Words from Walsh March, 2022
Staying connected with Walsh School
Greetings from Principal Martin
Dear Families,
I can’t believe I am saying this already…but registration for next year is upon us! We will be continuing this year with our online registration process. Registration for the 2022-2023 school year will open in March.
- Students who are 5 years old on or before September 1, 2022 will have to create a new account for registering.
- All current students will register as a returning student, updating their information following the prompts once the registration window is open. Returning students will log into their parent portal and open the registration application.
The district website will also have instructions to help parents navigate to the registration window. All new and returning students will have to prove residency; more details on this will be provided at a later date.
We encourage a quick turn around on registrations in order to plan for the next school year. If your student will be moving out of the district, please follow the prompts within the registration window to indicate your intentions and contact the school office to sign the necessary transfer forms.
Our spring break will be from March 28th through April 1st. This will be a great time to rest up and have some fun time with your family before you come back on Monday, April 4th.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
~ Mrs. Martin
Important Dates in March
Dates to Remember
1 - Last Day of Kindergarten Yoga Club
2 - Spirit Day - Dress as Dr. Seuss or Your Favorite Storybook Character
4 - No School - Teacher Institute Day
7 - No School - Casimir Pulaski Day
10 - Last Day of 1st Grade Yoga Club
13 - Daylight Savings Time - Spring Ahead 1 Hour
15 - Board of Education Mtg. at District Office 7:00 pm
17 - Spirit Day - Wear Green
21 - Yearbook Ordering Window Closes
28 - Spring Break Starts
Looking Ahead....
April 4 - Classes Resume
April 15 - No School - Board Holiday
Remember to call the office by 9:00 a.m. if your child will be absent.
Every Wednesday is an early dismissal at 2:50 p.m.
Office hours are 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. ~ 815-838-7858 www.d92.org
**********************2021/2022 YEARBOOK********************
Don't Forget to Order Your Yearbook!
All yearbooks must be ordered online by March 21, 2022.
Please use this school code when ordering: 12828522
Click here to order your yearbook YBPAY.LIFETOUCH.COM
We do not anticipate having any extra books, so make sure you reserve your copy today.
Walsh, Reed and Ludwig schools share the same yearbook. Oak Prairie has a separate book.
http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/
This survey focuses on the 5 indicators that affect and influence school success:
- Effective Leaders
- Collaborative Teachers
- Involved Families
- Supportive Environments
- Ambitious Instruction
We value your feedback and appreciate your willingness to participate.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Registration for the 2022-2023 school year will be opening soon. Please check the district website (www.d92.org) for updates and more information on how to register.
*More details about Proof of Residency dates to come
P.E. News by Mr. Wallace
Hopefully we have made it through the worst of the winter and can start to get back outside some days in March. Please make sure to dress your students for going outside because it will still be cold. We might even go into the garden a little in the next few months and see what it looks like. Along with that, there will be lots of talk about healthy eating and we will continue to work on fitness as usual. Thanks for your support.
Kindergarten News
Spring will soon be upon us! This month, kindergarteners will have the opportunity to test the old saying, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Each day during our math number corner we will classify the weather, enter the information on a graph and write an equation to match. Additionally, we will explore three-dimensional shapes, weight and place value. The digraphs sh, th, wh, ch and ck will be introduced in our phonics lessons. We will practice tapping, reading and writing words containing digraphs. Students will continue to practice retelling stories by referring to characters by name and using the transition words, first, next, then and last, to help sequence the story. We will continue our nonfiction unit of study and celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss by reading some of the books he wrote and illustrated. We are so proud of all the progress that the kindergarteners continue to make this school year!
First Grade News
Early Childhood News
The early childhood students are looking forward to spring's arrival. As we continue working on letters Q, R, and S, we will also prepare for St. Patrick’s Day with many fun projects. A leprechaun will be bringing us gold coins, and we plan to catch him this year before he makes a mess in our classrooms! We will read many Dr. Seuss books in March to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday! In our Bridges Math program, we will learn all about shapes this month, along with sorting, patterning, counting and solving story problems. Thanks to our parents who work on academic skills at home to reinforce our work in school.
Music News by Mrs. Moan
What a month of music-making in the Walsh music room!
Preschool: In February, the students played a snowman song on step-bells, with building and melting music. We practiced finding different parts of our bodies with our beanbags, like our knees, toes and nose! ☺ We also zoomed to the moon in “Zoom Zoom Zoom”. In March, we will be learning some songs about spring, and we will be giving flowers to our friends.
Kindergarten: The students had an enjoyable time learning about coins in several songs, including Ally Bally. What will Ally buy with her coins? Some student ideas were: magic turkey, little kitty, doll named Henry and Minecraft zombie (item must have ending “ee” sound☺). In March, we will have a scarf picnic, and make our scarves into different items for our picnic in the song, Goin’ on a Picnic. The students will learn a mixer dance called Off to the Rodeo, with skipping and handshaking. The students will also learn about penguins and practice a penguin song with fishing in the ocean, and bring the fish back for our teammates. I am looking forward to studying the form of the William Tell Overture, and learning about the famous Swiss hero, William Tell. Then, we will tell the story with our parachute and teamwork!
1st Grade: In February, the first graders practiced bouncing a ball to a friend in Bounce High, Bounce Low. We also practiced writing notes on a line and a space, and then transferred the notation to the song Baker’s Hat. What would you make if you were wearing the baker’s hat? The first graders also enjoyed playing the boom whackers in the song, Island Whackers. A favorite song from February was Somebody’s Knockin’ at Your Door. The students knocked on various surfaces throughout the room to create different timbres. In the song, Early in the Morning, a jump roping song, the students had an opportunity to compose a rhythmic B section using syllables from the song, such as early morning, one letter, postman, and knock. In March, students will enjoy learning about instruments from around the world in a study of diverse music. The students also will be studying a song composed by Mozart, and responding to the music with animal icons.
And….announcing the 1st Grade Musical this spring: *Everyday is Earth Day on Friday, April 22, 2022. Save the date! Times and details will be announced soon.
Art News by Mrs. Deckinga
In March, both the kindergarten and 1st grade classes will be studying sea creatures. We'll be using oil pastels and tempera paint to create colorful creatures such as seahorses, crabs, fish, and more. Kindergarten classes will be drawing some of the simpler shapes, while the 1st grade creatures will be more detailed. We'll also experiment with the process of bubble printing to add underwater details to our paintings.
The Reading Corner by Mrs. Senders, First Grade Reading Specialist
STUCK ON A WORD?
When helping your child read at home, several strategies may be used to aid in decoding unknown words.
Tell your child to look at the picture. Pictures can help decode unknown words.
Tell your child to look for chunks in the word, such as it in sit or the at in mat.
Ask your child to get his/her mouth ready to say the words by shaping the mouth for the beginning letter.
Ask your child if the word looks like another word he/she knows.
Ask your child to skip the word and read on to the end of the sentence. Then go back and ask what would make sense. Often by reading the other words in context the child can figure out the unknown word.
If the child says the wrong word while reading, ask questions like: Does it make sense? Does it sound right? Does it look right?