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Good Afternoon, Willard Families!

What a week it has been as we enter today's well-deserved day off in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For those football lovers in our community—some difficult losses with the Bears and Bills getting knocked out of the playoffs. For our outdoor friends—the bitterness and beauty of winter really settling in around us. For the students who got to sleep in this morning and our parents and families entering a short work week—we hope you're savoring this Monday morning a bit differently.

Dr. King once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" As we pause today to honor his legacy, we're reminded that our Willard community thrives when we support one another—whether that's cheering each other on at events, checking in on a neighbor during these cold winter days, or simply making time for meaningful conversation. We hope you'll enjoy the day and carve out time to check in with those around you.

This week's newsletter is packed with updates and reminders: new community resources, upcoming PTA fundraisers with Northwestern and Pizza, as well as last call reminders for Grade Skipping evaluations, Science Fair participation, and our Family Book Club!

Enjoy the remainder of your day, and please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions you have or needs we can support.

Best,

AP Ernvall

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our in-person community meeting on Thursday, January 15th. We genuinely appreciated your time, engagement, and the conversations that were shared in the two spaces. Your perspectives are heard and important to our school community.

For families who would prefer a virtual option, please see the information below. Please note that we've adjusted the start time to begin thirty minutes earlier than originally planned to allow for ample time for conversation. The purpose of the meeting is the same as the one held in-person.

Meeting Details

• Date: Thursday, January 22nd

• Time: 5:30-7:00 p.m.

• Virtual Link: https://district65.zoom.us/j/86222925235

Support Provided

• Spanish interpretation available

• A safe, structured environment for dialogue

We look forward to continuing these conversations with our community, whether you were able to join us in-person or will be participating virtually later this week.

Thank you again for your continued partnership and commitment to our school community.

FAQ Updates: We've included a link to the FAQ sheet to help us prepare and steward our time and conversation. The FAQ is being consistently updated with additional information as questions come in.

All who are Middle School Bound are invited to the State of Haven Showcase! There are two options for family orientation on January 28th and March 25th. Mark your calendar for the one that works best for you! Yeah NorthStars!

Art Club:

Art Club is ready to start back up this week! Students have the following date in this first session of Art Club (Jan. 21st, Jan, 28th, Feb 11th, Feb 18th, Feb 25th). Then Art Club will reset with the ability to join if you missed the opportunity in the Winter! For more information, see Ms. Lopez!

Choir:

Choir is back, singing with excitement. If your scholar is interested in joining, see Mr. Molitor!

Chess Club:

Chess Club is off to an amazing start! Students had such a great first day engaging with Chess. If your 3rd-5th Grader is interested in joining, have them reach out to Ms. Furlow for more information!

Girls on the Run:

Coming this Spring is Willards own Girls on the Run Team! This will be a 10 week club that will "practice" on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:45-4:50pm. They will complete the season by competing in a Celebration 5k the week of May 11th! Scan the QR Code to register as the team gets capped at 15! If you have additional questions, please reach out to Ms. Belizaire or Ms. DeJesus!

Student Voice Committee:

The Student Voice Committee is a special lunch group where kids from grades 2-5 can share their ideas about our school! When your scholars join, they'll eat lunch with AP Ernvall and other who want to help make our school even better.

In this group, they'll get to:

• Share what their friends and they think about school
• Talk about ways to make school more fun and better for everyone
• Help solve problems that students care about
• Be a leader and speak up for other kids

Our students ideas really matter! When they join the Student Voice Committee, they become a helper who makes sure all students are heard. they'll learn how to be a good leader while making our school a happier place for everyone.

Want to help make our school awesome? Encourage your scholars. to come join us for lunch and let their voice be heard! More information and sign up to come!

Two of Willards amazing educators are running a Parent/Staff Book Club. See the flyer for additional details and information! Please reach out to Ms. Galicia and/or Ms. Collins for additional information!

Sign Up Here!

