Dear Families,
Thank you to many of you who joined our Halloween parade on Monday! This parade is always a memorable experience and I was so glad the weather cooperated. Thank you, also, to the many volunteers and our PTO who made the classroom parties so special!
We had a wonderful surprise for our students this week. We had two large white walls in our Learning Center that needed a pick-me-up. To represent every Wilow Grove classroom, we've showcased each of our classroom animals artfully, playfully, and magically. We've captured it here for you in the photo collage below, along with the faces of some of our students when they had their first look. It did not disappoint. You could see the excitement as children found their own classroom animals. It was exactly what we were hoping for to see the children recognize their classroom's part in our school family.
This is a friendly reminder to please consider volunteering for our Window to the World Cultural Fair (details in repeat information). We need to know by November 11th for planning purposes. Without parent support, we will need to cancel the event. Currently, we don't have the volunteer base we need to pull this off. We appreciate your consideration!
Sincerely,
Jenny Smith, Principal
The new wall art at Willow Grove represents every classroom and here are students taking their first look!
*November Dates to Know*
Monday, 11/7 ~ Picture Retake Day: Parents interested in retakes (or if absent on picture day) should email their child's teacher, and send their child in with their original pictures (coming soon). If your child was absent on our original picture day, they will take a picture on this day.
11/8 – NO SCHOOL - Election Day
11/11 – Report period ends
11/18 – Trimester 1 report cards issued
11/23 – NO SCHOOL - District Holiday
11/24 – NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Day
11/25 – NO SCHOOL - District Holiday
11/29 – EARLY RELEASE DAY
NEW *Introducing, Warm Fuzzies!*
We launched something today you may hear about from your child! At Willow Grove, students learn our school pledge:
These character pillars are something we regularly embed into our classrooms and school learnings. Additionally, each month has a special theme. For example, during the month of October, we learned and practiced greetings and partings. In November, we spotlight "expected behaviors." "Expected behaviors" is the common school language we refer to for behaviors we would consider kind, responsible, and respectful. Some common examples would be keeping our hands and feet to ourselves, using kind words, and being helpful to others. When students demonstrate anything tied to our pledge or monthly theme in an outstanding way, adults in the school recognize them with a Bear Paw. Children are ecstatic to earn Bear Paws and so proud of their actions, as we are.
To further recognize our students, we close each month by recognizing a couple of kids per classroom. All students are recognized by the end of the school year. They earn what is called a "warm fuzzy." These are proudly hung from the child's backpack to celebrate the exemplary behaviors and learning they have demonstrated. When students earn a warm fuzzy they come to the Learning Center to collect it from Assistant Principal Ms. Payne, some special guests (explained below), the one and only Buddy the Bear, and me!
There is something very special about the warm fuzzy your child is receiving. The Warm Fuzzy Project is a collaborative partnership between Willow Grove and the Exceptional Learner's Collaborative (ELC). The ELC is a special education cooperative, of which District 96 is a part. They support students, their teams, their family, and our community in navigating the learning of students with exceptional needs. Students who are in high school and in the transitional program serving ages 18-21 designed, make, and deliver the warm fuzzies directly to Willow Grove. They make over 60 warm fuzzies a month for us! The partnership serves our students by recognizing their positive behaviors. It provides valuable vocational skills for students working at ELC. Some of our former Willow Grove students are even part of this special project! We are honored to be supported by these exceptional students and the ELC administration and staff.
Warm fuzzy production.
Warm fuzzy production - all done!
Warm fuzzy students have attached to their backpacks.
Early childhood student receiving a warm fuzzy.
NEW *PTO News*
CLASS PARTIES
Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help out and make our class Halloween parties a success! If you have any photos from your child's class party or the parade, please send us the largest, highest quality image you have for consideration in the 2022-2023 yearbook!
ORIGINAL WORKS
Please be on the lookout for a brochure about Original Works! This is a great opportunity to put your student's artwork on gifts for loved ones!
SPIRIT WEAR LIMITED RE-LAUNCH: TODDLER SIZES NOW AVAILABLE! ORDERS DUE NOVEMBER 11!
If you missed our spirit wear sale earlier in the year, now is your chance to order! We are offering a limited selection of screen-printed items and hats! Check out our blog and social media pages linked below for more information.
DONATE WHILE YOU DINE
Please save the date! Our next fundraiser is on November 29th, at MOD Pizza in Kildeer. A portion of the purchases made mentioning our fundraiser will benefit our school.
REMINDER TO CONNECT WITH THE PTO
Remember to check the Willow Grove PTO online at the links below for the latest PTO news and events.
Willow Grove PTO Membership Toolkit
REPEAT: Willow Grove ~ Window to the World - Calling All Families!
On the evening of December 8th from 6:00-7:30 PM, we’ll be having a fun family event, showcasing the many cultures represented in our school community. We are excited to learn from and celebrate each other! We cannot do this without your support and are looking for parents who would like to share artifacts and traditions from around the country and globe with our students and families. Parents who are interested can share about holidays, traditions, clothing, games/toys, geographical location and landmarks, music, art, food, etc. Children or families may do a short performance (dance, music, etc.). Things families choose to showcase are not limited to places outside of our own country. Families can share about areas right here in the USA and what makes their family unique to help us all learn about one another. We are so excited about this event! We hope that you’ll consider sharing with our school community. We would all love to learn from you! If you would be interested in participating, please CLICK HERE BY NOVEMBER 11th to complete this brief survey. THANK YOU!
Note: You can partner up with others! You don’t have to do your booth alone. We will organize groups based on our volunteers and topics and individuals can feel free to work together, if you choose!
CLICK HERE to see a video from a previous cultural fair! This will give you a great idea of what the event is all about!
Mark your calendars for the evening of December 8th. This will be fun for the whole family!