West Jessamine High School

Happy Custodian Appreciation Day! Today, we want to take a moment to celebrate our amazing custodial staff at West High! Your hard work and dedication keep our school clean, safe, and welcoming every day. From early mornings to late evenings, you ensure our learning environment is the best it can be! Our building is beautiful, our grounds are well-kept, and we couldn't be more proud. It takes a great deal of effort, commitment, and hard work to do what you do and we are so thankful to have you at WJHS! Thank you for all the behind-the-scenes magic you create—your efforts do not go unnoticed!

*APPLY FOR THE FAFSA EARLY* KHEAA has been selected to participate in FAFSA Beta Testing on 10/16 and 10/17. This allows an opportunity for your students to come to the KHEAA Office in Frankfort and complete their FAFSA early (before it opens to the general public in December). This will allow the student to get in line for need-based aid, as well as give us a chance to provide direct feedback to Federal Student Aid in hopes of helping make the next FAFSA cycle easier for everyone. I’ve attached the steps for students/families interested in participating. Please note, students & families interested in this opportunity must attend this event **IN PERSON**, as specialists will be on hand to assist. Appointment times are available for October 16th from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 pm, and from 1:00-5:00 pm on October 17th. Procedures can be found in the image below or at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yieA4xQyC3cVnkeIw2Y-YBWegrx-QsIm/view?usp=sharing

🌟 October Focus: Work Ethic! 🌟 This month, we’re shining a spotlight on the Work Ethic attribute of our Graduate Profile. We believe that fostering a strong work ethic is essential for our students’ success. Throughout October, we'll encourage students to: ✅ Demonstrate persistence and perseverance ✅ Show grit and a “get it done” attitude ✅ Exhibit a growth mindset ✅ Display commitment ✅ Understand the value of hard work ✅ Demonstrate moral judgement and decision-making ✅ Be punctual and reliable

🗓️📍⏰ Mark your calendars! ❤️🩵🤍 Pull out your favorite Colt colors! 🎉🏈🎊 Join us for a wknd packed w/ fun & tradition!!! • WJHS Homecoming 2024 is almost here and there’s no place like HOME!🐴❤️🏈🥁🎉🪩 • 👠✨🏰 This year’s theme is “There’s No Place Like Homecoming,” and we’re rolling out the yellow brick road just for you … • 🗓️ Friday, Nov 1st 📍 WJHS Football Field 🎉 Senior Night Ceremony (pregame; time-TBA) 🏈 Kickoff @ 7:30pm 👑 Homecoming Court Ceremony @ halftime (🗳️hoco court nomination forms open via grade level google classrooms from 10/1 - 10/4) • 🗓️ Saturday, Nov. 2nd 🪩 Homecoming Dance 📍 WJHS Gymnasium ⏰ 8pm - 11pm 🎟️ Tickets on sale during lunches 10/28 - 11/1 • #WJHSHomecoming2024 #TheresNoPlaceLikeHomecoming #GoColts #WaveThatFlag

🎉 Fall Break Countdown! 🎉 Hey Colts ! As we gear up for Fall Break next week, let’s show our teams some love! Join us this week and let’s pack the stands to support our athletes!

Thank you to our West High students and staff who participated in the national "See You At The Pole." Your leadership and prayerful thoughts for our school are appreciated.

WJHS Swim Tryouts are October 1st. See below for additional information!

Congrats to our Lady Colts golf team...Region Champions! On to state, go Colts!

WJHS is partnering with JCHD to offer a special presentation next Thursday. Don't miss it!

JOIN US TONIGHT! English Learner Family Night - in person and online attendance options!

Join our experts as they share tips and information to help your students plan and pay for college. During our session, hosted in Spanish, students and families will learn about how to save for college, the importance of the FAFSA®, where to find scholarships, and more. You will learn about: Saving for college – it’s never too late! How to select a college and how much it will cost FAFSA® – what, why and how Understanding a financial aid offer How to find and apply for scholarships and grants – FREE $$$ Education loan options Free tools and resources to make the process easier Space is limited, so please register early to guarantee your spot! https://salliemaebank.webex.com/webappng/sites/salliemaebank/meeting/register/7f712b7cfa3c476b9a1e266d92b8b7e3?ticket=4832534b0000000704be265ec35685bfec02ca3ed3fa2c2dc7c9d56f1f9be3b00a29de02cf5e0f14×tamp=1727185007780&RGID=ra26edca98d5e65fd66fbdb719375665a

Fall is finally here and we couldn't be more excited to watch some of our fall sports this week! Plenty of opportunities to cheer on the Colts this week. See ya there!

Ms. Florence and Mrs. Welan's students go on Community Based Instruction (CBI), weekly. This week they visited the Asbury Equine facility and were able to interact with the horses!

In order to help us to identify which life skills students have learned and what skills they might still need to develop, our district will continue to implement a screening tool called the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA), 2nd Edition in the Fall and Spring. For more information, view the parent/guardian letter attached or visit the DESSA Parent Portal linked below. West High will administer the DESSA screener to students on October 17th. It takes less than 5 minutes to complete. In order to do so, we must have your permission on the google form linked below. Please review the form and complete your selection ASAP. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe4RNwE6Z7UEvOmLaSpyYR_RhTqDzO7IOApTj7vQSbTmtkV_A/viewform https://info.apertureed.com/parent-portal

Our new tennis courts, with lights, are coming along!

West High Junior and Senior students had the opportunity to attend our annual College & Career Fair this morning and meet with over 57 organizations including: private and public colleges/universities, trade schools, state training/resource programs, military branches, and local employers. The students were able to spend time networking and gathering information and resources to use when planning for post-secondary success. A huge shout out to the local businesses that provided breakfast for vendors as well as to the vendors themselves for giving their time to advise our students!

Spy Coast Farm is excited to announce a new family friendly community outreach event called EquiConnect: Community Equine Day. This event will be held on Saturday, October 19, 2024, from 1-5 p.m. at the Spy Coast Farm Equine Education Center. This opportunity will connect the local community to resources available within the equine industry. There will be a FREE community meal starting at 1 p.m., hands-on learning activities, live horse demonstrations, crafts and face painting and local non-profit organizations and companies will have tables set up to provide information about resources they can offer. Everyone is welcome to attend!

Join us for Bingo Thursday night to benefit the Senior Trip to NYC for West and East students! Doors open at 5:30pm and Chick-fila will be served in concessions. Come out to support!

Welcome back! Busy week for West High sports. We'd love to see you at some games to cheer on our student athletes! Go Colts!

West High is honored to welcome Quint Tatro, investor, entrepreneur, UK trustee advisor and adjunct professor, to teach weekly in a section of our Advanced Math Topics course, with Mrs. Julia Williams. Mr. Tatro is an expert in the field of investing and is often a guest contributor on national financial programs, he is also a West High parent! WJHS has also received a generous donation of $100,000 that has been placed in a trust for this group of students to invest in real stocks, under the direction of Mr. Tatro. They are learning the ropes of company creation and investment and will begin building a portfolio that will reflect the live market. Any proceeds from the investments will be funnelled back to scholarships for our seniors. We are beyond excited about this generous donation and our partnership with Mr. Tatro! Another great opportunity for West Jessamine students.