Westbrook + Glen Grove PTA
Newsletter for March 2, 2023
PTA News
Westbrook Book Fair NEXT WEEK!
Westbrook parents: your students will be visiting a book fair in the Westbrook library next week!
If you would like to provide your student with money to purchase a book, here are the options:
- Send Cash -- *a plastic baggie w/name* is ideal to hold any change that may come back!
- Purchase a digital Literati Gift Card -- this can be redeemed by your student at the fair and saves having to manage cash. Click here to purchase a gift card
- Show up at your student's book fair time and shop with them! Reach out to your teacher to confirm when your class will be visiting the fair.
- Attend Westbrook Literacy Night and shop then! You can have your student scope out some favorite books during their class visit (if it's ahead of Wednesday night) then purchase books with them at Westbrook Literacy Night!
Some Additional Book Fair Details
- If you send your student with money it is a good idea to specify WHAT your student should spend money on. Sometimes there are pens/trinkets and if you prefer them to purchase a book, please let them know.
- There is no obligation to purchase books, however, it should be noted that this is a fundraiser benefitting the Westbrook School Library. PTA is helping to run the fair, but we will pass all reward dollars to the Westbrook LRC to use for purchasing books for the school. The more books we sell, the more they can buy! Glen Grove will have a separate fair benefitting their library in May.
- Westbrook LRC Director Megan Freeley has been working with PTA to plan this event. !!!THANK YOU!!!
- We do rely on volunteers to run this event -- if you can help, it's a wonderful way to support the school community! You do not have to have a student at Westbrook to volunteer. See sign up link below.
Special Thanks To The PTA Book Fair Parent Team
Joanna Soupos, Event Leader
Amber Souder, Event Volunteer Coordinator
Grace Casey, Event Treasurer
Meg Fahey & Laurie Moll, Book Fair Assistants
And of course thanks to EVERYONE who volunteers -- or -- purchases books!
There are so many ways to support our school. Thank you!
D34 PTAs and Bilingual Parents Had A Meetup!
Did you know there are two Bilingual Parent groups in district 34, one for Spanish language and one for Mongolian? These are groups of parent volunteers -- very similar to PTA -- but their mission is to connect and support bilingual families in the district. Formally, the groups are called Bilingual Parent Advisory Committees, or BPACs.
Last night parent representatives from Mongolian BPAC and Spanish BPAC met with representatives from all of the D34 PTAs -- so that's Westbrook/Glen Grove PTA, as well as Henking/Hoffman PTA, Lyon/Pleasant Ridge PTA, and Attea/Springman PTA. We all wanted to meet face-to-face, talk, learn, and brainstorm how we can do positive things in the community together.
I hope these photos convey the vibe in the room -- it was fantastic! We left this meeting feeling motivated and loving our community more than ever. Can't wait to see what the future brings!
Special Thank You To D34 Reps Who Helped Facilitate This Meeting
Raquel Kim, D34 Assistant Superintendent for Multilingual Services
Alan Hernandez, D34 Hispanic Community Coordinator
Sylvia Gorski Duarte, D34 Title III Family Resource Teacher
Patty Puetz, Henking Principal
Thank you for eating at PANERA last week!
We appreciate EVERYONE who helped us raise $330 by eating at Panera last week! Thank you!
The fundraiser brought in $1, 650.51 of which our PTA receives 20%, which is $330. Awesome!
Thank you Jimmy Barillas for two FANTASTIC visits to Glen Grove!
We just can't say enough great things about Mr. Barillas's visit! Not only did he share his bird drawing and watercolor painting techniques with all 4th grade students, but also, he shared his story of growing up among the vibrant birds of Guatemala and his move to Chicago as a young boy. He grew to have a special place in his heart for Chicago's birds too -- especially the cardinal. There were many wonderful questions from students and everyone had a chance to follow along as Mr. Barillas showed step-by-step how he begins his paintings of birds. The first mark on the page is always the eye!
Additionally, Mr. Barillas explained how he transfers newspaper print to create interest in his artwork -- see if you can spot the Garfield comic in the cardinal painting below. He actually transferred this during class on Wednesday and then brought back a finished painting by Friday! Wow!
Mr. Barillas's artwork is on exhibit at his local business -- Awesome Juice Bar -- which is located at 3236 Glenview Rd. Please stop in and check it out!
***PTA is proud to sponsor Mr. Barillas's visit!***
Glen Grove Books Swap, COLLECTING NOW!
Glen Grove LRC Directory Lisa Funke is collecting used books for a book swap that will take place right before spring break! Please have your Glen Grove student drop off their favorite -- but no longer needed -- books to Mrs. Funke. She will organize all donations and allow students to choose a new-to-me book to enjoy during Spring Break! How Fun!
