WMS RedHawk Summer Update #4

D303 implemented consistent practices regarding cell phones, cellular smartwatches, earbuds, and backpacks to enhance student well-being and safety. Drawing insights from the book The Anxious Generation, which highlights the impact of digital devices on student anxiety and focus, we aim to create a more focused and less stressful learning environment by limiting their use. Additionally, managing backpack use addresses classroom safety concerns by reducing tripping hazards and fostering better organizational skills among students. These measures are designed to promote a healthier, safer, and more productive educational experience for all students, especially in light of recent research linking excessive cell phone use to cognitive development issues, reduced attention spans, impaired learning, and lower academic performance.

D303 MIDDLE SCHOOL EXPECTATION: Students will be expected to keep their cell phones, cellular smartwatches, earbuds, and backpacks in their lockers during the school day this year. CLICK HERE to view the D303 Smart Device Procedure.

1. Cell phones, wireless headphones, and cellular smartwatches should be off and away in lockers from 7:45 AM until the end of the day.
2. Cell phone and Smartwatch use is prohibited in classrooms, restrooms, and school offices unless a teacher states otherwise.
3. During the instructional day, cell phones must be in lockers and placed in the airplane or off mode.
4. If students need to make an emergency phone call during the day, students may use the classroom phone or request to go to the main office to use an office phone. They may also ask the teacher to use their cell phone to call or text a parent if necessary.
5. Students may not text or call a parent to come get them from school without first going to the school nurse or main office.
6. Students may be subject to disciplinary action if they do not follow the school’s cell phone rules.
7. The school and its staff are not responsible for any damage to or theft of a student’s cell phone, smartwatch, or headphones/earbuds. Students must properly secure and take care of their own devices.
8. Accommodations may be made for students who need a cell phone with them or wear wireless headphones for medical or personal reasons. These accommodations must be approved through a 504 Plan, an IEP, or with permission from the principal’s office.

Backpacks may be used before and after school to transport materials from home to school (and vice versa). During the school day, students will be expected to carry their supplies and use their lockers to switch out items during passing periods. Their backpack needs to remain in their locker during the school day.

Accommodations can be made for students who need to carry a sling bag or backpack to each class due to medical or personal reasons. These accommodations must be approved through a 504 Plan, an IEP, or with permission from the principal’s office.

• Students should simply bring a pen and paper, and their Chromebook to class first period. Teachers will tell them what they need each period.

• For new students, Chromebooks should be handed out the first day.

• Cell phones, cellular smartwatches and wireless ear buds (or the like) should be “off and away during the day and stored in lockers.” All students should have wired earbuds or headphones. We have had major issues with students wearing earbuds in class and in the hallway and they were unable to hear directions from staff. Many streamed music wirelessly from their phones rather than listening to instruction. We also had students bringing expensive Bluetooth earbuds and lose one or both during the day. This caused those students a lot of distress especially when they didn't find their missing property.

• During the 10 days of school, we will be continually reviewing the expectations for our students across all of their settings (ex. bus, hallway, classroom, cafeteria, etc.). We will share that information with you after the first week of school or so. We have high expectations for our students and we know they can live up to them!

• Drop off…. Please drop off your child no later than 7:40 AM so that they have time to get to their locker and to class.

• Start Time: 7:50 AM - when students should be seated in their classroom ready to learn. Students not seated in their classroom when the bell rings are considered tardy.

• Each year, we work to reduce the number of students who are tardy to school and class by assigning detentions when tardiness becomes significant. Please help your student develop a habit of arriving at class on time and prepared to learn.

• End Time: 2:50 PM is our regular dismissal time each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

• Every Wednesday is an Early Release, including the first day of school. Students are dismissed at 1:50 PM on early release dates.

• Occasionally, we will run an alternative bell schedule for testing, Team Day, etc. Those will be added to the posted bell schedule, and we notify families via the Friday Forecast newsletter.

If you will be dropping off your child in the morning, then you must look through this Arrival/Dismissal Procedures slideshow! It explains how we do drop off in the morning. We know that traffic poses challenges and have developed the most efficient way to expedite the process. If you follow these directions, we can get a whole bunch of kids in safely and quickly.

• Front lot: The key is to pull up to the furthest sign/cone, and then your child gets out on the passenger side nearest to the building.

• Back lot: The key is to drop off behind the cafeteria, loop around the blacktop area and exit, taking a right turn only onto Dunham.

If you need to pick-up your child in the afternoon, you must pick them up at the Norris Recreation Center parking lot. The majority of our buses will already be here filling the front circle before the dismissal bell rings. Cars will not be able to drive up to the front of the school until after the buses have all been dismissed.

Here are directions (start at slide 4) to go over with your child on how afternoon pick-up works.

• To help students locate their bus in the afternoon, we have a bus board with the lineup of buses. You will also be able to view the PM Bus Arrival Google Sheet where we digitally document the bus locations. Please encourage your child to pay attention to the bus document so they don't miss their bus.

• Don’t park in our front parking lot or along where the softball fields are. This causes issues with our buses entering and exiting.

• There is no option for picking up behind the school in the afternoon, as we have several buses that load from there.

• Pick up all car riders at Norris Recreation Center.

• Late buses the first morning or two: Buses will likely be a bit late the first morning or two. Make sure your student is at their stop a few minutes before their scheduled pick-up time in case they are on time. Just have your student stay at their bus stop until it arrives.

