FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PARENTS Please remember to call in your child’s absences by 9:00 a.m. There is an answering machine if you’d like to leave a message before the school office is open. Also . . . Homework requests should also be in at this time. Homework can be picked up at the end of the school day between 3:40-4:30 p.m. on the day of the request. Homework requests are generally not done for the first day out.

PARENTS – PLEASE KEEP US INFORMED If an emergency arises and your child is injured or ill, it is essential for us to be able to reach a parent or guardian. Please remember to notify the WGS Office of any changes in address, telephone numbers (at work or at home), or emergency contact information. Thanks!

CUSTODY OR RELEASE RESTRICTIONS Parents with custody or release restrictions are asked to contact the WGS office at 526-6671 to verify current information on file.

BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETS TWICE A MONTH On the first Thursday of each month, the Board of Education holds their Committee of the Whole meeting. On the third Thursday of each month, the Board’s Business Meeting is held. Both meetings take place in the Board Room at the District Office (located in the northwest corner of the High School). Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.

“THE SCHOOL NUMBER APPEARED ON MY CALLER ID” We receive many calls each week from parents who see the school number on their Caller ID. If you receive a call from the school but the person does not leave a message, please do not call the school. The secretaries cannot determine from which number you have been called or the person who has called you. If it is important, a message will be left or an alternate number will be called. Our nurse will always leave a message. Please instruct your students to leave a message for you when calling from school. We greatly appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

WAUCONDA GRADE SCHOOL’S BIRTHDAY TREAT POLICY Please limit your birthday treats to prepackaged store bought items. Allow one treat per child in the classroom. Students will not be allowed to leave the classroom delivering treats to others throughout the school. Please also be aware of any food allergies that may exist in your child’s classroom. Thank you for your ongoing cooperation!

HEALTHCARE FOR ALL KIDS Packets are available in the school office for ALL KIDS Illinois’ Program to Provide Healthcare for All Kids. Anyone interested is asked to stop by the school office or call 1-866-All-Kids or visit their website at www.allkids.com for additional information.

VOTER REGISTRATION You can register to vote at any of the following places: Village Hall, Library, Township Offices, or any District 118 School. To register you must: 1. Appear in person before the registrar; 2. Be a United States citizen; 3. Be 18 years of age by the date of the next election (17 year-olds whose birthday is on or before the next election may register to vote); 4. On the date of the next election, have resided in the voting precinct for 30 days; 5. Provide two (2) forms of identification. Two forms of identification, one showing your current address are required. A photo ID is preferred but not required. Acceptable forms of identification include a driver’s license, a State of Illinois ID card, personalized checks, a valid passport, or a utility or contract services bill postmarked no more than 30 days previous.

Emergency Alerts and School Closings Now on Twitter Follow Superintendent Dr. Coles on Twitter @Supt_D118 Dr. Daniel J. Coles, Superintendent of Schools will now be utilizing Twitter to announce emergency alerts and school closings. The use of Twitter will be used in conjunction with our existing communication platforms such as our SchoolMessenger Emergency Alert System (robocall) as well as postings on our District’s Website at http://www.d118.org/. In order to get the emergency alerts and school closing “Tweets” from Dr. Coles, you must have a Twitter account. To do so, use your smart phone to download the Twitter app or use your web browser on your computer and go to: https://support.twitter.com/. Once you have a Twitter account, you may get the alert Tweets by following Dr. Coles @Supt_D118. Please note that the purpose of this Twitter account will only be used for notifying staff, parents and the community about emergency alerts and school closings.

2017 STATE ISSUED SCHOOL REPORT CARDS Beginning October 31st, the 2017 Illinois Report Cards for all Wauconda CUSD 118 schools will be available on the District Website at: http://www.d118.org/Home/school-report-cards.

Wauconda District 118 Parent – Teacher Advisory Committee There will be a meeting for anyone interested in serving on the District 118 Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee. The committee is seeking input concerning the student/parent handbook and bullying policy for each school in the district. Also, a review of the State Board of Education guidelines on the use of behavioral interventions for students eligible for special education will be included at the meeting. This is a collaborative effort of parents, teachers, and administrators. The meeting will take place on Thursday, March 8th, at 6:00 pm at the Wauconda Community Unit School District 118 Board Room. If you have any questions, please contact your building Principal.

TITLE 1 Title I provides federal funding to schools to help students who are low achieving or at most risk of falling behind. Title I is allocated to schools based on the percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch. Schools with a percentage of at least 40% are eligible for a school wide program. Wauconda Grade School operates a Title I School wide program. School wide means that WGS can use Title I funds to upgrade the entire educational program of the school and is designed to serve all students in order to raise academic achievement. On an annual basis, the District 118 Curriculum and Instruction Office, in conjunction with WGS, develops a plan for using the funds to improve learning in specific areas/subjects. Targeted areas of improvement are typically Math, Reading, and Science. Data is collected and at the end of the school year, we are required to review the effectiveness of the plan.

February Review & What is Next in the WGS Library? February was exciting time for our First and Second graders. We read another book from our Monarch list, Glow: Animals with their own night light by W.H. Beck. Students learned how some animals deep in the dark ocean have bioluminescence. We then took the next two weeks to learn about Squishy Circuits. Students planned and molded their own animals and gave them light. Squishy Circuits is a STEM kit that lets students mold with playdough and add LED lights to complete a circuit. We have some very creative and talented sculptors here at WGS. Our Third, Fourth, and Fifth graders continued with their research grids with about 8 fourth and fifth graders finishing the whole grid and earning a new book. One of the other new links our students were introduced to was Digital Breakout EDU. Our students have loved the Breakout EDU puzzles that have been presented to them. They sure love a challenge. Now each student can either work with a group or just challenge themselves with a 30-minute digital Breakout EDU. A Bluestem book that was read to all third-fifth grade was The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea by Brenda Guiberson. Students were amazed by some of the far-out facts. Did you know that an Ocean Sunfish can grow to weigh as much as a rhino? The next few weeks we will be voting for our favorite Monarch and Bluestem book. Students and teachers have read from a list of 20 each. They will be a part of many students in Illinois picking their favorite book. Caudill voting has already been done in our school, which is for fourth and fifth grade. Winners will be posted at school in a few weeks. This coming month more students will join in the Digital Breakout EDU fun. Also, we will work at introducing more of our cool STEM kits and activities through literature.

2018-19 SCHOOL YEAR