October Newsletter

Fall is in the air at Waltham! The cooler mornings, colorful leaves, and excitement of the season are filling our classrooms with energy. Students are settling into their routines, and it’s wonderful to see the learning, laughter, and friendships growing each day.

Here are some important dates to keep on your calendar this month:

• Friday, October 3rd – PTCC Pizza Lunch

• Friday, October 10th & Monday, October 13th – No School for Students

• Wednesday, October 15th – 11:35 a.m. Early Dismissal for K-8 students & Board of Education Meeting at 6:00 p.m.

• Monday, October 20th – PTCC Meeting at 6:00 p.m.

• Tuesday, October 28th – School Picture Retakes

• Halloween Parties – More information can be found below

We are grateful for the support of our families and PTCC for helping make school a place where students can learn, grow, and feel connected. Here’s to a wonderful October filled with learning, fall traditions, and plenty of pumpkin-spiced fun!

Mrs. Melanie Lukacsy,

Principal

We are excited to celebrate Halloween with our students later this month! Classroom parties and our school parade are always a highlight, and we look forward to seeing the creativity and fun that come with costumes and festivities.

Students will not be wearing costumes until after lunch, so the morning will be a regular school day filled with instruction. If your family chooses not to celebrate Halloween or you prefer for your child not to participate in the party and parade, please still send them to school in the morning. Our teachers will ensure that all students have a positive and welcoming day, whether they join in the celebration or not.

For students in grades K–4, Halloween parties will begin immediately following the parade around the perimeter of the school (inside the gym if the weather does not cooperate). Four approved PTCC room parents will be able to attend each classroom party. All food items will be packaged to go home with students; no food will be consumed during the party.

For students in grades 5–8, the celebration will look a little different. They will enjoy an additional pizza lunch on Friday, October 31st, and each student will receive a treat bag to take home at the end of the day.

We’ve noticed that many students are in need of headphones or earbuds at school. These are an important tool for learning—students use them every day with their devices, and they’re also required for trimester testing and state testing in grades 3–8 this spring.

If your child’s headphones break or get lost, please send in a replacement so they are ready to learn. If getting a pair is a challenge, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the office. We’re happy to help families who need support, though we don’t have enough on hand to provide them for every student.

Students and staff members are encouraged to show their school pride every day, but especially on Fridays! Spirit wear is now available for purchase for students, families, and community members. Click here to shop: https://thesudco.com/collections

Our first Student Attendance Celebration was held on Tuesday, September 30th. Hopefully your children came home and shared all the exciting details and changes for this school year!

This year, we are inviting local businesses and families to partner with us in supporting our mission of increasing student attendance and engagement.

We’ve already secured exciting prizes and motivators from Medieval Times, Illinois State University, the Chicago Wolves, and more! Now, we’re looking to add some local interest and community support to make our program even stronger.

Here’s how you can help:

• Sponsor one month during the school year with a minimum $100 donation.

• Your sponsorship will be used to purchase gift cards and prizes for student drawings that motivate and celebrate great attendance.

What you’ll receive in return:

• Recognition of your business or family’s support on our social media, at monthly AttenDANCES, and in our parent and community newsletters during your sponsored month.

We can’t do this without you! If you or your business are interested in sponsoring—or if you’d like more information—please reach out to Mrs. Lukacsy at 815-667-4417 or mlukacsy@wesd185.org.

📣 Feel free to share this opportunity with your employers, friends, and on your own social media pages. Together, we can make a big difference for our students!

A big thank you to Bernabei, Balestri & Fiocchi Law Offices for sponsoring our October Attendance initiatives! Your support helps us celebrate students and encourage great attendance all month long. We appreciate your partnership!

👑❤️Come join us for the Queen of Hearts Raffle at Joy & Ed's Thursdays at 7 p.m.!

One ticket for $5 or 6 for $20! 👑❤️

1. Strengthening Math Instruction - This year, we’re transitioning to the new Illustrative Math program to deepen student understanding. Our staff is undergoing specialized training to bring this new and improved curriculum to the classroom.

2. Fostering a Safe, Inclusive, and Positive Climate - Our school culture is built on strong relationships. We're committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment where every student feels welcome and supported to be their authentic self.

3. Increasing Student Attendance and Engagement - Our attendance incentive programs were a big hit last year—so they’re back and even better! Students will once again have chances to win awesome prizes just for showing up and giving their best each day.

4. Strengthening Staff Development Aligned to School Priorities - Our professional learning this year is focused on the things that matter most to students: math instruction, use of AI in education, grading practices, and meaningful assessment.

5. Enhancing Communication and Community Outreach - We are committed to keeping you connected. We will continue to use our newsletters, social media, and in-person events to ensure you feel like a valued partner in your child's education.
   

Our Lost and Found is filling up!

If your child is missing a sweatshirt, jacket, water bottle, or other items, please check the Lost and Found outside the entrance to the gym (also pictured below).

Unclaimed items will be donated at the end of the month.

