Dear Wilson Families,

I hope that you and your loved ones are doing well.  As much as I hope that this week will be better than the last, I also hope that we can find the collective strength and stamina to sustain through the important conversations that have been prompted by last week’s assault on the U.S. Capitol.  Our staff will take time this week to reflect on how we can be the responsive teachers and administrators that our students need.  You can see in the Superintendent’s message some of the resources that we are using to inform our practices.

We also recognize that this semester is quickly drawing to a close and that the second semester is just around the corner.  Next week our students will forecast for next year’s classes, too.  We will share detailed information about the forecasting process this Friday.  In short, students will have time next week to review all the forecasting information and make their course selections by the end of the week.  All relevant information will be available on our school website for families to review as well.

The week of January 25 is the last week of the term.  Students should check with their teachers about the extra opportunities for tutoring sessions and office hours that will be available that week.  Please note that for all of our students the end of this term will mark the end of their courses.  On Monday, February 1, all students will start their new, second semester courses.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.  

All the best,

Filip Hristic 

Here are also a few announcements for the week ahead:

Forecasting
Students will be forecasting next week.  Forecasting materials will be available on our website on Friday afternoon.  Look forward to a robo call on Friday afternoon reminding our students to spend some time this weekend to go over the forecasting guide and materials so they are ready and prepared to submit their class interests next week.   

College News
Here is a link to the latest college news.  Note that there are 3 college application workshops coming up for Wilson in the next two weeks with SOU, PSU, and WOU!  It's not too late to apply! 

Career Learning Week of 1/11-1/15:

                   M, 1/11 - Calling all creatives! Registration is now open for the Winter Bodecker Foundation Workshops! Registration is available on a 
                        first-come, first-served basis. Learn more and apply today. 

                   M, 1/11 - Applications Now Open for Saturday Academy's Apprenticeship in Science & Engineering. See the flyer here 

                   M, 1/11 - Calling Community-minded Juniors & Seniors! The 2021 Bank of America Student Leaders applications are open until 1/29/21!
                                 This is a fabulous paid internship opportunity with an all-expense paid trip to Washington DC.  Apply here:   
                                 www.bankofamerica.com/studentleaders                      

                   W, 1/13 - 1-1:45 Future You 2 Go presents: Post-Secondary Presentation- PCC Swan Island Trades Center (Salvador Castaneda)

As the current population of individuals experienced in the trades nears retirement age, companies are scrambling to train and hire skilled workers. Apprenticeship describes a powerful training model in which aspiring tradespeople can learn from more experienced trades workers and earn a living while they also attend school and receive scheduled, periodic advancement. Connected Careers-Trades/Apprenticeships Click to Join 

                   W, 1/13 - 2:00-2:45PM Future You 2 Go presents: Career Presentation-Victor Villegas, Technology & Media Support Coordinator-OSU
Extension Service

Meet Victor, who is a Technology & Media Support Coordinator for OSU Extension Service. When Victor was in high school, he was interested in becoming a pilot. He started with college aviation courses, but soon moved to graphics technology. Learn about how his career grew through commercial printing, digital media production of technology support. Connected Careers: Computer Science, Technology, Graphic Arts and Digital Media Click to Join

                  W, 1/13 - 2:30-3:30PM Public Health Student Organization presents Paths to Public Health Panel with undergraduate and graduate
                                students at PSU and OHSU discussing the many different education paths and careers within public health.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/84840445141

Meeting ID: 848 4044 5141

Password: 029867

F, 1/15 - Deadline to Apply for the FBI Career Academy. Click for more information and to apply

Textbooks:
Semester 2 textbooks will be distributed Feb. 1-4th.  We will advertise in next week’s newsletter the times for pick up.  We will also advertise how to drop off textbooks from semester 1 in next week’s newsletter.

Speech and Debate:
Last weekend (1/9 - 1/10), our Trojan Speech & Debate team traveled (virtually, of course) to beautiful Forest Grove to attend the Pacific University Hap Hingston Forensics Invitational. As usual, our team did not disappoint. In fact, we finished in 1st place in the Division I Sweepstakes (108 points) and 2nd place in Team Quality Sweepstakes. Below are the individual awards

Speech (IE):

Junior Impromptu 1st place -- Evan Horwitz
Open Impromptu 5th place -- Cara Weathers
Open Impromptu 6th place -- Noemie Veillette
Open Radio 4th place -- Noemie Veillette
Open Radio 5th place -- Hannah Lo
Open Radio 6th place -- Lucy Carver
Open Serious Interpretation 3rd place -- Cara Weathers
Open After-Dinner Speaking 1st place -- Zoe Carver
Open Humorous Interpretation 5th place -- Zoe Carver
Open Prose 1st place -- Cara Weathers
IE Sweeps 2nd place -- Cara Weathers

