🍀March Newsletter

Dear Families,

Happy March! We’re excited to welcome a new month full of learning, growth, and special activities.

Here are some important dates coming up this month:

📌 Community Open House - Tonight, Tuesday, March 4th: 5:30 p.m. Come learn all about the future of Waltham School and get your questions answered!

📌 Superhero Fundraiser - Friday, March 7th: Information below!

📌 Hot Lunch - Friday, March 7th: No need to pack lunches for today!

📌 PTCC Meeting - Monday, March 10th: Monthly PTCC meeting, 6 p.m.

📌 Community Open House - Saturday, March 15th: 9 a.m. Come learn all about the future of Waltham School and get your questions answered!

📌 Vision & Hearing Screenings Begin– Monday, March 17th: LaSalle County School Health will be at Waltham to conduct annual vision & hearing screenings for students.

📌 Early Dismissal – Wednesday, March 19th: Students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 19th. There will be no preschool attendance on this day.

📌 Shadow Day– Wednesday, March 19th: Do you know of any families that are interested in sending their students to Waltham next year? We will be hosting a Shadow Day from 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 19th, for any students in grades 1-8 to see what Waltham is all about! Please share with any neighbors or friends in our school district so they can mark their calendars. More information will be coming out soon!

📌 March AttenDance – Friday, March 28th: One of the favorite days of the month for students!

📌 IAR Testing Begins – Monday, March 31st: IAR state testing begins for students in grades 3-8.

If you have any questions about the above information, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support of Waltham School!

Dear Families,

Happy March! We’re excited to welcome a new month full of learning, growth, and special activities.

Here are some important dates coming up this month:

📌 Community Open House - Tonight, Tuesday, March 4th: 5:30 p.m. Come learn all about the future of Waltham School and get your questions answered!

📌 Superhero Fundraiser - Friday, March 7th: Information below!

📌 Hot Lunch - Friday, March 7th: No need to pack lunches for today!

📌 PTCC Meeting - Monday, March 10th: Monthly PTCC meeting, 6 p.m.

📌 Community Open House - Saturday, March 15th: 9 a.m. Come learn all about the future of Waltham School and get your questions answered!

📌 Vision & Hearing Screenings Begin– Monday, March 17th: LaSalle County School Health will be at Waltham to conduct annual vision & hearing screenings for students.

📌 Early Dismissal – Wednesday, March 19th: Students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 19th. There will be no preschool attendance on this day.

📌 Shadow Day– Wednesday, March 19th: Do you know of any families that are interested in sending their students to Waltham next year? We will be hosting a Shadow Day from 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 19th, for any students in grades 1-8 to see what Waltham is all about! Please share with any neighbors or friends in our school district so they can mark their calendars. More information will be coming out soon!

📌 March AttenDance – Friday, March 28th: One of the favorite days of the month for students!

📌 IAR Testing Begins – Monday, March 31st: IAR state testing begins for students in grades 3-8.

If you have any questions about the above information, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support of Waltham School!

As our school community continues to grow, we recognize the challenges presented by the space constraints in our current building. Our district is actively exploring solutions to ensure the best learning environment for all students.

To keep you informed, we encourage you to visit the district website, where you’ll find a collection of FAQ documents designed to educate and update our families on this important topic. These resources provide valuable insights into our current space limitations and a potential path forward. Be on the look out for a new FAQ will be added soon, outlining the next steps and providing important information on the future direction of our school district.

In addition, we invite all current families and community members to attend the final two Community Open Houses to learn more and engage in the conversation:

📅 Tonight, Tuesday, March 4th at 5:30 p.m.
📅 Saturday, March 15th at 9:00 a.m.

Each event will include interactive building tours, an informative presentation, and a Q&A session where attendees can ask questions and share their thoughts. Your voice is important, and we hope you’ll join us!

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in shaping the future of our school district.

Waltham's PTCC is teaming up with Lurie Children's Hospital for Superhero Day on Friday, March 7th! 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️ This is our chance to unite as a school family and raise vital funds to support the patients and families at Lurie Children’s.

💥 How to Participate:
🔹 Students and staff are encouraged to wear their favorite superhero costumes on Friday, March 7th!
🔹 We suggest a minimum $5 donation for those dressing up.
🔹 Please avoid: weapons, gore, face paint, or full-face masks that could distract from learning.
🔹 Capes are highly encouraged! 🦸

Let’s come together, show our support, and be heroes for kids in need!

Here’s how your donations can make a difference:

$100 is enough help make a child’s hospital stay a more positive experience with activities, supplies and toys.

$250 can provide patients with the support they need to thrive after lengthy hospital stays.

$500 supports clinical trials to help discover new or more effective treatment options.

$1000 means we can train the next generation of specialists.

All donations are tax-deductible and will be acknowledged by Lurie Children’s Foundation.

On behalf of the patients and families of Lurie Children’s, thank you for your support!

Here is our Waltham PTCC Fundraising Link ==> https://events.luriechildrens.org/superhero-day/walthams-superhero-day-2025

We’re excited to share some great news about student attendance! Thanks to our collective efforts, we’ve seen a positive shift in attendance rates from last year to this year.

• In 2023-2024, 40% of students missed 0-4 days of school from August to February. This year, that number has increased to 52%!
• The percentage of students missing 5-9 days dropped from 33% last year to 29% this year.
• Even better, the number of students missing 10-14 days decreased from 17% to 7.7%!
• And the percentage of students missing 15 or more days also improved, dropping from 3.5% to 2.9%.

These improvements show the impact of our school-wide focus on attendance this year, the dedication of our staff, and the support of our families. Every day of school matters, and we appreciate everyone’s efforts in making attendance a priority. Let’s keep this momentum going for the rest of the year! 🎉👏

A few celebrations from Read Across America Week from the first grade:

• Jordy’s brother Jameson came to share a special story with 1L today! We sure laughed at that Wonky Donkey!
• Mrs. Harp came to share a story with us about the Islamic Holiday of Ramadan and Eid. It was wonderful to learn about other cultures and traditions.

--- Mrs. Linnig and Ms. Voss

3rd grade has been diving into learning about fractions this month! They began their fractions unit by learning how to make equal parts using a cookie!

---Mrs. Spencer & Mrs. Lara

Fourth grade used string and cups to study waves of sound. We combined all 12 together and they worked!

---Mrs. Kinzer & Mr. Gustafson

Band students have had a busy month in February! Concert Band students performed at the LP Junior High Band and Choir Festival at the beginning of the month, four students participated in IVCC's Junior High Honor Band in the middle of the month, and Beginning Band students had their very first concert at the end of the month! ---Ms. Backus

K-8 kicked off 2025 Kids Heart Challenge with an assembly and game show on 02/26. Throughout the month of March we will be learning more about healthy choices while helping the American Heart Association! ---Mr. Brannan

"May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door."

- Old Irish Blessing