From left Western Wayne sixth graders Jennifer Stump and Paige Shaffer.
From left Western Wayne eighth graders Madison Stiffler and Kennedy Scott.
From left Western Wayne sixth graders Donovan Gregorski and Zeke Hemmler.
From left Western Wayne eight graders Lizzie Washine and Lilli Maros.
Western Wayne Middle School held a Fall blowout reward day on Monday, Oct. 12, for students as a part of their PBIS initiative which involves successfully creating a proactive positive school environment in which students are demonstrating their Wildcat PRIDE daily.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based three-tiered framework for improving and integrating all the data, systems, and practices affecting student outcomes every day. It is a way to support everyone to create the kinds of schools where all students are successful.
PBIS is a commitment to addressing student behavior through systems change. When it is implemented well, students achieve improved social and academic outcomes, schools experience reduced exclusionary discipline practices, and school personnel feel more effective.
PBIS is an ongoing effort of the Western Wayne School District to guide students in behaving and interacting with others in such a way as to promote an effective learning community.
Students in grades six, seven, and eight were treated to a rotating schedule of fun activities as a reward for their ongoing efforts in PBIS throughout the fall. They had a treat time where they could choose from a variety of flavors of Italian Ice. Students also got to a play a Kahoot interactive online game where they guessed who faculty and staff where in old photos. Another part of the day was a chance for them to watch a virtual pep rally that featured the Western Wayne High School Band and the Western Wayne Cheerleaders.
All enjoyed this opportunity to have some fun with their classmates.
Sixth grader Donovan Gregorski said he really liked the virtual pep rally.
“I knew the Wildcat rumble,” Donovan explained referencing a popular cheer done by Western Wayne football cheerleaders at every game.
Sixth graders Jennifer Stump and Paige Shaffer also enjoyed the virtual pep rally.
“Our favorite song was ‘Shut Up and Dance,’” Paige explained. Both girls thought it was neat that they knew the lyrics to some of the songs the band played on the pep rally video.
The band performance that was included in the virtual pep rally video was from their senior night performance that was performed for a limited audience earlier in October.
Overall, the students had a great time enjoying their Italian Ice treats, playing the online game, and listening to music and cheers via the virtual pep rally.
The students look forward to future PBIS activities like this one in the future.
Students who have satisfied all school obligations (including textbooks, cafeteria balances, etc.) can register for summer school on June 29th (8:00AM to 11:00AM) or June 30th (9:00AM to 12:00PM) at WESTERN WAYNE HIGH SCHOOL. A GUIDANCE RECOMMENDATION is required since all summer school students must have an average in the 55-69 range for the subject they need to make up. Any student with a grade under a 55 will not be allowed to register for summer school. Guidance recommendations are located on the Failure Notice sent out by Guidance. The cost will be $100.00 per student/per course. Checks may be made payable to the Western Wayne School District. ALL financial obligations MUST be met! If you receive Free or Reduced Lunch, financial accommodations can be made.
***COURSES WILL BE OFFERED IN AN AT HOME ON-LINE FORMAT***
Classes will be offered in from 8:00AM – 10:00AM and 10:00AM – 12:00PM
Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) released preliminary guidance for the phased reopening of Pre-K to 12 schools. Western Wayne School District intends to consider all of the guidelines put forth by PDE, CDC, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Our goal is to welcome students back to school in the fall. Surely, the safety of our students along with continued excellence in education will by our top priorities.
We are asking all parents/guardians to complete the following survey to assist us in the planning of the reopening of schools for the 2020-2021 school year. If you are unable to complete the survey online, please contact the District Office at 1-800-321-9973.
Did you finish all of your school for the day? Still looking for something to do? Well, while you are at the computer, and missing sports like we do, log on to http://nfhslearn.com/courses/ NFHS has put together several courses for the athlete, and the best part is they are all FREE!
When we return to the 2020-2021 season show your coach what courses you took by printing out the certificate at the end of the course. Show your coach that during this unprecedented time, you still remained positive.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) launched a statewide Support & Referral Helpline staffed by skilled and compassionate staff who will be available 24/7 to assist Pennsylvanians struggling with anxiety and other challenging emotions due to the COVID-19 emergency and refer them to community-based resources that can further help to meet individual needs.
