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Waterbury Roar
Volume 3, Issue 7, February 29, 2024
A Roar From Our Principal
Waterbury Community,
I hope everyone had a wonderful February! This has been the craziest winter I've ever seen. We went from having snowstorms, ice storms, below freezing weather, and winter fog in January to 50s-70 degree weather in February. What I've typically heard is that to knockout all the germs going around, you need roughly a month of below 30 degree weather in winter. Needless to say, we have not had that, so we have seen multiple illnesses floating around. And I heard allergies were starting up already due to the warm weather. I don't know about you but I'm ready for March and the weather it brings! LOL.
March is a busy month. We have the state assessment for grades 3-5. IAR testing will begin the week of March 11th and our make up sessions conclude after Spring Break. Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep, eats a healthy breakfast, and comes ready to do their best and demonstrate their knowledge.
Trimester 2 Report Cards will go home in the early March. Please be on the lookout for those Report Cards and to have a discussion with your child about how they are learning and growing. Should you have any questions, please reach out to the staff here to discuss.
Last, I would like to thank Gina Grossman and Vanessa Murphy for their work and dedication to our students and staff as part of our PTO Executive Board. Under their leadership they prioritized many fun events that supported students here at school. The PTO will have a slate of candidates presented at the March PTO meeting.
Thanks and have a great day,
Dr. Jon Pokora
Healthline: A Message From Our School Nurse
March is National Nutrition Month
Load Up on Fruits and Veggies!
The benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables go far beyond helping to maintain a healthy weight. Think about better skin, fewer wrinkles, healthier teeth and gums, and lower risk of diseases. Get more fruits and veggies by making smoothies or slushies.
Swap Out the Sodas!
Reaching for a soda or energy drink when we’re thirsty is a habit, and we know habits can be hard to change. But every time we drink a sugary soda, we need to think about the impact on our body and our teeth. Start by tracking how many sugar beverages you and your kids drink in a day: Can you replace just one each day with milk or water?
Let’s Get Moving!
People who are active typically feel better, accomplish more and live longer. To get healthy, we need to get moving! Consider taking a 15-minute break at work to walk around and recommend that kids take study breaks the same way.
Skip the Screen!
Technology can eat away huge amounts of time for everyone in the family. Parents can set the limits and set the examples. Start with making family bedrooms “no screen zones.” Kids who have TVs in their rooms tend to watch about 1.5 hours more TV per day than those who don’t.
Reminder…the Dentist is Coming!
Dental exams are required for all kindergarten and second grade students
Smile Illinois – a mobile dental team is coming to our school on Tuesday, March 19th. A state licensed dentist will check students’ mouth and teeth as well as provide a cleaning, fluoride treatment and apply sealants as needed. Registration letters will be sent home this week. Parents can sign-up online or turn in the paper forms to the office. Please fill out all sections of the registration forms including the Medicaid/All Kids or Private Dental Insurance information to ensure your student can participate. If no insurance is available, a reduced fee is available. Here is the link: Patient Application for In-School Dental Care (myschooldentist.com)
Positive student identification will be required this year. This is an important skill for students to learn anyway! This will require all children to positively identify themselves by answering any two of the following: name, date of birth, phone number, address and/or parent or guardian name
Lisa Montiel, RN, PEL/CSN
Be Your Best: Notes From Our Social Workers
Hello Waterbury Families,
It is hard to believe it is already March! As we head into the final trimester of the school year, we wanted to share some highlights from the school year so far:
The back-to-school picnic
Waterbury School Carnival
Student-created Random Acts of Kindness and Anti-bullying posters around the building
The creation of the Announcement club- we are looking forward to seeing the student-led announcements come to life!
The creation of the Wildcat Way Club and watching the students create a strong sense of community for all grade levels involved!
The creation of Drama club
The return of Sports club, Choir, and Art Club!
Shout out to our parent volunteers who make amazing things happen for our students and school, thank you for all you do!
Seeing the hard work that our students have been putting in pay off, and watching their confidence soar because of that!
The talent show
Family Reading Night and Read Across America
The exciting events yet to come closer to the end of the school year!
Your children have been working hard this year and should be proud of their accomplishments! Thank you to our parents for advocating for your children and supporting them! We hope to make this a great last trimester. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Waterbury’s social workers. We are here to work with you to best support your child during their school experience.
Ms. Probst & Ms. Stanley
PBIS: News You Can Use
ALL Wildcats enjoyed a tasty, chocolaty treat at our Trimester 2 Hot Cocoa Celebration! Each student was served hot cocoa and then used their paws to purchase “extras” such as whipped cream, sprinkles, marshmallows, and a cookie. Then they had the chance to visit with friends and complete an activity sheet. It was a delicious way to celebrate our “paw”some behavior in the second trimester.
Handbook Highlight
Homework School Board Policy 6:290
Homework assignments are given to reinforce and apply previously covered concepts, principles, and skills; not assigned for disciplinary purposes; serves as communication link between the school and parents/guardians; encourages independent thought, self-direction, and self-discipline; and is of appropriate frequency and length, and does not become excessive, according to the teacher’s best professional judgment.
Parents can help by:
providing proper study surroundings;
contacting teachers concerning homework excesses;
allowing the student to do his/her own homework in his/her own words and handwriting;
checking each day to see if the student has homework; and
checking homework through the district online student management system for grades 6 through 8.
February Students of the Month
Congratulations to our February Students of the Month who exhibited great examples of The Wildcat Way by being safe, respectful, and responsible so they were prepared to learn. Nice Work!
The WOW Factor Talent Show
Thank you to all our staff who worked hard with the students to put together another amazing talent show. Thank you to all the staff and families who came out to support our Wildcats!
Read Across America 2024
Thank you to all our readers who came to volunteer and make our Read Across America a special event for our Wildcat Students! Thank you to our committee for the hours of planning they did to help make this event a success!
February Menus
A Few Reminders
Lost and Found
We have quite a few items in our lost and found. Please check out the lost and found by door 4 to see if any of your student(s) items are there.
Dogs/Pets on the Premise
While we love our four legged and fluffy animals, pets are not allowed on school grounds during the hours of 7:00 am to 4:30 pm. Our school grounds include the field and baseball diamond to the immediate north of the school. Goose Lake Park, to our immediate East, is part of Roselle Park District.
Future Important Dates
3/1/24: No School, Teacher Institute Day
3/7/24: PTO Dine to Donate Pollyanna with Food Truck 4-8 pm
3/18/24: PTO Meeting 6 pm @ Waterbury
3/21/24: Board of Education meeting 7 pm @ Spring Wood
3/22/24: PTO Spirit Night at Urban Air Bloomingdale 4-9 pm
3/25-3/29/24: Spring Break, No School