WJHS Highlights

Dear WJHS Families,

We are excited to share that WJHS is hosting a warm clothing drive for those in need. The drive will run from Monday, December 11th through December 20th. Students are encouraged to bring in new or clean, gently used items such as boots, coats, gloves, hats, etc. Students should turn these items in to a morning supervisor. In return, the supervisor will give the student a raffle ticket that they can put in a drawing to win a pizza lunch with nine of their friends in our Conference Room. Thank you for your generosity!

In addition to the clothing drive, we have a lot of fun for students (and staff) this month! Please see our Winter Fun Calendar for students if you are interested in seeing what we are up to here at WJHS.

To our families who celebrate Hanukkah, we hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Sincerely,

Spelling Bee 23-24 information:

Buzz, Buzz!

1. Interested in participating? Please fill out this link with an adult at home. Registration ends on Friday, December 8.

2. We will email an adult at home with the next steps. Level One of the bee will happen on the Scripps ONLINE platform. It will open on Saturday, December 16th, and close at 11:59 pm on Sunday, December 17th. There will not be time to take the test at school.

3. Study, study, study! The study lists are in Schoology. This year we are adding a level of vocabulary to each test. 7th graders will take the 7th grade test and 8th graders will take the 8th grade test. Please be sure to study the words connected with your grade level.

The League of Women Voter-sponsored Student Government Program starts with a kick-off event on January 10 at 7 pm. Students will then spend the next several weeks working on their issue with their group and researching the role of a board member or appointed official, culminating with a mock board meeting that will be taped and televised on Channel 6. Most of the student workshops will occur at school during non-core instructional time. However, there will be an evening commitment on February 13. The final mock board meeting will take place in the evening the week of March 19 at Village Hall.

If your 8th grade student is interested, please fill out this Google Form by Friday, December 15.

Once we return from our fall break for Thanksgiving, December becomes a very busy month for our families outside of school, and for our students also while here at school. When it comes to social-emotional well-being, we as adults can often feel stressed with the many items on our to-do lists at this time of year, which can tend to trickle down to a feeling of unease and added stress for our children. With adults and children are both feeling the effects of added stress, it can be a less enjoyable time of year than we hope!

It is important that as caretakers of children we model strategies (see suggestions below) of self-care and well-being (put your oxygen mask on first), and work to include our kids in practicing tools that can help regulate emotions, and reduce stress and anxiety when engaging in school work and extracurricular activities.

• Take a Pause or Quiet Moment; This might include a brief walk outside, or even laying down on the couch for five minutes with your eyes closed to just calm your body and re-focus your mind. Taking an intentional pause when things get overwhelming helps not only to calm you down, but also can help you to be more productive when you re-engage in the task at hand.

• Paced Breathing: Belly Breathing or Square/Box Breathing can be practiced together to help children (and parents!) control their emotions, de-escalate in periods of stress, or even just before starting a difficult project to prepare to engage fully.

• Stretching/Yoga: Choosing a pose or two together can be a quick go-to that interrupts feelings of stress, allows children and parents to breathe, and helps to relax feelings of tension in our bodies. Here are a few poses that you could check out and try at home.

WHO CAN HELP SERVE LUNCH?

Grandparents can! Older siblings/cousins home from college! Caregivers! What a surprise it would be for your student to see a familiar face volunteering one day to help serve lunch. We’d appreciate their help and they might get a big kick out of it. Sign up HERE. Openings on 12/13, 12/18, 12/20 and beginning January 1/8.

D39 EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION NEWS

Kendra Scott Gives Back Weekend: Shop this Friday-Sunday (December 8th-10th) ONLINE at Kendra Scott and they will donate 20% of all proceeds to the D39 Educational Foundation when you use code GIVEBACK-FOJNE. Shop for your friends, teens or ladies in your life for gifts that are sure to be a hit! www.kendrascott.com

Appreciation Certificates Available: For a $39 donation, the staff member(s) of your choice will be honored with a personalized certificate sent via email and their name posted on the D39 Educational Foundation website’s virtual Wall of Honor. All donations benefit D39 schools by funding the D39 Foundation’s Gripp Grant program and, if needed, assisting the D39 school community more immediately through special gifts. More information can be found HERE.

College Paddle Night: Tickets go on sale 12/13 at 10am for the third annual D39 College Paddle Night 1/27, 7-11pm at A.C. Nielsen Paddle Hut. Check it out HERE!

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