WECHS Principal's Weekly Message 5/6/2022
Happy Friday!
With the threat of severe weather this evening, stay safe everyone! All after-school activities for WCPSS have been canceled, including movie night on PHS.
Thank you to our wonderful WECHS PTSA for celebrating our teachers this week with Muffin Monday, Get Your Snack on Tuesday, Veg-Out-Wednesday, Grab Bag Thursday, and FriYaY Freebies!
Congratulations to our 62 class of 2022 graduates who will earn a WTCC degree this year! WTCC’s commencement ceremony is tomorrow.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms! I mothered many dogs, friends, and other people’s children in my role as a teacher and admin before my son entered our life. I bet we all have someone we can thank for ‘mothering’ us in some capacity along the way.
Election season is upon us and all seats on the WCPSS school board will be on the ballot this fall. Stay informed and VOTE if you are able!
Wake County Transit wants your input! (the county of Wake, not WCPSS)
We appreciate your continued support in improving bus services in Wake County and the Triangle. The responses that we collect from this survey will inform service plans for the bus systems in the Triangle over the next five to eight years, specifically for GoCary, GoRaleigh, GoTriangle, and GoWake ACCESS. As the region continues to grow, we want to ensure people can continue to travel reliably, safely, and comfortably across the Triangle!
The survey will take about 5 minutes to complete and participants will be entered into a raffle to win one of five $50 gift cards. https://www.publicinput.com/WBPA1
Wake Bus Plan Info: GoTriangle is working with regional partners to update the Wake Bus Plan. This survey will help inform our planning for better access to and from transit by walking, biking, and rolling. Your feedback will be considered as part of an analysis for where capital investments should be prioritized that improve walking, biking, and rolling safely to and from bus stops and transit centers in Wake County. Learn More...
On May 17th and 18th, PHS campus will have exam review during the 1st two blocks and WECHS H.E.A.L.S. presentations after lunch. If you are interested in hearing about the great research these teams have been working on, please join us. On the 18th, following the interactive presentations, PHS will have our end-of-year awards presentations from the 9th and 10th grade teachers.
WTCC finals began this week & PHS finals begin 5/19
Stay focused, we are almost there, you got this!
Students need to prepare their WCPSS devices for turn in prior to summer break.
The breakfast and lunch options for May are linked here.
We may have early release days next year. These are tentatively scheduled for our calendar on 9/2, 11/22, 12/21, 1/13, 3/24, and 4/6. If approved, we would dismiss around 12:00. Students in WTCC classes will need to arrange transportation home on these days so they can attend their WTCC classes at 12 and 1.
The list keeps growing! The following students were selected to participate in a few truly remarkable summer experiences:
Duke University Neuroscience Experience (Dune) - Praise K.
2022 Biogen-MIT: Biotech in Action Virtual Summer Lab - Simran T. & John V-K
We are thrilled, that many of our WECHS students will be WakeMed Junior Volunteers this summer! We are so proud of their dedication and commitment to service within our communities.
All WCPSS school volunteers who wish to continue to volunteer in 2021-22 should go to any WCPSS school or work site and register through wcpss.net by selecting the Community tab, and then selecting Volunteer.
Student Services: Our website has been updated with links to helpful resources: https://www.wcpss.net/Page/50577
Graduate Spotlights
If you would like for your graduate to be featured on WECHS social media, email a photo and brief bio about future plans (specific college not necessary) to Robin McAlexander at rmcalexander@wcpss.net.
