This chat gave us an opportunity to come together as a TWI community with members of our district office multilingual team.

In this chat we shared information on how:

• To strengthen the bond between the TWI community and the Willard educational and leadership team.

• Informing families about the learning progression of TWI and how it differs from monolingual.

• Provide ideas to support your child’s bilingual growth at home.

• To understand the SAP process as it related to TWI at Willard.

You can check out the TWI Chat Slide decks here:

English

Spanish

Our TWI community is a valued part of the Willard community, and we truly appreciated everyone who was able to take time to join us.

We will be sending out a feedback survey to better plan future chats.

Dates: March 1-15, 2023

Goal: 100% of Willard Students participate and 100% of families support our young readers

For Students:

• Write down how many minutes you spend reading each day from March 1-15 on your Read-A-Thon Reading Log. Include the minutes you spend reading at school and at home. Reading time can include reading by yourself, reading aloud to an adult, sibling, friend, or stuffy, or being read to by someone else.
• Return your Read-a-thon Reading Log to your classroom teacher on Thursday, March 16.
• On Friday, March 17, the entire school will pause at the same time. Everyone will read for 20 minutes and then CELEBRATE with music and popcorn! Don’t forget to wear your Willard gear or school colors–blue and yellow–to show your school spirit!

For Families:

• Support your student(s) by encouraging them to read every day, reading together, and ensuring they have reading materials.
• Support the Willard PTA / District 65 One Fund by making a financial donation so we can continue offering literacy enrichment opportunities such as the Read-A-Thon, Willard’s Free Bookstore, funds to enhance the school and classroom libraries, and much more!

• Donations can be made online at https://willard-readathon-2023.cheddarup.com or by cash or check made out to the Willard PTA and returned to the Willard main office by March 17, 2023. We kindly ask that you consider making a donation within your means and that is significant to you.
• You can make a flat fee donation or chose an amount based on the number of minutes a student reads (e.g., $0.05 x 60 minutes/day x 15 days = $45).

Guidance for Daily Reading:

• K - 20 min at home + 20 min at school
• 1st - 25 min at home + 20 min at school
• 2nd - 30 min at home + 20 min at school
• 3rd - 35 min at home + 20 min at school
• 4th - 40 min at home + 20 min at school
• 5th - 45 min at home + 20 min at school

Thank you for helping to make our Read-A-Thon a success!

Questions? Email willardowlspta@gmail.com

Please take a moment to complete the 5 Essentials Survey.

Please complete the survey for each school that your children attend throughout the district.

Click here to take the 5 Essentials Survey

Please Join us to learn more about a day in the life at Willard Elementary School.

If you have family members or friends who are looking at Willard next year, please share this link with them.

Who:Kindergarten & New Families

When: April, 25, 2023

Time: 6-7 pm

Open House

Illinois Assessment of Readiness

• Window: March 20th - April 17th
• Grades 3-5

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) is the state assessment and accountability measure for Illinois students enrolled in a public school district. IAR assesses the Illinois Learning Standards Incorporating the Common Core and will be administered in English language arts and mathematics to all students in grades 3-8.​

Please have students at school on time daily.

Please note that the March District 65 Community Chat ‘n Chew event has been rescheduled to Tuesday, March 21, from 5-6:30pm at Jennifer’s Edibles (1623 Simpson Street). There is no longer an event on March 15. Join D65 leaders for refreshments and casual conversation! Spanish interpretation will be provided.

The selective enrollment programs and magnet school options lottery application is open from December 5, 2022, through March 31, 2023. This application is embedded in the online registration form for kindergarten students.

Click here to complete the online registration form to begin the registration process for your student.

The application for 6th grade for the 2023-2024 school year closes on March 31, 2023. Families who do not complete the required registration will NOT be automatically enrolled for the upcoming school year and will have to register as a new student to continue their enrollment in District 65. Below, you’ll find all of the information you need to properly re-register your student.

• The registration for current students uses information already in the PowerSchool system.

• Parents and caregivers will be asked to update important information and provide proof of address.

• Current students who would like to enter the lottery to attend one of the district's magnet schools will also have the opportunity during this process.

• Current students enrolled in King Arts or Bessie Rhodes do NOT need to enter the lottery.

