SMOKE SIGNALS: WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
Issue #2
200210101
Smoke
Signals:
Westwood
High
School
NATIVE AMERICAN CLUB
Keep your Eyes on the Prize
by Wayne Hill
"Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" is a folk song that
became influential during the American Civil
rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. It is based
on the traditional song, “Gospel Plow” also known
as "Hold On," "Keep Your Hand on the Plow," and
various permutations thereof.
IN THIS ISSUE
As we begin the second semester, we must keep
our eyes on the prize. We must not quit, we must
not stop, but keep going.
Honors
The Shield Connection staff at Westwood are
very proud of the accomplishment of the students
at the end of the fall semester. Five or our
students earned a 3.91 GPA or better. 15 of the
students earned a 3.5 or better and 43 students
earned between a 3.0 and 3.499. Congratulations
Our freshman enter their second semester of
highs school and that prize seems so far away. It is on a job well. Their academic success is the key to
difficult to keep our eyes on graduation day when many future opportunities.
it is so distant. Believe me, that day in May will be On Wednesday, January 14, 2015, the Shield
upon you in a flash.
connection staff will host a breakfast for our first
Our senior class is in the final semester of high
school. For some that prize of graduation is within
their grasp. For others they see graduation
slipping their fingers. Whatever the situation,
whichever class you are in, you must stay on your
path toward graduation.
There is a commercial airing on television of the
great pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski. He
approaches a young boy who wondered onto the
stage before his performance and began playing
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star.” The parents were
embarrassed by their son’s behavior and the
audience were irritated with the parents.
Paderewski walked onto the stage and reached
around the young boy and whispered to him,
“Don’t stop, don’t quit, and keep playing.” He
placed his hands on the keys and they played a
wonderful duet.
Native American Scholar Awards for our 63
students on the honor roll. If you son/daughter
earned a 3.0 or better and is not listed on the
attached sheet, please contact Wayne Hill or
Virginia Clinton at 480.472. 4632.
Parent Information Meeting
March 21st is just around the corner. If you
are interested in joining the powwow
committee please call Coach Hill at
480.472.4632 or email him at
hwhill@mpsaz.org. Galen Gerwitz is the
student activities director. He and the club
officers have taken an active role in planning
and organizing the event. Come support
them as they continue to seek sponsorship
for the event.
The next planning meeting is scheduled for
Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 5:00. Please
RSVP by Friday January 16, 2015. The
meeting also provides the opportunity for
parents to meet the Shield Connection Staff
and organized a Westwood parent support
group. The Native American Club will
provide a Fry Bread meal. Donations will be
accepted. Please RSVP so they can estimate
the amount of supplies needed.
Issue Date
Native American Club
The next event the club members will be
involved with is the MLK parade in down town
Mesa. They will march in Honor of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Dr. King once said, "Life's most
persistent and urgent question is: 'What are
you doing for others?'"
Each year, Americans across the country
answer that question by coming together on
the King Holiday to serve their neighbors and
communities.
The MLK Day of Service is a part of United
WE Serve, the President's national call to
service initiative. It calls for Americans from
all walks of life to work together to provide
solutions to our most pressing national
problems.
The club meets each Thursday immediately
after school. The meeting location has
changed from P66 to room 55. Come join
and get involved.
SMOKE SIGNALS: WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL | Issue
Attendance
We will soon announce the students with
excellent and perfect attendance. A burrito
breakfast is planned this Friday morning at
7:30 AM for the students with Perfect and
Excellent attendance.
Successful schools begin by engaging
students and making sure they come to
school regularly. That may seem obvious.
What's less obvious is that the consequences
of low attendance are serious for all children
and for the community, not just the students
who miss school.
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Start here to help your child identify which of
the five skill areas are trouble spots.
Sometimes children fall behind in school and
fail to hand in assignments because they
simply don't know where to begin.
Prioritizing tasks is a skill your child will need
throughout life, so it's never too soon to get
started.
Tips to help your child prioritize:
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Make a checklist of things your child needs to
bring to and from school every day. Put a
copy by the door at home and one in his
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backpack. Try to check with him each day to
see if he remembers the items on the list.
Find out how your child keeps track of his
homework and how he organizes his
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notebooks. Then work together to develop a
system he will want to use.
Shop with your child for tools that will help
him stay organized, such as binders, folders
or an assignment book.
Talk to your child.
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Learning to schedule enough time to
complete an assignment may be difficult for
your student. Even when students have a
week to do a project, many won't start until
the night before it's due. Learning to
organize time into productive blocks takes
practice and experience.

