What's Up Willowbrook

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope you are enjoying a wonderful summer break with your families. As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we want to extend a warm welcome back to all of our students and families.

The summer months have been a time of planning and preparation here at Willowbrook School. We want to thank our dedicated faculty, who have been hard at work refining curriculum and developing exciting programs aligned with our new, five-year Strategic Plan to ensure a successful and enriching academic year ahead. We also welcome a new social worker to our ranks, in an effort to better support the social-emotional needs of our students.

Our building also received some updates, including new carpeting on the second floor, a new fence around the music garden, and some additional equipment in the playground (thank you, Willowbrook PTO!).

This year’s theme is “Growing With Kindness.” Our school strives to create an environment where everyone feels safe, respected, included, and valued, and one of the best ways we can achieve this is through acts of kindness. Throughout the school year, we will keep kindness front of mind and participate in many kindness activities as a school.

We are eagerly anticipating the return of our students, both familiar faces and new additions to our school community. School will begin on Wednesday, August 21, for grades 1-5, with orientation for Pre-K and Kindergarten on the same day. Pre-K and Kindergarten students will start school on Thursday, August 22.

As partners in your child's education, your involvement and support are invaluable. We encourage you to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletter, “What’s Up Willowbrook.” This will be sent every Friday and is our primary means of communication. This year will include an extra reason to read, as we are launching our home-school partnership in RULER, an evidence-based approach to social-emotional learning developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. This year, we ask parents and guardians to be our RULER partners in an effort to best support our students; we encourage you to learn more below in this newsletter.

Additionally, you can find updates and more news throughout the year on our district website. Visit our PTO website for exciting events and volunteer opportunities.

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming Curriculum Night on Thursday, August 29, at 6 p.m. At this event, you will have the opportunity to meet your child's teachers and learn more about this upcoming school year.

We appreciate your attention to this ePacket. We firmly believe that a strong partnership between home and school lays the foundation for a positive, successful, and enriching educational experience. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact either of us!

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer break, and we look forward to seeing each of you soon!

Katie Compagno

Principal

kcompagno@district30.org

Erik Brekke

Assistant Principal

ebrekke@district30.org

Wednesday, August 14

• Kindergarten Play Date hosted by the PTO - 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 15

• Classroom teacher assignments available in Parent Portal

Friday, August 16

• PTO registration opens

Tuesday, August 20

• School supply drop-off and Meet the Teacher (grades 1-5) - 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• New student orientation - 1:30-2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, August 21

• First day of school (grades 1-5) 8:40 a.m.

• Preschool supply drop-off and Meet the Teacher:
• Morning preschool students may visit between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m.
• Afternoon preschool students may visit between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.
• Kindergarten supply drop-off and Meet the Teacher 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
• Your classroom teacher will send you a specific 30-minute time slot on August 16

Thursday, August 22

• First day of school for pre-K and kindergarten at 8:40 a.m.

Monday, August 26

• Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing window opens (grades 1-8)

Tuesday, August 27

• PTO Ice Cream Social 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 29

• Curriculum Night 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Monday, September 2

• District holiday - NO SCHOOL

Thursday, September 5

• Picture day

Tuesday, September 10

• PTO Room Parent Meeting
• PTO General Meeting

Wednesday, September 25

• District 30 Conversations with the Community - 12 p.m. or 6 p.m.

School hours: 8:40 a.m. - 3:20 p.m.

Half day dismissal time is 11:45 a.m.

Kindergarten through 5th-grade students should plan on arriving at school by 8:40 a.m. but no earlier than 8:30 a.m. because there is no supervision. The bell to line up will ring at 8:40 a.m.

All parents and guardians must report student absences, late arrivals, or early departures through the Parent Portal. Please do not contact the Health Office, School Office, or classroom teacher via phone or email.

For a step-by-step guide on how to report an absence, click here. Please be sure to include as much detail as possible when entering the reason for the absence.

If no information is in the Parent Portal by 10 a.m. and a student is absent, the school will attempt to contact a parent or guardian.

If the absence is medically related, please report it first in the Parent Portal. Then, you are welcome to contact the school Health Office to speak with the nurse about the condition.

Questions? Please contact the front desk.

