Washburn Rural High School

Dear Graduating Seniors, Parents, and Guardians:

With the school year rapidly concluding, May will become a special and busy time as we prepare for graduation. The 103^rd Commencement Exercise will take place on Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 7:00 PM at the Stormont Vail Events Center. We want to encourage you to participate in the graduation ceremony. Participation is not mandatory, and the decision to attend is a choice for both student and parent(s). If you are not planning on participating in the commencement ceremony, please contact the Head Secretary, Mrs. Kaspar, at (785) 339-4104 by April 30. Our expectation is for those students participating in the ceremony to follow the guidelines below.

DRESS: Students are required to dress appropriately for this occasion: collared shirts, dress slacks, socks, and dress shoes for males; dresses or collared shirts, slacks, socks or hose, and dress shoes for females. T-shirts, jeans, shorts, sweat pants, or athletic footwear should not be worn. The royal blue caps and gowns will be worn by all graduates. The caps and gowns should have no additional decorations on them. If you did not order a cap and gown because you have one available to use, contact Jostens to purchase your 2021 stole and tassel. (Contact Jostens at (785) 843-2967 or jeff.heline@jostens.com.)

DECORUM: Proper behavior is to be exercised during the entire ceremony so that all students can be given the proper recognition they have worked so hard to achieve. At no time, before all students are formally presented their diplomas, should any student or his/her family draw undo attention to themselves and away from the occasion and other graduates. Any student who fails to follow appropriate behavior may be escorted out of the Events Center.

Parents need to also be aware that the security chief of the EVent Center has asked us to share the following:

1. Bags and purses may be searched upon entering the facility.
2. Camera tripods will not be permitted in the stands. The tripods pose a tripping hazard for other guests.
3. Handicapped seating is available on the arena floor. This area is behind the graduates. Handicapped guests (and accompanying family) should enter the doors of the southeast ground level.
4. Masks are mandatory at all times inside the Stormont Vail Events Center.
5. Based on currently known facts, there will be no limitation of number of guests.

Listed below are important dates relating to all graduating seniors. We look forward to seeing you particularly on May 16. Thank you for your cooperation.

NOTES: Students who are allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony are seniors who have earned no less than 24 credits by Thursday, May 13, 12:00 PM. To receive a diploma, students must earn a minimum of 25 credits. If you have questions regarding your graduation status, please contact your counselor at (785) 339-4113. Seniors who have not met graduation requirements are required to be in attendance through the last day of school, May 26, 2021.

Replacements for items you forget (cap, gown, tassel, white stole, NHS stole, gold cord, honor medal, etc.) will not be available at the Events Center. Make sure to bring everything with you.

Sincerely,

Ed Raines
Principal

Auburn-Washburn and the Kansas Department of Health & Environment are partnering to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to all students 16 and older before the end of the school year.

The clinic is coming to Washburn Rural High School to vaccinate students, staff, and family members who still want the vaccine. Sign-up and parental consent are required.

See below for more information:

The COVID-19 vaccination being offered at Washburn Rural High School is available free of charge to all students 16 or older as well as Auburn-Washburn family members and staff who still wish to receive the vaccination.

The clinics will have appointments available for each dose from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Prior to the clinic dates, you MUST make an appointment and complete and print a consent form for each individual receiving the vaccination.

The clinic is administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. To be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you must receive both the first and second doses. The first dose is May 4 and the second dose is May 21. The vaccinations will take place in the Activity Center at Washburn Rural High School located at 5900 SW 61st St. Students will be released from class to receive the vaccine. Family members and other staff should enter through the northeast doors outside the Activity Center.

• Make your first dose appointment
• Access the consent form
• Information on the Pfizer vaccine
• Spanish language materials

Appointment Registration Instructions

When registering for appointments, please look for the May 4, 2021 clinic titled Washburn Rural COVID-19 Clinic. Registrants will be asked to select first dose, the clinic date and name, fill in biographical information and health information, and then select their specific vaccination time before consenting on the form. The system will send an email with confirmation information to the email provided in the biographical information section of the form. Students must still bring the paper consent forms with their parent/guardian's signature.

WRHS Clinic Quick Facts

Who is Eligible: Any Auburn-Washburn student, staff, or family member age 16 or older
Location: WRHS Activity Center
Date: First dose May 4. Second dose May 21.
Appointment Times Available: 8:30 AM-2:30 PM
Vaccine Offered: Pfizer (two doses required)
Needed at First Dose Appointment: Completed consent form for each individual

Please click on the links below to access important information.

• District Email Updates
• #keeplearning Family Supports
• COVID-19 Incidents
• Safely Forward in AW - Scorecard
• Face Covering Requirements
  • 4-15-2021 Hearing (SB 40)
  • Response to 4-15-2021 Hearing (SB 40)
• Isolation (Positive Case) Release Chart
• Quarantine (Close Contact) Release Chart
• Quarantine (Symptomatic) Release Chart
• Safely Forward in Auburn-Washburn - Return to School Plan
• SNCO Health Dept. - KS Dept. of Health & Environment

Dear Parents of 8th or 9th Grade Students:

We would like to invite you to an informational meeting that will describe the IB Program, why it may be a good fit for your student, and discuss the advantages of this educational opportunity. Not only will you hear from those who lead the program, but there will be current and former students and parents prepared to share their experiences with you to offer a balanced perspective.

In preparation for this meeting, or at any time, I invite you to peruse our website. You'll find helpful information and answers to many questions you may have.

https://sites.google.com/usd437.net/wrhs-ib-diploma-program/home

Lastly, we, as a school, deeply encourage students to take rigorous and challenging classes as students move through high school including Honors, Accelerated, AP, and IB. Doing so will greatly improve students' chances of finding success in college or whatever post secondary path they may choose. We also understand COVID-19 may have impacted feelings of preparedness for taking on rigorous classes. But, please don't let this notion deter students from enrolling in such classes as our teachers are already busy preparing for ways to support rigorous learning for all our students.

We hope you'll consider attending this one-hour meeting. If you have any questions we can answer before or following this event, please reach out to me, to Nick Bowling, IB Coordinator, or to Marcie Frederickson, IB Counselor. You can find our contact information on our high school and IB website.

• What: International Baccalaureate Program
• Who: For Incoming Freshmen/Sophomore Students and Parents
• Where: Washburn Rural High School Auditorium
• When: Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 6:00pm
• Why: To provide information to any student/guardian who would like to better understand this course of study

We are looking forward to a bright, new school year full of possibilities and we simply can't wait to work with your kids!

Do you need help with using the district provided technology devices or programs? Call (785) 408-8720 or email parenttechsupport@usd437.net for assistance. Individuals will be available during the school day Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Please note that this is a tech support line for issues with chromebooks, logins and digital curriculum products. If you have questions about assignments or class details such as Zoom/Google Meet links, please contact your student's teacher.

To enroll in Driver's Ed, students must be 14 years old by June 1, 2021 and be going into 9^th, 10^th, 11^th, or 12^th grade for the 2021-2022 school year. Any student who resides out of district or state is not eligible.

Enrollment will be April 6 from 6:00 to 7:00 in the Washburn Rural High School cafeteria. Students need to attend this meeting to fill out enrollment forms and sign the application. Applications for enrollment will be taken until the class fills up.

Course fee is $225.00. Classroom instruction will begin June 1st from 8:00-9:30 AM at WRHS. The last day of classroom instruction will be June 17th.

View this flier for more information.

Questions may be directed to Keith Wetzel at 339-4116 or wetzekei@usd437.net.