All schools- Message to Community

In District 65 we are committed to helping all students reach their full potential and to provide opportunities that accelerate learning. Accelerated learning is available to all students; educators accelerate learning through grade-level differentiation, enrichment, and small group instruction. D65 also offers the possibility of alternate placement - which may grade skipping, single subject skipping or early entrance into grades K or 1st. You can find more information about acceleration HERE.

The window to request an Alternate Placement for the 2026-207 school year is closing on January 30th. Any requests made after January 30 will not be reviewed until the start of the 2026-2027 school year.

Calling all scientists: the Willard PTA Science Fair is Monday Feb. 2, 2026! Science takes time, so now is the time to start planning your project! You are welcome to research any scientific topic that interests you.

Types of Science Fair Projects
Science fair projects tend to fall into one of two categories, a demonstration or an experiment. A demonstration is just like it sounds, it illustrates a known scientific concept and shows how it works. A really great example of a demonstration is making a volcano out of baking soda and vinegar; the outcome is known (and really fun to watch). Demonstrations are great for younger learners, especially if this is their first time doing science fair.

An experiment, on the other hand, expands on the demonstration by actually learning the relationship between two variables. Let's go back to our volcano, now instead of one volcano, let's make four volcanoes, each time changing how much baking soda is added to the volcano. Now the project has progressed into an experiment. This allows us to learn and draw conclusions from our work. For older students, we highly encourage them to try out an experiment.

Please create a self-standing poster (tri-fold poster boards work great) to present your project and come ready to discuss it with others!

Project Ideas
If you are stuck on how to get started, this website has tons of great projects that are sorted out by age group.

Science Fair Kits
We have a limited number of take-home science fair kits to offer. If you would like to request a take-home kit, please select this option when registering. The form will show you a list of kits to see what is available. These kits will come fully stocked with all the supplies you need to do an experiment from home! Once you have selected this option when registering, a committee member will reach out to connect about details and distribution. All materials will be distributed by January 16 at the latest.

Registration
Please register your student using this form. Deadline for registration is Thursday January 22.

Volunteers
Judges are a very important part of this event as they allow students to present their projects, practice important life skills, and feel celebrated for a job well done! We need 10-15 volunteer judges. Please sign up here: Volunteer sign up

Any questions? Please contact Kelsey Critchell kelseycritchell@gmail.com or Liza Rivnay liza.rivnay@gmail.com.

The PTA still has MANY tickets left for the Northwestern Basketball fundraisers! The PTA Council has huge plans for the Native Plant Sale and discounted Cubs Tickets fundraisers to come!

• Men's games ticket sales site: https://www.gofevo.com/group/District6568

• Women's games ticket sales site: https://www.gofevo.com/group/District657

• Form to request free tickets: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScRd7t_CwFN2_FXnNA8WklezP38UKOzf3lo-vIobZ_CcEZSsA/viewform

Save the date -- February 4th -- Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is donating 20% of Dine-In, Takeout & Delivery orders to Willard Elementary PTA! Take a night off from cooking and join Principal Battle and I in eating for a great cause. Lou Malnati's Pizzeria accepts Dine-In, Takeout & Delivery orders made online using the promo code GIVEBACK25 or in store/by phone mentioning Willard Elementary PTA. You can RSVP & see all details here: https://grouprai.se/s317830 #groupraise #loumalnatispizzeria #willardelementarypta #savethedate #takeoutforgood

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!

January:

• 19th: No School - MLK Day
• 21st: Willard Spelling Bee
• 22nd: Willard TWI Community Meeting (Virtual)
• 25th: Northwestern Women's Basketball Game - PTA Fundraiser (3pm)
• 26th: D65 Regular Board Meeting
• 28th: State of Haven Showcase - Family Orientation (6:30 - 7:30pm)
• 29th: Willard PTA Community Building TownHall (6:15-7:15pm)
• 30th: Deadline for Alternative Placement
• 31st: Northwestern Men's Basketball Game - PTA Fundraiser (7pm)

February:

• 2nd: Science Fair at Willard (6:00-7:30pm)
• 4th: Willard Eat with your Principals to Support at Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
• 20th: African Diaspora Night at Willard (6:00-7:45pm)