July 9, 2024

 

To: WECHS Classes of 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029

WECHS Parents/Guardians/Caregivers

From: Lisa Arment Cummings, Principal

Subject: Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year!

 

The first day of school is just around the corner, and we hope you have enjoyed the summer break and are ready to return for a great school year! WECHS had another fantastic year in 2023-2024, with 78 of our graduates earning a Wake Tech Associate degree, 10 earning Certified Nursing Assistant certifications, 3 earning Phlebotomy certifications, 1 earning a diploma in Pharmacy Technology, and 16 earning Emergency Medical Technician certifications. All of this was achieved in addition to a high school diploma within 5 years. The class of 2024 earned 3.4 million dollars in merit-based scholarships alone, in addition to their free college credit hours earned at WTCC. In their spare time, WECHS students also served countless hours of volunteer service at WakeMed and other organizations! Thank you, and congratulations to our students and supportive families.

 

We have had a busy summer so far, gearing up for 2024-2025:

 

Students participated in WakeMed Internships, http://www.wakemed.org/

WECHS HOSA attended the National Conference in Dallas, Texas.

Mrs. Kendrick left the WECHS family to further her education, and Mr. Paramore left to join Campbell University.  We wish them well! 

Mrs. Tyndall will return as a Career Development Coordinator, working with Ms. Hill to support WECHS students in Health Science Careers.

We welcome two new WECHS family members: Mrs. K. Prikazsky (Science Teacher) and Mrs. J. Rowe (Health Science Teacher). 

Summer Camp: All 9th and 10th graders new to WECHS this year are expected to attend Camp on Friday, August 2nd, from 8 am to 12 pm. Transportation isn’t provided. This is a great time to meet future classmates. Please dress for indoor and outdoor activities, follow the WCPSS dress code, and bring a refillable water bottle for hydration. Snacks will be provided. Students and staff will participate in WECHS and WTCC onboarding activities. Please don’t miss it! Register here

An optional Parent Q&A Session will be held from 8 to 9 am to answer any last-minute general questions. Ms. Wilcox (mcwilcox@wcpss.net) is your Camp contact. She does not work in the summer and will return to campus on August 1st. 

Below are essential items to review that may be helpful.

Athletics: Interested in playing sports? Check out the Enloe Athletic site. Please note that many sports hold meetings and workouts before school starts. WECHS athletes should avoid checking out early for athletic events when possible. Check the site or call the Athletic Director for complete information.

 

Breakfast and Lunch: Students are provided meals daily from a modified list provided by WCPSS Child Nutrition Services by a local WCPSS school. PHS Students will eat in the multipurpose room between the 2nd and 3rd blocks. North Campus. North students order lunch by 8:30 am through Ms. Hennings and are kept warm/cold until they can eat in our hallway.

 

Please visit this link for lunch calendars and free and reduced lunch information. 

 

PHS students have access to refrigerators and microwaves in the multipurpose room. North students depend on microwave access in other parts of campus. Students on PHS do not leave campus for lunch, while North Campus students may only sign out for lunch if parents and the Administration have approved the paperwork. This privilege will be revoked if concerns arise. WCPSS breakfast and lunch prices. 

 

Calendar: The WECHS Calendar is available on our website. 

The WCPSS Calendar is linked here. 

 

Carpool: 

Maps and this letter were mailed home this week. Please keep the map or take a picture with your phone to access when school begins. All families MUST follow these procedures. The WTCC Police and Security will always help if you have questions. 

 

PHS: Please use the designated carpool lane next to Building A for drop off and pick up. Do Not use the parking deck or other areas of campus. Please stagger your arrival times for carpooling to avoid delays and traffic issues on Sunnybrook Road for the PHS Campus. Drop-off begins at 7 am. Students will wait in the Student Lounge until they are sent upstairs to class at 7:20 am. Students will be dismissed at 2:10 pm. Students not picked up in the carpool by 2:30 pm will return to the building to ensure safe supervision until their ride arrives. Our carpool line moves quickly; there is no reason to be first in line. If everyone arrives at 2:10 pm, Sunnybrook Road will be blocked, and dismissal will take longer. Always follow the directions of WTCC and WECHS staff at the carpool; this is a safety issue. Please call the school at 919-212-5800 to have your student dismissed to carpool after 2:30 pm or call your student directly.