Our Parent/Student Handbook includes information on a wide range of topics, including attendance, discipline, student support, safety, and communication. We encourage every parent and guardian to review this handbook before the start of school, as some practices and policies may have evolved over time.

REMINDER ON STUDENT ATTENDANCE: Willowbrook will continue to emphasize student attendance again this year; we ask for your help in ensuring all students arrive on time (8:40 a.m.) and are ready to begin learning. We will also track each student's attendance, as missing 10 percent or more of the school year results in your student being designated as chronically absent. Therefore, it is important only to keep your child home when they are sick. Vacations and appointments should be scheduled on days when school is not in session.

STUDENT SMART DEVICES, ETC.:

We recognize that some students will carry communication devices to school, including smart watches. If a student brings a communication device to school, it should be silenced and remain in the student’s locker throughout the day. We reserve the right to confiscate student communication devices and hold them at the front desk if they are misused.

BIRTHDAY TREATS:

Willowbrook has a “no food” and “no party favors” birthday celebration practice. If you want your child to bring something in for their birthday, we encourage you to donate a book to our library through the Birthday Book Club Program. Each student's birthday will be shared over the morning announcements and they are invited to come down to the principal’s office to select a book. Finally, parents are invited to consult the PTO student directory if they wish to distribute electronic birthday invitations.

Teacher assignments will be available within PowerSchool's parent portal by the end of the day on Thursday, August 15. You will receive an email from the district with login information. The staff spends a lot of time developing class lists, and many factors are weighed into those decisions. Our primary goal is to create a balance that will produce a productive learning environment in each classroom. Student placements are considered final.

District 30 continuously strives to support our Strategic Plan values, which includes a student-centered education that nurtures intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth in a safe and supportive environment, as well as inclusivity and belonging; health & well-being for our students and community; and community collaboration that is rooted in empathy.

As part of this effort, we have committed to implementing RULER, an evidence-based approach to social-emotional learning developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. This year, we ask parents and guardians to be our RULER partners in an effort to best support our students:

What is RULER? RULER is an acronym for the skills of emotional intelligence: Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing and Regulating emotions.

Does my child know about RULER?: Yes! Throughout last school year in 2023-24, students were taught the principles of RULER and have been practicing them in class and beyond.

How can I help this year? As we continue on our RULER journey, we'd like to do that in partnership with you! Each month in this What's Up Willowbrook newsletter, we will share RULER themes and tips for applying these ideas at home to help families better understand, navigate and communicate their emotions. Please watch each edition of this newsletter to learn more each month, and click the link below to see the schedule of topics you and your child(ren) will learn about and can practice this year.

For all students new to District 30, state regulations require a State of Illinois Health Examination Form completed within the last 12 months. This must be on file in the health office prior to the first day of school. If your child does not have a Health Examination Form on file with all current immunizations, your child could be excluded from school.

Kindergarten students are also required to have a completed State of Illinois Eye Examination Form by October 15. The exam must have been performed on or after August 21, 2023, one year from the start of school.

Dental examinations are required for all kindergarten and grade 2 students. Examinations must be completed within 18 months of the May 15, 2025 deadline. These forms can be obtained from the health office and are also available on our website. If you have questions, please call the front office at 847-498-1090.

If your student requires medication or a health care plan, please click here to download all of the necessary forms. If forms are not completed by the opening of school, we will abide by the health care plan from the previous year for those students with life-threatening food allergies or medical conditions.

All forms can be dropped off at the front desk with Mrs. Heather Peraino (hperaino@district30.org), with School Nurse Mrs. Lisa Mullen (lmullen@district30.org) or sent to them by email.

Willowbrook welcomes three new staff members! Please give a warm Willowbrook welcome to:

• Kate Kamin, Learning Behavior Specialist
• Megan Hanson, Physical Education Teacher
• Laura Mir, Social Worker
• JoAnna May Porthan, Instructional Assistant

Please mark your calendars for the school supply drop-off scheduled on Tuesday, August 20, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. This is a time for students to drop off supplies in their classroom and locker, meet their teacher, and view the class list.

Our teachers will be occupied with meetings and other preparations outside this window. Therefore, if you cannot visit within this window, you may simply send your student to school the following day with their supplies. Please note that NEW student orientation will commence at 1:30 p.m., immediately after the supply drop-off. A separate invitation will be sent to these students.

