The WJHS Panther Pride Newsletter

Panther Families,

The start of fall feels like a gentle shift in the air. Days become a bit crisper, and the sunlight takes on a softer, golden hue. Leaves transform into a riot of warm colors—reds, oranges, and yellows—creating a beautiful tapestry against the sky.

As we settle into Autumn, our students are also settling in nicely to the beginning of this school year, and it has me eagerly anticipating all that is to come.

Student Council held their elections this afternoon in the gymnasium. We heard some really good speeches and they really did a nice job campaigning. Help me congratulate our new 24-25 student council members:

President - Derek A.

Vice President - Abraham J.

Secretary - Chance T.

Treasurers - Camren H. and Sophia E.

6th Grade Reps - Cari N. and McKinley B.

7th Grade Reps - Addisyn M. and Nina C.

8th Grade Reps - Chris C. and Maya K.

As we move right along with the school year, conferences will soon be approaching. Please mark your calendar for the upcoming dates.

Thursday, Oct 10th will be a SIP Day with early dismissal at 11:52.

Conferences will be in person in the evening of the10th, from 5pm-9pm.

Friday Oct 11th from 8am - 11am conferences will be virtual.

Parent sign up is scheduled to open Sept 25 @ 9AM and close Oct 9 @ 4PM.

7th graders started their new unit on Forces today by playing the game of broomball. Using only a broom, teams guided a bowling ball through a complex course. They'll be using this experience to guide their learning of how forces affect the motion of objects. Big thanks to Suburbanite Bowl for donating the bowling balls, and check out some videos of the action here!

We will be hosting Candor during Health Classes on October 1st and 3rd. Our PE/Health teachers recently emailed out information to parents. Please review the following letter in regards to what students will be learning about. If you choose to opt your child out from the presentations, please contact their PE/Health teacher (Mr. Cornacchia or Ms. Hillertz) as soon as possible so we can plan accordingly.

6th Grade (Human Reproduction Embryology)

English: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aIKvnPlZW9JEKPvVoYT8wWi_H21Nh0wC/view?usp=share_link

Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LnwzZLiRqeR7YQf9wu-EleUwA2r4BmuZ/view?usp=sharing

7th and 8th Grade (Teen Sexual Health)

English: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13GaxCX0szOB4zbFso066h1JNvQIEfBR0/view?usp=drive_link

Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K99r8Ibuch2REhp6rUTQVZuwgUY9XZej/view?usp=sharing

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We are very excited to be hosting students from our sister school in Taiwan this fall. Currently, we are in need of host families. If this is something you and your family would be interested in experiencing, please contact Pete Landreth or Vicky Gomez, contact information below.

From: Sheng Li Junior High (Hsinchu, Taiwan)

Dates: Departing Taiwan and arriving in Chicago on 11/3

Departing Chicago on 11/24

# of students: 12 to 14 Junior High students (2 students per family)

6 to 7 Westmont Junior High families needed to host

Compensation per Host family:

$900 per family for Junior High (based on 2 students in one family)

If interested, please contact both Pete Landreth and Vicky Gomez by email:

plandreth@cusd201.org

vgomez@cusd201.org

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Its that time of year again and Mrs. Strobl is once again bringing out the creative side of our students. She is currently looking for the following donations:

2 x 4, 1 x 12 or 1 x 8 pieces of wood. Scrapes no less than 3ft please! You can contact Mrs. Stobl at astrobl@cusd201.org to make drop off arrangements.

Thanks you in advance.

If you would like to excuse your student from any of the following critical incident drills; please notify our office @ 630-268-8200, no later than 9:00am on Thursday, October 3rd.

• Friday, October 4th - Fire Drill
  
• Thursday, October 17th - Armed Intruder Drill
• Wednesday, October 30th - Weather Drill

Please remind your student to charge their Chromebook overnight. We have had an influx of students that have not been able to work on their Chromebooks in class because they don't have it charged. Helpful tip: As they plug in their phones for charging over night, they can create the habit of also plugging in their Chromebook.

The school calendar is now available in Spanish. The link is available below for you to print a copy.

We are looking for wonderful volunteers, like yourself to help us make our Book Fair a success. Please review the available slots and Sign Up today!

It's going to be here before we know it! WJHS Student Council presents our annual Trunk or Treat on Friday, 10/18, 6-7 pm.

We would LOVE your help. Sign up by Friday, 10/11, to participate. Every year the competition gets better and better.

Gift cards will be awarded for 1st-3rd place.

Students who display the three pillars of expectations (Safety, Respect, and Responsibility) earn tickets that are entered into our weekly raffle drawings . If you are able to partner with us in this positive behavior initiative and donate a prize, it would be greatly appreciated. Items that have been donated already are snacks, $5 giftcards, teenage items from the Dollar Store (notebooks, gel pens, Etch A Sketch, Rubics Cubes) and monetary donations for us to purchase items.

October is quickly approaching, and with it, Halloween events offered by the Park District! Don't miss out on some great family fun at Touch a Truck (rescheduled for this weekend) Haunted Forest, and Spooktacular Fun Night!

Remember to check the WJHS calendar for up-to-date information on Clubs, Events, & Athletics.

Sincerely,

Amy Quattrone

WJHS Principal