WJHS Highlights
10/07/2022
A Message from the Administrative Team
Dear WJHS families,
Earlier this week we sent an attendance letter to all of our families regarding student attendance. If you didn't have a chance to read the letter we sent on Monday, please take some time to read through the letter soon. As a reminder, you can check your child's attendance record on PowerSchool at any time. PowerSchool is helpful for many reasons. Please read through the information below for more information about how to access PowerSchool.
Powerschool - Our Student Information System where students and parents can look for attendance, grades and report cards. This is where final grades can be found. As a reminder, this is a method of communication that our teachers use to keep you informed of your child’s progress in each class. Please contact your child’s teacher with questions about any grade or reported assignment in the Parent Portal. Students at WJHS will receive final grades at the semester mark, not every quarter. Staying informed of your child’s progress throughout the year will help you support your child and partner with your child’s teachers to reach their academic goals. After the 8th-grade Curriculum Night on September 29th, Powerschool will be open for all.
Click HERE for a quick start guide on how to login/create an account.
Click HERE for a video tutorial on using PowerSchool for parents.
If you still have problems, call the building secretaries for assistance at 847-512-6600.
Students can access Powerschool:
Use this link: ps.wilmette39.org - Also located under Students on our WJHS website.
Student username is the beginning of their school email address before @wps39.org (ex. 21josephs)
Their password is their school email password (ex. 12345pop)
OR students may use PowerSchool Mobile App (Tutorial Video)
Download the App from Self-Service
Use District Code HMKF
Student username is the beginning of the student’s email address before @wps39.org (ex. 22josephs)
Student password is student email password (ex. 12345pop)
We hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Kate, Jeff and Eric
Lockdown Drill
On October 14th, in accordance with the Wilmette Police Department, Wilmette Junior High School will be conducting lockdown exercises with students and staff. In lieu of a full lockdown drill, we will be educating our students and staff by doing a walkthrough of proper procedure and protocols. Wilmette Public Schools District 39 will always notify families before any lockdown exercises.
The Wilmette Police Department will be present to observe and evaluate the effectiveness of our procedures. Below are a couple of notes about our lockdown activities:
We will communicate with our students in an age-appropriate manner on what to do in the event of a lockdown situation.
All building occupants participate in these activities – students, staff, and any visitors who may be in the building at that time.
School administrators and school personnel may, at their discretion, exempt a student(s) from participating in a lockdown activities.
There WILL NOT be any simulations, gunfire or otherwise, in these exercises.
The Illinois School Safety Drill Act, Public Act 102-0395, mandates that all schools do the following when conducting a lockdown drill:
A student may be exempt from participating in lockdown exercises through written notification from a parent or guardian at least 24 hours prior to the start of the exercises.
Schools are required to provide education and instruction related to lockdown procedures to non-participating students.
Students are allowed to ask questions during the exercises.
To request that your child be exempted from our lockdown drill, please fill out this form by Thursday October 13th.
As always, the safety of our students and staff is our top priority and clear communication with our families is paramount. Wilmette Public Schools District 39 continues to have a strong working relationship with both the Wilmette Police Department and Wilmette Fire Department.
School-Based Clubs and Groups
We are excited to announce the kick off of our optional clubs for students beginning in the coming weeks. One of our strategic plan action steps this year is to create opportunities for interest and supportive clubs for students that do not require fees or registration; they can operate in a sign up or drop-in fashion and students can attend them flexibly as they are able. We asked our students what interested them, and from their responses, we created a list of clubs (with more coming soon) that will be sure to get them involved!
A few clubs will start next week, and others will be added in the following weeks! Our students are excited to learn more about the club offerings, so be sure to talk with your child about attending a club and finding a way to get involved at WJHS this year! They received more information about signing up and attending clubs on the morning announcements last Monday, as well as in Schoology.
All of the clubs are hosted by WJHS staff, and will be held either during a lunch period, before or after school. After school, students may be picked up at the main entrance to the school after 4:20, or they may take the late bus from school, which will drop them off close to their house.
We will share additional information about new clubs as they are added throughout the school year, and we look forward to sharing news and updates with you as these initial clubs get off the ground and are running!
