WHS Principal Post- December 2023

December 1: WHS COLORS SPIRIT WEAR DAY

December 6: WHS PTA Dine & Donate-Chipotle on Roosevelt in GE

December 8: PTA Movie Night

December 18: WHS PTA Meeting - 7:00pm (LRC)

December 22: Winter Parties & Early Release Day, 1:15pm dismissal.

December 25 - January 5, 2024: WINTER BREAK

Our District is scheduled to hold the Be Seen and Heard presentations at all of our K-8 schools during the week of December 7 - December 15. Hammerschmidt will have these student presentations on Friday, 12/15.

Erin’s Law, House Bill 6193 was signed by Governor Pat Quinn on January 24, 2013. This law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness and prevention curriculum for grades pre-K through 12. It is recommended that four communications a year on Erin’s Law be made available to all students.

Mr. Pacini, a survivor of sexual abuse, author and motivational speaker, along with Ms. Hynes will be presenting this important information to our students during an in person presentation at all of our K - 8 schools. Mr. Pacini’s program is developmentally appropriate, interactive, and aligned with learning standards. The focus of his presentation is to teach children basic skills to keep them safe from dangerous or abusive situations. The concepts that will be discussed are:

• Distinguishing safe from unsafe touches

• Safety rules at home and school

• Saying “NO”

• Safe/Unsafe Secrets

• It’s not the child’s fault if someone touches him or her

• Telling a trusted adult

Videos with specific program information may be found HERE. (Please note, you will need to register for a free account in order to access the videos.) Mr. Pacini is also personally available to discuss your questions or concerns. He may be reached by phone at 888-667-2370.

Requests to Opt-Out: After you watch the videos and read this information, if you prefer that your child opt-out of this prevention education session, please email your child’s school Principal by Friday, December 1st.

Hammerschmidt’s Winter Playground Rules:

Before School, Recess and After School

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Students will have OUTDOOR recess unless the temperature (including the wind-chill) is below 10 degrees. The temperature is monitored each morning and before lunch from multiple data points. Children will go out if the temperature is above 10 degrees. Please send appropriate outdoor clothing including hats and mittens with your child to school.

• If students wish to play in the snow, they must wear BOTH snow pants and boots. If students are not wearing snow pants and boots, they are required to stay on our blacktop surface of the playground for the lunchtime and classroom recess periods.

• Students are not allowed to throw snowballs, slide on ice or play other games where student safety may be compromised.

• ALL students regardless of age or grade share snow forts. Children may add to the fort, but not destroy the fort.

It is a great idea to keep an extra pair of socks, hat and gloves or mittens in your child’s backpack. Students have a great time playing in the snow when appropriately dressed and following these guidelines.

In advance of the cold weather arriving, we want to share with staff our intentions of calling remote learning day vs. a traditional school closure day. Below you will find more information on that criteria as well as what to expect when a remote learning day is utilized.

It should be noted that in most circumstances, the district will likely utilize remote learning over cancellation of school. However, there certainly will be times when that cannot occur.

Regardless, families and staff will be contacted through our traditional emergency calling procedures and notified at the time of the message about the district’s decision.

Emergency Closing Criteria

District 44 will call a snow day, meaning no remote learning will occur and the day will be made-up later in the school year. Typically, this will be used if we were in a position to not send proper resources home with students, or teachers did not have proper time to plan. For example:

• Weather conditions are rapidly changing or are so unpredictable that the district is unable to provide teachers or students adequate time to prepare for a remote learning day.

• Students/staff are sent home early due to the weather event without the ability to send resources home with students or proper plan time for teachers.

• An unexpected weather event occurred while school is out (i.e. over the weekend) and is continuing into the school day. Students were not sent with the proper resources to participate in remote learning.

• We are unable to properly and safely staff our buildings nor ensure our staff could be available remotely to teach.

