News from Sundling Junior High
December 20, 2019
Letter from the Principal
I hope this communication finds you well as we wrap up the month of December and the 2019 portion of our school year. Our students will be completing the 2nd quarter of school today, Friday, December 20th. This will be followed by an extended two week winter break, with school resuming again on Tuesday, January 7th. Be on the lookout! We will send 2nd Quarter Progress Reports home with students on Friday, January 10th.
Wrestling Season began with practices a few weeks ago, Boys Basketball season is coming to a close after we return from break, and Girls Volleyball tryouts will occur when we return from winter break. Girls Volleyball Tryouts will be held on the following dates:
7th grade tryouts:
Day 1: January 14, 2:30-4:05
Day 2 (by invitation only): January 15, 2:30-4:05
8th grade tryouts:
Day 1: January 16, 2:30-4:05
Day 2 (by invitation only): January 22, 2:30-4:05
**Please note: You must have a current physical on file in the nurse’s office in order to participate in tryouts and regular season activities.
Sundling Junior High Yearbooks are on sale now and can be ordered through Lifetouch online at http://bit.ly/WRSyb. Use code: 13564820 or Sundling Junior High as the school name. Yearbook Orders will only be completed online this school year, and we will not be taking office orders. A limited supply of yearbooks will be available on the day of yearbook distribution if it was not done online during the school year. Be sure to order yours today! The deadline to order a WRS Yearbook is April 5, 2019.
Parents in District 15 and across Illinois will have an opportunity to participate in the sixth annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school. Students will have the opportunity to complete the Illinois 5Essentials Survey at school when they return from winter break. Information about the survey was sent home with students before the Thanksgiving break. Here is a link for parents to complete the survey.
Link to survey: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/.
Don’t forget to support our WRS PTA. You can support our school when you purchase items using Amazon Smile with the following link: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/36-3607511.
Thank you for your continued support of our staff and students! It has been a great first half of the school year, and I look forward to the work ahead in 2020. I hope that you have a safe and enjoyable winter break with your family and friends. See you next year.
Sincerely,
Jason Dietz
Principal
WRS Spelling Bee Announcement
Congratulations to 8th grader, Anoop A. on winning our Sundling School Spelling Bee! It was a tough competition, and Anoop won in our eighteenth round. Our runner up was 7th grader Sia P. and our third place winner was 7th grader Sam H. All of our classroom spelling bee representatives did a great job! Good luck to Anoop as he progresses to our District 15 Bee on January 15th!
WRS Scholars Program Needs Speakers
Winter Weather Closures
District 15’s Inclement Weather Protocols
As we enter the winter season, we want to remind families of District 15 families of the district’s emergency closing protocol. The school district takes the responsibility of deciding to close schools very seriously, and will only close in the event of extremely inclement weather.
If school is canceled, that decision is made by 5 a.m. You will be notified of the closure in a variety of ways:
Phone, Text, and Email—District 15 will send a message to all parents through a voice call, text message and email. Please ensure your contact information listed in the Infinite Campus is accurate. If you have changes you'd like to make to your personal contact information, please log into the Parent Portal and adjust your contact information.
Website—If classes are canceled due to inclement weather, an announcement will be posted on ccsd15.net and all of our school websites.
Social Media—School closures will be posted on the district’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
Radio and TV—Should a snow day be called, District 15 will inform television and radio stations.
For more information on emergency school closures and severe cold response plans, please visit our website.
Notes from the Nurse
There’s a lot of talk in the media about how common childhood obesity has become. Whether it is due to reduced physical activity or how often families take advantage of fast food dinners, the statistics show that more children are overweight and to a greater degree than in past generations.
If you are unsure whether your child’s weight falls into an unhealthy category, talk to your doctor. A child’s BMI or body mass index is now a part of a routine physical. It plots a child’s weight against his/her height to classify it on a spectrum from underweight through very obese. If you want do the calculation yourself, just “google” BMI.
