Good Afternoon!
I hope everyone is having a fun and relaxing summer. We have been busy getting everything prepared for our students to return this fall and are excited about the upcoming school year!
I wanted to let everyone know that our registration for both our new students and returning students is now available on the website. If you open the whsbears.org home page you should see a tab on the right hand side of the screen that is labeled "Registration". If you click on that it will take you to the instructions for how to register your student on Powerschool.
There are also some links on that page for forms that will need to be turned in along with the online registration (look under Additional Links). Remember you will not have to fill everything out so please be sure to see whether it is required of your student.
We also have a new tab on the website called "Back to School 25-26". If you click on that you should be able to see your school supply lists for your child. Check back in on the list throughout this month as the teachers are still updating it. Tax-free weekend will be August 2-3 this year.
For our students that will be driving this year. Please make sure you fill out every requirement on the registration checklist that is on the "Parent Portal" page. In order to get a parking spot this year you will need to have completed your online registration and have checked every box on the registration checklist. We will no longer hold spots for anyone who does not have all of their documentation and is not ready to drive at the start of the school year.
I know everyone at this point has heard about the no cell policy that was passed by the legislature in that spring session and I just wanted make sure everyone is aware that we will follow state law. The only major difference from what we have had in place is that electronic devices will not be allowed at lunch. We had already been operating with a no-phone policy during instructional time. It takes the whole den to raise a bear sometimes so I hope we can count your support as we enforce this law. The full policy will be available under the "State Required Information" section of the website soon and it will also be available in both buildings student handbooks. Last note on the phones, there will be days and events were they will be allowed (homecoming, dress up days, assemblies, etc...). The students will be informed of that in advance, if they do not hear it from the principals office than they do not need to assume they can have them.
I am also excited to announce that we will be able to offer lunch and breakfast free to all of our students K-12 this year through our acceptance into the CEP program. If your child has a credit on their account, that money will be returned to you (I do not have an exact timeline for that but will update when I do), if your student owes money they will still need to pay that back. This will only benefit our community as that burden is now lifted from both students and parents.
That is all I can think of right now but I know there will be more come up as we go. If you have any questions please check the website whsbears.org or call us at (870)357-8171. We are looking forward to another great school year and can't wait to get started!!
Thank you for your support
TJ Hill, WHS Principal