The Walden Weekly
March 15, 2024
Dear Walden Families,
It was such a fun week at Walden School! Our 2nd graders put on a wonderful show this week called, Sounds All Around Us. 4th graders were able to spend the day today at the Chicago History Museum for a great field trip. 5th graders were able to enjoy an entertaining trip over to Shepard Middle School today to watch their student production of Finding Nemo, Jr. It was a fun-filled week at Walden. We are looking forward to connecting with families next week for our Spring conferences!
As a reminder, students do not have school next Friday and dismissal on Thursday will take place before lunch at 11:40.
Have a great weekend and we'll see you back on Monday!
- Stephanie Strenger
The Walden Way in the Hallway
Hi Walden Families! Walden students have been working hard to be respectful, responsible, and safe across all school settings. We have been focusing on hallway expectations. You can view a visual poster of the expectations below and are welcome to review and reinforce these expectations at home. We appreciate your collaboration and partnership in this endeavor.
Upcoming IAR Testing (2nd Posting)
Dear 3rd-8th Grade Parents and Guardians,
Students across the district in grades 3 through 8 will be participating in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in English/Language Arts & Mathematics between April 2nd and April 19th.
This state assessment helps us understand how students are growing academically year to year, while also providing an achievement comparison to grade-level peers across the state. By measuring both mastery of the Illinois Learning Standards and the College and Career Ready benchmarks of the PSAT and SAT, the IAR is also designed to help prepare students for success in high school and beyond. The overall performance of each school, by grade, also impacts our designation, which is reported on the Illinois School Report Card.
Please find the testing schedules for Walden below.
If you have questions about the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, please let me know. As always, we encourage our students to do their best and appreciate your continued partnership.
Information for our 5th Graders
World Language Information Night: April 3rd 6:30-7:00 pm: Please join us on Zoom (Link will be sent directly home prior to the event) where members of the World Language Team will share about our various course offerings. Following this Zoom meeting information, including a copy of the presentation, will be sent home to all families. Also, included will be a form to submit your student's language choice for middle school. These will be due by April 22nd at 8am.
Incoming 6th Grade Family Night: April 16th 6:30-7:30 pm: Please join us in person at Shepard for this ADULTS ONLY night. We will be going over what you need to know about Shepard to support your students during the upcoming school year!
Fly Up Day: June 6th Time TBD: Students will come with their 5th grade classes to visit Shepard! This will give them a chance to meet teachers, see the school, and learn what it means to be a Spartan!
Locker Day: August 14th 1:00-4:00 pm: All Shepard students are invited with their families to come walk their schedules and drop supplies off at their lockers. Teachers will not be present on this day.
First Day of School: August 19th 8:00-11:00 am: Students will attend a half day of school and will be dismissed at 11:00am!
Digital Citizenship Learning from the Library
Pictures from the Week
1st Grade Morning Announcement Helpers
2nd Grade Reading
4th Grade Field Trip
Upcoming Dates
- Thurs. Mar 21 - 1/2 Day Student Attendance - PM Parent Conferences
- Fri. Mar 22 - No School - Parent Conferences
- Mar. 25 - Apr. 1 - No School (Spring Break)
- Tues. Apr. 2 - School Resumes