Meet the Candidates Night

You are invited to Wawasee Middle School's lecture room on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, at 7 p.m. for a chance to meet the candidates running for the Wawasee Board of School Trustees.  The Wawasee Community Educators' Association (WCEA) is hosting the event.  Candidates will be answering questions put together by the WCEA, and there will be time following those questions for the public to ask additional questions.

Candidates are vying for the two at-large seats.  Candidates are incumbents George Gilbert and Mike Wilson along with challengers Brandy Maney, Brent Robinson, and Heidi Rozow.

Homework Assistance

Does your child need help with math or science homework?
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology offers a free homework hotline for help with math and science homework for students in grades 6-12. They offer help Sunday-Thursday from 7:00 p.m - 10:00 p.m. (EST) at their toll free number 1-877-ASK-ROSE (1-877-275-7673). You may also visit their website at http://www.askrose.org.

School Registration

Online registration for returning students will open July 30, 2012. Parents will need a Harmony web ID and password. If you do not have a Harmony web ID and password, you can obtain one here.  For more information regarding Online Registration, please click here.

Registration for new students and for students without online access will be on the following dates:

Wawasee Middle School & Wawasee High School/Wawasee Academy	Mon., Aug. 6 • Noon – 7 P.M. Tues., Aug. 7 • Noon – 7 P.M.
Milford School, Syracuse Elementary, & North Webster Elementary	Thurs., Aug. 2 • Noon – 7 P.M. Mon., Aug. 6 • Noon – 7 P.M.

Geothermal Update

Geothermal Technology May be Coming to Wawasee Middle School

In an effort to reduce energy costs and continue to save money in the future, the Wawasee Community School Corporation is looking into the possibility of utilizing the geothermal energy in the area. Geothermal energy is the heat contained within the earth and is a clean, reliable and renewable resource. It can be used as an energy efficient heating and cooling alternative. Information provided by the company, Performance Services, suggests that the location of Wawasee Middle School is likely to have significant geothermal potential. Recent upgrades to the heating and cooling system at Wawasee Middle School make that location ideal to best use this natural resource. The first step in the process is to drill a small test well.

Drilling a test well will provide data on both heat transfer and the type of geology at the site. This information will help determine if the site is suitable and aid in projecting the cost of installing a geothermal system. The test well will be approximately 6-8 inches in diameter and roughly 500 feet deep and it will not impact the soccer fields. The drilling of the test well is expected to take just a couple of days and the results reported back in a week or so. During the first two days of the project what will be visible is a truck-mounted drill rig. Once the well is drilled, the site will be fenced off and the area secured until the necessary data is collected. The test well site will either be fully restored or converted into a production well if the project is approved by the School Board. If approved, anywhere from 30 to 50 production wells would be installed in an open area just east of the tennis courts. Once installed, the wells are covered with top soil and are not noticeable. 

Building Trades Open House

WAWASEE BUILDING TRADES OPEN HOUSE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM

The 2011-12 Wawasee Building Trades Project house was built for Brian and Kara Warren and is located at 9800 W Northshore Drive Kimmel Indiana 46760. Come view this beautiful 1750 square foot single story home with walk out basement. It boasts a sunroom, open concept living, dining & kitchen, 2 full baths, 3 bedrooms and a large sun deck.

Students involved in this build are:   Charles Bird, Allen Carson, Jacob Chalman, Dylan DeSomer, Kyle Flores, Josh Gohlke, Andrew Hepler, Luke Jackson, Henry Kidd, Cole Love, Jordan Schmitt, Scott Shepherd, Trenton Thornburg, Mario Torres, Kory Workman & Derek Zurcher

Congratulations!

Photo Courtesy of The Mail-Journal

Congratulations to the 2012 Education Program Essay Contest winner, Syracuse Elementary fourth grader Adrianna Clark. Adrianna's essay was selected out of nearly 1,000 entries from fourth graders across the state. She will receive a 500 Festival gift pack which includes four tickets to the IPL Festival Parade and the Indianapolis 500. Her teacher, Kristina Long, will also receive two qualification tickets as well as tickets to the parade. For more information and to read Adrianna's winning essay, please click HERE. 

WMS Natatorium Roof Supports Repair

Repairs to the Wawasee Middle School Natatorium roof supports are currently under way. On Tuesday, May 1, the Wawasee School Board members met at a special board meeting to discuss the options for repairing the roof supports. Please click HERE for to read the memo from Dr. Edington to staff, parents, and community members. Thank you!

Snow Make-Up Day

Wawasee Community Schools will be in session on Monday, May 14. This is to make up for the weather cancellation on February 23.

ISTEP+ Online Practice Experience

The Indiana Department of Education has asked schools to test online the top two grade levels in each building for the ISTEP+ Spring Multiple Choice Assessment.

At Wawasee Community Schools the following grade levels at each school will take the test online:

• North Webster School: Grades 4 & 5
• Syracuse School: Grades 4 & 5
• Milford School: Grades 7 & 8
• Wawasee Middle School: Grades 7 & 8

The state has provided an online practice experience which anyone can access. The online practice is very short and is really to get students use to what the system looks like along with practice using the tools within the system.

Each student involved in the online assessment will also be taking another online practice test during school hours the week of April 23-27. Wawasee students will be taking the actual test the weeks of April 30-May 11, 2012.

You can access the ISTEP+ Online Practice Experience by going to http://learnoas.ctb.com/ISTEP/. At the login screen, just click the Login button. You do not need an ID, Password, or Access Code.