The toll-free, round-the-clock support line is officially operational. The number to call is 1-855-284-2494. For TTY, dial 724-631-5600.
To create and staff the support line, DHS has partnered with the Center for Community Resources (CCR), an experienced regional crisis and call center provider based in Butler County and licensed to provide crisis services.
CCR staff are trained to be accessible, culturally competent, and skilled at assisting individuals with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, co-occurring disorders and other special needs. Staff use the principles of trauma-informed care to listen, assess needs, triage calls, and provide appropriate referral to community resources to children, teens, adults and special populations.
CCR will collaborate with individuals, families, police, emergency medical teams, hospitals, schools, and human service providers on the local level to provide quality care to their community members.
Many other resources also remain available to Pennsylvanians in need of support, including:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio: 1-888-628-9454 Crisis Text Line: Text “PA” to 741-741 Veteran Crisis Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 Get Help Now Hotline (for substance use disorders): 1-800-662-4357 Pennsylvania Sexual Assault Helpline: 1-888-772-7227 National Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
In an effort to minimize travel for families, we will no longer serve meals five days per week. However, families will still receive meals for all five days. Starting Monday April 6, breakfast and lunch meals will be provided at RDW and Evergreen Elementary Schools from 11:00 am -12:30 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Multiple meals will be distributed on Tuesdays and Thursdays to cover the next day. We encourage families to continue to be proactive in reducing the risk of Coronavirus by not congregating at the pickup site once meals have been distributed. Please continue to wash your hands often and stay home if you are sick.
ALL NEWS
Students Attend World Language Day at The University of ScrantonMarch 7, 2025On Tuesday, March 4th, The University of Scranton held their second World Language Day in which they hosted over 100 high school students to experience lessons in Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, German, and Arabic. Some Western Wayne High School students were in attendance and loved their experience.
“It was very interesting to be immersed in so many different languages,” Kallie Wehrmann, Western Wayne senior, said. “I really loved making new friends and learning about different cultures. I am so excited to go to college next year and feel this experience makes me even more prepared for the future.”
From left: Mrs. Sara Orloski, Jack Sepelyak, Lance Hauenstein, Kaitlin Wargo, Leah Reeger, Loucy Allen, Julia Wehrmann, Katie Skirpan, Lily Kieva, Kallie Wehrmann, Chloe Gilpin, Maria Gadoua, and Mrs. Sandrowicz. [...]
High School February Students of the MonthMarch 5, 2025The following students were recognized by the Student Council as students of the month for February. Their teachers and administrators weighed in on the decisions. All of the students chosen hold a high standard of academic and personal excellence. They are true examples of the P.R.I.D.E. standards for PBIS at our school.
First, Leah Reeger is our selected freshman. Leah is an all-around excellent student who has a passion for art. In addition, she is involved in Envirothon, Student Council, and Ultimate Frisbee. One of her favorite classes is her Honors English class. She feels as though her writing is growing in strength this year, especially her poetry and literary analysis work.
She also is greatly enjoying her Introduction to Ceramics class this year.
“We are learning how to make basic items like bowls,” Leah explained. “I really like coming up with new items to create and then making them a reality through my art.”
Leah aspires to own a coffee shop with an art theme that focuses on nature.
Next, Eric McGrath is our chosen sophomore this month. Eric is an enthusiastic student who gives his best effort in all he does. His sports and activities include soccer, track, and Envirothon. His favorite class this year is English.
“I like writing best, especially fiction analysis,” he said. Eric plans to attend college after graduation with an undecided major at the moment.
In addition, Loucynthia Allen is this month’s featured junior. She is another very dedicated student who enjoys art. Her clubs and activities include Spanish Club, National Art Honor Society, and Envirothon.
Her favorite class this year is ceramics.
“I really like being in my own world when I create art,” she said.
She aspires to become a dentist or dental hygienist for her future career.
Finally, David Elias is our senior spotlight this month. David is an exceptional academic student and talented student athlete. His sports and activities include basketball, track and FBLA.
