Welcome to our December  Edition of
 Falcon Focus
This e-newsletter is provided to parents to keep you apprised of  CHS events and activities throughout the year.

In this edition, please find a note from our high school principal, our featured Department news, information from our IT Department,  and more..
Lisa Albrecht
Principal
    From The Desk of.....

I'm writing my column on the Tuesday following our Thanksgiving break. It's a day dedicated for global giving, it's known as "Giving Tuesday", and so sparks an idea for this month's column.  For many students at Central High School, active involvement extends well beyond their course work.  Students find many opportunities to join extra-curricular organizations, approximately 40 in fact, that expand learning opportunities. While each of these organizations specialize in particular areas of interest, for several of these organizations, there is a natural extension of activities into the community through community service projects.  These projects capture our students' enthusiasm for making a difference.  Throughout the year, it is extremely rare that a day goes by where there isn't some form of community service action taking place.  Whether it's the members of an organization themselves or those members encouraging non-members to get involved, Central students are active, collecting hundreds of dollars and/or collecting particular items of need so they can be donated to a variety of causes. Take for example a recent all-school assembly, where Key Club led a school-wide effort to collect pop tabs as well as sell crazy socks to support the Ronald McDonald House.  The Ronald McDonald House is one of our students' home away from home as he receives frequent medical treatments.  This sense of giving continues as we move into the month of December, where students are collecting items for the Women and Children's Horizons, an organization that advocates for women and their families who are victims of domestic and sexual abuse.  In each of these efforts, as well as the many efforts I know will come, I would like to recognize and thank our students for the tremendous amount of giving they do.  As a community, we can be very proud of our Central students as they are definitely making positive contributions by extending the focus of "Giving Tuesday" to many more days throughout the school year. 


Teen Stress and Holidays

Many of us do not realize that as our stress levels increase, so do the stress level of those around us, including our teenagers. Unfortunately, when we experience stress we are less likely to notice the signs of stress in others and ourselves. This can produce a double whammy for our teens who may be struggling with their own stress and getting less support than usual in helping to manage that stress then they may get at other times of the year.

There are things you can do to help everyone in your family keep their stress levels to a minimum.  The article linked below has useful tips for parents to practice during this busy holiday season. We hope you take time to read the article and keep stress at bay this holiday season.


 Featured Departments of the Month



Each month during the coming year, we will focus on one or two departments in the high school with an effort to provide more information on the course offerings and exciting learning activities that are occurring.  This month's departments are English and Social Studies Departments. 

To learn more about some of the many important curriculum activities as well a other co-curricular activities occurring in these departments, please click the links below.




    Computer Science Education Week
December 4th through 10th is Computer Science Education Week and Hour of Code. Computer science helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. It is beneficial for students to have a background in computer science and computational thinking in almost every career path. Please encourage your child to stop by the MakerSpace in our Library and to visit Code.org and try one of the FREE Hour of Code activities.  
Dreamscape

 Dreamscape
Sofia Bryan - 9th Grade  
Acrylic and Pencil
Central High School District of Westosha Non-Discrimination Statement 
The Board of Education does not discriminate in the employment of administrative staff on the basis of the Protected Classes of race, color, national origin, age, sex, (including transgender status, change of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity), pregnancy, creed or religion, genetic information, handicap or disability, marital status, citizenship status, veteran status, military service (as defined in 111.32, Wis. Stats.), national origin, ancestry, arrest record, conviction record, use or non-use of lawful products off the District's premises during non-working hours, declining to attend an employer-sponsored meeting or to participate in any communication with the employer about religious matters or political matters, or any other characteristic protected by law in its employment practices.