• Late Buses in the PM: Please be patient and know that they will likely run late. You can use this live Google Sheet to see when your child’s bus leaves Wredling. We will add the times each bus departs for the first several weeks, then switch to documenting just the time the final bus departs. (Please bookmark that document for future use.)

• Make sure your child knows their ROUTE number for AM and PM. Our teachers will do this at the end of the day, but it is smart to put their bus routes somewhere where they can easily find them. Tell them that bus ROUTES are displayed in the side window of the bus. Tell them NOT to look at the bus number on the back of the bus.

Bus routes were published August 6th at 8 AM in Home Access Center (HAC) this year - not eLink as in prior years

• It is not a bad idea for students bring a lunch the first few days as lunch lines can get long, especially for 6th graders who are learning about their food options and take a longer time to order/get food. Lunch will be available for purchase daily. Students are welcome to bring lunch or purchase lunch in the cafeteria.

• They will have traditional school lunch choices available. Menus are posted on the District website on the Food Services page.
  2025-2026 Breakfast & Lunch Meal Prices:
  Middle School Breakfast - $2.25
  Reduced Breakfast - $0.30*
  Middle School Lunch - $4.00
  Reduced Lunch - $0.40
  Milk - $0.75 (when purchased separately from meals)
  A la carte items - prices vary

• Click here to learn all about our meal service plans.

• Please make sure to put some money on PushCoin if you want them to access snacks.

• A good conversation to have before school starts is how to budget for snacks. Topics like “not buying snacks for the table” and “you only have money for two snacks per week” are important topics to cover.

• Here is a list of all of our Team Leaders, Admin, and Student Support Team members who will support your child. Please keep this link handy for future reference.

• You can also use our Staff directory located on the right-hand side of the Wredling Website.

• So who do I contact for my concern???
  While there are always some exceptions, the general rule of thumb is to email or call:

• Emotional issues - Counselors

• Disciplinary issues - Student Services Coordinators (Deans)

• School work issue - Teachers

• In general, if your child needs support, start with the teacher and then the team leader. If you still need help, move to the Assistant Principals (academics) or Student Support Coordinators (Deans) (behavioral).

• If you email Francesca Favero (principal), she may forward your email to the right person to handle the issue. Please do not be offended when she does this. The goal is to expedite getting the issue attended to as promptly as possible.

At Wredling, we are dedicated to supporting each student’s academic and personal growth. Consistent attendance is one of the most important factors in helping students stay engaged, connected, and successful. We truly appreciate your partnership in ensuring your student is present and ready to learn each day.

There are new attendance policies and procedures for the 2025-2026 school year that can be found in your student’s handbook beginning on page 11. We have updated our infographics (see below) to reflect these changes, but we would like to direct your attention to the biggest changes:

1. Defined tardies: Minutes 1–6 late will result in a tardy. An extended tardy will be applied if the student is 7 or more minutes late to school or class.
2. 8 excused absences: Once a student has reached 8 excused absences, a staff member may reach out to help problem-solve and offer support.
3. 10 full-day absences: Once a student has accumulated 10 full-day absences, a medical note will be required for all absences to be excused. *See handbook for specific requirements of the medical note on pg. 14.
4. Problem-solving meetings: All students will be required to have a problem-solving meeting with building staff to address attendance concerns. At this time, a parent/guardian may be asked to participate in the conference.
5. No more pre-arranged absences: Vacations during school days are discouraged and will be considered unexcused.

If you have specific concerns regarding your student as it relates to attendance, please reach out directly your student’s Student Support Counselor/Dean:

-Denise Hooks, Last names A-La - denise.hooks@d303.org

-Melissa Hickman, Last names Le-Z - melissa.hickman@d303.org

Before Safety Day and on September 9th, all students will have a lesson on Safety Day purpose and procedures. Safety Day drills will cover: fire drills, severe weather, and a lock down drill. If you have any questions about Safety Day or would like your student to opt-out of the lock down drill, please email: melissa.hickman@d303.org no later than Friday, September 5th at 3pm. We will arrange an alternate place for your student during the drill.

If you are unable to attend either Material Pick Up Day, we have a Picture Retake Day scheduled for Thursday, September 11th. There will be a different order form and code for that date, which will be publicized in our Friday Forecast prior to retakes.

Check out the WMS spirit wear! Our online store is now open and orders can be placed until 8/31/2025. We have cozy hoodies, cool t-shirts, comfy pants, and more! Show WMS pride and support our school by making a purchase today! We only sell spirit wear a couple times a year so don’t miss the chance. We offer a variety of sizes and colors! All orders will be delivered to Wredling in late September.

Link to store: https://redhawks25.itemorder.com/shop/home/

The Color Palooza is a fun and unique event that's all about getting messy, letting loose, having fun, and enjoying the experience with friends and family. Don't miss out on this once a year experience!

The Color Palooza is held right after school on Tuesday, September 23rd, from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM. This will be the ONLY after-school activity on this date.

• Get more information and register by CLICKING HERE!

• Check out our promo video!

#WredlingLearns

Website: wredling.d303.org
Location: 1200 Dunham Road, St. Charles, IL, USA
Phone: 331-228-3700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WredlingMiddleSchoolD303
Twitter: @WredlingD303