WMS Friday Forecast

A parent sent an email asking a question about a response that her child had received in class several times. "Ask one of your classmates to help you..." Both mom and the child were concerned that the teacher was handing off the responsibility of teaching.

What we are actually doing is multifaceted. First, we are creating a collaborative environment. We want our students to be comfortable asking each other for help instead of always going to the teacher. Second, we are developing self-reliance. Besides the teacher, what are other resources you might be able to use? Your interactive notebook, your past homework, the book, a peer? Finally, we want our RedHawks to struggle. We want them to be frustrated, to have to experience "productive struggle" and to make multiple attempts on their own before using other resources. This is how they develop perseverance!

Along with building skills and developing knowledge, we also want to give kids the opportunity for success, struggle, and failure. We want our students to learn to be self-reliant and not always rely on the teacher for an answer. We want them to learn to support each other or to rescue themselves when they are stuck. And the teacher will certainly step in when it is appropriate.

Teaching is a complex task and there is no one perfect way to teach. But we do know that we want our kids to become independent learners who are thoughtful, resourceful, self-reliant, and perseverant.

Enjoy your weekend!

Tim

Friday, March 11th, marks the end of the third quarter. Please have a discussion with your student to make sure that this date is on his/her “radar.” It is important that students are aware of the end of the quarter so that they can complete and turn in assignments. Contact your student’s teachers or counselor if you have any concerns or questions.

In these past two weeks we have been able to offer opportunities for our current 6th and 7th grade students to participate in an A.V.I.D. information session led by our current A.V.I.D. 8th graders. While all of our students were invited to attend, others were personally nominated by their teams.

What is A.V.I.D.? A.V.I.D. stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination and represents a shift in students’ academic ownership. A major focus of the program is identifying students who want to take charge of their academic future and develop skills necessary for academic and personal success in school post-secondary opportunities. Here in District 303, we are able to design A.V.I.D. as an opportunity to enrich a student's academic experience beyond the classroom.

Want to learn more? Is your student interested? What are our next steps? Click here to find out.

It is time for WEB Recruitment!! WEB, “Where Everybody Belongs” is a mentoring program where next year’s 8th-graders (your 7th grade children) are trained to welcome and mentor next year’s 6th-graders.

Is your child responsible, dependable, and capable of developing leadership skills? If so, please encourage your child to apply to be a WEB Leader. The benefits for WEB Leaders include building greater confidence, increasing connections with their peers, exploring leadership opportunities, sharing their knowledge with incoming 6th-graders, and of course, having FUN!

Applications are available on the 7th Grade Hub (found under the academic tab on the Wredling Website) and are DUE Wednesday March 9th - NO EXCEPTIONS! We are so excited about continuing our WEB tradition here at Wredling, and we couldn’t do it without our soon-to-be WEB Leaders!

1) NO outside drinks (Starbucks, Dunkin’, etc..) will be allowed in the AM. Students will be directed to finish them before entering the building.

2) Parents are welcome to drop off lunch but only for their own child - not a group

3) We DO NOT accept or sign for delivered lunches for students - please do not order food deliveries

2nd SEMESTER Non-Attendance Days for Students

• Friday, March 4th - Kane County Institute Day
• Monday, March 28 - Friday, April 1 - Spring Break
• Friday, April 15th - School Improvement Planning

2nd SEMESTER Early Release Days for Middle School

• Wednesday, March 23rd
• Wednesday, April 27th

Schools throughout the state of Illinois will have the opportunity to conduct the Illinois Youth Survey (IYS) with students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. Wredling 8th graders will be taking the survey in the week of March 21st.

WHAT IS THE ILLINOIS YOUTH SURVEY? The purpose of the IYS is to better understand youth attitudes and behaviors that can impact student problems and academic success. It asks about topics like nutrition, physical activity, bullying, school climate, and alcohol and other drug use. Students will be asked to complete an anonymous survey (with no names or identification numbers). The survey is completely voluntary and privacy will be strictly protected.

WHAT IS THE SURVEY DATA USED FOR? The IYS will provide our school's combined student results providing data to assess needs, track progress toward physical, social, and mental health goals, and evaluate student support services.

