Do you have Whittier clothes/gear laying around home that no one is wearing anymore? Want to swap it for something different?
Details:
Drop off your Whittier wear (anything from spirit wear, class shirts, Jaguar jog shirts, Downers Grove Children’s Choir shirts) before school (between 8:10-8:20) or after school (from the bell-3:05) on the 5th, 6th or 7th. There will be a marked box in the vestibule of the main entrance. Please make sure it’s washed! Thanks!
The donations will be organized and then set out for “shopping” on curriculum night on September 11th, and in the school days immediately following.
Registration is OPEN for both after-school Spanish and **NEW THIS YEAR** French!
Learning a new language has been shown to be extremely beneficial for the brain and self confidence. This includes higher math, verbal, social studies and test scores. The Language Labs has offered after-school Spanish for the past two years and are excited to be able to offer French this year as well!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: For Language Labs to offer these classes @ Whittier, is it required by our school to have a Whittier parent present at each class. Knowledge of the language is NOT mandatory, your presence is only needed for supervision and attendance check. For your time your child will receive a tuition discount (up to 50% if you choose to volunteer for every class). This can also be split up among multiple parents and the discount will be adjusted accordingly. If interested in volunteering contact Chinni Mancilla at Language Labs (chinni@thelanguagelabs.net) prior to registration. For any other questions contact rachel.carrero@gmail.com
For the NEWSLETTER CLICK HERE
For the SPANISH flier CLICK HERE
For the FRENCH flier CLICK HERE
Registration is still open for the Jaguar Jog on September 16th!!
CLICK HERE to register
The Destination Imagination (DI) program is a fun, hands-on system of learning that fosters students’ creativity, courage and curiosity through open-ended challenges. Teams of students work over several months to address a main challenge of their choosing in the fields of STEM, fine arts, and service, and also practice instant challenges that can be as varied as “take 5 minutes to build a tower that can support weights” and “take 5 minutes to plan and act out a 3-act circus while only speaking these 6 words”. Students learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem solving process. Whittier has a long tradition of participation in DI, and there are many resources to pull from to assist teams in their planning. We will host an Open House mid-September for interested adults and students to learn more, including some fun instant challenges for the students to try. Please contact Debbie Dobrez (dobrezdebbie@gmail.com) with any questions, and check out the DI website. https://www.destinationimagination.org/
The Whittier Walking Club is in need of volunteers! Every Tuesday (from 11:30-12:30) during the fall and spring seasons, students are challenged to walk or run laps around the school building during recess. With every lap completed, students earn “Cat Cash” to spend at the Walking Club Store. Parent volunteers help keep track of the students, hand out “Cat Cash”, and manage the Walking Club Store. It is a great way to see your kids in action! Visit the PTA’s Walking Club page for more information and to sign up to volunteer: http://
Questions? Email Katy Anderman at katy.anderman@gmail.com.
WRECK (Whittier Robotics and Engineering Club for Kids) is an amazing amount of fun and also a great way to learn interesting engineering and robotics concepts (without even realizing it!). For those not familiar, WRECK is a PTA run program and is offered to 3rd through 6th graders. Utilizing Lego WeDo kits (3rd and 4th) and new Lego EV3 Mindstorms kits (5th and 6th), we will give interested boys and girls an introduction to robotics and programming. The classes will start with learning basic principles and will culminate in a final project that should be challenging and rewarding.
The fall session of after-school chess starts Monday, September 24! Classes are held immediately after school at Whittier. For all the information to sign up CLICK HERE for the flier. Please register by September 14 for the early bird price of $122.75!
Explore the world of art in an Elementary Drawing Young Rembrandts class!
ONLINE REGISTRATION IS OPEN for grades K-6! Classes are held immediately after school at Whittier on Tuesdays. Students will be released for pickup promptly at end of class time. All new lessons every week! All supplies included.
There’s a lot coming at you in the beginning of the year, but don’t forget to join the PTA for 2018-2019. You will get access to our NEW online directory with your paid membership. This year we will be using DirectorySpot which includes a website with various features and download/search capabilities, as well as an app for your iPhone or Andriod device. Your login should also help you access Herrick Middle School’s directory as well. Feel free to contact Ann Russell @ AnnKHerrick@yahoo.com with any comments, questions or issues. Once logged in, please validate your directory information. You can make any necessary changes by logging in to your DirectorySpot account online.
***PLEASE NOTE***
The information from the old directory was copied over to Directory Spot. However phone numbers and emails weren’t always specified with an owner in the old directory yet they are in DirectorySpot so things may be a bit off at first. Its important that you VERIFY YOUR DIRECTORY INFORMATION! Any updates do need to be made via the website, not on the app. While any changes made will appear immediately in the app and online, the deadline for any corrections to be included in the printed directory is SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2018.
One of the most anticipated parts of school for kids and parents alike occurs every other Friday when the PTA sponsors a Fun Lunch option. That’s right. Every other Friday, you won’t have to send a packed lunch from home (unless you wish to). Instead, you can choose a special lunch for your kiddos from a varied menu offered from a different local restaurant each time. You pre-pay for the entire semester (there are 7 dates this semester) and then just sit back and relax on Fun Lunch days. Trust me. It’s a joy to get a reprieve from creative lunch packing twice a month.
An email was recently sent out with more details. For any questions email Stacy Klepper (stacywalt@yahoo.com) or Karrie Donat (Karrie313@gmail.com)
URGENT: If we do not have an in-class volunteer for Young Rembrandts then we will no longer be able to offer this class. Please read the commitment details below and consider volunteering your time!
If you are interested in chairing any of the committees below or have further questions email either Jenn DiCosola (jennbala@hotmail.com) or Susan Lorenc (susan_lorenc@hotmail.com)
Young Rembrandts:
Young Rembrandts is an original, step by step method to teach children drawing, the fundamental skill of visual arts. Children who learn to draw using the Young Rembrandts method develop spatial reasoning and fine motor skills, ordering and sequencing ability, visualization and fundamental art skills. The volunteer will assist the Young Rembrandts teacher and will track attendance of the student attendees.
Estimated Time Commitment: 1 hour per week after school on Tuesdays, 1 hour per session
Chess:
Looking for a PTA member to act as the liaison between the school and Chess Scholars for session scheduling and information. One PTA parent volunteer must also be present each week during chess in order to assist with attendance and overall supervision (this volunteer receives a 50% on tuition for their child). In the event of the parent volunteer being unable to attend class, the chair must either step in as the volunteer or arrange another supervisor.
Estimated Time Commitment: 1 hour per week after school as volunteer (if desired), 1 hour per session as chair
Spring Fundraiser:
Members of the Spring Fundraiser committee set the time and place of the event and secure said time and place early in the school year. From there, volunteers plan and prepare logistics of the event, distribute communications regarding the event, solicit donations, and coordinate with the experience committee. You will also need to organize volunteers to set up, run and clean up after the actual event.
Estimated Time Commitment: Moderate based on the details of the event.
THANK YOU to Matt and Jessie Butts for volunteering to chair our Math and Science Nights Committee!!
