Willow Parent Bulletin #21

February 3, 2023

midyear minders:

We hit our 100th day of school next Wednesday! It's a great time to reflect on all the growth your Wildcat has made so far! In last week's bulletin I gave the wrong date for report cards to come home. It's March 9th, not next week. My apologies for any confusion.

With it being sniffle season, many of the classrooms are running low on tissue, wipes and hand soap. If you are able to donate any of those items, we would be very appreciative!

Whenever your child is absent, a call to the school is needed. The attendance hotline is 708-647-2200. A robo-call reminder is sent each time if we don't hear from you. Absence and tardy letters will also come home with report cards. Research on school attendance shows:

Your child’s regular attendance may be the greatest factor influencing his/her academic success.
Students who attend school regularly are more likely to pass reading and math assessments than students who do not.
Children chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of third grade.

A “truant” is a child subject to compulsory school attendance who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for a school day or portion thereof.

Chronic or habitual truant – A “chronic or habitual truant” is a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for 5% percent or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days. Students who are identified as chronic or habitual truants will be reported to the truancy officer at the Intermediate Service Center.

HUGE thanks for helping to make drop off and pick up go safely and smoothly. If anyone who isn't familiar with our expectations will be helping get you Wildcat to/from school, we ask that you share with him/her/them our procedures.

Valentine's Day is also fast approaching. Your Wildcat should have a card for every child in the class if you will be sending any. NO FOOD of any kind can be sent into the building. This includes the candy that often comes with valentines. If your child will not be participating, please make sure that the teacher is aware so he/she/they can attend an alternate activity during the party.

Thank you to the parents helping to keep the morning greeter staff warm! You are appreciated!

Willow Yearbook

All sales are done online. We will not have any available to sell through the school. You can also personally customize your Wildcat's yearbook with pictures from home. Please see the flier below for information. The deadline to order is April 1, 2023.

Erin's Law- session 2

The second session with students talked about the 8 Never Nevers... things students shouldn't do. You can see them below and ask your Wildcat what he/she they learned about them.

One of them is about riding in a car without a seatbelt/car seat/booster seat. According to the Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act, Children ages 4-8 should be secured in a forward-facing safety seat with an internal harness system until they reach the upper height or weight limit allowed by the car seat manufacturer. When a child outgrows the forward-facing seat, he or she may transition to a belt-positioning booster seat.

Booster seats must be used with the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt, never just a lap belt.
The lap belt should lie low across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should rest snugly across the shoulder and chest, not across the neck or face.
The top of the child’s ears should not be above the top of the back of a booster seat with a back.
If using a backless booster seat, the vehicle’s head restraint must be positioned properly.
Secure the booster seat with the vehicle’s seat belt when not in use.
Keep children in the back seat at least through age 12.

Parent Music Association (PMA) annual chocolate sale

Your child will be bringing home information next week. Please carefully read the infomation. If your child participates, please be sure that the return envelope is completely filled out. Ideally, we would prefer an adult handle the return envelope to the office.

What to do When Your Kids Drive You Crazy

The next parent talk available through the Prairieland Consortium is "What to do When Your Kids Drive You Crazy." This hour long Zoom on February 8, 2023 from 6-7PM is with professionals from the counseling and mental health field. It's interactive and you can ask questions. They have billed it as "alternatives to nagging, yelling & threatening and how to model self-control."

Register here: https://events.zoom.us/e/view/DAebKXHNSdmeh16mNjtcTA

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Looking for something to do with the family tonight?

Come to the Cheer/ Dance Showcase at James Hart School on Friday February 3rd from 7-8PM in the Wood Floor Gym. The cost is $1 for children and $2 for adults. There will be an extra special tribute to our graduating 8th graders.

Doors will open at 6:30 PM.

Please enter through the District Office. Any questions, please reach out to myself or Arlaina Gardner. Looking forward to seeing you there as we pack the gym to support our talented performers.

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Juneteenth Court

You Matter 2 is organizing the 2nd Annual Homewood-Flossmoor Juneteenth Royal Court contest for the 2023 Homewood-Flossmoor Juneteenth Festival and Parade. The royal court contest is open to students in K-12th grade, giving them the opportunity to gain education, experience, and exposure. Students will set goals, be a part of a brother/sisterhood, and will play a part in uniting the community. They will have the chance to win monetary awards and prizes and to be crowned the Mr. and Miss H-F Juneteenth.

Applications are open until Friday, February 3rd at www.hfjuneteenthfestival.com/royalcourt.

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'Round town info:

The Virtual backpack on the District's website is full of things happeneing around town and special offers. It gets updated on a regular basis. You can find information for the library, HF Park District, SSRA and Homewood Baseball/Softball to name a few. Check it all out at: https://www.hsd153.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1250307&type=d&pREC_ID=1475665