FROM THE DESK OF: Principal Adam Kurth
Greetings AHS Families,
It is my privilege to introduce myself as your new Arrowhead High School principal. Arrowhead is a very special school with a culture and tradition of success like no other. All that occurs is a direct result of great kids, an outstanding staff, and a school community that has put their trust in our school. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to support your student(s) in their time at Arrowhead High School.
I am happy to share the newest evolution of the Arrowhead Advisor. During interactions with families and staff over the summer, a common theme shared was the significant number of emails that families are receiving from the school and the difficulty in keeping the information organized. In an effort to streamline the information shared with families, and to create a single location for families to reference, the newsletter will be the main source of communication to families.
To support the communication, the newsletter will be shared with more frequency than in the past. Our hope is to provide items such as a schedule of important upcoming events, links to necessary documents, important updates, as well as school celebrations, athletic and activities information, and student support services. To honor your time, we will make a concerted effort to title and headline the information so that you can easily determine what is important for you and your student(s).
In addition, in the upper right-hand corner of the newsletter, you will find a magnifying glass that will help you find any important information you need. For example, as we near spring testing season we will be sharing out information and schedules for the ACT and ACT Aspire testing days. There may be a few newsletters that pass and you want to circle back to the information. Rather than searching through multiple email threads from the school, you can simply search through the newsletter search bar and the information will be filtered for you.
We will still engage with Skylerts for important or time-sensitive information, but hope that families find this new structure beneficial and much easier to stay in tune with AHS events and information.
Please reach out if you have any additional questions. It has been great to welcome our students back to the building. We're looking forward to an incredible year.
Go Warhawks!
Adam Kurth
Principal, Arrowhead High School
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sep. 17th: HAWKFEST!!! 4pm-7pm
Sep. 23rd: Open House(6:00 - 8:30)***note the change from the original district calendar
Oct. 1st: Homecoming Parade (4:30)
Oct. 1st: Homecoming Game (7:00)
Oct. 2nd: Homecoming Dance
Oct. 28th-29th: No school for students. Staff Professional Dev.
Nov. 4th: Parent-Teacher Conferences***note the change from the original district calendar
CONTACT INFORMATION
LAURA MYRAH- myrah@arrowheadschools.orgSUE CASETTA- casetta@arrowheadschools.orgADAM BOLDT- boldt@arrowheadschools.orgDONNA SMITH- smith@arrowheadschools.orgADAM KURTH- kurth@arrowheadschools.orgRYAN MANGAN- mangan@arrowheadschools.orgDEB PARADOWSKI- paradowski@arrowheadschools.orgBECKY GORDON- gordon@arrowheadschools.orgStaff Contact WebsiteBACK TO SCHOOL REMINDERS
Open House will be held the evening of Thursday, September 23 from 6:00 - 8:30 (please note the date change from the District Calendar). Detailed information can be found linked above in the Open House heading.
DRESS CODE
The dress code remains the same for 2021-2022. Please review page 28 linked here in the Student and Parent Information Guide with your student to make sure they are dressed appropriately for school.
MORNING DROP-OFF
As many of you have experienced already, morning drop-offs can take significant time due to the high density of traffic. To assist in efficiency with south campus, please use the drop-off locations in front of doors C and D. Arriving earlier, if possible, will also help in thinning traffic.
HAWKFEST!
Mark your calendars for Sept. 17th. Hawkfest will be held in the North Campus parking lot from 4:00pm-8:00pm. Games, events, music, prizes, food! Bring the family out and enjoy a good time leading into our Varsity football game!
CELEBRATIONS
Advanced Placement Success
Students who take Advanced Placement Courses at AHS Achieve High Expectations!
Over the summer, our Advanced Placement (AP) students (and teachers) anxiously wait for results of AP scores. The Advanced Placement program offered by the College Board provides classes taught by high school teachers where students are given a corresponding assessment at the end of the year. If a student passes the AP test (with a score of 3,4, or 5) they have potential of earning college credit (depending on the college or university). There have been dozens of studies conducted in recent years that point to the benefits for students who enroll and successfully complete AP coursework, including demonstrating college readiness.
The scores for our students reflect more than just hard work and effort of one school year, but in many cases is a capstone for a series of classes or programs. The high number of students who participate in AP reflects a culture of learning at Arrowhead where students want to push themselves in rigorous coursework. Arrowhead students took a total of 1282 exams last spring with 1075 of those tests resulting in scores of 3 or higher (83.9%). This is an outstanding achievement for students who experienced many disruptions and distractions last year due to COVID -19!
Arrowhead offers AP classes in Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, English Language, English Literature, European History, French, Human Geography, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Physics 1, Physics 2, Physics C, Psychology, Spanish, Statistics, Studio Art, US Government and US History.
The success of students reflects strong teaching and learning experiences in all of our programs, at every level, at Arrowhead. More than the score, the daily habits, work ethic, mind sets and dedication of our students to learn college-level material says a lot about our students and where they want to go!
