Willow Parent Bulletin # 26

March 8, 2024

You will be able to see your Wildcat's grades after 3 PM today on the portal. There are parts of the report card in your child's backpack, so be sure to check there also! Your child may also have a letter regarding absenteeism or tardiness if that applies.

Based on statue(105 ILCS 5/26-2a) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-2a), "Chronic or habitual truant" shall be defined as a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for 5% or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days. Letters have been prepared for students missing more than 10 days. According the The American University School of Education, school attendance is a powerful predictor of student outcomes. In fact, irregular attendance can be a better predictor of whether students will drop out of school before graduation than test scores, according to the US Department of Education. The correlation between attendance and dropout rates has important ramifications that go beyond the classroom. Compared to their peers who graduate, students who fail to complete their high school education are more likely to live in poverty, suffer poor health, and become involved in the criminal justice system.

We had our tornado drill practice this week. Since our weather is unpredictable, take some time this weekend and make sure everyone in your family knows where to go and what to bring if the weather turns dangerous. It's also a great time to change out the batteries in your smoke detectors when you change your clock forward an hour this weekend. That hour difference definitely messes with our sleep patterns, so please adjust when your child goes to bed on Sunday so we have alert Wildcats come Monday.

If your family observes Ramadan, and your child will be fasting while at school, please make sure that the classroom teacher is aware. We want to make any accommodations that may be needed.

March 19th is an E-Learning day due to local elections. Do you know where your learning packets are safely hidden in a place you ant to remember but may not have? They are also available on the District website, if needed.

March 25-29 is Spring Break.

With warmer weather brings a lot of guests on the playground after school. If you observe anything that is inappropriate, please contact the Homewood Police. The playground is designed for Willow-aged little people. We want to be sure it stays in good shape for them.

Have a super weekend!

Are you missing?

Community Communication!

We are excited to join forces with our sister school districts, Flossmoor 161 and HF High School 233, to conduct a community-wide survey about school district communication efforts. All staff, parents/guardians, and community members are invited to take a 15- minute confidential online survey from March 8-25.

With this collaboration, we hope to streamline the collection of important information for all three school districts with just one survey. So, for example, if you work in 153, reside in 161, and have a student at HF, the survey will bring up just the right questions for you.

By participating in the survey, you play an active role in shaping how each of the school districts communicate with you.

Click here to take the School Communications Survey.

All responses will be anonymous, so please be open and honest with your feedback on school district communications. We appreciate your support and eagerly await your input.

School Communication Survey

ISO: Kindergarten students for 24-25

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We will be having Kindergarten Orientation on Thursday, April 4th at 6:30 PM in Willow's large gym. We are thrilled to meet the parents of our future Wildcats!

If you have a child who turns 5 on or before September 1, 2024, he/she/they are eligible to attend kindergarten next year.

During orientation, you will meet the Kindergarten Team, get general information on what a typical day looks like, learn about curriculum, expectations, our screening process, and see a short video. We will have a folder of information for you to take home and a couple of raffle prizes.

If you cannot make it that evening, stop by our office any time to pick up a folder. The evening is designed for parents, not students.

Deadline to order coming soon!

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the 5 Essentials survey! We appreciate your thoughts. If you would still like to participate, the survey is still open. You can use the link below.

5 Essentials Parent Survey

Positive Office Referrals- Way to go, Wildcats!

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Franco

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Jordynn

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Aaden

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Nora

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Joy

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Nia

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Parys

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Elliott

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Madison

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Lorenzo

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Walter

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Zoey

Bulletin Stats:

This week we had 16 states and Mexico. Hello to our 411 readers!

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Staff Shout Outs

If you've noticed anyone at Willow going above and beyond, please use the link to recognize him/her/them! 💖 I share your kind words with them in my staff bulletin.

https://forms.office.com/r/L4vYqd7NpN

Willow Handbook

Virtual backpack

Homewood PTA

HF Park District

Pancake Picnic March 9: https://hfparks.com/event/pancake-picnic/

Flashlight Egg Hunt March 22: https://hfparks.com/event/flashlight-egg-hunt/

Lucky Egg Hunt March 23: https://hfparks.com/event/lucky-egg-hunt/

Park Pride May 4: https://hfparks.com/event/park-pride/

Mother's Day Tea Party May 11: https://hfparks.com/event/mothers-day-tea-party/

Learn to Skate Classes: https://app.amilia.com/store/en/homewood---flossmoor-park-district/shop/programs/89858?subCategoryIds=4609164&subCategoryIds=4591354

Homewood Library