Remote Learning Criteria

District 44 will utilize a remote learning day, meaning the day will not have to be made up at the end of year and students and staff are expected to be online. Typically, this will be used if we were in a position to send proper resources home with students, and teachers have proper time to plan. For example:

• A weather event is predicted to occur and the district has enough time to send students home with proper materials to participate in remote learning. Teachers also have enough advance notice to properly prepare for a successful remote learning day.

• Severe cold is expected that would make it unsafe for students or staff to come into school.

• We can ensure equitable learning experiences across the district.

SMILE SQUAD

The DuPage County Health Department Smile Squad will be visiting Hammerschmidt School on Monday, December 11, 2023. All children at Hammerschmidt are eligible to receive a dental exam. Some students may also receive a dental cleaning, sealants, and fluoride treatment. If you would like your child to receive a free dental exam, please complete the consent form and return it to the Hammerschmidt Health Office by Wednesday, December 6, 2023.

All students in kindergarten, second grade, and sixth grade are required to submit proof of a dental exam. For students in first grade and fifth grade, this exam will fulfill the dental requirements for next year.

Calling all parent authors! Would you like to showcase your book at this year's Family Literacy Night on February 15 and make copies available for purchase? Please contact Heather Villardito at heejnik@yahoo.com (by February 8) for more information on how to register. We hope that you can join us!

The safety of our students is our highest priority! Drop off and Pick Up time are critical times for focussed and communal effort. Students have been observed exiting their vehicles on the driver's side of the vehicle. We ask that you please have your children unload CURBSIDE- (passenger side). This prevents children from being in the middle of the circle drive where vehicles are moving. Also, we ask parents to please stay in their vehicles and only have students exit. This prevents back ups in the drop off line, promotes independence and encourages safety.

All are welcome to join the WHS PTA meeting on Monday, December 18th at 7:00pm. We will be meeting in the LRC.

Thank you to everyone who supported our recent book fair! With proceeds from your purchases, we were able to contribute more than $150 in prizes to the “Star Bucks” closet, supply books to every classroom as chosen by the teachers, and donate over 20 books to the Helping Hands Committee for WHS students. Your support makes a big difference in our children's education!

Join us in spreading happiness and joy by donating a toy to a WHS Student this holiday season! The Helping Hands Committee set up an Amazon Wishlist to help collect toys for our students. Gift cards to Walmart, Target, Jewel, Aldi, and more will also be accepted. These cards support holiday meals and everyday necessities for our students in need.

Visit our Amazon Wishlist to purchase gifts by December 15. This allows time for gift wrapping and delivery to ensure our students receive them in time for the holiday. Alternatively, you can drop off your donations at 623 S. LaLonde Avenue. Please contact Stephanie Foerstel or Dea Kaforski with any questions.

Please click here for flyer.

The WHS STUDENT COUNCIL is helping promote the

Lombard Fire Department Toy Drive.

Please send in NEW/UNWRAPPED Toys & Sports Equipment and

BABY SUPPLIES (formula, diapers & wipes), to WHS.

Collection bins are in the WHS office.

Donations benefit the Toy Express & Teen Parent Connection.

Collection Boxes are in the WHS Office and donations will be accepted

November 27th - December 15th

Visit: villageoflombard.org/toydrive for more information.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who joined us at Portillo's for a fantastic dinner last month! Together, we raised over $120 for our school!

Mark your calendars and get your appetite ready for the next WHS PTA Dine & Donate event at Chipotle! Join us on 12/6 from 4-8 PM for Taco Wednesday - at the Chipotle located at 695 Roosevelt Road in Glen Ellyn.

Whether you're dining in or ordering online, your meal will contribute 33% to our fundraising efforts. Use the code YGBMRCM for online orders and remember to show the flyer in the restaurant.

Spread the word, bring friends and family, and enjoy a delicious meal while supporting our school!

Join us for a fun-filled evening at our PTA Movie Night featuring the classic movie The Grinch! This is a drop-off event, allowing parents to have some free time while their children have a blast!

