WJHS Highlights
01/21/2022
A Message from the Administrative Team
We hope you are staying warm! We started the week with 40 degrees and ended the week frigid - hang in there!
As we shared last week (they are listed below), we couldn't be more excited to offer clubs in support of student mental health and wellness. We believe that opportunities to gather and do what you love: clubs, groups, sports, etc. help support students in many ways. While our first priority is in-person learning, and we will do everything we can to keep school open for students, we also understand how important extracurricular activities are for student well being and are working at keeping these opportunities operating even if in a limited capacity. We are hopeful for healthier days to come and sincerely hope that you and your family are healthy and well.
We hope that you enjoy the light snow we are supposed to get this weekend!
Take care,
Kate, Jeff and Eric
Boys' Volleyball Registration
5 Essentials
The Illinois 5Essentials Student and Parent/Family Survey
The 5Essentials Survey provides school districts with detailed data on school culture and climate.
Students in grades 4 - 8 will participate in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey between 1/24/22 and 2/28/22.
Students’ identities will be completely confidential.
If you do not want your 4th grade child to participate, please email your child’s classroom teacher.
If you do not want your 5th-8th grade child to participate, please email your child’s Grade Level Administrator.
As a parent/family, you have an opportunity to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness about your child’s school. Your identity and survey responses will also be completely confidential. The Parent Survey Supplement will be open from January 24, 2022 through February 28, 2022.
To take the parent survey please visit http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/.
Select the appropriate survey to begin.
Questions? Please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874.
More detailed information can be found on the Illinois 5Essentials website. If you have questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874.
PTO Highlights
Winter After School Clubs Starting Next Week
If you’ve registered for Winter After School Clubs, please remind your student that the following clubs are starting
On Tuesday, 1/25:
7th Grade Yearbook Club meets during lunch in room 150
On Thursday, 1/27:
8th Grade Yearbook Club meets during lunch in room 150
Ceramics Club meets at 3:30 in room 150
Latin Club meets at 3:30 in room 212
New Trier Junior Cheer Clinic is Open for Registration
Cheer with the New Trier Cheer program on Monday, Feb 7th and perform at the basketball game on the 8th!! $30 includes a tshirt, bow, and snacks before the game. This fee also included entrance to the game for two.
Email okanek@nths.net or mnrupic@Gmail.com for more info or questions.
2/7 4:30–6:30pm at NFLD campus
2/8 5:30pm at NFLD campus, game time 6:30pm
Click here to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfg_UXmKirl6NygzFRympVrZWdFVcOWri3F1KQsc6yRxyyEAw/viewform
NEWLY FORMING SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITIES FOR STUDENTS AT WJHS:
This year as we consider the many traumatic events of the past two years since the pandemic took hold, and as we work to address the second goal area of our District 39 Strategic Plan (Cultivate a supportive and inclusive learning community that is responsive to the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of each student), we are excited to begin to offer five opportunities for students to become engaged, feel represented, and hopefully enhance their sense of belonging at WJHS.
Participation in the different groups outlined below is voluntary, and students may drop in when they would like to attend. Group leaders are staff members from the district with expertise in the areas they are supporting, and will share information with students via Schoology about where the groups are taking place, when they are available, and how to let the group leaders know they are attending.
Take a look!
Emotional Support Club: The Emotional Support Club is a place for students to come if they want to talk about anything that is causing them stress or anxiety! We come up with helpful tools for our emotional "toolbox" and help each other with any issues we are facing. This group will meet every other Tuesday after school in the LC, beginning 1/18/2022!
No Place for Hate: The No Place for Hate group grew out of the partnership between D39 and ADL. This is a student-led group committed to positive change and action toward a more inclusive environment at school and in the community. Students will work together to plan activities that bring students together, advocate for a positive community free of hate, and support all students in learning tools to be upstanders who promote social justice. We have had many students already apply to be a part of NPFH, but are re-extending the opportunity for more engagement. Tentative start date January 27 from 3:15 - 4:15.
PRIDE: The PRIDE group is a safe place for students who identify LGBTQ+ and their allies to share experiences, learn how to advocate, and understand how to create a more inclusive environment. Students meet new friends, provide support to one another, and connect to each other in community. Start date: January 21 at lunch
Affinity Club: This club creates a safe place for students of color to come together and share experiences as racially minoritized students in a predominantly white setting. Students meet new friends, provide support to one another, and connect to each other in community. Starts January 24 from 3:15 - 4:15
Grief Support Group: Staff from WJHS will partner with staff from Willow House (a local community organization focused on grief support) to provide a safe place for children, especially in this period of increasing grief and trauma, to share their thoughts and feelings with other children who are experiencing death, illness, or loss. Topics covered may include grief education, identifying and expressing emotions, coping strategies, and building connections with one another. Tentative start date: January 25 from 3:15 - 4:15
In addition to these supportive clubs, the PTO continues to offer opportunities to students to get involved through Chess, Debate, High Five, Math Counts, and more interest-based activities. See the PTO Highlights below for more information on clubs through the PTO.
Tech Tidbit
Have you seen images of yellow, green and black boxes that people are posting on Social Media but don’t know what they are? It’s Wordle, a free online word game that is taking over the Internet. It can only be played once a day. There is a new puzzle every 24 hours. Wordle gives players six chances to guess a randomly selected five-letter word. If you have the correct letter in the correct spot, it shows up green. A correct letter in the wrong spot shows up yellow. A letter that isn’t in the word in any spot shows up gray. If you mess up, you will have to wait until the next day since there is only one puzzle a day. Once you solve it, you can easily share your results without giving away the answer. Also, everyone is playing the exact same puzzle so it can be a friendly competition amongst family and friends. The game is so popular that over 300,000 people play it daily.
