WJHS Highlights
08/18/2023
A Message from the Administrative Team
Hi WJHS Families,
The time has come...we are very excited to officially welcome your children back to school next week! This weekend looks to be a perfect send-off from summer and so we hope you can get out and enjoy the beautiful weather before we return to school. Please take time to read this newsletter to help you learn more about the week and school year ahead at WJHS.
As we mentioned last week, we encourage you to check out the D39 Parent Handbook and newsletter thoroughly and please reach out with questions. We ask that you also begin going through the WJHS Student Handbook with your children as we begin the 2023-2024 school year. Teachers will be talking through parts of the Student Handbook throughout the first few weeks of school.
You will notice the August lunch menu linked above. For this month, we have included the price list, nutritional and allergen information. Moving forward, if you need information beyond the lunch menu please visit the web site at this link which will provide all of this information monthly.
Seventh grade families should have received a letter from Eric Resis, seventh grade level administrator, along with their child's schedule. This letter provided information about orientation and back-to-school reminders. In the event that you did not receive this or would like to re-read it, here is a link to the seventh grade orientation schedule.
All of our students should have received their schedule this week. If you did not receive a schedule yesterday, please contact your grade-level administrator. Every student should have math, physical education or health, reading, science, social studies, and writing. From that point, schedules will begin to diverge based on language choice and lastly, creative arts electives. Please know that a school master schedule is complicated and while we try to give students their top elective choices, many things play into how schedules come together. We hope that your child has new experiences at WJHS and tries a new elective course this year that they love!
We cannot wait for our students to fill the hallways and look forward to meeting you all soon - enjoy the weekend!
Sincerely,
Kate Dominique, Principal
Eric Resis, 7th grade level administrator
Nicole Ryan, 8th grade level administrator
Arrival & Dismissal
We love it that so many of our students ride their bikes and walk to school! There are bike racks in both the front and back of the school. You can find the D39 School Walking Routes Map at this link. Adult supervision begins at 7:55 AM.
If you are dropping off your child via a vehicle, please follow the route linked here to help keep our students safe and drop-off and pick-up efficient.
New Wolves for 2023-2024!
Please help us welcome our new staff members for 2023-2024! We couldn't be more excited to have this dedicated group of people joining our staff, and are looking forward to working with them.
Marissa Barnette
Music Teacher
Caroline Chung
Paraprofessional
Steve DeVine
Custodian
Patrick McEntee
Long-term substitute for 7C Social Studies (Mrs. Lopez)
Valerie Gabuzzi
Paraprofessional
Ben Kutilek
Paraprofessional
Jordyn LeVay
Teacher, Comprehensive Needs
Maureen Madden
Teacher, French
Nicole Ryan
8th Grade Level Administrator
A Message from our Athletic Directors
Parents and Athletes,
We wanted to welcome you back to WJHS and let you know about our athletic offerings this fall.
7th and 8th grade Field Hockey tryouts are August 24th and 25th.
7th and 8th grade Girls Volleyball tryouts are August 24th and 25th.
7th and 8th Grade soccer practice starts August 24th and is no cut.
7th and 8th Grade Cross Country Practice will start on August 24th. Please be aware that registration is capped at 90 runners.
Please visit the athletics website for more information on practices and Coaches emails etc.. https://wjhs.wilmette39.org/students/athletics
WELCOME BACK FROM THE PTO
We’re looking forward to the new school year and we are busy working hard to finalize programs and check off items on our “To Do” list. We will soon email out a handy PTO Checklist, which you can use to register for your Membership Toolkit. This is the most important way to receive information and opportunities including registration for after-school clubs, parent volunteer opportunities and more. We also encourage families to purchase your $25 PTO membership, which includes online access to the WJHS Directory and goes toward programming throughout the year for students, teacher appreciation activities and general student support.
iGNITE FUND FOR ENRICHMENT
WJHS PTO Membership is separate from the iGNITE Fund, which is our Enrichment Fund. In D39 parents pay for enrichment, not the school district. We ask each parent to contribute $85 on behalf of their student (but any amount is appreciated) to continue funding for field trips, guest speakers, traveling science projects and more for every WJHS student.
7TH GRADE ORIENTATION ON 8/22
Stop by the PTO tables outside at the 7th Grade Student Orientation on Tuesday, August 22 from 9:30-10:30 am. We look forward to this meet/greet, where parents can get information on PTO Membership, volunteer opportunities, iGNITE/Enrichment, Spiritwear and more.
