Principal's Update 03-22-2013

Hopefully everyone had a fun and restful Spring Break! Below I have included the news from our last week before the break. It was an eventful week and our students eagerly anticipated the week off!

The week before break our school held our WC Battle of the Books competition for students who signed up in grades 3-6. We had many teams of students who committed to reading a list of books for the competition and as a team, they worked together to answer questions about the books from the list. Teams were challenged to come up with the title of the book and they earned extra points for also knowing the author of the book. The team of third graders and one team of 4th -6th graders with the most points moved on to the district battle later in the week! This was a fun event for our students who worked hard to read and prepare for the battle with their teammates. All Willow Creek students who participated celebrated with a pizza lunch before the battle.



The Willow Creek students who participated in the District #68 Battle did an excellent job representing our school and enjoyed themselves at the Battle!



We also had Pizza with the Principal on Friday before break in order to honor our students of the month from the month of February! These students were chosen either by their teacher or their classmates for this honor. Individuals who are nominated for Student of the Month have demonstrated an ability to follow the school rules, be caring citizens, and show academic responsibility. February students of the month were as follows: 

Kindergarten: AM- Emma Dirzys                   PM- Deborah George
1st Grade: Boots- Dylan Babinsky                 Cannis- Christina Diaz
2nd Grade: Armstrong- Reilly Renchin          Mack- Leiana Abraham
1/2 Wiese: Johan Velazquez
3rd Grade: Driessens- Miguel Diaz     Leonard- Quetzalli Chavez     MacNeil- Owen Brennan
4th Grade: Chapman- Crystal Long                Durkin- Sean Joyce
5th Grade: Mehok- Rubi Garcia                     Wilkinson- Rebecca Maniskas
6th Grade: Franson- Rachel Kanarski             Keogh- Gabija Bagdonaite   

The deadline for the 5Essentials Survey has been extended to April 12th. We currently have had 14% of our families who have completed the survey which still is not enough for us to receive the data for school improvement planning. Please take 10 min. to complete the survey in order for us to reach the goal of 30% of families participating. This is an excellent opportunity for parents to anonymously provide their opinions about our school. Just click on the quick link to go directly to the survey! 

Important District #68 Information

Gifted Program Identification Meeting – April 1st

Please join us at an informational meeting for parents about the new gifted program identification process on Monday April 1, 2013 at 7:00pm in the gym at Jefferson Junior High.  Topics to be covered will include the procedures for identification, testing, and time frames.  A question & answer session will follow the presentation.  All parents are invited and encouraged to attend.

Kindergarten Pre-Registration - April 10/11

Do you have a child ready for kindergarten next year? Mark your calendars for 2013-2014 kindergarten pre-registration during the following times: Wednesday, April 10^th from 4:00-7:00pm and Thursday, April 11^th from 1:00-6:00pm. Register at the school your child(ren) will attend. Bring your child’s birth certificate to pre-registration; children must be five (5) years of age on or before September 1, 2013 to enroll in kindergarten for the 2013-2014 school year. More details can be found on the home page of the district website. Please share this information with friends and neighbors who may not yet have a child in the district.

Upcoming Dates to Remember

Monday, April 1st: Gifted Program Identification Parent Info. Meeting, 7 p.m., JJH 

Tuesday, April 2nd: PTO Meeting, 1 p.m., WC Art Room

Tuesday, April 9th: Election Day

Thursday, April 11th: 3rd and 4th Grade Musical

Friday, April 12th: Report Cards Go Home

                                 6th Grade DARE Lock-In

                                 4th Grade Pioneer Days

Tuesday, April 16th: PTO Cultural Arts Assembly, 10:15 and 1:45 p.m. 

Wednesday, April 17th: 4th Grade Field Trip

                                         5th Grade Field Trip

Thursday, April 18th: Cultural Connections Potluck Dinner, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Friday, April 19th: Market Day Pick-Up, 2:55 p.m. 

Check out the pictures below of our students whose names were chosen in the "Positive Paws" raffle before Spring Break!