September 18, 2017
From Our Principal

Good morning WHS families,
 
Last week Westlake High School received some great news!  We have 7 National Merit Semi-Finalists.  Congratulations to Julia Aylward, Steven Brewer, Samantha Giusto, Ryan Karpuszka, Patrick Lee, Jack Wu, and Kyle Yu.  To qualify to be a National Merit Semi-Finalist you have to score in top 16,000 students out of over 1.6 million that took the PSAT test.
 
For the second year in a row, the Greater Cleveland Safe Community Coalition, through Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospitals, presented Westlake High School with the "Outstanding Effort in Distracted Driving Awareness" award.  Great job to Mrs. McGinty and our student leaders. 
 
Finally, Mrs. Patriok also reported that we had two students, Chris Chang and Matthew Eppele, that were selected for the All State Band.  What a great accomplishment! 
     
Finally, the State report card came out last week. We will continue to review the information and look for data that we can use to improve the educational experience at Westlake High School.    
 
Thank you to families that have signed up for the conferences, which start this week. We look forward to having our families on campus to meet with our teachers. 
 
Westlake High School will have a delayed start on Wednesday, October 11.  The seniors and freshmen will not have to report until 11:15 am.  The sophomore and juniors will report to school at regular time and will be administered the PSAT test. Should you want more information on the PSAT, please check here . 
 
As a reminder the WHS announcements can be found here. These are updated daily and always provide valuable info related to clubs, activities, and opportunities at WHS.   
 
Should you have any questions or concerns about any of the information above, please feel free to reach out to us.  

Have a wonderful week!
 
Paul Wilson
Principal -Westlake High School
Westlake City Schools
PHONE:     440-250-1003
TWITTER:    @WHS_Westlake
Join Westlake High School PTSA - Now Online!

You can now pay your membership dues and contribute to the WHS PTSA Fundraiser online. 
 
Annual dues are $10.  Meetings are held monthly in the high school's media center.  It's a great way to stay informed and get involved!

Your support is greatly appreciated and all donations help us to provide the following for your student.
  • Scholarships
  • Wellness Day
  • Homecoming Dance Coat/Belonging Check
  • Prom Assembly
  • Green & White Revue
  • Reflections
  • Student Appreciation
On-line credit card and e-check payments are subject to a nominal processing fee, and you still have the option to pay by cash or check.

Thank you for supporting our WHS students!
Counselor's Corner

CONFERENCE AVAILABILITY -  All counselors will be available during parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday, Sept. 19  and Wednesday, Sept. 27 . If you'd like to meet with your child's counselor please sign up here   for an appointment. We will have availability throughout the evening to start the conversation about your child's four-year plan, review transcripts, or discuss the college application process.

COLLEGE APPLICATION TIMELINE -  The school counselors went in the senior English classrooms last week to review the college application process.  Students received a handout in class with step-by-step instructions - we encourage you to ask your child about it! Please don't hesitate to reach out to your students' counselor with any questions!  Classroom Handout l Transcript Request Form
COLLEGE VISITS -  Colleges visits allow juniors and seniors to hear directly from admissions representatives what their school is looking for and ask questions in a small group setting!  Often the college reps will be one of the readers for the applications from WHS so it's a great opportunity to put a face to the name!  Student must register in Naviance . This week's visits include:
 
Monday, Sept. 18
Niagara University, University of Pennsylvania
Wed., Sept. 20
Walsh University, College of the Holy Cross
Thursday, Sept. 21
Case Western, Ashland University
Friday, Sept. 22
John Carroll University, Calvin College
 
PSAT - On Wednesday, October 11th all sophomores and juniors will take the PSAT.  The PSAT is a practice SAT and a good opportunity for students to get a feel for higher stakes testing.  It can also assist students in identifying focal points for studying for the ACT or SAT based on the feedback of their strengths and weaknesses from the PSAT.  This is especially helpful for juniors as they will go on to take the ACT at WHS in March.  Additionally, juniors may qualify for the National Merit Scholarship (given to approximately 8,200 students annually) based on their PSAT score. More Info l Prepping for the PSAT
IB Diploma Programme Informational Meetings

Any freshman or sophomore student interested in learning more about the IB Diploma Programme offered at Westlake High School should plan on attending one of two meetings on Friday, September 22.  One meeting will be before school from 7:15 am - 7:45 am.  The second meeting will be after school from 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm.  The meetings will be held in room A207.  If you cannot attend the meeting and would like more information, please contact Matt Planisek, WHS IB coordinator or visit our   web page.
Service Learning

The I-X Center has a fun volunteer opportunity available for high school students who are 16 years old and up.  Volunteers are needed to pass out candy at 12 Halloween themed candy stations.  The event is being held October 21 & 22 and 28 & 29, 2017.  The easiest way for students to sign-up to volunteer is to go this website: and click on the "Get Involved" tab at the top of the page and select "Volunteer".  A Sign-Up Genius page has been created to sign up and check date and time availability.  Students can also indicate to help with a friend or school.  If you have any questions contact Katie Seeley, I-X Center Volunteer Coordinator or call her at 216-265-2580.
Calling All Volunteers! Homecoming 2017 
September 30th,  7-10 pm

WHS PTSA is looking to fill about 25-30 volunteer spots to help make this year's Homecoming Dance a success!  We need volunteers to help with the Belonging/Coat Check, drink station and monitoring the patio.  