We'll have popcorn and snacks available for purchase to make this movie night extra enjoyable! Remember to bring your pillow and blankets! Registration is now open!

Click here for Flyer!

Classroom winter parties are approaching and room parents will be sending out communication regarding the parties, volunteer opportunities, and teacher gifts. Please look out for further details from the dedicated room parents from your child’s class. For any questions, please contact Lauren Plotkin.

WHS is thrilled to host another Chicago Wolves night on January 27, 2024, at 7 pm, and this time, it's SUPERHERO Night! Tickets are available for $21 each, with a percentage of proceeds benefiting the PTA. Additionally, don’t miss out on the opportunity to grab a hot dog and soda voucher for just $8. Join us for a night filled with superhero fun and hockey excitement! These tickets make great stocking stuffers for the whole family! Let’s come out and show our support for the Chicago Wolves and our wonderful PTA!!! *parking is an additional cost. Click here to purchase your tickets.

Click here for flyer.

This year’s PTA School Directory has been distributed to all WHS PTA members. We’ll continue to check for new members and will distribute the directories weekly from here out.

The school directory comes in handy for play dates, car pools, homework help, group projects and more!

If you haven’t signed up yet but would like the School Directory, you can Join here today!

Signing up for a PTA membership does not obligate you to volunteer or commit time (unless you are compelled to do so). Dues are $15.00 per adult or $20 per family.

WHS YEARBOOK PHOTOS:

We're excited to create a memorable yearbook filled with cherished moments, and we need your help! The Yearbook Committee has established a Google Photos drive to simplify the process of collecting as many photos as possible for this year's edition.

How to Share Photos:

• Add school event photos to the Google Photos drive.

• Describe the event, mention the grade, and teacher (if applicable) to help us organize the yearbook.

• Share last year's end-of-year event photos too, like field day or class parties.

Tips for Submitting:

• Describe events, mention grades, and teachers for better categorization.

• The committee will carefully choose the best photos for the yearbook.

Reminders and Help:

• We'll send reminders all year for more photo uploads.

• If you have trouble or any concerns, contact Samantha Baker.

Your photos will capture our school year's special moments. Let's collaborate to create an incredible yearbook!

Click here to upload yearbook photos.

Please join the WHS PTA Facebook Page and Hammerschmidt School in Lombard so you will always have the most up-to-date information for all the PTA events happening throughout the school year!

Please support WHS PTA by signing up for Givebacks here. You securely link your credit/debit cards under the Hammerschmidt PTA and then every time you use that card at a participating business in-store or online, you earn cashback and Givebacks will also automatically give a percentage back to WHS PTA. SO EASY!! Plus, the first time you spend at a participating business they give WHS PTA $5. For more details click here.

Have You Joined WHS PTA Yet? What are you waiting for? Now's the perfect time to become a part of this incredible organization!

When you join WHS PTA, you'll receive a copy of the WHS school directory as a fantastic membership benefit. This directory is more than just a list; it's a valuable tool for play dates, car pools, homework help, group projects, and so much more!

By joining, you become a vital part of our supportive community and gain access to resources that enhance your student's school experience. A PTA membership does not obligate you to volunteer or commit time (unless you are compelled to do so). PTA Dues are $15.00 per adult or $20 per family. A portion goes to the Illinois/National PTA & the remaining portion helps fund our activities and programs at WHS. Join here today! Donate here today!

How Can I Get Involved in WHS PTA.

Did you know you can Subscribe to the digital PTA and school calendar? Visit Events and then click subscribe. You can choose iCal, outlook or Google calendar and it will automatically add the events to your calendar.

Please join the WHS PTA Facebook Page so you will always have the most up-to-date information for all the PTA events happening throughout the school year!

Join other parents, high school and middle school students, and professionals to learn about issues facing today’s youth. The Glenbard Parent Series engages top experts, parents and school staff to become proactive and informed in pursuit of the mutual goal to strengthen our communities. Programs are free and open to the public.

GPS-- Glenbard Parent Series - 2023-24