Eagle Flyer
A newsletter for Walnut Hills High School
Principal's Message
January 8, 2021
Dear Walnut Hills High School Families,
Happy New Year! I hope this newsletter finds you and your family well and in good health.
This past year has included so many life-changing and impactful events for our society. After the assault on our nation’s Capital, I have noticed that it has been the topic of all conversations that I have had and observed. People have a need to talk about it. We talk because we are struggling to make sense of it. Our children have the same need to talk and process their feelings and opinions. They are struggling to make sense of this incident and too many others that have disrupted their view of the world that they are understanding in new and different ways as adolescents.
One of the best gifts that we can give any child is the opportunity to talk to an adult who will truly listen. Adolescents are developmentally wired to seek out their peers and gain a lot of their opinions and values from their peer groups. So, whenever a teen chooses to confide in a parent or adult, it is definitely a sign of trust and something to be valued. Life is coming fast for all of us, but please take the time to truly listen to your child. What should you expect to hear from middle and high school students? Children at this age are likely to express strong and varying opinions about the causes of violence in society and may share concrete suggestions about how to make communities safer and more equitable.
Believe me, I know as a parent that we would do about anything to “fix” a problem for our child. Most often, our children are not looking for a fix; they just want someone to listen to their ideas and validate their feelings. (By the way, I have noticed after being married for a long time that the same thing is true with my lovely wife!)
Sursum ad Summum,
John Chambers
Go Eagles!
Here are some resources from the district that may help students to process their emotions:
Resources Related to Racism
- Teaching Tolerance: This organization provides free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants. https://www.tolerance.org/
- Racial Equity and Mental Health for School Professionals: This provides information about how to talk with children about racism and it provides other resources pertaining to mental health and racism. https://mindpeacecincinnati.com/wp-content/uploads/Talking-to-Children-About-Racism-R6-Educators.pdf
- 1n5.org: This is a collection of mental health resources, organizations, and sources of education to help educate people about the symptoms of mental health struggles, coping methods and how to address racism. https://1n5.org/racism-and-mental-health/
Additional Resources
- Managing Strong Emotional Reactions to Traumatic Events: Tips for Families and Teachers National Association of School Psychologists fact sheet with tips for teachers and families
- Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers National Association of School Psychologist fact sheet with tips for teachers and families
- When Bad Things Are Happening How to talk to kids about trauma events from Teaching Tolerance
- Helping Children Cope With Trauma Differentiated SEL supports for students based on age
- Beyond The Spotlight: Resources for teachers on the days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. This guest post from Dr. Alyssa Hadley-Dunn, Associate Professor of Teacher Education at Michigan State University and founder of Teaching on the Days After: Dialogue & Resources for Educating Toward Justice
- Community Violence National Child Traumatic Stress Network resources on community violence and trauma
- Supporting Children After the U.S. Capitol Attack Specific guidance post U.S. Capitol Attack
- Pause-Reset-Nourish (PRN) to Promote Wellbeing Self-Care Strategies for Adults
- Coping After Mass Violence
- Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth After Mass Violence
- Helping Youth after Community Trauma: Tips for Educators National Child Traumatic Stress Network resources on community violence and trauma
What you need to know for next week!
Remember: no school on Monday for students! Teachers have a PD day.
Parents of junior high students: below are the dates and times for the 2nd semester textbook/supply pick-up. Please note that textbook/supply pick-up is NOT necessary for all junior high students. The teachers will alert the students if there are materials for their particular classes.
Wednesday, January 13: 10am-3pm and 5:30pm-7:30pm
Thursday, January 14: 10am-3pm and 5:30pm-7:30pm
Friday, January 15: 10am-3pm
Please enter at the Arcade entrance off of Blair Circle. These dates are only for 7th and 8th graders; textbook/supply pick-up for high school students TBD.
Upcoming Dates
8 Optioning begins (through February 5)
11 Staff PD, No school for students!
13 Junior high 2nd semester textbook/supply pick up, 10 am-3pm, 5:30-7:30 pm;
Optioning Q & A for grades 10 and 11, 5-6 pm (more info below)
14 Junior high 2nd semester textbook/supply pick up, 10 am-3pm, 5:30-7:30 pm;
Optioning Q & A for grades 7, 8, and 9, 5-6 pm (more info below)
15 Junior high 2nd semester textbook/supply pick up, 10 am-3pm
18 Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No school!
