Wisconsin Heights School District

Dear Vanguard Community, I want to provide you with an important update regarding the threat we received last night and share some additional information that I have recently been cleared to disclose by law enforcement. Last evening, a community member contacted our administration to inform us of a concerning social media post that posed a potential threat to our entire school community. Additionally, we received an anonymous tip through the Speak Up Speak Out program about the same post. In response, our administrative team immediately contacted local law enforcement and we made the decision to close our campus today in order to ensure the safety of all involved and to begin a thorough investigation. The investigation has continued throughout the day, involving numerous interviews with students and members of the community at their homes, which has made the process more lengthy than usual. Our investigation will always be thorough in order to ensure a safe environment and this takes time. Please understand that, as a school, we are unable to share specific details regarding the students involved or their consequences. Additionally, because this remains an open investigation, there are certain specifics that cannot be shared at this time in order to avoid compromising the investigation. This is standard procedure, as we are following the guidance and protocols established by local law enforcement and the Department of Justice. The initial investigation was completed at 3:50 PM today and we will continue to follow-up with families as we see fit. Please know that our primary focus remains the safety and well-being of our students, and we are committed to ensuring a secure environment for everyone in our school community. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. Michelle McGrath District Administrator Wisconsin Heights School District

Dear Vanguard Community, I wanted to update you regarding the ongoing investigation into the potential threat we received late last evening. As part of our commitment to the safety and security of everyone on our campus, we took immediate action and followed district policies and procedures to address the situation. After a thorough investigation and collaboration with law enforcement, we have determined that there is no current safety threat to our school. The campus is safe, and we will resume normal activities moving forward. After-school activities will take place as scheduled this evening. As we look ahead to Monday, we will be working together to ensure a smooth return to school for all students. We are putting a reentry plan in place to help guide this process and ensure that our staff and students feel supported as they come back. It’s important that we continue to foster a welcoming environment for everyone, and your support will be critical in this effort. The swift response to this incident was made possible thanks to the Speak Up, Speak Out program, which allowed us to quickly address the concern and work closely with law enforcement. Please remember that any threat to school safety will always be taken seriously, and we will continue to prioritize the well-being of our entire school community. Thank you again for your continued support and dedication to the well-being of our school community. Should you have any concerns or questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. Michelle McGrath District Administrator Wisconsin Height School District

Ms. G's second grade class has been learning how to write a narrative. 💚 Their big writing project was to create a comic book📖 with a beginning, middle, and end that included fun characters and an interesting problem. The students loved writing and illustrating their own stories! 🥰 Here are some photos from the writing process and a few finished products. #VanguardPride

#VanguardPride Basketball Fans, Our Conference Matchup against New Glarus on Thursday, 1/23, will have a Varsity Tip-Off of 7:00. This is a change from the regular schedule. Go Vanguards!

4th Graders are competing in a Read Bowl competition run by former NFL player Malcolm Mitchell. Each week students track their reading minutes. At the end of each week, the top three readers are identified and the top 4th grade class. Last week's top readers were Miles, Raegan, and Easton. Mrs.Stadler's class took first place with 4,866 minutes! Way to go Vanguards!

Hello Vanguard Sports Fans, The Basketball Games scheduled for Tuesday, January 21 have been canceled. We are in the process of rescheduling them. Thank you for your continued support of Vanguard Athletics! #VanguardPride

Due to the cold temperatures, Wisconsin Heights School District will be closed on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. No afterschool activities.

Last Friday, 4th graders in Mrs. Stadler's class voted to have a fort day to celebrate reaching their Gotcha Ticket Goal. They had a cozy day! #VanguardPride

#VanguardPride Athletics for the week of 1/20/2025 - Go Vanguards! Please refer to athletic calendars before heading to a game in case of any changes as they will not be updated here: https://www.capitolconferencesouth.org/.../487/school/1/ Tuesday, January 21 -Boys Swimming @ Edgewood HS 6:00pm -Girls Basketball vs Pardeeville JV 6:00pm/ Varsity 7:30pm North gym -Boys Basketball @ Belleville JV 6:00pm / Varsity 7:30pm 7th and 8th grade Girls Basketball vs Mount Horeb Middle - 7th grade 4:15 pm West gym / 8th grade 4:15 pm East gym Thursday, January 23 -Boys Varsity Hockey @ Stoughton Mandt Hockey Arena, Stoughton, WI -Girls Basketball @ New Glarus JV 6:00pm/ Varsity 7:30pm Friday, January 24 -Boys JV Hockey @ Reedsburg Area Community Center, Reedsburg, WI -Wrestling @ Fort Atkinson HS - JV 5:45pm / Varsity 7:00pm -Boys Basketball @ Marshall JV & JV2 6:00pm / Varsity 7:30pm Saturday, January 25 -Boys JV Hockey @ Reedsburg Area Community Center, Reedsburg, WI -Boys Swimming @ UW-Platteville 11:00am -Wrestling @ Fort Atkinson HS 9:00am