DEADLINE: ASAP, before Spring Break!
Amazon Smile Announcement
As of February 2023, Amazon Smile has permanently shut down. Westbrook + Glen Grove PTA has been making decent passive income from this source -- about $100-$300 per quarter -- so we are sad to hear this news! Thank you to everyone who had selected WB/GG PTA as your charity! A portion of your purchases went to support us and we greatly appreciate it!
Our last and final donation amount received from from Amazon Smile was $331.75, which is our highest amount ever! We had a total cumulative amount of $2,555.82 since our PTA enrolled in the program in 2015. As of February 2023 we had 145 families supporting us, so thank you!!!
PTA Meeting Next Week!
February is a short month, so we're already at our March PTA meeting! What!?
Our March PTA meeting will be held at Glen Grove at 9:15 on Thursday, March 9. Principal Hoeft, Principal Ellison, and some of our PTA board members will be there. Anyone connected with Westbrook or Glen Grove is welcome to join!
We hope to have open PTA board positions identified for the meeting, and also discuss upcoming March/April/May events. There are many!
CONTINUED: Westbrook Collection
Nurse Briones at Westbrook is collecting clean sweatpants, joggers, and leggings in all PreK-2nd grade sizes. If you have freshly laundered items to donate please drop them off in the Westbrook office or send them in with your student in a bag marked with Nurse Briones's name.
Thanks to these donations, any students who come to the office needing a change of clothes will be able to get them ASAP. Thank you!
Have an idea for a PTA event?
We are inviting ANYONE to share ideas about PTA events you'd like to see at our schools! If there's an event that has happened in the past, or something entirely new, we'd love to hear about what events you'd like to see as part of our school community. We're excited to hear from you!
Upcoming Events
March 22 is Culver's Spirit Night!
March, & April Room Rep Events!
March & April Activity Schedule
Late addition: 1st Grade - BRATKO - meetup for moms in Mrs. Bratko's classroom is this Friday, March 3 @ 5pm. Location is Oak located inThe Glen.
Westbrook Literacy Night NEXT WEDNESDAY!
Westbrook Families
Literacy Night will be held at Westbrook School on Wednesday, March 8 from 5:30-7pm. This event will have MANY literacy-themed activities! For our part PTA will be sharing the following:
- PTA Photo Booth: Be sure to check out the book-themed PTA photo booth which will be ***located in the new Westbrook gym.*** We'll have a parent volunteer there ready to welcome you, take a free photo of you and your family to remember the evening, and we'll also have some stickers and treats.
- PTA Book Fair: In collaboration with Westbrook LRC Director Megan Freeley, the PTA will be operating a book fair in the Westbrook Library. It will be open during Literacy Night, so please stop in! All proceeds earned from the sale of books will be given back to the Westbrook Library so they can purchase new books. Win-win!
***HUGE THANK YOU*** to all of the Westbrook staff members and parents
who making this Literacy Night a wonderful family event.
We are so excited!
COMING SOON: Rob Harrell Author Visit @ Glen Grove!
Author and illustrator Rob Harrell is set to visit Glen Grove school March 14 courtesy of The Book Stall! Harrell's realistic fiction book, Wink, is the the funny but heartfelt story of Ross Maloy, a seventh-grader dealing with a horrible diagnosis and cancer treatments – all while trying to just blend in and survive middle school. Many Glen Grove students have enjoyed reading this book for the Glenview Public Library's 2023 Battle of the Books event.
Harrell has also written and illustrated the Batpig series.
PARENTS: Please consider supporting The Book Stall by purchasing one of Mr. Harrell's titles directly from their online store, or otherwise supporting this local business. Thank you!
***PTA is a proud supporter of The Book Stall and the programing it shares with the D34 community! Thank you!
News For Teachers & Staff
March Staff Lounge Snacks
Big thanks to the following families for providing snacks for Westbrook and Glen Grove staff!
Westbrook
The Lee-Foss family
Glen Grove
The Lee-Foss family
Chris Rettig Bowhall & Family
Thank You For Conferences!
Teachers -- we appreciate the time and care it takes to organize so many conferences with so many families. THANK YOU! We hope your week has offered some great opportunities to connect.
Have an idea for a PTA Event?
We are inviting ANYONE to share ideas about PTA events you'd like to see at our schools! If there's an event that has happened in the past, or something entirely new, we'd love to hear about what events you'd like to see as part of our school community. We're excited to hear from you!
Other News
ALL PARENTS -- Please Complete This Survey BEFORE 3/31!
