Westfield Area HS/MS January News
Go Pioneers!
Our ACT Prep program, "On to College with John Baylor," will be underway the Prep sessions began on January 2nd and will continue every day until March 24th - the day before the ACT Exam.
The prep sessions consist of video lessons taught by John Baylor, followed by quizzes and activities that correlate with the video lesson. The lessons cover English, Math, Science, Reading, and Writing. By the end of the eleven-week course, students have covered all topics they will encounter on the exam and take the equivalent of three full ACT practice examinations.
In order to ensure enough time in the day to accomplish our ACT Prep goals, we adjust the daily schedule by starting school one minute early, extending the school day by four minutes, and shortening each class period by one minute. Making these changes allows us to create a 45-minute Flex Period at the end of the day for the students to get to their test prep rooms and engage in their prep lessons. The school day starts at 8:03 AM and the day ends at 3:36 PM. Juniors are unavailable for any kind of Flex Offerings (besides ACT Prep) from January 2nd through March 25th. Our implementation model has been highly successful and we have received national recognition for how we prepare our students for this exam. Out of the 600+ high schools in the nation that use On to College with John Baylor, Westfield High School is ranked #1 in terms of student growth.
We devote a great deal of time & energy to our ACT Prep program because all juniors are required by the State of Wisconsin to take this exam. The ACT score is the standard by which we are judged, so we take every necessary step possible to make sure our students are fully prepared for success. On to College with John Baylor is a highly successful test prep program, and we are proud of how well our students perform on the exam. Last year, Westfield students improved their ACT score by an average of 2.8 points as compared to their predicted scores! This increase is extremely significant and is the reason why Westfield High School consistently has the highest ACT scores in the South Central Conference.
On the day of the exam, March 25th, the only HS/MS students that attend school are the juniors. Students in grades 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 do not attend school. We create optimal testing conditions by testing students in small groups, and we have two test supervisors per room. We utilize all high school/middle school staff on exam day, so all other students in this school, besides juniors, are given the day off. Elementary school students report to schools as usual on March 26th.
Attached to this newsletter is a copy of the bell schedule we will use from January 2nd through March 25th. We will resume our regular bell schedule on March 26th.
Congratulations to our most recent "Students of the Month." Every month, teachers from each department recognize students for their hard work, positive character, and academic achievement.
Congratulations to the following students!
6th Grade: Rowan Scott
6th Grade: Zayden Nguyen
7th Grade: Devon Berg
7th Grade: Rylin Henke
8th Grade: Aaron Russell
8th Grade: Makenna Groskreutz
6th Grade Band: Lyndi Meyer
MS Band: Abigail Anason
MS Choir: Thomas Johnson
MS Art: Katherine Turner
HS Art: Kiriana Cummings
HS Band: Zoey Schroeder
HS Choir: Jayden David
CTE: Evan Dillman
English: Bella Holewinski
Math: Robert Moody
Phy Ed: Vincent Donner
Science: Chloe Kerschner
Social Studies: Shiloh Kilkelly
Spanish: Hope Phillis
As the first semester draws to a close, it is time for students to begin thinking about and preparing for semester exams. All high school courses administer a semester exam or assessment. Typically, the "academic" classes such as Math, Science, English, Social Studies, and Spanish administer a traditional exam. Lab-style classes, such as Music, Career & Technical Education, Physical Education, and Art administer a project or performance assessment.
In the weeks prior to the exams, teachers will distribute study guides so students know which topics or concepts on which they will be assessed. The absolute best way for students to prepare for exams is to start early and study a little every day. Students should avoid "cramming" for their exams. Instead, they should start studying one month prior to exam day and spend about three minutes per day per topic. With each successive week, they should increase the amount of time they study each day per topic.
- Week 1: 3 minutes per subject per day.
- Week 2: 5 minutes per subject per day.
- Week 3: 10 minutes per subject per day.
- Week 4: 20 minutes per subject per day.
By following this schedule, students will have studied for over three hours per subject for their exams. They will be highly prepared and will perform well on the exams.
Please note the date of the first and second semester exams. Students are required to take their exams on the assigned date. Please do not plan vacations or appointments on the day of exams. Early exams will not be given.
Attached to this newsletter is a copy of the semester exam schedule for first and second semesters.
One of our fun traditions in this school is our annual "Student Council Secret Santa" activity. Members of Student Council choose a staff member and give them small gifts & clues throughout the week before Christmas vacation. Staff members fill out a survey about their favorite snacks, drinks, and activities. Throughout the week, staff members have to piece together the clues to figure out their Secret Santa. On the Friday before Christmas vacation, we have our "Secret Santa Reveal Party" in the LMC. Staff members meet up with their Santa and give the student a gift. This long standing tradition is one of our favorite things to do and helps students & staff get to know each other better.
