Words from Walsh March, 2018
Staying connected with Walsh School
Greetings from Principal Martin
Dear Parents and Guardians: I can’t believe I am saying this already…but registration for next year is upon us! We will start the enrollment process for our new kindergarten students this month. Kindergarten registration will take place March 7th and 8th for all students who are 5 years old on or before September 1, 2018. Registration for all current students will be going home on March 16th. We encourage a quick turn around on getting those papers back to the office in order to plan for the next school year. Keep in mind there is an early bird incentive if you pay your registration fees by May 18th. You can deduct $10 off the fee, per child, resulting in a fee of $120.00 (regular fees apply after May 18th, which are $130).
We hope you enjoyed our Math Night last month, and we hope to see you again at our Family Movie Night, which is set for March 21st. Plan a special outing with the family to sit back and enjoy the family favorite, Lion King!
St. Baldrick’s information will be coming home soon ~ this is a very fun way to collect money to help the St. Baldrick’s efforts in fighting cancer. This is a district-wide event culminating on March 29th, and here at Walsh, we have some very exciting incentives for our students. More information is noted in this newsletter below.
We kick started our reading incentive program with a visit from Spikes from the Joliet Slammers baseball team, and we hope to once again read over 2,000 books! We met our goal last year, and anticipate doing the same this year ~ with your help, of course!
There is a Board Holiday on March 30th, and our spring break will be from April 2nd through April 8th. This will be a great time to rest up from all our exciting March events and to have some fun time with your family before you come back on Monday, April 9th. ~ Mrs. Martin
Important Dates in March
Dates to Remember
March
2 – Dr. Seuss B-Day
2 - Spirit Day ~ dress as your favorite storybook character
2 - 1st Grade Field Trip
5 – No School Casimir Pulaski Day
7 - Kgtn Registration (9:30-11:00 am and 1:00-2:30 pm)
8 - Kgtn Registration (4:30-7:00 pm)
11 – Daylight Savings Time - Spring Ahead 1 Hour
12 – Yearbook Sale Ends
16 - Spirit Day - Wear Green
16 - Slammer Reading Program Ends
20 - Teacher Institute - No School (this is a Tuesday)
20 – Board of Ed. Mtg. at District Office
21 – Family Movie Night 5:30-7:30 pm @ Walsh
23 – End of 3rd Quarter
29 - St. Baldrick’s Day!
29 - Report Cards Issued
30 - Board Holiday - No School
April 2-6 – Spring Break
April 9 – Classes Resume
See times and dates for kindergarten registration, along with information you will need to provide, within the Kindergarten Registration article.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Registration for students who will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2018, will be as follows:
March 7th - 9:30-11:00 a.m. and 1:00-2:30 p.m.
March 8th - Evening Hours 4:30-7:00 p.m.
Please bring with you:
A. Original county issued birth certificate
B. Current real estate tax bill, copy of your lease, or if shared housing, a notarized 3rd party affidavit found in the registration packet
C. Two forms of identification (i.e. driver’s license, utility bill, bank statement, etc.)
You will also be asked to pay a registration fee of $130.00. If you pay at the time of registration, or before May 18th, you can deduct $10 from the fee. To save time, you may pick up a registration packet to fill out before arriving. These are now available for pick up in the school office.
Last Chance for Yearbooks!
All yearbooks must be ordered online by March 12, 2018.
Please use this school code when ordering: 12828518
Click here to order your yearbook YBPAY.LIFETOUCH.COM
We do not anticipate having any extra books, so make sure you reserve your copy today. Walsh, Reed and Ludwig schools share the same yearbook.
Oak Prairie has a separate book.
Registration Packets are Heading Your Way!
Please note that there will be a district-wide proof-of residency on July 31st and August 1st. Further details will be sent home at the end of the school year. Please call the office with any questions you may have.
SPIKE'S SUPER STUDENTS!
You will always “hit a home run when you read!” The Joliet Slammers are on our team when it comes to reading. Walsh School has set a goal of 1,000 books read by March 16th. If we complete our goal, we earn a free ticket for each student (plus discounted tickets for our families). If we double our efforts, with 2,000 books read, Mr. Wallace will reward us with
some special afternoon baseball fun ~ staff vs. students!