NEW! UPDATE! Westbrook is at 12% and Glen Grove is at 11% parent response rate to this survey -- we challenge our WB/GG parents to help us make it to 20%. You do not need any passwords or student numbers — just your email address. It takes under 5 minutes…and it would be kind of cool if WB/GG had the highest parent participation in the district, right?
Your input on this statewide survey -- given to parents of all students throughout the state of Illinois -- helps D34 improve schools for our students!
Please take the survey for each school in which you have a child. D34 hopes to reach 100% participation before the survey closes on March 31, 2023. If at least 20% of parents participate in the survey, a parent supplement report will be generated and we will share these results with the community.
Winter/Spring 2023 Calendar
March
March 3 - NO SCHOOL (conferences)
March 6 to 10 - Westbrook Book Fair
March 8 - Westbrook Family Literacy Night, 5:30pm - 7pm
March 9 - PTA Meeting with our WB/GG Principals, all invited, 9:15am @ Glen Grove
March 14 - Glen Grove Author Visit with Wink author Rob Harrell, 3rd and 4th grades only, time TBD
March 15 - D34 Parent Connect Presentation: Parenting Through Puberty, 7pm @ Springman
March 16 - Westbrook Music Performance for Hochman, Skogsbakken, Bratko & Davies, 9:30am
March 16 - Westbrook Music Performance for Borkowski, Marsh, Howard, & McIntyre, 1:30pm
March 17 - Westbrook Music Performance for Humpal, Yadava, & Sulak, 9:30am
March 20 - Board of Education Meeting, 7:30pm
March 20 to 25 - Glen Grove Book Swap THIS WEEK, ahead of Spring Break
March 22 - Culver's Spirit Night, 3pm-8pm, be sure to mention Westbrook or Glen Grove to cashier!
March 27 to 31 - NO SCHOOL (spring break)
April
April 3 - D34 K-8th Registration For 2023-24 school year begins (with early bird discount!)
April 7 - NO SCHOOL (Good Friday)
April 13 - PTA Meeting with our WB/GG Principals, all invited, 6pm on Zoom
April 17 - Board of Education Meeting, 7:30pm
April 24 - Family Connect Night for Westbrook & Glen Grove Families, 6pm - 8pm (sponsored by the Debra Gelfand Children's Foundation)
May
May 3 - Glen Grove Orchestra Concert, 7pm
May 8 to 12 - Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week
May 8 to 12 - Glen Grove Book Fair (daytime)
May 11 - PTA Meeting with our WB/GG Principals, all invited, 9:15am Westbrook (last meeting)
May 15 - Board of Education Meeting, 7:30pm
May 16 - Spring Chorus Concert, 6:30pm
May 25 - Spring Band Concert, 6:30pm
May 29 - NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
May 30 - 5th Grade Play - SAVE THE DATE
May 31 - 5th Grade Play - SAVE THE DATE
June
June 1 - 5th Grade Play - SAVE THE DATE
June 7 - 5th Grade Picnic, time TBD
June 8 - 5th Grade Picnic RAIN DATE (if needed)
June 8 - Last Day For Students
Other Calendar Links
Glen Grove Monthly Calendar (with lunch info)
D34 Monthly Calendar (website)
D34 2022-23 Calendar (PDF)
Click to add the D34 Google Calendar to your calendar
Monthly Friday Hot Lunch Specials
If we are missing any calendar dates let us know ptapresident.wbgg@gmail.com
Helpful Links For Parents
Parenting through Puberty
Date: 3/15/23
Time: 7pm
Format: In Person @ Springman
Register: Click here to register
Submit Questions: Click here to submit questions
Sponsored by D34
D34 Preschool
Learn more about D34 preschool, as well as screenings for hearing/vision, concepts, motor and language (English language proficiency if bilingual).
PeachJar
Check out the latest flyers from the surrounding community. Connect with after school programs, community events, and more!
Become A D34 Sub
District 34 is faced with a shortage of substitute teachers. If you have ANY amount of time, please consider joining the D34 team as a substitute teacher. We are seeking caring adults from a range of backgrounds, skills and interests. Get valuable experience, set your own hours, and make a difference in the lives of D34 students!
Become A D34 Associate
Associates (also known as paraprofessionals or teacher's aides) play an essential role within our school district. An associate can tutor students or assist the teacher with managing the classroom and organizing instructional materials.
Join the D34 Volunteer Pool
D34 is looking to build connections and community partnerships that increase opportunities for our students to experience authentic learning. We are asking parents, grandparents and other community members to share their experience and expertise in our classrooms.
Enjoy conferences!
About WB/GG PTA
Email: ptapresident.wbgg@gmail.com
Website: https://www.westbrookandglengrovepta.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1708637696063888/
Twitter: @wbggpta