Thursday Notes – August 28, 2025
View This Week’s Photos
From Mr. Painter’s Desk
K-5 Back to School Night
I am looking forward to connecting with many of you this evening for our K-5 Back to School Night! A few brief reminders:
- You may park and enter at Door 1 (front door) or Door 21 (by the playground/blacktop).
- We will begin the group session at 6:30 p.m. in the Commons, so please go directly there when you enter.
- Classroom sessions will be held at 7:00 p.m. and 7:35 p.m., and the two sessions will be identical. If you only have one child in grades K-5, you are welcome to leave after the first classroom session.
- Please review the schedule that I attached in my email on Monday for specific times for this evening.
Morning Drop-Off
We have enjoyed the beautiful weather that the start of this school year has provided. It has been great for our faculty and staff to connect with your children and all of you outside at their various drop-off locations each morning. Now that students are generally in a decent routine, we are going to allow students to enter the building directly at 8:40 a.m. each day starting this coming Tuesday, September 2 (after Labor Day). Teachers will no longer be meeting students outside and then walking them to the various entrances each morning. Instead, you may drop your students off by their designated doors and they may enter when the bell rings at 8:40 a.m. Please do not park along the curb in the mornings and wait for the 8:40 a.m. bell to ring. The curbside lane is designed for drop-off only. If you arrive at school early and want your child to wait in your vehicle, please park in our parking lot. Students may also wait outside the door entrances prior to 8:40 a.m., as there will be administrators and staff present starting at 8:30 a.m. Thank you!
Safety and Traffic Reminders
Drop-off and pick-up procedures have gone very smoothly this week! Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and attention to the safety of those in our community. I wanted to send along a few reminders while it is early in the school year:
- If you are traveling eastbound on Geneva Road to reach WCGS, please do not turn left onto Coventry Drive. Instead, turn left at the stoplight at Pleasant Hill, right on MacArthur, then left onto Coventry. Not only is it much safer, but it also allows people living in that neighborhood to exit onto Geneva Road without the congestion of our school traffic.
- Students should never enter or exit the vehicle from any lane of traffic except the curbside lane (the lane closest to the curb). This means that parents should never pick up their child in any lane other than the curbside lane. Also, when they exit, they need to exit on the curb-side, not into the flow of traffic.
- Parents should always remain in their vehicles if they are in a moving lane of traffic, including the curbside lane. If you need to get out of your vehicle to help your children exit the car, please use the parking lot to park your vehicle and then escort them across the crosswalk.
- If you are in a moving lane of traffic and you see space in front of your vehicle, please pull forward. Even if it is just a few feet, the collective effort of all of our vehicles will tremendously help with the flow of traffic
- Let’s continue to be good neighbors to those in the surrounding neighborhoods.
- Please be mindful of your speed. Resist the temptation to rush to school if you are late, and always remember that you are driving in a residential area.
- Please watch for children who are walking to school, especially around Coventry Drive, due to Pleasant Hill Elementary School being so close.
- Please be aware of our neighbors who are trying to get out of their driveways and subdivisions. If you see that someone is waiting, we ask that you slow down to allow them to exit and get to the places they need to be in the morning and afternoon.
Thank you for your ongoing help in these areas!
Coffee with the Administrators
Please join us for our first Parent Series event, Coffee with the Administrators, on Tuesday, September 9, from 9:00-10:00 a.m. outside in the courtyard west of the playground. Come, enjoy an informal time with administration, meet other parents, and launch a great school year. Please sign up here if you plan to attend. We look forward to seeing you as we launch into another great school year!
Important Upcoming Dates
Friday, August 29
9:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. – 8th Grade Challenge (Fox Valley Action Center)
Monday, September 1
NO SCHOOL – Labor Day
Tuesday, September 2
MAP Testing – Grades 7/8
9:00 a.m. – Room Parent Orientation (Grades K-1)
Wednesday, September 3
BIRTHDAY: Abi Babick (First Grade Teacher)
MAP Testing – Grades 6/8
9:00 a.m. – Room Parent Orientation (Grades 2-5)
IESA Boys’ Golf Sectional – Pontiac, IL
Thursday, September 4
MAP Testing – Grades 6/7
9:00 a.m. – Room Parent Orientation (Grades6-8)
4:00 p.m. – JV Girls’ VBall @ Aurora Christian
5:00 p.m. – V Girls’ VBall @ Aurora Christian
Friday, September 5
MAP Testing – Grades 4/5
School Pictures (Commons)
Summer Reading Celebrations
3:30-6:00 p.m. – Spartan Social
STEAM+ Notes
Tomorrow is Zero Waste Day
Every Friday is Zero Waste Day at WCGS. This means that students should use reusable containers and avoid plastic bags and other single use items. Students are encouraged to compost fruits and vegetables and recycle that day. Our goal is to help students reduce or eliminate garbage. Plastic silverware will not be available at lunchtime on Fridays. Please talk to your child about bringing home any uneaten or sealed food. Can you help your child pack a lunch that uses reusable or recyclable containers?
