December 15, 2024
As we head into our last week before the new year and December break, I wish you good times spent with family and friends and all of the joy the holiday season brings.
When we return from break we will have a week and two days before midterms begin for our students. If a course has a midterm, teachers will be providing students with a study guide. For our 9th graders, midterms can be daunting, they might talk about it a lot and say things like, “I’m so stressed” or “I have so much to do” and the fact is, yes, tests are stressful and they do have a lot to do. High school is about learning to manage these moments and initiate timelines to help the study process. Families are instrumental in providing the structure to relieve the stress. I recommend setting a time to meet to discuss the preparation. Check PowerSchool and Canvas together and come up with a game plan. If you have additional questions please reach out to their teacher or your child’s counselor.
Midterm Study Tips & NHS Study Sessions
Ms. Swezey has put together this handy midterm study tips handout. Not only does it have a space for students to make their individual plan for the weeks ahead it also provides study tips and strategies. Our National Honors Society students will once again be offering study sessions when we return from break in preparation for midterms. Students can come to the library after school to access these sessions.
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January 6th- Afterschool Science
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January 7th- Afterschool Math
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January 8th- Afterschool World Language
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January 9th- Afterschool Social Studies
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January 10th- Afterschool All Subjects
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January 15th- Afterschool All Subjects
Midterm Refreshments Are Back!
Due to popular demand, following two great years, the PTO is bringing back this fun service to our students during Midterm Exams 2025. If you'd like to help out during this very fun volunteer event, check out the opportunities at our sign up genius link here. Refreshments will be offered during the break period between exams from 9:30am-10:30am on January 13th, January 14th, January 16th and January 17th. Let your students know to drop into the lobby during the break period on those days for a treat from your PTO! This is a 
great way to get involved in the high school!
Winter Concerts
The winter concert season wraps up this week with our annual Jazz Night, Wednesday December 18th at 7 pm in the cafeteria. Mr. Brookes and students will transform the cafeteria into a very cool jazz club. Congratulations to Liz Morris, Geoff Brookes and Glen Ullman on a successful concert season!
X-Period
On December 20th, WHS students will be participating in an activity period of their choosing. Some of the activities will be community service focused, and require materials in order to be completed. If you are willing and able to contribute, we would greatly appreciate any donations of the items found below. All donations need to be delivered to the high school by MONDAY 12/16 by the end of the day (2:30 PM). Please access the Sign-Up Genius here to donate.
Weston Robotics
Congratulations to Team 17814W: Cooper Schleef, Angela Zhao, Emily Arias, Joshua Miranda, they made it to the tournament finals this weekend and qualified for the state championship!
Poetry Out Loud Winner
This past Monday on December 9th our Poetry Out Loud finalists competed for a spot in the state competition. Congratulations to Serena Karasu for being selected for this honor. Thank you to Ms. Roehl, Mr. Jennette, and Mrs. Holmes for coordinating this great event for our freshman class.
Film Festival
Our annual Film Festival continues in all English classes this week. Students will be viewing and analyzing The Secret Life of Walter Mitty derived from the original short story published in The New Yorker in 1939. The film stars Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig. We’re excited to hear our students tackle many of the themes in the film and how they are impacted by the story.
Midterms
In an effort to continue to support the needs of our students, and hopefully relieve a little bit of stress from midterm week, we have adjusted our midterm schedule this year to allow for our review days to take place closer to the dates of exams in those classes. Please click the link here to see the overview of our Midterm schedule which begins with a January 10th review day and ends on January 21st with a Makeup day. Please click here to view the detailed schedule of the review days and exam days with class and break times. Additionally, we are instituting two (2) reading days on January 8th and 9th leading up to midterms during which teachers have committed to not giving assessments prior to the start of our midterm schedule.
Person to Person Club
Weston's Person 2 Person Club is hosting a coat drive! Drop off your old, used, or new coats in the gift-wrapped bin in the lobby until Christmas Break!
Domestic Violence Crisis Center Supply Drive
10th grade student government is holding a supply drive for the Domestic Violence Crisis Center (DVCC). Donations go to the DVCC’s safe house residents. Donation bins will be in the lobby of Weston High School from Dec 16 - Jan 3. The DVCC is in urgent need of the following items:
BABY ITEMS: Diapers size 4, 5, 6, 7, Baby wipes any type, Baby lotion, Baby shampoo
Self Care items FULL SIZE bottles please: Shampoo, Body Wash, Deodorant
Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Nail cutters, Polish, Nail Files, Cotton Buds
For more information on the DVCC visit:
https://www.dvccct.org/
Emerging Innovator Awards
I’m excited to share a brand NEW opportunity to celebrate and empower leaders in our student community! The Emerging Innovator Awards will recognize the top-100 high school students from around the world whose extraordinary efforts are making positive impacts on their local communities and helping to drive societal advancement.
This recognition not only celebrates achievements but also provides honorees with valuable resources to advance their innovative efforts and make an even greater impact. Recognition as an Emerging Innovator honoree includes:
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A chance to win part of the $20,000 prize pool, including a top prize of $5,000 for the Emerging Innovator of the Year.
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An invitation to the Limitless World Summit on May 1–2, 2025, in Wilmington, Delaware.
Any high school student in good academic standing is eligible to apply by January 31, 2025. The application includes further details on the award process and timeline and will ask applicants to submit a candidate profile, a 2-minute leadership impact video, and a statement of support. Full details on the submission, timeline, and prize pool as well as the application link can be found here: Emerging Innovator Awards. For any questions, feel free to reply to me directly or email limitless@udel.edu.
Important Reminder!
A reminder about the delivery policy (taken directly from the student handbook). To reduce the number of visitors on our campus and ensure the safety of our students and staff, deliveries of any kind must be directly related to school business and approved by the building administration. Food deliveries will not be permitted on the Weston Public Schools campus. Failure to comply with this expectation will result in confiscation of the delivered item(s) and a 1-hour detention. Weston High School food services provide healthy, nutritious, and delicious lunch and morning snack options. We kindly ask our families to refrain from sending food and beverage deliveries to our students during the day.
Pickup & Dropoff
A reminder to please continue to use the access road for picking up and dropping off students. We also must keep the fire lanes clear on each side of the crosswalk, especially at the end of the day, with so many students pouring out of the building. We want to make sure we aren’t inhibiting anyone’s line of sight, especially our security guards, as they man the crosswalk. In addition, please make sure you do not use any parking lots to drop off students. I have recently received some feedback that parents are parking in student parking spots while dropping off their students. Please understand that this creates a lot of confusion in the parking lot AND makes the student whose space you park in late! Thank you to all who support our students' safe entrance and exit.
Communication Protocol
Please remember we have a Communication Protocol to help you navigate the common occurrences in the daily lives of students, families and staff. For many of your concerns this protocol will let you know how to proceed.
Previous Letters:
December 8, 2024
December 1, 2024
November 24, 2024
November 17, 2024
November 10, 2024
Upcoming Events:
December 9-20 English Department Film Fest
December 18: Jazz Band Concert
December 20: X-Period Activities
December 20: Early Dismissal
December 21: First Day of Break
January 2: Return to School After Break
January 8-9: Reading Days
January 10: Midterm Review Day
January 15: Midterm Review Day
January 21: Midterm Makeup Day
As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please call the main office, and we can provide you with support to find the information or person you need to speak with.
Kindly,
Meghan
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