2-Hour Delay

Wednesday, February 27: 2-Hour Delay with no SMART Start due to weather and road conditions.

School Closed

Friday, February 22: Wawasee Schools are CLOSED due to weather conditions.

The notification website www.weareclosedtoday.com is experiencing technical difficulties this morning causing the delay notifications not to be dispatched. We apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused. 

The Children of Our Community and School Safety

The recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, changed the thinking about student safety forever.  A lone gunman had no real link to the school.  He got into a facility with good security measures in place.  His victims were young and randomly selected.  It causes us to say “What if?”

School people worry about parents locked in custody battles, former employees looking for revenge, or a student trying to right an alleged wrong.  Sandy Hook was truly senseless violence.

Nationally, debates about guns and mental health continue.  Locally, we have to deal with student safety issues on two levels.  One is checking our present safety procedures and making certain that they are as effective as possible.  The other issue is discussing any new measures to implement in such a way that it does not bring greater anxiety to children, their parents, and our community.

Please know that we are keeping our doors locked, both outside and inside the schools, during the school day.  We check out visitors before allowing them to enter.  Our security camera systems at all Wawasee Schools have been totally upgraded in the past year.  We have school safety committees at each building, have up-to-date emergency plans, and meet with local law enforcement officers.  Wawasee, through the Kosciusko County Sheriff Department, has an onsite school resource officer.  I assure you that we are taking school safety seriously.

Our future plans are not finalized yet.  The state and federal governments are considering funding toward more school resource officers.  We are monitoring those discussions.  Wawasee is considering such things placing barriers to keep vehicles away from our exterior doors, expanding our security camera and lighting systems, and holding more training with law enforcement, emergency personnel, and school staff members.

Our security at Wawasee was good before the senseless acts in Connecticut.  It’s better now.

No School

Wawasee Community Schools will not be in session on Monday, February 11, 2013. This was a built in snow make-up day that was not needed.

2-Hour Delay

Wednesday, February 6: Wawasee Schools are delayed TWO Hours with no SMART Start.

Tuesday, February 5: Wawasee Schools are delayed 2 hours. 

All community members are encouraged to attend!

Monday, January 28: Wawasee Schools are under a 2-hour delay.

2-Hour Delay

Tuesday, January 22, 2013: Wawasee Community Schools will be delayed two hours due to extreme cold temperatures and negative wind chills.

Junior Parent Night

There will be an informational meeting for parents of high school college-bound juniors at 7:00 pm, Monday, January 21, 2013 in the high school auditorium. The information will cover such topics as selecting colleges, applying to colleges, when to take the SAT, scholarships, diploma requirements and much more information that will be beneficial to the continued success of your student. A representative from Grace College will be present to discuss the college application process from an admissions standpoint.

Senior FAFSA Meeting

Wawasee High School Guidance Department is sponsoring a college financial aid night for seniors and their parents. The session will provide information about important deadlines, the applications process and financial aid programs. The meeting will be held Monday, January 21 at 6:30 pm in the Wawasee High School Lecture Room. Step-by-step instructions for filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) will be given. Parents and their senior students are encouraged to attend together.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Wawasee High School will be conducting parent/teacher conferences on Monday, January 14, from 3:15 pm to 7:00 pm at the high school.

FREE FLUMIST CLINIC

Parkview is offering a free Flumist Clinic for healthy children ages 2-18 years old who:

- Have Hoosier Healthwise/Medicaid
- Insurance does not pay for vaccines
- No health insurance

The Flumist Clinic will be held in Warsaw at the K21 Health Services Pavilion on Monday, January 14, from 1:00 pm-5:00 pm. 

Comments from Dr. Edington

Dear Wawasee School Parents and Community,


The terrible tragedy which occurred at a school in Connecticut today saddens and scares us all. We hope that you sit down with your child, of whatever age, to talk about this random and senseless event. Then, give them a hug!

Our Wawasee School mental health therapists are developing a plan for primary, intermediate, middle, and high school teachers, administrators, and staff members to use Monday in helping our students (your children) deal with this tragedy. We'll review our school safety plans at Wawasee, talk about the need for locking school doors during the day, and work to reassure and instill trust that has been shaken by today's events.

It is so sad that we have to deal with yet another situation where innocent children and those who work with them are victims.

