• Turkey Drive: Our Main Office is accepting Thanksgiving supply donations now. The last day to collect donations will be November 18th, so that our student MASC members can assemble the baskets at our November 20th meeting. They will then be delivered to families on November 25th.

• 1st Tri Grades: With our 1st trimester finishing today, your child's report cards will be sent out next Friday, November 14th. Please remember that with our transition to Standards Based Grading, we have embraced the approach that prioritizes student learning and their "end of year mastery" of important concepts in each class. With 1st trimester being a small portion of the school year, student progress and grades, may appear lower than some may expect. Please remember that learning is a process and they are progressing towards mastering these concepts. Please speak directly to your child's teachers or contact Mr. Pedersen at bpedersen@dist76.org if you have any questions.  

• P/T Conferences: Invites have been sent to families to sign up for parent/teacher conferences. Families new to West Oak Middle School, please make sure you sign up to meet with each of your child's teachers as some have up to eight teachers. If you request a virtual conference, or need translation, please indicate this when you sign up with individual teachers. The deadline to sign up is November 19th. Here is a letter for additional information. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

• Book Fair: This fall we welcome back Scholastic Books for our annual Book Fair.  During Parent-Teacher Conferences on Monday, November 24th and held in Classroom A of the West Oak Campus Library, families will have the opportunity to browse and purchase the great book selections that Scholastic has provided for us.  With books in both English and Spanish, Scholastic brings a great array of age appropriate books to motivate children to find a love for reading.  A new feature that Scholastic is offering this year is called Virtual Wallet.  Virtual Wallet is a digital method for families to donate a fixed dollar amount towards a classroom for teachers to purchase books of their choice.  More information to come!

• Illinois Report Card: The 2025 Illinois Report Card for Diamond Lake District 76 is being released today.  This summer Illinois adjusted student proficiency levels on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) test taken in the spring of 2025 by students in grades 3-8 to reflect college and career readiness.  According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois has had the toughest benchmarks in the country for math and English language arts which meaning, many students who were doing well in school were somehow not “proficient” on state assessments. In science, the bar was too low, so many students looked “proficient” on paper, even if they hadn’t fully mastered the material.  With this adjustment now in place, the reading and math proficiency levels of nearly all districts has risen and science slightly lowered.  Additionally, the levels of student proficiency were moved from 5 levels to 4 levels to match the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) and the ACT.  For more information on the changes, please click here.  

We are pleased to report that all District 76 schools have been given ‘Commendable’ status for 2025!  Highlights include very strong growth in reading and math.  We will use this data to further evaluate the effectiveness of our District and school improvement plans to ensure we Embrace, Empower, Excel Each Child Each Day.  Further information about the District 76 Illinois Report Card results will be shared at the November Board of Education meeting.

• APPL Testing: All of our dual language students grades 6-8 will be taking the AAPPL exams next week. These exams will assess each student's level of Spanish language acquisition in the areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Here is a letter for more information. 

• Pop Up Shop: We are excited to announce that on November 18th, West Oak Middle School will be hosting our first Pop-up Shop, hosted by our food service provider, Whitsons.  The theme of the first Pop-up Shop is "Tot Spot" where a Whitsons' chef will be preparing a made to order entree for students.  We are thrilled to be able to enhance our food service options for our WOMS students are are eagerly looking forward to their feedback.

• Erin's Law: In accordance with Erin’s Law, all Illinois public schools are required to provide age-appropriate lessons each year to help students recognize unsafe situations, understand personal body safety, and know how to seek help from trusted adults. We will be presenting the lesson during the weeks of November 10th through November 21st. These lessons are designed to empower students with knowledge and skills to protect themselves. They focus on:

• Understanding the difference between safe and unsafe touches

• Identifying trusted adults at home and school

• Learning how to say “no” and get help when feeling unsafe

• Recognizing personal boundaries and respect for others

The lessons are presented in a sensitive, age-appropriate manner by our trained staff and/or approved curriculum resources. Our goal is to ensure students feel safe, supported, and informed. If you have questions about the content of these lessons, wish to review the materials before they are presented, or do not want your student to participate in this lesson please contact your school social worker by Friday, November 7, 2025:

• Diamond Lake School: Deborah Wargaski 847-566-6601

• West Oak Intermediate School: Lisa Brickert 847-970-3544

• West Oak Middle School: Lindsay Harmon 847-566-9220

Thank you for your partnership in helping us keep all students safe and informed.

• STEM for Girls:  There is a free STEM for girls event at the College of Lake County on Saturday, November 15th. from 9-12:00pm. Students and parents will learn about engineering, technology, healthcare, science, and more. Here is a flyer for more information and a QR code to sign up. 

• SHS Dance: Incoming Freshmen! Please join us for a Dance 1 Level Class on Saturday, November 22nd from 10-11:45am. Bring a water bottle and comfortable dance clothes. No dance shoes needed! Sign up here and review this flyer with more details.

• MHS Feeder Basketball: The feeder basketball registrations are now live on the Mundelein Park District website. Here are the Form and links for each grade level:

• 6th Grade: Register Here

• 7th Grade: Register Here

• 8th Grade: Register Here

• 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 bys highlighting the great work that staff our doing in our district. 

• MHS Monthly Tours: Mundelein High School is offering building tours throughout the school year to help acclimate their incoming students for next year. Please view this page for upcoming tours!

• Free Breakfast and Lunch: Diamond Lake is pleased to remind families that ALL students are provided free breakfast and lunch EVERY day.  We hope all families take advantage of our food service program and some of our new offerings such as a fruit smoothie and daily personal salads. To find the monthly breakfast and lunch menus you can do so HERE.