Volunteers are not on the dance floor! :)   Your child won't even know you're there unless they stop in for a drink or check belongings! 

Please check out the Sign Up Genius link to see where you'd like to volunteer! 
Science Olympiad

Do you like science?  Are you a builder?  If so, then come to one of the Sign-Up/Info
nights and join Science Olympiad!  The Westlake Science Olympiad program is for 7-12 grade students.

Everyone interested in joining Science Olympiad should attend one of the sign-up/info night sessions at the WHS Field House. The Field House is the stand-alone building on the WHS campus between the high school and the football stadium.
 
These sign-up and info nights will be an open house format:
 
9/19 Tue 6:30 - 8:00 pm
9/20 Wed 6:30 - 8:00 pm
 
9/26 Tue 6:30 - 8:00 pm
9/27 Wed 6:30 - 8:00 pm
9/28 Thu 6:30 - 8:00 pm
 
Please email Laura Lathem, Science Olympiad Coach, with any questions.  For more information, check out the I nfo Sheet.
 
23 Events
6 Science/Technology Disciplines
1 Westlake
Are you in?
ACT Prep Classes
  
Increase your ACT scores with strategies proven to succeed! 

Students who receive higher scores on ACTs:
---Create greater college admissions opportunities
---Qualify for and can maximize scholarship offerings

Prepare to Test Your Best at Westlake High School!  See flier for complete details.
National PTA seeks a theme for the 2019-20 Reflections program year
  
Please review the past themes included in the attachment.  Repeat themes will not be considered.  Use the form to submit your theme ideas.  Students may submit multiple entries; however, for each new entry, a form will have to be completed.  Scan and email completed forms by October 27 to either Maureen Spring or Julie Meno.

The student who submits the winning entry at the National PTA level of judging will receive $100, and his or her theme will be presented at the Annual National PTA Convention.
Westlake Demons Athletic Boosters 

WDAB provides financial support to all athletic teams at LBMS and WHS.  Everyone is encouraged to attend to learn more about Athletic Boosters and Westlake athletics. Meetings typically last 1 hour.

The 2017 WDAB Membership is in full swing!  If you have have not joined yet, click here for the membership details and benefits!

Be sure to follow WDAB on Facebook and Twitter for updates and information.

Westlake Music Boosters Needs You!

We invite you to join Westlake Music Boosters and get involved and be a part of all the fun!  We support all Pre-K through 12 music programs and teachers in our district.

Our next meeting is Tuesday, October 10th at 7pm in the WHS Library.  But don't wait until then to get involved:

Join Now online and pay via credit card or download  pdf form (check)

Volunteer Now - We are in need of volunteers to help in the concession stand for the fall football season. Our greatest need is for Friday night football games. LBMS and DIS parents - this is a great way to get involved. Proceeds from sales benefit all students in music programs across the district pre-k through high school.  Thanks for your help! 
Party at Porter

Westlake Porter Public Library is hosting an after-hours adult event on Saturday, September 30, 2017 from 7-10 PM at the library. There will be music, food, drinks, entertainment, and basket raffles. Sponsors include Sibling Revelry, Sweet Basil, John Christ Winery, Si Senor and more. All proceeds benefit the library. Tickets are $30  - buy here,  
Flyer Connection

University of Akron Women In Engineering Program - October 21.   Complete Details.

Fall Respite Night Friday October 6th Open to special needs kids and their siblings. Volunteers earn service hours.

Join the Westlake community in donating items for  Hurricane Harvey Relief  through Sept. 30.

Please join us in  celebrating the launch of the construction phase of our new PK-4 elementary school . A groundbreaking will be held Sept. 25 at 5pm at the Center Ridge Road site.

Rocky River Recreation learn to skate  registration is open. Classes run September 2017 through March 2018.

Oberlin Choristers  offers choir options for grades K-12.

Kanderski Family annual fundraiser  benefiting Beyond Type 1, Sept 22.

The Westlake Police Department will host a  Community Police Academy  Sept 6-Nov. 15.
Important Dates:
Sept 19 - Parent Conferences 5:30-9:00 pm ( Schedule on-line )
Sept 26 - PTA Meeting, 7p - Media Center
Sept 27 - Parent Conferences 5:30-9:00 pm (Schedule on-line)
Sept 28- Hall of Fame Induction Dinner at Wagner's 6 pm
Sept 30 - Homecoming   

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