Western Weekly

• Tuesday, August 13th: Kdg. Meet and Greet and New Family school tour 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. & PTO popsicle social (outside)
  

• Wednesday, August 14th: Chalk the Walk 4 p.m.

• Thursday, August 15th: First Day of School & PTO Tears & Cheers Breakfast @ 8:45 a.m. by baseball concession area

• Friday, August 16th: D161 Back to School Bash @ 4 p.m.

• Tuesday, August 27th: Open House 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, August 27th: PTO Back to School Bash 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

In just two more days, we will welcome our wolves back into the building. If you missed class assignment pick-up, please make sure to stop by WA to get your student's class assignment and new car tags. All documents from class assignment pick-up are attached to the newsletter.

We still have several students who have yet to finish registration and residency. Unfortunately, per District guidelines, your learner will NOT have a class assigned to them. Please contact the main office ASAP so your learner is not sitting out of school.

We look forward to seeing our wolf pack back on Thursday, August 15th for the first day of school as we "Level up our Learning"!

Dr. Isabelli

• First Day Procedures
• Bus routes 🚍
• August lunch/breakfast menu - school information section
• PTO walk-a-thon information
• PTO Back to School Bash - PTO section
• PTO Cheers and Tears breakfast - PTO section
• One-way traffic reminder
• New Western Avenue Staff
• All basic school information

A new school and new experience can bring lots of emotions. We want to make sure those emotions are excitement, happiness, and safety so please come join us anytime between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Western Avenue.

Kindergarten families come and meet your teacher, see the classroom and walk the building before the first day.

NEW families tour the school and speak with Dr. Isabelli, principal, about any questions you may have. Teachers of 1st - 5th will NOT be present.

The first day of school is always one for the photobooks. On the first day, ONLY classroom teachers will be outside to have their students line up with them before proceeding into the building. Classroom teachers will have a sign, and they will be located in the back playground area listed below. Bus riders will be let off the bus to line up with their classes as well. This ensures that all students are familiar with the door to enter on day two. During this time, check in with your teacher about the dismissal routine (make sure you have a new pick-up tag for car riders and walkers) and take that first-day photo. Parents are NOT allowed to accompany their learners into the building. If it rains on the first day, we will have students proceed directly into the building and do a redo on Friday.

Kindergarten & 1st grade: Line up by the Kindergarten playground

2nd grade: line up by the garden

3rd grade & 4th grade: line up by door D (blacktop near 4/5 playground)

5th grade: line up blacktop by gate closest to 3-5 car entrance (four square area)

Bus route information is now available to view in Skyward. Please log in to your Skyward account and select the “Busing” tab on the left side of the screen to view your child’s route number, stop location, and pickup/drop-off times. If you need assistance accessing your Skyward account, please contact your child’s school. If you have any questions about your child’s bus route, please contact Wanda Alexander at walexander@sd161.org or 708-647-7001 with any questions.

Please note that you should arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled pick-up time on the first day of school. Also, our buses typically run late the first several days as we acclimate our new learners to their dismissal procedures, double-check bus attendance, and learn the new routes. Please do not panic if the bus is 15 minutes or more past the scheduled drop-off time. We promise we stay at the building until all our learners are safe at home.

PTO's Annual Walk-A-Thon Fundraiser will take place on the afternoon of Friday, September 13th. As always, WA families are welcome to attend and all students will participate in this fan favorite event! In 2023 this fundraiser raised a record $24,500 for our PTO programs and activities!

Important Dates To Remember:

August 12 - Launch email sent to WA Families from 99pledges

August 30- deadline to raise $25 for Walk-A-Thon t-shirt reward

Sept 11 - t-shirts will be sent home with students before Sept 11

Sept 13 - Walk-A-Thon beginning at 1pm

To help our students get their supplies to school, parents may drop them off before the first day of school at the main office during our regular hours from 8:30 - 4 p.m. The only day the building will be closed for drop-off is Monday, August 12th, until 1 p.m. for the beginning of the year institute. Parents can also bring supplies on class assignment pick-up days. We will have markers and large labels available to tag your students' bags/boxes of supplies.

Please make sure to label your student's supplies.

