What's Up Willowbrook

Across District 30, we are building our students' and staff members' capacity for emotional intelligence by using RULER, an evidence-based approach to social-emotional learning. As outlined in the previous edition of this newsletter, this year we want to share what we've learned to support our families at home. Check out this spot in your newsletter for monthly RULER themes and tips for applying these ideas at home.

AT SCHOOL WE ARE LEARNING:

The RULER Acronym

• Recognizing emotions in oneself and others through facial expressions, body language, voice, behavior

• Understanding the causes and consequences of emotions in oneself and others

• Labeling emotions with accurate words from a nuanced vocabulary

• Expressing emotions differently depending on context, situational expectations, and culture

• Regulating emotions with effective strategies and supporting others in their regulation of emotions

In our next What's Up Willowbrook, watch for our first tip of how you might discuss this at home! Also, join us at Curriculum Night Aug. 29 to learn more about this program.

Our Curriculum Night will be held on Thursday, August 29. We invite all parents & guardians to attend this informative evening session. Please note - children do not attend this event.

The first round of classroom presentations begin at 6:00 p.m. for preschool through 2nd grade. A general presentation by the building leaders will be held in the school gym at 6:35 p.m., followed by 3rd through 5th grade classroom presentations at 7:00 p.m.

• 6:00-6:30 p.m. Pre-K to Grade 2 classroom presentations
  
• 6:35-6:55 p.m. Principals' presentation in the gym
• 7:00-7:30 p.m. Grade 3-5 classroom presentations

Each classroom teacher will provide an overview of the grade-level curriculum, teacher expectations, and projected activities for the year. If you are not attending a classroom presentation, please consider visiting music, art, physical education, library, or related service personnel.

• Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing window opens (grades 1-8)

• PTO Ice Cream Social 5:30-7:00 p.m.

• Curriculum Night 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Monday, September 2

• District holiday - NO SCHOOL

• Picture day 🙂

Tuesday, September 10

• PTO Room Parent Meeting
• PTO General Meeting

Wednesday, September 11

• Patriot Day Ceremony - please see details below
• PTO Ice cream day

Wednesday, September 25

• District 30 Conversations with the Community - 12 p.m. or 6 p.m.

**Parents are welcome to join us each Friday at 8:45 a.m. for our Flag Raising Ceremony**

Following the start of the 2024-25 school year, the district's online adaptive assessment, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), will be administered to all students in grades 1-8. The MAP testing window will open on August 26 and run through September 16. Students in grades 2-8 will take two assessments: reading and mathematics. Grade 1 will take mathematics only. Please check with your child's teacher about their testing schedule so there are no conflicts if appointments need to be scheduled during this time.

These assessment results will continue to be used (1) by teachers to assist them in differentiating lessons in reading/language arts and mathematics; as well as (2) to measure student academic growth. Students' fall assessment reports will be made available to parents later in the school year.

Orchestra

If you missed our open house/registration night from the spring or are new to District 30, you can still sign your child up for orchestra lessons for this school year! Orchestra is open to current 4th and 5th grade students. If you have questions or would like to know more about the program, please contact our instrumental music directors. We look forward to hearing from you!

Mrs. Barrett - Orchestra Director - abarrett@district30.org

Band

If your student is interested in learning to play a band instrument, there is still time to join the 5th grade band! You can still sign up for band by filling out the Contact Information Form and rent the instrument through this link: https://www.qandf.com/directors/robertpittman.

If you do not know what instrument you would like to play, please email Mr. Pittman at rpittman@district30.orgto set up a time to try instruments during recess or after school!

The Willowbrook yearbook committee would like to see those first day photos. Please click the button below to upload any pics you would like to share.

Be dressed and ready for photos! Pictures will be taken outside and all students will be photographed.

There is nothing to hand in before picture day. You will receive a proof order form or an email from Stuart-Rodgers Photography with a link to your online gallery about 2-3 weeks after picture day.

Please note: Rain Date will be September 19

We will have a special Patriot Day Flag Raising ceremony in the gym at 9:15 a.m. and we would like any parents, friends, or family members that are First Responders of our students to serve as flag raisers. Please fill out the form below if you plan on being an Honored guest at our ceremony.

Willowbrook School offers a variety of staff-sponsored clubs during the school year. These clubs are inspired by staff interest/passion, are first-come, first-serve, and are free to students. However, space is limited. Clubs run from 3:20-4:20 p.m. for a period of 8 to 16 sessions. The fall club sign-up window opens at 9:00 a.m Monday, August 26 and closes 3:00 p.m. on August 30.

Due to a change to the State of Illinois School Code, Willowbrook Health Office will only be able to distribute over-the-counter (OTC) medications (such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen) to students with a completed Medication Authorization Form (for OTC). The new requirements include a physician’s signature along with a parent/guardian's signature.

Please return the completed form to the school’s health office if you would like your child will be able to receive over-the-counter medications at school. Thank you

Please fill out our parents are partners form if you haven't already by clicking here.

Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 will have three school board seats to be filled at the Consolidated Election on April 1, 2025. Candidates who are elected will fill four-year terms expiring in April 2029.

Candidates for the office of the school board can now circulate nominating petitions for signatures. The period for filing nominating petitions concludes November 18, with November 12 being the first day permitted to file a petition.

A candidate for the school board is required to file the nominating petitions, Statement of Candidacy, and receipt for filing their Statement of Economic Interests with the applicable county election clerk and not with the school board secretary or the administrative offices of the school district. The county clerk may have petition forms available, or blank petitions may be downloaded from the State Board of Elections website, elections.il.gov.

