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The Walden Weekly
April 12, 2024
Dear Walden Families,
Our Wildcats had a great week at Walden! Starting the week with the solar eclipse was incredible and students enjoyed being able to go outside to view this amazing moment.
We also enjoyed our first art show with kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grade students on Thursday. Thank you Mrs. Stade for putting together an amazing display!
Our 3rd-5th grade students also put forth their best effort on their first few IAR assessments this week. We have two more days of testing next week. We encourage children to do their best on these tests while also remaining calm and confident in their abilities. Way to go, Wildcats!
Have a great weekend and we'll see you back at school on Monday!
- Stephanie Strenger
Goals & Concerns Form
Our Goals & Concerns form is a way for parents to provide input towards our class placement process for the following year. This form is optional. If you'd like to fill it out, the form is linked below. The deadline to fill out the form is April 17th.
Upcoming Erin’s Law Presentations in DPS109 (2nd Posting)
Dear Parents and Guardians of Elementary School Students,
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. District 109 partners with Childhood Victories, Inc., an organization founded by Victor Pacini who is a motivational speaker and a survivor of sexual abuse. Speakers from Childhood Victories, Inc. provide programming for our students that teaches them basic skills to keep them safe from dangerous or abusive situations. The program, Be Seen and Heard 2.0, is developmentally appropriate, interactive, aligned with learning standards, and will cover the following topics:
Distinguishing safe from unsafe touches
Safety rules at home and school
Saying “NO”
Secrets
It’s not the child’s fault if someone touches them
Telling a trusted adult
The staff from Childhood Victories, Inc. will be presenting to our elementary students on the following dates:
Wilmot: Friday, April 26th
South Park: Friday, April 26th
Walden: Thursday, April 25th
Kipling: Thursday, April 25th
Parents can view Victor Pacini’s parent video to preview the concepts of the Be Seen and Heard 2.0 program.
Requests to Opt-Out: If you prefer that your child opt-out of the Erin’s Law presentation, please email your child’s principal by Friday, April 19. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Joanna Ford
Assistant Superintendent for Student Services
Announcements from the LMC
Tournament of Books
Deerfield Public Library's 11th annual Tournament of Books continues! Students can vote as many times as they'd like, in any category they choose. Here is the link to vote: https://www.deerfieldlibrary.org/tournament-of-books/
Digital Citizenship for Parents
Digital citizenship is taught in the Library Media Center throughout the year, and we know many parents are working to encourage healthy technology behaviors at home. AI (artificial intelligence) is a technology developing at lightning speed that will undoubtedly impact our kids’ lives. This 2-minute video explains Chat GPT, one of the most well-known generative AI programs.
PTO Fun Run Information
Pictures from the Week
5th Grade Art
2nd Grade Eclipse Viewing
Dance Party with the Wildcat
Upcoming Dates
- April 16-17 - IAR Testing
- Wed. April 17 - Goals & Concerns Forms Due
- Fri. April 19 - PTO STEAM Night 6:00-7:30
- Thurs. April 25 - Erin's Law Presentations
- Thurs. April 25 - Kindergarten Music Show 5:30pm
- Wed. May 1 - 5th Grade Music Show 6pm
- Thurs. May 2 - Art Show - Grades 1, 3. and 5 (5pm-6pm)
- Fri. May 3 - PTO Fun Run
- May 6 - 10 - Teacher Appreciation Week
- Thurs. May 16 - Band/Orchestra Concert 6:30pm
- Fri. May 17 - Kindergarten Round Up
- Fri. May 24 - PTO Bagel & Donut Breakfast
- Mon. May 27 - Memorial Day (No School)
- Tues. May 28 - Philanthropy Fair
- Fri. May 31 - Field Day
- Fri. May 31 - 5th Grade Party After School
- Tues. June 4 - 5th Grade Picnic
- Tues. June 4 - End of Year Classroom Parties
- Fri. June 7 - Last 1/2 Day of School (11:40 Dismissal)