Parent Update
There are moments that when one steps back, one truly can understand how amazing our school district is and our students who attend. Being small, many of our students participate in a wide variety of activities. Several of our girls basketball players are in the Band. Many of our volleyball players are in the drama production. This weekend, West Chicago High School hosted a middle school basketball tournament with students from all of its feeder schools to support the Hundred Club of DuPage County, a private, non-profit charitable organization that offers assistance to families of law enforcement and firefighting personnel who have been killed or injured in DuPage County. The tournament had 32 volunteer participants, including 11 of our middle school students. This may not sound outstanding, until you realize that our middle school has 86 students, Benjamin middle school has 180 middle school students, and Leman has 1079 middle school students. Not only did our students lead with participation, but they also lead with performance, as 8th grader Mason Wheat's team narrowly beat a team containing 8th graders Samuel Kouri, Josiah Montgomery-George, and Tobi Nehoda for the championship 29-28. This same weekend, graduates of our school and former energy club & Science Olympiad participants Declan Tibble & Isabel Zalatoris participated in the state Robotics championship competition. Next week many of our students will be participating at College of DuPage in the Science Olympiad regional tournament. Winfield may be small but our students do great things and go on to accomplish amazing things.
At this Thursday's Board meeting we hired Delia Campos and Leidy Vaca-Moreno to lead our school lunch program beginning April 18th. We are excited to bring these leaders in who have a depth of food service experience and an understanding of our school culture. The transition may be a little bumpy as Taher is operating through April 17th, however please bear with us as we work to build a fantastic service. In the transition, please do not worry about your lunch accounts. Those are maintained by the district. We will continue to share information as we have it about the transition and new services.
It's been a long time, but we are excited to welcome back Showcase night. A variety of student works and experiences will be on display for families on the evening of Wednesday, April 23rd, including the 3rd grade Wax Museum and book fair. More information to come as we get closer, but please add It to your calendar now.
At Thursday's Girls' Basketball championship game, early in the 1st quarter we had a member of the opposing team have a significant injury. Since we had so many members of the school community present, I wanted to share an update. The girl is home and recovering. She has several stitches and a splint for her finger. While she will be out of the game when we resume, we are glad she got the health care she needed quickly and is recovering well. We are hoping to reschedule the game soon and will share information when we have it as all of us want these tremendous teams to end their season on a high note.
Throughout the state, the 5Essentials Survey has gone out to parents, staff members, and students. This survey provides us information regarding how we support student learning and foster a growth focused student community. Here is the link to the survey. In order to get parent data from 5essentials, 20% of our families need to participate. Veteran parents might remember that we annually struggle to get this number, so please take a few moments and complete the survey.
We continue to work on reaching out to our community to help identify students for our preschool program. This is a terrific opportunity for students 3-5 years old to learn in a highly engaging and supportive environment. Our next Preschool Screening is May 9, from 9-2:30am in our Primary Building. Please reach out to Mrs. Hernandez (nhernadez@winfield34.org or 630-909-4901) with questions or to schedule an appointment. Here is information on the screening and on our preschool program.
The GPS Parent Series hosts a variety of Parent Education Events. Here is an overview of their parent learning opportunities for the year. Events coming soon include:
Sarah Vinson MD Better Days: Supporting Kids' Mental Wellness When Things Aren’t OK (March 6, 12pm and 7pm) Please click here for more information.
Dr. Alexandra Solomon HYBRID EVENT -- Cultivating Healthy Relationships For Joy, Peace and a Meaningful Life (March 12, 12pm and 7pm) Please click here for more information.
Dr. Bryan Pearlman From Struggles to Success: Foster Goal Setting, Responsibility and Compromise (March 19, 12pm and 7pm) Please click here for more information.
Dr. Mary Ann Little How to NOT Raise a Narcissist in an All-About-Me World (March 25, 12pm and 7pm) Please click here for more information.
Meghan Leahy Tap Into Your Intuition to Connect with Your Child and Go Easy on Yourself (April 10, 12pm and 7pm) Please click here for more information.
Dr. Susan David with Dr. Kristin Neff Emotional Agility: Skills to Navigate Change and Embrace Self-Compassion (April 16, 12pm and 7pm) Please click here for more information.
Cara Natterson MD & Vanessa Kroll Bennett This is So Awkward: Helping Kids Manage Today's T(w)een Culture -- Modern Puberty Explained (April 23, 12pm and 7pm) Please click here for more information.
Trevor Muir Stop Calling them Soft Skills: The Essential Skills Employers Seek (April 28, 7pm) Please click here for more information.
Dr. Jonathan Singer HYBRID EVENT -- Suicide Signs and Symptoms: Let's Talk About It (May 1, 12pm and 7pm) Please click here for more information.
Dr. Ronald Ferguson Early Childhood Event -- Everyday Principles to Grow Happy, Healthy and Smart Young Children (May 6, 12pm and 7pm) Please click here for more information.