The Whetstone Weekly
Friday, January 23, 2026
Upcoming Dates
- Athletic Booster Meeting - Monday, 1/26 @ 7PM
- Parent-Teacher Conferences* - Thursday, 1/29, 3-6:30PM
- Parent-Teacher Conferences* - Tuesday, 2/3, 3:30-7PM
- Brave The Future* - Tuesday, 2/3, 5:30-7PM
- Mile a Quarter, Special Ed Basketball game: Whetstone vs. Centennial - Thursday, 2/12
- No School - Monday, 2/16-17
- Spring Sports Parent Meeting - Thursday, 2/19 @ 6:30
*See below for more info
Whetstone PTA Calendar
https://www.whetstonepta.org/home/calendar
CCS District Calendars
WHS @ BPA!
Last week, Ms. Kindinger and selected students represented Whetstone High School at the Region 14 Business Professionals of America (BPA) competition. Congrats to all the students that placed and participated!
BUSINESS LAW & ETHICS
- 1st place = Kamaya Smith
COMPUTER NETWORKING
- 10th Place = Melody Olaoye
FUNDAMENTALS OF DESKTOP PUBLISHING
- 9th Place = Amare Garner
VISUAL DESIGN TEAM
- 6th Place = Da-Nayah Landers & Janiya McKIssack
- 7th Place = Amaira Jones, Kiara Martinez Gallardo & Seniya Patridge
INTERVIEW SKILLS
- 4th Place = Reshad Sediqi
ADVANCED INTERVIEW SKILLS
- 3rd Place = Tappan Caffrey
EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEECH
- 1st Place = Gillian Martin
- 4th Place = Mayah Johnson
- 5th Place = Kaiden Kirk
PRESENTATION TEAM
- 1st Place = Opal Fidler, Brianna Fuentes, Bella Hittle, & Jianna Martinez
- 2nd Place = Cameron Easterling, Zella Ebert, Lyla McFadden, & Mari Medina
OTHER PARTICAPANTS
Business Law & Ethics
- Bruce Ferrer
- Jaliyah Walker
Computer Networking
- Sophie Bowser Zimmerman
- Health Procedures
- Lexie Ramirez
Watch for updates as several students advanced to states!
Schedules & Tickets
See past and upcoming matches for all WHS sports at WHS Athletic Schedule and buy your tickets at WHS Athletic Tickets.
WHS Boys and Girls Bowling Info, Schedule, and more can be found at https://www.cohsbc.com/index.aspx
Athletics Boosters
The WHS Athletic Boosters provide team support - paying for various expenses that coaches and teams need to be successful during a season and annual monetary awards for graduating student athletes that have demonstrated excellence in academics. Visit whetstoneathleticboosters.com for more info.
The Spongebob Musical
- Friday & Saturday, March 20 & 21, 2026
- Friday & Saturday, March 27 & 28, 2026
- 7:00 PM 9:00 PM
- WAPA Performing Arts Center
Plunge into this stunning all-singing, all-dancing, dynamic stage show! When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world. With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up. The power of optimism really can save the world!
The SpongeBob Musical is based on the beloved animated series created by Stephen Hillenburg and features a book by Kyle Jarrow, with original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants and T.I., and songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny and Andy Paley. Additional lyrics are by Jonathan Coulton, with additional music by Tom Kitt. The musical production was conceived by Tina Landau.
An exciting new musical featuring irresistible characters and magical music, this deep-sea pearl of a show is set to make a splash with audiences young and old. The future is bright, the future is bold, the future is The SpongeBob Musical.
Tickets on Sale Late February
Band App
Currently there are groups for Whetstone Band, She Kills Monsters, Jazz Ensemble, Whetstone Vocal Music, Whetstone String Orchestra and WAPA Volunteers. Your student *should* already be a member and can send you an invitation to join via the app. If not, reach out to the directors or you can email wapaboosters@gmail.com and we will do whatever we can to help get you connected.
Get the Band App at https://www.band.us/en
Help Feed a Teacher!
There are still some spots available to help stock the salad & potato bar for the staff on conference night! If you can help, please sign up by 1/27 for the meal on 1/29.
Sign up here ⬇️
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F4AAAAD2BA20-61428559-whsconference
Can you help for an hour or two? That’s in the sign up, too.
WHS Spirit Wear
New year, new gear! Get some WHS merch! We have hoodies, mugs, t-shirts and even stadium seat cushions for those exciting basketball games!
