With fall parent/teacher conferences rapidly approaching, we wanted to share some important logistical information ahead of the opening of the sign-up window. Conferences are scheduled for November 15-17 (Wednesday-Friday). Sign-up for families will begin on Monday, October 30 at 9 am and end on Monday, November 13 at 11:59 pm.
NEW for 2023, Highcrest Middle School and Wilmette Junior High School conferences will be done by video call using the Meet the Teacher platform.
All video conferences will be conducted via the built-in video conferencing software inside Meet the Teacher and not via Zoom. No special software or app is needed, as the video runs in your web browser. A video link will be sent to you with your appointment confirmation. Meet the Teacher has a support page with detailed information should you need it.
Please visit our webpage with instructions on how to book your appointment.
In order to access the system, you will need the login code that will be sent on Friday, October 27 as well as the date of birth of one of your children.
If multiple parents are attending the conference, please only sign up once, so as not to clutter your teacher’s schedule. Once scheduled, you may invite another parent/guardian to join your appointments.
If you have any trouble using the system, please contact your school secretary for scheduling questions or enter a support ticket for technical questions.
Please connect to your video appointment on time, as the conference will automatically begin at the scheduled start time. Your conference will end automatically when the appointment time is over. This feature is built into the system and cannot be changed. The remaining time for the conference will count down in a blue bar on the screen and, if you’re nearing the end of your meeting and find yourself in need of additional time, please use the last couple minutes to schedule another time with your child’s teacher.
Spelling Bee 23-24 information!
- Interested in participating? Please fill out this link with an adult at home. Registration ends on Friday, December 8.
- We will email an adult at home with the next steps. Level One of the bee will happen on the Scripps ONLINE platform. It will open on Saturday, December 16th, and close at 11:59 pm on Sunday, December 17th. There will not be time to take the test at school.
- Study, study, study! The study lists are in Schoology. This year we are adding an additional level of vocabulary to each test. 7th graders will take the 7th grade test and 8th graders will take the 8th grade test. Please be sure to study the words connected with your grade level.
Please email Mrs. Lubawski with any questions!
Are you in 7th or 8th grade? Do you like math competitions? Do you want to represent WJHS at the regional MathCounts competition on Saturday, February 3rd, 2024? Then try out for the MathCounts team. All meetings will be held from 3:40 - 4:40pm at HMS in Room 153.
On November 30th, December 7th, and December 14th, students will try out for the team by competing in school contests. The 12 top scoring students will be chosen to represent WJHS at the regional competition on Saturday, February 3rd. The 12 students will have additional practice for regionals on January 11th, January 18th, January 25th, and February 1st. All practices are at HMS from 3:40 - 4:40pm.
Students who do well at the regional competition may be invited to the State Competition in March. The four top scoring students from the Illinois State competition will be awarded an all expense paid trip to the National Competition in May.
If you are interested in trying out, please fill out this Google Form.
November is Native American Heritage Month, which is a great opportunity for all of us to pay tribute to the contributions, rich history and traditions of Native Americans across our country. District 39 is committed to providing a safe and equitable learning environment that fosters a mindset of empathy, respect, and belonging for all district students and staff. Learning about Native Americans in our community and beyond, helps us all to students and families about celebrate one another in our community throughout the year.
As a family, learning about traditions that are the same as, and different from your own helps your child increase their understanding of the world around them, and improves all of our ability to see many different perspectives. Enjoy reading a book together or check out one of the events taking place in Chicago to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.
Also celebrated this month is the Indian holiday Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Be sure to check out celebration planned at the Wilmette Public Library this Saturday, November 4, for activities and a celebration of Diwali. As a reminder, this calendar provides dates and information on many celebratory dates for students and staff of District 39.
The fruit flies are carrying away the lunch bags next week! If it feels like your family has lost a few since August, please remind your child to check out the Lost & Found! We are also seeing a lot of water bottles and sweatshirts. We also invite you to stop by WJHS after 2:30 PM to look through the lost and found in the cafeteria. All items in the WJHS Lost & Found will be donated before Winter Break!
It feels much too early to be thinking about transitioning to high school, but we wanted to share the date of the New Trier Placement Test with our eighth grade families so that they can plan ahead. For WJHS, the placement test date is Saturday, November 11. Families should have received placement test information on Monday, October 16. If you did not receive this, please email: worthl@nths.net.
