Dear West Oak Intermediate Families,

Thank you for your partnership during STAR and Fastbridge testing over the past two weeks. With your support of making sure students came to school rested and ready to do their best, we are already seeing exciting growth in our preliminary scores. Our students have been working hard, and we are so proud of their progress!

We also have a wonderful week of celebrations coming up as we head into winter break. Next Thursday is our school-wide Spelling Bee, and Friday will be a very special day. Students will enjoy their holiday classroom parties, and during our December Assembly, our 5th grade band and choir will perform, we’ll recognize our Empathy Students of the Month, and we’ll even have some surprise special guests joining us! A huge thank you to the PTO for providing snacks and crafts for our holiday parties!

Thank you for your continued support and for helping us finish 2025 strong. We hope you and your families have a fantastic weekend—just five more wake-ups until winter break!

Natalie Kalette

Principal

West Oak Intermediate School

• Spirit Week: Student council has planned a spirit week for next week! Please see the flyer below for the theme each day. 

• Bus Bulletin via Lakeside Transportation: To help you stay informed about any future bus delays directly from our transportation company, you can sign up for Bus Bulletin notifications here: Transportation Page. This service will send updates via email about delays or route changes.

• SEL Focus of the Month: December's SEL focus is EMPATHY! Students will be developing skills like perspective-taking, conflict resolution, and leadership through our Character Strong curriculum during morning meeting. Please see below for the monthly family newsletters: 

  • 3rd Grade Family Newsletter: English Spanish 

  • 4th Grade Family Newsletter: English Spanish

  • 5th Grade Family Newsletter: English Spanish

• Clubs and Activities: Session 1 clubs and activities have concluded! Session 2 clubs and activities information will be sent out after winter break. Stay tuned!

5th-8th grade Wrestling began on Monday, December 8th, in our WOIS gym. All students 5th-8th grade are welcome and practices will be Monday-Thursday from 3:30-5:00pm. A current sports physical and all necessary paperwork is required to participate. 

• It's getting chilly!: As the temperatures start to drop, please ensure you are sending your student with warm winter-weather gear. We will continue to go outside for recess every day, except in the case of extreme cold or rain. If there is snow on the ground, students will need a hat (or hood), jacket, gloves, snow pants, and boots to play in the snow. 

• Diamond Awards: New to this year, we ask families to complete this nomination Form if they would like to recognize a staff member they feel are going above and beyond with what they do in the classroom, school, or district. Please consider spreading the positivity by highlighting the great work that staff our doing in our district. 

• D76 CARES: At D76, the well-being of our students and families is our top priority. Understanding the critical role mental health plays in student success, we have launched D76 CARES - a comprehensive initiative aimed at improving access to quality mental health services across our community. D76 CARES stands for Community, Advocacy, Resilience, Engagement, and Support. Treatment services are initially provided free of charge to district families for up to 8 sessions. Click HERE for treatment request.

Encourage Teamwork: Teamwork is an important part of school—and life. Look for opportunities at home to encourage cooperative play and group activities, whether it’s building a puzzle together, playing a board game, cooking as a family, or working on a small project. These shared activities help children practice taking turns, sharing ideas, solving problems, and listening to others. 

When children learn how to work well with those around them, they build strong social skills that support friendships, classroom success, and positive relationships in their daily lives.

Your student's classroom teacher should be your first point of contact. For building-related information, please call the front office at 847-970-3544 or contact the following individuals via email: 

• Front Office Staff: Ms. Kailey Leon: kleon@dist76.org & Cinthia Maldonado: cmaldonado@dist76.org 

• Principal: Natalie Kalette: nkalette@dist76.org 

• Nurse: Julie Marchese: jmarchese@dist76.org 

• Next PTO Meeting- Tuesday Dec 16th, 2025 6:00-7:00 pm Diamond Lake Elementary School Library. 

Please visit the D76 PTO Website for upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and more!