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Happy Sunday, Willard Families! 💙

Welcome to February—the month of love! And we truly mean that. We love and care deeply for each and every one of your children and the families that make up the beautiful fabric of our Willard community.

We know these past few weeks—and even months—have been hard. We want to take a moment to pause and acknowledge that. The weight of transition is real, and we see you. We hear you. We feel you.

As many of you know, Principal Battle has been part of Willard for 11 years, and she is deeply woven into who we are as a school. These changes affect all of us, and we are processing right alongside you. Our commitment is to be exactly what you need during this time—to listen, to support, and to walk this journey together as we navigate what's next for our beloved community.

Moving Forward with Information & Support:

Starting next week, we'll be adding a new section to our newsletter (similar to our Road to Haven updates) focused on providing information and resources about Foster School. We want you to have the knowledge and clarity you need to make the best decisions for your families.

This February, our goal is to offer you space to ask questions, gather information, and ultimately find a path forward that feels right for you. We encourage you to attend the Foster School Open Houses on Wednesday (and meet us before or after for pizza at Lou Malnati's!)—go catch the vibe, see what's happening, and explore whether it might be the right fit for your family. You'll find open house flyers attached, and additional details and timelines are available in the PTA Town Hall slides below.

Please know: we are here every step of the way. And we still have a wonderful 4.5 months together to celebrate student achievement, build community, and share so much love!

With gratitude and care,

AP Ernvall

The Week of February 2nd: Families will receive a letter for each of their children in D65. This letter will detail where each student has been assigned to go to school next year (2026-27 school year).

Families will be asked to log into PowerSchool and do one of three things by March 1st:

1. Accept their school assignment (no further action needed)
2. Request a Permissive Transfer
3. Request a Return to Home School

These steps will be explained in detail in the letter.

February 2nd: Registration Opens for Kindergarten and Rising 6th Graders!

The Week of February 9th: Willard's Parent-Teacher Conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both days will have District Staff present to answer questions and clarifications regarding paperwork, process, or next steps. Both Principal Battle and AP Ernvall will be present for support in completing selections, logging into powerschool, or answering questions.

March 1st: All permissive transfer requests MUST be submitted by 11:59 p.m. March 1, 2026, to be considered for the 2026-27 school year.

For More Information: Please see the District Website Link Specifically

Hey artists! We're taking a little break—no Art Club this week (half day) or next week (conferences). But don't worry, we'll be back!

Current Members: We have TWO more amazing sessions together—February 18th and February 25th! Let's make them count as we wrap up our fall/winter session with a creative bang!

Calling All Future Artists: 3rd-5th graders, get ready! Permission slips for our exciting spring session will be coming home starting February 23rd. Mark your calendars—the spring session launches March 11th, and you won't want to miss it!

We have only 13 spots left for Girls on the Run which will start in March!

Registration Link - https://bit.ly/3LqPVx3

General Program Information - https://bit.ly/3LLmHJg

Get ready for an evening of amazing discoveries! We can't wait to see everyone on Monday, February 2nd as our young scientists showcase their incredible creativity, curiosity, and hard work!

When & Where: Monday, February 2nd | Willard Multi-Purpose Room

Schedule:

• 6:00 PM – Doors open; project set-up begins
• 6:10–6:40 PM – Students present their projects (this is the moment they've been working toward!)
• 6:40 PM – Project clean-up; head to the Willard Auditorium
• 6:50 PM – Special science demonstration by Mike Boll! (You won't want to miss this!)
• 7:30 PM – Event concludes

Need Project Ideas? Check out [this website]—it's packed with fantastic projects organized by age group to help spark inspiration!

We Need YOU! 🌟 Judges make this event truly special by giving students the chance to present their work, practice important skills, and feel celebrated! We're looking for 10-15 volunteers.

Sign up here: [Volunteer sign up]

Questions? Contact Kelsey Critchell at kelseycritchell@gmail.com or Liza Rivnay at liza.rivnay@gmail.com

See you Monday for a night of science and fun! ⚗️✨

Mark your calendars! The Winter session wraps up on March 6, and our exciting Spring session runs from March 9 through May 22.

Spring Registration: Opens February 9 and closes March 22

Discovery Clubs Scholarship Update:
The district has updated the scholarship process! Here's what you need to know:

• One scholarship per club per session is available to families
• Interested families should contact Willard administration directly to inquire about eligibility
• If approved, you'll receive a coupon code to use during registration
• Scholarships are limited—once all codes are distributed, no additional scholarships will be available for that session

Questions about registration? Contact Right at School. Questions about scholarships? Reach out to our school office!

COMING UP!!!! Wednesday, February 4th

Take the night off from cooking and join Principal Battle and AP Ernvall for delicious pizza while supporting Willard Elementary PTA! Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is generously donating 20% of all sales from our school community that evening.

