This Week at WPHS

School Advisory Council Meeting - March 8
The March meeting of the School Advisory Council will be held on Monday, March 8, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. in the Den. We will have a special presentation from Mr. Scott Hansen, Director of Technology and Information Services on a new program offering students the opportunity to connect their personal laptops to the school's wireless network. All parents, students, faculty, and staff members are encouraged to attend and become involved with the SAC committee.

SAC Agenda for March 8

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FCAT Week
We are very proud of the effort that our students and faculty have put into preparing for the FCAT. Our students are well-prepared and anxious to fulfill our vision of leading the district in raising student performance.

FCAT Schedule

Tuesday, March 9:

• 9th Grade - FCAT Reading
• 10th Grade - FCAT Reading
• 11th Grade - FCAT Science
• 12th Grade - Senior Fun Day

Wednesday, March 10:

• 9th Grade - FCAT Math
• 10th Grade - FCAT Math
• 11th Grade - Reading Retakes
• 12th Grade - Reading Retakes

Thursday, March 11:

• 11th Grade - Math Retakes
• 12th Grade - Math Retakes

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Mr. and Miss West Port High School 2010
The first annual Mr. and Miss West Port pageant was held in the Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 5, 2010. Congratulations to seniors Greg Davis and Casey Parker, the 2010 Mr. and Miss West Port High School.

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West Port Students Selected for Girls State
Each summer, approximately 20,000 enthusiastic young women participate in Girls State sessions across the nation. At Girls State, the “citizens” study local, county and state government processes. They do this by setting up their own miniature city, county and state governments. Then, they administer them according to the laws of their particular state. Activities include legislative sessions, campaigning, party rallies, debating and voting. The citizens also receive special instruction in parliamentary procedure.

Selected to represent Marion County are Brianna Schad and Maureen Mohan. Samantha Stathas and Taylor Cavanaugh were selected as alternates. Congratulations and Go Wolf Pack!

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Wolf Pack Athletics This Week
Wednesday, March 10
Baseball at Belleview - 5:00PM (JV); 7:00PM (Varsity)

Thursday, March 11
Boys Tennis vs. North Marion - 4:00PM
Girls Tennis at North Marion - 4:00PM
JV Weightlifting vs. Belleview - 4:00PM
Softball at Forest - 5:30PM (JV); 7:30PM (Varsity)

Friday, March 12
Baseball vs. Springstead - 7:00PM (Varsity)

Saturday, March 13
Baseball vs. Vanguard - 1:00PM (Varsity)
Weightlifting at Belleview - Time TBA

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2010 School Improvement Parent Survey
Parents please complete the 2010 School Improvement Parent Survey. The online survey will be available until April 9, 2010.

• Parent survey in English
• Parent survey in Spanish

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WPHS Email List Registration
Would you like to receive email notices of important happenings at WPHS? By joining the email list service, you will receive notices via email about such things as:

• District Testing
• Report cards and interims
• Athletic Events
• Activities

Email List Registration

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Early College Program at WPHS
Why wait to graduate from high school to start earning college credit? The Early College program offered at West Port High is a cooperative effort between Central Florida Community College and the Marion County School Board to provide enhanced learning opportunities for qualified high school students through the effective use of community college programs and resources.

Qualified WPH students may accelerate their college education through dual enrollment courses offered on our campus. West Port is the only high school in Marion County which offers a full range of dual enrollment courses taught right here on our campus with no need to travel to the college campus. Dual enrollment courses are available to eligible students at no cost!

Advantages of Early College:

• Accelerates a student's college career and provides quality educational experience close to home.
• Allows qualified students to earn college credit and high school credit at the same time.
• Provides quality, college-level instruction at the high school location during regular school hours.
• Provides tuition and college text books to public school students at no cost.
• Provides highly qualified teaching faculty who meet the criteria of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges.
• Provides selected course offerings in general education courses widely accepted and generally transferable for upper-division enrollment.
• Provides access to college resources, facilities, and services (Learning Support Center and other college activities).

Early College Application

Contact Mr. William McAteer, Early College Coordinator for more information.

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Senior Cap and Gown Orders
Seniors who still need to place an order for their cap & gown or other graduation items may do so by visiting the Herff Jones website. The cap & gown will be delivered to the school near graduation time. All other items can be shipped directly to your home. You may reach our Herff Jones representative by phone at 904-363-1905.

Herff Jones - North Florida Website

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Upcoming Events at WPHS

UPDATED - Grad Bash 2010 - April 24, 2010

• Tickets go on sale November 30; the cost is $95 per person. The cost was recently increased because we are going to also attend the Mardi Gras themed pre-party from 5:00 - 7:00 PM where a meal will be provided for the students and they will have access to the Latin Quarter, The Groove, Rising Star, Bob Marley, and The Red Coconut as well as Live Street Entertainment. The the park doors open to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios at 7:00 PM.
  
• Tickets can be purchased from Mr. Nieb (8-40) or Ms. Craig (5-101) before or after school only.
• Buses will leave WPHS at 3:00 PM.
• The event begins at 5:00 PM and ends at 2:00 AM, we will return to WPHS by 3:30 AM.
• Students must have rides here at WPHS by 3:30 AM.
• LAST day to purchase tickets is March 12, 2010.
• All students must complete the Parent Permission form (two sided) and submit with money.
• Students MUST arrive at West Port by 2:30 PM for check-in.
• Students MUST be dress code compliant or they will not be allowed to board the bus.
• Students must ride the charter bus to and from Universal Studios.
• NO bags/purses of any kid are permitted.
• Please see Universal Studios dress code rules

Permission Form

Universal Studios Dress Code

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Prom Information - May 1, 2010
Prom 2010 will be held at Disney World on the Indiana Jones set on Saturday, May 1, 2010. Tickets are $75.00 from now until April 1. After April 1 the cost of tickets will be $100.00 until April 16. April 16 is the last day to purchase tickets. All West Port students attending the prom must submit a completed Prom Agreement Form.