26 PSAT Make-up Day
27 School Picture Day, grades 11 and 12; Sophomore PSAT (more info below)
Parent Teacher Conferences, 5-8 pm
February
3 School Picture Day, grades 9 and 10; PBIS Soar Store, noon
5 Last day of Optioning
8 Midterm Week
24 School Picture Day, grades 7 and 8
Schedule for the Weeks of January 11 and January 18
There are several weeks during the second semester with Mondays off. We will use the weekly schedule below for those weeks.
Announcements
The theatre department is now accepting video auditions and crew applications for our senior high spring productions in 2021:
Senior High Musical- Songs For a New World , by Jason Robert Brown 3/4-3/6
Senior High Spring Play- An Evening of Essays: A Devised Theatre Piece 4/15-4/17
Auditions are open to students in grades 9-12. Crew interviews are open to students in grades 7-12. Visit our website for more information: https://sites.google.com/view/whhstheatredepartment/news
Questions? Please message or email Mr. Sherman or Mrs. Raymond-Goers
Hey, Parents! The Class of 2023 fundraiser is still LIVE, and you can go to the link below to purchase a mask, or make a donation! The fundraiser closes on January 15th, so make sure you have your orders in by then! You have the option to either pick your mask up from Walnut in early February or get it delivered to your home for an extra charge. The proceeds from this fundraiser will go to the 2023 Student Council to help fund all our future events, including dances like Homecoming and Prom next year! Because of the virtual situation, this might be one of the only fundraisers we're able to do, so any purchase or donation would be greatly appreciated! In addition, those who purchase a mask and donate $5 on the website will be entered in a raffle for $75-100 worth of gift cards and spirit wear!
The link to the fundraiser is here: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/walnut-hills-class-of-2023-mask-sale?utm_campaign=desktop-post-launch-v3&utm_content=walnut-hills-class-of-2023-mask-sale&utm_medium=social&utm_source=copy-linkReporting Absences Parents/guardians can call the Absence Hotline 363-8404 or send an email to the Attendance Email whhsattendance@gmail.com to report student absences. For more details, please use this link WHHS Reporting Absences
COVID Testing Consent Form and CPS School Health Information
Counselor's Corner
Optioning
The optioning process has begun at Walnut Hills High School for the 2021-2022 school year. This important process begins right after Winter Break each year, so that students have adequate time to select their courses for the next school year. During remote learning this process will take place entirely online.
The counseling staff have prepared optioning videos for each grade level. Your students are
watching these videos in their Social Studies class if they are in grades 7-10 and in their English class if they are in grade 11. All materials are accessible via google drive. The links are contained in this email and you can also find the links on the Walnut Hills website under the counseling tab, and on your student’s grade level counseling Schoology course.
You can view the optioning timeline HERE
You can view grade level optioning materials HERE
Counselors are hosting Q & A sessions next week to answer any general questions you may have about the optioning process. If you have specific questions about your student’s course selection, please contact their counselor via email for assistance.
January 13, 2021 5 -6 PM
January 14, 2021 5-6 PM
A frequently asked questions will be produced after the meetings, so if you can’t make the meeting time, don’t worry – you can review the questions answered later.
Sophomore PSAT
Attention Sophomores!
We are excited to offer a Live Proctored Online PSAT practice test on Wednesday, January 27th at 11:30 AM in conjunction with our friends at Revolution Prep. This is a great opportunity for sophomores to get an idea of a baseline score. Taking practice tests under timed conditions can help students improve their scores! Plus, every exam comes with a free 30-minute score report review with Shannon Norris, Revolution Prep’s dedicated testing expert to assess specific strengths and areas of improvement. We highly recommend you take advantage of this opportunity to test from the safety and comfort of home (or wherever you happen to be)!
To enroll, please visit www.revolutionprep.com/partners/21232
PSAT Practice Exam: Wednesday, January 27th, 11:30am-3:00pm
Dedicated Academic Advisor: Shannon Norris at 216.232.3240 & shannon.norris@revolutionprep.com
Testing will occur Live Online via Zoom and will be virtually proctored.
Deadline to enroll: Friday, January 22nd
STUDENT WELLNESS
Student Support Services Flow Chart
Where Do I Go? Who Do I Ask? page 1
Where Do I Go? Who Do I Ask? page 2
MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF THE WEEK
Where in Walnut
Walnut Hills High School
Email: walnuthillsattendance@gmail.com
Website: walnuthillseagles.com
Location: 3250 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Phone: 513-363-8400
Twitter: @high_walnut