Waverly High School Newsletter
December2015
MESSAGE FROM OFFICER WEST
This is a reminder that the speed limit on Frederick Street is 15mph during school/activity hours and the speed limit through the loop in front of the school is 5 mph. Use of cell phones while driving is prohibited and seat belts must be worn at all times, NO EXCEPTIONS.
If you get caught three times with in the first violation, the operator will lose their drivers privileges.
Please be sure and drop your students off in the loop in front of the school, NOT IN THE PARKING LOT. There have been several close calls, so we are asking that unless you are leaving your vehicle, please use the loop.
ANYONE STUDENT CAUGHT WITH CHEWING TOBACCO WILL BE ARRESTED.
IT IS A STATE LAW, WHEN YOU SEE FLASHING LIGHTS ON A BUS YOU NEED TO STOP!
STUDENT DRIVERS-cars must be registered, and parking tag must be displayed.
Student drivers are reminded that if they are driving to school, they may only park in the third and fourth rows of the parking lot.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES-personal devices not on school’s wireless network
CELL PHONES, I-PODS, ETC.
A reminder to all parents and students:
Use of cell phones (and all other electronic devices) is restricted to use before and after school (7:55-2:30),only during a class period with permission. Students who bring such devices onto the school property must turn them off and secure them in their hall locker throughout the day. Students found in violation may face suspension. Waverly School District is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL
If your child is absent from school, we would appreciate a call by 9:00am to our Attendance Office at 565-8101 ext. 1001. Homework may be requested at the time of the call and available for pickup after 3:15 daily. Upon the student’s return to school, please send a handwritten note stating the reason for the absence, date(s) of the absence(s) and signed by the parent/guardian.
DRESS STANDARDS
STUDENT DRESS CODE A student's dress, grooming and appearance shall:
1. Be safe, appropriate and not disrupt or interfere with the educational process.
2. Ensure that undergarments are completely covered with outer clothing.
3. Include footwear at all times. Footwear that presents a safety hazard will not be allowed, including shoes, sneakers, or other footwear which have wheels or other devices which can be adjusted to allow sliding or rolling, rather than walking or running.
4. Not include the wearing of hats, scarves, bandanas, hoods, or any coverings on the head in the building except for a medical or religious purpose.
5. Not include items that are vulgar, obscene, libelous or denigrating to others on account of race, color, religion, creed, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
6. Not promote and/or endorse the use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs and/or encourage other illegal or violent activities, including use of weapons.
7. Recognize that extremely brief garments including but not limited to short shorts, tube tops, net tops, halter tops, spaghetti straps, plunging neckline (front and/or back) and see through garments can not be worn.
8. Each building principal, or his or her designee, shall be responsible for informing all students and their parents of the student dress code at the beginning of the school year and any revisions to the dress code made during the school year.
9. Students who violate the student dress code shall be required to modify their appearance by covering or removing the offending item and, if necessary or practical, replacing it with an acceptable item.
10. Any student who fails to comply with the dress code shall be subject to discipline, up to and including out of school suspension.
11. Students attire at afterschool and evening activities, including dances, should be appropriate and display good taste.
BOOK BAGS/BACK PACKS
Students may only carry book bags/back packs to and from school. They may NOT carry them to/from classes. This is to ensure the safety of all students during the school day. PE clothes that are in backpack/sling sacks, etc. may be taken to PE only, then secured back up in the locker once PE is completed.
ANIMAL/PET POLICY
All domestic animals/pets are banned from the grounds of all Waverly Central School District properties for safety and health reasons. Guide dogs and animals/pets on the property for specific educational purposes are allowed, with administrative permission.
PARENTS AND STUDENTS:
JUST A REMINDER. STUDENT ARRIVAL IS 15 MINUTES EARLIER THIS YEAR. AT 7:50 A.M. OUR A.M. BUS SCHEDULE WILL BE 15-20 MINUTES AHEAD. SO PLEASE AJUST YOUR TIME FOR STUDENTS TO BE AT THEIR DESIGNATED STOPS FOR PICKUP. THANK YOU!!
WAVERLY TRANSPORTATION
ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY PROCEDURE
For Athletics and Extracurricular Activities
1. Criteria for determining athletic eligibility and academic probation are:
(a) Each student must carry a full course load, including Physical Education, in his/her schedule.
(b) A student athlete with a grade of 64 or less, an incomplete (INC) or an unsatisfactory (U) effort comment, will be placed in an after school study hall.
2. Report cards and interim reports determine athletic eligibility. For the 2015-2016 School Year interim reports will begin at 5 weeks on October 15, 2015.
3. Eligibility for beginning a fall sport is determined by academic standing after the Q4 report card from the previous school year for the 2015-2016 school year. The beginning of winter and spring sport eligibility will be based on the last report card/interim report issued during that current school year.
4. All students participating in modified, JV and Varsity sports, are bound by this timetable.
Afterschool Study Hall
Students are placed on academic probation when they receive a failing grade in one or
more classes. Students on academic probation may fully participate in athletics provided they attend after school study hall. Study hall is scheduled Tuesday through Friday from 2:30-3:30pm. Students must attend before reporting to practice or a contest.
Students are considered eligible to play and practice and fully participate in their sport with attendance at after school study hall. A student must have prior written permission and an administrator’s signature for any day they are unable to attend study hall. Early departures for a contest do not count as a missed day. Daily absences from school do not count as a missed day. Any missed days must be made up by the student.
