WJHS Highlights
01/10/2025
A Message from the Administrative Team
Dear WJHS Families,
Happy New Year! We hope that you had a restful and healthy winter break! We had many families think of us around the holidays and are so grateful for your thoughts, well wishes, generosity and partnership. The ways in which you give back to our school community are too many to count, and we are so very thankful to work with you.
Upon return to school this week, the hallways were filled with laughter and wonderful energy; it felt like most people were well-rested and ready to return to school. The students clearly missed one another and were excited to reconnect.
The end of the first semester is near! We recommend checking in with your child and going through PowerSchool with them to discuss any remaining assignments. The WJHS Homework Club is offered after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays in the Learning Commons, and it's a great place to complete work or get academic support. Please don't hesitate to reach out to one of us if you have questions.
Stay warm!
Kate, Jeff and Rob
8th grade graduation will take place on Thursday, June 5 at 5:30pm in the new Winnetka Main Gym, at the Winnetka Campus of New Trier High School. We are excited to return to New Trier for our 8th grade graduation ceremony this year! More information on graduation will come out in the next few weeks.
January is often a time when we, as adults, make resolutions for the coming year. We often hear our friends and relatives (even ourselves!) making resolutions such as exercising more, losing a few pounds, or spending time being more mindful, and we work hard to (hopefully) reach them by the end of the new year.
Just as it is a good practice for adults to set goals or resolutions, it is a great practice to get into with your child individually or as a family at home. During the school day students set academic goals as well as social-emotional and behavioral goals, but this month is a great opportunity to transfer that practice to the home setting. Goal setting and the conversations around it help support children as they develop self-management skills and self-awareness skills. If that goal involves helping out the family or community, it might also tap into social-awareness. Make sure the goals you set at home are realistic, measurable, and attainable with in a short period of time. Once your child reaches their goal, take that opportunity to celebrate and set another one!
Some examples of goals include:
Have a âspring cleaningâ day at the end of the month, where the whole family contributes, and donate at least one bag of items to a local charity.
Have a no screens night at least once a week in January, and learn a new board game to play together.
(For a child) Choose a new recipe and make it once this month for dinner for the family (with help if needed).
HERE and HERE are a couple of resources to help you as you engage in goal setting at home!
Drop-off/Pick-up Traffic Pattern
As a reminder, and for the safety of our students and staff, there is no left turn into the circle drive during both drop-off and pick-off and no left turn leaving the circle drive in front of the school. Not adhering to the designated traffic pattern impacts student safety and traffic flow.
The Village of Wilmette has replaced the sign into the traffic circle to make the message more clear and visible. Please be advised that this is a Village of Wilmette sign enforceable by the Wilmette Police Department. Since there have been recent complaints made to the Wilmette Police Department about left turns, there will be enforcement periods in the near future. Thank you for your cooperation.
IGNITE MAGNETS DISTRIBUTED - ASK YOUR STUDENT!
iGNITE Magnets were distributed during their homeroom just before break! Students whose families made a contribution to the WJHS PTOâs iGNITE Fund for Enrichment received a magnet with a thank you note from the WJHS PTO. Weâve heard that some students may have thought the magnets were for their lockers so you might want to check in with them. đEmail Tania Bouwman at waysandmeans@wjhspto.com with any questions.
JANUARY AUDITION DATES - SIGN UP NOW!
The WJHS Talent and Variety Show has added dates in January 2025 for your student to audition with their act! Choose from 1/16, 1/22 or 1/30, 3:15pm-4pm at WJHS.
Whether they sing, dance, play an instrument, recite poetry or tell jokes, this is the chance for them to have a real audience! Sign up HERE! Rehearsals will be on Thursdays afterschool in January and February, with the performance on 3/6/25. Questions? Email Vandita Pateriya at vandita9@gmail.com.
REMINDER TO BUY YOUR 2024-2025 WJHS YEARBOOK!
