Tiger Prints

We had a great week back after Thanksgiving. Now, we only have 10 school days before winter break.

Kevin Honeycutt brought incredible energy and inspiration to our school community. Thank you to the PTO for their partnership in making this happen. Kevin's messages about kindness, teamwork, creating a positive digital legacy, and empowering our teachers to "rock it out" resonated deeply with students and staff alike. We are excited to carry that momentum forward.

As we continue to think about Kevin's message, it dovetails so nicely with our Winfield FISH Philosophy that we bring into our classrooms daily. First up this week is Be There:

• Be aware of others' needs
• Turn off electronics and email
• Listen to understand
• Clear your mind of judgment
• Be emotionally present

A few more reminders;

Warm Weather Clothing: With the colder temperatures here, please remember to send students to school with appropriate warm-weather gear. If anyone needs assistance obtaining winter clothing, we're here to help—don't hesitate to reach out.

Boys Basketball and Cheer Playoffs: Our boy's basketball team and cheerleaders have worked hard all season and will compete in the playoffs next week. Let's cheer them on and show our Tiger pride!

Thank you all and have a great week.

Central School Cafeteria 6:55 p.m.

Friday, December 20 - PreK - 5th grades

AM PreK-10-10:45 a.m.

PM Prek - 5th grade 2:15 - 3:00 p.m.

Winter Break will be held from Monday, December 23 through Monday, January 6th (Teacher Institute Day). School resumes Tuesday, January 7th.

Click the Virtual Backpack Link to see the archive.

Project Hope

On Giving Tuesday, we collected dozens of coats for our community and collected enough blood at our blood drive to save 39 lives! A huge thanks to our donors, volunteers and community members for their support!

We are still looking for donations of $50 Target gift cards and gifts for children in our Winfield 34 community for the holidays. Please email us at wef@winfield34.org if you would like to help!

Holiday Cookie Donations:

Let's spread some Holiday cheer! The Winfield PTO is looking for Holiday cookie donations. These cookies will be placed in the teachers lounge for teachers and staff on December 16th so they can snack on them during the week. We will also be putting together boxes for the crossing guards and custodial staff. Cookies will be arranged on combined platters, so please deliver your cookies in a zip lock bag or throw away container. Drop-off on December 15th at Kelly’s house (0S708 Garfield Street) Sign up here!

Pre-K-5th Grade Classroom Parties

We are excited for the upcoming Winter classroom parties that will take place on Friday, December 20th! The AM-Pre-K party will be from 10:00-10:45 a.m. and the PM-Pre-K through 5th grade parties will be from 2:15-3:00 p.m. Parents planning to attend and help out at the parties must sign up using the links below. Please have your State ID/Driver’s License available when checking in at the office. Just a reminder that no food is allowed to be consumed during the party. Pre-packaged, nut-free snacks can be included in goody bags for students to take home. Preschool parties--Sign up here! Kindergarten-5th Grade parties--sign up here!

Staff Appreciation Survey Responses:

If any of the Winfield 34 staff are on your holiday shopping list, check out this staff appreciation survey if you need gift ideas!

Trivia Night: January 11, 2025, 6-10:30 p.m. American Legion Post 76: 570 S Gary Ave, Carol Stream

Calling all music lovers, trivia buffs and party people! Get ready to rock the night away at our adults-only trivia night! Come dressed as your favorite music group, band, singer, or iconic music legend--whether it’s the King of Pop, a rock goddess, or a classic band from the 60's. We want to see your best rockstar look! And don’t forget--your table is your stage! Decorate it with anything that screams “music vibes” or channels the energy of your favorite genre! Our music-themed trivia night will feature a variety of questions, and not all of them are directly about music. But don’t worry—songs will be played throughout to give you clues and help you piece together the answers. Get your thinking caps on and be ready to rock!

We hope you can join us for this adults-only, fun-filled evening of friendly competition, laughs, and great company! Ticket sales are open NOW! Individual tickets: $25, Table of 10: $200. Purchase your tickets here!

Community Spotlight:

The Village of Winfield warmly invites you to the 2024 Winter Wonderful Fest on December 7th. Snacks with Santa will be from 1-4 p.m. at Hedges Station Museum (0N555 Winfield Rd.) Please bring a toy to be donated to Ronald McDonald House (near CDH). The Village Tree Lighting and Holiday Mini-Market will be from 3-6 p.m. at 27W448 Jewell Rd (by 3-story NWM building) with the tree lighting at 4:50 p.m. See flyer for more details!

PTO/WEF Meeting: December’s PTO Meeting minutes can be viewed here: December PTO Meeting Minutes

Next PTO/WEF meeting: Wednesday, January 8th at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend!

Thanks for your support!

Kelly Kurzer, PTO President
Mary Campbell, PTO Vice President
winfieldpto@winfield34.org

Lesley Gena, WEF President

Gina Christensen, WEF Vice President

wef@winfield34.org

2nd graders did some special activities before break to prepare for Thanksgiving! They planned out a menu, calculated the cost for food, and measured space to serve the dishes on the table.

Mrs Etch’s 2nd graders began coding with ozobots. They used color codes and addition/subtraction to help their Thanksgiving turkey escape the dinner table!

In third grade this week, we reviewed verbs and participated in a snowball fight to identify present and past tense irregular verbs. We also began a group research project to learn about how countries around the world celebrate during the holiday season. 4th grade completed their "tied up for teamwork" activity this week. Students worked on teamwork, practiced using kindness, and completed a service activity toward their classroom to decorate for the holidays! In 5th grade this week, students began their next reading unit about perspectives from around the world. They worked hard to analyze poetry by Walt Whitman and Maya Angelou, looking at figurative language, narrator point of view, and imagery!

It was a groggy, cold week in Middle School! As the winter weather creeps in on us, please make sure your student is coming to school in something warm! We’ve seen a lot of students in hoodies, this week.

Our second trimester is off to a great start. Please check your student’s TeacherEase account as grades start to materialize.

This week our 8th Graders took the Pre-ACT test to collect part of their data for placement in their high school classes. It’s exciting to see them start to take their next steps!

Attention all prospective Drama Club Students! Auditions for actors and actresses will be held on Saturday, December 14th, in the Commons. Students can audition by themselves or with a partner. Memorize your lines or read from the script. Bring props? Your audition shows us not only what you can do, but what kind of effort you’re willing to put in this coming season! Sign-ups are available on Sign-Up Genius from this Friday, December 6th, at 3:30 PM, until next Friday, December 13th, at 3:30 PM. Be brave! Give it a go! Show us what you can do!

Students can sign up using the following link:

2024-25 Winfield Drama Club Auditions - Fairy Tale Misfits

signupgenius.com

Drama Students! Join the Google Classroom using this code:

yqcjpls

Registration Link: https://www.elitechess.net/winfield