Receiving Delay & Cancellation Emails/Texts

This is a reminder that Wawasee Community School Corporation is using weareclosedtoday.com for reporting school closings and delays. This is a service designed by the Northern Indiana Educational Services Center that "provides a state of the art way to notify local news media and community members" when we need to close, delay, or dismiss early. In addition to local news media being notified, anyone may go to http://www.weareclosedtoday.com/, enter his or her zip code, choose a radius, and see all the delays or closings within that area.

Community members can also sign up to receive emails and/or text messages when WCSC closes, delays, or dismisses early. We have found that those emails and text messages are received within a very short time frame from when WCSC contacts the service. Click on Community Members and then Register Free to sign up.

Once you have created an account, you can click on Account Info and then Notification Methods from the navigation menu. Once this screen has been displayed, you will be allowed to enter up to three different email addresses to which you would like to receive notifications. Your SMS/text messaging email address, if you wish to receive a text message on your cell phone, is your cell phone number (without hyphens or spaces) and your cell phone provider's SMS/text messaging email address. The most common providers' addresses follow:

• US Cellular: Your cell phone number@email.uscc.net
• AT&T Wireless: Your cell phone number@txt.att.net
• Alltel: Your cell phone number@message.alltel.com
• Verizon Wireless: Your cell phone number@vtext.com
• Centennial Wireless: Your cell phone number@myblue.com
• Sprint: Your cell phone number@messaging.sprintpcs.com
  

After you have selected your notification methods, you can click on Account Info and then Select Organizations from the navigation menu. Then click on School Districts. Once this screen has been displayed, you will be allowed to drag an organization from the left hand box to the right hand box. Any organization listed in this right hand box will be the only ones for which you will receive future notifications.

We will continue to post delays and cancellations on our website and here on The Wawascene.

Cancelations for Monday, December 6

The Milford/WMS Boy's basketball game for Monday, December 6th, has been canceled due to inclement weather.

North Webster's music program for Monday, December 6th, has been postponed. Due to uncertain weather conditions, we are listing two possible scenarios for rescheduling the program.

1. If school is in session on Tuesday, December 7, we will have the program at 7:00 p.m. in the gym. If school is not in session on Tuesday, we will not have the program that evening.
2. The program will be on Wednesday, December 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the case of a Tuesday cancelation.

2 Hour Delay

All Wawasee Community Schools are under a 2-hour delay today. Following the delay, all schools will be in session.

2-hour School Delay - Monday, December 6, 2010

Wawasee Community Schools will be delayed for 2 hours on Monday, December 6, due to poor road conditions.

Wawasee Community School Corporation board member Dallas Winchester passed away on November 25, 2010. The obituary is attached. He was the longest-serving of present board members, with 10 years of experience. Working to keep the Wawasee eduacational program, along with facilities and buses, in great condition for students was a priority for Dallas. He served the school district as board president for several years. Dallas will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Libby, and their family.

Mishler Funeral Home in Milford is in charge of service arrangements.

http://www.mishlerfuneralhomes.com/index.cfm

Sunday Facility Use

Wawasee School facilities are unavailable on Sundays. This is an energy savings directive passed by the school board as part of budget reductions and in response to community values and wishes. Exceptions may be granted by the superintendent. Thanks for your assistance as we move forward to save money, be more ''green'', and keep Sunday for families.

WHS Construction

Picture in your mind the back (south side) of Wawasee High School. Near the kitchen and boiler room entrances is a low dock area beside the school for unloading shipments. When heavy rains fall, the boiler room equipment gets covered with water. It is not a good situation!

We've worked with engineers and the Town of Syracuse on a solution, which begins this week. A large drain will run from the WHS dock area around the corner of the building and between the football field and auxiliary gym. The drain line will cross the parking lot, heading north, and pick up some excess water from the lot with drains. Finally, the line crosses between the soccer and baseball fields before emptying near the softball field retention pond.

Installing the drain line will make a mess for several weeks. Parking and access to Kern Road will be affected at times. Sometimes you have to mess things up to make it better. This drain line is one of those times. Thanks for bearing with our digging as we make our WHS mechanical and electrical equipment safe from future floods.