Tips to help your child manage time:

Track assignments on a monthly calendar.
Work backward from the due date of larger
assignments and break them into nightly
tasks.
Help your child record how much time she
spends on homework each week so she can
figure out how to divide this time into
manageable chunks.
Ask your child to write down all the things he
needs to do, including non-school-related
activities.
Ask him to label each task from 1 to 3, with 1
being most important.
Ask about each task, so that you understand
your child's priorities. If he labels all his social
activities as 1, then you know where his
attention is focused.
Help your child change some of the labels to
better prioritize for academic success. Then
suggest he rewrite the list so all the 1s are at
the top.
Check in frequently to see how the list is
evolving and how your child is prioritizing
new tasks.
4. Concentration
Whether your child is practicing her secondgrade spelling words or studying for a
trigonometry test, it's important that she
works on schoolwork in an area with limited
distractions and interruptions.
2. Time Management
Article: Great Schools Staff
It takes a combination of skills, organization,
time management, prioritization,
concentration and motivation, to achieve
academic success. Here are some tips to help
get your child on the right track.
Incorporate your own observations with your
child's self-assessment. Is your child
3. Prioritization

Tips for Parents
Listen for clues.
Identify problem areas.
Tips to help your child get organized:
Student Success
To find out which of these skills your child
has and which he can develop further, start a
simple conversation that focuses on his
goals. Ask him about his favorite subjects,
classes he dreads and whether he's satisfied
with his latest progress report.
Together, designate a time for nightly
homework and help your child stick to this
schedule.
If evenings aren't enough, help your child
find other times for schoolwork, such as early
mornings, study halls or weekends.
Whether it's keeping track of research
materials or remembering to bring home a
lunch box, children need to be organized to
succeed in school. For many students,
academic challenges are related more to a
lack of organization than to a lack of
intellectual ability.
Student of the Month
We are pleased to
overwhelmed by assignments? She may have 
trouble organizing time. Does your child
have difficulty completing her work? She
may get distracted too easily. Is your child

simply not interested in school? She may
need help getting motivated.
1. Organization
Thank you students and parents for
understanding the importance of daily
attendance and laying a strong foundation
for success.
Sophomore, Isaiah Yazzie, was selected as
the Student of the Month for December. He
was nominated by Mr. Kim his science
teacher. Mr. Kim described Isaiah as being
an exceptional student with excellent
academic integrity. He further described
Isaiah as being the highest performer in all of
his biology classes. Congratulations Isaiah on
your performance and your high academic
standards.
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Tips to help your child concentrate:
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Turn off access to email and games when
your child works on the computer.
Declare the phone and TV off-limits during
homework time.
Find space that fits the assignment. If your
child is working on a science project, she may
need lots of space; if she's studying for a
Spanish test, she will need a well-lit desk.
Help your child concentrate during
homework time by separating her from her
siblings.
SMOKE SIGNALS: WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL | Issue
5. Motivation
Most children say they want to do well in
school, yet many still fail to complete the
level of work necessary to succeed
academically. The reason is often
motivation. Tapping into your child's
interests is a great way to get him geared to
do well in school.
Tips to help motivate your child:
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Link school lessons to your child's life. If he's
learning percentages, ask him to figure out
the price of a discounted item next time you
shop.
Link your child's interests to academics. If
he's passionate about music, give him books
about musicians and show how music and
foreign languages are connected.
Give your child control and choices. With
guidance, let him determine his study hours,
organizing system or school project topics.
Encourage your child to share his expertise.
Regularly ask him about what he's learning in
school.
Congratulate your child, encourage him and
celebrate all his successes.
Often what holds children back from trying is
the fear of failure or the memory of a time
they didn't do well. You can help break this
cycle by celebrating your child's successes,
no matter how small, and by giving him
opportunities to succeed academically.
Go Warriors.
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