Wescott Word
March 1, 2024
A letter from our principals
Classroom placement 2024-25
This is the time of year when staff begin thinking about classroom placements for the coming school year. This is a very delicate process, which takes into account many factors in an effort to create the best possible learning environment for each child.
Please, click the button below for the complete letter from Dr. Brown and Mrs. Compagno.
Important dates
Friday, March 8
Half Day - School Improvement Day
Wednesday, March 13
PTO Ice Cream Day
Tuesday, March 19
No school - Teacher Institute Day
Wednesday, March 20
PTO Special Lunch
March 25 -29
Spring Break - No School
ICYMI: Wescott School Report
Click below to see the annual Wescott School Report that Dr. Brown and Mrs. Compagno presented during the Feb. 22 Board of Education meeting. So great to see all the amazing progress happening this year in our classrooms and beyond!
Weather drill feedback
Wescott students and staff completed a successful weather drill on Thursday, February 29 to ensure we are prepared in case of a weather emergency. We were able to successfully direct students to designated safe zones within the building. We are proud of all of the participants! This was the final weather drill at Wescott for the 2023-24 school year.
Summer school seeks high school volunteers
Hooray for a successful round of summer school registration! We are grateful and pleased to welcome your children to the District 30 Summer School program. If your child is currently waitlisted for a course, we are working to get as many students as possible into classes of their choice. Thank you for your patience!
Parents of graduating 8th-graders or current high school students: our volunteer application is now open! Throughout the years, summer school has been a great opportunity for older students to work with kids, develop interpersonal skills, and give back to the District 30 community.
For more information and to complete the application, have your child click this link or the button below.
Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) starts Monday
From the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
The Spring 2024 testing window for the district will begin the week of March 4. The Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) assessments will be administered to all students in grades 5 and 8. Results of these assessments will not be available until the Fall of 2024 since it is a state assessment.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s building principal or the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Melissa E. Hirsch.
Illinois Principals Association honors
Congratulations to Wescott Wolf Tai Zhu, who was among students honored by the North Cook Illinois Principals Association this morning! Joined by Dr. Brown and Mrs. Compagno, the North Cook IPA recognition breakfast thanked Tai for his positive impact at school by demonstrating responsibility, pride, respect, dedication, and kindness.
March is Women's History Month
Today marks the start of National Women's History Month and March 8 is International Women's Day – times when we honor the vital role of women in our country, which has often been under-recognized throughout American history. Click here or below to learn more & stay tuned on social media to see what projects are happening in our schools.
Thank you to our students taste-testers!
Students and Wescott and Willowbrook recently met with Quest Food Services Manager Ashley Jenkins to taste test some new offerings and to discuss what they like (and what's not their favorite) for their lunches. We are grateful for their thoughtful input that included suggestions for more produce options, creative meals, and keeping tried-and-true favorites.
From the Wescott Library
Author visit on March 7
We are SO EXCITED to announce that author Marc Colagiovanni and award-winning author-illustrator Peter Reynolds will visit ALL Wescott students on Thursday, March 7 to discuss their collaboration, "The Reflection in Me."
Marc Colagiovanni originally wrote "The Reflection in Me" as a poem to his daughters. When Peter Reynolds saw Marc's poem, he thought of his own children and, inspired, created an animated short that's been seen over 1.6 million times on YouTube. The poem has now been turned into a book.
The visit is brought to us via The Book Stall. To order an autographed copy of one of their books, visit the link on the button below.
Adventure Campus signup in progress
Adventure Campus is Northbrook Park District’s before- and after-school care program for elementary students that is offered before school starting at 7 a.m. and after school until 6 p.m. Registration for the 2024-25 school is open.
The Northbrook Park District partners with District 30 to offer organized activities for children in
grades K–5. The program follows a daily schedule including time for homework or quiet play, a snack, projects and physical activity. Adventure Campus also offers child care on select teacher institute days, conference days and holidays for an additional fee.
Enrollment is based on availability at each site. Visit nbparks.org/adventurecampus for more
information and to register for the 2024–25 school year.
Adventure Campus Scholarship Requests: Participants who meet the criteria can receive financial assistance towards recreation programs and memberships. Applicants only need to qualify once per calendar year. Contact Melanie Alexander at malexander@nbparks.org or 847-291-2995 for an application form or with questions about the scholarship process.
From the Wescott PTO
Wescott Madness Parties are OPEN!
- Please sign up for the parties in your students grade
- Parents are welcome to sign up for the Parent Only parties
- Parties are first come first serve. Once a party is full, it will close.
- Contact the party host if you have any questions
- Payment is required at sign up
Click the links below to sign up today!
Spring Into Reading challenge starts March 4
New PTO event!
