Wescott Word

Monday, January 20

No school - district holiday

Thursday, January 23

5th-grade show at 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, February 5

Summer School registration begins

Wednesday, February 12

Conversations with the Community - Focus on Social Workers (12 or 6 p.m.)

With the winter weather more students are driven to and from school, thus causing more traffic congestion before and after school. Students may only be dropped off or picked up in front of the school building along the curb of the circular drive. If students are dropped off on a side street across from Wescott, they must cross with the crossing guard.

Students should arrive at school no earlier than 8:30 a.m. There is no playground supervision until that time. Students who walk to school should cross with the crossing guard at Techny and Western, Brentwood and Western, Dehne and Western, or Farnsworth and Western Avenues.

Please do not cross at any other intersection during pick up and drop off.

Cars may not be parked in the circle drive or parking spaces before, during or after drop off or pick up times: 8:00-9:00 a.m. and 3:00-3:40 p.m.

• During the busy drop off/pick up times, all traffic must enter the drive from the north. No left turns or traffic from the east is allowed into the circle drive during the drop off and pick up times. Cars must wait in one line alongside Wescott Park to enter the drive.
• The crosswalk must be left open at all times; cars should wait behind the intersection to enter the circle drive.
• The traffic flow to use to enter the line of cars waiting on Western Avenue is to take Fieldwood to Farnsworth to Western. PLEASE DO NOT CUT INTO THE TRAFFIC LINE FROM OTHER STREETS.
• Cars should not make U-turns in the middle of the street or turn around in resident's driveways.
• No traffic is allowed in the parking lot during drop off and pick up times.

Thank you for your patience during these busy times!

Thank you to all the volunteers, table hosts, student performers, and families who expressed interest in participating in this year’s Multicultural Night! This event has always been a celebration of our vibrant community, and it relies heavily on widespread participation to make it a success.

Given the scale of the event and the number of attendees we’ve had in past years, we want to ensure it’s an engaging and enriching experience for everyone. To do so, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the event to 2026.

If you were planning to host a table or perform this year, hold onto your plans and materials! We’re excited to announce that we’re aiming to make the 2026 event even bigger and better. With more time to plan, we hope to include even more cultures, performances, and activities to celebrate the diversity of our community.

To help us enhance future celebrations, we invite all families to click here and take our brief survey to share your thoughts and suggestion. Your input is invaluable in shaping this important community event.

Thank you for your understanding and support. We look forward to an incredible Multicultural Night in 2026!

District 30's full-day 2025-26 Kindergarten Program will be held at both Willowbrook and Wescott Schools, while the

Preschool is 5 days a week for 2.5 hours a day and follows the District 30 school calendar. Three-year-old students attend the morning class and the 4-year-old students attend in the afternoon.

To be eligible for kindergarten, your child must have been born on or before September 1, 2020, as evidenced by an official birth certificate or passport. Proof of residency in District 30 is also required, as well as the filling out of an affidavit form.

STAY TUNED: Intake for both programs will begin early next month; watch this newsletter next week for details and important web links.

This month in our RULER program, we are learning about emotional regulation and personal values through the best self and meta-moment.

• Our best self is our personal ideal and desired reputation.
• The meta-moment is a tool to pause during emotional situations and adjust to respond as one’s best self.

For example, during difficult morning routines, we might pause to recognize the feeling of frustration and consider how our best self would respond. The meta-moment aims to shift from automatic, unhelpful reactions to strategic, helpful responses.

• The meta-moment consists of four steps:

1. Sense: Notice a change in your body or mind.

2. Pause: Wait to respond. Breathe to think more clearly.

3. See your Best Self: Imagine your best self in the situation.

4. Strategize and Act: Think of a strategy and try it out.

• Strategies we can use include walking away, finding an adult, considering the other person's perspective, using positive self-talk, and reframing a situation.

Learn how to explore the Meta Moment with your child.

Course offerings for the 2025 Summer School program have been officially posted to the website. Please visit district30.org/summer-school and scroll down to the “Courses” tab. We recommend previewing these courses with your students ahead of time to prepare for registration.

Mark your calendars! Registration for the 2025 Summer School program will open on February 5 at 10:00 a.m. Please review the detailed instructions on how to register your student on the Summer School website under the “Registration” tab.

The District 30 Summer School website pages will continue to be updated in the coming weeks and includes a helpful FAQ section.

Questions? Email summerschool@district30.org.

