WJHS Highlights
03/10/2023
A Message from the Administrative Team
Dear WJHS families,
As many of you have likely heard, attendance conversations have been happening throughout the township. D39 and WJHS are not excluded from this conversation, as we are also challenged with getting students to school on time and throughout the school day. We know that this feels like a mixed message after 2+ years of telling families to keep their children home from school even with the smallest symptoms. We encourage you to continue to use your best judgement if your child isn't feeling well.
As we shared in September, one of our goals this year is to ensure that every student attends Wilmette Junior High School regularly and on time.
We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. If this is something your child is experiencing, and you have not yet informed the school, please contact your grade level administrator. We also know that when students miss too much school it can cause them to fall behind academically and affect them socially and emotionally. Your child is less likely to succeed if they are chronically absent—which means missing 18 or more days over the course of an entire school year. Research shows:
By 6th grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign for students at risk for dropping out of school.
By 9th grade good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than 8th grade test scores.
Higher absence rates correlate with lower standardized test scores and school readiness skills (such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, collaboration and social connections).
Absences and tardies can add up quickly. A child is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days every month, and a daily tardy of ten minutes adds up to nearly an hour missed per week.
We don’t want your child to fall behind in school and get discouraged. Please ensure that your child attends school every day and arrives on time. As a reminder, school starts each day at 8:25am, with students allowed to enter the building at 8:15am. Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:
Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime and establish a morning routine.
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Ensure your children go to school every day unless they are symptomatic.
Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.
Talk to teachers, administration and/or social workers for advice if your children feel anxious about going to school.
Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.
We want your child to be successful in school and are here to support you. We communicate with families of our students who are demonstrating patterns of chronic absence or tardiness and will continue this process through in-person meetings with the parents of students who are presenting with chronic absenteeism.
If you have any questions or need more information please don't hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your partnership and support.
Sincerely,
Kate, Jeff and Eric
WJHS Welcomed a Visiting Artist this Week!
Thanks to the D39 Ed Foundation for helping WJHS host visiting artist, Jay Ryan! He gave an amazing presentation on Thursday! See images of his work below. He'll be back the week of March 20th for silkscreen printing with 8th-grade students.
National SEL Day
March 10, 2023 (today) is National SEL Day. SEL, or Social-Emotional Learning, is an important component of our work across District 39. Throughout the school day, we spend time and use different experiences as ways to support the development of the critical social-emotional competencies identified for student success in school and beyond.
These competencies include:
Self-Awareness:
The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts.
Social Awareness:
The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts.
Relationship Skills:
The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups.
Self Management:
The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations.
Responsible Decision Making:
The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations.
Instruction targeted at all of these competencies occurs during specific times such as homeroom for all students, and it is also embedded throughout the school day as students work in groups, interact during team activities, manage their time on assignments, and more. Families at home are also an important component of social-emotional development for our students. Each grade level has guidance for parents available HERE on our D39 Social-Emotional Learning website, so you know what social-emotional skills are targeted for instruction at your child's grade level, what those look like in real life, and to give you access to some ways to reinforce those skills at home.
For more information and details about the competencies themselves, please visit casel.org, the home of the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning. Thank you for partnering with us in this important work!
WJHS Student Artwork at Central Station Coffee!
8th Grade Graduation Information
We are looking forward to celebrating our eighth graders! We will hold two ceremonies due to the number of graduates. Team 8A will graduate first and teams 8B and 8C will graduate at the second ceremony. Each family will receive four tickets to attend the graduation. We will have much more information coming later as graduation day approaches. Please contact Eric Resis at resise@wilmette39.org.
- Please complete the 8th grade graduation diploma information form HERE.
New Trier Incoming Freshman Page
The New Trier incoming/new student web page is something to bookmark! Important information is now posted regarding registration and upcoming events after winter break. Click HERE to access.
PTO Highlights
SEEKING 2023–2024 WJHS PTO BOARD MEMBERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Make friends. Be in the know. Make a difference. Support our teachers and staff. Enrich our student’s school experience. There are so many reasons to serve on the PTO. Please consider sharing your talents as a volunteer for the 2023-2024 WJHS PTO. For more information, please email president@wjhspto.com.
CAFETERIA VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT LUNCH!