Tom Edington

Superintendent

School Board News, 12/12/12

School Board News

The Wawasee School Board met on Tuesday, the 11^th.  A work session took place at 5:00 p.m. while the board toured the new culinary arts classroom at WHS.  Teacher Dan Bauer introduced some culinary students, conducted a tour of the room, gave a history of the fairly new program, and had snacks prepared for the guests.

At 5:30, the board met in the WHS Warrior Room in its regular session.  Good news items included a swimming program for special needs students, donated laundering service for the WHS student-led coat and blanket drive, donation of a shed and mower by the Syracuse Youth League to the school and its softball program, and a grant of $10,000 from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation to the coop welding program housed at West Noble High School.

Minutes were approved, people were hired, and bills were paid.

WHS Teacher Dan Bauer gave a report about the culinary program, WHS Assistant Principal Mike Schmidt and students Stephanie Camargo and Shelby Swartz informed the board of the upcoming coat and blanket drive, and WHS teachers Mike Malcolm, Nancy Rehling, Sallie Hoy, and Ryan Edgar reported with Dr. Bob Cockburn on the use of NWEA data to drive instruction.

Jim Evans, director of finance, reported on the levels of various corporation funds.  The board approved a tax anticipation warrant for 2013, renewal of property and casualty insurance, renewal of copier lease agreement, purchase of five school buses, and reappointment of Syracuse Public Library board member Diana Castell.

Superintendent Tom Edington reported on staff absences.  The certified staff attendance rate was 98% during the first trimester of the school year.

The next school board meeting date is January 15, 2013, at 5:30 p.m. in the Warrior Room at Wawasee High School.

P.S.  Any past board agendas and minutes are posted on the Wawasee website.

12.12.12

Weather Make-Up Date

Wawasee Community Schools will be in session on Monday, January 28, 2013, to make up for the November 21st cancellation. 

CLOSED

Wednesday, November 21: Wawasee Schools are CLOSED due to dense fog.

SUICIDE PREVENTION INFORMATION SESSION

*SUICIDE PREVENTION INFORMATION SESSION*

The Wawasee Community School Corporation will be hosting an informational session on suicide prevention on Tuesday, November 20th from 5:30-6:15 PM in the Wawasee High School auditorium. Christina Bolden from the Bowen Center will be presenting. All patrons are welcome to attend.

"Stuff A Bus"

On November 12-17, WHS Key Club is having its annual non-perishable food drive benefiting the three local food pantries by "Stuffing A Bus" full of food and toiletry items. The bus will be in front of WHS on Monday, November 12 to Friday, November 16 during the hours of 7:15 am to 12:00 pm. Key Club members and the bus will also be at the following locations throughout the week:

• Tuesday, November 13 - Dollar General in Milford from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
• Thursday, November 15 - New Market in North Webster from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
• Saturday, November 17 - New Market in Syracuse from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Please help us "Stuff the Bus" for our community!

Wawasee High School Key Club. We don't make keys, we make a difference!

Reply to Release of State School Grades

Wawasee Community Schools congratulate Wawasee High School for receiving an A grade for the 2011-2012 school year!

As a district, Wawasee Community Schools received a C grade from the state this year even though our test scores were very similar to 2010-2011.  Last year, Wawasee was an A school district.  What happened?

•  Wawasee test scores were 1% lower in 2011-2012.
•  Any dip in test scores results in a drop of at least a letter grade from the state.
•  The state grading scale for schools changed to A=4, B=3.5, C=3, D=2, F=1. The grading scale we grew up with was A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0.
•  The state changed their grading scale and implemented letter grade deductions for dips in scores causing more schools statewide to have lower grades.
•  Wawasee is teaching the common core state standards curricula used by over 40 states. Indiana is still testing over the old state standards curricula.
•  Wawasee appealed state grades at every school except Wawasee High School. We remain uncertain withe the validity of the state's data. Two Kosciusko County schools dropped from A's to C's and had higher scores than a school which declined and remained an A grade. 

Reasons don’t matter to folks, though, when all of Wawasee Schools aren’t solid A’s or B’s.  As teachers, administrators, and staff members, we work hard to meet student needs.  There is a saying of “Work smarter, not harder.”  As Wawasee Community Schools move forward, we will commit ourselves to using student data and available resources to work smarter to reach our goals.