Wescott Word
March 24, 2023
Illinois Assessment for Readiness (IAR) Testing
From the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction: IAR testing starts the week of April 3!
Students in grades 3rd through 8th will participate in the IAR assessment on various days beginning the week of April 3. The first testing date will be April 4 and the window will extend through April 14, 2023. Makeup testing will occur throughout the testing window.
Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact your child’s building principal or the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Melissa E. Hirsch.
Save the Date - Lighted Schoolhouse is April 12th!
SAVE THE DATE for our upcoming Lighted Schoolhouse on Wednesday, April 12th from 6:00-7:00 pm. This is an evening designed for your child to take you on a tour and show you the different rooms in which they learn and what they have been working on this year. Come to school with your child and visit the teachers with whom they spend their day!
We will also partner with Inspire Through Flowers that evening to provide service and spread kindness throughout our Northbrook community.
Summer School Signup Continues
Have you heard the buzz? There’s a lot of excitement around registration for District 30 Summer School! Haven’t registered your child yet? Don’t worry - registration still continues through this spring. While several courses are now full, we still have a wide variety of great offerings. To view current course availability, please visit the District 30 Summer School website.
Thank you!
Ashley Grosshuesch & Lainie Levin
Summer School Principals
Calendar of Events
Monday-Friday, March 27-31
NO SCHOOL - Spring Break
Monday, April 3
School Resumes
April 4 - April 14
Illinois Assessment for Readiness (IAR) testing - Grades 3-8
Friday, April 7
NO SCHOOL - District Holiday
Wednesday, April 12
PTO Ice Cream Day
Lighted School House - 6:00-7:00 pm
Friday, April 14
School Spirit Day - Wear Red & White
Third grade's got the blues!
Click to learn about our "Sweet Home, Chicago" with our 3rd-grade students! They presented their concert "Chicago Blues" this week to parents and classmates, sharing the historical evolution of the Windy City blues sound through words & original music and lyrics by Mr. Coaxum. Bravo to all for your hard work and amazing performance!
Attention 5th-Grade Parents!
Incoming 6th Grade Orientation will be Wednesday, April 19 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Maple School Cafetorium!
The 2022-23 school year is quickly coming to a close, and we are eagerly anticipating your student(s) joining Maple next year as 6th-graders! The Incoming 6th-Grade Parent Orientation presentation will provide valuable information intended to answer questions, introduce some key adults in your child’s upcoming 6th-grade year, provide a tour and offer insight into a day of a Maple School student.
Please join us to get your transition to Maple School started!
Deadline Approaching to Give School Feedback
Dear District 30 Parents,
The deadline is approaching to participate in the statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey, which will provide insights on the quality of instruction, involvement, the leadership of our principals, and more at each District 30 school. These results will help guide improvement. Please click here to take the survey by March 31.
Your identity and survey responses will be kept confidential and never be connected to you (or any student).
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey is administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education. The survey gathers data that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. Indicators that affect and predict school success are:
- Effective Leaders
- Collaborative Teachers
- Involved Families
- Supportive Environments
- Ambitious Instruction
5Essentials Reports will be sent to schools and districts in May 2023 and included in each State School Report Card, released by ISBE in the fall of 2023.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or impact-surveys@uchicago.edu.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brian K. Wegley
Superintendent
News from the Wescott PTO
PTO Board Nominations Open
5th Grade Parents - Baby Photos Needed!
We need your help preparing a fun Wescott end-of-year tradition – the 5th-Grade Memory Wall! In the weeks leading up to the 5th-grade luncheon, baby photos of the 5th-graders will be displayed on the Memory Wall at school and the kids can have fun guessing who is who. The names will be revealed during the week of the luncheon, and the kids can see how much they have all grown!
Please provide a hard copy 4x6 baby photo of your 5th-grader. Collection envelopes will be in each classroom from Monday, April 3 to Friday, April 14. Please be sure to include your child’s name on the back of the photo.
We look forward to seeing all of the adorable baby photos!
SCAM Email Alert
We've been receiving some scam emails soliciting gift cards from parents. Please be cautious and reach out with any questions. If you have received a suspicious email, please report it as phishing and delete it. Thank you.
Classroom Placements for 2023-24
Dear Parents,
This is the time of year when staff begin thinking about classroom placements for the coming school year. This is a very delicate process, which takes into account many factors in an effort to create the best possible learning environment for each child. This includes:
Gender balance
Student academic strengths/weaknesses
Student learning styles
Social dynamics
Identified special needs
Student/teacher match
Class size
The placement process is a team effort completed with care and consideration. Classroom teachers work with special area teachers to review student needs and dynamics. The process requires significant time and collaboration.
