The Wilmot Word

Please stop by the PTO Book Fair. There is still time to shop. This awesome event is not only a fundraiser, but it also lets students shop for some wonderful books! The book fair will be held in the Wilmot GMA. All visitors will enter through the west GMA doors (near the primary playground). Visit the book fair on:

• Friday, October 20 from 3:30-4:30 pm
• Sunday, October 2 from 1:00-4:00 pm

When visiting the book fair stop by the lost and found racks which have been moved to the GMA.

Halloween is all about pumpkins! And we are so excited that the Wilmot Staff will be decorating pumpkins again this year. Students will get to vote for their favorite pumpkin by making a charitable donation.

The decorated pumpkins will be displayed anonymously in the front foyer (inside the building) the week of October 23. Students may vote for their favorite pumpkin by placing coins or dollars in a container that will sit next to each pumpkin. We invite students to school with coins or dollars in a plastic bag on Tuesday, Oct. 24 and/or Wednesday, Oct. 25. Teachers will provide an opportunity for their students to donate/vote during the school day. Teachers will have extra coins on hand to support anyone who needs help with coins (or forgets to bring them).

We are thrilled that due to the timing of the parent/teacher conferences this year, parents will also be able to participate in the voting process. Please feel free to bring your own donations during your visit to Wilmot on Thursday, Oct. 26 and/or Friday, Oct. 27. We will leave the pumpkins on display so that you can join in the fun.

The pumpkin with the most donations wins the contest. The money collected will then be donated to the charity of the winning pumpkin. All other charities will receive a small portion of the collected funds. The winning pumpkin will be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Thank you for your support, and thank you to the Wilmot Staff for participating!

All Wilmot families should have received an email directly from Stuart Rodgers with directions for ordering your child's school picture. If you did not receive an email, please contact Stuart Rodgers at: 847-864-7322

We will offer picture retakes and an opportunity for photos for those who were absent on picture day. This will take place on October 25.

This year, we will be celebrating Halloween at Wilmot on Tuesday, October 31. Below is important information to help make this a fun and safe day for everyone.

We want to remind families to be cautious when helping their child select a costume for Halloween. Using another's culture as a Halloween costume can be viewed as insensitive or offensive. In addition, we encourage students to be inclusive so that students do not feel excluded during the Halloween festivities. Students may not wear group costumes that exclude other students.

Costume Information:

• Students will wear costumes to school as we cannot easily assist students in changing into costumes during the school day.
• Masks (for costumes) should come to school in a bag to be worn only for the parade, pictures, and parties. Students should not wear masks on the bus or when walking to school.
• Toy weapons are strictly prohibited.
• Please send a bag for your child's costume should they choose to take it off during the day.
• If you need assistance in providing your child with a Halloween costume, please let me know
• Avoid group costumes that exclude other students from participating. Our goal is to create an inclusive school environment.
  

Parade:

• We will hold the Halloween parade at 8:55 am, weather permitting.
• Click below to see the parade route.

• 5th grade will lead the parade (starting at the gym doors), followed by 4th grade

• 3rd grade will join the parade at the art door (following 4th grade)

• 2nd grade and 1st grade will follow 3rd grade from the west GMA doors

• Kindergarten will exit from their classrooms and will follow 1st grade

• All students will walk one time around the school entering and exiting the same door

• Parents/guests should not stop the parade, approach the children, or ask students to step out of the parade for a photo.

Visitors:

• We ask that all guests remain outside during the parade.
• Parent/Guardian volunteers for classroom parties MUST have their ID when they check in with our office staff. No visitors will be allowed in the building without their driver's license or state ID.

Families who are not comfortable sending their child in costume, please reach out to your child's teacher so that we can be sensitive to you or your child's feelings about dressing up for Halloween. We want everyone at Wilmot to feel comfortable.

Mark your calendars! Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, October 26th from 1:00-4:00 pm & 5:00-8:00 pm and on Friday, October 27th from 8:30-11:30 am. All DPS109 schools will hold in-person parent-teacher conferences this year with an option to Zoom for parents/guardians who are not available for an in-person conference. Parents will sign up for a conference using Sign-Up Genius. These links were shared yesterday and can be found below.

It is best practice to hold one parent conference per child, to ensure that both parents receive the same information regarding their child’s strengths and needs. Therefore, I ask that parents sign up for one joint conference per student. If this is a concern, please reach out to me directly. We look forward to seeing all of our parents during conferences. Conferences are a discussion between parents and teachers. At this time elementary conferences do not include students and therefore we ask that children not attend the parent-teacher conference.

Click the link below to see our New PTO Newsletter. Learn about:

• Wilmot's book fair
• Team Give
• Choir sign up
• PTO meeting dates

Our 3rd annual 109 Gives Back Food & Supply Drive kicks off in just a few weeks on November 3rd! Check those pantries and look for more information in the weeks to come!

Our school will be looking to collect:

• Household Supplies: Paper towels, Toilet paper, Kleenex and Paper plates
• Food items: Rice, Quinoa, Cookies and Crackers

ReferralGPS is a web-based service focused on assisting our community in finding local mental health and substance use-related treatment. You are invited to use this interactive tool at https://referralgps.com/find-help/D109 to search for treatment resources or connect with a Care Navigator anonymously. The platform has the ability to filter by mental health concern, clinician gender/specialty, location, and insurance acceptance. The service is available for all types of private and public insurance options including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and families that are uninsured or underinsured. ReferralGPS is available for use by district students, staff, and families at no cost. All information entered on the ReferralGPS tool is completely confidential and securely stored. Please note, this service is an optional resource available by choice and is not mandatory in any way.

Deerfield Parent Network, in partnership with Districts 109, 112 and 113, is pleased to announce Julie Lythcott-Haims’ presentation, “How to Raise Successful Kids” on November 30th at 7:30 pm at Deerfield High School’s Auditorium.

Julie Lythcott-Haims is the New York Times best selling author of “How to Raise an Adult''. Drawing on research; conversations with admissions officers, educators, and employers; and on her own insights as a mother and as a student dean, Julie Lythcott-Haims highlights the ways in which over-parenting harms children, their stressed-out parents, and society at large. Mark your calendars - this is sure to be a great program! While walk-ins are always welcome, DPN is asking that you RSVP for planning purposes.

RSVP LINK: RSVP HERE

• Friday, October 20

• Book fair in the GMA

• Sunday, October 22

• Book fair in the GMA

• Wednesday, October 25

• Picture Retakes (8:50-10:00 am)

• Thursday, October 26

• Early dismissal at 11:40

• Afternoon/evening parent conferences

• BOE Meeting

• Friday, October 27

• Morning parent conferences (no school for students)

• Tuesday, October 31

• Halloween parade - 8:55 am (more details about Halloween are coming)