Walden Weekly
School News You Can Use
Dear Walden Families,
Our school was a fun buzz of energy today with it being April Fools' Day! Students were playing little tricks on their teachers by sitting in different seats or changing the schedule to a full day of recess. Teachers were playing little tricks on students like giving them crazy spelling tests with made-up lists of goofy words. The school had a blast with trickery and silliness.
We also had fun yesterday with crazy hat day and our storytime in the evening with me. I was excited to see over 100 students joining our Zoom webinar and we will try and find another day to make this happen again before the end of the year. Please see the video below if you missed out last night.
Thanks for a great week and we'll see you on Monday!
Stephanie Strenger
Goals and Concerns Form
Storytime with Mrs. Strenger - shared recording below
Illinois Assessment of Readiness (2nd Posting)
For All 3rd-5th 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 and the Illinois Science Assessment between April 4th and April 15th.
These state assessments help 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 schedule for Walden:
Monday, April 4th
Tuesday, April 5th
Thursday, April 7th
4th Grade:
Monday, April 4th
Tuesday, April 5th
Wednesday, April 6th
Thursday, April 7th
Friday, April 8th
5th Grade:
Monday, April 4th
Tuesday, April 5th
Wednesday, April 6h
Thursday, April 7th
Friday, April 8thIf 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.
Walden Art Show! (3rd Posting)
We are excited to host our annual art show this year! The K-5 show will take place on April 27th and 28th. Families can attend with their artist to view artworks on display and stop by the art room to take home their clay pieces. Artwork will be displayed in all the main hallways. In order to make the parking lot more accessible and avoid large crowds, the nights are organized by families last names.
Here is the schedule:
Wednesday, April 27th:
5:00 - 5:30 Last Names A - F
5:45 - 6:15 Last Names G - L
Thursday, April 28th
5:00 - 5:30 Last Names M - R
5:45 - 6:15 Last Names S - Z
SHIELD TESTING
Looking to fill out the SHIELD consent form?
Please login to Skyward/Family Access and it should appear as a green box next to your child’s name. Contact the district's communications department (communications@dps109.org) with any Family Access questions.
Looking to opt-out of SHIELD testing next week?
Click here to access the form.
We share the same form each week. If you'd like to opt your child out each week, the form will need to be filled out on a week-by-week basis.
Forms are due by Tuesday at 3pm.
Upcoming Dates
April 4 - April 8 - IAR Week
April 7 - 2nd Grade Show
April 14 - PTO Bingo Night
April 15 - No School
April 27 & April 28 - Walden Art Fair
May 6 - Kindergarten Round Up