Watterson Wednesday News

Important Dates

November 23

Open House

Students helping: wear school uniforms

November 26-30

Thanksgiving Break

December 8

All-School Mass (no birthday dress down)

Health Office

Your child may have been exposed to pertussis (whooping cough). Pertussis is a bacterial respiratory disease that spreads easily and can be very serious.

Symptoms usually appear 7-10 days after exposure to the bacteria, including:

• Early symptoms resemble the common cold, sneezing, runny nose, mild fever and cough.
• Within one to two weeks:

--More severe cough or fits of numerous rapid coughs

--Coughing followed by a high-pitched “whoop”

--Coughing so hard that the ill person gags or vomits

• These episodes may recur for one to two months and are more frequent at night.
• Some people, including young infants, immunized school children, adolescents, and adults, may not have these typical coughing spells.

Please take your child to be tested if they have any of these symptoms, even if they are not exhibiting the typical “barking cough” associated with pertussis. Many of the cases we have seen are in the beginning stages and have not developed this cough yet.

Open House is THIS SUNDAY

NOTE: BWHS students who have been asked by a staff member or coach to assist at Open House must wear their school uniforms and be here by 12:30 p.m. We ask that they park in the Cooke Road lot and far end of the South Field lot. Student arrival/departure times may be different than the publicly posted Open House hours.

We invite you to share the link at the button below with friends and relatives who are looking ahead to high school! You can help us spread the word even further by sharing our Open House information on social media!

Senior Friendsgiving is FRIDAY

Student Council and Mothers' Club are teaming up to host a Friendsgiving Lunch for the senior class on Friday, November 21. Sign up to donate or volunteer!

Semester Finals Attendance

With semester exams approaching before our Christmas break, we wanted to remind parents of our policy from our Student Handbook:

Testing and Absence –Semester Final Exams

Students must be present during all scheduled finals. The only excused absence is one due to extreme illness. A doctor’s note is required for verification. If a student is ill and needs to reschedule an exam, they must contact Vice Principal Heather Law, mrs.law@bwhs.org, for permission and arrangements. Exams will not be rescheduled for vacations, club sports, etc. Absences due to reasons other than illness may result in the student receiving 80% of the grade earned.

Please examine our finals schedule closely and plan vacations accordingly. Inform family members, club coaches, employers, and parish leaders working on service trips/retreats/etc. that students are not available until exams are over. Please do not schedule doctor’s appointments, elective surgery, etc. during this time.

All non-core/elective classes will give 45-minute finals the week of December 8. This includes Music, PE, Arts, Health, Social Studies electives, English electives, Business and Computer classes. 



Core classes and all AP classes will still give 90-minute finals the week of December 15. This includes English, Foreign Language, Math, Science, Social Studies and Theology.

Tuesday, December 9: Music, Arts, PE

Wednesday, December 10: No finals due to early release schedule

Thursday, December 11: Health, Business, Computer Science

Friday, December 12: Social Studies and English electives

Monday, December 15: 1st and 2nd core/AP

Tuesday, December 16: 3rd and 4th core/AP

Wednesday, December 17: 5th and 6th core/AP

Thursday, December 18: 7th and 8th core/AP

Successful Season of Giving

November 7: Holy Family Soup Kitchen

$4,860

November 14: Food Drive for St. Francis Center in McArthur, Ohio

6,480 non-perishable food items

Counselor Corner

SOS Program for Juniors

On December 2, the juniors will be receiving the Signs of Suicide program in Theology classes. An email went to junior parents yesterday with more information. If you have any questions about the program please contact Zach Johnson, mr.johnson@bwhs.org, or Savannah Gazdik, sgazdik@bwhs.org. 

Junior Families

Counselors will be visiting classrooms on November 20 to review students' PSAT results and to complete a career and college match activity using Scoir. New this school year, counselors will provide an individual college/post-secondary planning meeting for students and their families.
Be on the lookout for a meeting sign up.

Athletics

SAVE THE DATE! Athletics Signing Day

Sunday, April 12 at 2:00 p.m. in the MAIN GYM

We will be honoring all Division I, II and III athletes on this day. Come celebrate with your athlete, and bring friends, coaches and family! 

More details to follow!

Football Team Defeats Tri-Valley in Playoffs

The football team continued its playoff run with a 48-6 victory over Tri-Valley last Friday. The Eagles now face Steubenville this Friday in the Division III, Region 11 Championship at White Field in Newark. All ticketing is through the OHSAA website.

Spirit Sign Orders

It’s time to order your spirit signs! Click on the button below and scroll down for the order form and list of icon options.

Spirit Sign Orders

It’s time to order your spirit signs! Click on the button below and scroll down for the order form and list of icon options.

Eagle Store

New Hours for the Christmas Season!

