Washington Elementary Family Wildcat Chat

Washington Elementary
Family Wildcat Chat
October 2015 Issue
Stephanie Daly, Principal
Washington Main Office…847-318-4360
Shari Lazor, Assistant Principal
Washington Fax Machine…. 847-318-4247
For more information, please visit our website at www.d64.org
From the Desk of the Principal
Dear Washington Families,
It’s hard to believe that fall is already upon us! The 2015-2016 School Year is off to a very strong
start, and while the weather outside may be cooling down, the exciting learning happening in
classrooms is heating up as students at all grade levels utilize the many curriculum resources we
have and deepen their problem solving skills across content areas.
We had an excellent turnout for Parent Night and appreciate families taking the time and effort to
support the school/home learning connection. Teachers have begun scheduling Parent/Teacher
conferences. Don’t miss this important opportunity to spend some time carefully collaborating with
your child’s teacher for your child’s success at school. You are a critical component for your child’s
success at school and it’s essential that we keep communication lines between home and school
open!
Also, as the weather does cool down and the rains begin to increase, please be sure that your child
is prepared for the weather each day with the appropriate coat and shoes. If you need assistance
with getting appropriate attire for your child please contact our main office and we will work with
you to get your child what they need to be prepared for colder and wetter weather.
Lastly, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the tireless efforts of our PTO and many school
volunteers in arranging and supporting a wide variety of school events and classroom-based
support. Your efforts make a world of difference for our Wildcat students and staff. Happy Autumn!
Warm Regards,
Stephanie Daly, Principal
"Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change.
Learning is more than absorbing facts, it is acquiring understanding."
- William Arthur Ward
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September 2015 Dates:
9/7 – Safety Drill Week
9/7 – No School: Labor Day
9/14 – PTO Meeting in LRC @ 6:00 pm
9/22- Assembly: 3 Screens
9/24 – Walk a Thon
9/25 – Walk a Thon (Rain Date)
9/29 – 5th Camp Duncan Parent Meeting (5:30 – 6:30 pm)
9/29 – 5th Camp Duncan Chaperone Meeting (6:30 – 7:30 pm)
October 2015 Dates:
10/5 – PTO Meeting in Washington LRC @ 7 pm
10/6 – Picture, Hearing, Vision Screening Day
10/12 – No School – Columbus Day
10/18 – Family Orbitz PTO Skating Party
10/19 – 10/21 – 5th Graders at Camp Duncan
10/19 - Author Visit: Elise Broach
10/26- 10/30 - Red Ribbon Week
10/26 – Board Meeting @ Field School @ 7pm
10/30 – Halloween Parade 2:15 pm & Party 2:30 – 3:15pm
School Safety Updates
We’ve had our safety drill week for the school year and it went very smoothly! All public schools are
required by state law to hold regular fire, tornado and lock down drills, and this is an important
opportunity to practice with students and staff in the event an actual emergency were to arise.
Washington staff is trained annually on a variety of safety topics.
Thank you for following safe drop off/pick up procedures and never parking or leaving a car
unattended in the drop off or bus lanes. When visiting the building, please be sue to always sign in
at the main office and get a visitor badge. By doing these things we are keeping children safe and
modeling safe choices for them.
Traffic & Safety Expectations
The front of Washington School on Stewart is for buses only. We have 4 buses this year. If you are
driving your child to school, please honor the parking regulations posted on the streets.
Please see the Parent/Student Handbook for travel to and from school expectations!
Halloween Information:
We will be celebrating Halloween with costumes, a school wide parade and a classroom party. More
information will come out later in the month.
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Walk a Thon Schedule
Thursday, September 24th – 2015
Feel free to come out and cheer on your child as they complete their laps at the designated times
9:30 - 10:00 am: 1st Grade
10:00-10:30 am: AM Kdg
11:00 - 11:30 am: 2nd Grade
12:55 - 1:25 pm - 5th Grade
1:25 - 1:55 pm - 3rd Grade/ PM Kdg
1:55 - 2:25 pm - 4th Grade
Lost and Found
What if your son or daughter loses his/her coat, sweatshirt, hat, gloves, sweater, lunchbox, book,
etc. at school? If you are missing any items from home throughout the year, please stop by
Washington and check out our lost and dfound. We donate all items twice a year.
