WHS Principal Post - December 2020

We have reached the final month of this very memorable year in our history! After this week, we have just two weeks until our Winter Break.

We wish you all a happy, healthy and healthy end to 2020!

The last day of classes for 2020 will be on Friday, December 18th.

There will be NO SCHOOL for students on Monday, January 4th, as this is a D44 Institute Day.

Classes will resume for students on TUESDAY, January 5th.

This short video was put together showcasing all that we thankful for. Despite the global pandemic, and the craziness of our current reality, we still have so much to be thankful for. As you will see in the video below. We are thankful for YOU!

Fifth Grade Passion Project

In October, our fifth graders held a food drive to support families in our community. They advertised the project during a school-wide morning meeting and created flyers for each classroom, as well as staffed the collection table at PTA’s Trunk-or-Treat. Their efforts led to an amazing 19 boxes of food being collected!

Congratulations to our fifth graders on a job well done and thank you for making a difference in our community!

First Grade Passion Project

In November, our first graders led our school community in collecting candy to send to our troops. Through this project, they learned about the work that our troops do and had the opportunity to thank them for their service through handwritten and decorated cards to accompany the candy.

As an extension of their project, the first graders also met virtually with veterans who taught them how to fold a flag and about the Pledge of Allegiance.

Congratulations to our first graders on a job well done and thank you for making a difference in our community!

The video below was put together to summarize all that was involved in this experience:

The three "W's" will be very important for everyone's safety.

We've recently expanded our "Healthy=Hybrid" document to include several pieces of critical information as it relates to our response and processes to COVID-19. We ask that our families please take a moment to read these. In this document you will find expansive information about quarantine expectations, requirements for families when their child is returning to school after known or possible exposure, and more.

Please see below to view the document.

Attached Files

• Healthy Schools in Lombard Booklet FINAL 11.23.2020.pdf

Winter Weather Day Expectations for Families

In the event of an inclement weather day or days, District 44 intends to utilize a remote learning day instead of an emergency day. This means all students will be provided remote lessons for that day or days.

The district will continue to follow its emergency notification procedures, meaning families will be notified as soon as possible of our need to utilize a remote learning day. We will try, to the best we are able, to provide as much notice as possible. However, families should be aware that in some circumstances this decision may not be communicated until the morning of, no later than 6 a.m.

Families will receive this notification in the form of a phone call to all contacts on file, an e-mail, text message, alert on the school and district websites and an alert via the local news stations. We also will post to our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

See the details in the flyer below.

PARADISO SHOPPING FUNDRAISER - Friday, DEC 4

You are invited to a day of shopping at Paradiso Boutique, 6 South Park Ave, today, Friday December 4, until 7 pm. Mention Hammerschmidt PTA at checkout and 20% of your purchase will be donated to our PTA. Click here for the flyer with more information.

HELPING HANDS - GIVING TREE DONATIONS - THRU DEC 11

The Helping Hands Giving Tree program has been established to help provide gift card packages to WHS families in need for the winter holiday season. Please consider helping to make WHS family holidays a little brighter by donating gift cards to Jewel, Mariano, Aldi, Walmart or Target. Monetary donations are also welcome and will be used by the committee to purchase gift cards. This year, a collection box will be available in the foyer of the WHS office on school days, now through Dec 11 from 8:15 - 2:00. After hours drop-off is available in Jen Maercklein's mailbox, 626 S. Stewart, 630-333-6646.

We thank you in advance for turning this cold winter into a warm holiday for Hammerschmidt families in need. How wonderful it is to share holiday cheer with families experiencing hardship this holiday season. If you have any questions, please contact Kecia Waldschmidt at keciagerman@hotmail.com.

The date of the December PTA meeting has been rescheduled to Monday, December 14, 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.

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.

In an effort to keep our buildings as safe as possible, we do require that all visitors make an appointment prior to coming in. You may do so by contacting the building secretary via e-mail (evaldivia@sd44.org). When e-mailing her, please let us know the nature of your visit and time/date when you would like to come to the school. We will then respond with a confirmation or alternative times and dates. They will also send you a self-certification request, which you will be required to provide in advance of your visit to ensure you do not currently have COVID-19-like symptoms.

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"

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