WJHS Highlights

Hi WJHS Families,

The time has come...we are very excited to officially welcome your children back to school next week! Please take time to read this newsletter to help you learn more about the week and school year ahead at WJHS.

As we mentioned last week, we encourage you to check out the D39 Parent Handbook and newsletter thoroughly and please reach out with questions. We ask that you also begin going through the WJHS Student Handbook with your children as we begin the 2024-2025 school year. Teachers will be talking through parts of the Student Handbook throughout the first few weeks of school.

You will notice the August lunch menu linked above. For this month, we have included the price list, nutritional and allergen information in this Google Folder. Moving forward, if you need information beyond the lunch menu please visit the web site at this link which will provide all of this information monthly.

Seventh grade families should have received a letter from Rob Miller, seventh grade level administrator, along with their child's schedule. This letter provided information about orientation and back-to-school reminders. In the event that you did not receive this or would like to re-read it, here is a link to the seventh grade orientation schedule.

All of our students should have received their schedule this week. If you did not receive a schedule yesterday, please contact your grade level administrator. Every student should have math, physical education or health, reading, science, social studies, and writing. From that point, schedules will begin to diverge based on language choice and lastly, creative arts electives. Please know that a school master schedule is complicated and while we try to give students their top elective choices, many things play into how schedules come together. We hope that your child has new experiences at WJHS and tries a new elective course this year that they love!

Speaking of new experiences, the 5 - 8 campuses aligned with our elementary schools in April when we discontinued the process of team, teacher, and friend requests for schedule placement. In lieu of this, we know that some of you are hearing grumbling at home like... "But my BEST friend is on Team _______________ (insert dream team here)", or "I don't have P.E. with anyone!" or "All of my friends from Highcrest are together and I am all alone." Believe me when I tell you that we hear many of these comments in August (even before our new practices), and every year students meet new friends on their team, and connect with other classmates at lunch and in P.E., World Language and Creative Arts classes where all students across the grade are intermixed. Most, if not all of our students end up loving their team, and they walk out in June not even remembering that they were upset in August. We know it's hard, but hang in there - your children will have a great year!

We cannot wait for our students to fill the hallways and look forward to meeting you all soon - enjoy the weekend!

Sincerely,

Kate Dominique, Principal

Rob Miller, 7th grade level administrator

Jeff Batt, 8th grade level administrator

Doors to WJHS will open at 8:15 AM daily. There is one entrance in the front lobby of the school and one entrance in the back of the school by the bike racks. On Wednesday, August 21, students will follow an early release schedule. School begins at 8:25 and students are dismissed at 11:20 (even at this age, they'll be ready for a nap!). The regular bell schedule, beginning on Thursday, August 22, is linked here on our web site.

We love it that so many of our students ride their bikes and walk to school! There are bike racks in both the front and back of the school. You can find the D39 School Walking Routes Map at this link. Adult supervision begins at 7:55 AM.

WJHS also has students who ride the bus to school. Our students are expected to be respectful, safe, and kind to our bus drivers and fellow bus riders. If students are not being respectful, safe, and kind, consequences may be issued in the form of: conversation with administrator, reflection form, parent contact, assigned seats, with the potential for bus suspension and expulsion. If bus privileges are suspended, transportation to and from school and school activities becomes the sole responsibility of the parent.

If you are dropping off your child via a vehicle, please follow the route linked here to help keep our students safe and drop-off and pick-up efficient.

Please help us welcome our new staff members for 2024 - 2025! We couldn't be more excited to have this dedicated group of people joining our staff, and are looking forward to working with them.

We're excited to welcome back the musicians in the WJHS Bands and Orchestra. Instrumental music families, please mark your calendars of a few important dates:

-Thursday, August 22: All Band and Orchestra students will meet for a beginning of the year information meeting on Thursday, August 22 during lunch periods. All current and new members should be in attendance.

-Monday, August 26: Band and Orchestra morning rehearsals begin. Doors open for student arrival from 7:15 AM - 7:25 AM. Upon arrival, students should report directly to their classroom for rehearsal.

Parents and Athletes,

We wanted to welcome you back to WJHS this fall and let you know about our athletic offerings this fall.

7th and 8th grade Field Hockey tryouts are August 22nd and 23rd.

7th and 8th grade Girls Volleyball tryouts are August 22nd and 23rd.

7th and 8th Grade soccer practice starts August 22nd and is no cut.

7th and 8th Grade Cross Country Practice will start on August 22nd. Please be aware that registration is capped at 90 runners.

Please visit the athletics website for more information on practices and Coaches emails etc.. https://wjhs.wilmette39.org/students/athletics

WJHS Athletic Directors:

Kirsten Best

Paul Harper

We are so excited to share some photos of the WJHS building updates that took place this summer! The front part of our building has a new HVAC and the flooring in our first floor hallways was replaced - the best part? All of our vestibules and our front lobby have walk-off carpet...amazing! In addition, our conference room was updated and our roof was replaced (not quite as exciting but necessary!). Check out some photos below!

