SEL News
Beginning October 2 and running through October 13 students in grades 5-8 will be participating in the Panorama MESH (Mindsets, Essential Skills and Habits) assessment of social-emotional competencies and school environment. The MESH is comprised of a series of questions that cover the areas of Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Emotion Regulation. It also looks at Supportive Relationships at school, School Safety, Sense of Belonging, and Valuing of School.
This assessment aligns with the SEL competencies taught using our Responsive Classroom curricular materials, and results from the assessments are used to help us as we continue to gauge the effectiveness of our social-emotional supports and programming in the district. For more information about the social-emotional objectives at your child’s grade level, and other general information about SEL in District 39, please visit the D39 Social Emotional Learning Website.
Battle of the Books
It is time for the Battle of the Books at WJHS! This is a fun way to encourage our Wolves to read books from a variety of genres and engage in a friendly competition about what they've read. Students will register individually and read as many of the books from our Battle of the Books list of award-winning and highly recommended titles as they'd like.
All participating readers will attend our "Battle of the Books" on January 26. At this event students will be placed on random teams to participate in a Kahoot competition about all of the books. Students can attend optional check-in meetings during recess to discuss the books they've read with peers.
Interested students should register HERE by Friday, Oct 6. Various prizes will be offered to participating students, and we appreciate the generous support of the PTO in sponsoring the prizes.
Questions can be directed to Daphna Neirick, Mary Kate Lubawski, or Erin Schwarz.
WJHS Clubs Have Started!
In addition to Homework Club which is described below, we are also excited to announce the kick off of our optional clubs for students beginning in the coming weeks. One of our strategic plan action steps this year is to create opportunities for interest and supportive clubs for students that do not require fees or registration; they can operate in a sign up or drop-in fashion and students can attend them flexibly as they are able. We asked our students what interested them, and from their responses, we created a list of clubs (with more coming soon) that will be sure to get them involved!
Students still have time to try a new club - they are dependent on student attendance so please talk with your child about attending a club and finding a way to get involved at WJHS this year. Sign ups are posted around the school and some clubs are drop-in so no sign-up needed! I've also posted club sign-ups in Schoology.
All of the clubs are hosted by WJHS staff, and will be held either during a lunch period or after school. After school, students may be picked up at the main entrance to the school after 4:20, or they may take the late activity bus from school, which leaves at 4:45 PM from the front of WJHS and drops students off at their local elementary school.
We will share additional information about new clubs as they are added throughout the school year, and we look forward to sharing news and updates with you as these initial clubs get off the ground and are running!
CLUBS STARTING THE WEEK OF 09/18
September 18: Pride Club: both lunches
September 19: Newspaper Club during 8th grade lunch
September 20: Drawing Club during both lunches
September 20: Board Game Club during 7th grade lunch
September 21: Mindful Coloring during both lunches
September 21: Lego Club, after school
September 29: Library Advisory Board, 8th grade lunch
Beginning October 2: Kindness Crew during 7th grade lunch
Clubs sponsored by the PTO can be found on the WJHS PTO website and below in the PTO Highlights section of the newsletter!
Some of our school and district clubs will begin later in the year. Tryouts for Science Olympiad will be in mid-late October, and tryouts for Math Counts are in December. More to come!
PTO Highlights
🍁AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS ARE STARTING🍁
Sign up NOW to take advantage of PTO-Sponsored After School Clubs!
Starts MONDAY 10/2: FANTASY FOOTBALL🏈, Arts & Crafts🎨 (Section 1)
Starts TUESDAY 10/3: Arts & Crafts🎨 (Section 2)
Starts THURSDAY 10/5: Dungeons & Dragons🐉, Games & Strategies🎲
There’s still room in the Latin Club🏛️ at WJHS on Thursdays and Aces Debate Club♣️ on Mondays at WJHS (Advanced) and Thursdays at Highcrest Middle School (Intermediate). Visit the WJHS PTO website for more information and to register.
STOCK-THE-SHELVES FOR TEACHERS LOUNGE🍪🍎🍿
Wolves, this school year is off to a great start and our teachers are working tirelessly to get the kids on task, on schedule and back into a school groove! Please support teachers and staff by clicking on this link to help stock the teachers lounge. All details in the SignUp Genius link HERE. Thank you!
HAVE YOU VOLUNTEERED YET? C’MON DOWN!
✅ Cafeteria/Lunch HERE 11:15am - 12:45pm. They REALLY APPRECIATE the help!
✅ Outdoor Courtyard HERE 11:50am - 1:10pm. Enjoy this quiet space during the day!
Questions? Contact volunteers@wjhspto.com
STILL LEFT ON YOUR PTO CHECKLIST?
✅ Purchase WJHS Yearbook HERE 📚
✅ Order WJHS Spirit Wear HERE 📣
✅ Contribute to the Teacher/Staff gift and iGNITE enrichment funds HERE
7TH GRADE PARENTS: 2024 8TH GRADE WASHINGTON D.C. TRIP
Teacher Paul Harper is excited to announce that next year’s trip to Washington D.C. and Williamsburg is now open for registration. This is an opportunity for our 8th Grade students to explore some of our nation’s most important historical sites while experiencing incomparable learning moments. This trip is limited in space to 125 students and after the initial seats are filled students will be added to a waitlist for the trip. Please note that waitlisted students could still make the trip if additional seats come open or students cancel. Click HERE to learn more and/or to register. This trip is not run by the school or the PTO and is teacher run as an elective opportunity. Please contact Paul Harper at paul.w.harper@gmail.com if you have questions!
District Update
Parent-Teacher Conferences: Save the Date
Our fall parent-teacher conferences will take place on Nov. 15-17, immediately preceding Fall Break (Thanksgiving week). Conferences will be held virtually through the Meet the Teacher platform, with in-person appointments available by request. More details, including sign-up information, will be provided in the coming weeks.
Parent Education Events
District 39 is committed to providing family-focused programming throughout the year geared towards providing tips, guidance, and support for our parents. Our next event, titled “Parenting in the Digital Age,” is also one of our most popular presentations! Families can participate in-person at Highcrest Middle School or virtually via Zoom for this event, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 11 am. Registration is now open. Please check out our Parent Education page for our full schedule of Parent Ed events, registration links, and archived recordings.
D39 Communication Survey
District 39 is committed to providing timely and relevant communication in ways that fit your needs. In alignment with Goal 4 of our strategic plan, we are gathering feedback from families on District- and school-level communication preferences. Please take this brief survey to help us learn how to continue to effectively and efficiently communicate. Note: this survey does not include classroom-level communication from teachers.
Board of Education Meetings
The Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Monday, October 2 at 6 pm at the Mikaelian Education Center. At this meeting, the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement with the Wilmette Education Association (WEA) covering 2023-2028 will be presented for approval. The Board will then adjourn to executive session for its annual self-evaluation and board development activities with a representative from the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB). Agendas and materials for all Board of Education meetings are available here.
Wilmette Junior High School
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