Dear Wasco Families,

This week school pictures were completed. While it is unconventional to have the first pictures of the year done in January, it is another accomplishment in this unconventional school year. The PTO and I are meeting next week to discuss the yearbook creation.

If you don’t already, would you consider sending an extra mask in your child’s backpack everyday? We are noticing play outside can cause the masks to hold extra moisture. Also wet masks do not fit securely around your child’s nose and mouth. An added benefit: your child may be more comfortable and healthier in a clean dry mask.

Thank you parents for your continued cooperation and support of systems which enable us to work together in support of teacher and student health. I welcome your ideas and suggestions, please contact me anytime!

P.S. Wasco is interested to hire lunch personnel. If you are interested in a part time job, or know someone who would make a great addition to our school community, please contact me. We are interested to find positive role models for our students. The perfect candidates wish to be positive role models for our students and they also need to be individuals with a commitment to fostering leadership and positive communities. There is also more detailed information below.

Kind regards,

Principal Brennan

331-228-6294

Stephanie.brennan@d303.org

January 29 Sports Day (See below for details)

February 12 Valentines Day Class Parties

February 18 Picture Retake Day

In case you didn’t see it on the Wasco School Facebook: Wasco’s Career Day was a success! We have a collection of doctors, businesspeople, farmers, chefs, and scientists of all types. With all the chefs here, I think most parents don’t even have to cook! :-)

Parties will be held, for both remote and in-person students, on Friday, February 12. Students can bring in valentines to hand out to classmates, however, they need to be at school by Tuesday, February 9th, 3:00 p.m. Just like the Winter party, the party components are to be decided by the grade level teachers so that all parties at the grade level are equitable. The teachers work with the parent volunteers to organize the activities. If party supplies are provided by volunteers, they must also be here by Tuesday, February 9th. There can be no exceptions. No snacks/candy will be served during the party, so If students' valentines contain candy, it cannot be eaten during the school day.

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.

This past fall, our 2nd - 5th grade students completed a universal screening tool to assess their academic, social and emotional skills. We use the assessment results to refine and focus our efforts to help all student achieve success. This includes finding opportunities to provide additional support in the areas of academic, social, and emotional learning as needed. The ECRA survey focuses on Responsible Decision Making, Self-Regulation, Social/Relationships. A letter explaining the ECRA assessment is below.

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

A message from Spirit Club:

Hi Wasco families!

This month, the Spirit Club will be hosting a food drive in coordination with the Salvation Army. Students will be able to bring in canned/boxed foods (see list below) starting January 18th-January 29th. There will be a large red bin or multiple, smaller, boxes at each grade level entrance (ie. 4th/5th grade entrance, 3rd grade entrance, and in the main lobby) so that students can drop off their food first thing in the morning. There will be another set of boxes in the Kindergarten and First Grade wing for these students. In order to include and encourage our remote students/families to participate, we will have an additional drop off time on January 22nd from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Spirit Club members will meet you as you pull up to the front of the building and take your donations without you even having to leave your car! This option is open to other families as well:) We are looking forward to giving back to our community and want to THANK YOU in advance for helping us make a difference!!

If you have questions you may contact Amy Corda at amy.corda@d303.org or Rebecca Schroeder at rebecca.schroeder@d303.org.

A message from the Salvation Army: The Salvation Army, Tri-City Corps has a food pantry for those in need within our serving area (60174, 60175, 60134, 60510, 60183,60184).

Relying on the kindness of our community to help keep the shelves stocked, the food pantry is open by appointment Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. In addition, there is contactless fresh food distribution that takes place on Tuesdays through Fridays from 9:00 a.m-1:00 p.m. The pandemic that we have found ourselves in has seen a need for home delivery, this is offered to homebound guests on Wednesday & Fridays. We currently serve about 300 families per month through our food pantry. Our fresh food distribution has given out over 19,000 items in a months time.

See below for a list of requested items.

The following items are current pantry needs:

Kleenex Paper towels

Shampoo Conditioner

Tooth paste Deodorant

Tampons Spaghettios

Ravioli Ramen noodles

Ketchup Mustard

Mayonnaise Jelly

Stuffing Canned corn

Canned potatoes Dry potatoes

Oatmeal Pancake mix

Dish soap Hand soap

Peanut butter

Canned Vegetables (not beans)

Outside, as weather permits, during PE and recess. Therefore, students must have snow pants and boots in order to participate in the activities.

Students should bring their snow boots, snow pants, and other outdoor gear in a bag, separate from their book bag. This bag is kept at their individual workstation, so a cloth bag that has a flat bottom is preferred (something that you might use to carry items from a shopping trip).

