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Para leer este boletín en otro idioma que no sea el inglés, por favor haga clic en el enlace "Traducir el boletín" en la parte superior derecha de esta página.

Dear D303 Middle School School Parents and Guardians:

As the school year has progressed, we have had to make significant changes to account for students moving to and from remote learning. Due to those shifts, we have sometimes had to move hybrid staff and students, as well. In preparation for third and fourth quarter, we have surveyed families regarding learning preferences. With that information, we are adjusting our instructional schedule to best fit the needs of students.

In practical terms, many students may have their schedules changed for quarters three and four. We realize that this is not ideal, but in this pandemic, we have had to change past practices to meet our current situation. Please note that our Rise student schedules have not changed.

As we rebuild the master schedule, remote students' schedules will be reflected within an 8 period day structure. This will align with our current in-building schedule. If we continue full remote learning, students will follow an odd-even schedule in which all students will see each of their teachers every other school day. We are also supporting teachers to develop strategies so that students are not in front of screens during their entire class period. Our remote teachers have been able to share insight into how to best manage in a virtual setting.

The schedule portion of Home Access Center has been temporarily taken off-line so that we can make necessary schedule changes for the second half of the year. When the schedule is ready, we will notify you that schedule shifts are complete and give you access to your child’s schedule in Home Access Center.

As always and certainly during these unusual times, we appreciate your flexibility and understanding.

As we have more students attending remote learning, we would like to remind everyone of some of our guidelines:

• If your child is going to be absent for all or part of the day, please still call them in. (331-228-3700)

• Should you experience Internet issues where your student can't log on for class, a parent/guardian must CALL the attendance line. The parent/guardian may also choose to email the teacher in addition to the call. We cannot accept student call-in/email regarding any attendance issues.

• We have a whole bunch of students skipping some of their challenging classes, or classes they don’t like. Be sure to check the Home Access Center to monitor your child’s attendance.

• If you are questioning an absence for a single class period, please contact the teacher first for clarification.The teacher can access data for student login time and duration.

• As we have stated in past Friday Forecast messages, if students are logged in, but not showing up on camera or participating, the teacher will call on them a couple of times. If they still do not respond, they will delete them from the Meet or Zoom and then mark them absent.

This week our 8th graders participated in zoom meetings with their high school counselors. The purpose of this meeting was for 8th graders to get to know their high school counselors and to begin the process of their high school registration which will take place in January. Please click here to access additional information from the high schools as it will help the 8th grade students as they navigate this year’s course selection process.

Esta semana, nuestros estudiantes de octavo grado participaron en reuniones de zoom con sus consejeros de la escuela preparatoria. El propósito de esta reunión era que los estudiantes de 8º grado comenzarán a conocer a sus consejeros y comenzarán el proceso de inscripción a la escuela preparatoria que se llevará a cabo en Enero. Haga clic aquí para acceder la información adicional de las escuelas preparatorias ya que ayudará a los estudiantes de octavo grado mientras navegan por el proceso de selección de cursos de este año.

In October your son/daughter participated in the PSAT assessment. Just recently, the scores were shared with schools, but have now become available for parents and students to review. If your son/daughter entered a personal email into the questionnaire portion of the PSAT test, it is very important that he/she review his/her personal email inbox to determine if a message was delivered directly from College Board. These students should have a direct link to access the scores from the College Board website.

Paper copies of the student score reports will be sent home after the schools have received them. Do not be alarmed if your son/daughter did not include a personal email, he/she will simply include this information when he/she creates a College Board account. Either way, in order for any student to retrieve digital PSAT results, they must be 13 years of age or older. If they are not of this age currently, parents can create an account to access this information for their child. Please click HERE to see how to create your Collegeboard account.

In addition, the following youtube video, Understanding Your PSAT Score Report, will help you better understand how to interpret your son/daughter's PSAT results. Please see below for additional resources that will support you as you navigate PSAT results and Collegeboard. Finally, if any additional questions please contact David Chiszar, Director of Assessment and Accountability, at (331) 228-4911. He can be reached by email at David.chiszar@d303.org

Resources for you:

• What is in your PSAT 89 Score Report

• Why create an account in CollegeBoard

• How to read your CollegeBoard report

• PSAT/SAT Practice in Khan academy

• Utilize Office Hours - One of the most important roles our teachers fulfill is to be a resource for learners when they need clarification and assistance. Our teachers personalize learning by being available to ask and answer questions that lend to students gaining confidence in their learning and ability to advocate for themselves. Office hours provide an important opportunity your student could be taking part in that would provide this level of support
  
  Teachers have times each week to meet with your student one-on-one to answer questions, explain concepts and help students plan for success. If your student is falling behind, struggling to understand a concept, or in need of some individualized guidance from a teacher, have them attend office hours with their teachers. Many questions can be answered by showing up to virtual office hours and having a brief conversation with a teacher who is waiting and ready to help. This is a great way for students to learn to advocate for their own learning!
  

• Be Accountable - The graphic below also has some important tips for being accountable during online class, as well.

When your student is experiencing Chromebook issues, including a problem with their camera and/or microphone, we have some helpful information for you:

• Follow each step in this process (see graphic below).
• DO NOT skip step #4: CHAT with IT as they can often remote in and repair your device directly!
• Only go on to step #5 after you have completed trying the first four steps on the flowchart! This helps us rule out a lot of potential problems immediately when trying to help your student.
• There's also this WMS page, Instructional Tech for Families with a ton of helpful information.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to join our School Counselor Google Classroom, you still have time! Any student who joins the google classroom will have their name entered into a raffle for a chance to win a gift card.

