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Hello Willard Families!
Welcome back from Fall Break! I hope this past week gave you time to rest, reconnect with the people you love, and reflect on all there is to be thankful for. I feel incredibly lucky that I got to spend my break in Minnesota—playing in the snow with nieces and nephews, logging many hours in the kitchen with family sharing countless laughs, and slow mornings with a book and a blanket. It was exactly the kind of time that fills your cup back up.
Principal Battle and I have truly missed our Willard community over the past week, and we are overjoyed to welcome our students back tomorrow!
We also want to acknowledge what tomorrow brings beyond the return to school—another Board Meeting. We recognize the weight this continues to carry for our families, staff, and most importantly, our students.
Embracing Our Peace Pillars
As we step back into this space together, I want to revisit our Peace Pillars—Speaking Peace, Feeling Peace, Making Peace, and Knowing Peace. These aren't just lessons we teach our students; they're practices we can all carry with us as we navigate what lies ahead.
- Speak Peace: Share your voice while also taking time to ask, listen, and think.
- Feel Peace: Breathe, find courage, and hold onto moments of joy.
- Make Peace: Show up as an ally and embrace differences.
- Know Peace: Lean into your connections and draw on your resilience.
WE ARE WILLARD!
No matter what unfolds, we remain Willard—a community that grows together, lifts each other up, and moves forward side by side. Principal Battle and I are deeply thankful that we get to lead alongside all of you. With the bigger picture in mind, we love what we do, and there's nowhere else we'd rather be.
Here's to tomorrow and to continuing to show up as the same loving, supportive, mindful community we've always been.
With Gratitude,
AP Ernvall
❄️ School Closing Reminders and Our Outdoors Commitment
As we head into the snowy winter season, we want to share important information about how we communicate unexpected school closings.
Plan for School to be Open: Please always assume school is in session unless you receive an official closing notification from the district. We promise to give you as much notice as we possibly can!
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❄️ Keeping Our Students Warm and Playing Outside
This is also a friendly reminder that we are an outdoors school! We absolutely love to be outside whenever possible, even in the cold and snow.
To make sure your child is comfortable and ready to enjoy our outdoor play they will need the appropriate winter gear. This includes warm boots, hats, gloves/mittens, and snow pants.
If you need support in getting any of this necessary winter gear, PLEASE let us know! Your child's comfort and ability to participate are our top priorities.
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❄️ How We'll Notify You of a Closing
In the event of an unscheduled school closing, District 65 will use the following channels to notify all families:
Automated phone call, email, and text message
- District 65 Website
- Local news, television, and radio stations
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❄️ Action Item: Check Your Contact Info!
To ensure you receive these critical notifications, please make sure your contact information in PowerSchool is up-to-date.
Need to update your phone number or email address? Please email registrationinfo@district65.net or call us at 847-859-8065.
Thank you for partnering with us to keep all students safe and ready for learning, inside and out!
🎨 Clubs and Sports! 🎯
The Willard Art Club is in full swing, and our young artists are having a blast exploring their creativity! Fall/Winter session is running now until Feb.18th.
The Willard Chess Club is looking forward to kicking off in the coming weeks. If your scholar is interested in joining the chess club, please direct them to Ms. Furlow for more details!
Registration is open for basketball, cheerleading, and Discovery Clubs
Registration for winter athletics is open now through January 8. District 65 and the City of Evanston are excited to partner together to provide access to youth athletics programming! Participating in athletics provides opportunities for students to get physical activity, develop relationships with peers, learn the importance of teamwork, build self-esteem, learn valuable life skills, and more! For more information and registration instructions, view the City of Evanston's Winter Program Guide.
Registration for Right at School’s winter Discovery Clubs is also open through December 21. The link to register and view program information for your D65 school is available on the district’s Elective Programming webpage.
🍴 Additional Resources - Food Deliver if Needed! 🍴
If your family is experiencing food insecurity or needs help accessing meals, local resources are available. Here’s where you can find support, including free groceries and essential goods, in the community: Food Resources Handout.
As we are pushing out resources, we understand that for some families, attending our community food event in person can be a challenge! If your family is afraid or unable to leave your home to participate, we want to ensure you still have access to the food. All are welcome to the event itself!
Home Delivery is Available
A partnering organization is building a group of trusted, volunteer drivers to deliver food directly to the homes of families who need it most.
Family Requests: If you need to request home delivery for the first time, please fill out the following form to receive the support needed.
Thank you for helping us support every family in our community!
Standards-Based Grading Update - End of Trimester 1
As we wrap up Trimester 1, teachers are finalizing report cards for distribution on December 12th.
To view the specific standards your child's grade is focusing on this trimester, please visit the District 65 website under Learning → Standards-Based Grading & Report Cards.
What's New This Year?
As a District, we've made two important changes to make report cards clearer and easier to understand:
1. New 4-Point Grading Scale (All Grades)
- 4 - Meeting Standard: Meets the rigor of the end-of-term standard consistently and independently across a variety of contexts
- 3 - Approaching Standard: Mostly meets the end-of-term standards consistently and independently across a variety of contexts
- 2 - Partially Meeting: Making progress towards consistently and independently meeting the end-of-term standards across a variety of contexts
- 1 - Beginning Learning of the Standard: Developing foundational skills needed to progress towards meeting the end-of-term standard consistently and independently
- 0 - Missing/Not there yet: Does not show evidence of learning yet
2. Updated Learning Habits Language (Grades K-5)
Learning habits will now be described using simpler, clearer terms:
- Consistently - Demonstrates all/most behaviors with minimal reminders
- Sometimes - Demonstrates most/all behaviors with minimal reminders OR demonstrates all behaviors with reminders
- Rarely - Inconsistently demonstrates all behaviors with reminders
These updates are designed to provide clearer communication about your child's progress and learning habits. If you have questions about your child's report card, please don't hesitate to reach out to their teacher.
Next Steps on D65 School Closures Process
From the District: Thank you for your continued engagement on the Structural Deficit Reduction Plan and the conversation around potential school closures. Between Monday’s meeting (watch recording) and Thursday’s meeting (watch recording), the D65 School Board did not approve the motions to hold public hearings to consider the following school closure scenarios:
- Scenario 2D-R2 - proposed school closure of Kingsley and Willard
- Scenario 2F-R2 - proposed school closure of Kingsley and Lincolnwood
- Scenario 1A-R - proposed school closure of Kingsley
- Scenario 1B-R - proposed school closure of Lincolnwood
The School Board is planning to hold a special meeting on Monday, December 1 at the Joseph E. Hill Education Center (1500 McDaniel Ave., Evanston) to continue this important conversation. The time and agenda for the meeting will be shared with the community as details are finalized.
🚨 Owl Notes Access from PTA 🚨
Owl Notes!
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!
Dates to Remember
December:
- 1st: School is back in Session!
- 1st: D65 Special Board Meeting
- 3rd: School Improvement - Early Dismissal
- 4th: D65 Evanston Sings Field Trip (4th/5th Grade)
- 8th: D65 Committee of the Whole meeting (5:00-7:00pm)
- 9th: D65 Caregiver Council for Disability Inclusion Meeting (6:30-8:00pm)
- 10th: Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee meeting (6:00-7:00pm)
- 12th: Report Card Distribution