Suggestions for the bag:

• a small personal towel

• label clothes- all clothes, with your child’s name

• extra health masks, in case it gets wet

Please do contact your classroom teacher or the office if you have any questions or would like to share information.

Our School Nurse Director met with the Kane County Health Department yesterday and we will continue to follow the same protocol/policy we were using before the holiday break.

If your student(s) report to the health office with any of the following symptoms I will call you to pick them up and follow the 10 day isolation protocol. Your student must stay home for 10 calendar days from the onset of symptoms and can return with improvement of symptoms and be fever free X24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

Symptoms include: Fever (100.4 or higher), new onset of moderate to severe headache, shortness of breath, new cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain/discomfort from an unknown case, new congestion/runny nose, new loss of sense of taste or smell, fatigue from unknown cause, and muscle or body aches.

If you feel your student(s) do not have symptoms related to COVID please contact your pediatrician for an alternative diagnosis to return to school. If their pediatrician feels they need to have a COVID test your student(s) may then return with a note from the doctor showing the test is negative to come back to school.

If your student(s) have been exposed to a possible or positive COVID case then your student(s) must remain home for 14 calendar days from the last contact with that positive and/or possible case. If your student(s) develops symptoms within that 14 day period then they will have to remain home an additional 10 days from the development of those symptoms. D303 requires a note from the Kane County Health Department for your student(s) return to school. If your student is tested and is positive for COVID they will have to stay home for 14 calendar days from the date of the positive test result. Any family members exposed will also have to remain home 14 calendar days form their last contact with the positive person. D303 requires a letter from the Kane County Health Department for their safe return to school.

If you have any questions please contact the Wasco School Nurse: Christine (Tina) Ahrens, RN at 331-228-2904

Please Contact Patricia Burton at 331-228-5242 or patricia.burton@d303.org to arrange for more information.

The job is monitoring the students for indoor/outdoor lunch and recess. The qualifications is just being available from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm.

D303 has a Substitute Teacher's Handbook to show you the ins and outs of the job.

If after reading this, you are interested, please reach out to Julie.Wenger@D303.org. Julie is our substitute coordinator. If you hold a Bachelor's degree, she can walk you through the process of applying for a substitute license with the state. This license affords you the opportunity to sub for teachers and teacher's assistants. If you hold a high school diploma or Associate's degree, you can apply for a Paraprofessional License. This license affords you the opportunity to sub for teacher's assistants.

After you get your license, you can apply to substitute teach in D303.

Click HERE for the application if you hold a Bachelor's degree and Substitute license.

Click HERE for the application if you hold a high school diploma or Associate's degree and Paraprofessional license.

Thank you very much for your consideration on becoming a substitute and helping us out. Have a wonderful weekend with your favorite people, and stay healthy and well!

Families who wish to submit a Middle School Transfer request may do so beginning February 1, 2021. Families must complete a separate form for each student they want to be transferred. Requests are granted based on space available. This means that siblings are not guaranteed placement. A written decision will be communicated to families before spring break.

Once the request is approved, a student may remain at that middle school throughout his or her middle school career, as long as the student resides in District 303.

Families of students granted permission to attend a school outside of their assigned attendance area are responsible for their own transportation.

Students will return to their assigned attendance area high school regardless of the middle school attended.

Thursday, January 28, 1-3 PM Eastern Time

Join expert Teachers College Reading and Writing Project staff at our upcoming workshop day for parents and caregivers of students in grades K-8. Learn more about ways to support your child’s literacy education at home, what or how they are learning in school, how to best engage in home literacy projects, and more.

These days are typically 2-3 hours long, composed of a series of 15-minute small-group presentations. Parents and caregivers can choose the workshops that match their needs and are free to come for one workshop or many. The schedule of workshops will be made available prior to the event. These sessions are offered live and are not recorded for later viewing.

Click the link below to register.

https://tcrwp.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIudu-orzMrGdUN0IyGUGksRGCvS2Sjp9E5

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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

Parents,

At this time of the year, teachers will receive many expressions of your gratitude. Recently, our teachers received written notes from one of our families. The family provided a personal thank you letter to each teacher, describing the impact of the teacher on their child. Parents, you and I have the same unique position, we have an opportunity to admire the efforts of teachers. As a former teacher and a lover of teaching, I can tell you that the best teachers actively respond to the needs of their students. It is complex and draining work, but the rewards are thrilling and transformational. Thank you for taking time to recognize and appreciate the teacher's hard work. It contributes to our learning community in such a meaningful way.