How It Works:

• Dine-In, Takeout, or Delivery – whatever works for your family!
• Online orders: Use promo code GIVEBACK25
• In-store or phone orders: Mention Willard Elementary PTA

RSVP & get all the details here: https://grouprai.se/s317830

Grab your family, grab your neighbors, and let's fill Lou Malnati's while raising funds for our amazing school. We can't wait to see you there! 🎉

#TakeoutForGood #WillardPTA #PizzaWithAPurpose

In Need of Plastic Caps: The fourth graders have been discussing activism and read the book Washed Ashore, which features an organization by the same name that fishes out garbage from the ocean and creates AWESOME sculptures of different ocean animals. As part of this unit, the fourth graders and I will be creating an art display for the library made entirely out of plastic caps. For this, we need to collect bottle caps of all different sizes, colors, and styles. So please save and send in your plastic food caps, plastic medicine caps, plastic bottle caps, and more. Students can bring them to the library, where there will be a collection bin.

THANKS!

Ms. Harries

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our recent PTA Town Hall whether in person or virtual! Your engagement, ideas, and thoughtful questions made it such a valuable evening for our Willard community.

Missed it or want to revisit the conversation? Check out the [Town Hall slides] to catch up on what we discussed.

Want to Get Involved? The PTA would love to have you! Whether you're interested in joining the School Transitions Committee or any other PTA committee, they have a spot for you. Sign up here!

We are better together! In times of transition and change, we are our greatest resource and strength. Thank you for being part of it! 💙

Welcome to your new Haven hub! This dedicated section will keep you in the loop with newsletters, middle school announcements, and all the fun events coming your way in the months ahead. Looking forward to entering this next leg of the journey with our scholars!

Just a quick reminder about our indoor/outdoor recess policy. We love getting the kids outside as much as possible, but sometimes weather doesn't cooperate!

We keep recess indoors when:

• There's heavy rain, snow, thunderstorms, or unsafe playground conditions
• The real feel temperature or wind chill drops below 20°F
• The heat index reaches 95°F or higher, or there are air quality concerns

We always prioritize student safety while trying to give them that much-needed fresh air and playtime. Thanks for understanding!

Washington is hosting an event with Screen Sense Evanston. It is a parent education event about how we can support our kids and make decisions about technology. Everyone is invited so please share the information broadly!

Presentation will be in English but handouts/resources will be available in both Spanish and English.

Where: Washington auditorium
When: Wed. 2/18 from 6 - 7:30pm

Event is free and registration is not required, but it is great if we can get an idea of the headcount by having folks sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4AA8AF23AAF8C61-61583356-screen

*Unfortunately we aren't able to provide childcare for this event

Thank you to everyone for supporting each other as we move forward with the recent board votes to close TWI at Willard and Kingsley. We are working with the other PTA, schools, Willard principals, and the District to make these transitions as smooth as possible. The PTA will be sending out information as we get it and forming committees to help these transitions. The PTA looks forward to including all of the interest holders as we make a plan to best support and honor these changes.

The 5th annual District 65 PTA One Fund Native Plant Sale is live! Select from a wide variety of native plants, shrubs and trees and order by Friday, February 21. Proceeds from this district-wide plant sale helps fund every District 65 school via the PTA Equity Project's One Fund Initiative.

Pre-order pick-up will be held on Saturday, May 23 from 10am to 1pm in the Chute Middle School courtyard (1400 Oakton St., Evanston). A limited number of plants, shrubs, and trees will also be available for sale. Late pick-up is available!

To view the items available and make a purchase, please visit https://go.rallyup.com/2026nativeplantsale/Campaign/Details.

Donations to plant wildflowers and trees on D65 school grounds are also accepted.

Don’t miss a beat with all things Willard PTA! 🦉 Check out the Weekly Newsletter for the latest happenings, membership info, and our handy directory. If you missed the latest Owl Notes, click here to catch up!

February:

• 2nd: Science Fair at Willard (6:00-7:30pm)
• 3rd: D65 Caregiver Council for Disability Inclusion meeting (6:30-8:00pm)
• 4th: School Improvement Day - Early Dismissal
  
• 4th: Willard Eat with your Principals to Support at Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
• 4th: Foster School Family Meeting @Fleetwood-Jourdain Center (5:30-7:30pm)
• 5th: African American Youth Achievement Awards ceremony and celebration (6:00-9:00pm)
• 9th: D65 Committee of the Whole meeting (5:00-7:00pm)
• 10th: Willard Parent-Teacher Conferences (4:00-6:00pm)
• 11th: Willard Parent-Teacher Conferences (4:00-7:00pm)
• 13th: Non Attendance Day
• 17th: D65 Sustainability Community Meeting (Virtual)
• 18th: Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee meeting (6:00-7:00pm)
• 20th: African Diaspora Night at Willard (6:00-7:45pm)
• 23rd: D65 Regular Board Meeting (6:00-8:00pm)
• 24th: Willard New Families Spring Open House Grades 1st-5th