Sincerely,

Ms. Anna Davis, Summer School Principal

Mrs. Sarah Arends, Summer School Assistant Principal

The Maple World Language Teachers visited 5th grade classrooms this week to answer questions and offer mini-lessons about the French and Mandarin classes offered at Maple, as well as share promo videos of Spanish, French and Mandarin.

The World Language Choice Form will be pushed out to parents electronically via email on Friday, January 17 for both elementary schools. The deadline for the language selection is Friday, January 24.

All who live in District 30 boundaries are invited to meet Superintendent Dr. Tammaru and a member of our Board of Education to ask questions and share what is important to you in our schools. Participants will also hear a presentation on the impact our new Social Workers on our students.

You can pick from either the 12 p.m. or 6 p.m. session on Wednesday, February 12 at our District 30 Offices, 2374 Shermer Road, Northbrook. RSVP is optional so we can plan for space and send a reminder to participants close to the event date.

Please share with neighbors, as this event is for everyone in our boundaries – even if they do not have children in our schools. Click below to join us!

• New, more accurate timing results
• Easier packet pickup
• A more customized race experience!
• Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd-place finishers, plus a medal for all who finish the race!

Additionally, you can still enjoy lower prices through March 31. No discount code needed at checkout. Visit lewbondrun.org to register for a single race or price bundles.

We use the chart below to help guide our decisions to be inside or outside for recess. To find out more about weather related decisions, please click the image below.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a translation. Our students have been enjoying having their photographs taken with the "One big family" wall as a background. We are working on finishing the project and may reach out to some of you for help in finalizing this fun endeavor.

Wescott fully embraces our motto that we are a part of one big family and we are proud of every person who is a part of it. Help us show school pride and support our District 30 Strategic Plan values of inclusivity & belonging and community collaboration by sharing your culture!

With over 30 world languages spoken in our students' homes, we seek your help in translating our motto – "One big family" – into your native language for display on our blank entryway wall.

Throughout the school year, you will find updates on the project here in the Wescott Word, featuring images of students with their language submissions, as well as a list of languages already added to the wall and remaining languages needed.

We imagine this to be a lasting, visual celebration of our amazing Wescott community and can't wait for you to be a part of it!

How you can contribute:

• Please, submit your translation of our motto – "One big family" by clicking the button below. We ask that you follow the same format: first word is uppercase, followed by lowercase words (unless your language has a different set of grammatical rules for this statement).
  
• The translations will be added to the wall once they are processed by the printer. We aim for adding them once a month, unless no additional translations have been submitted. if you have questions regarding your submission, please contact pcoletta@district30.org.

The PTO hosted its second meeting of the school year on January 15 at 6:00 pm in the Wescott school library. We heard special presentations from Dr. Brown, Ms. Keller and Dr. Tammaru. We reviewed highlights from the Fall fundraisers and activities and gave an overview of the Spring calendar. We discussed open board appointments (see below) and discussed changes to the PTO bylaws which will be voted on in the September 2025 PTO meeting. Thank you to all who braved the cold to attend!

As in the past, we are asking parents to host parties, both for kids and fellow Wescott parents, as part of our fundraising efforts. It’s a great way to support the school while creating fun experiences for the kids! How it works:

• You can host a party for a group of kids (or even adults) with a fun theme.

• You decide the venue, date, time and size of the party.

• Parents will purchase a spot for the party through ChedderUp, and all proceeds will go to support Wescott. (Please note, party fees for the children of the hosts will be waived.)

Some party ideas to get you started:

• Video game truck party

• Painting party at the Painted Penguin

• Ninja Party at the Ultimate Ninja Gym

• Swimming party at Splash Landing or Goldfish Swim School

• T-shirt designing party at BFriends

• Movie party at Cinergy

• Bunco night for parents at a home

We're looking for creative ideas and enthusiastic hosts. The more parties, the better! If you’re interested in hosting a party and want more details, email Connie Park at connie.j.park@gmail.com and/or Patty Metropoulos at Pmetropoulos@hotmail.com.

Thank you so much for considering being a part of this exciting event! Your involvement will make a huge difference for our students.

Volunteering to serve lunch at school is a unique opportunity to get a peek into the school day and meet other parents.

Two volunteers will be needed per day to help with setting up lunch line, serving lunch to students, and doing some minimal cleaning up. Time slots are approximately from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please sign up ONLY for yourself.

Here is a guide to answer any questions you might have about volunteering. Questions? Please contact wescottpto@district30.org.