Arrowhead is continuously focused on college and career preparation for our students. Although not all colleges and universities accept passing AP scores for college credit, the learning benefits are worth the effort! The Journal of Educational Research, in May of 2015 noted, “Students majoring in nine different academic fields achieved higher college GPAs if they passed the AP exam for their respective introductory course in high school.” This article also noted that an additional benefit of the AP program may be that it helps students explore potential interests and college majors.
At Arrowhead, there is “Something for Everyone” when it comes to course choices. We have rigorous, interesting and FUN learning opportunities that match students’ interests and goals. Arrowhead’s Advanced Placement program is just one of the many to celebrate!
PERFECT ACT
Last spring, Wisconsin students took part in the annual statewide ACT test. We are proud to recognize David Zhou and Samuel Polentini for scoring a perfect 36 on the test!! This is an extremely rare accomplishment and the outcome of years of hard work and commitment to their learning. Congratulations to both students on their incredible achievement!
Parent Updates
TECH AT ARROWHEAD
Be a Canvas Parent Observer!
See your child's online course materials by registering with our course management system (CMS), Canvas.
Parents need to click on the Canvas icon at the top of the website or go to https://arrowhead.instructure.com
Click on the words "Parent of a Canvas User? Click Here for an Account."
Complete the parent sign up form. You will need a PAIRING CODE from your child (teachers and school counselors can also give you your child's pairing code).
What can you see as an observer? Here is an Observer Visibility and Participation chart.
Have more questions? FAQs here.
Want more? Check out the Canvas Observer/Parent Guide.
What can you expect to see in Arrowhead's Canvas instance? Watch the quick video below.
Student Services
Best Buddies
Best Buddies Registration Form
BEST BUDDIES IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT HELPS FACILITATE A ONE ON ONE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN STUDENTS WITH ANY TYPE OF CHALLENGES WITH A PEER CLASS MEMBER(S). BEST BUDDIES ARROWHEAD NOT ONLY HELPS TO CREATE AND BUILD FRIENDSHIPS, WE ALSO PLAN MONTHLY LARGE GROUP EVENTS AND SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES THAT CAN RANGE FROM A CASUAL AFTERNOON AT THE MOVIES TO DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY WITH OTHER CHAPTERS!
If your son or daughter would like to be part of this club, please fill out the form linked above and return it to Mrs. Nettesheim's mailbox at the South Campus Main Office
Starts with Hello Campaign
In conjunction with the Sandy Hook Promise, Arrowhead will once again be part of the Starts with Hello Campaign. Focusing on the beginning of the school year Starts with Hello encourages students to welcome other students who seem like they are alone, lonely, or lost. The goal is to make all students feel welcome and apart of Arrowhead. Please help by encouraging your child to follow these three steps:
See Someone Alone
Reach Out and Help
Start with Hello
Students will see posters around the building and be reminded of these steps in their first homeroom.
ATHLETICS AND ACTIVITIES
September 27th kicks off Homecoming Week Schedule!!
Movie Night Wednesday 7:30 on the Turf
Parade Friday afternoon 4:30 PM and
Football game Friday evening 7 pm vs Waukesha South
Homecoming Dance Saturday October 1 at 7:30.
Fall season updates - The Girls Tennis and Golf teams are rounding out
TEACHING AND LEARNING
ASPIRE SCORES ARE IN SKYWARD
If your child participated in the Spring Aspire Assessment, your child’s Individual Student Report (ISR) has been uploaded to Skyward. The score reports from these tests are now ready to be viewed on your Skyward Family Access. To access the scores: Log onto Family Access (with either the Family login or Student login), Highlight Portfolio (bottom left of screen), then click on "April 2021 Aspire Results".
The ACT Aspire is a standardized test designed to evaluate and report on student learning and college and career readiness. The ACT Aspire assessment measures what students have learned in the areas of English, Reading, Math, Science, and Writing. The scores from this assessment predict how a student will perform on the ACT when they reach grade 11. Scores can also help identify students who need academic interventions or accelerated learning in their high school careers.
The ISR includes subject and composite test scores, ACT Readiness Level, Score Range, National Percentile Rank, and Predicted ACT Score. It also includes Supplemental Scores including English Language Arts (ELA) and STEM (Science and Math), Progress with Text Complexity, and Progress Toward Career Readiness. More information and explanation regarding these terms and details in the reports are available at: https://dpi.wi.gov/assessment/act/aspire/data. One other additional resource that can provide helpful information to fully understand the assessment results is “Understanding Your ACT Aspire Results”
Remember that the ISR is just one of many indicators of your child’s academic performance. In order to obtain a more complete picture of your child’s areas of strength and growth, it is important to consider information from a variety of sources.
Please feel free to contact your child’s counselor or Sue Casetta with any questions.
TESTING DATES for 2021-2022
PSAT Oct 13 - Some Sophomores and mostly Juniors- NC WEST GYM
ACT March 8 - Juniors
Aspire- April 4-8- Fresh and Sophomores
Forward - April 21/22- Sophomores - conducted in Social Studies classes
AP Exam Window- May 2-13
(more detailed information to come soon)
WINGS CLASS OF 2025 IS A WRAP!