Joshua Shores - 5th-grade classroom teacher

Sierra Samuel - 3rd grade classroom teacher

Yvonne Johnson - 1st grade classroom teacher

Debra Rogers - 1st grade classroom teacher (transferring from Heather Hill)

Lauren Kenaga - Special Education Resource teacher

Meghan Donahue - Administrative Assistant

Susan Barzo - Library Paraprofessional

Amber Robinson - Safety Aide

Rachele Alessandrini - Paraprofessional

Staff moving grade levels

• Kaitlin Marconi - 4th-grade teacher

*We are still in need of an administrative assistant, LBS1 teacher and several paraprofessional positions at WA and throughout the district. Apply at sd161.org

We are excited to announce that the Board of Education approved Mrs. Deborah Dunwoody as our new Assistant Principal at Western Avenue School. Mrs. Dunwoody is currently the Curriculum Coordinator for District 161, and she brings strong instructional knowledge and experience as a school administrator to the Western Avenue community. She previously worked as a dean and special education case manager at Parker Jr. High. You will find Mrs. Dunwoody to be approachable, responsive, and focused on outstanding outcomes for students and teachers alike, and she will make an immediate impact at the school. She can be reached at ddunwoody@sd161.org.

Mrs. Jacqueline Renko, Assistant Principal at Western Avenue School for the last five years, has resigned to take a district coordinator position in another district. Mrs. Renko contributed a lot to Western Avenue School and District 161, and we wish her the best in her new position!

Lunch Prices for 2024/2025

Full Price $3.65, Reduced Price $0.40

Student Milk is $0.35 for ALL students

Breakfast Prices for 2023/2024

Full Price $1.80, Reduced Price $0.30

Families must submit the free/reduced lunch application form to determine if your student(s)qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Students who are arriving to eat breakfast at school can arrive at 8:25 a.m. and proceed to door F. Breakfast will be served from 8:25 a.m. - 8:38 a.m.

Monday - Friday:

• 8:30 - 8:40 - Arrival
• 8:40 - 3:15 - Instructional day

PreK Morning Session - 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

PreK Afternoon Session - 12:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Half-Day Dismissal - 11:25 am

If your child will not be attending live class due to sickness, appointment, family obligation, or other issues please contact the main office. You can email Ms. Sturdivant or call the office (708-647-7400).

Moving??? If you move during the school year please contact the office to update your information in Skyward. If you move outside of the Western Avenue boundaries please contact Dr. Isabelli. We believe that too many transitions during the school year affect students' learning. Therefore, as long as students continue to participate in their live instruction they may finish the school year at Western Avenue.

We love celebrating our learners on their birthdays. However, as a reminder students are only allowed to bring NON-EDIBLE birthday things to share. Some ideas that students have brought in are pencils, play-dough, stickers, crayons, glow sticks, etc.

ONE-WAY ONLY TRAFFIC REMINDER!!!!!

The Village of Flossmoor, Police, Fire, and D161 have worked together to ensure a safe traffic flow around Western Avenue. Please read in detail below the traffic procedures regarding Western Avenue, Vardon, Brassie, and Flossmoor Rd.

• Elementary: 8:30 a.m. - 8:40 a.m. arrival

• All students will enter the building upon arriving at school to prepare for the day.

• Upon drop-off, students will enter the building at 8:30 a.m. and head to their classroom to unpack and prepare for the day.

• Teachers will be waiting for students outside of their classrooms.

• Staff will be stationed throughout the grounds to help students navigate to their entry doors and classes. (See map for entry points and drop-off.)

• Stop/drop parking is allowed ONLY on the north side of Vardon Place and the west side of Brassie Avenue.

• Parents must walk their student to the crosswalk area.

DROP-OFF General Safety:

• Pull up all the way in the car line until a staff member signals you to stop.

• Have children walk to the crosswalk to cross the bus lane.

• If your child is being dropped off on the nearby streets, they must walk down to the crosswalk/concession area for a safe crossing, not between the vehicles.

• Do NOT get out of your car in the car line or leave a parked vehicle in the car line.

Tardy:

• Students who arrive after 8:40 am will need to be dropped off at the main entrance Door A.

• All students must be signed in by an adult in the office if they arrive late.

• You must use the entrance on Vardon and park to drop off your student.

