January Newsletter

Happy New Year, Waltham families!

As we begin 2026, we are excited to kick off a new month filled with learning, celebration, and community. While students are still enjoying Winter Break, we are already looking forward to welcoming everyone back soon.

📌 Important Reminder:
ALL students and staff will return from Winter Break on Monday, January 5.
Please note this change, as in past years the first day back has been a Teacher Institute Day. This year, students and staff will both begin on Monday, and we look forward to starting the week together.

Please mark your calendars for these important January dates:

• Monday, January 5 – Students and staff return from Winter Break

• Thursday, January 8 – First Responder Night at the Boys Basketball game (see flyer below)

• Friday, January 9 –

  • Pizza hot lunch for students

  • Progress reports available in TeacherEase

  • Bingo at Canal Port (see flyer below)

• Monday, January 12 – PTCC Meeting, 6:00 p.m.

• Tuesday, January 13 –

  • Volleyball, Cheer, and Scholastic Bowl pictures

  • WEEF Meeting, 4:45 p.m.

• Thursday, January 15 – National Anthem performance by Waltham students at the 6/7/8 Volleyball game, 5:00 p.m.

• Monday, January 19 – No School in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

• Wednesday, January 21 – 11:35 a.m. dismissal for K–8 students

  • Preschool WILL be in session (both AM and PM)

• Friday, January 31 – Atten-Dance for students

We are excited to begin January together and look forward to a wonderful month ahead. Thank you for your continued partnership and support—we can’t wait to welcome our students back on January 5!

Mrs. Melanie Lukacsy,

Principal

Dear Families,

Our Student Pantry continues to be an important support for our students, and we are currently in need of donations. We are looking for individually packaged, shelf-stable “grab-and-go” items that do not require bowls or silverware. Please note that we are unable to accept large boxes of cereal, oatmeal, jars of peanut butter or similar items.

For your convenience, an Amazon Wish List is attached. Items may be purchased directly through the link and shipped straight to the school, or you may use the list as a guide when shopping on your own.

All students have access to the pantry. Some may need a quick breakfast item to help them start the day on the right foot, while others may occasionally forget a lunch and need a small item to tide them over until they get home. These items are provided on an as-needed basis and are not intended for daily use.

Thank you for your continued generosity and support of our students.

As we move into the colder months, please make sure your child comes to school each day with proper winter gear. Hats, gloves, coats, snow pants, and boots are required for any student who wants to play in the snow. We will go outside for recess as long as the wind chill is 20°F or above, so warm layers are important!

Students in grades 5–8 also travel between the main building and the trailer throughout the day, so appropriate coats and footwear are essential for staying safe and comfortable.

Thank you for helping our students enjoy a fun—and warm—winter season!

The Waltham Booster Club is now in its second year, and we’re continuing to make improvements along the way.

Our board members are:

President: Jody Pawlak
Vice President: Kathleen DiLuciano
Secretary: Nina Mitchell

We want to extend a huge thank-you to all the volunteers who have helped with admissions, concessions, scorebook, scoreboard, and the hospitality room. It truly takes a team to keep things running smoothly, and we appreciate everyone who steps in, even at the last minute. If you’d like to get involved (even if you don’t have a child in sports), please join our Remind group by texting @cc39hf to 81010.

This year, we’ve focused on hosting community fundraisers that support both the Booster Club and local businesses.

So far, we’ve partnered with:

• Skoogs for taco night in September (thank you, Sara Burd, for being the point person on this event)

• HyVee for steak nights in October (thank you, Jody Pawlak, Kathleen DiLuciano, Sarah Mathieu, Sara Burd, Kris Mrowicki, for working these nights)

• Canal Port for BINGO nights in November and on December 17 (thank you, Nicollette Caruso, Kris Mrowicki, Sara Renner, for spearheading this!)

We’re also hosting a Parents Day Out at Clark’s Run Downtown on January 28 from 12–8 PM. More events are in the works! If you know a business interested in partnering, please reach out to Nina, Kathleen, or Jody. We value these partnerships and the sense of community they build. Thank you to everyone who volunteers and attends these events!

We are also planning special activities during some of our home games.

• On Thursday, January 8, we will host a First Responder Night. Please invite the first responders in your life—we look forward to honoring them.

• Join us for the first home volleyball game on Thursday, January 15, where some students in grades 1–5 will perform the National Anthem. This will be their final performance this year. Thank you to Emmy Carney for leading this group!

As we replace uniforms, older sets will be available for a free-will donation. We’re starting with boys basketball uniforms worn from 2016–2023. Reach out to your Waltham Alumni and spread the word! To check availability or arrange pickup, email Seth Brannan at sbrannan@wesd185.org.

Your Booster Club support directly benefits our youth sports and activities. This year, fundraising allowed us to waive the additional soccer fee, improve equipment, and support student experiences such as a team dinner and helping cover transportation to state games for the TRIBE Girls Softball Team.

At the end of this school year, the Booster Club President position will be open. We’re looking for someone motivated to help lead our efforts. The club meets four times a year to plan fundraisers and approve purchases for our sports programs.

