Warsaw Community Schools

WCS has been a BUZZ over the last few days and weeks as we wind down the 2022-23 year. We have had lots to celebrate! Here are a few of the highlights: The City Track meet had a great showing by all buildings! Eisenhower Elementary boys AND girls took home the win. Congrats Eagles! WCHS held the National Honor Society Class of 2024 Induction Ceremony and inducted 112 new members into NHS. The graduating NHS Class of 2023 donated 7456 hours of community service and tutoring to our community! The WACC and WCHS held several end-of the year celebrations including the Work-Based Learning end-of-year banquet and the WCHS Theatre Banquet. The Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy held their graduation banquet for the KYLA Class of 2023. KYLA's mission is to educate and train area youth in the principles of leadership. Not to mention all of the building-specific graduations, award ceremonies, field days, etc. Thanks to the many students, parents, staff and community members who have made this year so successful. It has been exciting to see all of the accomplishments and celebrations! #WCSmission

The Warsaw Community High School Bands will present their annual Spring Band Concert TONIGHT at 7:00pm in the Warsaw High School Performing Arts Center. The concert will feature the Jazz Band, WCHS Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, and Combined Bands. The program includes such musical favorites as Malagueña, How to Train Your Dragon, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Free will donations will be accepted for the Band department. All donations go to the WCHS Band program. The WCHS Bands are under the direction of Mark Ziegler and David Knouse. #WCSmission

WCHS has a variety of summer camps available in June and July! Here is the updated list of all of them, along with registration info #WCSmission

WCHS Choral Department will present their annual Spring Concert TONIGHT at 7:30pm in the WCHS Performing Arts Center! This year’s concert theme is “Stage and Screen." The concert will feature the five Warsaw Community High School choirs performing music from various well-known Broadway musicals and movies, including Newsies, Hairspray, Les Miserables, Matilda and more. The WCHS choirs are under the direction of Joshua Hren, and are accompanied by Lawrence Evans. Members of the community are welcome and invited to attend. Freewill donations will be accepted for the WCHS choir department. All donations go to the choir program for the purchase of new choral uniforms, buy new music and to assist students in their participation on a performance trip in New York City during Spring Break, 2024. #WCSmission

It's hard to believe that it's already the last week of school! In preparation for summer break, don't forget to complete 2023-24 registration in PowerSchool (including pre-registration and all required forms)! www.warsawschools.org/o/warsaw/page/registration1

The Elementary City Track Meet has been postponed for this evening. The meet has been rescheduled for Tuesday, 5/23, starting at 5:15 PM. Go Tigers!

Over the past few weeks, Leesburg Blazers have been exploring behind the school in their outdoor classroom and wetlands. They have been finding lots of exciting creatures, from tadpoles & leaches to blue gill & insects! WCS is blessed with some pretty incredible outdoor classrooms, and Lakes & Streams experiences are a vital part of our STEM curriculum throughout the district. Thanks to our incredible teachers, instructional coaches and community partners (including Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District and Grace College's Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams) who help to make these experiences possible! #WCSmission

Tonight, prior to the regular board meeting, WCS held a graduation celebration to highlight several groups of teachers, administrators, parents and community members for their work over the past several months. First, the board recognized the inaugural class of Tiger Ambassadors. Each WCS building assisted with selecting the 15 Tiger Ambassadors (consisting of parents and community members) and the program aimed to provide a behind-the-scenes look at WCS while promoting goodwill and understanding. The ambassadors participated in on-site field trips, lunch-and-learn meetings and a job shadowing day as a principal. The lunch-and-learns provided ambassadors with a deeper understanding of academic metrics of success, operations of transportation and food service, facility planning and school budgets. WCS looks forward to welcoming a new group of Tiger Ambassadors in the fall. Next, WCS recognized 53 total teacher and administrator master's degree graduates. In the fall of 2021, WCS established three cohorts in collaboration with Bluffton University and Indiana State University. Utilizing ESSER grant funds, 18-month degree programs were offered to current WCS employees through an internal application process. The cohorts began in January 2022 and graduated on May 6, 2023. The first of the three cohorts included 25 WCS teachers pursuing a Masters of Arts in Education with a literacy concentration through Bluffton University. Finally, the board recognized 17 teachers who graduated from Indiana State University with a Masters of Arts in Educational Leadership ( building-level administration) and 11 teachers & administrators with their Educational Specialist Degree (district-level administration). WCS is excited to continue investing in educators' growth and educational development. Applications for the next round of scholarships are open through June 1. Current teachers interested in pursuing a Master's of Arts in Education with a literacy concentration or a Master's of Arts in Educational Leadership are invited to apply. For additional info and to see all graduates honored, visit: www.warsawschools.org/article/1120033 #WCSmission

This past week, WCS hosted a high ability parent meeting to provide parents with some general information about high ability and to provide a time for Q&A. The turnout far-exceeded our expectations! Parents can also reach out to Tina Northern (tnorthern@warsawschools.org) with questions. #WCSmission