 

Please do not ask your student to walk to Sunnybrook Road or any other location for pickup. Students will be picked up in the carpool line or leave campus by bus. This is a significant safety concern. Thank you for understanding. 

 

North: Please use the designated carpool lane at the flagpole in front of Building C for drop-off and pick-up. Do not use the parking deck or other areas of campus.

 

Communication: With students spread out between multiple buildings on two campuses, we utilize numerous forms of communication. These are described below.

 

Principal Cummings and the Counselors utilize Remind to communicate messages quickly to students in an emergency. For example, if WCPSS announces a one-hour early release, we ask that students sign up for this service to ensure all students are notified. We will exhaust all efforts to contact students face-to-face but use Remind as a backup. Join codes by grade level are available on the WECHS Counselors’ Page and listed below.

 

To join the Student Services Remind for your class, text 81010 with the corresponding message below:

9th: @2024wechs                                      10th: @2023wechs                                         11th: @2022wechs

12th: @2021wechs                                    13th: @2020wechs

School Messenger: Besides a weekly Friday text/email message from the  Principal, announcements are often communicated via the website. Here, you will also find the calendar and access to staff websites. Counselors and teachers also maintain Remind and Talking Points accounts for communication.

 

Teachers use Talking Points, which allows teachers to easily communicate with parents via text messages in languages other than English. TalkingPoints is a two-way multilingual platform that helps teachers and parents to communicate in over 100 languages. Teachers use a web or mobile application to send messages to parents who receive them in their home languages as text messages or through the parent mobile app. Parents can reply in a different language because TalkingPoints will automatically translate it into English for teachers. The software will sync directly with the parent contact information in PowerSchool. We have used Talking Points in the past school year. Parents can expect to receive a “Welcome” communication from each teacher during the first week of school. Ensure all contact information is correct in PowerSchool by creating a parent account. 

 

The WTCC System is Wake Tech Warn, a system for communicating with students and staff. Community members can also sign up for alerts, which can be campus-specific. You must renew each year to continue receiving notifications. During the first week of school, we will train students on both campuses on how to respond to various emergencies to ensure their safety.

 

Drivers (Student)

All student drivers need a parking pass. Parking is a privilege, not a right, and can be revoked if necessary. Student drivers on the PHS Campus must be pre-approved by the Administration and WTCC before driving to school. Applications are available outside the office. All WTCC and WCPSS school rules apply to student drivers and their cars. North Campus will receive directions at orientation. 

 

Handbook: 

Link to the 2024-2025 WCPSS Student-Parent Handbook    

The updated 2024-2025 WECHS Handbooks will be linked on our website soon.

 

If you have any questions, please call the school. We look forward to seeing you on the first day of school, Wednesday, August 7th, 2024, for 9th and 10th graders. On the PHS campus, the school day begins promptly at 7:25 a.m., and dismissal is at 2:10 p.m. PHS students should be seated in class by 7:25 a.m.

 

On North Campus, students must sign in on the 3^rd floor of Building C before their first class. Arrival and dismissal times are 7:45 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. The Enloe shuttle will leave North Campus promptly at 2 p.m.

 

WECHS PTSA! You can be involved in many different ways. 

 

Schedules

 

PHS Campus: 

On Wednesday, August 7th, the first day of school, students on the PHS campus will pick up a copy of their schedule at school. Any schedule visible in PowerSchool is subject to change as we make adjustments. As a reminder, we schedule your classes for you in 9th and 10th grade. 

