WHS CALENDAR 
Tuesday, November 24

***PROGRESS REPORTS GO HOME

Girls Basketball - Freshman A
vs. Mayde Creek @WHS 4 p.m.

Boys Basketball - JV
vs. St. John @WHS 4:30 p.m.

Girls Basketball - Freshman B
vs. Milby @Jones HS 5 p.m.

Girls Basketball - JV A
vs. Mayde Creek @WHS 5:30 p.m.

Boys Basketball - Varsity
vs. St. John @WHS 6 p.m.

Girls Basketball - JV B
vs. Milby @Jones HS 6:30 p.m.

Girls Basketball - Varsity
vs. Mayde Creek @WHS 7 p.m.

Wednesday, November 25

***NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 26

***NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving

Friday, November 27
 
***NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving

Click here to access the WHS Calendar for more events.   
SENIOR DUES DEADLINE

The Class of 2016 Senior Dues are very important and can be paid any time, but the earlier the better!

The first deadline is coming up, November 24. If paid by then, dues are $150. After Thanksgiving break, dues go up to $175. 

Dues are a one time payment and is mandatory for all seniors.
FINANCIAL AID INFORMATIONAL NIGHT
 
The Westside College Center would like to invite senior students and parents/guardians of seniors to an invaluable informational session. 

The Financial Aid and Informational Night is Thursday, December 3, in S100. The session starts promptly at 6:30 p.m.

Learn valuable information regarding the completion of the college financial aid information (FAFSA), as well as information about TAFSA, work study, grants, scholarships, loan forgiveness, and more.

JOIN THE PTO

This is also a friendly reminder for families to join the PTO. 

With membership, families with graduating seniors will be eligible for one of the PTO scholarships awarded at the end of the year.

There will be an application process which will come out later in the year, but be sure to join now! You don't want your student to miss out.
COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY VISITS TO WESTSIDE
Throughout the school year, several colleges and universities have scheduled visits to Westside. In order to speak with a representative from each college, you must sign up on Naviance. Sign up for the colleges you are interested in. Don't forget to pick up a pass in A205 prior to the visit.

Upcoming visits:

November 30


MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Westside High School will be participating in the HISD dates for Early Dismissals.   
 
January 27
February 24 

On
the Thursdays immediately following the Early Dismissal Days, there will not be a Late Start. 
FACEBOOK

The Westside facebook page is better than ever!  Drop by and catch up on events through pictures and posts.

Don't forget to like us.  Click here to go right now! 

 E-NEWS ARCHIVES 

JOIN OUR LIST

QUICK LINKS

NOVEMBER 23, 2015
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
  • PRIDE DAZZLES AT ROCKETS HALFTIME
  • SENIOR SIGNING PARTY
  • JAPANESE CLASSES EXPERIENCE CALLIGRAPHY
  • WESTSIDE WELLNESS: GIVING THANKS
  • CHOICES CORNER: SELF-HARM
PRIDE PERFORMS AT HALFTIME

Our Westside Pride danced during the Rockets halftime show Saturday, November 14, at the Toyota Center. Our girls were front and center! 
SENIORS SIGN WITH COLLEGES

Westside recently hosted a Baseball & Softball Signing Party. The following baseball players (pictured above with their coaches) signed for the following schools:

Brandt Belk - Rice
Quincy McAfee - Pepperdine
Christian Long - Wake Forest
Mitchell Caskey - McLennan Community College

Baseball wasn't the only team celebrating, as  Mary Alex Krosby committed to playing softball at Southwestern Univ.
JAPANESE CLASSES EXPERIENCE CALLIGRAPHY
Ten kind ladies from Showing Japan came to Westside High School to demonstrate the art of calligraphy. 

The visitors helped Ms. Sheridan's Japanese classes learn the history and techniques of calligraphy. 

Each class learned correct brush strokes. Then, students got to put what they learned to paper...literally!

WESTSIDE WELLNESS: GIVING THANKS

As the holidays approach, many of us have our minds on preparing for family visits, which gifts we will give, and what we hope to receive.  However, taking time to appreciate what we have and to acknowledge the aspects of life that we are grateful for both enhances our health and improves our relationships with others.
  • When we focus on the positive factors in our lives, we feel more content and less likely to experience stress about the future.
  • Gratitude strengthens your relationships and ability to provide empathy and emotional support for others.
  • Those who regularly practice gratitude are more likely to maintain a consistent schedule and to reach personal, professional, and academic goals.
  • Studies have shown that gratefulness exercises promote higher levels of focus, alertness, and enthusiasm in teens.
  • Writing down what you are grateful for in a journal before bed can lead to deeper, more quality sleep.
Whether you make a mental gratitude list or you have each person at the Thanksgiving table say what they are thankful for, take the time to observe your blessings this holiday season! 
CHOICES CORNER: SELF-HARM
Self-harm, self-injury, self-mutilation, and self-abuse are all terms used interchangeably and can be a frightening situation to encounter with your teen. Before taking our personal assumed knowledge, let us educate ourselves so that we can understand what it's all about. 

Did you know that not all self-harmers want to kill themselves? Self-harming behavior usually starts between the ages of 12 and 14. Everyone has their own way of coping and handling difficult situations and conflict differently. Unfortunately, self-harmers feel as though harming themselves makes them feel better because it allows them to not focus on the issues they are faced with by inducing physical pain.
 
Self-Harming acts include (but not limited to):
Cutting, Biting, Scratching, Burning, Punching, Ingesting harmful toxins (i.e. cleaning products or foreign objects), Interfering with wound healing, Inserting foreign objects into the skin or body.
 
Self-injurers engage in this behavior for many reasons like being unable to verbally express themselves, family concerns, relational issues, experienced trauma, having a negative body image, family history of self-harm, and possibly a learned behavior from a friend or family member are just to name a few. Often times, self-injurers do not feel safe to express themselves with family or friends, so they cope by hurting themselves in private where they feel it's safe. 

The most common form of self-injury is cutting, which usually takes place on the arms and legs. Often times, self-harmers like to hide their marks, so they will cut high up on the thighs or arms and will wear clothing to cover it. They may also feel as though others do not understand and it's easier to keep their concerns to themselves so they won't stress other loved ones out. Remember the biggest need from self-harmers is that they want to be understood and shown love. Parents, if you have any questions please visit:
We value your feedback!

Please direct comments or questions to Craig Malinsky
at [email protected].

Visit us on the web at www.westsidewolves.org.

It is the policy of the Houston Independent School District not to discriminate on the basis of age, color, handicap or disability, ancestry, national origin, marital status, race, religion, sex, veteran status, or political affiliation in its educational or employment programs and activities.