Thursday Notes – September 25, 2025

View This Week’s Photos

From Mr. Brooke’s Desk

See You at the Pole

I was so encouraged to see over 200 people at See You at the Pole this past Wednesday morning.  I want to applaud our student leaders who helped guide the event.  It was such a privilege to see so many in prayer together before the school day began.  Please continue to be in prayer for our students and that God would be glorified at WCGS!

Save the Date: Scholarship Auction & Trivia Night – November 14, 6:30 p.m.

We can’t wait to gather for this year’s Scholarship Auction & Trivia Night on Friday, November 14. Mark your calendars now – you won’t want to miss this fun and meaningful evening! If you haven’t been before, this is your chance to experience a night filled with community, laughter, stories of God’s goodness, and generosity. Invitations hit mailboxes early October, but in the meantime, we’d love for you to start thinking about how you can help make this year’s auction a success. We are currently seeking silent auction donations such as event tickets, handcrafted items, getaways, gift baskets, professional services, etc. We are always open to new ideas!

NEW THIS YEAR…A unique feature of our Scholarship Auction & Trivia Night is that dinner is completely free for guests! However, we’d love to invite families or local businesses to sponsorship opportunities so that 100% of funds raised will go directly to the Scholarship Fund. By sponsoring the dinner, you’ll not only enjoy great visibility for your business, but you’ll also help eliminate overhead to maximize impact on the Scholarship Fund. Here are the levels of sponsorship to support the dinner and promote your business:

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Program Sponsor – $250
A simple way to support! With the addition of a donated auction item, your business logo will appear in our event program throughout the night. It’s a great entry point to connect your brand with our community.

Table Sponsor – $500
Put your business right in the middle of the action! As a Table Sponsor, your logo will be featured in the program, plus a 5×7 sign with your logo will be placed at a table centerpiece. You can even provide flyers or coupons for the 8 guests seated at your table providing direct exposure to families and community members. We are seeking 25 table sponsorships.

Buffet Sponsor – $5,000
Be front and center at one of the evening’s highlights: dinner! Your logo will appear in the program, with large signage at the buffet tables seen by every guest. Verbal recognition and a newsletter recap will reach an even broader audience. This is a premier sponsorship that maximizes both visibility and impact. We are seeking three buffet sponsorships.

If you have an item to donate, interest in sponsorship, or new ideas, please contact Shannon McDonald, Development Coordinator, at smcdonald@wheatonchristian.org. Even if you don’t have an item to donate, come join us anyway! Everyone is welcome to enjoy dinner, browse unique auction items, hear stories of God’s goodness, and test your knowledge in trivia. Your participation truly makes a difference!

From Mr. Painter’s Desk

Chapel Date Change for October

We are excited to have Vic and Leslie Trautwein from Kid’s Alive International in the Dominican Republic with us this month for chapel. Because they were unable to be here on October 8, chapel has been moved from that day to October 15. Chapels will be held at their usual times on that day.

Mid-Quarter Progress Reports

As noted on our school calendar, tomorrow marks the midpoint of our 1st quarter of the 2025-2026 school year. A number of wonderful activities have taken place both inside and outside this building. There is also a lot of great learning taking place inside our classrooms! All homeroom teachers in grades 1-8 will be sending mid-quarter reports to our families Friday evening. These reports are designed to give you a snapshot of some of the work that your child has accomplished thus far. Please keep in mind that there may not be many grades in the gradebook this early in the school year. Rather than looking at the overall grade, please review the progress that your child has made. There are still a number of weeks before our first quarter concludes. We provide these progress reports as a way to keep you informed and maintain clear communication between the school and home. Thank you for your continued partnership in the education of your child!