Homework Club
Homework Club is now available to all students on a drop-in basis on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 3:20 - 4:20 in the Learning Commons. The Homework Club is supervised by two WJHS staff members, and is an opportunity for students to work in a quiet place with their materials available at school so they can complete their homework. If staying for Homework Club, students will need to have transportation home, whether that is a ride home, their bike, or the WJHS late bus (which takes them to their home elementary school).
We are excited to offer this new support at WJHS, and look forward to partnering with you as we support our students with their homework success!
Missing Assignment Notification System
We have a new system of notification and support for homework completion.
If a student is missing an assignment, both the student and their family will receive notification of their missing assignment(s), and will be offered options as to how to complete that assignment. The three choices will include
An after-school drop-in Homework Club
An opportunity to make up the assignment at home
The option for students to connect with their teacher to discuss a plan for completion
Community Review Committee Survey
The District 39 Community Review Committee (CRC), comprised of parents, teaching staff, and administrators from the district, chooses a focus area to research each year and provide recommendations to the School Board for future work. This year’s topic, which is a component of Goal 2 of the District Strategic Plan, is “Building Responsive Social-Emotional Learning through Strengthening Parent-Teacher Communication and Increasing Parent Understanding of and Engagement in SEL Instruction.”
The CRC is hoping to gather parent input to help inform our recommendations in this area, and has developed THIS SURVEY to help inform us in that effort. We will be looking to learn more about parent understanding of social-emotional learning, how SEL is integrated into the academic school day, and how teachers and staff can best partner with families as the SEL framework is implemented across the grade levels. The survey will remain open until 2/26/22.
District Update
Board of Education Meeting on Monday
The D39 Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting next Monday, Jan. 24 at 7 pm. Click here for access to the complete meeting agenda and materials. Monday’s Board agenda includes a review of the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Calendar and Resolution, debt certificates and the supplemental debt service levy, consideration of summer construction project bids for McKenzie School, and first reading of several Board Policies, and several administrative updates.
Student Registration for Next School Year Opens Next Tuesday
A reminder that registration for the 2022-23 school year will open next Tuesday, Jan. 25. Families will receive an email on Tuesday with additional instructions. For returning students, visit the PowerSchool parent portal, click on the registration link and follow the instructions. For new students to D39, visit www.wilmette39.org/enroll for instructions on the four-part registration process. We encourage parents with new kindergarten students to enroll as quickly as possible. Additionally, D39 is offering its KEEP39 afternoon enrichment program for kindergarten students. Click here for more information on that program. You can register your child for KEEP39 at the same time that you register for kindergarten.
View Your Child’s Attendance in PowerSchool Parent Portal
District 39 has added attendance data to your child’s/children’s profile in the PowerSchool parent portal and this information can now be viewed at any time via the portal. A reminder that the portal remains a valuable resource for parents, where you can pay fees, view report cards, or complete forms all in one centralized location.
Marie Murphy To Host Two More COVID Testing Clinics
District 39 is partnering with other New Trier Township districts and NorthShore Clinical Labs for two additional COVID testing clinics. The clinics will be held at Marie Murphy School (2921 Illinois Rd., Wilmette) on Saturday, Jan. 22 and Saturday, Jan. 29 from 9 am-2 pm. Click here to fill out the online registration form and click here to schedule your appointment.
Free Home COVID Tests Available Now
Earlier this week, the federal government started a program that makes COVID tests readily available to all households. Under the program, each home is eligible to receive four free, rapid, antigen home tests. Tests can be ordered through www.covidtests.gov and will typically ship within 7-12 days.
Please Upload Your Child(ren)’s Vaccination Status
We are encouraging families to upload their child(ren)’s vaccination status to the PowerSchool parent portal. The information you provide helps make contact tracing more efficient and will assist us as we review health and safety protocols later this month. As of today, approximately 76% of our 12+ aged students and 55% of our students aged 5-11 have submitted proof of full vaccination to their school.
Community News
LINK: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
The Village of Wilmette & 'Ready Set Wilmette' Comprehensive Planning Team want to hear from Wilmette residents. ReadySetWilmette.com Help ensure Wilmette is welcoming, thriving and vibrant for years to come. A series of polls focused on plan themes, an online comment map, and ideas wall. Provide input at your leisure and as ideas come up: feedback shared to date is highlighted in this recent online post.Check out the Facebook Page
The Volunteer Center is offering many volunteer service opportunities. Kids Against Hunger Event will be held on March 19th. Help pack nutritious meals for over 100,000 starving Nicaraguans.
The Trevian Girls Softball Association is adding 8-10 year olds to their spring and summer teams. Contact Kelsey Farmer for more information.
Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:00-11:00 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
"Best Step Tutoring” offers free online tutoring for PreK-12 grades.
For HMS & WJHS Students:
Scout Troop 5 is holding its Winter Carnival and invites students in grades 5-8 to join in learning about scouting opportunities. The Winter Carnival will be held at Gillson Park Ice Rink on Sunday, January 23rd from 1:00 - 2:30 pm. Dress appropriately for outdoor fun!
Wilmette Junior High School
Email: dominiqk@wilmette39.org
Website: http://wjhs.wilmette39.org/
Location: 620 Locust Rd, Wilmette, IL, USA
Phone: 847-512-6600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Highcrest-MSWilmette-JH-516430278443448
Twitter: @hawkwolf39