August 1, 2023

Hello Almond Campus Families and Students:

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I hope you all have had a safe and enjoyable summer with family and friends. I also hope all of you are feeling the same enthusiasm that I am for the start of the 2023-2024 school year.  We will begin the 2023-2024 school year with a continued commitment to who we are and what we believe through “The Warren Way.”  

“The Warren Way” is a belief that we can make a difference in our lives, in our community, and in the world by being Respectful, Resilient, and Engaged.  We Are Respectful, Resilient, Engaged - Now and always.  Therefore, we will continue to work hard throughout the school year to help our students and school community understand the importance of mindset and how we can build positive habits and character traits using these concepts.  Most importantly, it provides a framework of what we want for our students beyond high school.  

This will be my 30th year at Warren, and it is important to me that we continue to establish healthy routines to the school year by increasing our expectations and accountability for our students as well as provide a safe, supporting, and inclusive environment for all of our students that centers on dignity and belonging.  We have an outstanding staff, and I look forward to our students returning this school year to achieve great things during their high school career and beyond. 

Below is some information to help us start our year off in a positive way and may answer some questions you might have about the start of the 2023-2024 school year: 

Communication Tools:

• District Website: Our website is being updated and contains many resources for you to access needed information throughout the school year.

• District Calendars: Our website contains helpful calendars for school dates, events, and athletics/activities. 

• PowerSchool: Please make sure that your email addresses and phone numbers on file are updated. This will ensure that you receive all communication in a timely manner. PowerSchool can also be used to access student schedules, grades, attendance, and other useful student information.

• District Social Media Accounts: Please follow us at #WeAreWarren and #TheWarrenWay.

  • Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube 

• Almond Campus Principal Social Media Accounts:  Please follow me at #WeAreWarren and #TheWarrenWay.

  • Twitter and YouTube

2023-2024 Student Handbook Cell Phone Policy Update:

We have revised the student handbook cell phone policy for the 2023-2024 school year.  We want our students and families to be aware of the changes and have attached a link to the policy below.  Our expectation is that students will use their cell phone during the appropriate times designated during the school day and not during instructional time unless given permission by staff.  Here is a link to the 2023-2024 Cell Phone Policy.

• Please review this with your student to help support that cell phones are off and put away during class time.

• We want our students to be engaged in the learning process and limit their cell phone use during instructional class periods.

• We are providing an opportunity for students to manage their device or we will have processes to help manage it for them.

• All teachers will have a cell phone management/storage system that will be communicated with their students. 

Important Dates: 

• August 7 - Student Schedules/Bus Information/Locker Assignments:  This information will be emailed and available in PowerSchool to students that have completed the online registration process.  Students schedules are still being adjusted and verified for accuracy with our counselors so please refer to PowerSchool and the schedule you are emailed as of August 7, 2023.

• August 7 - Fall Sports Tryouts: Fall sports include boys and girls cross country, boys and girls golf, football, boys soccer, girls swimming and diving, girls tennis, girls volleyball, sideline cheer, and sideline dance.  For details regarding tryouts, visit the athletic department website.

• August 10 - Sneak Peek:  Students can tour the Almond Campus from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.  This night will be for students to find classroom and locker locations and acclimate themselves to the building.  Parents/guardians are also welcome to attend.  Administrators will be available for any questions you may have.  PE uniforms can be purchased during this time in the student bookstore.

• August 14 - Junior Orientation:  We want to offer an opportunity for our juniors to come to the campus that morning for a short presentation and then a chance to follow their daily schedule and meet their teachers.  Students may also drive to school as parking permits will NOT be enforced on this day.  Here is the schedule for the day.  All bus routes will run that day and buses will pick up juniors at their normal morning bus route time (time and stop location can be found on their schedule and in Powerschool).

• August 15 - Online Registration and Fee Payment: Our registration process is all on-line and should be completed in PowerSchool as soon as possible if it has not been done already.  Registration fees should be paid, or a payment plan approved, by August 15, 2023. Our website has helpful information if you still need to complete the 2023-2024 registration process and fee payment assistance information is located here.

• August 15 - Meningococcal Vaccine:  All seniors must have a meningococcal vaccine prior to the first day of school. This is a required vaccination from the State of Illinois. We have sent emails throughout the summer to those that are still in need of the vaccination.  Please email our school nurse, Mrs. Nitto, (rnitto@wths.net) with any questions.

• August 15 - First Day of School:  We will start the school year with a full day of classes and continue that schedule for the remainder of the week to establish a consistent start of routines and expectations to our school year.  We are asking our staff to focus August 15-16 on welcoming students, course syllabus expectations, and relationship building using the tenets of The Warren Way with our students.  Starting August 17, our staff will begin to introduce their curriculum, assign homework, etc.

• August 23 - First Late Start Day:  Every Wednesday this school year (except August 16, December 20, April 10, and May 22) we will be on a late start bell schedule.  The Almond Campus begins at 9:25 a.m. on each late start day and buses pick-up two hours after their normal pick-up time.

• August 30 - Almond Campus Open House:  We will host our fall open house for parents to meet their student’s teachers and experience a condensed school day.  Parents will follow their student’s bell schedule starting at 6:30 p.m. with 10-minute classes and five-minute passing periods.  Teachers will be present to introduce themselves and give a brief overview of their courses and expectations.

• September 4 - No School: School is closed in observance of Labor Day.

We are excited to get the school year started.  We are ready to welcome our students back, and we look forward to partnering with you this school year!  Please feel free to contact me or any other staff member with questions or concerns during the year.  

Thank you, enjoy the remainder of the summer, and remember We Are Respectful, Resilient, Engaged - Now and Always. Go Blue Devils!

Rob Parrott
Principal-Almond Campus
rparrott@wths.net
847-548-6611