Important Upcoming Dates

Friday, September 26

Mid-Quarter

Popcorn Day

Zero Waste Day

Fall Fellowship Gatherings

8:05-11:45 a.m. – 1st Grade Trip to Kuiper’s Farm (Maple Park)

3:30-5:00 p.m. – Grades 6-8 Worship and Pizza Night

Saturday, September 27

7:30-8:30 a.m. – Fathers’ Prayer Breakfast (Commons)

8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. – Robotics Team (STEAM Room/Innovation Hub)

Sunday, September 28

BIRTHDAY: Kim Norbeck (Admissions Director)

Monday, September 29

Hot Lunch – Chick-fil-A

9:00-10:00 a.m. – Moms in Prayer (Room 308)

Tuesday, September 30

Hot Lunch – Jersey Mike’s

3:30-5:00 p.m. – Robotics Team (STEAM Room/Innovation Hub)

4:00 p.m. – Boys’ V Soccer @ Westminster Christian

4:00 p.m. – Girls’ JV VBall @ Westminster Christian

5:00 p.m. – Boys’ JV Soccer @ Westminster Christian

5:00 p.m. – Girls’ V VBall @ Westminster Christian

Wednesday, October 1

Hot Lunch – Barone’s Pizza and Pasta

8:00-8:40 a.m. – MathCounts (Room 807)

9:15-11:30 a.m. – Women’s Bible Study (Amy Paglia’s home)

3:30-4:00 p.m. – Yearbook Club (Tech Lab 106)

Thursday, October 2

7:45-8:40 a.m. – Robotics Team (STEAM Room/Innovation Hub)

3:30-5:00 p.m. – Robotics Team (STEAM Room/Innovation Hub)

3:30-4:30 p.m. – Chess Club (Room 714/716)

4:00 p.m. – Boys’ V Soccer vs. Timothy Christian (WCGS)

4:00 p.m. – Girls’ JV VBall vs. Timothy Christian (WCGS)

5:00 p.m. – Boys’ JV Soccer vs. Timothy Christian (WCGS)

5:00 p.m. – Girls’ V VBall vs. Timothy Christian (WCGS)

Friday, October 3

BIRTHDAYS: Marc Painter (Principal) and Mary Waterman (Kindergarten Aide)

8:40 a.m.-3:00 p.m. – 6th Grade Trip to Griffin’s Museum of Science and Industry

9:00-11:30 a.m. – KE & KS Trip to Cosley Zoo

12:50-3:10 p.m. – KL & KO Trip to Cosley Zoo

3:30 p.m. – Auxiliary Treats on the Playground

Saturday, October 4

BIRTHDAY: Lisa Zanke (Teacher Support)

STEAM+ Notes

Newspapers 

The STEAM Lab is always accepting newspapers and paper towel tubes. We use these for various activities for students in K-8. Students can drop them off directly to the STEAM Lab or drop them off in the office marked, “STEAM Lab.”

Recycling Extravaganza 

Winfield Township Road District Facility has their annual Recycling Extravaganza this Saturday, September 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. For more information check out this Recycling Extravaganza Flyer. This Recycle the Right Way flyer has great reminders on what goes in your blue recycling can at home.

Zero Waste Day is tomorrow! 

Plastic silverware will not be available at lunch time on Fridays.

Notable Notes

School Directory

While the most current place to find the family directory information is always through the Family Portal (since home addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses change throughout the year), we have put together a school directory for your family’s use. This directory includes a staff directory, family directory, class lists, and Auxiliary information. We hope it is useful for your family. School Directory

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WCGS Chapels

All of the WCGS Chapels are livestreamed to allow our school families to be able to view them. If you have the opportunity, feel free to join the livestream and learn along with your children. Missed chapel time? You can view the recorded chapel afterward. To join the livestream for the next chapel or to view previous chapels click here: Wheaton Christian Grammar School – YouTube.

School Pictures – Retakes on Friday, October 10! 📸

You should have received an email from “Jostens School Photography” with ordering instructions. If you haven’t seen an email, you can view and order your students pictures at https://shop.jostenspix.com/login (Event Code: FE214625). If your child was absent on picture day, he/she has been automatically added to our retake list, which will take place during normal school hours on October 10. No need to do anything further. If you are unhappy with how pictures turned out, you have the option to SIGN UP FOR RETAKES on the JostensPIX website. Students MUST BE SIGNED UP in order to receive a retake – unless they were absent. To sign up, look for the link at the top right of the site that reads “SIGN UP FOR RETAKES,” and your student will be added to the list.

