WHS eNotes

Message from Mr. Imbusch

Dear students and parents/guardians:

This week, Mr. Connor sent out a newsletter addressing Student Support and Chronic Absenteeism. School attendance is critical, as he emphasizes: "Students who attend school regularly tend to achieve at higher levels than those who do not."

The DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) is also focused on addressing chronic absenteeism. According to Mr. Connor’s newsletter, "A student is considered ‘Chronically Absent’ if they miss 10% of the school year. In Massachusetts, this means missing 18 or more days, regardless of the reason. Just two missed days per month can lead to this status."

At Walpole High, students who exceed the allowed number of absences per class each semester (as outlined in our attendance policy on page 37 of the Student/Parent Handbook) will not receive credit for that class, which could jeopardize their ability to graduate on time due to credit requirements.

In the rare case that a student is absent, there is no need to call the school. You will receive a robocall notifying you of the absence. You only need to contact the school if the information you receive is incorrect. For any attendance-related issues, such as absences, tardies, or dismissals, you can also email our attendance department at whsattendance@walpole.k12.ma.us.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Stephen Imbusch

Principal

Back to School Night

Parents - please remember that our Back-to-School-Night is next Thursday, September 19th. We invite you all to join us at the high school at 6:30p.m.

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Back to School Night '24-'25.pdf

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Study Skills

This year, we are placing a strong emphasis on helping all our students develop effective study habits. As part of this effort, we have introduced assignment notebooks for our freshman students to assist them in organizing homework and tracking due dates. If any student has not yet received their assignment notebook, additional copies are available in the school office. A limited supply is also available for upperclassmen who may wish to use one.

iDecide Opt Out Letter

All 9th -12th grade students will complete a very brief and confidential survey from Massachusetts General Hospital about substance use and mental health. This will take place Wednesday, October 2, 2023 at 1:39pm. The survey will take approximately 15-30 minutes to complete. Please see attached letters for more information and directions for if you would like your student to opt out.

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iDecide Opt-Out Letter (Various Languages).pdf

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Private Lessons through the WPS Music Department

The Walpole Public Schools Music Department is pleased to announce the fall session for our Private Lesson Program for students in grades 4 - 12. If your child is interested in taking private instrument or voice lessons, here is your chance. Lessons are offered in flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, baritone horn, tuba, piano, percussion, violin, viola, cello, guitar and voice. All lessons are taught by accomplished performers on their respective instruments. Some lessons are currently being taught virtually.

Session 1 will run September 23 to January 31. Registration is open until Monday, September 16th.

For more information and to register, visit:

https://sites.google.com/walpole.k12.ma.us/wpsmusic/private-lesson-program/overview

For questions, email:

Tim Fleming (K-12 Music Coordinator) at tfleming@walpole.k12.ma.us

College Visits to WHS

The following colleges will be visiting during intervention block on Wednesday, September 18th:

Simmons University
Johnson & Wales University
UMass Dartmouth
Endicott College
Boston University
Keene State University
Binghamton University
Syracuse University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Lasell University
Eastern Connecticut State University

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College Fair Fall 2024-2.pdf

We are hosting the fall college fair at the NEW Waltham High School this year.

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Class of 2028

Nomination forms are now available for class representatives. Forms can be found on Ms. Mac's classroom door, room 2126 at the end of the English hallway.

Please obtain the required number of signatures and return the form to Ms. Mac, preferably in person by Thursday, September 19, by 2:10 p.m. Elections will be held online from Friday, September 20, until after snack (10:00 a.m.) on Tuesday, September 24, with results posted by 2:05 p.m. that day. An email will be sent to all class members with a Google form to vote. There are 10 class representative positions per grade.

No late forms will be accepted.

Contact Ms. Mac at kmcmenimen@walpole.k12.ma.us with any questions.

Photography Club

The Photography Club will meet on September 19th after school. The theme this week is "Upside Down Animals". Ever have that dog that sleeps on his/her back? Do you have a cat that does crazy things? Or if you don't get that upside down shot, you can always rotate your picture to make it upside down if this is a challenge, because this might be a challenge. But do your best with this one, it might be fun. We like to try different things in this club instead of the same pictures over and over so be creative. If you have any questions on the club please contact Mrs. D'Agostino. jdagostino@walpole.k12.ma.us Please check out our instagram to see our pictures that the club takes: whs_photographyclub123

Class of 2025

Reminder that senior portraits are due October 4th. Please submit them to the Class of 2025 Yearbook Classroom page (code: csz7gix), upload them to the website (https://photos.jostens.com/4NDFVZ) or email them to mgould@walpole.k12.ma.us. Be sure to follow us on Instagram for updates and reminders @walpole_yearbook.

Speech and Debate Fundraiser

Students can buy $1 raffle tickets at lunch the rest of this week or family can purchase some tickets at Back-to-School Night on 9/19 from 6:30-8:30 PM near the gym!

This Taylor Swift Themed Grab Bag includes:

- A $25 Starbucks gift card

- A Taylor Swift t-shirt (size large)

- Taylor Swift friendship bracelets with the names of some of her albums

- Taylor Swift stickers

Please support our team! You can pay in cash or through the school Venmo @Whs-Donations

Just make sure to write speech and debate in your Venmo note! Students can come to Mrs. Murray's room (2124) if you'd rather buy your tickets there!