Candidates who are interested in seeking endorsement from the District 30 School Board Caucus should contact Caucus Chair Marci Goldgar at marci257@aol.com by Friday, October 18. The School Board Caucus is a committee of District 30 residents that includes families both with and without children enrolled in Willowbrook, Wescott and Maple schools. The Caucus' role is to source, screen and endorse potential school board candidates. To be considered by the Caucus, candidates will need to complete a detailed application as well as an interview.

You might notice we have 8 new trees around our playground. Thank you so much to our wonderful PTO for funding this project.

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.

You can pick from either the 12 p.m. or 6 p.m. session on Wednesday, September 25 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!

School hours: 8:40 a.m. - 3:20 p.m.

Half day dismissal time is 11:45 a.m.

Kindergarten through 5th-grade students should plan on arriving at school by 8:40 a.m. but no earlier than 8:30 a.m. because there is no supervision. The bell to line up will ring at 8:40 a.m.

All parents and guardians must report student absences, late arrivals, or early departures through the Parent Portal. Please do not contact the Health Office, School Office, or classroom teacher via phone or email.

For a step-by-step guide on how to report an absence, click here. Please be sure to include as much detail as possible when entering the reason for the absence.

If no information is in the Parent Portal by 10 a.m. and a student is absent, the school will attempt to contact a parent or guardian.

If the absence is medically related, please report it first in the Parent Portal. Then, you are welcome to contact the school Health Office to speak with the nurse about the condition.

Questions? Please contact the front desk.

For all students new to District 30, state regulations require a State of Illinois Health Examination Form completed within the last 12 months. This must be on file in the health office prior to the first day of school. If your child does not have a Health Examination Form on file with all current immunizations, your child could be excluded from school.

Kindergarten students are also required to have a completed State of Illinois Eye Examination Form by October 15. The exam must have been performed on or after August 21, 2023, one year from the start of school.

Dental examinations are required for all kindergarten and grade 2 students. Examinations must be completed within 18 months of the May 15, 2025 deadline. These forms can be obtained from the health office and are also available on our website. If you have questions, please call the front office at 847-498-1090.

If your student requires medication or a health care plan, please click here to download all of the necessary forms. If forms are not completed by the opening of school, we will abide by the health care plan from the previous year for those students with life-threatening food allergies or medical conditions.

All forms can be dropped off at the front desk with Mrs. Heather Peraino (hperaino@district30.org), with School Nurse Mrs. Lisa Mullen (lmullen@district30.org) or sent to them by email.

First Student provides transportation for District 30 students. The types of services and fees approved by the Board of Education can be found at Transportation Services/Parents. For all transportation needs, please contact First Student at 847-724-7200.

For the safety and consideration of all students and staff, please do not bring dogs on to school grounds.

Car drop-off and pick-up for kindergarten through 5th grade is in the front of the school (not on Happy Hollow Road). Preschool drop-off and pick-up, and the loading of school buses are in the back of the school. Please follow the guidance of our staff at drop-off and pick-up. They are there to ensure student safety and to facilitate a smooth flow of traffic.

• No left turns are allowed into the circular drive at any time. Enter the drive from the east.

• For your child’s safety, students should ONLY exit on the passenger side of the car. Parents should remain in the driver’s seat.

• Drop-off and pickup on the inner circle only. Do not double park.

• Children should remain in their seats until the car comes to a complete stop.

• There is no parking in the circular drive from 8:30-9:00 a.m. and 3:10-3:40 p.m.

• Parents should not park in the staff parking lot when dropping off or picking up their children.

• Drivers should turn off engines when they arrive at school and when they expect to be parked.

• Cell phone usage is not permitted within the school zone.

The Glenview Police Department will continue to post a crossing guard from 8:00-8:45 a.m. and 3:00-4:00 p.m. at Pfingsten Road and Keenan Lane. We strongly encourage students to cross at Keenan if they walk or ride a bike from/to the west of Pfingsten. There will also be a crossing guard at the intersection of Greenwood and Happy Hollow Road from 8:20-8:45 a.m. and 3:00-3:45 p.m.

All visitors to the building must check in at the front desk to receive a visitor badge or lanyard. Any approved volunteer must submit a driver’s license to complete the check in process and be allowed to enter the school building. This practice also extends to parents who may wish to visit with their children at recess. We consider the playground to be an extension of the school property and our recess supervisors are expected to refer all adults/visitors to the front desk.

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!

• The meal will consist of an entree, side, fresh fruit, and vegetable, including milk or water.
• All orders must be placed at least three days in advance.

Visit mymealorder.com to open an account, learn more about our preorder system, and view the menu.

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

District 30 has an Intergovernmental Agreement with Northbrook Park District that allows before- and after-school care to students in K-5th grade at Willowbrook School. District 30 provides the facility while the park district provides the program and staff management with all revenues going to the park district.

This Adventure Campus Program offers the ability to participate in before- and/or after-school care on days when school is in session and on select teacher institute days, conference days, and holidays.

Contact the Northbrook Park District at 847-291-2995 or visit their webpage nbparks.org for more information.

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.

Willowbrook 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: 847-498-1090

Health Office: 847-400-8860

Location: 2500 Happy Hollow Road, Glenview, IL, USA

Website: district.30.org/willowbrook

Facebook: facebook.com/ngsd

Twitter: @district30