WMS Friday Forecast

The integration of technology into the lives of so many of us has provided some great benefits and some great challenges. Today we took time to be almost fully tech-free... to unplug and re-connect. It was tough, but we survived!

Current research tells us that there are several things that we can do to help our students balance their technology with school and life.

1. Spending time in nature, without technology, increases happiness and reduces stress and anxiety.
2. Dinner time should be a time without technology- an opportunity to connect and talk.
3. Technology should end 30-minutes before bed so that they can calm down, disconnect, and adapt from blue light to natural light for better sleep.
4. Technology should not be in bedrooms at night so that kids are not tempted to play or go onto social media after bedtime.
5. Time on social media should be limited. A recent study showed that girls who spend more than 2 hours on social media have significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression.

Below are a few links that support the information above. It is a tough battle, but one worth considering, as we look to limit time on technology. We are having this conversation at WMS- how do we reduce the amount of time on technology here at school.

Have a good weekend!

Tim

• https://www.wtkr.com/news/william-mary-professor-studies-social-media-impact-on-teens-with-some-surprising-results
• https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-02-10/more-evidence-links-social-media-use-to-poorer-mental-health-in-teens
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/judykoutsky/2020/03/02/stressed-anxious-this-just-might-be-the-cure-you-need/#5115bb455c77
• https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers/

We are currently recruiting WEB Leaders. WEB stands for “Where Everybody Belongs.” It is a mentoring program where next year’s 8th-graders (your children) are trained to welcome and mentor next year’s 6th-graders.

Is your child kind, dependable, and capable of developing leadership skills? If so, please encourage your child to apply to be a WEB Leader. The benefits for WEB Leaders include building greater confidence, increasing connections with their peers, exploring leadership opportunities, sharing their knowledge with incoming 6th-graders, and of course, having FUN!

Applications are available in Student Services and are due Tuesday, March 10th. Please contact me with any questions. We are so excited about continuing our WEB tradition here at Wredling, and we couldn’t do it without our soon-to-be WEB Leaders!

Christine McPeak, 7th-grade Counselor Christine.McPeak@d303.org
331.228.5860

THE APPLICATION IS PICTURED. Click the picture for downloadable copy.

For one period, either the end of March or the beginning of April, all 8th-grade students will take the Illinois Youth Survey. The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) has funded the administration of the Illinois Youth Survey (IYS) biennially since 1990. The IYS is a self-report survey administered in school settings and is designed to gather information about a variety of health and social indicators including substance use patterns and attitudes of Illinois youth.

The administration of the IYS has two major goals:

• To supply local data to schools and school districts throughout Illinois. During state-funded survey years (e.g., 2018, 2020, etc.), the survey is available to all eligible public and private schools in the state at no cost. Each participating school is eligible to receive a report specific to their own students' responses. These local reports provide critical information to school administrators, prevention professionals, and community members as they work to address substance abuse issues in their communities.
  
  
• To provide a scientific estimate of health and social indicators for the state of Illinois. The scientific estimate is based on drawing a random sample to represent the state population of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in Illinois public schools.

If you have questions regarding the survey, wish to see a sample of the survey, or want your child to opt-out of the survey, please call Mr. Jacques Slaiher at 331.228.5168 or email him at jacques.slaiher@d303.org.

Here is a link to the survey if you'd like more information: https://iys.cprd.illinois.edu/

Jacques Slaiher

Student Assistance Counselor

Wredling Middle School

1200 Dunham Rd., St. Charles, Il. 60174

St. Charles CUSD 303

331.228.5168

The Color Run is coming, the Color Run is coming!!! Our fantastic committee needs a co-chair, can you help? While the planning has begun, we are looking for some support for this year and next school year. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact the Vice President, Katie Stan at katiestan22@gmail.com. Thank you!!

A HUGE thank you to Organic Life, District #303’s food service provider, for sponsoring the 12th Annual Top Chef Cooking Contest held last Saturday, February 28 at East High School and to Wredling PTO for sponsoring the prizes that each participant received.

