Thursday Notes – October 19, 2023
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From Mr. Brooke’s Desk
HOPE Scholarship Auction
We are so excited and grateful for the wonderful auction items that are coming in for our upcoming HOPE Scholarship Auction on Friday, November 10.
Over the upcoming weeks, watch for “Feature Fridays” and “Trivia Tuesdays” on our Instagram story!
- Every Friday leading up to the Auction, we will reveal a few items you can bid on beginning on Saturday, November 4!
- Every Tuesday leading up to the Auction, we will ask a Trivia question on our Instagram story. The first to answer correctly wins and will receive a WCGS bag with a few WCGS-branded items inside!
We are so thankful so many of you have already RSVPd! Still need to RSVP? Click here.
Follow us on Instagram to join the fun!
We have items in every price range, but we can still use more to make this the best auction ever!
Here are some items to consider donating:
- Tickets to concerts and sports events
- Vacation homes
- Business services
- Lessons in cooking, dance, knitting, sewing…
- Other ideas? We would love to hear them! Contact Joanne DeGroot.
Don’t forget to RSVP! (Adults only, please!) Join us for dinner, browsing items, music, and a fun game of Trivia! (No experience needed!)
From Mr. Painter’s Desk
Report Cards
It is hard to believe that tomorrow marks the end of our first quarter of the school year! The teachers are working diligently to prepare your child’s report card for first quarter. Much prayer, thought, and time goes into these reports. We hope that they give you a snapshot of the growth of your child over the past nine weeks. Please take note of their academic progress but also their development socially, emotionally, and spiritually. We desire to see them make gains in each of these areas throughout the school year. Thank you for your continued partnership in working towards this goal; it is certainly a team effort. First quarter report cards will be sent electronically to parents at around 3:30 p.m. next Friday, October 27.
MAP Growth Results
MAP Growth Assessment results will be sent home with your child in an envelope next Friday, October 27. Please be looking for this information. There will be a letter inside the envelope explaining more about the data, so please take time to read it prior to reviewing the results. We felt it was important to get you these results on the same day as the report card since the MAP results are just one piece of information about your child as a learner.
Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-Up
Parent-Teacher Conference sign-up will be open next week. You will be receiving important instructions about this from Beth Wright by email tomorrow. Conferences are being held at school on November 2 and 3. We will again be utilizing the PTC Wizard system to do online conference sign-ups and manage our Parent-Teacher Conference schedules. We look forward to connecting with many of you during those two days. We know it takes time and planning on your part to join these conferences, but we are confident that it is a worthwhile endeavor, as we seek to gain a more complete picture of who your children are and what they need as individuals.
Shorts for K-5 Students
This is a friendly reminder that tomorrow (Friday) is the last day for grades K-5 to wear shorts. These students may resume wearing shorts during 4th quarter as the weather turns warmer.
Wheaton Academy Parent Event
As part of the WCGS Parent Series, we invite you to save the date for Tuesday, November 14, at 7:00 p.m. in the Wheaton Academy Fine Arts Center to hear Alisa Childers. How can we help equip our kids to have a Christian worldview in an increasingly secularized culture? Join us on November 14 to hear from author, singer, and apologist Alisa Childers. She will share tips about how Christian parents can teach their kids discernment by exposing them to bad ideas in an age-appropriate manner and teaching them to analyze media from a biblical perspective. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Please use this link to secure your registration.
Important Upcoming Dates
Friday, October 20
Zero Waste Day
Popcorn Day
End of First Quarter
Junior High Read-In Day
9:00-10:00 a.m. – 2nd Grade Fire Safety Presentation (Commons)
10:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – 5th Grade Trip to Lincoln Marsh
3:30-4:00 p.m. – Virtual Battle of the Books Meet
3:30-5:00 p.m. – Junior High Kickball
Saturday, October 21
8:30-11:30 a.m. – Robotics Team Practice
Monday, October 23
BIRTHDAY: Jennifer Rodriguez (Jr. High Math Teacher)
NO SCHOOL – Teacher In-Service
Tuesday, October 24
BIRTHDAY: Jake Lindstedt (Jr. High History)
Q2 Hot Lunch Begins
Hot Lunch – Jersey Mike’s
8:00-8:40 a.m. – Praise Team Rehearsal (Commons)
3:30-5:30 p.m. – Robotics Team
Wednesday, October 25
Hot Lunch – Barone’s Pizza
7:45-8:30 a.m. – FCA Huddle
7:55-8:40 a.m. – Math Counts (Room 616)
8:00-8:40 a.m. – Praise Team Rehearsal (Commons)
8:00-8:40 a.m. – Jazz Combo Rehearsal (Room 501)
10:45 a.m. – Grades 6-8 Chapel
3:30-4:00 p.m. – Yearbook Club (Graphics Lab)
Thursday, October 26
8:00-8:40 a.m. – Honors Orchestra (Room 507)
8:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. – 6th Grade Trip to Wheaton College (Observatory, Welcome Center, Conservatory)
9:00-11:00 a.m. – Women’s Bible Study (Gospelife Church)
3:30-4:30 p.m. – Grades 2-8 Chess Club (Room 604)
3:30-5:00 p.m. – Robotics Team
Friday, October 27
Zero Waste Day
3:30 p.m. – Report Cards Issued
3:30-4:00 p.m. – Virtual Battle of the Books Meet
Saturday, October 28
BIRTHDAY: Antonio Rodriguez (Maintenance)
Library News
Book Fair Contest
It’s hard to believe, but this year’s book fair is less than a month away! It will begin on November 15, and you will be getting more information about it soon. We are starting our traditional book fair contest early so that winners will know about their gift cards and prizes before the start of the fair. The theme for this year is an ocean expedition, and you can find all the details about the contest here. Materials are available now in the library, and contest entries can be turned in beginning on Thursday, October 26. They are due on Monday, November 6.