Many parents ask, “What changes can I make to keep my child on the right track weight-wise?” Winter is an ideal time to start! Cold weather doesn’t necessarily have to keep us inside! Sports activities and winter fun outside can replace time spent in front of the computer or TV. Sledding, skating, walking the dog and shoveling are good exercise! The list is endless!
The early teen years are a great time to establish healthy habits. Limit the holiday treats or substitute healthy options for snacks. Involve your student in food preparation and meal planning. The benefits could last a lifetime!
Tricia Prebil RN
Sundling Health Office
Learning New Languages in D15
Anyone who’s ever heard a baby learning to say “da-da” or “ma-ma” knows the power and joy of learning how to communicate, connect with the world and acquire knowledge. That’s why language development -- learning how to listen, speak, read and write -- is fundamental to all academic learning.
But learning a second language is different than learning a first language, because it typically requires continuous guidance and instruction. In District 15, we are fortunate to have a robust second language program with a variety of options to meet the needs of our 3,366 English learners -- in fact, the 13th largest program in Illinois! In addition, D15 also offers our native English-speaking students the opportunity to learn a second language at the junior high level.
Choosing the right program for every child
D15 has eight different models for teaching English as a second language across grades K-8. For example, one of our many programs is what’s referred to as a “one-way dual language” model. This program best serves students in grades K-2 who already have a high levels of proficiency in Spanish (and qualify for ESL services). Students in these classes receive part of their instruction in Spanish and part in English, allowing them to access the curriculum and not fall behind in their academics as they learn English.
Our newest program is a “two-way dual language” program beginning in Kindergarten, which brings together students who are native English speakers (with little to no Spanish proficiency) and native Spanish speakers (with little to no English proficiency) to learn and experience instruction in both English and Spanish. The goal is for these students to become bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural before they enter junior high. We’ll be hosting an informational night on February 20 at Winston Campus Elementary for families of students entering kindergarten in the 2020-21 school year. Read more here and please join us if you’re interested!
Our students speak more than 80 different languages
D15 students and their families come to us from around the world, and are fluent in more than 80 different languages -- after English and Spanish, our top four are Polish, Japanese, Telugu (spoken primarily in southeastern India), and Korean. For these students, D15 offers a “transitional program” of instruction. Our ESL-endorsed teachers co-teach with general education teachers and/or meet in small groups with students. They design instruction that helps students develop proficiency in English and access their grade level content.
Junior High second language electives
At the junior high level, D15 students may elect to take foreign language classes in Spanish or French, which include a rich balance of culture and language. The courses prepare students to continue their studies in high school.
Our diversity is an asset
In District 15, our diversity is a tremendous asset that we wholeheartedly embrace. It brings valuable and enriching opportunities to our classrooms and truly contributes to the mission of District 15 to produce world-class learners by building a connected learning community. For more information about the eight different program models in our second language program, please see our webpage and view this new, 3-minute video about our program.Upcoming & Important Dates at WRS- Jan. 2020
January 7- Classes Resume
January 8- Board of Education Meeting- 7:00 PM
January 10- 2nd Quarter Progress Reports sent home
January 14- 7th Grade Girls Volleyball Tryouts (2:30-4:05 PM)
January 15-Day 2- 7th Grade Girls Volleyball Tryouts (2:30-4:05 PM)
January 15- District 15 Spelling Bee @ Sundling JH- 7:00 PM
January 16- 8th Grade Girls Volleyball Tryouts
January 20- NO SCHOOL- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday
January 21- NO SCHOOL for Students- Teacher Institute Day
January 22- 7th Grade Robert Crown Health Presentations
January 22- Day 2- 8th Grade Girls Volleyball Tryouts
January 23- 7th Grade Robert Crown Health Presentations
January 27- District 15 SPARK Meeting @ Sundling JH- 7:00 PM
January 28- WRS Science Fair
WRS PTA Family Night with the Chicago Wolves- 2/23/2020
Join Sundling Jr. High School students, teachers, families and friends for an afternoon of fun at a Chicago Wolves hockey game. Everyone will receive a free Chicago Wolves hat and be seated together in section 112. Parking is $15 per car. Tickets are $18.50 each for section 112 (regularly $28). A family pack of 4 tickets is available at $70 saving you $4. You may also choose to enjoy a hotdog and soda preorder for $6.50. Tickets will be distributed by Wednesday February 19th.
