News from Walter R. Sundling School
August 28, 2019
Welcome Back to School!
Dear Sundling Families:
This email replaces the packet you used to receive in the mail over the summer. It is filled with important information to review before school begins! Please read it over carefully, and feel free to call or email the school office with any questions you might have.
I hope that this summer email finds you well. The month of August brings excitement and anticipation of a new school year for both students and parents. As this short summer vacation draws to a close, I trust that your thoughts are beginning to center on the new school year and engaging activities that your child will take part in throughout the upcoming school year at Sundling Junior High. The same holds true for the teachers and staff as Sundling as we prepare for a new year.
The Sundling staff is gearing up after the summer months, and looks forward to working with you as our “Partners in Learning” this year. Please remember that our front office staff is here to assist with your transition into the new school year. Colleen Butterly, our school secretary, Jennifer Ratkovich, our office clerical, and Tricia Prebil, our school nurse, will be available to greet and direct you throughout the year.
The Sundling Leadership Team remains the same for the upcoming school year, and consists of myself, Assistant Principal Kelly Rice, and Michelle Burton, our School Counselor. We also welcome back Palatine Police Officer, Carlos Gonzalez, as our School Resource Officer. Please do not hesitate to contact any of us if we can be of assistance to you. As a leadership team, it is our goal to provide a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable learning experience for our students so that they continue to achieve the academic excellence that the community has come to expect from Sundling. If you have questions or areas of concern, we encourage you to contact any of your child’s teachers, our school counselor, or the administrative staff so that we can work together to help your child reach his/her academic goals throughout the year.
We will continue implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) for all students at Sundling. Our adopted motto will be, “Pledge to the Paladin!” We will focus on this motto in various ways throughout the school year as we teach students what it looks like to be respectful, responsible, and safe in all school-related settings in the junior high. We will support them by kicking off the year with a building-wide event that teaches them about our behavioral expectations while gearing them up to be the best student they can be. Our WRS Green Team, WRS Yellow Team, Sundling Connection Program, and Social & Academic Intervention Groups (SAIG) will also promote positive behaviors and student growth throughout the school year.
It remains an annual and continuous goal to encourage Sundling students to begin preparing themselves with opportunities for their future. We feel we can best do that by getting to know each individual student. In order to work toward this goal, Sundling staff will be placing a strong emphasis on the teaming philosophy to promote connectivity with our students. Each of our teams consists of approximately 150+ students and the teachers that instruct them on a daily basis. This structure allows for students and teachers to interact with each other on a more frequent basis and further enhances rapport among students and teachers. Teams will meet regularly during the week to discuss students, plan curriculum, and conduct activities and celebrations throughout the year to help them further connect to the Sundling learning environment.
As we open the school year, we offer several opportunities for students to acclimate themselves with the layout of Sundling. Please note these important upcoming events:
- Friday, August 9, 9:30-11:00 AM — Sundling Special Needs Walk Through
Students with special or unique needs are welcome to walk the building and familiarize themselves with office staff. The Building Case Manager for IEPs and 504 plans, School Nurse, Office Staff and the Principal will be on site to assist you and answer questions.
- Monday, August 12, 1:00-2:30 PM — Walk Your Schedule & Welcome to WRS Day
New students and their families should report at 1:00 PM so that 8th Grade Peer Mentors can provide assistance.
Returning students and their families please join us at 1:30 PM. Students can use their provided schedule to walk/tour the building in preparation for the first day of school. We welcome students and their families to Sundling for an opportunity to kick off the school year! We will have tables out in the lawn with important information, summer treats, raffles, spirit wear giveaways, community agencies and much more (weather permitting)! Please join us for a great afternoon at our school.
- Wednesday, August 14, 7:50 AM-2:30 PM — First Day of School for Students
School doors open at 7:35 AM for a 7:50 AM start. The first day of school is a kickoff day in which we orient/re-orient students to the processes and procedures at Sundling. Students will have the opportunity to meet teachers, administrators and staff; ask questions; provide input into extra-curricular clubs and activities offered during the school year; and meet their classmates. Students do not need to bring ALL of their school supplies on the 1st day of school since lockers will be assigned and significant time allowed for new students to practice locking/unlocking. Students will also review lessons on Digital Citizenship throughout the week to support appropriate and safe use of the Chromebook both on and off school grounds.
Each new school year provides us with an opportunity to improve and continuously meet the needs of our students and families. Once again this year, all students will have the opportunity to give input as to the types of clubs or activities they would like to see at Sundling. We know that students who get involved in an activity, sport, or event outside of school demonstrate more investment in academics. If your child would benefit from assistance in getting involved, please contact our School Counselor, Michelle Burton at 963-3728. Once we have established our clubs and activities and secured sponsors/supervisors, we will communicate meeting dates and times.
Sundling will continue with a strong focus on school improvement in both math skills and literacy in all content areas again this year. We will also focus our efforts in the areas of technology, using differentiation, problem solving, and attending to precision. We will continue to analyze MAP data and school assessments, along with the PARCC state assessment results in order to identify strength areas and areas in need of improvement for our students and our school. Throughout the school year I will share our growth and progress in these areas. We will also continue our work and partnership with the Museum of Science and Industry to incorporate the NGSS standards into our daily science lessons/content and also continue to imbed STEAM activities across all content areas in our school. Our main focus has been, and will always remain, on your child and their overall growth during their junior high years.
Be sure to mark your calendar and join us for our Sundling Jr. High Parent Orientation on Thursday, August 22, at 6:30 PM. Enjoy the remainder of your summer. I look forward to the opportunity to meet and work with you and your child to help promote growth and success during their junior high experience.
Sincerely,
Jason A. Dietz, Principal
Sundling's Back-to-School Website
- About our School and District 15
- School Hours
- Arrival/Departure Procedures
- School and District Calendars
- Student Attendance
- Transportation
- Teacher Assignment
- Chromebook Information
- School Supply Lists
- Health Forms
- School Nutrition Services
- PTA
Walter R. Sundling Junior High School
Website: www.ccsd15.net/WRS
Location: 1100 North Smith Street, Palatine, IL, USA
Phone: 847-963-3700