Summer Opportunities: There are many opportunities for summer study and experiences. Check out this link on the CFNC website: https://www2.cfnc.org/studentEnrichment
Rising Seniors and Super seniors: Student and parent programs are being offered by Williams, Swarthmore, Pomona, Carlton, and Amherst Colleges to help rising seniors/super seniors with the college application/search process. There are special highlights for those students who are international, first-generation college and those with fewer financial resources. Register here: https://www.sixcolleges.org/?utm_campaign=admissions&utm_term=F23&utm_content=counselor&utm_source=sixcolleges&utm_medium=email
Scholarships: We receive notices of scholarships regularly and post them on this document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cfKGNl2-GyFIwgaxKdW5iCoumaZlnyjS_yD6UDuNuGI/edit?usp=sharing Additional scholarship links and websites can be found at: https://www.wcpss.net/Page/49470
Wake Tech Fall 22 - See WEBADVISOR or SELF-SERVICE to review FALL 22 schedules. Email Ms. Graham if you have questions. amgraham1@waketech.edu
Class of 2022
Graduate Awards Night will be in person this year on Thursday, May 12 at 7 p.m. on the PHS campus in the tiered classrooms in building A. Graduates will need to report to PHS main school lounge by 6:30 p.m. Graduates will wear the graduation gown (no caps). Masks are encouraged but not required. Graduates will be recognized with awards! Plan to come!
Mark your calendars! WECHS Class of 2022 Commencement will be held on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at 8 p.m. Mandatory commencement practice will be on Monday, May 23 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Tickets are required to attend Commencement. Masks are recommended but not required. Each graduate will receive approximately 6 tickets.
WECHS cap, gown, diploma cover and stole order packages are available on the Jostens website: https://www.jostens.com/apps/catalog/gradPackage.mvc?customerId=1827483&customerName=Wake-Early-Col-of-Health-and-Sci&catalogOsr=GRAD_PROD_HS_SENIOR_CUSTOMER_CATALOG&catalogName=Graduation-Packages&categoryOsr=PACKAGES&requestedView=LIST
Counselor Contact Information:
Ms. Lachance (Last names A-K), mlachance@wcpss.net, 919-212-5800 ext. 26054 https://calendly.com/wechs-lachance
Mr. Muse (Last names L-Z), jmuse@wcpss.net,
919-212-5800 ext. 26058
https://calendly.com/wechs-muse
Wake Tech’s Spring 2022 Commencement will be held at 8 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Saturday, May 7, 2022, at the Scott Northern Wake Campus. Each ceremony will be available to view via Livestream on the Wake Tech website. Visit graduation.waketech.edu to watch the ceremonies.
Career Development Corner:
Please be sure to visit Ms. Hill’s website for the most up-to-date opportunities, health science enrichment experiences, and other valuable information.
A shout out to all the CTE Concentrators who’ve completed the WorkKeys Assessment! Seniors and Super Seniors, we greatly appreciate your time and effort!
Looking for an interesting experience this summer? WCPSS is pleased to offer a number of experiences to "Fast Track" career placement for students. Complete this application to apply for seats in any of the Career Accelerator programs. You can learn more about each program at this link.
A special thanks to SIemens Healthineers for another great STEM Career Conversation on Thursday, May 5th. The student participants learned about internships and best practices for applying to these programs.
Congratulations to another Super Senior who's recently completed the STOP the Bleed training and earned certification. Way to go Xitlally!
Check out this PAID summer internship opportunity with Builders Bridge for students 17 years or older!
Campbell University’s School of Engineering and College of Pharmacy and Health Science are hosting STEM camps. Click here for additional information.
Wake County EMS - EMT Summer Camp registration is now open! Spots fill quickly. It’s a free week-long camp. Youth ages 14–19 can participate in this weeklong day camp in June that provides extensive hands-on instruction on EMS equipment and procedures. Camp includes team building and field trips to related sites. Registration is required.
NCBCE has partnered with the NC Department of Public Instruction and industry leaders to curate a list of online curricula for credentials and certifications developed by tech companies. Through this partnership, students in NC K-12 high schools can receive scholarships to take the certification tests. Please reach out to NCBCEAdmin@nc.gov for more information. Want more information? Click here. Contact Ms. Hill with questions.
The Perry Virtual Experience is a free, 2.5-hour, interactive online experience for high school and college-aged students who gender-identify as female or nonbinary and are interested in pursuing careers in orthopedics and/or engineering. Participants will hear from women leaders in these fields and dive into online mock orthopedic surgery simulations and biomechanics experiments. Click here for current opportunities.