The 2024-2025 WJHS Yearbook can be purchased online through Membership Toolkit on the WJHS PTO website this year, www.wjhspto.com. Yearbooks are $32 and will be distributed during the last week of school. Instead of purchasing through the vendor website, the PTO changed how parents can purchase the yearbook this year to make it easier for you to check later if you purchased a yearbook or not through your Membership Toolkit account! Please purchase NOW and cross this off your list of things to do!
DEBATE CLUB WINTER REGISTRATION - BEGINNERS CLASS STILL AVAILABLE
Does your student know how to think fast and speak well? Winter registration for INTRO TO DEBATE class still has some availability. This is an 8-week session open to BEGINNER STUDENTS in grades 5-8 and held FRIDAYS 1/10-3/14 (no class 2/14) at HIGHCREST MIDDLE SCHOOL 3:45-4:45PM. For more information and to register click HERE. Questions? Email Aces Debate club instructor Aaron Vinson at acesdebateclub@gmail.com.
VOLUNTEER IN THE CAFETERIA
Itâs a new year and there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer in the lunchroom. Parents, this is a great way to see how it all works and maybe catch a glimpse of your student during lunch! There are two spots per day designated for parents to help hand out food as kids go through the lunch line. Sign up HERE as many times as youâd like!
Registration for the 2025-26 Academic Year opens Jan. 21
Registration for the 2025-26 school year will open on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. ALL students, including those already attending D39 schools, must register for the 2025-26 academic year. A draft of the 2025-26 academic year calendar is available here and will be officially approved at the Boardâs January 27th Board of Education Meeting. District 39 is excited that it will be offering full-day kindergarten for all families beginning in Fall 2025, and we encourage parents with new kindergarten students to enroll as soon as possible to take advantage of this new program.
Parent Education Event
District 39âs next Parent Education event titled âParenting in the Digital Ageâ is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 11 am and will be held exclusively via Zoom. One of our most popular Parent Ed offerings, this presentation will provide families valuable information to help children thrive in an increasingly digital world, with special tricks and tips for helping to navigate social media and more. Registration for this event is now open. Please visit our Parent Education webpage for our full schedule of events as well as archived recordings of past events.
Weather-Related School Closures
With chilly temperatures welcoming us back to our buildings this week, we are re-sharing important information regarding inclement weather and potential school closures. Although we always hope to avoid school cancellations, the safety of students and staff is our top priority and occasionally requires consideration of school closures. Weather conditions (including temperature, wind chill and snow accumulation), street conditions (both in Wilmette and in surrounding municipalities), school building conditions, and bus conditions are all considered when evaluating the effects of weather for school.
If inclement weather conditions warrant cancellation of school, District 39 parents and guardians will receive an email, automated call, and text message from the school by 5:30 am on the morning of the school closing. Additionally, school closure notifications are posted to our district website and are communicated to all major Chicago radio and television outlets. When extreme weather conditions exist, parents are encouraged to check email, cell phone messages or the district website for information regarding school closures.
This school year, the first weather-related closure will function as a traditional âsnow day,â with all classes canceled for the day. As communicated earlier, that day may be made up as a remote learning day on Presidentsâ Day (Monday, Feb. 17). For additional information, please visit our D39 webpage regarding emergency closures.
Join the District 39 Educational Foundation Team
The District 39 Educational Foundation is looking for a Foundation Manager to handle the day-to-day operations and oversee all Foundation events and activities. This position reports directly to the Ed Foundation Chair and works closely with the board, District 39 staff, donors, vendors, and the Wilmette community. Please check out this detailed job description if interested and visit the D39 Educational Foundation website for more information on this important organization, which raises money for projects that expand, enrich, and complement educational opportunities for the students, staff, and community in our district.
Wilmette Junior High School
Email: office-wjhs@wilmette39.org
Website: http://wjhs.wilmette39.org/
Location: 620 Locust Rd, Wilmette, IL, USA
Phone: 847-512-6600
Instagram: @wjhswolves39
Twitter: @hawkwolf39