Principal's Update 11-08-2013

Thank you to the parents who attended the Mindset book discussion last week! I loved talking with parents about the book and so appreciated the interest in what we as a staff are talking about and trying to work on with our students here at school! I will be posting information about Mindset on a new tab on my blog within the next few weeks, as I know there were many parents who were interested in learning more about Mindset who could not attend the book discussion on Tuesday. I also still have a few copies of the book available for parents who did not have an opportunity to read the book yet, but would still like a copy to read.

Also, thank you to our parents who attended the PTO Meeting and Room Parent meeting last week! Our PTO has many exciting events planned for the next few months for our students including our upcoming Supper Club, Barnes and Noble Night, and holiday parties! Please check out the Peachjar for information about the Supper Club that will be held this Thursday, November 14th at Colonial Cafe in Naperville. More information about the Barnes and Noble Night will be coming and there is also information about the Catalog Sale order pick-up posted to the Peachjar as well.

The students and families of Willow Creek School collected over 8,000 Box Tops for the October Box Top Contest! This collection raised approximately $800 for our school! The money raised goes directly back to the students for things that the PTO plans such as the upcoming holiday parties, the roller skating party, birthday books, the end of the year picnics, among other things! Awesome job and a huge "Thank You" to everyone who participated!! Grade levels have been given certificates commending them for the number of Box Tops they collected, and our fifth grades received the trophies for this collection that they will display in their classrooms until the next collection! Certificates for ice cream will also be going home this week with students whose names were pulled in the raffle if they participated!

Our Fall Mid-Point Benchmark Assessments will extend to Tuesday, November 12th, as we had to post pone a few assessments that were planned due to internet upgrades that will help make the testing go more smoothly. Please feel free to ask your child's teacher about their performance on these assessments during Parent/Teacher Conferences later this month.

District #68 is also upgrading our phone systems. These upgrades are taking place on non-attendance days for students including Monday, November 11th. The calls are forwarded to a cell phone that has been assigned to the WC Office. Updates will also take place during our Parent/Teacher Conference dates, so if you call the office on those two dates, please be patient and continue to try to get through if you are not successful the first time, as we usually have many lines that calls can come through on days when students are present.

Officer Bean, who teaches D.A.R.E. classes in the Woodridge #68 Schools, will be hosting a Cyber Security Forum at the Woodridge Community Resource Center on Tuesday, November 19th at 7 p.m. Details regarding this forum can be found on the Peachjar!

Congrats to the following WC 6th Graders who were a part of the JJH Fall Musical Thoroughly Modern Millie this past Friday and Saturday:  

Kamile Dirzys
Logan Maramba
Amber Moca
Megan Murphy

These students have been attending practices after school for weeks in preparation of the performance!!

Please be sure to return Parent/Teacher Conference confirmation forms as soon as possible so our teachers can plan accordingly! All families should have received exact conference times for each child last week!

The students in our Science Club began constructing their radiation shield prototypes that they have designed to be used in a mission into deep space! The students will eventually be testing their prototypes as well! They were very exciting to begin building the prototypes, as they have spent a great deal of time imagining, asking questions, and designing their prototypes over the last few weeks!!

 Hopefully our students had an opportunity to enjoy the day off and play in the snow!! Now that winter is here, please be sure to send students appropriately dressed for the weather. Students will go outside for the entire 30 minutes when the temperature or wind chill are above zero, as a result, it is crucial they are dressed warm and properly bundled up to be outside for the full 30 minutes. Also, please remember that students MUST have boots AND snowpants in order to be permitted to play in the snow. Many students want to be able to play in the snow, so please help make sure they are prepared to do so! Students who do not have both snow boots and pants will be asked to stay on the blacktop in order to ensure that they stay dry and are comfortable for an afternoon of learning in the classroom.

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

November 11th: No School, Veteran's Day
November 12th: Student Council Assembly, 12:45 p.m. in the the Gym
                            Fall Benchmark Assessments
November 14th: Supper Club @ Colonial Cafe in Naperville, 4-10 p.m.

November 15th: 1st Quarter Report Cards Sent Home
November 18th- November 22nd: American Education Week

November 18th: Picture Re-takes
                            Students wear a jersey to support American Education Week
                            Board of Education Meeting, 7:30 p.m., JJH

November 19th: Navigating the American Education System Mtg. for Bilingual Parents @ JJH, 6-7:30 p.m. for Pre-K- Grade 3 Parents
                            American Education Week: Celebrating Students Day- Students will celebrate something they have learned or achieved new this year

November 20th: Band Oktubafest Concert @ JJH, 5:30 Dinner, 7:00 Concert
                            American Education Week: Celebrating Staff Day- Students fill our "High Five" half sheets for a staff member who has been helpful to them

November 22nd: 5th Grade Robert Crown Field Trip
                             First Quarter AR Assembly
                             American Education Week: Celebrating Community Day- Wear school spirit wear 

November 25th: Parent Teacher Conferences, 3-8 p.m., No School for Students

November 26th: Parent Teacher Conferences, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., No School for Students

November 27th - 29th: No School, Thanksgiving Break