WJHS Highlights

Dear WJHS Families,

We are sad to share (for us) that Eric Resis, our 7th Grade Level Administrator, will not be returning as an assistant principal at WJHS next year, but will remain in the district and return to classroom teaching. Mr. Resis has positively impacted so many students and staff during his 10 years here and, in many ways, is the heart of WJHS.

This decision to transition back to the classroom was one that Mr. Resis has carefully considered over the past couple of years and he feels now that the time is right. He has expressed how much he will miss the students and the community that have been so near and dear to him over the last decade and we know that he will continue to mentor and support District 39 students from inside the classroom.

As part of our commitment to providing the best District 39 education, we will be posting the Grade Level Administrator position and will conduct a rigorous and thorough interview process to identify an outstanding candidate for this important position at WJHS. Mr. Resis will continue in his current role at WJHS through June 30. We will communicate further as we progress through our search.

Sincerely,

Kate, Eric and Nicole

David Wolff, a New Trier senior and alumnus of WJHS, was recently named USA Volleyball's Junior Male Athlete of the Year. One male and one female player in the country receive this award each year. It's a very big deal that a Wilmette/New Trier student was honored this way. He signed to play at Stanford next year.

On March 8th & 9th, the D39 Instrumental Music Department hosted the Illinois Grade School Music Association (IGSMA), District 8, Organization Contest at Wilmette Junior High. Sixteen orchestras and bands from schools in Northern Cook and Lake counties participated at our WJHS site. Hundreds of other schools from across the state also participated at other host sites.

The Highcrest Hawk Band, WJHS Concert Band, WJHS Symphonic Band, and WJHS Orchestra were four of the ensembles that participated and all four ensembles earned a Division I rating! This superior rating is the highest possible mark an ensemble can receive for their performance! Congratulations to all the D39 band and orchestra students who participated this past weekend on their wonderful performances. Also, many thanks to all of the amazing D39 parents who assisted with hosting this festival. We are grateful for all of their generous support!

As we do several times a year, the Lost & Found will be donated prior to spring break. Please feel free to call or email the office and schedule a time to come and look through the lost and found for items that have not returned home.

We had a great parent education event this past week discussing attendance and promoting positive attendance. As we get closer to spring break, we know the disruption in routine can be difficult for our students, and can often create stress as they return to school after a break like this. See below for a couple of helpful ideas to ease that transition back to the school routine and support positive attendance habits after a long break.

• While on break, try to keep your child’s AM routines as close to normal as possible. This is especially important in the couple of days leading up to the return. Have your child get up at their regular school-day time, eat breakfast and get ready for the day, and maybe even plan an activity to take place at the same time as their start day.

• It is important to also encourage your child to get back into their nightly routine and school-day bedtimes in the 2-3 days preceding the return. This will help to ensure they are caught up on sleep and ready to go the first morning back.

• If possible, keep some connection to the school while school is not in session. This might be by having a play date or connecting your child with friends from school over break, or going to play at the playground during the break.

Have a wonderful Spring Break, and enjoy the time away! We can’t wait to see you in April!

We have updated our WJHS Winter Clubs. We have linked the lists below:

7th grade clubs (period 5)

8th grade clubs (period 6)

*After school clubs are open to students in both grades.

8th grade graduation will take place on Wednesday, June 5 at 5:30pm in the new Winnetka Main Gym, at the Winnetka Campus of New Trier High School on Wednesday, June 5, 2023. We are excited to offer one graduation ceremony this year for the entire 8th grade class, set to take place at 5:30 pm. Due to space in the gym, each student will be offered four tickets for family.

District 39 uses a content filtering system to keep our students safe while using digital tools. Along with the content filtering, communication through school accounts is also monitored. Students can communicate with others through their Google Apps, such as Google Docs, Schoology Discussion, Email and many other ways to collaborate, work together, get support and ask questions. These communication tools are monitored for appropriate use, such as language, where they will get flagged if anything inappropriate is happening. If they are sent messages with inappropriate language or content, they will also get flagged. We teach, model and guide students to use appropriate language and communicate respectfully when using these tools. We also remind them that they should be doing this in their daily life, whether digitally or face to face. Please partner with us to help remind them to be mindful of how they communicate.

Email: office-wjhs@wilmette39.org
Website: http://wjhs.wilmette39.org/
Location: 620 Locust Rd, Wilmette, IL, USA
Phone: 847-512-6600
Instagram: @hawkwolf39
Twitter: @hawkwolf39