Frogtrotter Basketball

Froggy 102.7 Charity Basketball Event

Join us for a fun-filled evening featuring the crazy antics of the Frogtrotters!

Monday, March 26, 2012

7:00 p.m.

Syracuse Elementary School

Syracuse, Indiana

FREE– Admission is by donation

FUN—PRIZES AND SPECIAL GUESTS!

All proceeds benefit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Please click HERE for more information!

Community Meth Workshop

On Tuesday, March 13, 2012, from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., a Community Meth Workshop will be held at the Syracuse Community Center and is open to the public. This flyer has all of the information.

Position Statement - Head Lice

Head Lice Position Statement

Head lice rarely (if ever) cause direct harm, and they are not known to transmit disease from person-to-person. Thus, they should not be considered a medical or a public health problem. They are mainly acquired by direct head-to-head contact with an infested person's hair but may infrequently be transferred with shared combs, hats and other hair accessories. They do not jump or fly.

Our goal is to educate parents, staff and students regarding the scientific facts of head lice and to support and work closely with parents and their students who are found to have head lice. Parents are requested to focus on the education and proper treatment of their child should an incident of head lice occur. Parents are requested to notify the school nurse when head lice are found on their child.

It is our position that head lice should not disrupt a student's education or their school attendance. When the school nurse is made aware of live lice, she will address the situation with a parent contact and the use of an electronic lice comb. Our school nurses are a valuable resource to families, offering up-to-date head lice information.

Wawasee Community Schools Nurses

Theatre Production

Wawasee High School Theatre Department presents

Beauty and the Beast

Friday, March 23 at 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 24 at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 25 at 2:00 p.m.

Grade 12 and younger - $6

Senior Citizens (60 and above) - $6

Adults - $8

All seats are reserved. Contact WHS for more information and advance ticket sales.

Calendar Update

Please be advised to the following changes due to the February 23rd cancellation:

Friday, February 24 - No School

Monday, February 27 - Teacher Work Day, No Students

Tuesday, February 28 - End of 2nd Trimester

Wednesday, February 29 - Beginning of 3rd Trimester

Monday, May 14 - Snow Make-Up Day, School in Session

CLOSED

Thursday, February 23: Wawasee Community Schools are CLOSED due to dense fog and icy conditions.

2 Hour Delay

Tuesday, February 14: Wawasee Community Schools are under a 2-hour delay with alternate Kindergarten schedule.

Nurses' Response to Concerns about Lice

Recently there have been questions about how head lice are handled within our schools. We regret that this has happened. We wanted to make sure you are educated as far as how we handle lice here at Wawasee, which is consistent with many schools across the state. Wawasee nurses follow the guidelines given by the Indiana Department of Education. The IDOE recommendation to schools is to follow guidelines which are based on science. At Wawasee we follow the Harvard School guidelines. A copy of those guidelines may be found on the corporation web site under Health Services.

As school nurses, we want to reassure you that we have and will continue to go beyond those guidelines and work with lice situations on a case-by-case basis. We address any lice we know about, as we aren't always told by parents. The great majority of parents pick up their children from school and address the situation at home. A few cases are handled by our school nurses. We have and loan out Robi-Combs for use by parents. Lice and live eggs are shocked and killed by the Robi-Combs. If properly used, the Robi-Combs allow students to return to class on the same day. Wawasee nurses also will use the Robi-Combs and treat students in the clinic prior to sending them back to class. Follow-up treatment by parents is expected, but can't be mandated. Our nurses conduct follow-up checks, just like we have always done. Extreme lice cases may be referred to the county board of health for assistance and/or child protective services for further action.

Please know that head lice are not a health issue. Lice do not carry or spread disease. Lice are a very emotional nuisance! Most children have an instance of lice sometime in their early childhood or elementary school years, meaning most of us reading this have some emotional memories about this topic. I'm guessing that most of us are scratching our heads right now just reading about lice!

At WCSC we are looking at and trying some options involving head lice. We are fortunate to have individual student lockers in our elementary schools for most students. The PTO in at least one school purchased household wastebasket liners to hold children's coats in common closets for those children who don't have individual lockers. Separating coats and personal apparel items helps, although most lice transmissions are head-to-head ones. A few individual student lockers at each elementary school are now available for use by children in classes that have only common coat closets. Use of those lockers will be worked out by the school nurse and parents. We are working with public health professionals to look at other options.

If you have questions about lice, please contact your school nurse. Our caring school nurses do a great job handling the many needs of our children. Any follow-up situations get referred to the head school nurse. We'll continue working together to keep an inevitable problem to a minimum.


Myra Alexander, RN
(for the Wawasee Nurses)

2 Hour Delay

Friday, January 13: Wawasee Community Schools are under a 2-hour delay with alternate kindergarten schedule.

School Calendar Survey

Because of legislation that has been introduced in the past that would move decisions on the school calendar from the local school board to the Indiana Legislature, an Indiana public school superintendent developed a survey on school calendars and asked us if we would share it with our local community.

The data collection is open now until midnight on Friday, January 20, 2012.

Note: While we will receive the results from the survey, the results will not be broken out for how our local community members responded.

To access the survey, click HERE.

Indiana College Cost Estimator

The National Center for College Costs is presenting Indiana College Costs Estimator, (www.indianacollegecosts.org). This has been developed to bring comprehensive college selection, admission and financial aid information to Hoosier students and families. On Wednesday, January 11, in the Warsaw Performing Arts Center, you will get an opportunity to see the features of the Indiana College Costs Estimator. This event is open to ALL Kosciusko families. Please visit www.wawasee.k12.in.us for more information.