W.A. Johnson Bulletin
February 2023
TRANSLATING: DID YOU KNOW?
You can translate this newsletter to any language! You can also change the size of the text and use a high contrast mode!
- If you are reading this on a computer, the feature is on the top right by the heading.
- If you are reading this on a phone, the feature is the round icon in the bottom right corner.
5 ESSENTIALS SURVEY
Your feedback helps us improve W.A. Johnson!!!
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey was developed by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, and it’s called 5Essentials for good reason: it uses the handful of crucial indicators that improve test scores, student attendance, and overall student outcomes, and provides actionable reports to each school.
The 5Essentials survey window opened Tuesday, January 24, and responses from students, teachers, and parents will be collected through Friday, March 31.
Click here to complete the Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey.
PARENT / TEACHER CONFERENCES
All parents are strongly encouraged to attend Parent/Teacher Conferences on Friday, February 17th (8:30am-3:30pm). Parents can sign up online for Winter conferences using their computer or mobile device by simply following the instructions listed below.
To schedule your preferred time for a Parent/Teacher Conference:
1. Go to https://www.myconferencetime.com/johnson/
2. Click on the grade level folder
3. Choose the name of your child’s teacher
4. Select the desired date and time for your conference by clicking on “Sign Up”
5. Submit the requested information
The deadline to sign up online is February 15, 2023.
Please notify the office if you require a Spanish or Polish translator for the conference. If you have any additional questions, contact the office at 630.766.2605.
WAJ SPIRIT WEAR ORDERS
Here is the flyer for the PTA Spirit Wear order.
The deadline for purchasing spirit wear has been extended to February 11th.
PTA
- Membership Dues: Click here to pay Johnson PTA membership dues online
- The next meeting is on February 9th at 3:45pm: The 5th Grade team has signed up to attend.
- Zoom option to share with families: PTA Meeting Zoom link. This will be the same link for ALL meetings this school year
PTA Board Members:
Victoria Myhre, President
Diana Sanchez, Vice President
Nicki Zengilani, Secretary
Christina Palacios, Treasurer
PTA email: johnsonjaguarspta@gmail.com
Google Voice phone: (773) 234-8284
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
The District 2 Board of Education approved the official 2023-2024 school calendar during its January 18 meeting.
Key dates are as follows:
- Beginning of the School Year: Classes will begin on Wednesday, August 16. District Institute and Professional Development Days are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, August 14 and 15.
- Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Thursday, November 23. There will be no school that week, but Teacher Institute and Professional Development Days are scheduled on Monday and Tuesday, November 21 and 22.
- Winter Break: There will be no school Thursday, December 21, through Friday, January 5, with classes reconvening on Monday, January 8.
- Spring Break: There will be no school Monday, March 25, through Monday, April 1,with schools reopening Tuesday, April 2.
- End of the School Year: The last day of school will be Thursday, May 30, unless emergency days are needed.
DUAL LANGUAGE KINDERGARTEN PARENT NIGHT
Parents of incoming kindergartners are invited to an informative online presentation and Q&A session on Bensenville School District 2's two-way dual language program.
This will be the program's third class of kindergartners, as the District launched the dual language program at the kindergarten level two years ago. It will expand the program each year through the fifth grade.
The BSD2 Dual Language Kindergarten Parent Information Night will be held Thursday, March 2. The online meeting will be broken into two sessions. An English presentation will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and a Spanish presentation will follow from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
- Click here to join the BSD2 Dual Language Program Online Parent Information Meeting (Meeting ID: 858 034 1285, Passcode: 1HJ78F).
- Click here for the BSD2 Dual Language Program Online Parent Information Meeting flyer.
- Click here to view the BSD2 Dual Language Parent Handbook.
- Click here for more information on the Dual Language Program.
- Haga clic aquí para obtener más información sobre la Programa de Lenguaje Dual.
UPCOMING ASSESSMENTS
Over the next several months students will be engaged in a variety of assessments. Below is a list of some of the larger assessments with the windows when they will be given. You will receive further information in upcoming messages regarding the Illinois mandated assessments listed below.
- ACCESS English Proficiency: January 17th - February 28th
- CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test - 2nd & 5th, and some 3rd & 4th): March 13th - March 24th
- ISA (Illinois Science Assessment - 5th): March 1st - March 10th
- IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness - 3rd, 4th, & 5th): April 3rd - April 21st
2023 - 2024 SCHOOL CALENDAR (APPROVED)
The District 2 Board of Education approved the official 2023-2024 school calendar during its January 18 meeting.
Key dates are as follows:
- Beginning of the School Year: Classes will begin on Wednesday, August 16. District Institute and Professional Development Days are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, August 14 and 15.
- Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Thursday, November 23. There will be no school that week, but Teacher Institute and Professional Development Days are scheduled on Monday and Tuesday, November 21 and 22.
- Winter Break: There will be no school Thursday, December 21, through Friday, January 5, with classes reconvening on Monday, January 8.
- Spring Break: There will be no school Monday, March 25, through Monday, April 1,with schools reopening Tuesday, April 2.
- End of the School Year: The last day of school will be Thursday, May 30, unless emergency days are needed.
"SEE THROUGH THE SMOKE" PRESENTATION
Did you miss the District's "See Through the Smoke" Parent Education Night on teen vaping and tobacco use on January 17?
Don't worry!
The presentation is available to watch online through February 15!
Robert Hackenson Jr., a youth motivational speaker from Dynamic Influence, "edutained" parents and students about teen vaping and tobacco when he visited Blackhawk Middle School last week. Mr. Hackenson shared his highly interactive presentation with parents on January 17, and presented it to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students during in-school assemblies on January 17 and 18.
- February 9th: PTA Meeting @ 3:45pm in the Innovation Lab & via Zoom
- February 10th: Multicultural Parent Committee @ 5:30-7pm online
- February 17th: Parent / Teacher Conferences @ 8:30am-3:30pm (teacher lunch 11:15-11:45am)
- February 20th: NO SCHOOL (President's Day)
- March 3rd: NO SCHOOL (Teacher Institute Day)
SEL: FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
Below you will find a link to the SEL February newsletter.
COLD WEATHER: RECESS AND ACCESSORIES
As the seasons continue to change, the weather will be getting cooler! Please be sure to send your child to school with a coat and necessary accessories for the forecasted weather. Elementary students will go outside for recess for 20 minutes every day when the temperature, including wind chill, is 15 or above. In those instances where the temperature is below 15 degrees, students will remain indoors for recess in their classrooms.
If you are in need of cold weather accessories (e.g., coats, gloves, scarves, etc.) please reach out to one of our SEL staff members.
SCHOOL CLOSING INFORMATION
The District’s mass notification system will contact all student households when a school must be closed for emergency reasons such as extreme weather. In these situations, parents/guardians will receive a phone call, email, and/or text message no later than 6 a.m. if their contact information with the school is up to date. Please make certain your proper contact information is on file with the school to ensure you are notified through this system.
E - LEARNING DAYS
District 2 now calls eLearning Days when schools must close due to extreme weather.
An eLearning Day counts as a regular school day, and does not require the District to use a built-in emergency day at the end of the school year.
Students in Grades K-8 will be sent home with their Chromebooks when weather forecasts suggest school closures are a possibility. Attendance will be taken during eLearning Days, and the hours of the school day will be the same. Instead of traveling to school, though, students will join their classes through their teachers’ virtual links, which will be posted on the District website and sent to parents via email and text message.
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