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

i-Ready

Students have completed their winter i-Ready diagnostic. We will send home paper copies of diagnostic reports during winter break, but if you would like to access your child's i-Ready diagnostic information in the i-ready student portal as well as additional family resources, please watch the video below.

i-Ready Family Video

This week our musicians premiered the Winter Virtual Concert 2020! I am so very proud of them and their hard work. Thank you for all your support of the band program.

Please enjoy our virtual concert!

Winter Band Concert

Happy Holidays!

Marianne Rice

Virtual December Orchestra Concert Viewing Party!

You, and your family, friends - whomever you would like to invite -- may watch the premier of our Wasco/Bell Graham Virtual December Orchestra Concert 2020. Snuggle up with some cookies and cocoa and enjoy the culmination of many hours of work by your musicians!

Here is the link for viewing the concert. Enjoy!

Wasco/Bell Graham Orchestra Virtual concert 2020

Our music department has provided some fun holiday activities for our families. Check out the "Nutcracker Cup Game"! This activity will also be featured on our Facebook page.

Mr. Carter and Mrs. Therrien

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.

SST appreciation-

All of us at Wasco are grateful for our Student Services Team! This team supports students, parents, and teachers by providing specialty services and being our resident academic and behavior consultants. Any teacher will tell you, having a guide on the side to provide suggestions, ideas, and extra help advances all the students’ learning. This team of specialists shares their expertise so we can all achieve more and they are always willing to step in and provide assistance to our whole Wasco school community.

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

Nurse Tina Ahrens, Administrative Assistants Heather Kudabeck and Candace Thoke,

Lunch room Kelly Nelms, Fiona Galvan, Lucy Caraba, Jennifer Selvik, Faiza Memo

Custodian Rafael Sanchez

Not Pictured: Jennifer Selvik, Annie DeLapaz

Our school contains many different people groups whose work benefits the whole and they help us build a supportive network to facilitate the students’ school day. This week, I would like to recognize our school bus drivers. These men and women greet our students, become familiar with their interests, families, and friends. The bus drivers and students often share smiles and exchange support for one another.

Recently our school building was inspected for safety. It is a yearly inspection done by the Regional Office of Education in partnership with community safety officials such as the fire department. This team visits schools throughout the county during a school year. The inspector's appointment coincided with the arrival of our students and they had an opportunity to view students approaching and entering Wasco school. The inspectors admired how orderly our students approached and entered the building respecting the space of others. It was a fine compliment, because this is something that the students do ON THEIR OWN. Aren't all adults happy when the kids demonstrate the skills of cooperation and self sufficiency?

-”Quality is everyone’s responsibility.” W. Edwards Deming

Thank you to the PTO for hosting a Pumpkin Decorating contest! Our Wasco Wolves are a creative bunch and I think you are all winners! Did you see the Ghostmallow? The Wasco Wolf pledge pumpkin really caught my attention- we say that pledge everyday! What a great way to connect our whole school community. The PTO is currently hosting a Butter Braid Fundraiser and orders are due by November 10th.

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce this year’s Wasco Spirit Club Members!

Abby Poss - 3P

Natalie Wilton - 3A

Daniel McCauley - 3G

Graham Showalter - 3K

Meryl Kaplan - 4D

Joseph Barton - 4M

Julia Grawender - 4He

Andrew Leigl - 4Ha

Abeile Edwards -4th Remote (Erin Smith)

Sierra Horniacek - 4th Remote (Kerri Furlong)

Reese Full - 5R

William Showalter - 5R

Sydney Steib - 5E

These students were chosen from over 40 applicants for their leadership qualities and their unique ideas for promoting Spirit within our school and community! Stay tuned for more news from our Spirit Club and be prepared to show your SPIRIT!

Co-Coordinators: Amy Corda and Rebecca Schroeder

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/

Here's an opportunity to admire the work of an entire grade level. Third grade is making the most of our schedule! These pictures show conferring, creative math word problems, and independent reading and writing. It's Spoooooktackular!

There is a chill in the air and the weather is turning colder. Please dress your students appropriately for P.E. and recess with coats, hats and gloves. Please put your name on things so they don't get lost! If you are missing an item please stop by our lost and found inside the vestibule.

Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions at julie.misner@d303.org.

Julie Misner

Physical Education teacher

It is important to us at Wasco that we provide a community of care and support to our families, especially when faced with financial hardship.

The current situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused some families to experience a need related to job loss, medical bills, child care, etc. District 303 has several supports available for families through our schools.

The supports available include: Thanksgiving Meal Support and Big Hearts of Fox Valley Holiday Support Program. If you are interested, please complete this survey.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.