Our incoming freshmen were treated to three days of community building exercises, fun, informative group sessions, and got acclimated to the layout of South Campus. They learned what it takes to be a WARHAWK building their freshmen survival kit.
By 2025, you will be amazed to see what these students accomplish!
SUMMER SCHOOL RECAP
We are happy to share with you that we had another SUCCESSFUL SUMMER SCHOOL Session! Summer School was held from June 14 - July 22. Due to the amount of construction scheduled at North Campus all classes were held in person at South Campus.
We schedule the courses in two sections: Section 1: 7:30 - 9:55 and Section 2: 10:00 - 12:25.
There is a 3rd section from 12:30 - 2:55 for the Traditional Phy Ed class only. Classes are held Monday through Thursday.
We were pleased to offer 20 total courses to 803 students in the following:
11 Traditional courses
6 online courses
Composition
Creative Writing
American Problems
Political Science
College Essay Workshop
Mindfulness Workshop
3 Special programs
Broadway Company
Marching Band
APEX (Credit attainment and/or grade improvement)
The tentative dates for Summer School 2022 are June 13 - July 21. Although months away, if you have any questions, please contact Becky Gordon at (262) 369-3611 x4210.
Thank you to the following for ALL of their help with Summer School:
All teachers and support staff
Sue Casetta
Sue Gatzow
Donna Smith
Buildings and Grounds staff for their assistance in getting us set up at South campus
COVID UPDATES
As described to our families in an email before last school year ended, immediately following our school board's unanimous vote on June 9 on the topic, we foresee a return to nearly 'normal' school practices. However, the plans outlined below are subject to change dependent upon state/federal laws or mandates and/or as approved by the Arrowhead School Board or its designee.
Please note: Confirmed positive COVID 19 data will be shared on at least a weekly basis on the COVID Communication webpage, under "Resources" on the district website.
1. All school days will be held in person for all students-- No concurrent virtual instruction model will be offered.
Potential EXCEPTIONS may include:
Students who are absent for a lengthy period due to illness or quarantine will need to contact their teachers to determine a learning plan and make-up work; instruction for absent students will not be synchronous, but will be through Canvas (learning management tool) and other means of communication, including timely check-ins between the students and teachers.
Emergency school closure situations that could arise, during which faculty, staff, and students must pivot to virtual learning for an identified temporary period of time. Faculty/staff will be present on campus for this work, unless conditions are deemed unsafe to come to campus.
Individual students with valid medical reasons from their physicians may need Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations during continuing pandemic conditions. Accommodations will be determined on an individual basis. If virtual instruction is deemed the required accommodation, by the family, school, and physician, it would be provided through a partnering virtual school (not by Arrowhead faculty) for not less than full semester increments during the 2021-2022 school year. Please immediately contact Director of Student Services Adam Boldt (Boldt@arrowheadschools.org or 262-369-3612 ext. 4112) if you believe your child requires ADA accommodations.
2. The wearing of facial masks, quarantines for close-contact exposures, and COVID 19 vaccinations are considered OPTIONAL and voluntary for students, families, and staff.
The district will not question nor enforce the status of masking or COVID 19 vaccinations. Please respect others' choice or need to wear or not to wear masks, and to be or not to be vaccinated.
Students and staff members experiencing COVID 19 or other illness symptoms should stay home for the health welfare of oneself and others.
Positive cases of COVID 19 will continue to be shared between the student's parents, school, and Waukesha County Public Health Department. A negative COVID test, or a 10-day quarantine/isolation period (or longer, depending upon duration of symptoms), or a note from a physician is required to return to school.
Close contact tracing will occur. If a student is identified as a close contact (within 6 ft for 15+ min.) to a positive case of COVID 19, that student's parent(s) will be notified via email. As noted above, close contact quarantines are not required at this time, but we ask the family closely monitors the students for any symptoms of COVID 19.
Classroom, cafeteria, library, and other school environments will return to 'normal' physical arrangements, i.e. seating at desks, tables, etc. will not be distanced 2-6 feet as was attempted during last school year.
The school environment will be cleaned daily/nightly as usual, hand sanitizer dispensers will remain in targeted locations, and we ask that all of us practice healthy behaviors including frequent handwashing and coughing/sneezing into disposable tissues.
3. The wearing of masks and/or other health risk mitigation strategies will be implemented, by teams or individuals, as required for participation in WIAA or other athletic/co-curricular programs in order to maintain participation eligibility for students and teams. Additionally, federal mandates (42 U.S.C 264 & 42 CFR) currently require the use of facial masks on public transportation, which includes school buses/vans.
Thank you for your cooperation and teamwork in keeping Arrowhead a healthy, productive learning environment. We are enthused to welcome back our students, families, and staff for a fantastic 2021-2022 school year!
FOLLOW AHS!
