Woodbury Weekly Update for Families

Welcome to our weekly update! We are thrilled to keep you informed about the happenings at our school, celebrations & achievements and upcoming events, ensuring you're an active part of your students educational journey. In each update, you'll find highlights of the past week and a preview of what's to come, fostering a strong sense of community and collaboration between the school and our cherished families. Most weeks will be brief, but at times there is important information or updates that help support us in your involvement in our little school. Thank you for taking the time to read it!

The VFW Auxiliary Post 1486 had our Kindergarten students enter a coloring contest. Wren Wehrli won in Mrs. Mathis’ class and Dean Oakley won in Miss Loux’s class. The winners each received a book titled Freedom Friends and all of the children received a patriotic bracelet.

Happy Spring Break! Please remember that we will return on Monday, April 1st! This is our first scheduled emergency day which will make up one of our snow days from earlier in the year.

Additionally, the Board of Education approved our amended calendar for the rest of this year. Please use the following link to see the complete calendar. Our last day of school will now be Thursday, May 30 and it will be an 11:10 AM dismissal. Amended 23-24 School Calendar I hope everyone is able to enjoy time together with friends and loved ones. Let's return fresh and ready to take on spring learning!

A quick reminder to check in with your students. We have had some increased incidences, primarily in our older grade levels, related to "roasting" and having "burn books". Please note that while students at this age can at times experiment with humor and trying out things that they are learning from media (roasting is a big Youtube thing and burn book is coming from the movie Mean Girls), it has, in some instances, turned into targeted and repeated behavior toward an individual which by definition is bullying. Please understand that this behavior will not be tolerated. Parents will be contacted if their student decides to participate in this behavior. Now that students have been informed that is not tolerated, excuses such as "I was only kidding." or "I didn't mean it." are not acceptable for knowingly engaging in behavior that hurts others. Support from home is truly necessary to reinforce our core values as a school community and build upstanding character in our students. Thank you for your help!

Please check out the preschool screening flyer below taking place at Haskin in April. If you or anyone you know is looking to get their child in preschool our pre-k program has been expanded. The program is free! You will also see that they are hosting a 0-3 screening. During these early years, a child’s brain is growing at a rapid speed. Because 80% of brain growth happens in the first three years of a child’s life, learning actually begins at birth. If a child is not on track in their development this is a great way to acquire early intervention support and services. Mrs. Kern is The DeKalb Basics ambassador and is passionate about early intervention and opportunities for early learning for our students. You can also sign up for BASICS INSIGHTS which is a free text messaging program for parents and caregivers of young children that provides science based tips to boost your child's development. Parents, grandparents, and any other caregivers can sign up for these free messages and receive them until your child turns 5. We hope you'll check it out!

When we return...

4/2: World Autism Day

4/3: Paraprofessional Appreciation Day

4/4: National School Librarian Day

4/8: Woodbury Spring Concert, Eclipse

Eclipse on Monday, April 8

On Monday, April 8, there will be a total eclipse visible in the United States. An eclipse occurs when the moon is aligned between the sun and the earth, and the moon temporarily blocks the rays of the sun. At about 2:00 PM here in Sandwich, the moon will block out just over 90 percent of the sun’s rays, creating a twilight effect at the height of the eclipse. We know that this is an exciting phenomenon for students to witness. Therefore, students in Sandwich 430 will have the opportunity to view this extremely rare event in grades K-8. The district has purchased solar eclipse glasses that meet ISO international standards so students can view the eclipse safely.

Teachers will also remind students of the following:

• Looking directly at the sun on any day is dangerous. Please don’t look directly into the sun until it is time to do so.

• We will take you out to view the eclipse when it is time (Around 2:00 PM).

• You will only look at the eclipse when you have your eclipse glasses on.

Any family that doesn’t want their child to participate should contact their school office before Monday, April 8.

To learn more about the eclipse you can visit the links below:

• NASA eclipse site

• Video: 2024 Total Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyes of NASA

• How is the 2024 eclipse different than the 2017 eclipse?

• Video: Bill Nye the Science Guy - What is an Eclipse?

SAFETY Reminder: Please remember to pull up in our pick up line following our procedures for safety and follow the flow of traffic. Thank you for your help in keeping out students and families safe! Please click the image to visit our reminders for safe arrival at the beginning of each year.

Another great visit with our most favorite furry friends and their wonderful owners! You will also be able to go visit and read to our friends at the Sandwich Public Library District on April 8th, May 13th, & June 10th from 5:30-6:30 p.m.! We are so grateful to have them visit our little school each month!

It’s that exciting time of year again! The spring music program will take place on Monday, April 8th, at 6:00 p.m. at Sandwich High School. Please have your children find their classroom teacher in the SHS cafeteria at 5:45 p.m. There will be a designated table for each homeroom teacher. Teachers will not be there before 5:40 p.m., so students cannot be dropped off before this time. Once the concert is over, parents can pick up their child at the table where they were dropped off. Teachers will check with each parent at the given table in the cafeteria when picking up your child, so please do not retrieve your child before the concert is over. On the day of the concert, the children will be bussed over to the high school to practice the music by grade level. Mr. Anderson and classroom teachers will supervise the transportation and rehearsals.

The theme for the program is The Best of Broadway. This includes songs from Broadway musicals, new and old. If you choose to have your child dress to the theme of the concert, it would definitely add to the fun. There are so many characters, themes, and musical styles that fall into the genre of Broadway Musicals that it really opens up the doors of creativity as far as concert dress is concerned. There will be many photo opportunities throughout the evening. Please make sure that attire is appropriate for a school function.