Assist the cafeteria staff in passing out food to the students. Click the link below to sign up. If your plans change, please remove your name from the signup so we can fill the empty slot and not leave our staff short-handed.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4facaa23a2f5ce9-cafeteria
THANK YOU TO ALL DANCE PARENT VOLUNTEERS
The Student Council’s Valentine’s dance was a hit. We’d like to send a special thank you to all of the parents who volunteered for and donated snacks to the Valentine’s Dance. Thanks to you, 500 students enjoyed a Friday night out, socializing with friends and dancing the night away. The snack sales raised $1,100 for the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. Students and teachers enjoyed the return of dances at WJHS.
District Update
Student Registration for 2023-24 Academic Year
Registration remains open for the 2023-24 school year and we ask that all parents complete the registration process prior to March 17. For returning students, please visit the PowerSchool parent portal, click on the registration link and follow the instructions. For new students, including incoming kindergarteners, www.wilmette39.org/enroll provides instructions on the registration process. Parents with incoming kindergarten students who wish to enroll child(ren) in our KEEP39 program must register soon, as spots are filling up. More information on the KEEP39 program is available on our website.
Registration is Now Open For 2023 Summer Enrichment Program
Registration is open for our District 39 Summer Enrichment Program. This year’s program will take place from June 29-July 28. Please visit our Summer Enrichment Program website for more information, including the link to register online. Should you need assistance with the online registration, please check out our online registration guide.
Parent Education Opportunities
Earlier this week, District 39 hosted the second part of its three-part series titled “Being An Ally: Supporting Inclusivity and Approaching Difficult Conversations at Home.” A recording of that event is available now.
The third part of this series will be an in-person, evening event on Wednesday, April 12 (7 pm) featuring Kelly Jackson, Highcrest Middle School Principal and District 39 Administrator for Social-Emotional Learning and Family Engagement, leading a book study and discussion. Please see the linked flyer for more information on the event as well as information on the two books that will be the focal point of the discussion. Be sure to visit our D39 Parent Education webpage to learn more about our parent education program and find recordings of past presentations.
Earlier this month, the Family Action Network (FAN) welcomed Lisa Damour, Ph.D. for a presentation titled “The Emotional Lives of Teenagers.” A recording of this event is available through the end of the month. More information on upcoming FAN events can be found on their website.
Community News
LINK: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
Wilmette Public Library’s Let’s Learn Together Program offers a family/youth workshop giving families language and building blocks to discuss race, racism, fairness, equity and justice and why race matters in our society. The workshop will be held this Sunday, March 12, 2:30-3:30 pm
A film screening and post-film panel discussion of the Marshall versus New Trier historical documentary, GameChangers, will be held this Sunday, March 12 at 4:00 pm at the Cornog Auditorium, New Trier Northfield Campus. Visit www.gamechangers.film to reserve tickets and learn more about the acclaimed sports documentary and the GameChangers Foundation.
Wilmette Park District seeks residents input and feedback to help create a clear vision for parks, facilities, and recreation to meet the needs of residents for play, health, wellness, open spaces and nature places. Project Parks and Play: Explore the Possibilities. Scan the QR code on the flyer or visit https://berrydunn.mysocialpinpoint.com/wilmetteparkdistrict
Wilmette Jr. Trevians have two options to learn about hockey this spring; Try Hockey for Free or Little Blackhawks sessions. Visit the website for more information.
Junior Trevian Lacrosse offers lacrosse programs for Kdg-8th graders. Turtle Lacrosse is also available for Kdg-2nd graders.
Wilmette Baseball Association Spring House League registration is open for K-8th grades. www.wilmettebaseball.org
Loyola Youth Lacrosse Program is taking registrations for students in Kdg-8th grades. Contqact Greg Sprenzel for more information.
New Trier Township offers a Food Pantry 10am - 4pm weekdays for families that live/work in the township. NT Township also offers Emergency Financial Assistance, Legal Aid Clinic, property tax assistance, social service referrals and other available resources. Go to www.newtriertownship.com for more information.
Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:00-11:00 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
For 6th, 7th, & 8th graders:
Family Service Center Leadership & Resilience Builder Program (LRBP) is accepting applications for 6th,7th & 8th grade students. Program is held on Mondays, 6:00-7:00 pm, March 13 - May 22. Call 847-251-7350 for more information.
Wilmette Junior High School
Email: office-wjhs@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
Principal at Wilmette Junior High School; love being an educator and working with young people; value spending time with friends and family