Twenty-nine middle school students from Wredling and Thompson participated in the event and wowed the judges and taste testers with their culinary talents. This year’s common ingredient was orange.

Congratulations to Wredling’s participants:

• Amber Hollar - Pumpkin Pie Squares - Best in Time Management
• Noah Joel Wang - Gimbap - Best in Knife Skills
• Allison Altman - Orange Sugar Cookies - Best in Organization
• Teagan Sjogren & Addison Wagner - Creme Brulee - Best in Teamwork
• Alexandra Smedinghoff - Orange Chicken - Best in Level of Difficulty
• Drew Bittner - Orange Quench Cupcakes - Best in Organization
• Savannah Kegel- Mini Orange Bundt Cakes - Best in Taste
• Abby Hayes - Orange Dream Bars - Best in Time Management
• Kinzie Novak - Asian Stir-Fry Wontons - Best in Taste & Best of Wredling
• Sophia Harp & Siya Amin - Orange Crush Soda Cupcakes - Best in Table Presentation
• Carter Price & Katey Price- Chicken Fried Rice & Fortune cookies - Best in Originality
• Maddie Zubel & Izzi Othon - Chocolate Orange Buttercream Parfait - Best in Table Presentation + Taster’s Choice

The Wredling PTO is holding a HUGE spirit wear sale. Take advantage of these low prices to outfit your students! The sale can be found on the Wredling PTO website or by clicking the flyer below. All sale prices will show once you enter the square ordering page. Any questions, email brendaszerlong@gmail.com.

On Monday of this week, our student information system (eSchool, HAC) was down for the majority of the day. This outage interfered with our ability to look up student information, parent contact information, etc. Though we were ultimately able to access student schedules via third-party software. During this time we discovered how dependent we have become on technology in so many facets of our lives.

We also discovered that many students do not have an emergency phone number memorized. This weekend would be a good time to help your middle schooler memorize one (or more) important phone numbers. For students who struggle with memorization, you may wish to find a place in their planner or backpack to write these numbers down. You never know when this information can come in handy.

Technology is great when it works but having an "old school" backup plan is always a good option.

We will regularly feature our Social Emotional Learning information in our Friday Forecast.

NEW THIS YEAR - Yearbooks will be available for ONLINE purchase directly from Walsworth. If you already purchased a yearbook for this school year, we have provided Walsworth with a list.

• You DO NOT need to re-purchase through their online portal if you already did so when paying fees for this year.
• If you DID NOT order a yearbook already, please use THIS LINK to access the Walsworth online portal.
• You can also track to see if you already purchased it.

The yearbooks will be available for purchase up until April 1, 2020!

Do you have a student you would like us to
highlight in our RedHawk Spotlight?
Please email their story and a couple of photos
to Tim Loversky for consideration.

Our first student in the RedHawk Spotlight is featured below!

March 19, 2020
Wake Up Call
Haines Building Gymnasium
6:30-8:00 p.m

Wake Up Call is a three-part drug and alcohol prevention presentation. The first part of the presentation focuses on current trends such as vaping, marijuana, alcohol and prescription pills. Next, attendees are walked through a life-size teen bedroom with more than 20 “red flags” that can signal drug or alcohol use. The bedroom identifies spots where drugs can be hidden, household items that can be used as drug paraphernalia and ways teens try to cover up drug and alcohol use. Lastly, attendees will learn practical prevention strategies to prevent substance abuse and where to go for help if they are concerned.

CLICK ON THE WAKE UP CALL FLYER FOR THE REGISTRATION LINK

Contact us on Twitter @WredlingD303

#WredlingLearns

Website: wredling.d303.org
Location: 1200 Dunham Road, St. Charles, IL, USA
Phone: (331)228-3700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wredling-Middle-School-537757163011275/
Twitter: @WredlingD303