WCGS Recycling Program
As we continue to care for the resources that God has given us, we will continue our partnerships with SCARCE and TerraCycle. These are two organizations that locally and globally support school recycling and environmental sustainability. This is a student driven, community focused initiative through the Creation Care Club that invites all K-8 students and families to participate in.
The following items will be collected this school year:
- Plastic Bread Tabs
- Crayons
- Pop Tabs
- All brands of squeezable snack plastic pouches and caps (must be emptied with lid)
All collections, grades K-8, will take place in every homeroom and at lunchtime. For more information, please contact Mrs. Jacqueline Lauriat, Director of STEAM+ and Robotics.
Library News
Help at the Summer Reading Celebration!
Please let Mrs. Brown know if you would like to help with decorating for the celebration on the afternoon of Thursday, September 4, or help at the event on Friday, September 5. We will need several parent helpers on both days. Please sign up HERE if you are available.
Notable Notes
School Pictures
Picture Day is Friday, September 5, during normal school hours. Please see the attached flyer from JostensPIX for more details about what to wear (no green!) and how to order. Parents will receive emails directly from JostensPix to the addresses you provided to WCGS with reminders and notifications. Photos will be shipped directly to your home! Previewing, personalization, ordering, and payment will all take place online at jostenspix.com. Please note that all students will be photographed for the yearbook, but there is no obligation to make a purchase. If a student is absent on picture day, re-takes will take place on Friday, October 10. If you have any questions about picture day, please contact Christine Sheetz.
Archived Thursday Notes
Did you know each week’s Thursday Notes and Auxiliary Announcements are available for you to view on the school website? If you’re looking for a previous issue, and don’t want to search your inbox, just look under the “Parents Tab” at the top of the page at wheatonchristian.org.
Paid Positions Still Available
Crossing Guards Needed
WCGS is hoping to hire several crossing guards for morning arrival and afternoon dismissal, and we need your help to find the right people for the job! We are looking for kind and conscientious individuals with great interpersonal skills to interact with our families and broader community either one day or several days each week. Our hope is to have a team of individuals who have flexible schedules. If you are interested in helping once a week or taking this on more consistently, we would love to connect with you. If you or someone you know would be interested in serving in this paid position, please contact Beth Wright. Our Administrators and Staff will still be a part of the crossing guard team, but a few extra individuals will help us round out the group.
Additional Recess Supervisor Needed
We are looking for one additional Recess Supervisor who is willing to serve on Mondays for this coming school year. This is a paid position and a wonderful opportunity to serve the school and your children on a weekly basis with a minimal time commitment. Just think – you get to be outside, interacting and playing with our precious students (your children!) on days that work best in your own schedule! The Recess Supervisor time commitment is from 11:40 a.m. –1:10 p.m. We would appreciate your help anywhere from one day a week to five days a week. If you are interested in serving, please contact Beth Wright so that we can provide you with more information about this opportunity. Thank you!
Forms on FACTS Family Portal
Have you completed your forms yet? Information regarding the following web forms can be found on the FACTS Family Portal. If you have any specific questions regarding these forms, email Debbie Cairncross.
Please complete these forms TODAY!
To access these forms, follow the instructions below:
Go to the school website (wheatonchristian.org)
Click the tab, FACTS Family Portal, at the top of the screen
Log into FACTS Family Portal
Click on “School” at the left of the screen
Click “Web Forms”
Complete the forms described below (only as needed)
Click on one form at a time, returning to complete the other forms
Criminal History Background Check Form
This form is required for people who want to volunteer at school but have not completed the form previously. Please do not submit this form a second time! If you are unsure about whether or not you completed a form in the past, please email Debbie.
Driver and Chaperone Form
This form is for volunteers who want to drive on school field trips and also for volunteers who would like to chaperone but not drive on field trips. This form needs to be completed each year.
Master Field Trip Form
This form is to be completed for each child granting permission for participation in grade level field trips listed. This also needs to be completed each year.
Sports Forms
These two forms are to be completed for your grade 5-8 child for participation in athletics this school year. Any questions regarding these forms can be directed to Bess Paull.
Backpack Donations
Are you looking to donate your gently used or new backpacks? Please bring them to WCGS and place them in the utility tote labeled Serve for Hope Uganda located just inside Door #1. The utility tote will be available for donations until mid-September. Leonard and Lauren Matovu (parents of Joelle, 3rd grade) founded and lead a ministry called Serve for Hope Uganda located in Namungoona, Uganda. Through a variety of programs, the Matovus and their team in Uganda aim to share the love of Christ and provide quality education to students in need. One way this is accomplished is by providing backpacks filled with school supplies which will be distributed at the start of the Ugandan school year (late January/early February). Thanks for your partnership in sharing the love of Christ and providing quality education for students in need!
Asbestos Inspection and Management Plan
To the best of our knowledge and that of our architects (Legat Architects), our school was not built nor constructed with any asbestos or asbestos-containing materials. As required by law, we are to inform you that we have an Asbestos Management Plan (Click here for more information.)