The nomination form is OPEN for Wescott PTO Executive Board positions! Nominate a friend, yourself, or whoever you think would be the best to serve on our 2025-26 PTO Executive Board! Open positions include:

• One Co-President (to serve with current Co-President Maria Millicevic)

• One Co-Treasurer (to serve with current Co-Treasurer Jenna Min)

• One Co-Secretary (to serve with current Co-Secretary Halley Winer)

• Two Co-VPs of Fundraising

Please note, ALL nominations are anonymous. Nomination form will remain open until February 28.

We can’t wait to see who YOU think would be best to lead the PTO!

One of the PTO Board's goals for the 2024-25 school year is to make sure our teachers and staff know just how appreciated they are by the Wescott community. So starting this fall, we're excited to announce a new program at Wescott ... "Staff Gold Stars."

"Staff Gold Stars" puts the ball in your court by giving YOU the opportunity to share how any Wescott teacher or staff member has had a positive impact on your child or family.

Simply fill out the form below. Once monthly, the PTO Board will hang up the "Staff Gold Stars" in the Teacher's Lounge for all to see!

Click below to submit your "Staff Gold Star!"

Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 continues its partnership with Quest Food Management Services to provide quality food services to your student. We are happy to offer a preorder system via myMealOrder! Click the button below to order lunch for your student.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ashley Jenkins, Food Service Director for Quest at ajenkins@questfms.com.

Wescott has a “no food or drink” birthday celebration practice. We want our students to know other ways to celebrate birthdays besides treats.

If you want your child to bring something in for their birthday, we encourage you to donate a book to our library through the PTO Birthday Book Club. You can also send school supplies such as pencils, erasers, stickers, bookmarks, etc.

Please do not send paper birthday invitations to school. The use of electronic invitations through our PTO directory is suggested.

Please call the front office to let us know of any changes in pick up practices for your student. As a reminder the tot lot is not a part of Wescott grounds and is not supervised during arrival and dismissal times.

In our Wescott and District 30 community, we value open communication and community collaboration. We have best success when partnering with parents on student concerns.

We are noticing a concerning trend of inappropriate language use among our students. Much of this language appears to be influenced by content on social media platforms, particularly TikTok. We know that our community, parents and faculty, believe that maintaining a respectful and positive school environment is crucial for all children's well-being and academic success.

While we understand the popularity of these platforms among young people, it's important to guide our children in using appropriate language, regardless of what they may encounter online. We kindly ask for your support in reinforcing appropriate language use at home. Please:

1. Discuss with your child the importance of using respectful words and the potential impact of inappropriate language on others.

2. Monitor your child's social media use, particularly on platforms like TikTok.

3. Encourage critical thinking about the content they consume online and how it might influence their behavior.

Our staff will continue to address this issue at school. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter and continued partnership with Wescott.

Want to know what's going on around the community? District 30 uses a "Virtual Backpack" to share community information while saving paper, costs, and lightening the loads our students bring home. Please click the button below to view upcoming Community Events.

Any time a student feels unsafe, any adult in their school can help!

But sometimes, students or parents wish to reach out for help in a different way or after school hours. Safe2Help Illinois offers students a safe way to share information 24/7 that might help prevent any threat to school safety, including bullying, self-harm or other serious concerns.

The goal of this program is to get students to “seek help before harm;" it is not intended to suspend, expel, or punish. Safe2Help Illinois also offers a Mental Health Toolkit that provides resources for parents and educators reinforce the components of this program.

Safe2Help Illinois offers around-the-clock help via:

• Hotline: 844-4-SAFEIL
• Text line: 72332
• Email HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com
• Plus a website full of resources for young people seeking help for themselves or a friend. Its Ways To Get Help page is a directory of specialized hotlines, and other sections of its website provide practical steps for dealing with depression or helping a distraught friend. The checklist called "20 Questions To Ask Yourself If You Feel Like Giving Up" can help older children overcome a bout of anxiety or depression.

Wescott School is part of Northbrook/Glenview District 30, which exists to create an inclusive community that inspires learning, fosters resiliency, and cares deeply for every child. We honor childhood and foster intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth. District 30 serves more than 1,200 students in pre-K through 8th grade across Willowbrook, Wescott and Maple Schools.

We prohibit harassment and discrimination of all forms within our district and follows all policies and procedures to ensure a safe environment for all.

Main office: 847-272-4660

Health/Attendance Office: 847-400-8760

Location: 1820 Western Avenue, Northbrook, IL 60062, USA

Website: district30.org/wescott
Facebook: facebook.com/ngsd30
Twitter: @district30