WJHS Highlights
02/04/22
A Message from the Administrative Team
Whew! We made it through January! A month from now we'll (hopefully) get some sneak-peeks of spring and a few days where we can eat lunch outside and begin to see a little more sunshine than snow.
There are many things that we are grateful for this year, but first and foremost, we are so thankful for the many people that help keep students attending school in-person daily. Despite an increase in COVID cases from early December through the end of January, we have been able to keep classrooms open and learning happening in person, which is our first priority.
While the winter sports season did not end as we hoped, we believe that providing opportunities for students to participate in clubs, and practice and compete in athletics, is incredibly important. While the New Trier Township Conference (NSIC) ended games early, the boys and girls basketball teams that play in this conference had an end-of-season all-star game to provide the opportunity to compete in a tournament-like format.
The teams that participate in the CSMSC (Glenview) conference had an opportunity to play in a tournament with the WJHS 7th grade boys winning the tournament and 8th grade boys placing second.
The WJHS Dance Team is not quite done and will end their season during halftime at the Northwestern women's basketball game on 02/13 at noon, located at Welsh-Ryan Arena. We can't wait - photos to come!
Wrestling continues for the next three weeks with a regional tournament on 02/26. Good luck to our wrestlers! Photos to come.
Congratulations to all who participated in winter sports - thank you for your patience, flexibility and resilience!
As mentioned in the last few PTO Highlights, many of our clubs have reconvened and we are excited that boys volleyball has begun, with track scheduled to begin in April.
We wish you all a safe, warm and healthy weekend.
Kate, Jeff, Eric and our D39 Athletic Directors, Paul Harper and Chris Toy
Spelling Bee
Hot off the presses! WJHS hosted the 5 - 8 Spelling Bee today and it was an exciting one! Sanjana and Aren went back and forth for the last several rounds, with Sanjana coming out the winner. She will represent D39 at the 12th Annual North Cook ISC Scripps Spelling Bee on March 9th! Congratulations to all who participated and good luck Sanjana!
Tech Tidbit
As Semester 1 has ended and Reports Cards will be available on February 9th, it’s a good time to refresh you about where to look for assignments and grades.
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.
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)
Schoology - Our Learning Management System where students can digitally submit homework assignments, participate in interactive discussions, receive announcements and feedback, take tests, and more. They can also view some grades. As a parent, you will be able to view your child’s daily activity within the platform, like late or missing assignments. Watch the Schoology Parent View Tutorial video to learn how to navigate your child's Schoology.
5 Essentials
The Illinois 5Essentials Student and Parent/Family Survey
The 5Essentials Survey provides school districts with detailed data on school culture and climate.
Students in grades 4 - 8 will participate in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey between 1/24/22 and 2/28/22.
Students’ identities will be completely confidential.
If you do not want your 4th grade child to participate, please email your child’s classroom teacher.
If you do not want your 5th-8th grade child to participate, please email your child’s Grade Level Administrator.
As a parent/family, you have an opportunity to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness about your child’s school. Your identity and survey responses will also be completely confidential. The Parent Survey Supplement will be open from January 24, 2022 through February 28, 2022.
To take the parent survey please visit http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/.
Select the appropriate survey to begin.
Questions? Please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874.
More detailed information can be found on the Illinois 5Essentials website. If you have questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874.
February 26th Virtual Family Bingo Night…Purchase tickets now!
Need something different to do at home on a winter Saturday night? Join the D39 Educational Foundation from 6 - 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, for a virtual Family Bingo Night! We’ll recreate this popular event over Zoom, but the fun — and the prizes — will be REAL! Register at https://d39foundation.org/family-bingo-night-order-form/ . A $10 registration gets you the Zoom link, and each bingo card is $10. We look forward to seeing you there!
PTO Highlights
After the tremendous success of our October event, let's again show our appreciation for our WJHS teachers & staff by stocking the the shelves in the staff lounge with treats & refreshments to bolster their days! Our goal is to Stock the Shelves February 14–18th. Grab and go snacks/beverages are most appreciated by the 115+ staff who drop into the Staff Lounge for a quick pick-me-up!
Here's how you can help:
SignUp for item(s) below and then fulfill your SignUp by either:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DAFAA2DA7FFCF8-february
(1) dropping off at WJHS front door vestibule anytime during the week 2/14-2/18 OR
(2) ordering via Amazon and ship (anytime in February) to: Wilmette Junior High School, Attn: Staff Lounge, 620 Locust Rd., Wilmette, IL 60091.
Thank you for your support!