Illinois Text Messaging and Cell Phone Law Reminder
In school zones, it is a statewide law that unless the vehicle is parked in a parking space, or a hands
free device is used, drivers may not operate cell phones. This applies to buses as well as any other
vehicles operating within the school zone. Fines for violation of Illinois cell phone law start at $75.
Illinois’s cell phone and texting laws are considered “primary” laws. A primary law means that an
officer can pull you over for the offense without having to witness some other violation. PLEASE
DO NOT TALK OR TEXT IN THE WASHINGTON SCHOOL ZONES. IT IS FOR THE SAFETY OF
OUR STUDENT.
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Washington Wildcat Chat
District Information – Help Needed in Lunchrooms
Please be aware that the District has immediate openings at almost all of the elementary schools for
lunchroom supervisors. These positions provide a vital role in supporting students during lunch and recess. If
you are interested and able to work a 1.5 hours during the middle of the day, please complete an application
at the District 64 web page. Interested individuals do not need to be able to work each day, we do work with
unique schedules and welcome people who can only work several days a week. Thank you in advance for
your interest in helping the students!
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PTO
SPONSORED
EVENTS
Washington Walk-A-Thon September 24th (September 25th-raindate)
Help us make our main fundraising event a success! Come cheer your students on at the Washington School
Track! Most students will walk during their gym class and can show their school spirit by wearing Washington Spirit
Wear, a previous years’ walk-a-thon shirt, or the blue and white school colors; Walk-a-thon shirts are not provided
this year.
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Pledges are Due October 9 . Click here for more walkathon information or to obtain a pledge sheet if needed.
Washington Spirit Wear- New Spirit Wear is here!
Spiritwear will continue to be available on RevTrack but we will only be selling what is in stock. RevTrack will indicate
if an item is sold out. Every Friday is Spirit Day so show your Washington Pride!
Pickwick Movie Fundraiser- Hotel Transylvania on October 3rdSupport Washington by attending the
10am show ONLY of Hotel Transylvania at the Pickwick. Tickets are only $10 and come with popcorn & a soda.
Please purchase tickets from RevTrack or at the PTO table inside the Pickwick Lobby (beginning at 9:30 am) to ensure
that the sale is credited to Washington.RevTrackand day of tickets are both $10.
Orbit Family Skating Event
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October 18 from 5:30-7pm at Orbit Skate Center in Palatine. Advance tickets are $5/per person ages 5 and up and
can be purchased on RevTrack; ages 4 and under skate free.
Author Visit -October 19thThe cultural committee has organized a visit from the wonderful children’s author
Elise Broach! Click here for more information about the author: http://www.elisebroach.com/novels/hor visit
Box Tops ContestBox Tops for Education is a quick, fun and easy way to earn money for our school! You can clip them
from participating products and turn them into classroom teachers throughout the school year. Participating products are
listed here: www.boxtops4education.com/We are having a contest to see which classroom can collect the most Box
Tops from now until October 23rd. Please turn in what you have collected all summer! All students in the classroom with
the most Box Tops will win a prize.Only have one or two? Send them in! They all add up. Our goal is to collect 18,000
this year. Box Tops expire, so send them in now while they still count! Thanks!!
Hot Lunch!
Sign up at www.healthykidskitchen.com.
Washington’s school code is 342WSCIL and lunches are available for purchase on Monday’s and Wednesday’s.
Order window notifications are emailed to you from HKK once you establish an account on their website and typically
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run from the 10 of the month until a few days before the end of the month for the following month order. September
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27 is the
deadline for October orders.
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Next PTO Meeting Monday October 5 at 7PM