Mondays: 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Mother’s Club Christmas Social on December 1 from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Polar Express Breakfast on December 6 from 10:00 a.m.-Noon

Or email Ryan Schwieterman, rschwiet@cdeducation.org or Heather Law, mrs.law@bwhs.org to make an appointment!

Student Trip To Spain

$300 Discount for Those Signed Up by Thursday, November 20

Sra. Geers is planning a trip to Spain, June 7-16, 2027! The trip will start in Madrid and end in Barcelona with several stops along the way.

Interested students and their parents are encouraged to attend an informational meeting on Thursday, November 13, at BWHS in room 106 at 6:00 p.m.

For trip details, click here.

Have You Considered This Donation/Tax Credit Option?

Belize Trip Update

Mothers' Club Campus Beautification

Polar Express Breakfast

Worth Repeating

Class of 2030 Registration

If you have a current 8^th grader planning to attend Bishop Watterson next year, now is the time to apply! Our application fee is reduced to $100 through November 30 and will be $150 from December 1-January 15.

Click on the buttons below to apply and for all the important dates and deadlines for the Class of 2030.

The deadline to apply is January 15, 2026.

Choir Christmas Greenery Sale

The choir's annual poinsettia and Christmas greenery sale is underway! Order at the link below and pick up on Monday, December 8.

Save the Date: A Night for the Eagles!

Campus Ministry Corner

For the first time, a pope will directly engage in a 45-minute live digital dialogue with young people at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC). The encounter will take place on Friday, November 21, at 10:15 a.m. during NCYC’s morning general session at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Broadcast globally by EWTN, the exclusive multi-cast provider, this event isn’t just a speech, it’s a true encounter, as Pope Leo XIV listens and responds to young people’s hopes and struggles, affirming that their voices matter in the life of the Church.

Register to watch here.

Mothers' Club Corner

Attention Bread Bakers!

As a gesture of gratitude for the BWHS teachers and staff, we are continuing our tradition of giving them a gift of homemade quick bread at Thanksgiving. We are looking for bakers to donate four MINI individually wrapped and labeled homemade quick breads. Breads are to be dropped off during school hours on Monday, November 24. If you can share your baking skills, please sign-up at the button below.

Save the Date for Christmas Social

‘Tis the season! Mark your calendars for Monday, December 1, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Dominican Hall. Mothers’ Club is hosting our annual Christmas Social! Spend some festive time socializing and shopping with other BWHS moms while participating in a charitable project benefitting Flying Horse Farms.

Campus Ministry Corner

Eucharistic Adoration

Parents Are Invited to Join Us

One of the efforts to nurture and encourage the spiritual life of our students here at Bishop Watterson is weekly exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesdays. Each week, one grade level is assigned to spend some time in silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament during Theology class. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the chapel at 7:30 a.m. and remains until Benediction at 1:30 p.m.

If you have completed the “Protecting God’s Children” requirements of the Diocese, please click on the button below to sign-up for a particular Holy Hour.

Uniform Stores

Educational Apparel will be having an online only Black Friday Sale of 20% off, November 28-30. Use code BLKFRIDAY20.

Click here to go to the website.

Winter Weather Closure Notifications



Bishop Watterson follows the Diocese of Columbus in determining weather-related closures. In the event of a closure, we use the School Messenger system to send a phone message to parent cell phones on file with the school office. We will also get the word out through our social media accounts. 

Cold & Flu Season is Here

The peak of the cold and flu season is upon us and we can all make efforts to prevent widespread flu in the school. The following is helpful information in determining whether to send your child to school:

Definitely keep your child at home for treatment and observation if he or she has any of these symptoms:

• Fever (greater than 100 degrees; your child may return to school only after his or her temperature has been consistently below 100 degrees, unmedicated, for a minimum of 24 hours)
• Vomiting (even once in the last 24 hours)
• Diarrhea
• Chills
• General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness or muscle aches
• Frequent congested (wet) or croupy cough

Consider keeping your child at home for an extra day of rest and observation if he or she has any of the following symptoms:

• Very stuffy or runny nose and/or cough
• Mild sore throat (no fever, no known exposure to strep)
• Headache
• Stomach ache

To help prevent the flu and other colds, teach your children good hygiene habits:

• Wash hands frequently
• Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth
• Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, use a paper tissue, throw it away and then wash or sanitize hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick

Colds are the most contagious during the first 48 hours. A child who has a fever should remain at home until fever free for a minimum of 24 hours. Often when a child awakens with vague complaints (the way colds and flu begin) it is wise to observe your child at home for an hour or two before deciding whether or not to bring him or her to school. Your child should be physically able to participate in all school activities on return to school. Keeping a sick child at home will minimize the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom.

Our custodians and the evening cleaners work to provide a clean and healthy environment for our students and staff. Thank you in advance for helping make this year at school as healthy as possible.

The Flu: A Guide for Parents

Worth Repeating