Wasco Weekly
THE STRENGTH OF THE WOLF IS ITS PACK
Dear Families,
Spring is upon Wasco and the eggs have arrived in Kindergarten! In the picture below you can see students checking the temperature of the incubator. The class ensures the incubator temperature stays at a toasty 100 degrees for a successful hatching process.
During this task, the teachers have provided a context for students to learn standards of mathematical practice. Our kindergarteners learn math foundations such as attending to precision, and this sets the stage for future learning in advanced grades. This learning comes to mind as our fourth and fifth graders completed their summative Illinois Assessment of Learning tests this week. Thank you to our teachers who conscientiously attend to our learning standards in order to support the goals of our students. Our fourth and fifth graders accomplished a big task this week and they did so with aplomb!
Kind Regards,
Principal Brennan
Important Upcoming Dates
April 16 Tie Dye Day
April 29 Lunchroom Supervisor Appreciation Day
April 30 Read In/Pajama Day
May 28 Last day of school!
The PTO has positions available for the upcoming school year. Parent members may nominate themselves for a board position by sending notice of their candidacy on or before April 30th. The letters and/or questions can be sent to
Wascopto@gmail.com.
PTO Meeting
The next PTO meeting is Thursday, April 22nd at 7:00 pm. The PTO will send a video conference link and agenda before the meeting.
Parents, we are beginning planning for the next school year. We invite your participation. You are welcome to share your thoughts about your student. Please follow the link below for directions.
Remote AT Students Summer CogAT and/or Placement Tests
Please click on the below button for more information.
Hey, Fourth Graders and Families!
Let’s Get Excited for Band!
We want you to Be a Part of the Band!
It’s a lot of fun to learn how to play an instrument and be in a group surrounded by your friends. Check out this video and our district band website to learn more about band!
Ms. Rice
Band Director
marianne.rice@d303.org
Orchestra is FUN! All current 2nd and 3rd grade students are eligible to join the Orchestra next school year. The study of music is much more than simply learning to play an instrument. Music benefits young people in many areas of their lives. Communication and social skills are strengthened, and creative and analytical skills are nurtured. Learning to play an instrument and participating in an ensemble are valuable experiences for all students.
The instruments of the Orchestra are the violin, viola, cello, and string bass. For more information, please review the D303 Orchestra Website. Please attend one of our Orchestra Townhall information meetings on May 13 or 18 at 7:00pm. Questions? Contact one of our Orchestra teachers: Christopher Pettit at christopher.pettit@d303.org; or Jorge Brito at jorge.brito@d303.org
Mark your calendars!
New Band Parent Informational Meeting - Virtual
New Orchestra Parent Information Meeting - Virtual
THURSDAY May 13
6:00PM Band
7:00PM Orchestra
TUESDAY, May 18
7:00PM Orchestra
*More information and links coming soon!
Attention 5th Grade Families...here's your chance to order a clap out shirt!
Songs for Social Emotional Learning
Mrs. Therrien, our Music Teacher, has been including an SEL song of the month at the end of some of her music classes. If you are interested in listening with your children, you are welcome to use the links below. These songs are offered through one of our curricular resources, Quaver, and if you visit their youtube channel (QuaverED) you'll find many SEL songs appropriate to share with our learners.
March: Enojo No Tiene el Control and I Believe in You
April: Unico (English version: You-Nique)
The Campton Hills Police Department
D303 Summer Camp 2021 at Ferson Creek
D303 summer camp is offered for students entering Kindergarten through sixth grade. The deadline for registration is Friday, May 21st. Please see the flyer link below for more information.
Previous News Is Located Below
A Note From The Nurse
Covid
The CDC has removed 4 symptoms from the Covid symptom list and KCHD and D303 have adopted them. Therefore, if your student has a runny nose, congestion, nausea or stomach ache they do not need to be excluded from school.
But remember…
…If ANYONE in the household has the following symptoms described below then ALL siblings need to stay home from school until the one with symptoms is cleared from their physician with an alternative diagnosis stating the symptoms are not related to Covid or a negative Covid test.