We are asking that you join our google classroom by 9 AM on Monday December 7th to be eligible to win the gift card!

The School Counselor Google Classroom has tons of resources that will help you while you are learning from home during this crazy time. In the Classroom you will find a Zoom Link for Counseling Office Hours - Tuesday through Friday 2:30-3:30. During these office hours, we are available to discuss any questions or concerns that you may be encountering.

Here is the code to join- struj2c

Hope you are all doing well :-)

-Your Counselors,

Mrs. Hult, Mrs. Cwinski and Mr. Wood

If you placed a PapaNicholas order with at school delivery, it is here! You can pick it up from 8:00 am - 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

Peer Leadership is an extracurricular program that matches selected incoming freshmen with juniors and seniors who make the transition into high school fun and easy and mentor them throughout the year. Because this program meets during the school day, it has to be put into a student’s schedule when registering for next year’s classes. Although we would like to be able to offer this to all interested incoming freshmen, our numbers are limited by available classroom space and our budget. Therefore, in order to start the selection process, interested students should apply using THIS APPLICATION.

If your child is interested in the program, please fill out the application and e-mail it to Jim Reed, the Peer Leadership Coordinator (James.Reed@d303.org). Completed applications must be received no later than Tuesday, January 19th, 2021. For more information about Peer Leadership, please attend Future Saints Night in January.

We hope to hear from you!

Our Wredling LRC will continue to offer curbside book pick up during the 3 weeks of remote instruction. Any books placed on hold by students will be checked-out and placed on the cart in the vestibule. You can pick them up from 8:00 am - 3:30 pm each Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

THERE ARE A TON OF BOOKS READY FOR PICKUP!

WMS Student Council would like to announce our Eighth Grade virtual Holiday Hangout on Friday, December 11 from; 4:30-6:00. A survey was sent out to all 8th graders, so check your emails. If you are interested, please complete the survey. There will be an escape room, bingo, craft, online games, holiday scramble, Would pop you rather…, and an ugly sweater competition. If you have questions, email Mrs. Hagedorn or Mr. Schilb. The survey will need to be completed by Tuesday, December.

The Thompson Chess Club is inviting you to join their team. Thompson Chess has 1-2 tournaments weekly where you can practice your chess skills and have a good time. All games are handled remotely and are exciting and fun. If you are interested in joining, please join the Thompson Chess Google Classroom page (code: dolyrch). You can also email Mr. Otterby at jeffrey.otterby@d303.org. The Chess Calendar and more information are located at the Activities page at https://thompson.d303.org/ under Activities/Clubs. Once you join Google Classroom, Mr. Otterby will give you the information to join our online games. Our club is 37 members strong and growing. Come join us!

The Wredling Lost & Found has quite a few items that are lonely without their people... Please watch the video below to see if any items belong at your house. The office is open from 8:00 am - 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday. All items remaining unclaimed after December 18th will be gathered up and donated.

Welcome to remote learning! Remember that remote students have classes every day. Below are resources for our full remote learners:

• Remote Academy Calendar (and Bell Schedule)

• Overview and Expectations

• Teachers and Resources

You can check the attendance for any of your students at any time by logging into the Home Access Center and clicking on the attendance tab to view. Toggle between students using the arrow in the upper right hand corner.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call the main office at (331) 228-3100! We are here to help!

The Wredling PTO needs a Vice President for the 2020-2021 school year! If you are interested in this position, or just need more information, please contact Katie Stan, info@wredlingpto.org

Living with Intensity: The Social and Emotional Aspects of Parenting Gifted Children

Virtual

December 8, 2020
6:30-7:30 p.m.

Being the parent of a gifted child means MORE – more intense, more curious, more sensitive, more active, more idealistic, and more intuitive. Understanding these unique personality characteristics and how they combine in individual gifted children can provide insights into behaviors at home and school. This presentation will focus on the affective aspects of being gifted, including sensitivity, intensity, and perfectionism. Dr. Michele Kane, professor of Gifted Education at Northeastern Illinois University, will provide parents with effective strategies and techniques for dealing with these personality traits, as well as ways to help kids deal with the unique stressors of giftedness, especially during times of increased turmoil. Please fill out this form if you are interested in attending.

The Salvation Army is sponsoring a Toys For Kids program. Please consider purchasing an unwrapped toy for a child and placing it in the toy collection box in our main foyer by Monday, December 7th. See the attached flyer for their wish list. Thank you for your support!

Do you like to write? Have a story you are really proud of? A poem that you wrote this past year? Maybe an essay or report that is awesome?

Submit it to the 42nd Annual AAUW Creative Writing Contest!

Please follow THIS LINK for more details. You can submit your entry anytime AFTER November 30, 2020 and BEFORE February 3, 2021.

GOOD LUCK!!!

This is your chance to offer a shout out to one of our WMS staff members who has done something great, gone above and beyond the call of duty, or who has made a difference in your life (or your child's life). These will be added to our weekly newsletter to staff!

ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS CURRENT AS OF THE PUBLICATION DATE. NEW INFORMATION WILL BE ADDRESSED IN FUTURE NEWSLETTERS.

Contact us on Twitter @WredlingD303

#WredlingLearns

Website: wredling.d303.org
Location: 1200 Dunham Road, St. Charles, IL, USA
Phone: (331)228-3700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wredling-Middle-School-537757163011275/
Twitter: @WredlingD303