You may want to share information about your child to help us in this process. Each year children grow and change, as do relationship dynamics, so information that you may have shared in the past is not referred to during this year's process. If you wish to provide input, it may include information related to your child's learning style, social dynamics with other children, and/or academic strengths & weaknesses.
We ask that you do not request a specific teacher for your child. Please do not make this request of your child’s current teacher. Such requests cannot be honored, as this opportunity is not available to all children and the staffing may change between now and the beginning of next year.
This input should be put in writing to your building principal no later than Friday, March 31. Information received after this date may not be considered. Please know email is the preferred method for this communication directly to Dr. Brown cbrown@district30.org.
We trust that you will rely on our professional judgment as we group the children with the idea of creating the best learning environment for everyone. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.
Sincerely,
Christopher M. Brown, Ed.D.
Principal, Wescott School
Kindergarten & Preschool Signup is Open
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
District 30's full-day 2023-24 Kindergarten Program will be held at both Willowbrook and Wescott schools. In order to be eligible for kindergarten, your child must have been born on or before September 1, 2018, as evidenced by an official birth certificate or passport. Proof of residency in District 30 is also required, as well as the filling out of an affidavit form.
Please visit the Wescott or Willowbrook Kindergarten Registration page on the District 30 website for more information. Visit our enrollment page for the pre-registration links and information on establishing residency in District 30. Questions? Please call Willowbrook’s office at 847-498-1090 or Wescott’s office at 847-272-4660.
PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION
The 2023-24 District 30 Kid Connection Preschool will be held at Willowbrook School. The preschool program is held 5 days a week for 2.5 hours a day and follows the District 30 school calendar. The 3-year-old students attend the morning class and the 4-year-old students attend in the afternoon. Please visit our District 30 Preschool page for the pre-registration link, tuition information, and a list of documents needed to register.
Safety Reminder
Just a friendly reminder that there is no outdoor supervision at Wescott School before 8:30 a.m. or after 3:20 p.m. For the safety of your children please be sure they do not arrive at school before 8:30 a.m. or stay after 3:20 p.m. unless they are being supervised by their parent or guardian.
From the Health Office: Increase in Strep Throat
IDPH and the CDC are observing an increase in strep throat -- specifically invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) -- infections among children. ISBE is joining IDPH and and the CDC in stressing the importance of early recognition, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment of these diseases in children and adults.
See this parent fact sheet for more information.
COVID -19 Testing and When to Keep Your Student Home Sick
Please keep your child home when they are not feeling well. They should not return to school until they have been fever-free for 24 hours (without use of fever-reducing medication) and/or free of vomiting/diarrhea for 24 hours.
For any of the below symptoms, please arrange COVID-19 testing prior to your child's return to school. Per IDPH guidelines, testing should be done within 48 hours of symptom development. At this time, rapid antigen testing is accepted, including home testing, as long as your child has not had any recent close contact with a person known to have COVID-19. If recent close contact has occurred, please contact the health office to discuss testing options.
COVID-19 like symptoms include:
- Fever above 100.4
- New cough/congestion
- Sore Throat
- Muscle/Body Aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Unexplained fatigue
- Vomiting/Diarrhea
Please call or email the health office if your student tests positive for COVID-19.
SHIELD Testing - All Schools on Tuesdays
SHIELD Saliva tests must be turned in to your child’s school before 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays.
Important Information
Throughout the year, packs with multiple testing kits will be sent home with your child
Use one each week and save the remaining for future use
Only return samples in the bag with the QR code and your child’s name
Instructions are available here and on the website at District 30 Health and Safety Guidance
Future supplies will be provided only to students who have participated in testing, therefore, hold onto your supplies if you think you may use them at some point
Please reach out to your school’s Health Office should you need additional supplies
Opt-Out of SHIELD Testing
Contact Lauren Schulman lschulman@district30.org
Return testing supplies to your child’s school
Want to know what's going on around the community? District 30 uses a "Virtual Backpack" to share community information while saving paper, costs, and lightening the loads our students bring home. Please click the button below to view upcoming Community Events.
School Hours
School Hours are 8:40 am to 3:10 pm.
Half day dismissal time is 11:45 am.
Wescott School
Main office: 847-272-4660
Health/Attendance Office: 847-400-8760
Location: 1820 Western Avenue, Northbrook, IL 60062, USA
Website: district30.org/wescott
Facebook: facebook.com/ngsd30
Twitter: @district30