P.S. Construction of a small addition at the southwest corner of WHS has begun. A construction fence now blocks access to the southwest parking lot (Door 15 where the CTE office & athletic training room is located). Parking for basketball games will be on the north (Door 6/athletic) lot and east (Door 1/front) lot for this season only.

Teacher Workday

Classes will not be in session for students on Thursday, November 11. It is a Teacher Workday due to the end of the first trimester.

Wawasee Middle School Pool Closed for Repairs

The Wawasee Middle School pool will be down for approximately three weeks due to unexpected repairs to the pool filter system. School day activities have been rescheduled for later into the school year. Adult Open Swim (in the morning) is postponed until the WMS pool opens.

For the next few weeks, the pool schedule at Wawasee High School is as follows:

Physical Education classes - Will be in the pool daily Periods 2 & 4
Adult Education classes - Tuesday & Thursday evenings (until Nov. 30th) 6:30 p.m. -8:00 p.m.
WHS Girls Swim Team - Mon. thru Fri. 3:30 p.m. -5:30 p.m. & Sat. 8:00 a.m. -Noon.
Age Group Swim - Mon., Wed., & Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. & Sat. 8:00 a.m. - Noon.

Wawasee Girls Diving Team will travel to NorthWood High School for practice from 3:45 p.m.-5:30 p.m. until the WMS pool reopens. Minibus departure will be at WHS door #7 at 3:15 p.m. daily and will return to door #7 at 6:10 p.m.

Locker rooms for swimming are: Girls-Pool West, Boys-Pool South

If there are questions, please contact Wawasee High School.

Wawasee High School - The Water is Good

Two positive water tests have been conducted since last Friday's water pipe repair at Wawasee High School. All sinks, drinking fountains, showers, and other water fixtures are ready for school on Monday. Thanks to those who worked during the weekend to get everything set for the students and staff.

WHS Boil Advisory and School Bus Update

On Thursday, October 14, a pickup truck side swiped one of our school buses on Indiana 13 south of Syracuse. No students were riding on the bus, and the bus driver did not suffer injuries. The pick up driver was extracted from the vehicle and taken by ambulance for emergency medical care. Our driver's quick actions averted a more serious accident. Thanks to those school employees and emergency personnel who responded quickly to the accident.

Wawasee High School is currently under a Boil Order. On Thursday, October 14, the water main serving Wawasee High School developed a leak. Currently, Wawasee High School has water, but you cannot drink it. The water is fine for other uses. Both the career/technical building and the Academy are without water at this time. Portable toilets are set in both locations. It is anticipated that the water for those buildings will be back on early this morning, after repairs have been completed.

WHS and other buildings on campus have 4,000 bottles of water, in addition to larger bottles to be used in the kitchen and cafeteria.

We'll also have bottled water available for tonight's home football game vs. Goshen. The restrooms at the football field are operational.

Two water tests, Friday and Saturday, must be conducted before we're allowed to drink the water at WHS. Until that time, WHS will remain under a Boil Order.

Under the Boil Notice, any water intended for consumption or full body contact will need to be boiled for 5 minutes. The reason for boiling the water is to remove possible contamination due to the loss of water pressure. The water will be fit to consume and use after laboratory analysis proves that the water is safe. Once the water is proven safe, the boil order notice will be rescinded.

Thanks to all of those who have worked to make school possible at WHS today.

Trick-or-Treat for Teachers

What: Trick-or-Treat for Teachers
When: Saturday, October 30, 6:00 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.
Where: Milford Community
(All collected/donated items need to be taken to the Milford 1st Bretheren Church that evening)

The 4R Teachers program is asking for the Milford Community to help out collecting school supplies for the teachers at Milford School. We are looking for volunteers to trick-or-treat for the supplies or have school supply items at your home for the trick-or-treaters to get. If you are intersted in trick-or-treating, please contact Stephanie Brown, jsbrown05@hotmail.com, and I will provide a bag to use for 'treats'. Area businesses can also make montetary donations to purchase supplies. The items we are collecting are: markers, dry erase markers, glue and glue sticks, colored pencils, and sticky notes. We will, of course, take other items as well.