Fever(100.4 or higher), new onset of moderate to severe headache, shortness of breath, new cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain from unknown cause, new loss of sense of smell or taste, fatigue from unknown cause, muscle and/or body aches.
Masks
The students are outdoors for recess and their masks can become moist from breathing in the cool air. Moist masks cause a decreased barrier of protection from germs. Please provide a couple of extra masks stored in baggies to be replaced after recess. We do have extra masks but for emergency use only. We do not have enough masks for every student with a moist and/or broken one.
Kindly,
Nurse Tina
Kindergarten Registration
We are in the process of registering students for kindergarten- be sure to tell your friends!
The District 303 Kindergarten enrollment process for the 2021-2022 school year will be virtual! Between January 19 and March 12, families will be able to enroll their kindergarten-age children by visiting the Kindergarten Registration & Information page of the District 303 website. On the site you will find:
The New Student Intake Form (coming January 19, 2021)
The Kindergarten Step-by-Step Guide for registration
Health and Dental exams and immunization information
Contact information for all elementary schools
Information about Full Day and Half Day Kindergarten
Reminder, please leave your pets at home
Families, while many of us appreciate pets, unfortunately on school campus we need to be considerate of all, including those with allergies. We also recognize that not all students know how to safely approach unfamiliar animals. For these reasons, and perhaps others, we ask that you do not bring pets to our campus during school hours.
Changes to Push Coin Accounts - School Lunches
Students will need to have a balance on their accounts to cover the items they wish to purchase from the Ala Cart menu. Our school has water bottle fillers throughout the building and students are welcome to refill their bottle at any time. As a reminder, all school lunches come with a milk. If you would like to check the balance on your account, the link for Push Coin is below.
Student Self Certification
Our school community both staff and students, self-certifies their health electronically before entering the building using the D303 Self Certification system. As a reminder, please sign the backpack tag and complete the online Self Certification daily. It would be very helpful if you could complete this certification before your child arrives at school. Please contact the office if you have any questions.
Book Checkout for Remote and In Person Students
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
How To View Your Child's Most Recent iReady Assessment
The informative video below will walk you through steps to access your child's progress on our most recent iReady test. You will be able to view the diagnostic scale score information and a record of your child's independent iReady practice.
i-Ready Family Video
Organic Life - Now Offering Free Breakfast
Starting November 10th, Organic Life will be offering breakfast at all Elementary Schools. Breakfast meals are free for all students just like the lunches.
Students will have the option to order breakfast in the morning as they already do for lunch. Organic Life will prep the breakfast bags and deliver them to the classrooms by 1:20pm each day for students. This helps to support students eating a breakfast before coming to school the next day.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact our office.
Wasco Stands Against Bullying
As you know, we are using the Second Step program in your child’s classroom. The Second Step program teaches children important skills for getting along with others and doing well in school. It also helps our school be a safe,
respectful place where everyone can learn.
To further help our school be a safe and respectful place, we are also using the Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit. In these upcoming lessons, your child will learn specific skills to help stop bullying. Students will learn how to:
• Recognize when bullying is happening
• Report bullying to a caring adult
• Refuse to let bullying happen to themselves or others
• Be a bystander who stands up and is part of the solution to bullying
For bullying prevention to work, everyone needs to be involved. Get involved in making our school a safe and respectful place by letting us know if you hear about bullying at our school. Make sure your child knows to tell you or someone at school if he or she is being bullied. And give your child the clear message that it is never okay to bully others.
Rebecca Schroeder, Wasco School Social Worker
News From Physical Education
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/
Attention Parents who drive to Wasco for pickup
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.
Homework for student absences
If your child is absent from school, your child's teacher will provide the necessary classwork, just as has happened in the past. Teachers can send home online resources as well as provide you with the learning objectives for each content area. Please reach out to your child's teacher when you need information about their lessons.
Mask and Space Requirements When Visiting our Campus
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.
New to Wasco? Here is a guide to help! Welcome to Wasco Elementary for Families SY 21
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.
Bus Information
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.
Food Service Programs
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.