LUNCH CLUBS STARTING THE WEEK OF 10/03
Library Advisory Board: 5th period
Newspaper Club: 5th period
Good Movies Club: 5th period
Board Games Club: 6th period
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS STARTING THE WEEK OF 10/03
Culture Club: 3:20 on Tuesdays
LUNCH CLUBS STARTING THE WEEK OF 10/10
Pride: 5th and 6th period
Book Club: 5th and 6th period
In addition to other clubs, Math Club is coming soon!
**Please note that there will be a MATH COUNTS math competition club added later this fall. We will send more information when that is added.
SEL Assessment
As we have shared previously, D39 staff and students have been engaged in lessons and activities designed to address social-emotional objectives. These lessons have focused on their continued growth and development in social-emotional competencies and will continue to be a point of emphasis throughout their time in District 39. You can learn more about SEL on our District webpage, which includes helpful parent resources.
An important part of a robust social-emotional learning framework is the inclusion of assessment practices that help teachers gauge how their students are developing and how they can adjust instruction to support their students’ continued development.
Beginning the week of October 3, students in grades 5-8 will be participating in the MESH (Mindsets, Essential Skills, and Habits) self-assessment from Panorama Education. The MESH includes a self-assessment on the social-emotional competencies, which asks students questions about their interactions with others (social awareness), their work habits (self-management), their moods and emotion (emotion regulation), and their supports at school (positive relationships). MESH also has a component designed to assess school climate, which asks students questions about their sense of belonging at school, feelings about school, bullying and teasing at school, and general school safety. This assessment has been given to students in grades 5-8 over the past five years. The results are used for teachers to adjust their instruction to target the needs of their students and as a tool for our programming to ensure that we are building in the necessary curricular supports that address the needs of students at these grade levels. As we continue to make progress on Goal 2 of our D39 Strategic Plan, we will also be looking at these results to guide our planning for Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions (more intense level).
This assessment will be administered in students’ homeroom classes, and in November a report on fall results of social-emotional assessments will be shared with the Board of Education.
Tech Tidbit
Technology Tidbit for newsletter 10/7/22
A few reminders from our WJHS Tech Team, students are expected to:
Arrive every day with a fully charged iPad
Have a pair of earbuds with them for each class
Request iPad support by emailing support@wilmette39.org or by using the iPad Support App on their iPad
New Trier Level Placement Test: 8th Grade
It feels much too early to be thinking about transitioning to high school, but we wanted to share the date of the New Trier Placement Test with our eighth grade families so that they can plan ahead. For WJHS, the placement test date is Saturday, November 12. New Trier shared with us that they will not accept any test date changes until early October when their testing letter goes out to families.
PTO Highlights
PLEASE HELP US STOCK THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE
Back by popular demand, we are asking families to help us stock the teacher's lounge at WJHS. Let's show our appreciation for our WJHS teachers and staff by stocking the shelves in the staff lounge with treats and refreshments to bolster their days! Our goal is to stock the shelves during the week of October 17–21. Please click this link to sign up!
ATTN: 7TH GRADE PARENTS THE 2023 8TH GRADE DC TRIP IS OPEN FOR REGISTRATION
Paul Harper is excited to announce that next year’s 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C., and Williamsburg is now open for registration. On this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, students will explore some of our nation's most important historical sites while experiencing incomparable learning moments. This will be a trip that your child will be talking about for years to come! Click here to learn more and/or to register. This trip is not run by the school or the PTO. Please contact Paul Harper at harperp@wilmette39.org if you have questions!
WJHS MONTH AT WILMETTE THEATRE
Did you know October is WJHS month at The Wilmette Theatre!!! This means the ticket booth will be decorated to showcase WJHS pride! Our chosen movie for Flashback Friday is "Goosebumps" on October 14th at 5:00pm. Tickets are just $5.00. Purchasing in advance secures you a spot! Parents can drop off or stay. This is not a PTO-sponsored event, and it’s open to all, but it sure would be fun to have WJHS dominate!!
Click on www.wilmettetheatre.com for more info and tickets!