WJHS PTO DIRECTORY INFORMATION

Now that class schedules are out, the PTO is hard at work updating the online school Directory! As a reminder from the email sent from us on 8/12, last year’s online Directory will be going offline today in preparation for the new information upload. When the 2024-2025 online Directory is available, you will get an email from “The WJHS PTO” with new registration instructions. YOU WILL NEED TO VERIFY YOUR FAMILY AND STUDENT INFORMATION IN ORDER TO RECEIVE IMPORTANT EMAILS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR AND SIGN UP FOR A PTO MEMBERSHIP.

Your $25 WJHS PTO membership includes access to the online Directory so that you can gain class lists and student/parent information. The fees also help us provide programming such as the 8th Grade Graduation Party, student council/yearbook teacher sponsorships and teacher appreciation throughout the year. In the “PTO STORE” you will also be able to make a donation to the iGNITE FUND (pays for all enrichment activities at school) and contribute towards the Teachers/Staff Holiday fund should you choose to do so.

7TH GRADE ORIENTATION - TUESDAY 8/20

An optional school orientation will be held for all incoming 7th grade students next Tuesday, August 20th from 9:30-10:30am at WJHS. Your student’s exact time was in the email sent 8/15 when he/she/they received their class placement information. PARENTS are invited to visit with PTO representatives in the front courtyard of WJHS. Introduce yourselves, ask questions, volunteer and get information about the iGNITE Fund, Enrichment, SpiritWear and more. We hope to see you there!

EDUKITS (SCHOOL SUPPLIES)

If you have purchased an EduKit for your child it is being sorted today and placed in their homeroom classroom. If you don’t remember whether you’ve purchased one or not, please check your emails from info@edukitinc.com.

The school supply list DID NOT change from last year, so if you did not purchase an EduKit you can use this link for reference: https://wjhspto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WJHS-Supply-List-2023-2024.pdf

LOOKING TO FILL A FEW MORE PTO POSITIONS FOR THIS YEAR

Please consider sharing your talents as a volunteer for the 2024-2025 WJHS PTO!

- President-Elect (shadows the President to fill that position next year). Two year commitment that helps manage PTO committees and activities

- 7th Grade Graduation Chair (shadows 8th grade chair this year, to fill that position next year)

For more information, please email volunteers@wjhspto.com or president@wjhspto.com.

THE COMMUNITY REVIEW COMMITTEE (CRC)

We have been asked to pass along this important information from the CRC:

The CRC is seeking to fill their committee with two representatives from WJHS. Each year, the CRC advises the D39 Board of Education by researching a relevant topic that will lead to improvements in the district. This year’s topic will be voted upon at the first meeting in September. The current proposal is an investigation of how schools and families can support each other to navigate health with the use of/access to devices. The position involves meeting once a month from October through June to develop a topic and recommendations to present to the district. Meetings are scheduled from 7:00-9:00pm on the first or second Tuesday of each month. If interested and/or have questions, please contact CRC President Amy Peters at amelia2431@gmail.com

Important Dates for the Start of the 2024-25 School Year

The District 39 calendar for the 2024-25 academic year is available online. Below are some important dates to note for the start of the new school year:

• Wednesday, August 21 – First Day of Student Attendance (Early Release)

• Thursday, August 22 - First Full Day of Student Attendance

• Monday, August 26 – Board of Education Regular Business Meeting

• Monday, September 2 – Labor Day (No School)

District 39 Parent Handbooks

We encourage all of our District families to review our D39 student/parent handbook for details on all District policies and procedures. This informative document was also available to you during the registration/enrollment process. Our Lechner Early Education Program (LEEP) handbook is also available with information for our youngest D39 learners.

Parent Education Event - Safety in D39 Schools

Our first Parent Education event of the year, titled “Feeling Safe in District 39 Schools,” is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 11 am. Learn how District 39 schools maintain a high level of building security and work with community partners to create a feeling of safety for all. Registration is now open for this wonderful and informative online event.

We are proud to host a variety of Parent Education Events for our D39 families throughout the school year. These events target topics of interest specific to our D39 parent community and all are welcome to join us live or to watch the recordings as your schedule permits.

Join Our District 39 Team!

District 39 is looking for qualified paraprofessionals and substitute teachers to join our team. If you or someone you know is interested, please visit our website to learn more about these openings as well as other opportunities throughout the district.

Email: office-wjhs@wilmette39.org
Website: http://wjhs.wilmette39.org/
Location: 620 Locust Rd, Wilmette, IL, USA
Phone: 847-512-6600
Instagram: @hawkwolf39
Twitter: @hawkwolf39