Take Flight 🦅

The East and West Ecology Clubs worked to remove invasive buckthorn from the John Mazur Arboretum in Franklin Park on Saturday, November 15th. The students worked alongside representatives from Franklin Park, OpenLands, and the Cook County Forest Preserve. Ms. Ramona Michael from the Franklin Park Tree Commission said of our students, "Their volunteer spirit sets them apart and will be evidenced in their future successful personal lives and chosen career paths." Way to go, Ecology Club!

On Tuesday, November 18th, several members of the East and West Société Honoraire du Français visited Mannheim's French Club to talk about their high school experiences and to play a few games. West members who participated were Jazlyn Alvarez, Angelo Iguban, Kayleen Lacap, Konstatin Magdenovski, Nataly Salgado, and Tavey Tran.

Munch Bunchers packed a bus and traveled north of the cheese curtain to attend the Folk Fair International on Saturday, November 22nd. At this annual event, attendees enjoy music and dance performances, cultural displays, artisan and culinary demonstrations, international merch, and, oh yeah, food from over 25 countries! YUM! Contact Ms. Anne Gruettner at agruettner@leyden212.org if you'd like more information about Munch Bunch.

Underclassmen photos (that's freshmen, sophomores, and juniors) will take place on Monday, November 24th, and Tuesday, November 25th in the Fieldhouse during P.E. classes and after school until 3:30. All students must bring their ID! Order online at hrimaging.com or look for order forms in the cafeteria.

Senior photos will take place Monday, January 12th, and Tuesday, January 13th in the Eagle's Wing during English classes and after school until 3:10. Check your email prior to the date for a reminder and details. All students must bring their ID! Order online at hrimaging.com or look for order forms in the cafeteria.

Underclassmen photo make up dates are Friday, January 9th, and Tuesday, January 20th in the cafeteria during the lunch periods and after school until 3:30. Senior photo make up day is Tuesday, January 20th in the cafeteria during the lunch periods and after school until 3:30.

The yearbook staff is completing a page of best friends in the yearbook. Please fill this out if you're interested. There's no guarantee of coverage.

Email Mr. Victor Giordano at vgiordano@leyden212.org with any questions.

Are you a civics connoisseur? A government groupie? A public service and policy maker promoter? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, the Youth Ambassadors Program (YAP) is for YOU!

Illinois State Representative Ms. Norma Hernández (77th District) provides YAP participants the opportunity to meet monthly to:

• Interact with elected officials and community leaders;
• Experience legislative office operations firsthand; and
• Collaborate on real-world projects addressing local issues.

NOTE: The application deadlines on the flyer and on the QR code application are NOT the same. Reach out to Representative Hernández's office to find out the correct deadline to apply.

It's hard to believe that we're a few short weeks away from the end of first semester! Check your email next week to sign up for West Leyden's third annual Words to Live By event on Thursday, December 11th, after school. It will be an opportunity to meet up with friends, destress, and unwind. You'll receive a FREE wooden cutout of a word to live by, and you'll get to paint it while sipping on some yummy hot chocolate!

📣 Calling all juniors! Do you want to boost your ACT score? ACT Prep registration is open! The cost is only $40 and includes materials, 11 nights of class, and an optional Saturday practice test.

Class takes place one day a week at either East on Wednesdays or West on Thursdays:

📝Class will run either from 3:15-6:15 pm or 6:00-9:00 pm.

📝Class starts January 21st at East and January 22nd at West.

📝A link to the full schedule is HERE.

You can sign up using your MySchoolBucks.com account or in person with the bookstore cashier. Students who are direct-certified by the state or who have a registration fee waiver from Leyden will be able to register for $20. Students must register in person with the bookstore cashier to receive the discount. If you have any questions, contact Dr. Todd Veltman at tveltman@leyden212.org.

West Leyden has almost 60 clubs, including academic, cultural, general interest, honors, performing arts, and service clubs. To learn more:

• Visit the West Leyden Clubs page.
• See a list of clubs and sponsors here.
• See a calendar of when all clubs are meeting here.

Starting this year, all Leyden students in any club will need to use the 5-Star Students app or link. You can access 5 Star Students via your cell phone or Chromebook. To log in, use your Google Leyden account info (email and password).

📲 Mobile App: To download the 5Star App on your phone, click HERE.

📲 Chromebook: Go to www.5starstudents.com & click on "sign in". BOOKMARK this link!

Helpful 5 Star Students Resources:

📲 To see an overview on how to use the mobile app, click HERE.

📲 To learn how to check yourself into meetings & events using the mobile app, click HERE.

We want you HERE! Leyden's new "Strive for 95" campaign offers a lot of cool prizes for students who strive to maintain 90% or higher attendance.

• Monthly raffles to win Leyden clothing, free Prom tickets, Stanley drinking cups, Javaccino dollars, pizza parties for you & your friends, and much more.

• $20 off Prom tickets (juniors & seniors only)

We Are... Awards nominees can qualify to receive Javaccino (students) / Gold and Bold Café (staff members) gift cards. In addition, students may be recognized at Student of the Month breakfasts and staff members may be recognized at staff meetings.

To nominate a student or staff member, you need to fill out this We Are... Awards Google Form.