HOW TO ORDER:
Fill out order form (link below) and submit with payment (cash or checks made out to Sundling PTA) to the homeroom teacher by Friday, January 31st, 2020.
WRS PTA Membership
To become a PTA member, you can fill out a paper membership form and send it to school with your student labeled “Sundling PTA.” The form can be found on our website at: https://www.ccsd15.net/Page/8467. Another way to join is to enter your information directly into Memberhub (please be aware that memberhub charges a nominal service fee) at: https://sundlingpta.memberhub.store/. Whatever level you choose to be involved, from simply being a member, to holding an office position, and everything in between, we are most grateful! Sundling PTA needs you!
For those who have already joined and/or donated directly, please know that we greatly appreciate your participation and support of PTA! Sundling PTA can be found on Facebook, online at https://www.ccsd15.net/Page/8458, and at memberhub https://app.memberhub.com/. Our member directory can be found online through memberhub.
D15 SPARK- The Stress Free IEP
Monday, January 27, 2019
Walter R. Sundling Junior High School
1100 N. Smith Street, Palatine, IL 60067
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Come to this free workshop that is open to anyone in the local community. Amy Slutzky, MA, LPC, NCC from LiveNLearn Consulting in Buffalo Grove will be joining us. This workshop will help restore your place as THE expert at your child’s IEP. Using decades of experience in the classroom to help families navigate the business of education, Ms. Slutzky will help you learn more than just getting an IEP. She will help you learn how to design an IEP that helps make your child a part of your family, not just a student who completes generic goals. In order to advocate without fighting, she will help you learn to stay strong. This workshop also includes strategies to help keep your sanity. Having a special needs child requires parents who need extra support. Using strategies from her counseling practice, Ms. Slutzky will help parents discover easy, practical and effective ways to feel strong and empowered. Please feel free to submit questions prior to the event so that we make sure that they get answered! Email your questions to ojaske@gmail.com.
SPARK meetings are designed to give parents information to help them in their current and future steps of the journey of parenting children with unique needs. At SPARK we realize the importance of providing:
• Relevant programs and resources related to special education
• Opportunities to network, receive support and help
• Connections for parents with outside sources
The programs can also be found on the District 15 website: www.ccsd15.net.
If you would like to be contacted by or connected with SPARK, contact Orenza Jaske at ojaske@gmail.com or join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1688046171274344/
Internet Service Provider Assistance Programs
Community Consolidated School District 15 recognizes that providing internet at home may represent a financial hardship for some families. Internet providers recognize this need as well and have programs in place for qualifying families:
To locate additional companies that offer low-cost internet, please visit:
Our community also offers free Wi-Fi at various locations. Find links to locations in our community and surrounding areas that offer free Wi-Fi:
District 15 is Hiring!
Bus Drivers (https://www.applitrack.com/ccsd15/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Transportation)
Classroom Assistants (https://www.applitrack.com/ccsd15/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Program+Assistants)
Nutrition Services Staff (https://www.applitrack.com/ccsd15/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=School+Nutrition+Services)
Substitutes (https://www.applitrack.com/ccsd15/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Substitute)
8th Grade STEM- Automation & Robotics Students prepare to race their dragsters
8th Grade students compete in Ironman Games during P.E. classes
7th Grade STEM- Computer Science students using code to develop useable projects
Walter R. Sundling Junior High School
Website: www.ccsd15.net/WRS
Location: 1100 North Smith Street, Palatine, IL, USA
Phone: 847-963-3700