If you have questions regarding the survey, wish to see a sample of the survey, or want your child to opt-out of the survey, please see this document or email Mr. Jacques Slaiher, Wredling's Student Assistance Counselor. A copy of the survey will also be available for viewing in the main office along with opt-out forms.

For more information, please visit the Illinois Youth Survey website at http://iys.cprd.illinois.edu.

State legislation requires that all Illinois children in Sixth Grade will have a dental examination. A licensed dentist must perform the examination, and he or she shall sign the form. Dental offices should have the form available, but it is also available online at www.d303.org under Departments, then Health Services, then “Health Documents and Forms”. Each 6th grade student must present proof of a dental examination by a dentist prior to May 15, 2022. The exam must be dated within 18 months prior to May 15, 2022. If your child has had an exam already, you can ask your dentist to complete the form for the exam.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has established a waiver for children who show undue burden or lack of access to a dentist. Parents or legal guardians who object to the dental examinations on religious grounds shall present to the school a signed, detailed statement of the objection.

The deadline is quickly approaching! Please submit this if you have not already done so. If you have any questions, please contact the WMS nurses at 331-228-3704.

For each of our 7th and 8th grade AVID classes, College and Careers plays an integral role in the classroom experience. On Friday's, we are looking for volunteers to share their career and experiences via zoom (or in person) during either 2nd, 7th or 8th period each week. Please fill out the form below if you are interested in sharing your career with our students. We will be sending a confirmation email to you once we have solidified your date and time. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise and time with our students and staff.

***Visitors choosing to come into the building must adhere to current D303 visitor protocols. As of 10/1/21 - all visitors must:
- Show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test received within 72 hours of arriving to volunteer at your building.

- Bring documentation to the front office of your building upon arrival. If you would like to present to our students, please complete this Google form.

When it comes to issues that concern students and/or school safety: “If you see something, say something - immediately”. On a school day during staffed hours (7:30-4:00), the student, parent, or community member should call the school and/or seek an administrator ASAP for prompt action. If this information emerges outside of the school day, please call 911 immediately. The safety and wellbeing of our Wredling family are always our top priority!

You may notice that we recently have made a change to Wredling's phone menu. When you call our main line, 331-228-3700, you will hear the following message: “Thank you for calling Wredling Middle School. For English, press 1; for Spanish press 2." If you press 1, you will hear the original Wredling Menu -- (press 1 for attendance, 2 for the nurse.) When 2 is pressed for Spanish, the calls will go straight to Brenda Bassegoda, our Wredling Translator.

Do you enjoy working with kids?

Are you looking for a job where you can make a difference?

APPLY TO WORK AT OUR SCHOOLS!!!

LUNCHROOM SUPERVISORS NEEDED! We currently have 2 openings here at Wredling!

Please contact Patricia Burton at 331-228-5242 or patricia.burton@d303.org

If your child is quarantined due to Covid, our teachers will send work to your child and work with you and your child as we always have when a child is out of school. We want to recognize that quarantine offers some unique challenges for our students.

We will be offering instructional support through a certified teacher during quarantine. Ann Rose, a recently retired D303 teacher, will be available to support our quarantine students through Zoom. When a child begins quarantine, we will email both the child and the parent with information on how to access Mrs. Rose's Zoom for support. We encourage our quarantined students to access this instructional support!

The School Board has approved an E-Learning plan that gives the district the option to offer remote learning in place of emergency days. Currently, our last day of school is Tuesday, May 24, which is the week before Memorial Day. As we move into the winter months, we want to update you on the plan for how the district will manage emergency days and e-learning days.

• If we experience inclement weather, the first three days will be “snow days” that will be made up at the end of the school year on May 25, 26, and 27 as needed.

• Subsequent emergency days will be remote days so the last attendance day will still be before Memorial Day.

• If there is a long stretch of inclement weather (blizzard, polar vortex, etc.), we may split the days into “snow days” and e-learning days so as to not have too many non-attendance days in a row.

INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS CURRENT AS OF PUBLICATION DATE.

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/WredlingMiddleSchoolD303
Twitter: @WredlingD303