WJHS Highlights
01/31/2025
8th grade graduation will take place on Thursday, June 5 at 5:30pm in the new Winnetka Main Gym, at the Winnetka Campus of New Trier High School. We are excited to return to New Trier for our 8th grade graduation ceremony this year! More information on graduation will come out in the next few weeks.
January is often a time when we, as adults, make resolutions for the coming year. We often hear our friends and relatives (even ourselves!) making resolutions such as exercising more, losing a few pounds, or spending time being more mindful, and we work hard to (hopefully) reach them by the end of the new year.
Just as it is a good practice for adults to set goals or resolutions, it is a great practice to get into with your child individually or as a family at home. During the school day students set academic goals as well as social-emotional and behavioral goals, but this month is a great opportunity to transfer that practice to the home setting. Goal setting and the conversations around it help support children as they develop self-management skills and self-awareness skills. If that goal involves helping out the family or community, it might also tap into social-awareness. Make sure the goals you set at home are realistic, measurable, and attainable with in a short period of time. Once your child reaches their goal, take that opportunity to celebrate and set another one!
Some examples of goals include:
Have a “spring cleaning” day at the end of the month, where the whole family contributes, and donate at least one bag of items to a local charity.
Have a no screens night at least once a week in January, and learn a new board game to play together.
(For a child) Choose a new recipe and make it once this month for dinner for the family (with help if needed).
HERE and HERE are a couple of resources to help you as you engage in goal setting at home!
TEACHER/STAFF SOUP LUNCH
During February each year the PTO plans a “Soup Lunch” for teachers and staff as a winter treat! Let’s warm up our amazing teachers and staff with homemade soup for lunch on Thursday, 2/13. Don’t want to cook? That’s ok- we need donations of bread/crackers, takeout containers and desserts. Please visit the SignUp Genius HERE for more information.
IMPORTANT REGISTRATION NOTE: PLEASE OPT IN FOR NEXT YEAR’S DIRECTORY
Returning Student Registration has started for Wilmette Schools District 39 per the “PowerSchool Enrollment” email on Tuesday, January 21st. Each D39 PTO/PTA prepares a digital family directory of student and parent names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses for the convenience of student families and school staff. The directories are not distributed to anyone other than our student families and D39 staff. PLEASE SAY YES WHEN IT ASKS YOU TO INCLUDE YOUR STUDENT AND PARENT INFORMATION IN THE DIRECTORY. You will be able to customize what information appears (address/email/phone numbers etc).
YEARBOOK ON SALE NOW
The 2024-2025 WJHS Yearbook can be purchased directly through Membership Toolkit on the WJHS PTO website www.wjhspto.com. Yearbooks are $32 and will be distributed during the last week of school. Not sure if you already bought one? Just check your Membership Toolkit account. Purchase NOW and cross this off your list of things to do!
CAFETERIA VOLUNTEERS WANTED
The following February dates have openings to help serve lunch. Please consider volunteering as it’s so appreciated by our lunchroom staff! Sign up HERE and thank you!
Mondays: 2/3, 2/10, 2/24
Tuesdays: 2/25
Wednesdays: 2/12, 2/19, 2/26
Thursdays: 2/6, 2/20, 2/27
Fridays: 2/28
PTO POSITIONS AVAILABLE FOR NEXT YEAR
We are starting to fill positions for next year’s PTO Executive and General Board. If you would like to help make many services possible for our students and parents, your time would be greatly appreciated. There’s something for everyone in terms of time commitment!
PTO Secretary - attends once a month meetings held at 9am on the first Wednesday of each month, takes notes and writes up minutes
VP Communications - manages website, serves as the Membership Toolkit liaison and coordinates with the Directory Chair for the launch of the new school year, sends out all school announcements
VP Community/Hospitality - manages events and committees for New Families Orientation, 7th Grade Orientation, Monthly Staff Treats, Teacher/Staff Holiday Gift Fund and Teacher Appreciation Week
Community/Hospitality Committees - can you be a Greeter for new families (one night in August)? Can you coordinate getting donuts/coffee for parents during the 7th grade orientation (one morning in August), can you plan special days for teachers involving soup, hot cocoa or hot cider (once a month for 3-4 months)?
8TH Grade Graduation Party Committee - it’s never too early to start thinking about planning NEXT year’s graduation party. Usually gets going around January of graduation year.
To express interest or find out more, please email president@wjhspto.com!
The WJHS PTO has been asked to pass along some relevant community information:
D39 EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
Grab your friends and sign up for a table for TRIVIA NIGHT on Saturday, April 5th at St. Joseph’s school gymnasium. Tables go on sale Tuesday, February 25th at 10am. Theme and costumes encouraged, BYOF and BYOB (bring your own food and beverage), raffle, prizes and good times! Check it out at https://d39foundation.org/
REGINA DOMINICAN SCHOOL (across from WJHS)
Dance Clinic for 6th-8th graders on 2/7 5:30pm
Parent/Daughter Galentine’s Night on 2/13 6:30-8:00pm. Shopping, treats and activities
Basketball Clinic for 6th/7th grade girls on 2/16 2:30-3:45pm
For more information on these events go to https://www.rdpanthers.org/apps/pages/special-events
Board of Education Meeting
The Board of Education gathered on Monday for its monthly business meeting. During the meeting, the Board approved the school calendar and student fees for the 2025-26 academic year, heard committee reports, and conducted a first reading of several Board policies. Agendas and materials for Board of Education meetings are posted online the Friday prior to the meeting.
Register Now for the 2025-26 Academic Year
Registration remains open for the 2025-26 academic year. ALL students, including those already attending D39 schools, must register. The 2025-26 academic year calendar was officially approved at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting. District 39 is excited to offer full-day kindergarten beginning in Fall 2025, and we encourage parents with new kindergarten students to enroll as soon as possible to take advantage of this new program. Registration for our Lechner Early Education Program (LEEP) for three- and four-year-old students is also open.
For returning students, visit the PowerSchool Parent Portal, click on the registration link, and follow the instructions.
For students new to D39, visit wilmette39.org/enroll for instructions on the new student registration process.
D39 Summer Enrichment Program
Looking for a fun and educational summer experience for your child(ren)? Learn more about our District 39 Summer Enrichment Program! This program runs from July 2-31 and provides a variety of both academic and hobby-based courses for students currently in grades K-7. The list of offered courses is now available and registration will open on Feb. 18. Please visit our D39 Summer Enrichment Program website for more details.
Parent Education Events
Join us on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 11 am for our next Parent Education event titled “All Brains Are Wired for the Library: How School and Public Libraries Are Building Better Spaces for Neurodivergent Kids.” Registration for this event is now open. Please visit our Parent Education webpage for our full schedule of events as well as archived recordings of past events.
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: @wjhswolves39
Twitter: @hawkwolf39