The Wescott PTO will host its first Wescott Spring into Reading Challenge, March 4 through April 8. Students will receive their game cards, accompanied by an informational letter for parents this coming Monday.
During this month-long reading challenge, the goal is to encourage students to expand their knowledge - and have fun - while discovering new books. The more minutes your student reads, the more they can earn and win! Awesome prizes include cards for game play at Nickel City Xtreme and a chance to win a $100.00 Amazon gift card!
Questions? Please reach out to Wescott PTO Diverse Books Committee co-chairs Tiffany Yu-Tain and Vida Gosrisirikul Wu at wptodiversebooks@gmail.com.
Multicultural Night Survey
Did you attend or host a table at Multicultural Night this year? Please consider filling out this short survey to help the PTO determine the future format of the event.
Share input on D30 strengths & more
Deadline is today
District 30 is in the process of creating a Strategic Plan that will shape the direction of our schools for the next five years. A team of students, parents, teachers, staff and community members is working to create a draft of a plan that will be presented to the Board of Education for its consideration this spring.
As part of their efforts, the group created a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) for District 30 based on comprehensive data. We ask for your feedback on this analysis to ensure it is fully informed by the thoughts and opinions of all stakeholders.
Click here or the button below to begin this anonymous survey, which ends Friday, March 1. Thank you for your time and feedback!
Parents: March 20 talk on ensuring safe spaces
We invite you to attend "Ensuring School is a Safe Space for All: Recognizing and Responding to Bias & Discrimination in District 30" at 7 p.m. March 20 at Maple School. Presented by Maggie Schwalbach, an ADHD-certified practitioner, executive functioning coach, and World of Difference facilitator, this presentation will discuss the measures that District 30 is taking to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all learners.
Families and guardians will learn how unchecked incidents of bullying and discrimination interrupt the culture and climate of a school community and how these affect learning outcomes. Parents will learn what role they can take in ensuring that diversity is not just tolerated, but proactively embraced and celebrated, in District 30.
Click here or below to RSVP. We look forward to seeing you!
Take Illinois 5Essentials Survey
You input will impact Wescott's success!
Now through March 29, parents, students and teachers are asked to participate in the 11th annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This anonymous survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school and allows you to share your thoughts on important elements of school effectiveness.
On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. The survey gathers data related to the five indicators below that can affect and predict school success:
Effective Leaders
Collaborative Teachers
Involved Families
Supportive Environments
Ambitious Instruction
Your participation will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.
Click here or below to take the survey please visit and select the appropriate survey to begin.
For more information or to view previous years’ reports, please click here. If you have questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Survey Support at 866-440-1874 or impact-surveys@uchicago.edu.
K & Pre-K intake now open!
KINDERGARTEN INTAKE
District 30's full-day 2023-24 Kindergarten Program will be held at both Willowbrook and Wescott Schools. Kindergarten Intake for the 2024-25 school year is now open.
To be eligible for kindergarten, your child must have been born on or before September 1, 2019, as evidenced by an official birth certificate or passport. Proof of residency in District 30 is also required, as well as the filling out of an affidavit form.
Important links:
- Wescott Intake
- Willowbrook Intake
- Enrollment (links and info on establishing District 30 residency)
Questions? Please call Willowbrook at 847-498-1090 or Wescott at 847-272-4660.
PRESCHOOL INTAKE
The 2024-25 District 30 Kid Connection Preschool will be held at Willowbrook School only. The preschool program is days a week for 2.5 hours a day and follows the District 30 school calendar.
Three-year-old students attend the morning class and the 4-year-old students attend in the afternoon. Preschool Intake for the 2023-24 school year is now open.
Please visit our District 30 Preschool page for the intake link, tuition information, and a list of documents needed to register.
Bus riders
Dear Parents,
Please help us keep our bus lines moving smoothly and follow these guidelines. We ask that all of the changes in bus practices for your student(s) are called in by 3 p.m. the day of the expected schedule shift.
Drop-off
Help support the Wescott PE Program!
Health reminder
Make a difference
The Wescott Helping Hands Committee is collecting pop tabs to donate to the Ronald McDonald House. The pop tabs will be recycled and the money is used to help support the families that stay there. Students can bring their pop tabs to their teachers for collection. Classes are collecting pop tabs all year long!
Learn about community events!
Want to know what's going on around the community? District 30 uses a "Virtual Backpack" to share community information while saving paper, costs, and lightening the loads our students bring home. Please click the button below to view upcoming Community Events.
Wescott School
Main office: 847-272-4660
Health/Attendance Office: 847-400-8760
Location: 1820 Western Avenue, Northbrook, IL 60062, USA
Website: district30.org/wescott