Questions? Contact Julie Farina, staffappreciation@wjhspto.com
Please help warm up our WJHS Teachers/Staff on Thursday, February 24th for WJHS PTO sponsored Staff Soup Lunch. We are asking volunteers to bring fixings or make a Crock Pot of Soup (in crock pot) to share with our teachers and staff at WJHS. Drop off is between 10:30-10:45 am on Thursday 2/24. Please label both your crock pot and soup ladle before delivering on 2/24 to Cindy Sporn @ WJHS front office. Also include a 3x5 Index Card with Name of Soup (if applicable include if your soup is Gluten Free, Vegetarian, contains nuts etc.) We ask that Crock Pots be picked up in the front office after school on 2/24 or by the end of school day 2/25. Any questions? Contact Julie Farina, staffappreciation@wjhspto.com
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DAFAA2DA7FFCF8-24february
Don’t forget to order your WJHS yearbook, on sale now for $25. School yearbooks capture treasured memories that your kids will cherish for years to come!
We have a limited number for sale this year, please use the link below to place the order now.
https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/general/homepage?portal=true
WINTER SPIRIT WEAR SALE IS ON! Check out our cozy and warm apparel to wear to school and at home! A percentage of each sale goes right back to the WJHS PTO. Place your custom designed order today and order directly to your home OR take advantage of free (very) local porch pick up! (option available at check out)
https://humankind.shop/collections/wilmette-junior-high
Kelly Shoemaker leads WJHS Latin students to success in local tournaments, State competition. Have you heard about Certamen? The Latin students in Magistra Shoemaker's Latin class certainly have! Certamen is the fine art of Latin Quiz Bowl, with questions relating to Roman history, culture, mythology, derivatives, and the Latin language. The WJHS Certamen junior varsity team comprised of Beckett Schon, Asher Rexing, Lindsay Ye, Annabel Kim, Owen Petersen, and Edie Park took third place in our last qualifying meet of the year. The WJHS varsity Certamen team, Adam Tynkov, Anna Sandler, Anyi Kesler, Sophie Abendroth and Jacob Wilkins took first place at the meet and first place in the region! This means that the WJHS varsity group gets to proceed to State for spring competition! Congratulations Certamenites!
Community Review Committee Survey
The District 39 Community Review Committee (CRC), comprised of parents, teaching staff, and administrators from the district, chooses a focus area to research each year and provide recommendations to the School Board for future work. This year’s topic, which is a component of Goal 2 of the District Strategic Plan, is “Building Responsive Social-Emotional Learning through Strengthening Parent-Teacher Communication and Increasing Parent Understanding of and Engagement in SEL Instruction.”
The CRC is hoping to gather parent input to help inform our recommendations in this area, and has developed THIS SURVEY to help inform us in that effort. We will be looking to learn more about parent understanding of social-emotional learning, how SEL is integrated into the academic school day, and how teachers and staff can best partner with families as the SEL framework is implemented across the grade levels. The survey will remain open until 2/26/22.
District Update
Portrait of a District 39 Scholar
An important part of our District’s new, multi-year strategic plan is our Portrait of a District 39 Scholar. These are the characteristics we nurture, support and grow among all D39 students. Please enjoy this video which brings to life the wonderful characteristics of our D39 scholars. Many thanks to Tony Tang Productions for partnering with us on this project!
Register Your Child(ren) for 2022-23 Academic Year
Registration remains open for the 2022-23 academic year. For returning students, visit the PowerSchool parent portal, click on the registration link and follow the instructions. For new students to D39, visit www.wilmette39.org/enroll for instructions on the four-part registration process. We encourage parents with new kindergarten students to enroll as quickly as possible. Additionally, D39 is offering its KEEP39 afternoon enrichment program for kindergarten students. Click here for more information. You can register your child for KEEP39 at the same time that you register for kindergarten.
Winter Weather Procedure
As we continue to navigate the cold weather season, we want to share some important information regarding District 39 protocols and procedures for dealing with inclement weather and school closure considerations. Although we hope to avoid the cancelation of classes, the safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. Please click here for our protocols and FAQs for dealing with inclement weather.
Community News
LINK: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
In honor of Black History Month, the Village of Wilmette is sponsoring a Black History Month Student Contest. Submit posters, essay, poems and multimedia items relating to the prompt, "Why do we celebrate Black History Month?” Submissions are due Friday, March 4th. See contest rules for details.
The Village of Wilmette & 'Ready Set Wilmette' Comprehensive Planning Team want to hear from Wilmette residents. ReadySetWilmette.com Help ensure Wilmette is welcoming, thriving and vibrant for years to come. A series of polls focused on plan themes, an online comment map, and ideas wall. Provide input at your leisure and as ideas come up: feedback shared to date is highlighted in this recent online post.Check out the Facebook Page
The Volunteer Center is offering many volunteer service opportunities. Kids Against Hunger Event will be held on March 19th. Help pack nutritious meals for over 100,000 starving Nicaraguans.
The Trevian Girls Softball Association is adding 8-10 year olds to their spring and summer teams. Contact Kelsey Farmer 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.
Wilmette Junior High School
Email: dominiqk@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