WJHS Highlights
08/27/21
A Message from the Administrative Team
Hi WJHS Families,
We hope you and your family had a smooth transition to begin the school year and your child had a great first few days at school! Some of our time was spent this week in going through protocols and procedures for being present in school. Please go through the WJHS Handbook with your child and return the last page, signed, to communicate that you have reviewed the handbook. You can return this form to the main office or your child's homeroom teacher.
Additionally, you can find the current WJHS Dress Code on page six and at this link. Please take a moment to provide feedback on our dress code with this survey. We will use this information for any updates to our current dress code for the 2021-2022 school year.
Please mark your calendar for a Virtual Curriculum Night on Tuesday, September 14 from 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM, with some opportunities from 5:30 - 6:00 to meet with Instrumental Music teachers.
It was a hot one this week! While we are very excited that a majority of our school is now air-conditioned, one item that many students did not have is a water bottle. As students may not use the drinking fountains (the part where they put their mouth close to the water spray), they can use the water bottle fillers at each drinking fountain station. Please send your child to school with a water bottle so they can stay hydrated throughout the day!
We look forward to our first full week of school. Have a wonderful weekend!
Best,
Kate, Jeff and Eric
Check out the updated D39 Back to School Website!
2021-2022 Parent Education Series!
Please join us for presentations held via Zoom on topics ranging from social emotional heath to technology use. Some are led by the Family Service Center and others are led by District 39. All events will have a 30 minute presentation followed by a 15 minute Q&A mini panel. Make sure to register for these FREE events. Our first one was Wednesday, August 25th and was about supporting the re-entry into school. You can find that presentation at this link. All presentations will be recorded for later viewing and the link will be communicated in Principal newsletters. Please register individually by clicking on the title of the presentation.
Executive Functioning Toolkit to Support Your Child’s Learning (D39)
Wednesday, September 15th at 11am
Learning About the Responsive Classroom Model and Tips to Take Home (D39)
Wednesday, October 13th at 11am
Supporting Friendship Development and Connection (FSC)
Wednesday, November 17th at 11am
Making Room for Ambivalence/Sadness and Silver Linings of COVID (FSC)
Wednesday, December 15th at 11am
Parenting in a Digital Age (D39)
Wednesday, January 12th at 11am
Raising Resilient Children in a Highly-Competitive, Digitally-Driven World (FSC)
Wednesday, February 16th at 11am
Dear Parents, This is What You Should Know About Social Media! (D39)
Wednesday, March 16th at 11am
Wednesday, April 13th at 11am
Coping with Stress, Anxiety, and Uncertainty (FSC)
Wednesday, May 18th at 11am
Our next parent education event will be Wednesday, September 15th at 11am. The title is Executive Functioning Toolkit to Support Your child's Learning and will be led by District 39. If you haven't already done so, please REGISTER HERE.
2021-2022 Athletics
Attention parents!
There is still time to sign up your child for sports this fall at WJHS. Go to this link to sign up. https://wjhs.wilmette39.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=361787&pageId=30129022
We are still offering girls field hockey, 7th and 8th grade cross country, and co-ed soccer. All practices start right after school. We hope to see your student athletes participating this fall.
Also the after school activity bus starts Monday at 4:45 for students staying for athletics or clubs.
Late Activity Bus
The late activity bus begins on Monday! Please check out this document for information on times, pick-up locations, and bus routes. As a reminder, there is not staff present on these buses or at these locations - the late activity bus should be used by independent riders.
PowerSchool Updates!
- Parents who need to update contact information can now use ps.wilmette39.org 21-22 Year Round Update. We use Year Round Update when Registration is closed, and we close Year Round Update when we open Registration.
- Parents who have not completed Registration, can finish signing their permissions through Year Round Update. Please discontinue using wilmette39.org/enroll to complete registration - use ps.wilmette39.org Year Round Update.
- COVID Vaccination Upload, Athletics Registration, and SHIELD Sign up are listed under Forms.
