Willow Family Update

Hi Willow Families,

Here's to a week of some good warm weather. We are so excited to get out and play! Please make sure you are updating your kiddos clothing. While we are not out of the woods, I'm relieved to see some temperatures that our students can go outside and play in. A quick reminder that our community chat is Thursday and I look forward to seeing many of you.

One final note. The last few weeks have been filled with lots of great things, but there were some friends at Willow whose experience was not indicative of our kind and diverse school culture and Homewood community. Our hopes are to continue to support students and families through education, SEL support and through kindness. My door is open and I look forward to continuing to find ways to engage with each of you and our larger school community.

With that said, next week we will be celebrating acts of kindness. You can help us by talking to your kiddos about things that they do to show kindness. We will be adding kindness leaves to our kindness tree that we make at Willow. Students may also come home with "Caught Being Kind" badges so be on the lookout.

Have a wonderful week!

Take care,

Ms. Gordon

P.S. If you are interested in sending a "Kindness Gram" to a grown up in our school, please click here!

March

13 - Community Chat 5:30 pm

19 - Early Dismissal 11:40 AM

31 - Spring Break Begins

April

7 - School Resumes

18 - Spring Recess (No School)

21 - Spring Recess (No School)

We currently have a response rate of 5%. Please take a moment to provide your feedback about our school community!

I was bummed that our original date had to be postponed, but I am excited for you all to join me on March 13th! Please see the attached flyer for more details. I look forward to engaging with you soon.

Dear Willow Families,

The Willow Wow Cart is a prize cart that parent volunteers push around to classrooms. Students can "purchase" fun prizes off the cart using their hard earned Willow Wow tickets. It runs every other Wednesday and it's the highlight of the students' day! To make it happen, we rely on volunteers like you! You can commit to once a month or even just one time between now and the end of the year. Shifts run all day and are about an hour and a half. Please reach out to the email below if you're interested. Thank you!

We are so proud of our friends at Willow! Join me in celebrating them for following the Willow Way.

The PBIS WOW cart is bustling and in business. We could use donations to keep our PBIS cart going. Some things that are on the cart are stickers, pop its, jewelry, and other fun things for students to purchase. Please contact the office with any questions you may have or if you'd like to donate. Anything is greatly appreciated!

Kindergarten Teacher Ms. Amy Brecheisen

1st Grade Teacher - Ms. Anne Wallace

Data shows that involved dads help kids succeed in school. This fall, Willow School is launching a new way for dads to get involved...introducing The Willow Dad Squad!

The Willow Dad Squad is a team of friendly adult male community members who love to smile, give high 5's, and gently encourage children to do their very best. We volunteer our time (according to our availability), walk around the campus, and support the teachers and administrators in creating environments conducive to learning.

Join us, and to learn more, click here!

Just a reminder to limit the things you send your children to school with. It is a challenge to keep up with things and this can sometimes become a distraction.

Please keep in mind that you should never send any form of a toy gun to school. This will be treated with the utmost seriousness.

There have been some changes in food services. In particular, please note that lactose free and soy milk are now available as a replacement to the standard carton of milk. However, there must be a note on file from a parent or guardian for it to be apart of your child's lunch or you will be charged $1 if your kiddo chooses this.

The school day for kindergarten, first and second grade students starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 2:50 p.m. Monday through Friday. Pre-kindergarten and students in the Early Childhood programs will session times are 8:15-10:45 am for the AM session and 11:45-2:15 pm for the PM session.

In the morning, playground supervision begins at 7:45 am. No student should arrive to school before this time as there is no staff supervision. Students should line up at 7:55 am and will enter the building with their teacher at 8:00 am. Students arriving after 8:00 am are tardy and must enter the building through the main office door with an adult. All students should be picked up at 2:50 pm at dismissal. There is no school supervision after school. If your child rides a bus and will need to go home a different way, please contact the main office no later than 2 pm.

If your child will be absent or starting the school day late, please contact the school office on the dedicated attendance line at 708-647-2200 before 8:00 am. You may also notify the office by sending an email to kimberly.tufts@hsd153.org.

Many children walk to school, some are dropped off by car, and some ride the bus. As a result, the streets around the school are filled with cars, buses, and children just before 8:00 a.m. It can get chaotic! If possible, please walk to school. Meeting up with friends and walking to school together is a great way to start the school day!

BUS:

District 153 has designated that all Willow students who live outside a 1.5 mile radius are eligible to ride the bus. You should have received an email informing you of the bus number your child is assigned to. Bus route information and the morning pick up times can be found here. Please arrive at least 5 minutes early to your child's bus stop's assigned time. Please be sure that a parent or caregiver is waiting at the bus stop after school. In addition, for the safety of your child, it is important that they only ride the bus to which they have been assigned.

CAR:

Parking around the school in the morning can be challenging. If you wish to park and walk your child to their line, please park on designated neighboring street. THE CUL-DE-SAC IS CLOSED FOR BUSES ONLY. You may drop your child off through the car line on Willow or Gladville. It is important that kids are ready to exit the car when the supervisor opens the door. DO NOT U-TURN AFTER DROP-OFF on any streets surrounding the school as this is a danger to all students traveling to and from Willow.

A crossing guard is typically stationed on Willow Road at the cross streets of Highland Ave, Page Ave, and Gladville Ave. There are additional crossing guards at Willow Rd and Dixie Highway and in back of the school on Gladville Ave. Please pay attention to the crossing guards. They understand the traffic patterns around the school and are looking out for the safety of all Willow students. Please follow their directions as they are trying to keep all children and families safe.

All students will have their lunch and recess between 10:45 am and 1 pm. In the event you need to drop off your child's lunch, please do so before lunchtime. We will not accept lunch sent by a vendor such as Uber Eats, GrubHub, etc. Students can bring a lunch from home or order a school lunch. The lunch menu can be found here. We strongly suggest lunches be NUT-FREE.

Here is the link to the federal application form for reduced or free lunch.

Breakfast is available every morning from 7:45 am to 8 am. Any student may join breakfast during that time. Cost varies based on whether you qualify for full, free, or reduced lunch. Students will enter through Door B, and a supervisor will assist them.

Website: https://willow.hsd153.org/

Location: 1804 Willow Road, Homewood, IL 60430
Phone: 708-798-3720

Email: willowoffice@hsd153.org