D39 COMMUNICATION SURVEY
District 39 is gathering feedback from our families on District- and school-level communication preferences. Please take this brief survey to help the district learn how to continue to effectively and efficiently communicate. Note: this survey does not include classroom-level communication.
PASS39 CONNECTING PARENTS COFFEE
Pass39 is a parent organization committed to supporting parents of children with learning, behavioral, emotional, and developmental challenges. We’re hosting a coffee on October 4th, 9:30–11am for D39 parents and/or caregivers (preschool children welcome) of children with 504s or IEPs and those in the process of getting one. Please RSVP to Pass39@Wilmette39.org for location.
D39 PARENT EDUCATION SERIES
D39 has asked us to spread the news about their Parent Education series. The October event is “Parenting in the Digital Age,” taking place on 10/12 at 11am. These free talks are held in person and via Zoom. You can register for upcoming presentations and/or view previously-recorded ones via this link:
https://www.wilmette39.org/for_parents/parent_education
The September presentation was “Setting Goals with Students.”
District Update
Apple Distinguished Schools
Congratulations to Highcrest Middle School and Wilmette Junior High School for being recognized as Apple Distinguished Schools! This award recognizes the innovative ways our schools inspire creativity, critical teaching and learning. Kudos to our faculty, staff and students for their innovative use of technology to support our ongoing pursuit of academic excellence.
Reminder on the Importance of Attendance
A successful school experience starts by making sure students come to school regularly and on time. Attendance can be viewed by parents at any time by logging on to the PowerSchool Parent Portal and clicking ‘attendance history’. If you have specific questions about attendance records in PowerSchool, please reach out to your child’s school office.
Parent Education Event
Join us next Wednesday morning (Oct. 12) for our next Parent Education event titled “Parenting in a Digital Age.” Please click here for registration links and the full schedule of 2022-23 parent education events.
D39 Communication Survey
In alignment with Goal 4 of our strategic plan, District 39 is gathering feedback from families on District- and school-level communication preferences. Please take this brief survey to help us learn how to continue to effectively and efficiently communicate. Note: this survey does not include classroom-level communication from teachers.
Social Media Boot Camp for Parents of Students in Grades 5-8
As the popularity of social media continues to grow, District 39 will be hosting a three-part social media boot camp for parents of students in grades 5-8. This program, led by D39 Administrator for Technology, Information, and Safety Tony DeMonte, will take place on three consecutive Thursdays (Oct. 26, Nov. 3, Nov. 10) from 4-5 pm. Registered parents will discuss social dynamics, see demonstrations of apps from students, and learn about Apple's safety controls. We ask that only one parent per family register for this boot camp and please register only if you can attend all three sessions. Click here to register now! This program will be limited to the first 20 registrants.
Community News
LINK: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
Healing Everyday Racism in Our Schools - HEROS is hosting several events in October. Action-Based Book Club on October 9th; Native Americans in Chicagoland, Past & Present on October 16th; Civil Rights and Social Justice on the North Shore Conversation on October 26th.
Destination Imagination (DI) is open for registrations. DI is a creative competition for teams of 3-6 kids led by parents. Kids put together a skit and also practice for spontaneous instant challenges. Sign up for a DI information session or join a team.
Wilmette Jr. Trevians are recruiting Kdg-2nd graders to play hockey in House Mite and Mini Mite programs. Season runs from September - February. Contact: leslie.humbel@yahoo.com
PICKLES - kids supporting kids is a local nonprofit that provides free peer-to-peer support and resources for kids ages 6-18 affected by a parent’s cancer diagnosis. These fun, supportive youth groups meet monthly at Winnetka Community House. For more information: www.picklesgroup.org
New Trier Township offers a Food Pantry 10am - 4pm weekdays for families that live/work in the township. NT Township also offers Emergency Financial Assistance, Legal Aid Clinic, property tax assistance, social service referrals and other available resources. Go to www.newtriertownship.com for more information.
Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:00-11:00 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
"Best Step Tutoring” offers free online tutoring for PreK-12 grades.
Scout Troop 2 Wilmette email: bsatroop2wilmette@gmail.com
Wilmette Junior High School
Email: office-wjhs@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
Principal at Wilmette Junior High School; love being an educator and working with young people; value spending time with friends and family