His favorite class is calculus.
“I enjoy problem solving and working with numbers,” he said.
David plans to attend a four-year university upon graduation with an undecided major.
The Western Wayne School District congratulates these February students of the month and wishes them the best in their future endeavors.
From left: Leah Reeger, Eric McGrath, Mr. Robert Black, high school assistant principal; Loucynthia Allen, and David Elias. [...]
PA State Grant UpdateMarch 5, 2025PA State Grant Information:
PHEAA has informed us that they will be not be using GrantUS to process the PA State Grant. They will be using their legacy system and expect to have initial emails to students to apply for the 2025-26 PA State Grant in April. Please be on the lookout for an email from PHEAA if you filled out your FAFSA regarding the state grant [...]
Students Win Big With Energy Efficiency!March 4, 2025A group of ninth grade students at Western Wayne High School received the Honorable Mention award in a special PPL contest.
Aidyn Graci and Mitchell Ferraro General Science, students from the high school were the Honorable Mention winners in the PPL Electric THINK! ENERGY Innovation Challenge. The contest required students to develop an interactive and hands-on presentation on energy, natural resources and environmental issues.
Science teacher Dr. Mark Nebzydoski led the challenge for Western Wayne by registering all Western Wayne High School students for free energy conservation kits, which consisted of three compact fluorescent light bulbs, a smart energy power strip, a shower timer, a faucet aerator and water-saving shower head. Each student was then asked to take the kits home, install the energy-saving equipment and survey how much energy was saved due to the use of the equipment.
“The students projects submitted were very creative and entertaining.” Nebzydoski said. “Seeing students learning about energy efficiency and applying it to the real world is the perfect model of how education should work.” “High school students are tomorrow’s homeowners, so reinforcing energy efficiency messages is important.”
The winning students’ project included a video on energy efficiency. They can be found from a link on the Western Wayne Website. https://youtu.be/EDmCGFHw4Lk Winning students each received Beats wireless earbuds. Dr. Nebzydoski received $250 for classroom supplies.
“I am proud of the student’s hard work and achievement,” Dr. Nebzydoski said.
The students really had a lot of fun making the video with the ongoing theme of “Come on, Mr. Nebz!” Throughout the clip, they kept telling their favorite teacher to be more careful about energy usage in his classroom.
Mitchell Ferraro, who of the winning students who aspires to be a social studies teacher, really liked how fun it was to make the video and tell Mr. Nebz what to do throughout it.
Fellow video creator Aidyn Graci, who aspires to study business one day be very successful, was relieved when they finished the project. “I was glad to get to the end and see our hard work pay off,” he said.
PPL Electric Utilities, in conjunction with National Energy Foundation (NEF) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), is proud to sponsor the THINK! ENERGY with E-power educational program. There are three program offerings for various grade levels and each is designed to provide teachers and students with energy education. All program offerings are free and are correlated to Pennsylvania learning standards.
Please see contest link https://thinkenergy.org/ppl-innovation/teachers/
From left: Dr. Mark Nebzydoski, Mitchell Ferraro, and Aidyn Graci. [...]
PPL Awards Gift Certificate to Western Wayne SophomoreMarch 4, 2025PPL awarded Western Wayne sophomore student Liam O’Brien an amazon gift card as a prize for completing a survey about his usage of tools in the Innovation Kit that all Western Wayne 9th grade high school students got as a part of the PPL Think! Energy program this past fall. The students were challenged to use the items in the kit such as a smart power strip, LED bulbs, and a special shower head for water conservation, among other items. Liam, who aspires to study culinary arts or sports broadcasting in the future, and many other Western Wayne students used these items and then filled in a survey about their experiences. Liam was the lucky winner drawn at random for the Western Wayne School District. Liam said he got the most use out of the power strip from the PPL kit. He likes his science class and prioritizes helping the environment. “I think it is important to be environmentally conscientious so that plants in nature can thrive and people in general have better health,” Liam said.From left: Dr. Mark Nebzydoski and Liam O’Brien. [...]
Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention
program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize
warning signs and signals, especially within social media,
from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others
and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late.
