their skills, careers and other future options. If your student is interested in participating in this test, please have them register using the Google form sent to them from Dr. Londer. The test is free and will not take longer than 1.5 hrs. They will be excused from class.

COLLEGE & CAREER COUNSELING

As part of The Westside Foundation's Impacting Excellence campaign, WHS is excited to open the College & Career Readiness Center this fall. With this addition, we are reorganizing our counseling department to provide more individualized support to students as they near graduation.

As part of this reorganization, Dr. Vicki Londer will serve as our College & Career Counselor, supporting students and families as they navigate and plan for life after high school. This work builds on the strong foundation our counseling team has established over many years in helping students pursue a wide range of post-secondary pathways.

SCHOOL COUNSELING ASSIGNMENT STRUCTURE CHANGE

As part of the addition of the College & Career Readiness Center and the reorganization of our counseling department, we will be making a few adjustments to counselor caseloads. These adjustments are intended to ensure each counselor has the time and capacity to support students well. The following is a list of our school counseling staff and their assigned alphabet.

Kirk Henningsen: Student Last Names A-Co
Ted Dondlinger: Student Last Names Cp-Ha
Lauri Cunningham: Student Last Names Hb-Le
Christine Gaughen: Student Last Names Lf-O
Jennifer Kennedy-Metz: Student Last Names P-Sl
Maggie Forman: Student Last Names Sm-Z
Dr. Vicki Londer: College and Career Counselor

CLASS OF 2027 SENIOR INFORMATION

The Westside High School website has a page dedicated to senior information that can be found by clicking on this link. Families are encouraged to bookmark this page and return often for updated information.

ACTIVITY TICKETS

All students participating in an NSAA sanctioned sport will need to purchase an Activity Ticket. The cost is $70 and students can purchase with cash from the WHS business office or online via the Hudl ticketing platform (Purchase Activity Ticket Here). Students will have the Activity Ticket added to their digital ID and will be given free admission to all Westside home sporting events (excludes Jamborees, Metros, & Districts) during the 2026-27 school year.

EVENT TICKETS & ANNUAL PASSES

You can purchase tickets to events ahead of time via the Hudl ticketing platform (Hudl Tickets). You can also purchase seasonal or yearly Athletic passes via Hudl as well.

The Support Category of Developmental Assets

Supportive, healthy relationships make a big difference

Many studies over the years confirm that caring, supportive relationships with adults are critical for raising young people who are healthy and resilient. Support means freely giving young people love, affirmation, and acceptance; surrounding young people with caring families, guardians, friends, teachers, neighbors, and other adults; and helping young people know they belong, are not alone, and are both loved and lovable. Support is one of eight asset categories that make up Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets, the qualities, experiences, and relationships that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.

Here are the facts

Research shows that the more loving, supportive, and caring adults a young person knows, the more likely he or she is to grow up healthy. Search Institute has identified six assets in the Support category crucial for helping young people grow up healthy: Family Support, Positive Family Communication, Other Adult Relationships, Caring Neighborhood, Caring School Climate, and Parent Involvement in Schooling.

Tips for building these assets

Developing bonds with young people takes listening and giving of yourself as needed. Be patient. Different kids and situations call for different kinds of support. Comfort, encourage, and help young people. Or simply be there for them. Remember that support doesn’t have to be big or loud to be meaningful.

Also try this

In your home and family: Have each family member name three ways the family supports her or him. Discuss these, as well as the areas (and ways) in which each family member would like to receive more support.

In your neighborhood and community: Model support for young people by being supportive toward others in your neighborhood, both youth and adults—praise them, take time for them, show an interest in them, and work to understand them.

In your school or youth program: Encourage access to at least one caring adult for each young person in the school or youth program.

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Developmental Assets® are positive factors within young people, families, communities, schools, and other settings that research has found to be important in promoting the healthy development of young people. From Instant Assets: 52 Short and Simple E-Mails for Sharing the Asset Message. Copyright © 2007 by Search Institute®, 877-240-7251; www.search-institute.org. This message may be reproduced for educational, noncommercial uses only (with this copyright line). All rights reserved.

STEP UP FOR DOWN SYNDROME WALK

Join Westside Unified for the 25th annual Step up for Down Syndrome Walk. The event will take place on Sunday, September 27, 2026, from 2:30 pm to 5:00 PM at the Baxter Arena parking lot, located at 2425 south 67th street. The flyer includes the Westside Unified and 25th anniversary logos, as well as a QR code that can be scanned to register for this team. Use the link https://p2p.onecause.com/stepup2026/team/westside-unified?participant=jill-foster-5 to register.

WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICE HOURS OF OPERATION

Monday: 7:30 am - 3:30pm
Tuesday: 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM (Out of office from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm)
Wednesday: 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Thursday: 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM (Out of office from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm)
Friday: 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM

WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE COUNTS

5 Absences or Tardies in a Class

Teacher contact to parent via SchoolStatus indicating that attendance is a concern.

10 Absences or Tardies in a Class

Assigned Administrator will consider placing the student on an Attendance Success Plan based on individual student circumstances.

15 Absences or Tardies in a Class

Open Campus Privileges Revoked
No extra-curricular activities (dances, athletic events, etc.) for remainder of the grading period
Assigned ALL open mods

15+ Absences or Tardies in a Class

Student MAY BE dropped by administration from the class with a Withdraw Fail (WF) that will be reported on the student's transcript. This will be an administrator decision.