TESTING
PHS Final Exams
Exam Information and Checkout Form
PHS high school final exams will be administered on May 19, 20, 23, and 24. Please do not plan to travel during these dates. Early testing requires submitting a request with supporting documentation to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for approval because North Carolina law requires that all final exams be administered in the last five days of the semester. Requests based on vacation travel are not granted by NCDPI.
Students are expected to be present on campus only on the days when they are scheduled to take an exam. Students who remain on campus after the exam to wait for bus transportation will participate in a supervised study hall. Buses will run on a regular schedule. Students will not have access to their phones during exams. If you need to reach them, call the main WECHS line: 919-212-5800.
Parents/guardians may choose to pick up students after the exam has ended if the student does not have another exam after. (Students cannot leave an exam session until it ends.) Unless this form linked above has been completed and turned in to Mr. Abbott by the morning of the exam day, students must be checked out using the standard checkout process inside the school building or picked up in carpool at the end of the day.
Wake Tech Final Exams
Wake Tech final exams are scheduled for May 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10. Please do not plan to travel during these dates. Additionally, students will return textbooks during exam week. North Campus students should return all issued textbooks, calculators, etc. prior to summer break. North staff need to be able to inventory textbooks and prepare for the fall semester. Students graduating will need to return all materials prior to graduation. Please see Mrs. Hennings if you have any questions regarding textbooks.
PTSA at WECHS! WECHS Spirit Wear Purchase Online
We just received a large supply of spirit wear, especially hoodies and sweatpants.
Order yours today!
Daily Announcements are shared between campuses and read aloud on the PHS campus daily.
WECHS students participate in Athletics through Enloe High School. Information on tryouts and other sports news can be found on the Enloe Athletics website.
Driver’s Education Registration Jordan Driving
Visit www.jordandriving.com to sign up. Payment is not due until the class is confirmed by the Driver’s Education teacher at Enloe, Carolyn Hunter, enloedrivered@gmail.com
Important: All Students Will Receive Free School Meals For the 2021-22 School Year
Breakfast and lunch will be available at no cost to students for the 2021-22 school year. While the district may be able to offer free meals to all students, it is very important for eligible parents to complete a meal benefits application because this data enables schools to obtain funding to provide other important educational resources to benefit students. Other benefits that are issued directly to families that have applied and are eligible for meal benefits may also be available (such as the P-EBT cash benefit). Parents can complete a meal benefits application online at myschoolapps.com. Paper applications also are available at all schools. More: www.wcpss.net/free-reduced-meals.
New Student Device Update:
WECHS students in 9th and 10th in fall 2022 will receive new Thinkpads with some available for 11th -13th graders.
STAY HOME IF YOU FEEL ANY SYMPTOM OF ILLNESS….please!
You may not enter a WCPSS facility if you have been: Instructed to quarantine or you are experiencing any of these Covid symptoms of illness: Fever or chills, Cough, Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle or body aches, Headache, New loss of taste or smell, Sore throat, Congestion or Runny Nose, Nausea or Vomiting, and/or Diarrhea.
Quarantine and Isolation guidance has been updated at this link
Covid Testing at School:
WECHS students and staff on both campuses are eligible for weekly Covid testing at school. Mako conducts the testing and results are provided in about 24 hours. This site provides the details. Only those registered will be able to participate. If you register your student for testing, please be sure to let them know that you have done so. Testing will occur on Wednesdays. North at 7:30 and PHS at 10:15.
To Receive Bus Updates:
Join Remind for Bus Changes. Use Code: @abkb7ch79
Principal Cummings’ Office Hours/Coffee Chats 8:30 Friday mornings. Open to all. The meet link is posted on our Google Calendar call, email, or let me know a time you’d like to meet in person. Email: lcummings@wcpss.net Mobile (call/text): 919-341-9844 or use my online scheduler
Please take care of yourself, your friends, and your family, and contact me with any questions.
Principal, Lisa Cummings
Campus Contact and Locations:
WECHS PHS Campus
919-212-5800
WTCC Perry Health Science Campus
2901 Holston Lane, Raleigh
(9th-10th)
WECHS Northern Campus
919-532-5660
WTCC Scott Northern Campus
6600 Louisburg Road, Raleigh
(11th-13th)