• NO drop-off/parking is allowed in the Fire/Bus lane off Western Avenue in front of the school. This MUST stay clear at all times for emergency vehicles.

Arrival Guidelines (Bus Riders)

Bus information will be available in Skyward. If you see any issues,

please contact Wanda Alexander at 708-546-7072.

• Once the bus arrives at the building, a staff member will dismiss the bus, and students will proceed to their entrance door (see map below).

Walker No Parent Required Guidelines

• Students allowed to walk home without a parent present will exit their designated doors and walk home.

Car Rider/Walking Parent Guidelines

• Walkers will be dismissed out the doors marked on the map below.

• Parents walking to pick up students must have their car tag number.

• Pull up all the way in the car line until a staff member signals you to stop.

• Staff will relay which vehicle Pick Up Tag numbers are in the car line and have those students ready to load in the vehicles.

• Your child will be directed to your vehicle by a staff member. Parents in the car line need to stay in the vehicle at all times. Staff will assist with opening car doors for younger students if needed.

Kickert Transportation has made available to parents in Flossmoor School District 161 a FREE notification system to notify parents when there are bus delays.

• If you would like to receive notifications when delays or incidents affect your student's bus, please register with Bus Bulletin.

There is no cost for this service.

Registration is simple and fast.

You can choose to receive text messages, phone calls, and emails.

All contact information is stored securely and will not be shared or sold.

No information was given to Kickert by the District, you will provide phone numbers and emails when you register.

• For more information, or to sign-up and start receiving notifications, please visit:

www.BusBulletin.com/parents

On the Bus Bulletin home page click on the Register link. Enter your information to create your account.

• Once you have created your account, you will select your notification methods. You may enter up to 7 phone numbers and/or email addresses. • You only need one account per family, just enter all the contact information for everyone.

• When you add a phone number or email address, you will be sent a verification code, to enter on the screen.

• You will have the option to test the contact information you supplied with a generic message. • Once your notification methods are complete, you will select all the bus routes for your student(s). • There are separate routes for morning and afternoon routes. For example, if your child rides route 1 at Western Avenue, you would select WA AM1 and WA PM1, to get notified of delays on morning and afternoon routes.

• When you have entered all your information, click the Save Changes button.

• Your Bus Bulletin has now been activated!

MEDICATION

Any student needing to take medication at school, EpiPens, and inhalers must have a doctor's order for administration. Do NOT send medication to school with your student. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) must bring it to Nurse Bryant. This also includes cough drops.

Health Requirements

Kindergarten

• Current Physical and Immunizations are due by October 16th.
• Eye Exam due by October 16th.
• Dental Exam due by May 15th.

2nd Grade

• Dental Exam

New Students

• Health records transferred from the previous school are due within 30 days of the start date.
• All physicals must be from the state of Illinois.

Welcome to our amazing 24-25 PTO board:

Jade Vazquez

Laura Velazquez-Shirley

Deanna Taylor

Joi Brown

Missy Gaskin

They have many exciting events and involvement activities planned for the upcoming school year. Be sure to stop by and meet them at our popsicle social on Tuesday, August 13th and at class assignment pick-up.

During class assignment pick-up you will be able to sign-up for class parties, committees and the PTO directory. If you have any questions about the PTO please reach out to them at: westernavenuepto@gmail.com

District 161 is committed to building strong positive relationships with our students. To do this we partner with the Flippen Group and the Capturing Kids' Hearts program. Each month our students will have a monthly theme and weekly lessons to foster positive relationships in our learning community and become connected and empathetic global citizens.

Each month we will share the CKH Family Newsletter attached below. This resource includes ideas aligned with Capturing Kids' Hearts processes to help families engage with their students through intentional conversations, empower their children to grow and develop their leadership skills, and EXCEL as a family through activities that help them, love, serve and grow better together.

This program is designed to publicize the incredible things individuals do for our students, schools, and community. Recognition can come from many different places. The button below has the form and information about the program. Feel free to start nominating today, and we look forward to singing staff praises loud and proud of those that are #AboveandBeyond!

Email: gisabelli@sd161.org
Website: https://www.sd161.org/o/western-avenue
Location: 940 Western Avenue, Flossmoor, IL, USA
Phone: 708-647-7400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/district161wa
Twitter: @western161