Panther Pride Newsletter

Panther Families,

The initial weeks of the school year have been highly successful. The transition back has been smooth, and our staff has been working hard to provide our Panthers with a fun, yet rigorous, curriculum. Let's keep it going!

It was wonderful to see so many families come out for Curriculum Night. For those who were unable to attend, feel free to browse our Slide Show from last night's presentation.

By clicking on the photo, you can familiarize yourself with our teachers and staff as well as important school information.

You can set up an Otus Family Account to view student assignments, grades, progress, and teacher feedback. Click on the photo to set up your account and tips on navigating Otus.

Thursday evening, I had the great pleasure of announcing that WJHS has been recognized as a 2024 Promising Practices PLC at Work School. Our staff has worked incredibly hard, and has done an outstanding job establishing WJHS as a high-achieving professional learning community. Additional information can be found in the curriculum night slide show above.

Please take a moment to view the informational video for the proposed referendum for CUSD 201 on November 5th. For a breakdown of information please refer to our referendum page on our District Website.

We are looking forward to hosting our first field trip of the year on October 2nd for our 7th graders!

Due to the quick turnaround, we need students to get the permission slip and fee submitted AND the online waiver form completed by Sept. 13th. Any questions? Feel free to contact rcornacchia@cusd201.org or ehillertz@cusd201.org. Thank you in advance for your help and support!

We want to express our heart felt thank you to the Sanchez family who not only donated the flowers that brighten the front of our school, they planted them as well! Look at the amazing before and after photos. We appreciate this so much, it really brightens the front of the school!

We are happy to introduce one of our newest staff members, Mrs. Nardini. She is currently teaching Integrated Math to our 8th graders, as well as teaching at WHS! Welcome aboard Heidi!

Mark your calendars for Parent/Teacher conferences scheduled for:

Thurs. Oct. 10 5 - 9 PM

Fri. Oct 11. 8 - 11 AM

Parent sign up is tentatively scheduled to open Sept 25 @ 9AM and close Oct 9 @ 4PM.

BPAC invites ELL and Dual Language Families to join us at Ty Warner Park, James M. Long Pavilion on Sept. 13 at 6 PM as we celebrate the beginning of a new school year!

Meet other families and share one of your favorite dishes at our first BPAC meeting. Please let us know that you will be attending by registering below. If you have any questions, please email cusd201bpac@gmail.com. Click here to register.

It's Back!! STEM club will be starting up later this month. Check out the attached flyer for dates and times.

Students who qualify, are eligible for a free or reduced breakfast and lunch. Students will scan their ID when getting breakfast or lunch to receive their meals. If you have a question about whether or not your student qualifies for the program or how it works, please feel free to contact Mandy Sarles at asarles@cusd201.org.

Since 1947, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) has been partnering with schools across the country by offering scholarship programs for Grades 6-12 . The VFW believes all students can benefit from participating in these programs.

This year the theme for the Patriot's Pen Program (6th - 8th) is

"My Voice in America's Democracy?"

and the Voice of Democracy theme (9th-12th) is

"Is America Today Our Forefathers' Vision?"

If the student is selected to compete at the National level, the prize awarded for Patriot's Pen range is $500 to $5000 scholarship. The minimum prize for Voice of Democracy is a $1000 scholarship and the first place recipient receives a $35,000 scholarship to the college of their choice. Every State/Department Voice of Democracy winner and family will receive an all- expenses paid trip to Washington D.C.

If you would like more information, it can be found at VFW Scholarship - as well as an example of last year's winning essay entries.

The 7th grade is excited to announce a class trip to Springfield, Illinois on Tuesday, May 6th, 2025. Students will visit Abraham Lincoln’s home, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, the Illinois State Capitol, New Salem Village, and Lincoln’s Tomb. Registration materials for the trip will be sent home soon.

Due by October 15th, and per Illinois state mandate: All 6th grade students and students new to the district are required to have 1) A complete physical performed within the last 1 year, and 2) Tdap and Meningitis vaccines. Any student without the required health forms submitted by October 15th, will be excluded from school until the required documentation is received.

It's going to be here before we know it! WJHS Student Council presents our annual Trunk or Treat on Friday, 10/18, 6-7 pm.

We would LOVE your help. Sign up by Friday, 10/11, to participate. Every year the competition gets better and better.

Gift cards will be awarded for 1st-3rd place.

Westmont Chamber of Commerce Events offers a wide variety of events for the community. Be sure to click on the link and see what they have to offer this month.

Though it's only been a couple of weeks, our staff are continuing to regularly recognize students who display the three pillars of expectations (Safety, Respect, and Responsibility). Today, we had our second weekly raffle drawing, and two students from each grade level were awarded prizes. If you are able to partner with us in this positive behavior initiative and donate a prize it would be greatly appreciated. Even a small token will go a long way!

Remember to check the WJHS calendar for up-to-date information on Clubs, Events, & Athletics.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Sincerely,
Amy Quattrone

WJHS Principal