Kroger Card
If you're not already participating, take three minutes and enroll your Kroger Plus card with their Community Rewards program to benefit Whetstone PTA. Visit whetstonepta.org/home/kroger-community-rewards-for-whs-pta for more info.
Graduation Info
A graduation date has been set!
Graduation will take place on Saturday, May 30 at 12:00 PM in the Battelle Grand Ballroom at the Columbus Convention Center.
More info to come...
Transportation Flowchart for 2026-2027
Transportation changes are coming! Make sure you're informed and plan ahead!
YES, My Student Is Eligible for Transportation
- Student is placed by CCS in a school for ESL, ED, MD, or Gifted Services
- Student attends their neighborhood home school by address and lives more than 2 miles from the school
- Student is in grades 9-12
- Student was displaced from neighborhood school by address in previous years
- K-8 student who attends a 100% lottery school
NO, My Student Is NOT Eligible for Transportation
- Student attends neighborhood home school by address and lives less than 2 miles from the school
- Student attends a non-100% lottery school by choice, not placement
- Student attends a school that is not their home school by current address (school assigned using old address)
Attendance Matters Month
CCS is excited to officially launch our Attendance Matters Month campaign across Columbus City Schools!
This midyear season is an important time to reinforce routines and remind students that attendance is connected to belonging, relationships, and confidence. When students show up consistently, they stay connected to learning and the people who support them.
Our Restart–Refocus–Rise Challenge ended Friday, Dec. 9. Our schools will be acknowledged Jan. 20-24, we now shift into our next phase…
🌟 February 2026 — Attendance Matters Month: “Show the Love — Every Day Counts!”
Dates: January 12 – February 13
Key Message: “Show yourself some love — show up every day! When you’re here, we’re better together.”
For sample activities, family connections and more, please click here.
Each month, schools may provide activities, themes, and recognition to support daily attendance.
🏆 Winners Announced: February 23–26
Thank you for helping your child show love through showing up. Every day counts!
WHS Website Updates
Ohio Family Math survey
This survey is being conducted by the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to help better understand families' math-related priorities, challenges, and preferred ways of engaging with schools. The results of this survey will help inform statewide initiatives to improve math learning for all Ohio students and families.
The survey is open now and closes on January 31, 2026. The first 40 families to complete this survey will receive a $10 gift card to Walmart and all families who fill out the survey will be entered into a grand prize drawing for a chance to win a $100 gift card to Walmart. The survey is available in 10 languages.
The survey is available at https://go.osu.edu/familymathsurvey
IN ADDITION, the group is also seeking assistance from parents for an Ohio Math Advisory Group. Members will share their experiences and priorities to guide statewide efforts to strengthen family engagement in math across grade levels, communities, and student needs, including students with disabilities. Members will also give ongoing feedback to help make resources and strategies easier to access, more inclusive, and more useful for families. Get more info at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jJk6aNJW3cH3pKk6PEpnJUyMvCnnnzXr/view?pli=1 and join at visit https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_37RcOOl3oWGVOMm
Parent Portal
Stay engaged in your child's education! The Parent Portal (through Infinite Campus) is your link to real-time information on your Columbus City Schools student(s), including class schedules, assignments, grades, attendance, and more.
To access the Parent Portal, visit: https://columbusoh.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/columbusCity.jsp
For information on how to access and use the Parent Portal, visit: https://www.ccsoh.us/parentportal.aspx
or
https://secure.smore.com/n/3jk0e-ccs-infinite-campus-parent-portal
Parent Portal App info is available at: https://secure.smore.com/3jk0e
Pathway Express
The Pathway Express program is back for another year with three unique destinations for students and families to explore!
Pathway Express demonstrates how learning extends beyond the classroom walls. These transformative experiences shape and empower our students for success, as they align with our goals of increasing math and reading proficiency and help close opportunity gaps. Create lasting memories with engaging hands-on learning experiences at each of our Pathway Express stops!
The next Pathway Express is at Indian Village Outdoor Education Center in April. These learning opportunities will lead us through the 2025-2026 school year, right up to our 2026 Summer Experience. See event details below.
April 25
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Location: Indian Village Outdoor Education Center (3232 Indian Village Road)
Time: 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
To learn more visit the Pathway Express page at https://www.ccsoh.us/pathwayexpress
Thanks for reading! If you missed a past issue, visit the Whetstone Weekly Archive.
For much more info, visit the WHS PTA - Family Ambassador Page. And, as always, if you have suggestions or content for inclusion - or any other questions, comments, or concerns - please feel free to contact me. I'm here to help!
Damian Synadinos
WHS Family Ambassador