What's Up Willowbrook
March 1, 2024
Last day to give principal feedback
Tell us what you want in Willowbrook's next leader
With Dr. Carlson preparing to step into a new role next year as Director of Human Resource for District 30, we are seeking parent input on the school's next leader through the end of today. If you have not already, please click here or below to provide feedback on the qualities and characteristics that should be embodied by Willowbrook's next leader. Thank you for your valuable insights!
Class placement input due by March 29
Dear Parents/Guardians,
As we plan for the upcoming school year, the Willowbrook Staff carefully considers various factors to ensure an optimal learning environment for each student. This includes maintaining gender balance, addressing academic strengths and weaknesses, accommodating learning styles, managing social dynamics, addressing special needs, ensuring a suitable student/teacher match, and determining appropriate class sizes.
Our class list development involves collaboration between classroom and special area teachers and requires significant time and consideration. While we appreciate your insights, we kindly request written input by Friday, March 29, regarding your child's learning style, social dynamics, and academic strengths and weaknesses. Please email this information to Dr. Carlson at scarlson@district30.org.
We appreciate your trust in our professional judgment as we work to create the best learning environment for all students. Please refrain from requesting a specific teacher, as this opportunity is not available to all children, and staffing may change before the start of the next school year.
Thank you for your partnership and support.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Carlson, Ed.D.
Willowbrook School Principal
Erik Brekke
Willowbrook School Assistant Principal
Upcoming events
Tuesday, March 5
- School Store (K-2nd grade)
Tuesday, March 5 - Thursday, March 7
- Book Fair
Friday, March 8
- Half Day School Improvement. Dismissal is at 11:45 a.m. for students K-5.
- Preschool PM students attend from 8:50-11:20 a.m. No school for students in the preschool AM class.
Tuesday, March 12
- School Store (3rd-5th grade)
- PTO Ice Cream Day
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.
A look at our Spirit Wear Breakfast
Thank you to the Willowbrook PTO for hosting the school's Spirit Wear Breakfast last Friday! What a great way to round out the school week by gathering with friends to show our Willowbrook pride!
Illinois Principals Association honors
Congratulations to Wildcat Ryan Wiederer, who was among students honored by the North Cook Illinois Principals Association this morning! Joined by Dr. Carlson and his mom, the North Cook IPA recognition breakfast thanked Ryan for his positive impact at school by demonstrating responsibility, pride, respect, dedication, and kindness.
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.
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, including Willowbrook students & staff sharing stories of influential women in their life through hallway displays and Friday Flag Raisings.
Share your Women's History Month story
To honor Women's History Month we are extending an opportunity to our students and their families to share stories of the remarkable women in their lives. Women's History Month begins in March; If you have an influential woman in your family that you and your child would like to honor, please complete the link to the Google Form below. The contributions will be displayed in Willowbrook's hallways and some will be shared during March flag raisings.
Let's highlight the important women in our lives who have made a difference and deserve to be recognized!
3rd- & 4th-grade musical March 21
April 5 Dance Party!
Multicultural Night feedback
Did you attend or host a table at Multicultural Night? Please consider filling out this short survey to help the PTO determine the future format of the event.
Thanks to our student taste-testers!
Students and Willowbrook and Wescott 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.
Adventure Campus registration 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 year 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.
Share input on D30 strengths, weaknesses & 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!
Spring Book Fair March 6-7
March 20 parent 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!
Smartphone/watch policy at school
Take Illinois 5Essentials Survey
Your input will impact Willowbrook'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.
Student tardiness
The Willowbrook Faculty has observed a rise in late student arrivals, likely exacerbated by the challenges posed by our winter weather. In light of this, we want to bring this matter to your attention and seek your cooperation.
To ensure a smooth start to the school day, we kindly request students to plan their arrival between 8:30 and 8:40 a.m. Our supervisors open school doors promptly at 8:40 a.m., and the tardy bell rings at 8:45 a.m. Beginning Monday, January 29, we will be diligently marking students tardy for school. We plan to include weekly tardy rates in future parent newsletters, and if any patterns persist, individual families will be contacted. There will not be any supervision outside after 8:45 a.m.
- Week of January 29 the daily average was 5%
- Week of February 5 the daily average was 3.8%
- Week of February 12 the daily average was 5.8%
- Week of February 19 the daily average was 2%
- This week the daily average was 5.5%
Being punctual is a vital life skill and sets the tone for a successful day. Students who arrive on time find it easier to transition from home, reconnect with friends and teachers, and participate in morning instruction. We appreciate your efforts in establishing morning routines that enable your child to be on time.
Registration is OPEN for Lew Blond Run!
Kindergarten, Pre-K Intake now open
KINDERGARTEN INTAKE
District 30's full-day 2024-25 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 2024-25 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.
Volunteers needed!
We are still in need of special lunch volunteers! If you have some spare time and would like to help please sign up below.
What's happening in this week's Wakelet?
What’s happening at Willowbrook? This week at Willowbrook you will find students participating in many new and exciting experiences as they participate in being kind, being brave, and belonging! Collaboration, cooperation, innovation, engagement, and learning together can all be seen in our platform Wakelet! Check out all the awesome things that are happening at Willowbrook this week! Follow us @ #d30learns. Click here for the Wakelet link
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.
Willowbrook School
Main Office: 847-498-1090
Health Office/Attendance: 847-400-8860
Location: 2500 Happy Hollow Road, Glenview, IL, USA
Website: district.30.org/willowbrook