Willow Parent Bulletin # 31

Thanks to all the families who came to Family Reading Night! We had great guest readers from the Homewood Police Department(Officer Nigro), the Homewood Library (Miss Angela), Irons Oaks, (Mrs. LeSimple), as well as incoming principal, Ryan Gordon. Our campers made cool cicadas and learned more about them, decorated camping vests, took pictures in front of the "fire," and enjoyed a snack. Big thanks to all the Willow staff who gave up an evening to spend time with our families.

It's Kindergarten box car assembly time! We need adult helpers on Monday, May 13th between 7:30 AM and 10 AM. Please let your child's teacher know if you are available to help. If you can bring a drill from home, we'd appreciate it.

Four of our Wildcats spent the day at Prairie State participating in the Math Bowl. They have been practicing with each other and their coach, Ms. Rost, after school. Thanks for representing Willow! We are proud of you!

Our Unified Champions team heads to the regional Special Olympics tomorrow at Thornwood High school. Our athletes and their peer partners will march in the opening ceremony and watch the torch being lit, then all participate in the running event. The athletes will also do a throwing event. All of them have practiced hard for the big day! Our other Wildcats sent them off in style with a parade at Willow. Thanks for cheering us on!

Those competitive juices were flowing during our kickball games... oh, and the kids were great competitors, too! All classes played initial rounds, with semi-finals taking place Thursday afternoon and finals on Friday morning. Wildcats were decked out in matching team t-shirts and played hard. The best part was all of the positive attitudes and super sports-person-ship! We are proud of everyone!

Just in - the finals were move to next Friday due to the soggy grass this morning.

Staff Appreciation Week is May 6th - 10th and we want to make our teachers and staff feel appreciated! Please bring donations of school supplies, gift cards or other tokens of appreciation for District 153 Staff to the school offices by Friday, May 3rd, and let the staff know it is for the PTA staff donation drive. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out.

Sincerely,
Your HSD153 PTA

Planning for next year is well under way. If you would like to share your perspective about how your child learns, please use the link below. We will also gather information from your child's current teacher. The link will close on May 31st. Here are some things to consider:

• We do not accept requests for specific teachers.
• Sometimes a best friend doesn't translate into a good classmate.
• Your Wildcat will be placed with a classmate or two from this year.
• The classroom teacher will provide us with academic levels and other pertinent information.

G.A.M.E. Changers is a summer program for middle school students that provides enrichment activities in addition to engaging in fun and challenging activities that promote personal growth, social-emotional well-being, and teamwork skills. The program is designed to be interactive, hands-on, and fosters positive relationships among students, teachers, and community members. By providing a safe and supportive learning environment during the summer months, G.A.M.E. Changers promote, personal growth, and social-emotional well-being for all participating students.

Homewood-Flossmoor is hosting a Pride celebration again this year! Please save the date for Friday, June 7 and look for the PFLAG Homewood-Flossmoor table in Irwin Park.

Safe2Help lllinois - a program that allows students to report school safety issues in a confidential manner. Visit: https://safe2helpil.com/

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - a network of local crisis centers that provide confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visit: https://988lifeline.org/

National Runaway Safeline - a national hotline that provides comprehensive crisis intervention with an expertise in youth-related issues intended to keep runaway, homeless and at-risk youth safe' Visit: 1800runaway.org

We had a reader from Italy join those from Germany and 14 states.

Thanks to the 470 of you who checked out all our good stuff!

If you've noticed anyone at Willow going above and beyond, please use the link to recognize him/her/them! 💖 I share your kind words with them in my staff bulletin.

https://forms.office.com/r/L4vYqd7NpN

Park Pride May 4: https://hfparks.com/event/park-pride/

Mother's Day Tea Party May 11: https://hfparks.com/event/mothers-day-tea-party/

Learn to Skate Classes: https://app.amilia.com/store/en/homewood---flossmoor-park-district/shop/programs/89858?subCategoryIds=4609164&subCategoryIds=4591354

Summer Camps: https://hfparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-Summer-Camp-Brochure-ver-2-FINAL.pdf

May 4: Special Olympics

May 6-10: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 8: School Nurses’ Day

May 10: Willow Art Show

May 12: Mother’s Day

May 17: PreK Fun Friday

May 18: Speech Pathologist Appreciation Day

May 20: PTA Ice Cream Social on the playground after school.

May 24: Early Dismissal – 11:40 AM

May 27: Memorial day- no school

May 31: LAST DAY- EARLY DISMIISSAL-11:40 AM