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WMS Friday Forecast
February 4, 2022
Why I Stopped Telling My Kids They Were Smart
When my kids, Maggie and Sam, were little we would often praise how smart they were. "You are so smart!" "What a bright little boy." But after reading a great article from a preeminent educational researcher, Dr. Carol Dweck, my wife and I changed our vocabulary from "smart" to "effort". Even now, as they are 21 and 20, we praise their effort. "I am really impressed with how hard you worked for that B in Spanish." "You really worked hard on that project."
Dr. Carol Dweck talks about intelligence being a fixed asset while effort shows a growth mindset. When students focus on effort and developing their skills and abilities, academic risk-taking happens. Dr. Dweck writes, “Praising students’ intelligence gives them a short burst of pride,” says Dweck, “followed by a long string of negative consequences.” She writes, "By contrast, commending students for the processes they use – engagement, perseverance, strategies, improvement – fosters motivation, increased effort, willingness to take on new challenges, greater self-confidence, and a higher level of success."
In the end, it matters little if my children are smart. What matters is what they do with their intelligence, the effort they put forth, and how hard they try to do good in their lives.
Enjoy your weekend!
Tim
RedHawk Pride Awards
Congratulations to our RedHawk Pride recipients for this week. Know that we appreciate your effort, how you treat others, and how you follow our Guidelines for Success!
Mia Shepherd from Mrs. Bennett
Gus Pickelsimer from Mrs. Sienko
Avery Andelman from Mrs. Amadei
Anika Dodrill from Mr. McPeak
Andrew Lomnicky from Mrs. Martinez
Ella Duginski from Mr. Walker
Avery Coffin from Mrs. Harper
Carla Almaguer from Team 6-3
Giovanna Turi from Team 6-3
Constantine Kouvelis from Team 6-3
Kellan Carney from Team 6-3
Sabrina Ahmed from Team 6-3
Easrton Zajak from Mrs. Stocker
Alesha Simon from Mrs. Keller
Adriana Kumar from Mrs. Franklin
Aiden Riordan from Ms. Ryan
Adrian Ochoa from Mrs. Guseman
Hello WMS Parents/Guardians:
Each year we ask you to take a short survey with the purpose of gaining insight into areas in which we are strong and areas in which we need to grow. Can you help me with our survey? I did it for my son's school and it took about 3 minutes.
Please note- for "county" please put in "Kane" so you can find Wredling.
Thank you!
Tim
Attention Wredling Students:
Explore Forms
Explore elective forms are due back to Student Services on Tuesday, February 8th. For your convenience, we are including a link to the forms and the video directions below. This information is also posted on our Wredling website.
Please note: students who turn in their forms on time will be given the first choice for their courses. Those who turn them in late will be assigned courses as there are openings and will likely not get their first choices.
Compass Academy
Imagine a school where learning occurs both inside and outside the classroom through student-directed projects, where students work in flexible spaces and have a schedule that is built around their needs and interests. This is what students experience at Compass Academy, a D303 high school program that's located at the Haines Center and is open to all interested D303 high school students. At Compass Academy, students:
Engage in “hands on” project-based learning throughout all courses
Have a voice and choice in personalized learning activities
Attend school on a schedule that is flexible and built around their needs
Can work at their own pace- whether they want to delve deeper into content or take additional time to learn a concept
Are part of a small learning community because enrollment is limited to 200 students
Even students who completed course selection for East or North with their future high school counselor can still decide to commit to Compass full-time, where they attend all classes at Compass, or part-time, where they attend some classes at East or North and some at Compass. Students who attend Compass Academy part-time or full-time can still participate in extracurricular activities at their home high school. This Compass Academy Information Video gives you more information about the Compass experience through the eyes of current students, parents, and staff.
PICK YOUR JERSEY!
We are needing some donations for our staff luncheon on February 11th.
The theme is "Pick Your Jersey" to go along with the Superbowl. Donations
need to be sent in February 8-10th to the main office. Sign up using his link,
Volunteers Needed To Share Career and Education/Training Experiences
***Visitors choosing to come into the building must adhere to current D303 visitor protocols. As of 10/1/21 - all visitors must:
- Show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test received within 72 hours of arriving to volunteer at your building.
- Bring documentation to the front office of your building upon arrival. If you would like to present to our students, please complete this Google form.
Important Safety Reminder for WMS Parents
CALENDAR REMINDERS
2nd SEMESTER Non-Attendance Days for Students
- Monday, February 21st - Presidents' Day Holiday
- Friday, March 4th - Kane County Institute Day
- Monday, March 28 - Friday, April 1 - Spring Break
- Friday, April 15th - School Improvement Planning
2nd SEMESTER Early Release Days for Middle School
- Wednesday, February 23rd
- Wednesday, March 23rd
- Wednesday, April 27th
PLEASE NOTE ON YOUR CALENDAR!
Wredling Main Phone Line Update
HELP WANTED!
Do you enjoy working with kids?
Are you looking for a job where you can make a difference?
APPLY TO WORK AT OUR SCHOOLS!!!
LUNCHROOM SUPERVISORS NEEDED! We currently have 2 openings here at Wredling!
Please contact Patricia Burton at 331-228-5242 or patricia.burton@d303.org
iGen: Understanding the Smartphone Generation presented by Jean M. Twenge
February 9, 2022 at 6:30pm via Zoom
Click here to register - If you cannot attend, you will be able to view a recoding of this presentation which will be posted on the District website.
With generational divides wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today’s rising generation of teens and young adults. Born after 1995, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person. But technology is not the only thing that makes iGen distinct from every generation before them; they are also different in how they spend their time, how they behave, and in their attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. As this new group of young people grows into adulthood, we all need to understand them. Members of iGen also need to understand themselves as they communicate with their elders and explain their views to their older peers. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation—and the world.
Jean M. Twenge, is the author of more than 140 scientific publications and six books, the latest of which is iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.
Support for Your Child if they are Quarantined:
If your child is quarantined due to Covid, our teachers will send work to your child and work with you and your child as we always have when a child is out of school. We want to recognize that quarantine offers some unique challenges for our students.
We will be offering instructional support through a certified teacher during quarantine. Ann Rose, a recently retired D303 teacher, will be available to support our quarantine students through Zoom. When a child begins quarantine, we will email both the child and the parent with information on how to access Mrs. Rose's Zoom for support. We encourage our quarantined students to access this instructional support!
E-Learning Plan and Emergency Days
The School Board has approved an E-Learning plan that gives the district the option to offer remote learning in place of emergency days. Currently, our last day of school is Tuesday, May 24, which is the week before Memorial Day. As we move into the winter months, we want to update you on the plan for how the district will manage emergency days and e-learning days.
If we experience inclement weather, the first three days will be “snow days” that will be made up at the end of the school year on May 25, 26, and 27 as needed.
Subsequent emergency days will be remote days so the last attendance day will still be before Memorial Day.
If there is a long stretch of inclement weather (blizzard, polar vortex, etc.), we may split the days into “snow days” and e-learning days so as to not have too many non-attendance days in a row.
Wredling Middle School - Home of the RedHawks
#WredlingLearns
Website: wredling.d303.org
Location: 1200 Dunham Road, St. Charles, IL, USA
Phone: 331-228-3700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WredlingMiddleSchoolD303
Twitter: @WredlingD303