WCHS will be offering swim sessions (of varying difficulty levels) each consisting of 9 days. Session 1: June 5 - 15, Session 2: June 19 - 29, and Session 3: July 3 - 14. The fee is $50 each (for the first 2 children) and $40 for additional siblings. warsaw-tigers.com/documents/2023/4/25/2023_Tiger_Swim_School.pdf If you have any questions, please email: brasler@warsawschools.org

The WCHS Dance Department invites you to join us for our Spring Dance Concert at 7:00pm on Thursday, May 18 at the Warsaw Performing Arts Center. Support friends and family in the WCHS Dance Department as they perform in a variety of styles, including: tap, modern, jazz, and lyrical; concluding with a special presentation of Jerome Robbins’ original choreography from West Side Story. Free will donations will be accepted for the dance department. All donations go to the dance program for the purchase of costumes, shoes, and free dance opportunities for future WCS students. #WCSmission

WCS families, help spread the word! NEW and RETURNING student registration is open (through July 1) for the 2023-24 school year. We appreciate parents completing all registration components (pre-registration, registration, accompanying forms, etc.) before the end of the year, so that WCS can make important hiring decisions. The process can be completed in less than 10 minutes! We look forward to welcoming new and returning students on August 10 (4:00-5:00pm) for Meet the Teacher Night and August 11 for the first student day! www.warsawschools.org/o/warsaw/page/registration1

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK- STAFF SHOUT-OUT: "Mr. Josellis is always helping cadets out with everything. Thank you for all you do!" -Darien Cripe WCS is blessed with incredible teachers and staff who inspire, equip, and enrich students every day! We appreciate the significant impact you have on the WCS community and are thankful for all that you do! #WCSmission

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK- STAFF SHOUT-OUT: "When there was a fire emergency at the high school, Dylan helped make sure all of the custodians were safe and accounted for, even going to search for two that joined us a little bit later. He helped relay messages to us so that we knew what to do. He is a great leader, a great coworker, and a great friend." -Shelby Poe WCS is blessed with incredible teachers and staff who inspire, equip, and enrich students every day! We appreciate the significant impact you have on the WCS community and are thankful for all that you do! #WCSmission

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK- STAFF SHOUT-OUT: "Barb goes above and beyond for her students and program. She was my brother's (Isaac Long) teacher when he was in school and was my teacher when I was a Peer Mentor. The care she shows for her students goes unmatched. She works after hours and on the weekends with events to ensure that her current and past students are able to meet goals and be included in community events while demonstrating inclusion for all people. She treats everyone with respect and the same expectations, supports and encourages her students to reach their goals and doesn't let them give up." -Hanna (Long) Croy WCS is blessed with incredible teachers and staff who inspire, equip, and enrich students every day! We appreciate the significant impact you have on the WCS community and are thankful for all that you do! #WCSmission

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK- STAFF SHOUT-OUT: "Karen has been Darius' bus driver all of his elementary years and she has been so patient and kind and understanding. She truly cares about the children she drives to and from school. This is Darius' last year to ride her bus and he is so sad about it because he cares for Karen. Thank you Karen for keeping Darius and the other children safe when transporting them to school." -Vanessa Hollan WCS is blessed with incredible teachers and staff who inspire, equip, and enrich students every day! We appreciate the significant impact you have on the WCS community and are thankful for all that you do! #WCSmission

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK- STAFF SHOUT-OUT: "Ian has absolutely loved Mr. Brumbaugh. He’s been an integral part of making the transition to middle school a happy one for Ian. He’s kind, relational, and loves being with kids. Even when we’ve seen him outside of school, he’s always so friendly to our whole family." -Christi Overman WCS is blessed with incredible teachers and staff who inspire, equip, and enrich students every day! We appreciate the significant impact you have on the WCS community and are thankful for all that you do! #WCSmission

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK- STAFF SHOUT-OUT: "Mrs Elliott has been a part of Lilly’s team since Kindergarten and has pushed her to reach her goals! She is always there cheering Lilly on and giving her a safe place to go! She has been amazing at helping her grow over the last six years! Mrs Elliott is an incredible asset to Madison and their students!" -The Jarrett Family WCS is blessed with incredible teachers and staff who inspire, equip, and enrich students every day! We appreciate the significant impact you have on the WCS community and are thankful for all that you do! #WCSmission

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK- STAFF SHOUT-OUT: "Miranda is my niece and nephew’s art teacher at Claypool elementary, hearing the stories they tell about her class have been heart warming. She’s a phenomenal teacher, leader and lifelong friend. She’s an inspiration to many kids!" -Erin Williams WCS is blessed with incredible teachers and staff who inspire, equip, and enrich students every day! We appreciate the significant impact you have on the WCS community and are thankful for all that you do! #WCSmission

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK- STAFF SHOUT-OUT: "Ms. Slone has made learning fun for Julian. He truly enjoys learning and it has shown with his grades this year. He says, 'I love the reading selection she has in our class and I like how she takes time to explain the lesson to us and how fun she makes it."' -Josefina Valtierrez WCS is blessed with incredible teachers and staff who inspire, equip, and enrich students every day! We appreciate the significant impact you have on the WCS community and are thankful for all that you do! #WCSmission