Tiger Prints

As we wrap up October and head into November, it’s a great time to refocus on learning and keep routines strong in the classroom. Looking forward, we’re excited for upcoming events, including our meaningful Veterans Day assembly.

A big congratulations to our 5th grade and middle school band members on their first band conference—well done! Additionally, a shout-out to our basketball and cheer team members for their hard work and dedication as they start their seasons. We’re proud of your commitment and look forward to supporting you throughout the season.

Finally, with parent-teacher conferences coming up soon, we look forward to seeing you and sharing in your child’s progress. a positive and productive week ahead!

We are making some changes to our middle school detention practices to help our teams redirect students toward better choices. We continue to ask students to be polite, respectful, productive, and positive so everyone can have the best learning experience at Winfield Central School. Unfortunately, sometimes students don’t make the best choice and need redirection. If you have a middle school student, look for a TeacherEase email over the next few days with specifics.

Our school's annual Veterans Day assembly will be Monday, November 11th at 2:00 pm in the Central Zeman Gym. We welcome families to attend this special event as we honor the veterans in our community with guest speakers, student performances, and a slideshow of service members past and present. We estimate that the assembly will last around 45 minutes. We ask that any visitors enter through door 15 in the back of Central school.

There will be No School - Friday, November 1 -Teacher Work Day

There will be a SIP Day on Monday, November 4. Kindergarten through 8th grade dismissal 11:45 a.m.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Monday, November 4 from 3-7 p.m. For information call Nuvia at 630-909-4901

There will be No School on Tuesday, November 5th Election Day

Click the Virtual Backpack Link to see the archive.

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming up! If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A49AFAC2FA5F8CF8-52264278-scholastic. To learn more about the Book Fair or start adding to your eWallet, check out https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/winfieldprimaryschool1.

Last Call for Donations!

Donations for teacher snack “survival bags” for parent/teacher conferences are due this Friday (11/1)! There are a few items left on the list, sign up here to contribute! Thank you for your generosity!

Half Day Social: Open Gym at Winfield Park District Join friends and classmates after early dismissal on Monday, November 4th at Winfield Park District (0N020 County Farm Rd, Winfield, IL 60190) for open gym play from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. There will be a $2 participation fee and signed waiver (per child) at the door. While food and drinks are not permitted in the gym (only water), if weather allows, bring your lunch to picnic outside before coming in to play! The park district will have some sports equipment available (balls, hula hoops, scooters, etc.) but feel free to bring your own to play with and share. Please ensure participants have clean gym shoes for playing in the gym.

Cook’s Night Out - Wednesday, November 6th

Mark your calendars for our next Cook’s Night Out at Chipotle in Wheaton on 11/6 from 4-8 p.m. Show the cashier the digital flyer and we will receive 25% of the total sales. You can order online for pickup (only from the Wheaton location during the hours of the fundraiser) using code KKX3AQT. See flyer for more details!

Box Tops For Education: Thanks to everyone that has been scanning receipts and earning money for our school! Today is the last day to get your receipts scanned for the October contest. A small prize will be awarded to the top Pre-K, primary, intermediate & middle school classes.

Project Hope is underway!

Get ready for the giving season and help us spread joy and warmth in our community! There are three ways you can get involved:

1. Donate blood in the Central School Cafeteria on Tuesday, December 3 from 3:45-6:30pm - schedule your appointment here!

2. Donate gently used coats during our coat drive on December 3 from 3:15-6:30pm - we will give coats out to our families that request them and the extras will go to local non-profit People’s Resource Center.

3. Donate to our Holiday Gift Giving Program by donating gift cards or cash or buying gifts for a child! Please email us at wef@winfield34.org if you are interested in getting involved!

Is your child in need of any winter gear this year?

Feel free to contact us at wef@winfield34.org or reach out to Mrs. Dave at sdave@winfield34.org with what you need including what type of gear (coat, snow pants, boots, etc.), what size and what color your child would like and we will work with our community to get those items donated!

Next PTO/WEF Meeting: Wednesday, November 6th at 7 p.m.

Thanks for your support!

Kelly Kurzer, PTO President
Mary Campbell, PTO Vice President
winfieldpto@winfield34.org

Lesley Gena, WEF President

Gina Christensen, WEF Vice President

wef@winfield34.org

Second graders went outside for a nature walk to use all of our senses to make observations about changes in autumn. We collected leaves to bring back into the classroom to look carefully at the variety of colors and shapes. We also had fun making crayon leaf rubbings and other projects with leaves!

This week, third graders discovered why skeletons have so many bones in science. We also met with our Kindergarten buddies for the first time this year to complete a fall-themed STEAM challenge. This week in 4th grade students participated in a fun activity called "the best pumpkin in the patch." Students had to take a pumpkin, transform it into whatever they imagined it to become, and then take its characteristics to write a descriptive piece about it. The pumpkins were then cut out and placed throughout Mrs. McDermott's and Mr. Brach's classrooms. Students were then handed a piece of descriptive writing (not theirs) and needed to use the descriptions to locate the pumpkin the story matched. This allowed students to practice their descriptive creative language and to produce creativity during the spooky season! This week, 5th graders practiced analyzing and solving word problems using multi-digit by multi-digit multiplication. They also applied their knowledge of biotic and abiotic parts of ecosystems to analyze the ecosystem of a swamp.

Mock election - Most grades have been covering the election by finding out which positions are being elected, which candidates are running, which political parties are represented, what the impact of the Electoral College is, what the voting process and requirements are, what strategies campaign ads use, etc. Besides some Primary/Intermediate lessons, middle school students are working on some projects this week: 6th grade is making campaign videos on parties and election topics, 7th grade is conducting a community poll, and 8th grade is making original political cartoons. On Monday, November 4th, District 34 is participating in a mock election and will hear the results before they leave at the 11:45 half day and before the actual election day off Tues the 5th. We'll recap everything when we get back on the 6th.

The Winfield Science Olympiad team is looking for students in grades 6-8 to join! Team members will choose from 23 different events to compete in, including study, build and lab events. Permission slips are due at this time and practices will begin in mid November. See Mrs. Nelson or Ms. Freundt for more information.

This week in ELA, each grade has been diving into their second unit topics! 6th graders have officially reached the halfway point in "Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya. Meanwhile, 7th graders are analyzing themes and characters in "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli. To get into the Halloween spirit, 8th-grade students have been reading a variety of stories by Edgar Allan Poe and working on a figurative language project (as seen in the photo). For a bit more Halloween fun, on Thursday all grade levels read about the history of candy corn before writing a persuasive pitch on their favorite type of candy!

This Spring there will be three seats for the Winfield 34 Board of Education up for election. Our school board guides our strategic focus for the district and helps ensure that our school district works towards helping our students learn and grow. For individuals interested in running for the school board, here is the 2025 Candidate’s Guide for Elections in Illinois. The Election Day will be Tuesday, April 1st, 2025. Board of Education member information is on page 52 of the candidate guide. Here is a link to the petitions and to the statement of candidacy. Paper packets are also available from Amy Watson in the Winfield Primary Office. Candidates need at least 50 signatures on their petitions. The signature gathering window is officially open. Petitions can be filed between November 12th and 18th at the Du Page County Clerks office.