WHS Parent Newsletter

Happy Friday!

We have officially concluded Semester 1. Great job to all of our students on the focus and preparation during exam week. Next week, Semester 2 will begin for students, so please make sure to check PowerSchool for your Semester 2 schedules. As we do not have an open house for Semester 2, our staff have compiled a resource with course expectations/syllabi for all Semester 2 courses, which can be found here. If you have an specific questions, please do not hesitate to reach directly out to the teacher.

As we look ahead to a winter storm this weekend, I hope everyone stays safe and warm. And, go Pats!

Yearbook Reminder: This is you last chance to personalize your yearbook!!! The deadline is January 30th!!! Not sure if you've ordered a yearbook yet? You can check your order status at Jostens.com < customer service < yearbook order tracking

In this edition (*new information is bolded)

• Shout Outs
• The Great Kindness Challenge
• Health Office: Flu Season Reminders
• Senior Information: Yearbooks
• School Counseling Information: Career Day Volunteers Needed; Class of 2026 Scholarships; Therapy Dogs
• ELOs: Class of 2027 Apprenticeships; Parkland Summer Program; Marine Industry; CIEE
• Community Service Opportunities
• Athletics: Winter Sports; January Weight Room Schedule
• Personalized Yearbooks
• Technology: School Messenger Text Opt-In; MyPowerHub Notifications; Parent Portal Information (PowerSchool and Schoology)
• General School: Free and Reduced Meal Options; Student Arrival and Dismissal procedures; Reporting Absences/Tardies/Dismissals; Bus Tracking App
• Free Tutoring Resource- Digital SAT® test prep; SAT and CTE offerings
• Volunteer Information
• We're Hiring!
• WHS Events: Lunch Group; Hockey
• Outside Events: Robotics-Capri Pizza Fundraiser; Last Night- You're Fired Fundraiser; WBSL; Windham Youth Lacrosse; FLOW Events; Windham Helping Hands; F2FC 5K; Join the PTA; WMAA Fundraisers

Important Dates

• January 26: First Day of Semester 2

Daily bell schedule for WHS

WHS January Calendar

Link to 2025-2026 District Calendar

• Two WHS seniors, Nate Kaplan and Dana McAleer, were recognized at last night's School Board

  meeting as recipients for the National School Development Council (NSDC) Award for Academic

  Growth and Student Leadership in Learning. The award is presented to high school seniors who have consistently pursued a high level of academic effort and have served as positive role models for the student body. Congratulations Nate and Dana!

• Shout out to the members of the WHS chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) who attended the WSD School Board meeting this week to promote the activities of the chapter, as well as to receive a proclamation recognizing the chapter's efforts. National FBLA week is February 8-14, 2026 and the WHS FBLA is engaging in various activities as part of this, including visiting the 8th grade PAWs classes, working, visiting the 5th grade WIN classes, and hosting a potluck dinner.

• Shout-out 🎉 to English Honor society for their "Blind Date with a Book" display that they setup in the library. The English Honor Society worked really hard to pull together a collection of books, wrap them, decorate them, and get them out on display for WHS! Be sure to come to the library and select your "Blind Date" book. You might be surprised to find a new book or genre that you will enjoy! All of the books were donated by the Honor Society students, so they are yours to keep.

You should remain at home if you have any of following symptoms:

• Fever (greater than 100F)

• Vomiting (even once)

• Diarrhea

Practice good hygiene habits:

• Wash hands frequently using soap and water.

• Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth

• Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, using a tissue or your sleeve, and then wash hands

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

It is recommended to remain home until vomiting, diarrhea and fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication. Staying home will minimize the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom. Students should be physically able to participate in all school activities on return to school. Keeping a sick child at home will minimize the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom.

Please see the School Counseling section below for information on available scholarships.

Your graduate will treasure their senior yearbook forever! You can make it even more special and tell your student just how proud you are of them by purchasing a SENIOR RECOGNITION AD that will be featured in the yearbook.

It is hard to believe how quickly the past four years have passed. This is a great way to write a personal message to your senior that will live forever in their yearbook. The hard deadline to purchase a senior ad is February 1st. This date is determined by our yearbook publisher, Jostens, and CANNOT be extended.

To purchase the yearbook and/or senior parent ad, please go to www.jostensyearbooks.com . At checkout, you can pay in full or enroll in the Jostens payment plan with 4 monthly installments!

We will be hosting a career day for students on March 26th and we are seeking individuals interested to speak to students about their careers.

See what is available in Naviance.

As a district we will be having therapy dogs visiting the schools. At WHS these dogs visit advisories, as well as classrooms that sign-up for a visit. If you would like to opt your child out, please contact our guidance department (kkennedy@windhamsd.org). Thank you!