Debate:

Public Forum Debate Top Jr Speaker -- Hannah Lo
Public Forum Debate Speaker 4th place -- Natalie Taylor
Public Forum Debate Top Speaker -- Hannah Lo
Open Public Forum Debate 1st place -- Natalie Taylor and Hannah Lo
Parliamentary Debate Speaker 4th place -- Cara Weathers
Open Parliamentary Debate 1st place -- Evan Horwitz and Cara Weathers
Lincoln-Douglas Debate Speaker 4th place -- Noemie Veillette
Lincoln-Douglas Debate Speaker 5th place -- Cedar Tatarek
Open Lincoln-Douglas Debate 3rd place -- Cedar Tatarek
Open Lincoln-Douglas Debate 1st place -- Noemie Veillette

Yearbook Updates:

We have not advertised the cost of the 2020/2021 yearbook since we are not quite sure what the cost will be at this time.  Stay tuned for updates... 

Seniors: Please check your PPS email for an email from the yearbook staff with links to submit senior bests (due 1/8/21) and senior quotes (due 1/15/21). Also, if you haven't yet submitted your senior photo, please either use the EZPix invite mailed out sometime last month OR just email it directly to whstroyanyearbook@gmail.com.If you had a photo taken by Lifetouch this year, it will be included in the yearbook unless you submit something different. 

Senior Parents: Now's the time to start thinking about putting together a congratulatory ad for your senior. You should have already received an email from Balfour (our yearbook publisher). But if you haven't, you can purchase an ad and access the ad builder using this link. Scroll down to Yearbook Products and Ads and click on the button (which was just showing up as a white box last time I checked). 

Freshmen, sophomores and juniors (or parents of said students): If you haven't yet sent in a photo for the yearbook, we're still accepting late submissions. At this point, please submit them directly to us at whstroyanyearbook@gmail.com. Make sure to include your name and grade. If you had a photo taken by Lifetouch this year, it will be included in the yearbook unless you submit something different. 

Speaking of photos, if you don't want your photo included in the yearbook at all, please email khigbee@pps.net using your PPS email requesting that you not be included NO LATER THAN 1/15/21. 

If you go by a name other than what is listed in Studentvue, please email khigbee@pps.net using your PPS email with the name change NO LATER THAN 1/15/21. 

Finally, we are still VERY desperate for the following photos: your home "classroom" set up (ideally with you in it), pics of socially distanced hangouts, screenshots of video games that are keeping you sane during lockdown, summer trips (local or out of state), other trips you've taken this school year, election anticipation/celebration photos, any hobbies that are keeping you sane during lockdown, you with your pet(s) especially while trying to do school, examples of quarantine fashion or what your normal school outfit looks like these days (this includes pics of you in your favorite mask), you at sports practices, holiday/winter baking, you spending time with family, you celebrating important cultural or family traditions, pics of you in the snow (skiing, snowboarding, sledding, whatever), you at your job, dating during quarantine, pics from the Multnomah Village BLM protest, as well as anything else you think should include in the yearbook. 

Submit photos to studio.balfour.com/ezpix and use 130915 for Yearbook Project. No password needed. Please caption your photos, including people pictured. And if that's too much of a hassle, just email them to us. 

Rose Festival Court: 
If you are a Junior or Senior (female identifying) with at least a 3.5 GPA, consider applying to be a WHS Rose Princess.  To learn more about this wonderful scholarship program, visit https://www.rosefestival.org/p/programs/rose-festival-court.

Senior News
see most current news here

Dear PPS Students, Families and Colleagues,

Today we celebrate and honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a hero of mine. As his influence is seen and felt in the ongoing movement for racial justice, I want to share this video created by the Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Elementary School community. They found a creative way to unify their voices to bring us a unique reading of Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech of 1963, originally delivered to a crowd of almost a quarter million people at the March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington D.C. I think you will enjoy this collaboratively produced presentation of Dr. King’s words brought to life by a new generation of change-makers for justice at PPS.

Dear PPS Families,

We are so grateful to our educators and our community who have continued to support our students through these times of transition this year. The presidential election and its fallout, especially the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, have been disturbing and unsettling for all of us, and the feeling of unease continues as next week’s inauguration of Joe Biden nears. We know it can be an especially difficult time for our students and we remain optimistic about the power of democracy and education as they try to make sense of the events and issues.

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has issued adapted versions of its annual reports for every school and school district, including Portland Public Schools. The 2019-20 reports do not include data on statewide assessments, class size or attendance. That data is typically included but was not gatherable because classes were conducted online starting in March during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dear PPS Families,

I join all those in public education across the country who denounce the attack on the U.S. Capitol yesterday. The violent and ultimately failed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was traumatic to witness for all of us, including our students, but I remain optimistic about their future and our country’s.