WJHS SPIRITWEAR & YEARBOOKS
Online sales for WJHS Spiritwear and Yearbooks will go on sale soon, be on the lookout for an email with the vendor links. Make sure your contact information is up to date in the Membership Toolkit when the Directory is released.
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS
Programming and scheduling for after-school clubs is still being finalized, but information on programs and dates will be released soon.
District Update
We are so excited to welcome our students back to school next week on Wednesday, August 23! We hope summer was fun and relaxing for you and your family, and that all are eager for a great new school year ahead. If you need anything as you prepare for the start of school, please do not hesitate to reach out to your school or our district office. We are here to help! We wish you a wonderful and joyful start to the school year.
School Safety
As always, the safety of our students and staff remains our top priority. Our schools have comprehensive plans in place that are reviewed and updated annually in partnership with the Wilmette Police and Wilmette Fire Departments. We are extremely proud of the strong, collaborative relationship that we have with both the Village of Wilmette and our Wilmette Police and Fire Departments. As part of these plans, please know that all exterior doors are locked at all times and visitors can only enter our school buildings by being buzzed in through the main entrance. In addition, review and training of our plans and protocol is an ongoing and critical part of our annual work. For more information and valuable resources on school safety and security measures, please review the message sent to families on Tuesday, the information provided on our School Safety and Security page, and/or watch the recording of our first parent education event of the year, “Feeling Safe in District 39 Schools.” School safety is a collective responsibility and we sincerely appreciate your support and partnership in helping to ensure our schools and communities are safe, welcoming and inclusive environments for all.
Student Attendance is Critical to School Success
We believe that students are most successful in achieving their personal and academic goals when they are present in school. Research supports this too! A successful school experience starts by supporting students in coming to school regularly and on time. This fall, we will be reminding families of the importance of attendance. Students and families will receive increased communication from the school as absenteeism increases. 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. Additional information regarding student attendance and a variety of other important topics is available within the District 39 Parent Handbook.
Looking For Fulfilling Work? Join Our District 39 Team!
As we continue to make our final preparations ahead of the 2023-24 academic year, we are looking for caring and qualified individuals to join our D39 team. We are accepting applications for paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, substitute nurses, substitute cooks, maintenance/custodial associates, and a soccer coach for our coed 7th and 8th grade team (one team)! If you are interested, or know of someone who may be interested in working as part of a dynamic team in a vibrant and welcoming setting, please visit our D39 employment webpage.
Parent Education Events
We are proud to host a variety of Parent Education Events for our D39 families throughout the school year. These events target topics of interest specific to our D39 parent community and all are welcome to join us live or to watch the recordings as your schedule permits. We have compiled a fantastic lineup for our series this year and these sessions will be filled with great tips, guidance and support for our parents! Our first Parent Education event of the year, titled “Feeling Safe in District 39 Schools,” was held yesterday. The recording and slide deck are available for those who were unable to join us for this outstanding presentation. Please check out our Parent Education page for our full schedule of Parent Ed events and registration links.
Board of Education Meetings
Our Board of Education will come together for its first regular business meeting of the 2023-24 school year on Monday, Aug. 28 at 7 pm at the Mikaelian Education Center. Materials for the meetings will be posted here the Friday prior to the meeting.
Follow District 39 On Social Media!
Make sure to follow our District 39 social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram for fun and engaging content and events from around the District!
Community News
The Wilmette Starts Special Olympics Team will have its first basketball skills practice on Tuesday, October 10 from 4:00 - 4:45 pm at McKenzie Elementary School. Practices will be held on Tuesdays through the second week of December. Students in grades 3-8 with an intellectual disability are eligible to participate at no cost. All athletes receie a uniform. The program is registered with Special Olympics of Illinois. Contact Joe Taylor at taylorjo@wilmette39.org or 224-220-4736 for more information.
Special Gifts Theatre presents High School Musical Jr. September 2023 - March 2024. This program is for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities ranging in age from 10-22 years. The musical theatre program held at The Skokie School in Winnetka on Mondays 4:15-5:30 pm has openings for students and peer mentors. See flyer for details.
GOODFEST~RIBFEST at St. John’s Wilmette: Backyard BBQ’s Ribfest will be held Saturday, September 23 from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Goodfest featuring local bands will entertain from 5:00 - 10:00 pm. Portions of the proceeds go to Family Promise North Shore.
Wilmette Historical Museum presents Auto Historica XIX: Muscle Memories Sunday, September 24 12:00 - 3:00 pm 609 Ridge Road.
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.
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
Instagram: @hawkwolf39
Twitter: @hawkwolf39
Principal at Wilmette Junior High School; love being an educator and working with young people; value spending time with friends and family