Third grade jumped right into learning multiplication to start the year! They learned several ways to show multiplication including equal groups, number sentences and arrays. They created arrays with their own bodies, making sure there were an equal amount of bodies in each row.

Fourth grade has been enjoying the novel “Out of my Mind” by Sharon Draper. This book follows the life and struggles of Melody Brooks, a 5th grader with cerebral palsy. 4th grade created communication boards similar to Melody and learned how difficult it is to communicate without a voice. We then had a zoom call with Lily, and her mom Britta. Lily has Edwards Disease (Trisomy 18) and has similar challenges to overcome as our book character. Lily showed us her vision communication board. She even picked a song at the end for us to sing to her as a class!

Students in 7th and 8th grade enjoyed an evening out on the town. Thanks to Baked and Brewed for hosting our first Creativity Ink. event of the year. The sweets were awesome! Students shared their very own poetry inspired by Shel Silverstein. We also had Hawk Talk on scene doing some live news casting. Check out our Waltham Facebook page for the special edition newscast on this event.

Student Absences

• If your child/children are going to be absent for the day, for any reason, please contact the office directly at 815-667-4417 or email both tlewis@wesd185.org and shewitt@wesd185.org.
• Do not contact your child's teacher directly with daily absences.
• Any absences for extended periods of time, please communicate with homeroom teachers AND the main office.
• Any student absences not communicated to the office by 10 a.m. will receive a phone call from the school.

Student Arrival

• Students that do not ride the bus should be dropped off/picked up in the car line in the front of the building. When entering the parking lot, cars should veer to the right and enter the pick-up/drop-off line.
• The car line will begin moving at 8:00 a.m.
• PreK-8 students should not arrive before 8:00 a.m. Students can be picked up at the same entrance at the end of the school day.
• Please stay in your car after you pull up in front of the building during arrival.

Student Dismissal

• Unless written notice or a phone call from a parent/guardian is received by the school office one hour prior to dismissal, students will be sent home on the bus.
• Cars should not line up for the end-of-day car line until 15 minutes prior to student dismissal. If you arrive early, you will be asked to park your vehicle in a parking space until the appropriate time.
• If you need to buckle a child into your vehicle, please pull forward into a parking space after they get into your car. We need to keep our car line moving at a steady pace.
• Please stay in your car after you pull up in front of the building during dismissal.
• It is important that you pass this information along to anyone who may be picking up your child at the end of the day.

Tardiness / Early Departure

• Students will be marked tardy if they are not in their classrooms, ready for learning, at 8:10 a.m.
• If your child needs to be picked up early, please pull up to the front of the building and call the office at 815-667-4417. We will sign your child out and send them out to your car.
• If you are dropping a junior high student off late, they MUST enter the building through the office. No students should go directly to the trailer after 8:10 a.m. without first stopping in the main building.
• We ask that you please make every effort to make appointments for your children before or after school to minimize disruptions to the learning environment and office.

No students will be dismissed in the final 20 minutes of the school day unless they are leaving for a Waltham-sponsored event.

Early Release Days for K-8 Students

• Students will be dismissed at 11:35 a.m. on the following days:
• Wednesday-September 17th,
• Wednesday- October 15th,
• Wednesday- November 19th,
• Wednesday, December 17th,
• Wednesday- January 21st,
• Wednesday-February 18th,
• Wednesday-March 18th,
• Wednesday-April 15th, and
• Wednesday-May 20th.

Student Illness Policy

• Students must be 24 hours fever-, vomit-, and diarrhea-free before returning to school.

• A doctor’s note is required if a student is absent 3 or more consecutive days due to illness.

• Students absent for any part of the school day due to illness may not attend school events that evening—this applies to both participants and spectators.

Non-Prescription Medicines

• Non-prescription medications will not be dispensed by school personnel. If students need non-prescription medicine during the school day, a parent/guardian is required to come to school and administer the medicine.

Student Lunch Information

• Daily Lunch – Students must bring their own lunch to school each day.

• Monthly Hot Lunch – Once a month, students will have the option to order Pizza Hut pizza, organized by our PTCC.

• Drinks – Only water or milk are allowed at school. Other drinks such as juice boxes, Gatorade, soda, colored/flavored waters, etc. are not allowed at school.

• Milk at School – Milk can be purchased at school for $0.40 per carton. Please send exact change if possible.

School Day Disruptions

• In order to minimize disruptions in the classrooms, we request that items (i.e., lunches, P.E. clothes, uniforms, instruments, homework, etc.) be dropped off in the office. Office personnel will make sure the item gets to your child.

Cellphones and Wearable Technology

• During the school day, which is the time between 8:05-3:10 p.m. on regular school days, electronic devices such as cell phones, smart watches, and earbuds/headphones must be kept powered-off, and in locker/backpack.

• Android: https://bit.ly/3fezeBS or
• iPhone: https://apple.co/2QoGMIC

Follow us for up to date news & information:

• Website: www.wesd185.org
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