January 9, 2017 PTO

7:00pm – 8:30pm

Angie Smith, Stacy Sucarski, Lisa Gerapetty, William Garcia, Tami Schumacher, Jen Barba, Terry Patchek, Wendy Roberts, CJ McKague, Carol Knight Drain, and others

WiHi Principal Nhu Do was not present this evening but did inquire whether anyone had questions or concerns regarding academic calendar for 2017-18 or delayed move to new site.

School year 2017 – 18 will start later in August with days added in February 2018. Mid-winter break will be an extended weekend rather than a full week to more closely match area school districts.

The science lab construction in the new site (formerly West Middle School) will require 7 months to complete and can’t start until the present school year has ended. WiHi will open in the new site August 2018.

PTO Prez Angie Smith: Ms Do would like to further our mental health awareness theme this year with monthly family workshops.

First will be held Feb 13th based on the Growth Mindset way of learning. Nhu will lead this discussion.

Next will be held March 20 with the topic “Navigating the teenage digital world”. Nhu is organizing a leader for this discussion.

Suggestions for future workshops include:

Organizing the internship process? The student internship is required for graduation and we could use a better process for completing this.

Understanding other cultures Parents don’t get the same opportunities to learn about each other like students do.

Course on study skills. ATL classes (approaches to learning) is already part of the curriculum.

More info on transitioning to college. A Q&A from parents talking about what they wish they knew.

Resilliance. A second round of information from UM Dpression center on dealing with Stress.

Homeschooled parents group? Difficult to organize because of confidentiality but could be done via PTO Facebook group

Would anyone like to join a WiHi Book Club? Two books were suggested including “Grit: The power of passion and perseverance” by Angela Duckworth and “David and Goliath” by Malcolm Gladwell.

First semester grades should be finalized by January 27th and for seniors, uploaded to Common AP on Feb 3rd.

Are there students interested and available to create an wihi phone app? Could help them earn CAS hours and provide a useful service to WiHi families. Could be used to find information quickly, and to raise funds via ad sales.

Treasurer Jen Barba presented up to date financial report (see attached)

Teacher Liaison William Garcia: Testing dates at set April 11 (9th and 10th PSAT), April 11 and 12 SAT and ACT Work Keys (11th grade). Seniors are off.

Stu Go rep: Plea for help ! Build on Ball – Jan 21st 6:30pm need chaperones and food donations. Dinner and dance. Concourse Hall near the Ann Arbor airport. Sign up genius coming.

Final exam snacks much appreciated as were staff/faculty holiday platters

From College counselor Brian Nemo: There will be a PSAT info session Jan 11 7:30AM and 2:45 – 3:30PM. Also, All juniors encouraged to sign up for college conferences with Brian Nemo

Internet project: Initial project (PTO run wireless network – not run by the school district) was rejected when reassessed by Washtenaw and Ypsilanti school districts. Despite this, internet capabilities have improved. Goal is for one student to have one device connected to the internet at any given time.

This Friday is the first POW (Presentation Oration Workshop). These are similar to TED talks an are presented by students. Starts 8:30 – noon. Help is needed from 10:05 – 10:30 for snack distribution.

Passport Olympics: We are recommending that the event be held during the week of May 22 so our students fasting in observance of Ramadan may participate in this day of athletic events.