We are looking for students who may have interest in doing a trades apprenticeship as part of their senior year schedule for next fall.

If you are interested in the trades in any way, please fill out this quick form and we will be in touch.

For students interested in learning more about careers in the Health Care field, we are happy to share that HCA/Parkland Medical Center has released its Summer 2026 Career Exploration Internship Opportunity Application.

Students need to be 16+ at the start of the internship (June 29th).

Applications due January 31st.

If you are planning to apply, you must notify the School to Career Office either in person or by email (as they do require information from us). Contact Kimber Leuteritz, WHS School to Career Coordinator in C238 or at kleuteritz@windhamsd.org.

Best of luck!

Students or anyone who may be interested in the marine industry, the trades, or engineering and design - Are you working with students who are not sure what they want to do but enjoy boating, like to work with their hands, and would thrive in a small learning community? If so, The Landing School might be the perfect fit.

The marine industry needs skilled tradespeople. Students of all ages at The Landing School are career-ready in just 9 months. Financial aid, including veteran’s benefits, are available to those who qualify.

Contact:
Steve Parello
Admissions
The Landing School of Boatbuilding & Design
286 River Rd
Arundel ME 04046
207-810-2288
www.landingschool.edu
sparello@landingschool.edu

CIEE is Hosting a New England Regional Webinar! Join us January 14th at 7pm (register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/dee4cc37-7dd4-4962-8ee7-e32d0fd10473@84ff6d6e-bfbf-4f95-a0c7-bfaaf8017af2)

Have you considered studying abroad next summer? With CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange), you can choose from 100+ programs in 40 destinations around the world. CIEE offers significant scholarships to support program costs. Choose a course in Language Immersion, STEM, Arts, International Relations, Leadership or Business while earning college credit and college admissions counseling, community service hours, and hands-on experience in a topic you love. Plus, you’ll make new friendships while you have fun exploring the world.

Sample programs:

Japanese in Tokyo
Mediterranean Ecosystems and Sustainability in Mallorca
Global Entrepreneurship in Singapore
Culinary Arts in Paris
Sports Management in Barcelona
French in Toulouse

Browse CIEE’s Summer Programs (https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/high-school-study-abroad/summer), join us at our upcoming Webinar on Wednesday, January 14th from 7-8pm to hear from alumni and our New England team, ask questions, and keep an eye on scholarship and application deadlines :

January 14th at 7pm - New England Regional Webinar - Register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/dee4cc37-7dd4-4962-8ee7-e32d0fd10473@84ff6d6e-bfbf-4f95-a0c7-bfaaf8017af2

January 21st - Scholarship Application Deadline - Apply here: https://my.ciee.org/login

Information on the web at: ciee.org/

WHS students have access to a wide variety of community service opportunities in our community. These experiences help students give back, explore interests, and build skills that will benefit them beyond high school.

Opportunities are updated regularly and can be found here:
👉Current WHS Community Service Opportunities Folder

Please remind your student that volunteer hours should be logged in x2VOL through Clever within 30 days of completion.An accurate email address is required for hour verification. Hours are verified & approved before they can count toward graduation requirements.

Encourage your student to get involved—volunteering is a wonderful way to grow, connect, and contribute!

Any questions or want some assistance, please email us!

Kimber Leuteritz & Laura Boyd
School to Career Office

All athletic schedules can be found on the Windham BigTeams website. Coaches communicate using Sportsyou.com

Any questions can be directed to:

• Jon Hall – Athletic Director, email: jhall@windhamsd.org, phone: 603-845-1558 x 5804
• Donna DiZazzo – Athletics Admin Asst., email: jhilton@windhamsd.org, phone: 603-845-1558 x 5803

Tuesday 1/20- 12-1 pm

Wednesday 1/21- 12-1 pm

Thursday 1/22- 12-1 pm

Friday, January 30th is the last day you can order your 2026 yearbook with your student's name and activities on the yearbook cover. This is a firm day with our yearbook publisher and cannot be extended. Order your 2026 yearbook at Jostens.com or call 1-877-767-5217!

Instructions for how to opt-in for text messages

Instructions for adjusting parent notifications in MyPowerHub are available here.

