WJHS Highlights
01/17/2025
A Message from the Administrative Team
Dear WJHS Families,
First semester ends Tuesday and we have encouraged students to check with their teachers about how they are doing in class and to see if they have any missing assignments or grades that can be completed between now and the end of the semester. I've included the steps to access your own PowerSchool account so that you can help your child keep track of assignments and grades.
PowerSchool
Wilmette Junior High School uses PowerSchool, a web-based student information system intended to provide parents, students, and teachers with a tool to communicate student performance, attendance, account balances, and district forms. As a parent, you will be able to view your child’s daily activities within the platform, but remember that all up-to-date and final grades can be found in PowerSchool.
Report cards are available to be viewed through the PowerSchool Parent Portal during the report card viewing window. To view your child(ren)'s report card(s), visit https://ps.wilmette39.org/ in a web browser and log in using the username and password you created. Then, choose the Report Card option from the Navigation menu on the left. The report card will open in a new browser window or tab. If you have multiple children in the district, return to the original window and choose another child's name from the list of names.
The unique Parent PowerSchool Access code for "Student Username" is: "Parent Access code"
Parents
This QSG (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Kqo4y8innv90PO42NWAh6qoxj_ugS0y-/view?usp=sharing) will help you to create a parent account.
Here is a video on how to set up and view PowerSchool Parent Access (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq41l1N5Yyc&feature=youtu.be), including grades and assignments.
Students can access PowerSchool by:
1. Use this link: ps.wilmette39.org
2. Bookmark or Add the link to the iPad Home Screen
3. Student username is the beginning of the student’s email address before @wps39.org (ex. 22josephs)
4. Student password is student email password (ex. 12345pop)
OR students may use the PowerSchool Mobile App (Tutorial Video https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rDbGn6RGKA40SBSy622wBeR5F35mb_qp/view?usp=sharing )
Download the App from Self-Service
Use District Code HMKF
Student username is the beginning of the student’s email address before @wps39.org (ex. 22josephs)
Student password is student email password (ex. 12345pop)
If you have questions, please email:
7th grade - Lindsay McNaught - mcnaughl@wilmette39.org
8th grade - Michael Donhost - donhostm@wilmette39.org
As you prepare for the long weekend, we encourage you to think about the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We celebrate and honor him on Monday, and have talked with students about using Monday as a day of service in their community. If your child or family celebrates this day in service to others, please let us know! You can send a picture to me at dominiqk@wilmette39.org.
We hope you are able enjoy the warm temperatures today before the upcoming cold spell. Please stay safe as the temperatures plummet!
Best,
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 “spring cleaning” 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.
Grades 5-8 Schedules for 2025-26 Academic Year
After much collaborative work, we are very excited that our committee of teachers and administrators have recommended adjustments to the school schedules at Highcrest and WJHS students for the 2025-26 academic year!
A couple highlights of these important updates include:
Dedicated learning time for social-emotional learning
A flexible time for academic intervention and enrichment
Increase in minutes for math instruction
Maintaining team structures, creative arts courses and all other core content area offerings
This new framework will allow us to continue to improve the ways in which we meet the needs of our students while maintaining our teaming structures within Highcrest and WJHS and strengthening our learning program overall.
Kelly Jackson and Kate Dominique shared a presentation to the Board of Education at Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. I invite you to watch the recording of that meeting (link begins at start of schedule presentation) if you are interested in learning more.
Registration for the 2025-26 Academic Year opens TUESDAY (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 Board’s 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
Thank you to everyone who joined us on Wednesday for our Parent Education event titled “Parenting in the Digital Age.” A recording of this presentation, one of our most popular Parent Ed offerings, is available now. This presentation provides families with valuable information to help children thrive in an increasingly digital world, with special tricks and tips for helping to navigate social media and more. Please visit our Parent Education webpage for our full schedule of events as well as archived recordings of past events.
D39 Summer Enrichment Program
Looking for a fun and educational summer experience for your child(ren)? Learn more about our District 39 Summer Enrichment Program! This program runs from July 2-31 and provides a variety of both academic and hobby-based courses for students currently in grades K-7. Please visit our D39 Summer Enrichment Program website for more details. The list of offered courses will be available online beginning Monday, Jan. 27. Registration will open on Feb. 18.
Board of Education – Committee of the Whole Meeting Recap
This past Monday, the Board of Education gathered for its monthly Committee of the Whole meeting. Just like the monthly business meetings, these committee meetings are open to in-person attendance and also streamed live on our YouTube channel, with a recording available for later viewing.
At Monday’s committee meeting, the Board was presented with information regarding student fees for the 2025-26 academic year and also heard an update from the grades 5-8 scheduling committee (more information above) that will be implemented next Fall for the 2025-26 academic year. The 2025-26 academic year calendar and student fees are expected to be approved by the Board of Education at their meeting on January 27, 2025. The complete agenda and all accompanying materials for all meetings are available online.
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