WHS Principal Post - May 2021

We are officially in the home-stretch of this wild and crazy year. While so many of us are more than ready to put this year behind us, we are working very hard to end our year with some fun and engaging outdoor community events. This newsletter will provide you with the highlights our remaining days in May.

Click on the link below for a general plan for onsite attendance for the eight remaining Wednesdays of the school year. Please note, some students will be on site SOME of the days for specific periods of time.

WHS Schedule for WEDNESDAYS after Spring Break

With more kids onsite, the line of cars at pickup time will be significant. Please help us by always staying in your car while in the circle drive and pulling forward when you can! This helps us to get all students loaded the most efficiently. It also allows our large busses to enter more quickly. Your support with this is greatly appreciated.

Please have your children enter your vehicle along the PASSENGER SIDE along the sidewalk.

Dear Hammerschmidt Parents,

Planning is underway for the next school year. If you are anticipating a change of schools for your child(ren) for next year, please let us know! The office will provide you with a student transfer form.

If your child attends Hammerschmidt due to open enrollment, you will receive an email from Jenn Nimke with the online form request for open enrollment. We are only accepting requests through this online form. Please complete prior to June 30. Open enrollment requests are approved annually depending on class size.

Class lists for the 2021-2022 school year will be developed in the coming weeks. A student’s placement for next year is based on several considerations including the following:

• Heterogeneous groups of students in each class in terms of developmental levels, academic performance, gender, etc.

• Student social/emotional

• Special program needs such as Differentiation, Resource, EL

• Personalities that may benefit from being together or separated

• Behavioral needs

• Matching student-learning styles with teaching styles

I rely heavily on the judgment of classroom teachers and support personnel in determining a child’s classroom assignment. The process involves many professionals, not just your child’s current teacher, with me having the final approval. A parent request for a particular teacher will not be given general consideration. Some parents have made specific requests in the past, so I am asking that you do not approach this year’s teacher with a request. If you have pertinent information that relates to peer relationships, please put it in writing and send it to me no later than Friday, May 14th.

Families will be notified by mail of their child’s classroom placement in August.

We continually make every effort to optimize the use of collaborative practices to best serve each of our Hammerschmidt students. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions at 630-827-4200 or ddanielski@sd44.org.

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Please email Liz Valdivia (evaldivia@sd44.org) in the WHS office, if your students will not be returning to Hammerschmidt School (or GWMS for current 5th graders) for the 2021-22 school year. Thank you!

When: Saturday, May 15th

While that is our official “race day,” since we have to be virtual this year, you can run your race any day and at any time you want.

Where: Madison/Hammerschmidt Neighborhoods

You can run any distance and any route you would like and there is no official start/finish line either. You can find a few routes on the following pages if you are looking to run the 5k distance, but please note that there will be no route supervision or set up this year.

Who: Anyone

You do not need a shirt to participate in our virtual race. Anyone can participate and there is no fee.

Stop On By!

Our 5k race committee will be at Madison and Hammerschmidt schools on the blacktop by the playground between the hours of 1:00-3:00. We will have an official “Rise Up” backdrop for a photo opportunity for students and families. We will also be giving out free raffle tickets for a chance to win our official Rise Up Hoodie (only select sizes) or a free entry for next year’s race! Winners will be announced the following week.

Race Gear

All race gear (race shirts/hoodies) will be distributed during race week to the student that was listed on the order form. If your student is a remote learner, please contact the school about picking up your gear from the office.

Race Media

Since we are unable to gather together this year, we’re going to need everyone’s help to capture the excitement of this year’s race. We are encouraging everyone to take pictures and video and send them our way. A link will be sent out for you to upload everything you shoot. Don’t forget to stop by Madison or Hammerschmidt between 1:00-3:00 to get your official race photo taken by our race crew.

We are so excited to host our third annual Stars & Spikes 5k and while it might be different than what we’re used to, it will definitely be one that we never forget! If you have any questions, feel free to contact Mr. Kuehne (rkuehne@sd44.org). We hope to see you on race day!