All prom guests MUST submit a copy of their driver's license if they are not enrolled in a high school and must submit a completed Guest Permission Form no later than April 1, 2010. No guests younger than high school or older than 20 are allowed.

Prom Agreement Form
Guest Permission Form

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Admissions Test Information

ACT Online Prep
The only test preparation program designed exclusively by ACT test development professionals is now online! Here's what you will find in the ACT Online Prep™ program:

• Practice tests with real ACT test questions
• Practice essays for the new optional ACT Writing Test, with real-time scoring
• Comprehensive content review for each of the ACT's four required tests—English, Math, Reading, and Science
• Diagnostic test and personalized Study Path
• Anywhere, anytime access via the Internet

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ACT Test Dates and Registration Deadlines

ACT 2009-2010 Test Dates
Test Dates	Registration Deadline	(Late Fee Required)
October 24	September 18	September 19-October 2
December 12	November 6	November 7-20
February 6	January 5	January 6-15
April 10	March 5	March 6-19
June 12	May 7	May 8-21
West Port High School is an ACT Test Center Test Center Code: 225460

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CPT Online Prep
Use the link below to access links to various websites that provide practice for subtests of the Florida Computerized Placement Test (CPT), in the skill areas of mathematics, reading, and English.

CPT Practice Resources

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Official SAT Practice Test
Get ready for the SAT by taking an official practice test—you'll reinforce your test-taking skills, become familiar with the test format, and learn where to focus additional study.

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SAT Test Dates and Registration Deadlines

SAT 2009-2010 Test Dates
Test Dates	Test	Registration Deadline
October 10	SAT & Subject Tests	September 9
November 7	SAT & Subject Tests	October 1
December 5	SAT & Subject Tests	October 30
January 23	SAT & Subject Tests	December 15
March 13	SAT Only	February 4
May 1	SAT & Subject Tests	March 25
June 5	SAT & Subject Tests	April 29

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AP Exam Dates

AP 2010 Exam Dates
Exam	Exam Date
U.S. Government and Politics	8:00 AM - May 3, 2010
Calculus AB	8:00 AM - May 5, 2010
English Literature and Composition	8:00 AM - May 7, 2010
Biology	8:00 AM - May 10, 2010
Music Theory	8:00 AM - May 10, 2010
Chemistry	8:00 AM - May 11, 2010
Environmental Science	8:00 AM - May 11, 2010
World History	8:00 AM - May 13, 2010
Microeconomics	12:00 PM - May 13, 2010

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Items of Interest

Florida's Guide to High School Graduation
Did you know that you can graduate from high school in 3 years? Did you know that you can earn high school credits and college credits at the same time? Did you know that you can take college courses for free while you are still in high school?

Marion County Public Schools and the State of Florida offer all this and more. In order to find out how you can take advantage of these programs and to find out more about graduation requirements in Florida, go to the following internet address: http://www.marion.k12.fl.us/students/index.cfm.  There you will find “Florida’s Guide to High School Graduation." Click on the link for the year you started ninth grade to find a wealth of information on topics such as:

• Florida’s 18 credit-3 year graduation options
• Dual Enrollment
• Florida Virtual School
• Accelerated Academic Programs
• Major Areas of Interest

If you do not have access to a computer, or if you would like to discuss the information with an expert, please contact your guidance counselor.

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FAIR:  New Reading Assessments for Florida Students
New state reading assessments will be administered in Marion County Public Schools beginning this month.  The Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) are a K-12 assessment system providing teachers with tools to guide reading instruction.  FAIR provides information to teachers on specific elements of reading, including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.  Administered three times during the school year,  FAIR will enable teachers to monitor the reading progress of students.  Students in grades 3 through high school will take FAIR as a computer-based assessment.  If you have questions about FAIR, please contact Mr. Mike Michaud, Assistant Principal for Instruction.

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No Child Left Behind-School Public Accountability Report
The annual No Child Left Behind-School Public Accountability Report (NCLB-SPAR) contains information about the progress of Florida’s public schools. In addition to detailing how well our schools are meeting the federal requirements of NCLB, this report also reflects our progress toward meeting the state’s standards.

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Office Depot - 5% Back to Schools Program
West Port can get credits for FREE SUPPLIES through Office Depot's "5% Back to Schools" Program all year long! Every time parents, students, teachers, staff, and family members give our school's 5% Back to Schools Program ID number when purchasing school supplies at Office Depot, our school receives credits equal to 5% of the qualifying purchases to use for FREE SUPPLIES. Purchases can be made at any Office Depot store location, by calling 1-800-GO-DEPOT, or online at www.officedepot.com.

West Port ID # is 70115797

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Help Us Help Our School - Take Charge of Education® Program
We've discovered a terrific way to raise funds for West Port. It's super-easy, and all you have to do is use your Target® Visa® or Target® Card. Our school will receive a percentage of the amount of each purchase in the form of a cash donation from Target through the Take Charge of Education® program. It's easy. Just visit target.com/tcoe, or call 1-800-316-6142 to designate our school. So if you're going to Target anyway, please consider using your Target® Visa® or Target® Card. Big thanks to those who are already doing their part to make a great school even better. So far West Port has received $3597.38 through the Take Charge of Education® program.

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