Family News 8/17/26

Monday, August 17, 26

• PTO Meeting @ 7:00pm (see below for video link)

Wednesday, August 26, 26

• Early Dismissal

Friday, September 4, 2026

• No School - Institute Day

Monday, September 7, 2026

• No School - Labor Day

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

• Curriculum Night

As the new year gets underway we have been busy working with students on learning new routines while navigating a new classroom culture. Please know that we don't expect students to master a new routine after a few .days or opportunities. New routines require explicit teaching, modeling, practice, feedback, and repetition. This applies to all aspects of our school day including dismissal. While as a parent you may not agree that our new dismissal routine is our best option, this system provides a safer dismissal for students to account for their departure.

This week our students begin their fall benchmark assessments. Up first is the iReady fall assessment, taking place this week for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. While our staff is hard at work building relationships and routines with our students, it's helpful to collect this information so they can provide the targeted instruction our students deserve. You can read more about assessment in our district here.

Wasco School is launching PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support) this year, a District 303 initiative aimed at proactively teaching positive behavior rather than simply punishing mistakes. Staff will consistently coach students around four core expectations (Be Safe, Be Kind, Work Hard, and Do the Right Thing) across all school settings.

The school is also revamping its rewards system: Wasco Bucks will be discontinued in favor of Paw Prints, a class-based recognition system designed to celebrate whole classrooms rather than individual students, fostering a more collaborative culture.

We hope that PBIS will boost engagement, academic achievement, and attendance while strengthening students' social-emotional skills and sense of safety and belonging. Families are encouraged to reinforce the framework at home by using the same language ("safe," "kind," "working hard"), praising positive choices, and asking children about moments when classmates or staff modeled the school's expectations.

You can read more details about PBIS by clicking the link below.

Dear Wasco Families,

The Spirit Club would like to express our sincere appreciation for your participation in last year’s “Let’s Pull Together” pop-tab drive, which supports our local Ronald McDonald House. Please see the attached letter from the Ronald McDonald House Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. We are so proud of our Wasco community for coming together to support such an important cause.

Amy Corda and Rebecca Schroeder

Spirit Club Coordinators

Please take time to review the linked information from our district website regarding our procedures for cell phones and smart devices.

Our first PTO meeting will be held on Monday evening at 7:00 pm. The meeting will be held at in the newly remodeled Wasco LRC however we will live stream the event to allow for those that cannot attend in person can hear what is happening around our school.