The Wolfpack Edge

This week brought our first unexpected communication of the year! With local power outages impacting families in different ways on Wednesday, it was a good “warm-up” for using our JMC emergency communications to quickly share important updates with our learning community—something we know we’ll likely use again when winter weather arrives. Thankfully, Western was able to have a full day of school. Enjoy a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Dr. Brian Verwolf

Head Administrator

Chapel this week included a familiar face as we welcomed Dr. Verwolf to share a message with all of us. He titled his chapel message “Strong Ground: The Physics of Following Jesus (Tush Push).” Yes, you read that correctly! The message provided some great conversation topics for you at home. Our Faithpacks also followed up on the topic, allowing students to think about and reflect on the message. Andrew and the team led us musically; our chapels have been off to a great start! The following week, we will be bringing back a Western favorite—our first Chapel on the Couch of the new school year.

One more note... Our chapel livestreams have moved to our webpage! You can now watch each chapel directly—no more clicking through to YouTube. Visit the updated link below & be sure to update your bookmark so you can easily find us each week!

Mrs. Karen Christians

Director of Discipleship

Reminder: Underclassmen Pictures are on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st. A packet & link for ordering online will be available next week. Keep your eyes out for an email from Kathy!

• Mum sales are underway! If you are interested in purchasing any, please reach out to your FFA member!

• National Convention applications are now available in the ag room! If you are interested in being a chaperone for our trip to Indianapolis, please reach out to aubrey.vanbriesen@westernchristianhs.com. Convention is October 20-23. 2-4 chaperones are needed!

• FFA Apparel orders are open until Tuesday, September 8, 2026! Click the photo below to shop the FFA store now!

Next Wednesday morning before school, we will have a brief meeting about going to Mexico for part of the Spring Break. Any student who is interested in a service-oriented trip should attend. We will meet in Mrs. Minderhoud’s room 208 at 9:10 AM. This meeting does not commit you to going; however, it will give us an indication of how many to plan for.

If you ordered any fall sports apparel, please swing by the student lounge to pick it up! Back-to-School orders aren't in yet, but they'll be coming soon!

Breakfast and Hot Lunch service are in full swing! We ask all families to seek to keep positive balances in their Lunch accounts this year, and recommend starting with a minimum of $100. Accounts can always be accessed through JMC.

First tuition payment was due August 15. If you plan to pay monthly and have not yet made your August payment, we kindly ask that you do so soon.

As we begin a new school year and welcome many first-time students to Western, we want to ensure we are prepared to protect and support every student well.

Our Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) is made up of Nate van Niejenhuis, Shawn DeStigter, Katie Rietsma, Abby Vanden Bosch, and Waylon Pollema (shown above L-R). Each member is certified in CPR, First Aid, and AED use.

To best serve our students, it is very important that the MERT Team is aware of any medical conditions within our student body. These may include (but are not limited to):

• Diabetes

• Asthma

• Epilepsy

• Allergies requiring an EpiPen

We kindly ask parents to share this information by emailing Kathy Mouw at kathy.mouw@westernchristianhs.com. Please include details of your child’s condition along with any instructions or helpful information for our team.

Thank you for partnering with us in keeping Western a safe and caring place for all students!

On Tuesday, October 13, Western will be administering the PSAT, a preliminary SAT, also known as the National Merit Qualifying Test. Students will be tested in the areas of Reading, Writing, Language, and Math. The PSAT allows Juniors to receive experience in taking college entrance exams, and it opens the door for them to potentially compete for a select group of national academic scholarships. Qualifying students should be a Junior AND enrolled in Algebra 2 classes or above. The Parents' Guide to the PSAT gives an excellent overview of the test. All interested students or parents with questions should contact Sarah Wilson, our Director of Learning.

Next Steps:

1. Sign up with Mrs. Wilson by September 18th. The cost is $20; checks can be payable to Western Christian High School.

2. Download required software by seeing Mrs. Wilson after registration.

3. The completion of small portions of a sample test to allow for adequate preparations, linked here.

Exciting Update from our Livestream Crew: Our Livestreams can be viewed directly from our webpage! Visit here to access our livestreams & update your bookmark to find us easily!

Other News:

- All student-athletes are required to have a current, completed sports physical on file before the beginning of practices. Please complete & turn this in ASAP.

- Mark your calendars! Wolfpack Homecoming will be October 5-9. A home volleyball game is scheduled for Thursday, October 8, followed by the home football game on Friday, October 9.

- Visit Bound here to purchase your season passes!

- Visit Bound here to find up-to-date schedules & events. Download the Bound app to get notifications right to your phone with updates & weather changes.

Did you know our Concession Stand supports activities at Western while providing snacks and meals for you and your family? Each family with a child in Music or Athletics is required to sign up for one event to assist in the concession stand or the Pack Shack.

Thanks to all who have already volunteered for the Fall activities. We need everyone to do their part in keeping our activities going here at Western. Please put only one name in a box. If you and your spouse are volunteering together, please use 2 boxes.

Thank YOU for helping out at WC!

We would love your help keeping our teachers and staff caffeinated throughout the school year! If your family is willing & able, please consider donating a box of K-Cup coffee pods to help stock our supply. Feel free to drop these by the office at any time. Any flavor, roast, or brand is welcome—every donation is greatly appreciated!

This week in professional learning we had our first week of personal professional learning. This part of our professional learning allows teachers to choose an activity that will best fit their needs. They are allowed to work on mapping, curriculum development, department meetings, new curriculum implementation, or other choice activities. This is a great time for teachers to have an opportunity to prioritize their own personal teaching goals.

At this time, Western Christian is actively recruiting multiple positions for the upcoming year:

- Custodial Staff (Hourly)

- Kitchen Staff Member (Hourly)

Please help us spread the word about these open positions! Any leads or inquiries can be directed to our Head Administrator, Dr. Brian Verwolf, at Brian.Verwolf@Westernchristianhs.com.

Western Christian High School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs (if any exist), and athletic or other school administered programs.