At five week intervals, student grades will determine if the student athlete continues to attend after school study hall, or can return to practices/contests without attending study hall.
A student athlete must be passing all courses at the next grade reporting interval, and have satisfactory effort comments, to be dismissed from study hall.
A student athlete’s attitude and effort may also be taken into consideration by teachers and coaches for inclusion into after school study hall.
All extracurricular activity participation may be subject to attendance at after school study hall as well.
Athletes must be in school by 9:30AM on game day to participate / play and they must participate in PE.
If / when a sports season ends, attendance in athletic study hall is no longer mandated. Be aware that attendance in athletic study hall may be necessary to begin an individual’s participation of the next sports season.
“BUGS GONE WILD” in Waverly HS Hallway
Students in Mrs. Risboskin’s 7th grade Technology classes completed their first marking period on Electricity & Electronics by completing the assembly and final wiring of their electronic ”BUG”. This take-home project moves around the floor using motors with mini-tires and have antennae switches that when hit, will spin the bug off its target and allow it to continue to run amok! Students first completed an in-depth electronic lab with their bug, and then wired, soldered, and tested their final design by having the “BUGS GONE WILD” activity in the engineering hallway of the school.
Pictured are the two Technology Classes (2nd & 3rd) with their BUGS…
All students in grades 7, 10, Resource Room, Special Education, or any new student tothe School District are required by New York State Law to havea physical. It is strongly encouraged to haveyour primary healthcare provider perform your child's physical as they are familiar with your child's health. If you have not already done so, please schedule a physical for your child as soon as possible. Many studentsmay have received their physicals over the summer or school year. Thank you to all parents/guardians who have sent information to the nurse already. Others may send any information that should be a part of thestudent's health record to the Health Office. Any student in the abovementioned groups who have not submitted a physical to the Health Office will be required by Law to have a physical inDecember, during the school day. If you do not want your child to have a school physical, or if you have any questions, please call (607) 565-8101 ext. 1012, to talk to the school nurse.
JodeaM. Sweeney RN, BSN
School Nurse
Waverly Middle School/High School
For the past couple of years, 7th graders have been reading the novel, A Long Walk to Waterin their English Language Arts class. The novel is about a young boy, Salva Dut, and his survival during the Second Sudanese Civil War in Africa in the 1980's, and his life up to the year 2009. Salva Dut and the people of Africa are in great need of clean drinking water. 1 in 4 children will die under the age of 5 in Sudan, and half of those deaths are due to water related illnesses. Salva Dut created the nonprofit organization, Water for South Sudan, to try to bring clean drinking water to the people of Africa.In an effort to connect to their learning, the 7th grades students from last year raised over $200 by drinking water as much as possible, and saving the money from the other drinks they might have drank and donating it to The Water Project. This money was donated, and contributed toNkwenda I Obiya Chobo in Uganda which now has a new source of safe, clean water. Thewell that was built reaches over 200 people in that area, and will allow the village to build a school, a market, a clinic, etc. The 7th grade students will be participating in another fundraising project like this as well this year to help the people of Africa obtain good, clean drinking water.
Thanks,
Kayla Witman
7th Grade English Teacher
Waverly Middle School T
INTERNET PHOTO/VIDEO OPT OUT
Throughout the school year, photographs and/or videos may be taken of students to be used on the District Website ( The District uses the website to provide the public with information about our District and promote news taking place in our schools.
The Waverly School District website is designed to protect students, families, employees and any other person(s) from unwanted disclosure of personal information. When a student photograph/video is used on the district website, if identified, he or she will be identified by his or her first name only. The District requests that parents/guardians provide the Superintendent’s Office with a letter if they do not wish to have their child’s photograph/video image used by the Waverly Central School District for publicity purposes.
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier once again has made it possible for those receiving free or reduced lunch to have nutritious food over the weekends and during holiday breaks! The BackPack Program provides children who are at risk of hunger with a bag of nutritious food each Friday throughout the school year. If you feel that this program would benefit your child, please contact Kelly Goodwin, BackPack School Coordinator, at or by calling the Waverly High School at 607-565-8101. Spots are limited, but we do maintain a waiting list.
New York State BMI Reporting 2015-2016 School Year
As part of a required school health examination, a student is weighed and his/her height is measured. These numbers are used to figure out the student’s body mass index or ‘BMI’. The BMI helps the doctor or nurse know if the student’s weight is in a healthy range or is too high or too low. Recent changes to the New York State Education Law require that BMI and weight status group be included as part of the student’s school health examination. A sample of school districts will be selected to take part in a survey by the New York State Department of Health. If our school is selected to be part of the survey, we will be reporting to New York State Department of Health information about our students’ weight status groups. Only summary information is sent. No names and no information about individual students are sent. However, you may choose to have your child’s information excluded from this survey report.
The information sent to the New York State Department of Health will help health officials develop programs that make it easier for children to be healthier.
If you do not wish to have your child’s weight status group information included as part of the Health Department’s survey this year, please print and sign your name below and return this form to:
Waverly High School Health Office 607-565-8101 ext. 1012
Please do not include my child’s weight status information in the 2014-2015 School Survey.
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Print Child’s NameDate
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Print Parent’s Name Parent’s Signature