 

Scott Northern Wake Campus:

Returning North Campus students (Seniors and Super Seniors) will report on August 14th to pick up textbooks and schedules during the Senior and SuperSenior Orientation. The schedule is 8 a.m.—2 p.m. See the schedule here at https://tinyurl.com/WECHS2024. The North Campus schedule will include a Health Science Seminar for Grades 11 & 13, Economics and Personal Finance for Grade 12, multiple Academic Assistance courses for all grades, and WTCC classes. The partial schedule, which lists the WTCC courses only, can be viewed in Self-Service. Contact Ms. Graham with college class questions at amgraham1@waketech.edu. 

 

Senior and SuperSenior Cap and Gown pictures will be on Monday and Tuesday, August 19 and 20.  To register, go to https://schedule.prestigeportraits.com/schedule/home.html?NC&Raleigh.  This is the picture for the yearbook.  If you do not want to purchase pictures but just want to sit for the yearbook pose, choose “pay at the camera.” (We are waiting for the link to update.)

 

Juniors will report for two full days of MANDATORY Junior Orientation on August 12th and 13th.  See the Schedule here: https://tinyurl.com/JRWECHS2024. Lunch options are packing lunch, bringing money for the campus café, or ordering a WCPSS lunch. WTCC classes begin Thursday, August 15th. Check our calendar on the WECHS website for all dates and events. Express Routes will run to Enloe, and then WECHS students will ride the shuttle bus to North. This will reverse in the afternoon. All students must leave the North Campus at 2 pm.  

 

Students will receive their completed schedules during Junior Orientation, including high school Junior Seminar classes, Academic Assistance classes, and WTCC classes.  The school day on the North campus is 8 am -2 pm, Monday through Friday.  

 

Student Technology

All new WECHS students will be issued a Thinkpad computer; Chromebooks do not work with WTCC servers. All 9th and 10th-grade students are expected to use the school-issued computer, not a personal computer. (this section was accidentally omitted from the summer mailing)

 

Transportation

Depending on the day, WECHS bus riders will ride Express or Enloe Bus Routes. Read carefully. 

 

Express Bus Routes will run August 7-26, 2024, and other dates when Enloe is not in session. This link shows the Express Routes from last year, but they may change. Express Routes and Enloe HS Routes for WECHS students should be posted by the end of July.  Once finalized, you can check in PowerSchool for your regular route information. WECHS students will ride Express Routes on days traditional calendar school is not in session and ride assigned Enloe HS Bus Routes on the days traditional is in session. 

 

On days Enloe HS is not in session, WECHS bus riders must ride Express Routes or use a carpool. The first few weeks of school (August 7-26) are Express Route days.  When students reach Enloe, they will catch a shuttle to PHS or North Campus. Look for other WECHS students on the covered sidewalk in the Enloe bus lot. Students must get on the first shuttle from Enloe HS—Bus Transportation Updates: Transportation / Enloe Area. At the beginning of the year, WECHS staff will be on-site at Enloe to assist. 

 

Visitors

Everyone visiting a school must report to the school office and check in using the Verkada Visitor Management System. Each time a visitor arrives at a school, they will be asked to provide identifying information, including name, date of birth, and having their photo taken. This information will be checked against nationwide sex offender registries, and WCPSS prohibited person databases. If they match in either system, they will not receive a badge and will be asked to leave the school. 

 

WCPSS Volunteer Registration link

Volunteers must renew annually.

Save the Date!

Meet the Teacher Open House for 2024-2025           

PHS:  Freshman and Sophomore (9th-10th) Thursday, September 5, 2024,  6:00-7:15 pm

North: Juniors and Parents (11th), August 8, 2025, 6:00-7:15 pm

North: Seniors/Superseniors and Parents (12th013th), August 22, 2024, 6:00-7:15 pm

This letter was mailed home around July 10th. If you have yet to receive a copy by July 17, please contact the school to ensure we have the correct mailing address. This is also posted on the WECHS website under the Principal’s Message section and was sent via SchoolMessenger on July 11th. From the digital versions, you can access the links to information. https://www.wcpss.net/domain/5445