P.E. News by Mr. Wallace
Kindergarten News
Spring will soon be upon us! This month, kindergarteners will have the opportunity to
test the old saying that “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Each day
during our math number corner, we will classify the weather, enter the information on a
graph, and write an equation to match. Additionally, we will explore three-dimensional
shapes. Students will compare and contrast shapes and sort them according to their
attributes. The digraphs sh, th, wh, ch and ck will be introduced in our phonics lessons.
We will practice tapping, reading and writing words containing digraphs. Students will
continue to practice retelling stories by referring to characters by name, and using the
transition words, first, next, then and last, to help sequence the story. Additionally, we
will begin our poetry unit of study and celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss, by reading
various books by this fun-loving author. We are so proud of all the hard work and many
accomplishments each kindergartner has made so far this year!
First Grade News
Early Childhood News
The early childhood classes are looking forward to spring and the warmer weather. As we continue working on letters S, T, and U, we will also prepare for St. Patrick’s Day with many fun projects. A leprechaun will be bringing us gold coins, and we plan to catch him this year before he makes a mess in our classrooms! Our “Read It Once Again” selection will be “One Duck Stuck.” Thanks to our parents who work on academic skills at home to reinforce our work in school.
The Reading Corner by Mrs. Squires, Kindergarten Reading Specialist
Give your child lots of opportunities to read aloud. These tips from readingrockets.org offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.
Don’t leave home without it
Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor’s office. Always try to fit in reading.
Once is not enough
Encourage your child to reread favorite books and poems. Rereading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.
Dig deeper into the story
Ask your child questions about the story you’ve just read. Say something like, “Why do you think Clifford did that?”
Be patient
When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind your child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word.
Gently correct your young reader
When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly. Many beginning readers will guess wildly at a word based on its first letter.
Pick books that are at the right level
Help your child pick books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.
Play word games
Use magnetic letters to make words. Have your child sound out the word as you change it from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip
Write, write, write!
Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note to Grandma, or keep a journal of special things that happen at home. When writing, encourage your child to use the letter and sound patterns he is learning at school.
Music News by Mrs. Rutkiewicz
During the month of March, Walsh students will learn about the Families of Musical Instruments. We will hear Mrs. Rutkiewicz play her bugle, trumpet, clarinet, flute and several other instruments. We are learning how instruments produce sounds and we will watch several videos of musicians playing their instruments. March also brings Dr. Seuss Day, St. Patrick’s Day and spring! We will be singing songs for these celebrations, and kindergarten students will begin learning songs for their musical performance on April 27th. The performances will be as follows:
Morning performance 9:30 AM - Ms. Finnen, Ms. Galaviz, and Ms. Walsh
Afternoon performance 1:30 PM – Ms. Bruecks, Ms. Sadowski & Ms. Tyrell
Keep on singing ~ Mrs. Rutkiewicz
News from the Media Center
We have been having some fun with Google Docs. Students learned how to sign into docs and had a little fun communicating through docs. After signing in, students were asked a question and were able to respond using docs. The children really enjoyed seeing their answers appear in a class discussion on our board. We also discussed how using Google Docs can help once students are in the upper grades. They will be able to access their work from home, school or anywhere they are able to log onto a computer. We will continue to practice signing in to our Google Docs accounts so that the students become more familiar with the site.
Art News by Mrs. Deckinga
The kindergarten students will be learning about artist and illustrator, Eric Carle. We'll be reading many of his books during the course of the project, and visiting his website to discover how he creates the colorful illustrations for his books. The students will be painting large butterflies to hang in the hallway, using some of the textured painted paper techniques that Carle uses.
The first-grade students are beginning an outer space collage project. We started by reading the book, If You Decide to Go to the Moon. We'll splatter paint a starry outer space background, and then we'll paint colorful planets with watercolor and salt. After cutting our planets out in a variety of sizes, we'll add chalk shadows, streaking meteors, and even nebulae with pastel chalk.
Making Math Count by Mrs. Romeo
ST. BALDRICK'S FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER
The annual district-wide fundraiser for the St. Baldrick's Foundation will begin for our Walsh students on March 1st. Be a superhero and join in our efforts to support the foundation in finding a cure for childhood cancers. Our goal will be to surpass last year's total and we will celebrate our efforts on March 29th if we succeed! There will be a friendly competition as we try and earn the privilege to present our collection at Oak Prairie's mainstage event in the morning on Friday, March 29th. At Walsh, we will celebrate reaching our goals by joining teachers, staff, and local police officers by playing some 'super' games. Specific details will be sent home the first days of March. Thank you in advance for participating and helping our children help other children.