Stephanie Brown
4R Teachers Coordinator
jsbrown05@hotmail.com

Meet the Candidates

The Wawasee Community Education Association is hosting a "Meet the Candidates Night" on Monday, October 18th at 6:45 P.M. The public forum to introduce School Board Candidates will be held in the Wawasee Middle School Lecture Room.

The public is encouraged to attend. School Board candidates will be answering a series of questions that were compiled by members of the Wawasee Community Education Association. At the end of this time there will be an opportunity for the public to ask any additional questions.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Terri Johnson, WCEA President
Milford School
(574) 658-9444
tjohnson@wawasee.k12.in.us

Cindy Brady
Syracuse Elementary
(574) 457-4484
cbrady@wawasee.k12.in.us

Boomerang Backpacks

Syracuse Elementary is once again participating in the Boomerang Backpack program.

Boomerang Backpacks has one mission: To nourish low-income elementary students on weekends by providing backpacks full of food, and to inspire high school students to experience community service through project-based learning and student internships.

The Boomerang Backpack program is a free weekend food distribution program that provides students enrolled in free/reduced lunch programs a backpack filled with healthy foods for the weekend. The Boomerang Backpack program's motto is "Helping to fight childhood hunger one Boomerang Backpack at a time." The Boomerang Backpack program also provides community service opportunites for at risk youth enrolled in alternative learning options and work based learning experiences for special needs children.

The results of this program are expected to increase attendance on Fridays, as this is when the backpacks are handed out, and improved achievement on Mondays from a weekend filled of nourishment. And of course, nourishing the students.

You can partner with Boomerang Backpacks by volunteering your time, individual donation, or corporate partnerships. Find out what you can do today by visiting http://www.boomerangbackpacks.org/.

Individual donations may be sent to:

Syracuse PTO
c/o Syracuse Elementary
502 W. Brooklyn St.
Syracuse, IN 46567

Thank you!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher Conferences:

WHS: Monday, October 4 - 3:15 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
WMS: Thursday, October 7 - 3:30 p.m. - 7:15 p.m.
NW/SES/Milford: Thursday, October 7 - 3:15 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Thank You!

Wawasee hosted a vaccination clinic September 21st and almost 500 students attended from Wawasee School Corporation and surrounding schools. We want to thank parents that brought students and waited in line for vaccinations. We appreciate your help in our efforts to meet 2010-11 Indiana requirements for school attendance.

Wawasee Health Service Department Staff
Allene Dewart, LPN
Jane Venderly, RN
Myra Alexander, RN
Robin Huffman, RN
Pam Rensberger, RN

Immunization Clinic

An immunization clinic will be held at the following locations:

September 21: Wawasee High School from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
September 28: Tippy Valley High School from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Please see the Press Release from the Kosciusko County Health Department for more information.

Boomerang Backpack

The Boomerang Backpack Program is again taking place at Syracuse Elementary.

Boomerang Backpacks is a free weekend food distribution program that provides students who are eligible for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program with a backpack filled with healthy food for the weekend. It also provides leadership, business skills, and community service opportunities to high school students who assist with the program.

For more information please contact:
Connie Geer - WCS Boomerang Backpack Coordinator
cbgeer@mchsi.com
(574) 457-5593

If you would like to make a donation, please send checks to:
Boomerang Backpacks
4616 E Dupont Rd
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
(Please indicate that your donation is for Wawasee Community Schools)

If you have a child at Syracuse Elementary who is eligible, please contact:
Jim Garner - Principal
jgarner@wawasee.k12.in.us
(574) 457-4484

Immunization Clinic

Wawasee Schools will have an immunization clinic at Wawasee High School on September 21, 2010, from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm. Please see the press release from the Kosciusko County Health Department.

2009-2010 Academy Accomplishments

The Wawasee Academy accomplished many great things during the 2009-2010 school year. Among the most notable were:

232 credits earned by 106 students
9 students earned GEDs
9 students earned diplomas
Assisted at least 17 students in earning diplomas by awarding their final credit(s)

We are proud and looking forward to another year of success stories.