Sunday, December 16, 2018

December 17-21, 2018

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The mission of West Hills High School is to graduate critical thinkers and problem-solvers who contribute positively to society as productive, responsible citizens.

Activities for the week:

Final exam days are minimum days and listed below:

Monday, December 17: REGULAR Day (Not late start!)

Tuesday, December 18 

Finals     Period 1 or 7       8:14 - 10:11 
                Break                10:11 - 10:27
Image result for christmas icons                Period 4            10:33 - 12:30

All Faculty and Staff Winter Luncheon in Foyer beginning at 12:30: We hope you will join us!

Wednesday, December 19 

Finals     Period 3            8:14 - 10:11  
                Break              10:11 - 10:27
                Period 5          10:33 - 12:30

Thursday, December 20 – last day of fall semester
Finals       Period 2          8:14 - 10:11
                 Break             10:11 - 10:27
                 Period 6         10:33 - 12:30

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Please join us in welcoming our West Side live on resident Elena Long as our new Lead Custodian. Elena has been the Lead Custodian at Santana High for several years and comes to us with  a wealth of experience and excellence in custodial services. She is excited about moving to WH full "full time" and begins on Monday, 12/17 with our crew. If you see Elena (typically Monday-Friday 2:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m.), please say hello! 

As a side note, Elena and her husband, Roberto, joined us several months ago as our West Side live on residents when Eric Taylor and his wife moved. 


Friday, December 21:  Teacher and Staff Contractual Work Day – No students in attendance; If you will not be on campus, please complete the proper paperwork with Ginny. If we need to find you for any reason, this allows us to do so. It is the last day of the semester. Parents and students do come to campus for various reasons thus the request.  Final Grades are due by Friday at 3:00 p.m. If you need additional time or help, please see Bert Novicio,  our SST,  in the main office.



Image result for save the dateFinal Exam Week: Monday December 17 is a REGULAR Bell schedule day. California minimum instructional minutes will not allow for a collab day schedule next to a minimum day schedule, thus Monday is a regular bell schedule day day. Please remind students and colleagues. 


Tuesday, December 18, 12:15 p.m. Foyer: All Staff and Faculty Luncheon courtesy of our WHHS Foundation and PTSA; Food begins at 12:30p.m. Short Faculty and Staff meeting begins at 1:00 p.m. with sign in sheet for Title I Professional Development purposes. We hope you come for the food and social time and everyone please attend the 1:00 p.m. meeting. We know and recognize the need to grade for final exams, we promise we won't keep you past 1:30 p.m. We will be celebrating our Lead Custodian, Milton as he heads off to retirement. Thank you!

December 18, 19, 20: Final Exams 

December 21: Faculty and Staff workday (no students in attendance) 

December 24-January 7, 2019: Winter Break

January 14-25: Period 5 MLK Canned Food Drive--class competition. 
Based on recommendations from Student Senate and teachers last year, we are going to focus our 5th Period Class Competition during the MLK Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Drive  recognizing two divisions:

1. Total Volume (Most cans collected)
2. Per Capita (Number of items collected divided by the number of students on your class roster)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Ardy Riego. Thank you for your time!


Saturday, January 19, 2019: Winter Formal; SDSU, Motezuma Hall   

January 23, 2019: Assembly Day schedule for Sandy Hook Promise "Say Something" 

January 28-February 1, 2019: Great Kindness Challenge Week: West Hills will be participating in this national week. Each period 3 teacher will get the Great Kindness Ideas list and ask teachers to review the list with students. We all then focus on and participate in the Great Kindness Challenge for the week. We can all use a little more kindness in our lives! We will be encouraging social media postings of our kindness as well as whole school opportunities. We want to start 2019 off with continuing kindness and good will. Here's a short video to help explain it...

Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 5:30 p.m. West Hills Freshman Showcase: 
Our best opportunity to show off, we welcome all 8th grade families to preview our high school and JOIN the PACK! We need as many teachers, programs, and people here to inform and energize families to enroll at West Hills! This night is our true "Open House" since we are in the "Open Choice" window in the District where all schools are open for enrollment regardless of where you live. THANK YOU DEPARTMENT CHAIRS and COORDINATORS for your support and participation! More information to come....

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West Hills High School is closed December 22-January 6, 2018, however our fields, Gym and Performing Arts facilities are used by all kinds of organizations, booked by both West Hills (for our own on campus people) and by the District for off-campus outside agencies for a fee. These fees are returned to WHHS to maintain and upkeep our beautiful campus.  

WINTER  BREAK: Please unplug and turn off any small electronics--coffee pots, refrigerators, desk top computers, microwaves, etc. during our week off.  Every dollar we save on electricity COMES BACK TO WHHS! 


Image result for winter choir concertCongratulations to our Band and Choirs for their Winter concerts! Thank you Dominick Maldonado directing our students as many of them played an instrument or learned to sing with a group for the first time. We look forward to their Spring performances!

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To the thoughtful and kind staff member who posted this in our mail room and for the lovely anonymous  "Thank you cards" given to Admin and others. Your kindness and thoughtful expression is so very much appreciated!




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A Personal message from Robin to you:

“To Be of Use,” from the book Circles on the Water (1982) by Marge Piercy:

To Be of Use

The people I love the best jump into the work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, as an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo,
with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud. Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine and oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

May joy and laughter meet you and yours in Winter Break and into 2019!. I am so fortunate and grateful to engage in the most important and real work with each of you.  
Go Wolf Pack!

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