District 65 is always looking for more bus aides.

If there is anyone that is interested in being a bus aide but not a D65 employee, please have them contact Michelle Williams at Positive Connections mdwilliams@ridesta.com to apply.

The next LGBTQ+ family session is next week, Wednesday March 15th from 7pm-8:15pm.

These meetings are for families and students and are facilitated by Chicago Therapy Collective professionals, providing a safe space for families to share their stories, learn from each other, gain access to resources, and receive support throughout the school year. Families can join the virtual meeting here.

There will be no games at King Arts on March 4, 2023.

Please see the schedule details in the link below.

Basketball Schedule Links Below:

District 65 5th Boys/Non-binary Basketball Schedule

District 65 4th grade Boys/Non-binary Basketball Schedule

District 65 Girls/Non-binary/Co-ed Basket

District 65 basketball and cheerleading elementary program schedule has been extended for two more weeks. The Saturday program will now end on March 18, 2023.

Evanston/Skokie District 65 4th and 5th Grade Spring Athletics

Hello District 65 Families,

We are excited to announce District 65 4th and 5th Grade spring athletics! This spring will offer soccer and track and field. Please see registration detail below:

SOCCER SEASON

Season: April 10 - May 20

Practice: Practices will begin the week of April 10th at your child’s school

Games: The first games will be Saturday, April 15th.

• All games will be held at The Quad on Saturdays

2454 Oakton St, Evanston, IL 60202

• Games will be 20 mins per half, two halves per game.

• Games will take place in the afternoon.

TRACK AND FIELD SEASON

Season: April 10 - May 20

Practice: Practices will begin the week of April 10th at your child’s school

Meets: Students will participate in at least 1 track meet

• The first track meet will take place in Mid May (location/date/time TBD).

REGISTRATION

Registration for spring athletics is open from February 15th - March 11th

Need to Register/Create an account?

Register for spring soccer and track and field through https://eventlink.com.

• Create an account.

• Search for your school by name and add it to my subscriptions.

• Add contacts and complete registration.

• Once your account is active, you can register for your child’s desired spring sport (soccer or track and field).

Already have an Eventlink account?

If you already have an account, follow the steps below:

• Log in to your account

• At the top of the page, hover over the “Registration” Tab

• Click “Available items”

• Click 2022-2023 Registration

• Please fill out all the information that is asked, including your child's student ID number. (email registrationinfo@district65.net if you need help locating your student ID #)

• Please only select one sport (soccer or track and field).

COACHING

The D65 athletics sports cannot be possible without amazing coaches. We are hiring coaches and accepting volunteers for the spring season. If you are interested in coaching or volunteering, please apply at here.

DISTRICT CONTACT

Brandan Lane

District 65 Elementary Athletic Director

laneb@district65.net

At Willard, effective immediately we will have indoor recess when the Accuweather real feel temperature is 20 degrees or lower/ inclement weather.

Please be sure that students are wearing proper winter clothing so that they are warm during their recess time.

If you have donations, we are glad to receive them for students who need them.

To assist with safety on the bus, we will be implementing Smart Tag district wide.

When students enter/exit the bus they will scan their Smart Tag.

The Smart Tag identifies when students get on/off the bus. For students in grades K-2, parents/ care takers will scan their cards when students are retrieved from the bus in the afternoon.

This process will tell us when the bus is late & exactly where it is using GPS location. It will also alert us to students who are/are not on the bus each morning/afternoon.

Willard will be launching Smart Tag on Feb. 20th.

Each bus rider will receive a bus card & lanyard that will be attached to their backpack.

When guest enter the building, they will scan their ID.

• If they are cleared, they receive a badge to go to their approved location.
• If they are flagged, they are brought to a secure location & will be supervised the entire time from an administrator's office.
• If you are coming to volunteer in the building, please bring your ID.

This is NOT an effort to keep people out of the building, but it is an opportunity to ensure we are keeping our students & staff safe.

In everything that we do we are committed to:

1. Courtesy
2. Respect
3. Dignity
4. Professionalism
5. Humanity

Please partner with us as we live out the BIG 5 in our daily walk, talk, & communal interactions.

Click here to fill out the virtual D65 Volunteer Form.

We have a few opportunities coming up be on the look out...