Chad Anderson - Elementary Music Teacher

Hey! I showed the Woodbury Way! Several names were drawn from our Woodbury Way basket this week and we did diamond dot painting (so satisfying!) and made "Swiftie" bracelets!

We had a great time!

APRIL:

4/2: World Autism Day

4/3: Paraprofessional Appreciation Day

4/4: National School Librarian Day

4/8: Woodbury Spring Concert

4/11: 2nd Grade Opera House

4/19: 11:10 Dismissal SIP Day, National Volunteer Appreciation Week

4/22: Spring Benchmarking Begins

4/24: Secretaries Day

4/26: Therapy Dogs

4/27: SEF Casino Night (adult event)

MAY:

5/1: Bicycle Safety Month

5/3: School Lunch Hero Day

5/6: Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week

5/8: School Nurse Day

5/9: Yellow Day

5/10: Kindergarten Mother's Day Tea

5/21: Third Grade Bike Hike

5/28: Fun Afternoon

5/29: Track & Field Day

5/30: LAST DAY, Kindergarten Graduation, 1:10 Dismissal

Dental Forms:

Completed Proof of School Dental Exam forms are required for current Kindergarten and 2nd Grade students by May 15, 2024.

If you are unable to fulfill the dental exam, please complete the Dental Exam Waiver Form.

April is Autism Acceptance Month - Click here to learn more about autism, how you can help raise awareness, and find autism resources.

Would you like to leave a shoutout for one of our Woodbury Staff? Please use this form to help celebrate and recognize our staff. Your words of praise, recognition, and support lift us up. Thank you for helping us support all those who contribute to our awesome learning community! We love hearing from you!

Personal Items at school: Please do not allow your child to bring personal items from home to school. This includes toys, collectable cards, video games, or other small toys or trinkets. Unfortunately these items can become lost or stolen, become a distraction or cause disruption in the classroom.

Treat Policy Reminder: We have had several birthday treats sent in recently so we wanted to send a quick reminder about the food policy to avoid parents/guardians from making special trips or spending money on treats. Thank you for your support.

TREATS/FOOD POLICY:

Celebrations and positive reinforcement are an important part of our district’s culture of supporting

students. Often students bring treats or snacks to school to share on special occasions, such as their birthday. Due to food allergies and other health concerns, we do not permit students to bring in food items or treats to school to share. We would like to encourage healthy eating habits and promote non-food items such as pencils, stickers, bookmarks, or other small items in place of food treats. Curricular activities or classroom celebrations involving food will be dealt with individually and require approval from the building principal. Safety provisions will be set up for food or environmental allergies on an individual basis.

Registration for the 24-25 school is open. The sooner we have our classrooms set the sooner we can begin planning for the upcoming school year. Returning families to the school district can complete the online application process in a few short minutes through their TeacherEase account. This will be a very similar process to last year. Please be sure that all information is entered correctly.

If you have an incoming kindergartener or a new student to the district you will follow a different process in which you verify your residency before registering on TeacherEase.

Student fees for the 24-25 school year are not due at this time. We ask that you complete the registration process by Friday, April 19. Please use the link below which will walk you through the process of registration.

Dear Woodbury Families,

As of January 30th, the Illinois State Board of Education's 5Essentials Impact Survey is available for stakeholders to take. Please take a few minutes to provide us with your thoughtful and important feedback. The 5Essentials survey is developed around the "Five Essentials for School Success," an evidence-based framework developed by the University of Chicago. This framework identifies how school performance on five factors, or essentials, can lead to important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. Prior research has shown that schools strong in three or more of the 5Essentials were ten times more likely to improve student learning gains than schools weak in three or more of the Essentials. Those 5Essentials are:

Effective Leaders

Collaborative Teachers

Involved Families

Supportive Environment

Ambitious Instruction

Why is this survey important to us? As a building and district, we will use the data and feedback gained through your survey responses to guide building and district improvement efforts. In order to receive a detailed report from ISBE, we need a minimum of 20% parent participation! Additional information about this survey, provided by 5Essentials and ISBE, can be seen here. The survey will remain open for stakeholders until March 29th. Students begin taking their 5Essential surveys in 4th grade. Last year, we were able to meet our participation rate and received great results and the best way to grow and get better is from your feedback. As always, please reach out to Mrs. Kern if you have any questions or feedback for us beyond the survey. Thank you for your time and support!

Looking for ways you can help out and support our Woodbury PPA? Please click the link to check out our sign up genius on upcoming events and items we could use some extra hands on. Our next meeting is Thursday, November 30th. Thank you!

If you have not yet fulfilled payment for registration fees you have/will receive a note home from school with your remaining balance. If you have any questions regarding these fees, please reach out to our main office at 815-786-6316.

Are you struggling to pay for fees, lunches, field trips, and/or extra fees? Please be aware that there are opportunities to get help with school fees, field trips, lunches, and other fees.

We currently utilize the free and reduced waiver program through the USDA. If you qualify, this waiver may cover lunches, registration fees, sports fees, field trips, etc. If you would like to know more about this program, what the qualifications are, or how to apply, please call Mrs. Kruswicki at 815-786-2187.

Please remember, this program must be renewed every year. Since we utilize the guidelines of the USDA program, we must use their forms.

For those who would like to apply for free/reduced lunch, please do so using the following link: Online Application. Families who qualify for free/reduced lunch will have their registration fees waived or reduced (if process is complete prior to fees being assessed)