- Each parent has a new lunch account for their child. Each child has instructions to set that account up in ps.wlimette39.org under Lunch System Instructions. Many have already completed this setup, but if you have questions about it, please sign into your account at ps.wilmette39.org -Lunch System Instructions
- Instructional materials fees, outstanding fees, tech fees, and athletics fees are sent to the Balance tab at ps.wilmette39.org Parents can pay by choosing Make A Payment.
PTO Highlights
BACK TO SCHOOL CHECKLIST
✅ Complete your Membership Toolkit registration here and while you’re there...contribute to the annual Teacher/Staff gift, make an iGNITE contribution on behalf of your child
✅ Purchase a yearbook here
✅ Purchase Spirit Wear here
iGNITE
The IGNITE program raises funds to pay for enrichment programs such as field trips and school assemblies along with contributing to enhancements to our schools directly related to our students such as outdoor learning environments and athletic equipment. We are excited to bring back IGNITE this year and ask families to make a contribution to this wonderful cause. Contributions can be made via the school website and A-Z. With these contributions, we are looking forward to providing enrichment to the students this year!
FALL AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS
Our PTO volunteers are finalizing club details, and we’ll be posting more information soon. Please email clubs@wjhspto.com for questions.
ACES DEBATE CLUB REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Aces Debate Club will be running in-person Debate Club this fall, and will host Advanced Debate for WJHS students. Club will take place at HMS on Wednesdays, October through December. Club details and registration for Wilmette Advanced Debate is now open on their website at www.acesdebateclub.com
Contact Aaron Vinson at acesdebateclub@gmail.com for more information.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
If you are interested in helping at WJHS during the 2021-2022 school year, please sign up here! At this time, the PTO is working on determining where and when parents can help, and we will reach out to you as opportunities arise. Thank you for your interest in volunteering at WJHS!
EXCITING NEWS!!!
YOUR PTO DOLLARS WORKING FOR OUR CHILDREN
Over the 2021 summer, your PTO has been hard at work making some incredible changes to the outdoor spaces at Wilmette Junior High! See before and after pics and read more here.
District Update
Welcome to the 2021-22 school year! We hope that your first week has been filled with smiles and happiness for everyone. We are grateful for all of our teachers, staff members, and administrators who worked tirelessly this summer to ensure that we could safely welcome our students this fall.
Back to School References
Please check out our Back to School 2021-22 website for information on our health and safety protocols, social emotional learning resources and parent education events. You can find a more detailed look at our layered mitigation plan here. Additionally, please check out our updated FAQs and our newly published Family Response to Illness Booklet to stay informed about how you can help us continue to provide in-person instruction for all of our students.
COVID-19 Testing Through Shield Illinois
This year we are thrilled to be partnering with SHIELD Illinois to make COVID-19 testing available district-wide for students, faculty and staff. Registration is strongly encouraged for all students to ensure easy access to testing when and if it is needed. Weekly participation in testing is strongly recommended for all unvaccinated students. Learn more about SHIELD Illinois and all COVID-19 testing options on our COVID-19 Testing webpage.
Reference:
CDC Updated Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals (July 27)
IDPH School Guidance FAQs (July 27)
IDPH Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools (July 9)
CDC Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools (July 9)
Community News
LINK: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
Covid Catch Up Tutors has rebranded to "Best Step Tutoring”. Free online tutoring for PreK-12 grades. beststeptutoring.org
Central First Grade Girls:
A new Girl Scout Troop for 1st grade girls. Email centralgirlsscouts@gmail.com to learn more about registration. Parent meeting will be held on September 25th followed by the first Girl Scout Gathering on October 23rd.
For 5th - 8th graders:
Wilmette Scout Troop 2 hosts an Open House Picnic for boys & girls ages 11 and older on September 12th from 1:00 - 3:00 pm at Crow Island Woods,
1140 Willow Rd., Winnetka.
Tech Support
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