If you’re interested, please contact:

• Nina Mitchell: nmitchell@wesd185.org

• Kathleen DiLuciano: kdiluciano@wesd185.org

You don’t need to be a board member to attend meetings. Our next meetings are on February 11 at 3:30 PM and May 19 at 3:30 PM.

Thank you for your continued support of Waltham students and athletics!

Hi Waltham Hawks!

As we wrap up Winter Break and head back to school, I want to remind you of my fun Principal’s Challenge—and there’s still plenty of time to participate! I can’t wait to see what you create!

Your Challenge:

• Color and cut out the Waltham Hawk (attached below or available in the school office).

• (Optional) Attach it to a paint stick, ruler, or craft stick so it’s easy to carry.

• Take your Hawk on Winter Break adventures—or recreate and share adventures you already had!

• Snap photos of some of your favorite moments, making sure your Waltham Hawk is in each picture.

• Create a Google Slides presentation or photo book with at least 5 different slides/pages showing your Hawk’s adventures.

• Share your story with Mrs. Lukacsy via Google (mlukacsy@wesd185.org) OR print a hard copy and turn it into the office.

Deadline:
All Waltham Hawk stories are due no later than 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 8.

Prizes! 🎉
Every student who completes the challenge and submits their Hawk Story will be entered into a drawing for a gift card or special prize!

I cannot WAIT to see the creative adventures you and your Waltham Hawk share!

Stay safe, stay warm, and have fun! ❄️🦅

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

As we kick off January, we are thrilled to celebrate the incredible commitment our students and families have shown toward attendance over the past two years. Thank you to our families for truly partnering with us—our students are excited to be at school, and our attendance initiatives have become helpful motivators even on the coldest or rainiest mornings. We are working together, and it shows!

This year, 191 of our 221 K–8 students have missed 0–5 days of school! WOW! Twenty-four students have missed 6–10 days, and only one student has missed 11 or more days this school year. That is certainly something to celebrate and proudly share with our families and dance sponsors. This success is a true group effort—we are in this together, and we thank you for keeping the momentum going!

At December’s Atten-Dance, students enjoyed some fantastic prizes, including snack packs, $10 gift cards to McDonald’s and Casey’s, a $40 AMC Theatre gift card for a winter break activity, Waltham spirit wear, and even the chance to be Principal for the Day! We also offered a second-chance prize wheel with snacks, candy, and other fun goodies.

We love celebrating being together and learning each day—and we can’t wait to see this success continue in the months ahead!

A huge thank you to State Representative Murri Briel for sponsoring our January Attendance Initiatives! Her generous support allows us to celebrate our students and promote strong attendance throughout the month. We are grateful for her continued partnership and commitment to our school community.

The Waltham Library has received a few generous gifts lately from grants and memorial gifts.

• The Retired teachers association gave $100.
• The Utica Library and Compeer gave a hydroponic system and all the materials and support books for Pre-K - Junior high.
• The WIN foundation gave $1500 in grant money to the program for books, materials and library supplies.
• Paula Larsen gave $100 to be spent on books to encourage a love for reading as a way to honor lifelong friend, BJ Fitzpaterick.
• We have had so much help in the library from Geri Miller to get our organization streamlined for students!

Here we grow! Like caterpillars turning into beautiful butterflies, we are growing our love for reading!

Join us for Read Across America week in February! --- Mrs. Diluciano

👑❤️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 kindergarteners have been busy learning and shining! They are doing a wonderful job growing as readers and practicing how to work kindly with partners. We are also so proud of their fantastic performance at the Winter Music Concert—they sang their hearts out and did an amazing job! Way to go, kindergarten! --- Mrs. Kummer & Ms. Voss

Mr. Bailey’s 8th graders wrote original holiday stories. First grade was so lucky to have them come and share their amazing characters, settings, problems and solutions with all of us! We can’t wait to grow up and write stories like this one day! --- Mrs. Linnig

Thanks to PTCC, 4th grade had a sloth presentation from Incredible Bats. Rico the sloth was our visitor! This was a conclusion to our Plant and Animal Adaptation unit. --- Mrs. Kinzer and Mr. Gustafson

7th Grade students are working hard on their History Fair projects and the theme of "Revolution, Reaction, and Reform." They've completed all of their research and are currently finishing up their writing for the exhibit. --- Mr. Bara

Our latest Cretivity Ink ELA Event was a great success! 6-8th grade students wrote letters to promote the campaign, encouraging friends and family to support the Illinois Valley Pads shelter in Ottawa. Thanks to their hard work and the generosity of our community, we collected food, drinks, supplies, gift cards, and cash donations during this holiday season of giving. We wrapped up the campaign with a fun pizza party to celebrate everyone's efforts.

Special thanks to all our parent volunteers and the Utica Township Community Building managers for letting us host our event at the community building. --- Ms. Lucio & Mr. Bailey

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
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/WalthamPride
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/walthampride185
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/walthampride185/