8TH GRADE NEW TRIER PLACEMENT TEST SATURDAY 11/11
Best of luck to all our 8th grade students as they head to New Trier’s Winnetka’s campus this weekend to take their placement exam for next year! As a helpful reminder to our 8th grade WJHS parents: Doors open at 7:15am and students can either enter through the Winnetka Ave/South Entrance Door S2 OR on Trevian Way/Northwest Entrance Door N16. Testing begins at 7:45am and will end approximately at 12:45pm. Things to bring: pencils (no mechanical pencils!), erasers, water and snacks for breaks. No calculators are allowed. If you have any questions about testing you can contact testing@nths.net or 847-784-2258
VOLUNTEERS TO SERVE LUNCH ALWAYS NEEDED & APPRECIATED
Possibly the easiest WJHS volunteer opportunity and most rewarding: spend an hour and a half of your day helping the school while viewing your child from a distance (they might not even know you’re there)! You do not need to cook, only assist in serving the food items to the students as they go through the lunch line. Plenty of availability through the end of December. Sign up HERE and thank you!
SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE FOR THE PARENT-LED WASHINGTON DC TRIP FEB 2024
Attention CURRENT 8th Grade Parents: there is a spot available for your student for the Parent-Led DC trip February 2024, BUT THERE IS A LIMIT OF 40 students. This trip is not sponsored by the school or the PTO, but we’re happy to share the message from WJHS Parent Kara Fleming: itinerary includes a tour at the Capitol Building, visits to the WWI and WWII Memorials, the National Air and Space Museum, admission to Mt Vernon (George Washington’s home), Ford’s Theatre, the National Archives and much more. For additional information please contact Kara Fleming (7th and 8th grade parent) - karafleming312@gmail.com.
Website Registration Instructions for Participants and Chaperones
Click the green text in the top right “Login”
Trip Code: wilmette24
Password: wastrip24
Click on the red button that says “Make a new reservation”
Complete the information and continue to follow the instructions to complete your registration
Once you have completed your reservation, you will come to a page with tabs at the top, click on the “Passengers” tab.
On the Passengers tab, click on the “Waiver Incomplete View/Edit” button.
Complete all required information in the Waiver. You can log out and log back in to finish the waiver at a later date using the reservation information emailed to you.
D39 EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION’S THIRD ANNUAL COLLEGE PADDLE NIGHT
Grab some friends, sport your favorite college-themed gear and join us for a fun night of paddle! January 27, 2024 from 7:00pm-11:00pm at A.C. Nielsen Paddle Hut. Enjoy great raffle prizes, food, beverages and some friendly competition. All skill levels are welcome. Similarly leveled players will be matched together in a rotating round-robin style tournament. Tickets will be available starting December 13, 2023 at 10AM for $75 per person. Don’t miss out on the fun!
Parent-Teacher Conferences
The sign-up window for families to schedule parent-teacher conference appointments remains open. Families can sign up for conferences with their Meet the Teacher login credentials until Monday, Nov. 13 at 11:59 pm. As a reminder, Fall conferences will take place Nov. 15-17. Please visit our D39 webpage for more detailed instructions on how to book your appointment.
Parent Education Events
Thank you to all of our families who participated in one or both of our parent events this week. We were extremely grateful to have partnered with Wilmette Public Library for “An Evening with Grace Lin” on Tuesday night and with the Youth Services for our Wednesday evening presentation, “How Identities Are Impacting Students Today.” Please visit our Parent Education page for our full schedule of events, registration links, and archived recordings.
Board of Education Meetings
The Board of Education will gather on Monday, Nov. 13 at 7 pm at the Mikaelian Education Center. The Board will conduct a public hearing on the 2023 tax levy immediately before transition to its regular business meeting. During its meeting, the Board will review our long term enrollment projections in addition to conducting the second and final reading of several Board policies and hearing committee reports. Agendas and materials for all Board of Education meetings will be posted here the Friday prior to the meeting.
Wilmette Junior High School
Email: office-wjhs@wilmette39.org
Website: http://wjhs.wilmette39.org/
Location: 620 Locust Rd, Wilmette, IL, USA
Phone: 847-512-6600
Instagram: @hawkwolf39
Twitter: @hawkwolf39