-Stars & Spikes 5k Race Team-

Five laps around each of the school routes is approximately 5K!

If you come to either site on Saturday, May 15th between 1:00- 3:00 p.m., we’ll get your picture. If you choose your own route, please send us your picture so we can be sure you get recognized for RISING UP and participating in the Stars and Spikes 5K!

STUDENT DEVICE COLLECTION INFORMATION

During the last week of school, we will be collecting all student devices (ipads, chromebooks, chargers). Stay tuned for more information.

REMOTE ONLY students will turn their device into the office during the last week of school as well.

Recently we held grade level feedback sessions during our morning meeting time. Below you will find the cumulative results of our WHS student feedback sessions. Each grade level, Grade 1- 5 is represented in a different color.

KEEP:

Many things about school changed this past school year. We want to know what you hope never goes away, even after the pandemic is over.

• Were there any physical changes to your school that you enjoyed having?

• Were there any physical changes to your classroom that you enjoyed having?

• Were there changes in learning expectations that you enjoyed having?

• Were there changes in the way you learned that made it easier for you?

• Were there ways that technology was used that made learning more fun or easier for you?

• What new skills did you gain from this past school year?

• What was one of your favorite days in remote learning? What about that do you hope continues?

• What was one of your favorite days once you got to return to school? What about that do you hope continues?

• What did you find to be most supportive to you throughout this past year?

• What made you feel safe and comfortable, either at school or at home?

• How did this crisis help us come together as a school community?

LOSE:

Many things about school changed this past school year, and not all for the better. What should we try and get rid of or not do again?

• What about learning was most challenging to you?

• What about school in general was most challenging to you?

• What did you not look forward to doing?

• What did you find to be the biggest stressor?

• What was hard to do or understand in a remote environment?

• What was hard to do or understand once you were back onsite?

• What change did you find the most difficult to adapt to?

• What did you struggle with this most this school year?

• What did you miss the most this school year?

INTRODUCE

Much has been learned from this experience we had during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Based on your experiences, what new ideas should we consider introducing?

• What is something that could have helped you learn better this past school year?

• What is something you wish your teachers did more or less of?

• What is something that had it been available to you, you would have enjoyed school more or learned better?

• What did you learn about yourself during this time?

• What from a technology standpoint do you think would have helped you do better this school year?

• From a teaching standpoint, what is something we could have done better to support you as a learner?

• How could classrooms/schools change to better support learning?

LRC BOOK CHECK-OUT FOR REMOTE ONLY STUDENTS:

If your remote students would like to check out books from the Hammerschmidt LRC, we will be open the first Wednesday of every month. Please click on the link below to sign up for a timeslot for Wednesday, May 5th. The open slots are green: once a slot is taken it will turn blue. You can bring all the WHS students in your household, and STUDENTS ONLY will be allowed to use the LRC for a 20-minute time slot to select books. When you come on Wednesday, pull up to the circle drive, and a staff member will greet your students and walk them to the LRC. You can wait in the car while they use the LRC.

All hybrid students will have a chance to use the LRC with their classes during the school day every-other week. Wednesday check-out is for remote students only. Any questions, please contact Tracie Elliott at telliott@sd44.org or 630-827-4208.

Sign Up using the link below!

WHS LRC Book Check Out for REMOTE ONLY students - Wednesday, May 5th.

Allie Walden, Alyssa Bereta, Arianna Crockett, Brooke Holtquist, Elena Lee, Hannah Plesic, and Hannah Winborn, Girl Scouts of Troop 55355 and 5th graders at your school, have all completed the requirements for Junior Girl Scouting’s highest award, the Girl Scout Bronze Award. The Girl Scout Bronze Award recognizes a girl’s commitment to excellence as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her life. They began working towards the Girl Scout Bronze Award in 2019. To earn it, they had to design and carry out a plan of activities showing their promise to help others, improve their community and world, and to become the best they can be. To complete the requirements for volunteer community service, the Troop have installed 5 Bee Hotels around Lombard. These bee hotels will serve as a home to many different non-aggressive bees, bugs, and butterflies that do not colonize or have a hive. This project is one in which they have an ongoing interest and willingness to continue their involvement.

