Tiger Prints

Congratulations to our basketball team on an incredible season and their hard-fought effort in the championship game! While the game didn't go our way, the teamwork, determination, and sportsmanship displayed by our players were truly impressive. We're so proud of their dedication and the way they represented our school. Thank you to all the families and fans who supported the team throughout the season—you made a big difference!

Next week promises to be full of excitement with Spirit Week! We hope many students show their school pride and join in the fun. This is also a special time for our intermediate and primary students, who will celebrate the season with classroom activities and events. It's an excellent way to unite our community and create joyful memories as we head toward winter break.

As we enter this season of giving, it's a great time to reflect on the importance of kindness and generosity. Whether through community service, acts of gratitude, or helping those in need, this time of year reminds us how small actions can make a significant impact. We encourage students and families to find meaningful ways to give back and spread joy during this special season.

As usual, we appreciate you helping students arrive at school on time each day. It's always a good time to make sure we have good routines that support our students' readiness to learn and help them start their day positively.

---- December 16 to December 20

• Ugly Sweater Monday: Bust out those ugly holiday sweaters
• You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch Tuesday: Grinch Day (Wear Green / Dress as a Who)
• Pajama Wednesday: Dress cozy in your pajamas or favorite onesie
• Holiday Thursday: Wear your favorite holiday clothing
• Fancy Friday: Wear black and gold to help us ring in the new year.

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 Friday, January 3

Monday, January 6th is a Teacher Institute Day - No School. School resumes Tuesday, January 7th.

Click the Virtual Backpack Link to see the archive.

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!

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!

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!

Lou Malnati’s Pizza Sale

The Lou Malnati's Pizza Sale is back! Order forms were sent home with students and are due back on Wednesday, January 8th. Pizza coupons will be delivered via student backpacks the first week of February. Prizes will be awarded for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place sellers! There will be a movie & popcorn party for students that sell 10 or more pizzas or opt to make a $25 direct donation to WEF. See the flyer for more details or contact Jessica Cook (jessicaf1984@yahoo.com / 630-391-1323) with any questions.

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

See Trivia Night flyer here! We hope you can join us for this adults-only, fun-filled evening of friendly competition, laughs, and great company! Tickets are on sale NOW! Individual tickets: $25, Table of 10: $200. Purchase your tickets here! Email Kelly at: winfieldpto@winfield34.org if you have any questions!

Winter Gear Needs

Our winter gear drive is now over and we are thankful to those who donated. We do have some additional needed items for Winfield 34 families. If you have any of these gently used winter gear items, please bring them to the Central School office and attention them to Mrs. Dave:

• Girl - boots in kid’s size 2

• Boy - jacket in kid’s size 12 and boots in kid’s size 5 and 1/2.

• Teen - jacket in men's size 14

• Teen - jacket in men’s size L and boots in men’s size 13.

PTO/WEF Meeting:

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

The Cookie Caper is BACK and kindergarten is on the case! In a twist of events, we have already cracked one of the clues and cleared Mrs. Honaker as a suspect! Who will we eliminate next?!

This week, third graders continued to develop multiplication fact fluency through practicing strategies and playing games during workstations in math. In science, students are analyzing data from fossils to determine the appearance and behavior of dinosaurs. 3/4 Brach learned about the different types of conflict in fiction-Man vs. Self, Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, and Man vs. Environment. 3rd graders looked for examples of these different types of conflict in their novel The One and Only Ivan and 4th graders used their novel Number the Stars. The 3rd and 4th graders also learned how to write a summary using transition words and they continued to learn how to use prefixes and suffixes to define unfamiliar words. 5th graders this week developed different strategies for solving two digit by three and four digit division problems. They also analyzed how different sections of a story contribute to the plot and overall story structure.

Geography Bee - Students in 4th-8th grade are competing in classroom rounds before Winter Break of our annual competition to determine the finalists (two per grade) for the school level contest on Friday, January 10th. Good luck to all, and have fun with the topic of Geography.

Congratulations to the following students for being nominated as December Leaders of the month:

Azka and Emma (Pre-K), Timmy(Kdg), Betty(1N), Cruz(1W), J.D.(2E), Anthony(3N), Aaron(3B), Basil(4M), Liam B(4B), Neva(5F), & Michael(5D)

Acting Auditions are tomorrow, Saturday December 14th, from 9:00 to 2:00. If you have not signed up for an audition, this is your last chance! Again, there are no auditions for Stage Crew.

The deadline for ALL drama forms and payment will be this Friday, December 13th.
Please make sure to complete the following forms and turn them into the office:

2024-2025 Drama Registration and Waiver Form
Drama Club Participation/Expectation Contract
Payment - Check or Online Link

The Full-Cast Read-Through meeting will be this coming Wednesday, December 18th, from 3:30 to 5:00. All cast and crew should meet first in the Commons.

All prospective Drama Club students should join the Google Classroom. Use the following class code to join:

yqcjpls

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

Two of our middle school science clubs are off and running. Our Science Olympiad team members have been assigned to 23 events and have started preparing for competition.

Energy Club is planning to host some family fund evenings for our K-5 students after winter break, so stay tuned for more information coming soon! Many of our club members remember being participants in these events when they were younger and they are excited to become the leaders.