Wasco Family News - Oct. 13, 2025

Tuesday, October 14

• Picture Retakes
• Fire Drill

Friday, October 17

• Boo Bash

Monday, October 20

• PTO Meeting @7:00pm

Wednesday, October 22

• Boosterthon Fun Run

Friday, October 24

• 5th Grade Orchestra Concert @ Thompson 6:00pm

Monday, October 27

• Donuts w/Grown Ups (sign up link below)

Please take a couple moments to share your voice in our Social Emotional Learning survey. Your voice helps us make improvements to the supports we provide your family. Thank you!

Our PTO is currently planning our fall parties which will take place on Friday, October 31, 2025 from 2:40 - 3:20 however prior to the parties, we will have a short parade from 2:30 - 2:40. Knowing that many families are starting to purchase costumes we wanted to provide some guidelines for our parade.

• Students will bring their costumes to school and change into them shortly before the parade
• Costumes may not include any sort of violence or gore
• Costumes can not be inflatable as we do not have enough space in our hallways
• Students will not have time to put on face paint or make up so we ask that they save that for their after school activities
• Blow up costumes or motorized costumes are not allowed

Please note that only volunteers signed up for the parties will be allowed in the building and we do have a limit of 4 volunteers per classrooms. More information about the parade will be shared at our PTO meeting and in a future newsletter.

As a reminder that we do not allow younger students or siblings in the building with volunteers. Please make sure you make arrangements for younger siblings when you volunteer your time during our instructional day.

Dear Wasco School Families,

This letter is to inform you about Erin’s Law (Illinois Public Act 097-1147), an Illinois law passed in February, 2011 that requires public schools to provide child sexual abuse prevention education for all children in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grades. Named after sexual abuse survivor Erin Merryn, Erin’s Law will be implemented again this year in all District 303 Schools. Please note that Erin’s Law is not connected to The Keeping Youth Safe & Healthy Act (Senate Bill 818).

Between now and the end of the school year, several lessons will be facilitated by Rebecca Schroeder, school social worker, and Jordon Wenzel, school psychologist, along with the classroom teacher utilizing the Second Step Child Protection Unit . This age-appropriate instruction will help students recognize unsafe situations, keep themselves safe, and learn how to respond to unsafe situations. Common themes across all grade levels include:

• Identifying safe touch versus unsafe or unwanted touch

• The Safety Rule About Touching (The Touching Rule): Private areas are not for others to touch, except to keep a child clean and healthy

• Steps to Stay Safe

• Understanding the difference between good and bad secret

For more information about Erin’s Law, please visit the links below.

Erin’s Law website

Erin’s Law video

For more information about the Second Step Child Protection Unit Scope and Sequence for grades pre-kindergarten-5th, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Schroeder or Mrs. Miklas, School Social Workers.

If you have any questions, please contact your building principal Christine O’Neil at christine.oneil@d303.org or by phone at 331-228-2900.

Thank you for your support,

Christine O’Neil, Principal

Wasco Elementary School

Here is a graph that depicts the number of Paw Prints that were collected during the months of August and September, comparing the 2024/2025 school year to our current school year. We will share this data each month so that we can celebrate the recognition of expected behavior.

Paw Prints earned = 532

Ms. Oplawki’s Kindergarten class earned the most Paw Prints with 36! The following classes won the Paw Print Drawing and earned the Wasco Wolf in their classroom for the week:

Mrs. Meyer’s Kindergarten

Mrs. Eberhardt’s Third Grade

Mrs’s Kearse’s Fifth Grade

Paw Prints earned = 548

Ms. Oplawki’s Kindergarten class earned the most Paw Prints with 36! The following classes won the Paw Print Drawing and earned the Wasco Wolf in their classroom for the week:

Mrs. Meyer’s Kindergarten

Mrs. Kirkwood’s 2nd grade

Ms. Hausl’s 4th grade