REMINDER: It's not too late to order your 2024-25 school supplies from School Tool Box. If you'd rather do the shopping, print a supply list before you go!

Following the start of the 2024-25 school year, the district's online adaptive assessment, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), will be administered to all students in grades 1-8. The MAP testing window will open on August 26 and run through September 16. Students in grades 2-8 will take two assessments: reading and mathematics. Grade 1 will take mathematics only. Please check with your child's teacher about their testing schedule so there are no conflicts if appointments need to be scheduled during this time.

These assessment results will continue to be used (1) by teachers to assist them in differentiating lessons in reading/language arts and mathematics; as well as (2) to measure student academic growth. Students' fall assessment reports will be made available to parents later in the school year.

Our Curriculum Night will be held on Thursday, August 29. We invite all parents & guardians to attend this informative evening session. Please note - children do not attend this event.

The first round of classroom presentations begin at 6:00 p.m. for preschool through 2nd grade. A general presentation by the building leaders will be held in the school gym at 6:35 p.m., followed by 3rd through 5th grade classroom presentations at 7:00 p.m.

• 6:00-6:30 p.m. Pre-K to Grade 2 classroom presentations
  
• 6:35-6:55 p.m. Principals' presentation in the gym
• 7:00-7:30 p.m. Grade 3-5 classroom presentations

Each classroom teacher will provide an overview of the grade-level curriculum, teacher expectations, and projected activities for the year. If you are not attending a classroom presentation, please consider visiting music, art, physical education, library, or related service personnel.

All who live in District 30 boundaries are invited to meet Superintendent Dr. Tammaru and a member of our Board of Education to ask questions and share what is important to you in our schools.

You can pick from either the 12 p.m. or 6 p.m. session on Wednesday, September 25 at our District 30 Offices, 2374 Shermer Road, Northbrook. RSVP is optional so we can plan for space and send a reminder to participants close to the event date.

Please share with neighbors, as this event is for everyone in our boundaries – even if they do not have children in our schools. Click below to join us!

First Student provides transportation for District 30 students. The types of services and fees approved by the Board of Education can be found at Transportation Services/Parents. For all transportation needs, please contact First Student at 847-724-7200.

Students should plan on arriving at school between 8:30-8:40 a.m. (outdoor supervision does not begin until 8:30 a.m.). Staff supervisors will open school doors at 8:40 a.m. and the tardy bell rings at 8:50 a.m. Students who arrive after the tardy bell must get a pass from the office before reporting to the classroom.

We ask students to enter and exit the building at their grade-level assigned entrance. Students should be picked up promptly after school, as outdoor staff supervision ends at 3:40 p.m. Please call the front desk if you will be delayed.

Car drop-off and pick-up for kindergarten through 5th grade is in the front of the school (not on Happy Hollow Road). Preschool drop-off and pick-up, and the loading of school buses are in the back of the school. Please follow the guidance of our staff at drop-off and pick-up. They are there to ensure student safety and to facilitate a smooth flow of traffic.

• No left turns are allowed into the circular drive at any time. Enter the drive from the east.

• For your child’s safety, students should ONLY exit on the passenger side of the car. Parents should remain in the driver’s seat.

• Drop-off and pickup on the inner circle only. Do not double park.

• Children should remain in their seats until the car comes to a complete stop.

• There is no parking in the circular drive from 8:30-9:00 a.m. and 3:10-3:40 p.m.

• Parents should not park in the staff parking lot when dropping off or picking up their children.

• Drivers should turn off engines when they arrive at school and when they expect to be parked.

• Cell phone usage is not permitted within the school zone.

The Glenview Police Department will continue to post a crossing guard from 8:00-8:45 a.m. and 3:00-4:00 p.m. at Pfingsten Road and Keenan Lane. We strongly encourage students to cross at Keenan if they walk or ride a bike from/to the west of Pfingsten. There will also be a crossing guard at the intersection of Greenwood and Happy Hollow Road from 8:20-8:45 a.m. and 3:00-3:45 p.m.

All visitors to the building must check in at the front desk to receive a visitor badge or lanyard. Any approved volunteer must submit a driver’s license to complete the check in process and be allowed to enter the school building. This practice also extends to parents who may wish to visit with their children at recess. We consider the playground to be an extension of the school property and our recess supervisors are expected to refer all adults/visitors to the front desk.

Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 continues its partnership with Quest Food Management Services to provide quality food services to your student. We are happy to offer a preorder system via myMealOrder!

• The meal will consist of an entree, side, fresh fruit, and vegetable, including milk or water.
• All orders must be placed at least three days in advance.

Visit mymealorder.com to open an account, learn more about our preorder system, and view the menu.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ashley Jenkins, Food Service Director for Quest at ajenkins@questfms.com.

District 30 has an Intergovernmental Agreement with Northbrook Park District that allows before- and after-school care to students in K-5th grade at Willowbrook School. District 30 provides the facility while the park district provides the program and staff management with all revenues going to the park district.

This Adventure Campus Program offers the ability to participate in before- and/or after-school care on days when school is in session and on select teacher institute days, conference days, and holidays.

Contact the Northbrook Park District at 847-291-2995 or visit their webpage nbparks.org for more information.

Willowbrook School offers a variety of staff-sponsored clubs during the school year. These clubs are inspired by staff interest/passion, are first-come, first-serve, and are free to students. However, space is limited. Clubs run from 3:20-4:20 p.m. for a period of 8 to 16 sessions. The fall club sign-up window is from August 28 to September 6.

Any time a student feels unsafe, any adult in their school can help!

But sometimes, students or parents wish to reach out for help in a different way or after school hours. Safe2Help Illinois offers students a safe way to share information 24/7 that might help prevent any threat to school safety, including bullying, self-harm or other serious concerns.

The goal of this program is to get students to “seek help before harm;" it is not intended to suspend, expel, or punish. Safe2Help Illinois also offers a Mental Health Toolkit that provides resources for parents and educators reinforce the components of this program.

Safe2Help Illinois offers around-the-clock help via:

• Hotline: 844-4-SAFEIL
• Text line: 72332
• Email HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com
• Plus a website full of resources for young people seeking help for themselves or a friend. Its Ways To Get Help page is a directory of specialized hotlines, and other sections of its website provide practical steps for dealing with depression or helping a distraught friend. The checklist called "20 Questions To Ask Yourself If You Feel Like Giving Up" can help older children overcome a bout of anxiety or depression.

What's Up Willowbrook is a communication that our school sends out weekly to families and staff on Fridays. All copies will be sent electronically to the email addresses that families previously provided us using the online registration system. By now, you should have completed the online registration process so that you can receive all of our school's communications. The next issue will be emailed on Friday, August 23. Please contact the office if you do not receive this edition by Saturday, August 24. What's Up Willowbrook is also posted on the district website.

Important information is sent home throughout the year in What's Up Willowbrook so please make sure to take the time to read each week's issue. We don't want anyone to miss out on seeing notices about current or upcoming events at the school.

Other ways to stay connected with what's happening in our schools include:

• Willowbrook School PTO Facebook
• District 30 Facebook
• District 30 Instagram
• District 30 X (formerly Twitter)
• District 30 LinkedIn
• District 30 YouTube
• Watch for e-blasts from the PTO about upcoming events
• Check out the Willowbrook PTO website for all PTO events and forms
  

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 17, 2025. Please join us for the 24th Annual Lew Blond Memorial 5K Run/Walk. Registration for our May race opens in the winter. Please click here to explore all of the excitement from this meaningful community event.

We will need volunteers for committees to coordinate this event. If you can volunteer please email Maple Assistant Principal Angela Jaeger at blondrun@district30.org.

Be a helper. Be a runner. Be a sponsor! Do them all!!

Willowbrook School is part of Northbrook/Glenview District 30, which exists to create an inclusive community that inspires learning, fosters resiliency, and cares deeply for every child. We honor childhood and foster intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth. District 30 serves more than 1,200 students in pre-K through 8th grade across Willowbrook, Wescott and Maple Schools.

We prohibit harassment and discrimination of all forms within our district and follows all policies and procedures to ensure a safe environment for all.

Main Office: 847-498-1090

Health Office: 847-400-8860

Location: 2500 Happy Hollow Road, Glenview, IL, USA

Website: district.30.org/willowbrook

Facebook: facebook.com/ngsd

Twitter: @district30