We are proud to introduce a new parent platform, MyPowerHub. This platform enables our district to utilize a centralized platform from PowerSchool, consolidating the flow of information from schools to parents and guardians. In MyPowerHub, parents/guardians can:

1. See their child’s progress in one place

2. See school, classroom, club, and district communications in one place

3. Get direct messages from teachers and staff

4. Submit forms

5. View fees

6. Sign up for parent/teacher conferences

7. View transportation information

If you have not logged into the platform yet, please follow the instructions below to log in:

• Desktop view - Login and Overview
• Mobile App - Login and Overview
• View Bus Routes Instructions
• Complete Registration Forms Instructions

PowerSchool Parent Portal

• Used to view your student's
• Report cards
• Course and assignment grades
• Lunch balances and other school fees
• Attendance
• Schedules
• Need to Sign in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal for the first time? Follow these instructions to activate your account. Please complete this process on a laptop or desktop for the best results! If you encounter any difficulties, please complete the Parent PowerSchool Account Support form.
• App vs. Website: Here is a helpful guide comparing when to use the PowerSchool app versus when to use the website.
• Questions?
• If you need assistance in viewing a student’s information, please contact PowerSchool@windhamsd.org and include your student’s name and grade level.
• If you need assistance signing into your PowerSchool parent portal, please contact PowerSchool@windhamsd.org.

Schoology Parent Portal

• Used to view your student's
• Courses
• Upcoming, current, and overdue assignments
• Daily/weekly student agendas
• Set up weekly notifications within the platform
• In order to gain access, all parents (K-12) will need to log in and use the password Changeme1 the first time they access their Schoology Parent account this year. Please make sure to follow the instructions on how to reset your password after logging in.You will need to use the same email from your PowerSchool Parent Portal Login. Please read through the instructions carefully in order to successfully activate your account. The login link is provided within the instructions. We recommend you complete the reactivation/set-up on a laptop/desktop for the best user experience.
• Questions?
• If you need assistance in signing into your Schoology, please contact PowerSchool@windhamsd.org.
• If you need assistance in viewing a student’s information, please contact PowerSchool@windhamsd.org and include your student’s name and grade level.
• If you have questions about the classroom page content, please contact your student's teacher directly.

We understand that some families may be affected by the upcoming changes to assistance programs beginning November 1, 2025. In the event of a prolonged shutdown, November’s SNAP food benefits may not be issued until federal funding is restored. Families participating in the SNAP program are considered Directly Certified and are unaffected by the shutdown through NSLP. Federal workers who are not being paid or have been laid off and need assistance should complete an application.

We want to remind families that applications for free or reduced price meals are available for any family who wishes to apply. Applications are sent to each household at the beginning of the school year and are available throughout the year at each school cafeteria, at the SAU office, and online.

The first bell rings at 7:47 a.m., and students are considered tardy after 7:52 a.m. Students are dismissed at 2:17 p.m. All parent pick-up should take place behind the school building. Please do not pick up in front of the building or in the Visitor Parking lot at the front of the school. This causes safety issues in an area where students are walking and buses are operating.

We will continue to utilize PickUp Patrol as the preferred method for reporting student tardies, absences, and early dismissals.

Changes can be entered into the system from a smartphone or computer days, weeks, or months in advance, and at any time up until 1:20pm on the day of the change. After 1:50 pm, changes will not be accepted except in the case of an emergency. Such changes can be made via phone directly to the main office. The end of the school day is a busy time, so to ensure the safety of all students, please plan accordingly and limit these exceptions to emergencies only.

Alternatively, you may use the attendance email, whsattendance@windhamsd.org, or call the main WHS line at (603) 845-1558, Option 1.

If you need any assistance with PickUp Patrol, please reach out to Mr. Keshigian (mkeshigian@windhamsd.org).

Through NHED's partnership with Tutor.com, all New Hampshire high schoolers can access no-cost Digital SAT® test prep—anytime, anywhere!

Support options include:

?? Digital SAT Essentials - Full self-paced SAT prep course from The Princeton Review
?? Live, 24/7 tutoring for SAT-prep sessions tailored to students' individual needs
?? Drop-off writing review for expert feedback on SAT practice essays

Plus, students can familiarize themselves with the Desmos® graphing calculator in our online classroom—the same calculator used in the real Digital SAT exam.

To get started, please encourage students to log in to Tutor.com through their LMS or create an individual account.

Visit tutor.com/nhed for helpful instructions and additional resources.

Our volunteers are a critical component of our school district's success, and we appreciate and thank them for their time and commitment! Beginning in late August, returning designated volunteers will receive notifications from the online training system. If you are interested in volunteering or are new to our district, please follow the process outlined on our website. If you have any questions about this process, please email hr@windhamsd.org.

The following events are sponsored by organizations outside our school community

Location: 64 London Bridge Road, Windham, NH 03087, USA
Phone: 603-845-1558

Email: smckenna@windhamsd.org
Website: https://whs.windhamsd.org/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/WindhamHighSchool
Twitter: @WHSJaguars