2021 PTA SUMMER ENRICHMENT SCHOLARSHIPS

(Applications due this FRIDAY, May 7-- Deadline has been extended!!!)

Are you planning to enroll your student in a summer program in the areas of music, art, nature, science camps, scout camps, private tutoring, or any SD44 academic program? The PTA will award up to 25 scholarships of up to $40.00 to students to help cover program costs. Families will receive scholarship prizes at the end of May 2021. For more info and rules, view this flyer. To apply, fill out the application form by Friday, May7th . Questions? Contact Julie Settles.

The next PTA Dine-out is at Brook's Kitchen and Tap, 1919 S Meyers Rd, on Wednesday & Thursday May 5 and 6. Use order code "Hammer21" and they will donate 20% of sales to our PTA to benefit the school. For more info, view the flyer.

Please join us for the WHS PTA Food Fest on Friday, May 7 from 4pm-7pm. Bring your own chairs/blanket for an evening of local food and fun. Masks are required when moving around the event. Please practice social distancing. Live music will be provided by the District 44 and Glenbard East band and orchestra beginning at 5pm! View the flyer for more info, including the current list of food vendors and food truck pre-order links (if applicable). Questions? Contact Sheila Crockett or Jill Gierman.

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming soon! We will have an in-person Book Fair from May 11 - May 14, 2:30 - 5pm in the LRC. An online ordering option will be available May 6 - May 19. For more information, to volunteer, or to shop online, view our Scholastic webpage. Book fair purchases benefit our school. Teacher Wish Lists will be provided next week. Questions? Want to help volunteer with the in-person book fair? Contact kristydacanay@gmail.com

The PTA is planning a socially distanced outdoor Family Movie Night Friday, May 14 featuring The Croods, A New Age! All WHS students and their families are welcome to attend. Rain Date is May 21. This is NOT a drop off event (students must have an adult (18+) chaperone who will stay for the entire event.) See this flyer for more details. Questions? Contact Kim Duffy at kduffy@arielinvestments.com.

Thank you to all who attended the 3rd Annual Family Fitness Fair! Below you will find a few pictures from the event! Special thanks to Molly Victor and all the volunteers who made this event possible!

Our next WHS PTA Meeting is Tuesday, May 18th at 7pm via Google Meets. We invite everyone to attend and learn more about the PTA and what is happening at school. We have a very strong parent community and there are many opportunities to get involved for those who wish to volunteer. The Google Meet code will be posted on Facebook and included in next week's Weekly News.

Friday, May 14th will be the LAST day to turn in Pop Tops for the Ronald McDonald House. You can send them in your student’s backpack or drop them off in the foyer of the office.

Did you know you can Subscribe to the digital PTA and school calendar? Visit https://wh.sd44.org/apps/events/ and then click subscribe. You can choose iCal, outlook or Google calendar and it will automatically add the events to your calendar.

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.

https://www.facebook.com/whselementary

https://twitter.com/WHS_Elementary

Click on the links below for assistance with your D44 technology devices:

D44 Tech Resource Hub

Direct Link for a "Help Ticket"

Here are seven resources that may help guide social-emotional learning efforts at home. From free apps, to videos, to games, these expert-designed materials are perfect for helping parents and caregivers turn everyday moments and interactions into “SEL moments.”

CLICK HERE for 7 Great SEL Resources for HOME

Parents of all D44 schools are welcome to attend these FREE events! Take a look at the brochure linked below. There are some phenomenal speakers covering a wide-variety of parent-interest topics!

CLICK HERE FOR THE GPS BROCHURE

The button below will also take you directly to the Glenbard Parent Series Website.

Screenings are ongoing! If you have a child under 5, see the information below!

Email: ddanielski@sd44.org
Location: Wm Hammerschmidt Elementary School, Hammerschmidt Avenue, Lombard, IL, United States
Phone: 630-827-4207
Twitter: @ddanielski