STEAM+ Notes
Outdoor Family Fair
Fermilab is having an Outdoor Family Fair on Sunday, October 22, 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Lederman Science Center. Enter Fermilab from Kirk and Pine St., Batavia, IL. Pre-registration is required. Click here to pre-register. If you have questions call 630-840-5588.
Calling All Parents Who Work in STEAM Fields
WCGS will have our third STEAM FAMILY FAIR on Tuesday, February 6, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. If you have a passion and expertise in STEAM related areas, would you be willing to host a table, demonstration, or interactive activity? Families would attend representing children in ages from kindergarten through eighth grade. Please email Jacqueline Lauriat if you are interested in participating.
Notable Notes
Fathers’ Prayer Breakfast
On Saturday, November 18, we will host our Fathers’ Prayer Breakfast from 7:30-8:30 a.m. in the Commons here at school. Whether you have attended before or this is your first time, we look forward to sharing a meal, hearing a devotional, and praying together as fathers in the WCGS community. It is a rich time and one that I hope you will consider joining. We will respect your time and dismiss by 8:30 a.m. so that you can continue on with your weekend. If you are able to attend on November 18, please RSVP to Lauren Fortosis by Monday, November 13, to help with breakfast planning.
Absence Reporting.
As we approach the end of first quarter, we want to draw some attention on how to report absences, late arrivals, or early dismissals. We find that families are more than willing to follow the protocols, but sometimes have a hard time remembering what they are since it is not a daily occurrence! Here is a simplified version of the information that is provided in the PARENT HANDBOOK on absence reporting:
Sick/Early Dismissal/Late Arrival
E-MAIL attendance@wheatonchristian.org, or CALL and leave a message on our attendance line (630-668-1385, option 3)
Communicate prior to 9:30am on the day of the arrangement/illness.
Trip (or any FULL DAY ABSENCE that you know about in advance)
Submit a Pre-Arranged Absence Notification Form to the office as soon as you make your plans.
How?
- PRINT from home
- Pick up a copy from the office wall
- Log into your FACTS Family Portal and submit the paperless version online
Communicating absences through these procedures is a huge help to our faculty and staff for planning and compliance purposes. Please be aware that WCGS is required by law to account for every enrolled student on every school day. If you have not informed us of your student’s absence and the reason for that absence, we will be reaching out to you. Your child’s health and safety are of prime importance to us!
Students Leaving Early for Appointments
We understand that it can be difficult to find appointments outside of school hours and are happy to work with parents when they need to take their children out of school during the day for unavoidable reasons. Please understand that while it is important for us to know when students will be leaving, it is very difficult to have them “in the office and ready for pick-up” at a specific time. School personnel are not always able to keep their eye on the clock when they are delivering instruction and interacting with students. If you need to pick your child up during the day, please be aware of the following instructions:
- Notify the attendance line of your plan to pick up your child prior to 9:30am (see above)
- Upon your arrival at school, office personnel will call the classroom and ask for your child to be sent. Please allow at least 5 minutes for your child to complete their task, pack up, and come to the office. If you are running late, you may call the office a few minutes prior to your arrival at school and ask that your child be called to the office.
- Come into the office or call when your car is out front when picking up your child. Although students are permitted to sign themselves out, office personnel need to see or hear from you before they will release your child.
Thank you for allowing us to assist you in reaching your appointments on time and freeing up teachers to focus on instruction through these procedures.
Jr. High Bell Schedules
Several have inquired about the specific Jr. High bell schedules we run throughout the week. It can all be found on page 24 of the Jr. High Handbook. Click on the picture below to reference the handbook and to find other helpful information about Jr. High life.
Community Corner
The Fox Valley Nutcracker
Looking for something fun and festive to do to help kick off the holidays? The Fox Valley Ballet presents The Fox Valley Nutcracker! Seven of WCGS’s own will be performing in it: Charlotte Green (8S), Elsie Fortosis (8L), Isabel Wilding (6F), Alaina De Young (6J), Hannah Wilding (3J), Pennie Barr (1T), and Libby Cate Green (KS). Performances will be held on Saturday, November 25, 1:00 and 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 26, 1:00 p.m. at the Batavia Fine Arts Center (1250 W. Wilson Street in Batavia). Purchase your tickets at: foxvalleynutcracker.com.
VFM Thanksgiving Ball and Fundraiser
Your family is invited to attend the Visionary Family Ministries’ Thanksgiving Ball and Fundraiser on Sunday, November 12, from 4:30-8:30 p.m. at the Abbington in Glen Ellyn. This is a great opportunity to bring all the generations of your family together–from kids to grandparents–for a night of live music, good food, dancing, games, and a live auction with family-friendly items. For more information or to register, visit this webpage.