Please note that the retake will be the picture that is used for the yearbook. (While you have the option to select which pose you would like to purchase, yearbook poses are selected by Jostens). Class composites will be available to view and purchase after retakes. If you have any questions, please contact Christine Sheetz.

Share Your Story!

We believe that every family in our school community has a unique story of how God led them to WCGS – and we want to celebrate that! Please consider filling out this short survey (option to be anonymous) and share how you were led by God to enroll your kids at WCGS. Testimonies are a powerful encouragement to others and a beautiful reminder of His faithfulness at work in our midst.  A big thank you to those who have already participated!

Thank you for helping us gather these stories of God’s goodness!

2026-2027 Admissions Applications

We love welcoming siblings of our current students! Applications for admissions for 2026-2027 are available on FACTS Family Portal under Apply/Enroll. Current WCGS families will have priority in admissions if the application is submitted by September 30, 2025. Please contact Admissions Director, Kim Norbeck, if you have any questions about the admissions process.

Community Corner

The Word Conference

Influence your world by God’s Word! Join us at The Word Conference, on Monday, September 29, from 2:00-9:00 p.m., where you’ll be equipped to live out His truth in love. Speakers for this event are Dr. Josh Moody and Dr. Joel Beeke. The event will be held at the College Church in Wheaton. For a full schedule and other details, visit WordConference.org. Use code WCGS25 for $10 off tickets.

Merriest Market Vendors Needed

The Merriest Market is back on a NEW date this year (November 22, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.) — and we’re looking for talented vendors to join the holiday fun. Do you sew, weave, make pottery, melt candles, have a baking business, create jewelry or have any other handcrafted item? We are looking for creators and makers in the school community to make this a great market. Showcase your products, grow your business, and spread cheer this year! Vendor Applications are now open.

Wheaton Academy Family Picnic

Wheaton Academy is inviting all families to their Second Annual Family Picnic on Friday, October 3, as part of their Homecoming Activities. The event will be from 5:30-9:00 p.m. New things for the children have been added for this year. FREE pony rides, camel rides, petting zoo, bounce houses, face painting, and balloon sculptures. Burger 302, Billy Bricks Pizza, Dirty Dough Cookies, and The WA Shack will be serving from their food trucks! A live band will be performing 50’s and 60’s classics, and the football game will start at 7:30 as well.  We have it all for a night of family fun!! Come out for dinner, fellowship, and football!!

Fall Football Cheer Clinic

Registration is now open for our favorite fall football Junior Cheer Clinic! Practices will be held on October 8 and 9 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. in Wheaton Academy’s Field House (Court 3). We are excited to also invite our future cheerleaders to join us at our Cheer Legacy banquet from 4:30-5:45 p.m. on October 10, followed by a halftime performance at the football game! Registration includes a t-shirt and dinner. Visit wheatonacademy.org/camps to sign up and follow us on instagram @wheatonacademycheer for more information.

Get to Know Wheaton Academy

Wheaton Academy invites middle school students and their parents to Get to Know Wheaton Academy on October 16 or November 13 at 6:45 p.m. This evening will provide an opportunity for families to learn about our school’s commitment to academics, spiritual life, co-curricular activities, and college readiness, as well as experience the community, connection, and culture that Wheaton Academy offers our students and families. 

Our time together will include:

• Opening Welcome from Mr. Thornton, Principal
• Individual Family Tours
• Meet and Greet with Teachers, Coaches, and Program Leaders

Register online at wheatonacademy.org/visit and discover what it’s like to be a Wheaton Academy Warrior.

Questions? Please contact Amy Burdett, Admissions Coordinator or Amy Hogan, Director of Admissions.