Tic Tac Toe. A game that is fun when you were a kid, but eventually you stop playing because your skills advanced and the game ends in a tie. As I have grown up, I realize the value and reward of working on tasks and accomplishments as a collective- no individual winners. I experience much more satisfaction sharing work, tasks, and objectives so that everyone involved feels valued, respected, and productive.

This week, Wasco experienced its first COVID case. As your leader, I want to encourage us to continue our collective work. We banded together, home and school, to protect our goal of staying together. It is no easy feat. Teachers assiduously monitor not only student’s academic progress, but also their social and environmental habits. Parents have to participate in our monitoring systems and guard the family schedule to protect from social exposure. It is not an easy task for any of us, but all of us working together share in the success of creating a large body of thoughtful, caring, and productive citizens. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for partnering with me on this important objective. Seeing your kids faces everyday makes all the work worthwhile.

Kind regards,

Principal Brennan

331-228-6294

Stephanie.brennan@d303.org

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce this year’s Wasco Spirit Club Members!

Abby Poss - 3P

Natalie Wilton - 3A

Daniel McCauley - 3G

Graham Showalter - 3K

Meryl Kaplan - 4D

Joseph Barton - 4M

Julia Grawender - 4He

Andrew Leigl - 4Ha

Abeile Edwards -4th Remote (Erin Smith)

Sierra Horniacek - 4th Remote (Kerri Furlong)

Reese Full - 5R

William Showalter - 5R

Sydney Steib - 5E

These students were chosen from over 40 applicants for their leadership qualities and their unique ideas for promoting Spirit within our school and community! Stay tuned for more news from our Spirit Club and be prepared to show your SPIRIT!

Co-Coordinators: Amy Corda and Rebecca Schroeder

All D303 students utilize the iReady tool to practice skills at their individual level. The chart below shows you the progress of the whole school. Each student has a weekly 45 minute goal of practice in each content area: reading and mathematics. We will provide parents updates on goal progress in future Wasco Weeklies. If you have a question about your child's individual progress, please contact your classroom teacher.

This is just a reminder about sending your child(ren) to school because Covid-19 has altered the way we look at sniffles, coughs and sneezes this year. If Anyone in the household has any following symptoms please refrain from sending your child(ren) to school:

Fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, new onset of moderate to severe headache, shortness of breath, new cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain from unknown cause, new congestion/runny nose, new loss of sense of taste or smell, nausea, fatigue from unknown cause, muscle or body aches.

Medical Evaluation and Testing are Strongly Recommended for ALL person with Covid-like symptoms.

It is also very important to remind your child(ren) how important it is to wear their mask while in the school building at all times, unless specified, i.e. lunchtime.

I appreciate and Thank You for being understanding and considerate.

Last spring, Mrs. Misner, our Wasco Physical Education teacher, was awarded two grants from the Greater St. Charles Education Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting excellence in education within Community Unit School District 303. The group provides grants to teachers and several scholarships each year to our St. Charles High School students. Mrs. Misner received a grant for $274.98 for a Gopher Ignition Pro Interval Trainer that will be temporarily mounted on the wall in the gym. The timer can also be placed on a table so it is moveable. This will provide a great visual for station work and fitness training.

A second grant was written by Mrs. Misner for $990.31 on behalf of the D303 Elementary Physical Education team for new bowling equipment. The bowling equipment travels to each school throughout the year with all of our elementary students using it. The purchase was for 3 new bowling lanes including a rubber bowling ball and 10 pins and 6 new lightweight bowling balls for our primary and students with special needs to use.

Mrs. Misner would like to express her gratitude to the Greater St. Charles Education Foundation for their continued support of education and students in D303. If you are interested in learning more about the Foundation or would like to make a donation, the website is http://stced.org/

There is a chill in the air and the weather is turning colder. Please dress your students appropriately for P.E. and recess with coats, hats and gloves. Please put your name on things so they don't get lost! If you are missing an item please stop by our lost and found inside the vestibule.

Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions at julie.misner@d303.org.

Julie Misner

Physical Education teacher

• Students may choose to wear the following to school on the day of the Fall Celebration: a costume, PJ's, a hat, Wasco or team spirit wear. They should come to school wearing their choice along with their regular face covering to protect from spreading germs (mask).
• The following is not allowed: Costume masks covering the face, costumes with weapons or depicting violence.
• No parades and no food will be allowed.
• Unstructured time (party) is scheduled for 1:00-1:40.
• Any questions? Please reach out to the office or your teacher

Our school library is here to provide reading materials for your child. We have three ways to access fiction and nonfiction books: Print books for In-Person Learners, Digital/eBooks for In Persona and Remote learners, and Book Pickup for Remote learners. Please use this link below to access the pathway you choose. Happy reading!

Book Checkout procedures

It is important to us at Wasco that we provide a community of care and support to our families, especially when faced with financial hardship.

The current situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused some families to experience a need related to job loss, medical bills, child care, etc. District 303 has several supports available for families through our schools.

The supports available include: Thanksgiving Meal Support and Big Hearts of Fox Valley Holiday Support Program. If you are interested, please complete this survey.

Parents we really appreciate your attention to safety you are when you arrive on campus. As inclement weather approaches, we are working to make sure we move traffic as smoothly as possible. Here are some suggestions:

• Please pull up AS FAR AS POSSIBLE in available space, without occupying the crosswalks (marked with white stripes). This will enable us to place more students in cars.

• Please be aware of loading quickly so that we can exit cars in the pickup line as quickly as possible.

• Take care to limit social interactions while driving. During arrival and dismissal, there is a lot of activity and we want to ensure all adults are watchful for moving students.

• Encourage your child to watch for your vehicle.

Parents and other visitors to a school campus are expected to be wearing a mask when at the school. Our school community goal is to be as safe as possible and following the precautions such as wearing a mask when sharing space with others or when we are unable to keep our distance is a community practice that decreases the spread of germs. Your help modeling mask-wearing and spacing from others demonstrates our commitment to the health of one another.

We realize there is much information to digest, especially if you are a parent new to Wasco. Please use this link to access a plethora of information about the daily operation of our school. We hope this guide answers all of your questions. When in doubt, please reach out to our office. We are happy to help! Even if you are a returning family, you might want to keep the link handy.

Transportation route information is accessible to families using this link: Bus Routes. You will need your HAC number to access the information. Transportation route information will not be sent home through the mail and can only be accessed online. Please note that for the first two weeks of the school year, the district will not make adjustments to the transportation routes. Our transportation department will collect suggestions about the routes and make adjustments where necessary after the first two weeks of classes.

Since March, District 303 has collaborated with our food service vendors to provide grab and go meals for students to enjoy at home. We want to make you aware of the procedures for making sure that students continue to receive meals, whether they are learning in-person or remotely.

Families who choose to purchase meals for their children will have their PushCoin accounts debited, unless eligible for free lunch. For more information about eligibility for free and reduced lunch, please contact Patricia Townsend at 331.228.6529.