Congratulations to our Quarter 2 Optimist Club Quality Students of the Quarter! Clara McCulloh (8th grade) and Alyssa Stapelman (11th grade). Both were honored at the Wisconsin Heights Optimist luncheon meeting on January 10th Clara McCulloh, daughter of Ryan and Jennifer McCulloh, was selected as the MS Student of the Quarter. Clara is consistently shining as a natural leader through their commitment to rise to challenges, asking thoughtful questions and seeking help not just for their benefit, but to ensure the success of others in the process. Alyssa Stapelman, daughter of Josh and Tara Stapelmann, was selected as the HS Student of the Quarter. Laura is a natural leader with an influence beyond measure. They are a true leader that shines in the classroom and in the FFA chapter. #VanguardPride

The Vanguards are proud to welcome the Trap Club to our team! Pictured are coaches Andy Tollefson, Cody O’Connell, and the Wisconsin River Sportsmen’s Club president, where the team will practice, Larry Sailing. Be looking for more information on how to join as they put together the #VanguardPride spring competitive team!

Wisconsin Heights High School Student Council had the opportunity to go to the WASC Leadership Day with the Milwaukee Bucks. These student leaders got to enhance their leadership skills and watch the Milwaukee Bucks game! #VanguardPride

Today's #SeniorSpotlight is on #VanguardPride senior, Jocelyn Brabender! Plans after graduation? Go to a 4-year college to become either an ER nurse or trauma nurse. Activities during high school? Volleyball, Basketball, and Soccer Dream job? Travel nurse Favorite memory? All the bus rides for sports and the Field Ecology field trips with Mr. Marx. What are you most proud of? Being on varsity all 4 years of Basketball and Soccer and passing all my classes! Congratulations, Jocelyn!

The Vanguards would like to thank our Winter Sports Officials for their hard work. Happy Winter Sports Official Appreciation Week! We couldn't play the game without you! #VanguardPride

7th grade math wrapped up their unit on proportional relationships by making a collaborative poster. Each student wrote their own example of a proportional relationship and represented their example with a table, graph, and equation. The students had fun making up their own examples and some even incorporated their own interests, such as welding and sports. #VanguardPride

Wisconsin Heights families are hosting exchange students this year! We still need your help to find host families for 2 French boys and one of their teacher leaders! They arrive in the US in less than a month! #VanguardPride

Today's #SeniorSpotlight is on #VanguardPride senior, Emma Adler! Plans after graduation? Attend UW Eau-Claire to pursue a major in Finance or Marketing. Activities during high school? NHS, Drama, Student Council, Spanish Club. Dream job? Any job where I can easily work from home and travel the world. Favorite memory? The Disney trip with Drama Club my sophomore year. What are you most proud of? I'm most proud of how far I've come since freshman year. I've become stronger as a student and as a person and I'm so grateful for everything I've experienced these past four years. I'm also proud of challenging myself by taking on lead roles in my class, drama club, and student council. Congratulations, Emma!

Dear WHSD Families and Staff, I am writing to inform you of an unfortunate incident that occurred today after school, where a student was struck by a vehicle in our parking lot. Out of respect for the privacy of the student and their family, we will not be sharing further details at this time. Please join me in extending our thoughts and support to the student’s family during this difficult time. We understand that this incident may raise many emotions, concerns, and questions within our school community, especially for our students. Please know that the district’s student services and leadership team immediately began working with both students and staff this afternoon, providing support and resources to help everyone navigate this situation. We will continue to offer assistance in the days ahead as needed. We are committed to ensuring the well-being of our students and staff and appreciate your understanding and support as we work through this challenging moment together. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to any member of our team. Sincerely, Michelle McGrath District Administrator

#VanguardPride Athletics for the week of 1/13/2025 - Go Vanguards! Please refer to athletic calendars before heading to a game in case of any changes as they will not be updated here: https://www.capitolconferencesouth.org/.../487/school/1/ Monday, January 13 -Girls Basketball vs Juda - JV 6:00pm North gym / Varsity 7:30pm North gym Tuesday, January 14 -Boys Swimming vs McFarland @Sauk Prairie HS - 6:00pm -Girls Basketball vs Cambridge - JV 6pm North gym / Varsity 7:30pm North gym -Boys Basketball @ Madison Country Day - Varsity 6:00pm Thursday, January 16 -Boys Basketball vs Waterloo - JV 6:00pm North gym / Varsity 7:30pm North gym -7th and 8th grade Girls Basketball vs Belleville Middle - 7th grade 4:15 pm West gym / 8th grade 4:15 pm East gym Friday, January 17 -Boys Varsity & JV Hockey @ Onalaska Omni Center, Onalaska, WI -Wrestling vs Stoughton @ Sauk Prairie HS - JV 5:45pm / Varsity 7:00pm -Girls Basketball vs Marshall - Varsity 6:30pm North gym Saturday, January 18 -Boys Swimming @ Middleton HS pool - 12:00pm -Wrestling vs Stoughton @ Wausau West HS - 9:00am

7th grade ELA gave impromptu speeches to help prepare them for giving 2-3 minute speeches on a research topic this week. Each student picked a topic, such as are cats or dogs the best animal, who is your personal hero, or convince the school board you should have your day off school. Then they had 30 seconds to think about the topic before delivering a 2-3 minute speech to a partner and then to a small group. The speeches were very entertaining to listen to, and the kids got more comfortable talking in front of a group of people. #VanguardPride