Welcome Back, Wolfpack!

I am honored and excited to continue serving as the proud principal of West Oak Intermediate School for the 2026–2027 school year. I hope your family enjoyed a wonderful summer filled with time to relax, recharge, and make lasting memories. Our staff has been enthusiastically preparing for the year ahead, and we cannot wait to welcome our students back for the first day of school on Thursday, August 20th!

At West Oak Intermediate School, our district mission—Embrace, Empower, Excel…Each Child Each Day—guides everything we do. We are dedicated to fostering a safe, welcoming, and engaging learning environment where every student feels valued, inspired, and empowered to reach their greatest potential.

We believe strong family-school partnerships are essential to student success, and we want to make it easy for you to stay informed and involved. The best way to stay connected is through our weekly family newsletter, which will be sent electronically every Friday. Each edition will feature upcoming events, important reminders, and school and district news. You can also stay connected by visiting the District 76 website and following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

As we begin a new school year, your encouragement and support at home make a difference. Here are three simple ways to help your child start the year with confidence:

• 📚 Read together or encourage daily reading. Even 15 minutes of reading each day helps build strong literacy skills and prepares students for learning.

• 💬 Talk about goals for the new school year. Encourage your child to think about what they hope to learn, accomplish, or improve and celebrate their efforts along the way.

• ❤️ Promote independence and responsibility. Encourage your child to pack their backpack, keep track of their belongings, and practice solving small problems on their own to build confidence.

If you have any questions or if there are ways we can better support your child, please don't hesitate to contact our front office or reach out to me directly. As proud members of the West Oak Wolfpack, we lift one another up, celebrate each other's successes, and grow stronger together because we are not a Wolfpack without YOU!

Here's to another incredible year ahead!

Natalie Kalette

Principal

West Oak Intermediate School

Staff have been busy in the buildings this summer excitedly preparing to welcome your students back on August 20th! 

• Mundelein Farmers Market 8.8: Join D76 for read-alouds and hands-on crafts for kids at the Mundelein Farmers Market this Saturday from 8:00-12:00! Enjoy fresh local produce, artisan goods, and family activities. We can't wait to see you there! 

• Backpack Giveaway Community Event 8.10: Join us on Monday, August 10th, from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the McDonald's on Route 45! All Mundelein schools are teaming up for a community backpack and school supply giveaway. Grimace is usually there, so grab a bite to eat, say hello, and join our families as we celebrate heading back to school!

• Class & Locker Assignments 8.12: Parents will receive a secure document through ParentSquare on Wednesday, August 12th, providing their student's homeroom teacher assignment and transportation information.

• New to ParentSquare? Please review these helpful instructions on how to access your ParentSquare account.

• Meet & Greet 8.18: We are looking forward to celebrating the start of the school year and welcoming our Wolfpack back to school on Tuesday, August 18th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at our meet and greet night! Come early at 3:30 p.m. for the ribbon cutting of our new-and-improved WOIS playground! 

• Back-to-School Supply Support: If your family could benefit from a helping hand with school supplies this year, please complete our brief request form: Back-to-School Supply Support.  

• Arrival & Dismissal Procedures: Please click here to view WOIS arrival and dismissal procedures. Thank you in advance for following these procedures and the guidance of our bus supervisors to ensure a smooth and safe arrival and dismissal! 

• WOIS Schedule and Calendar: The West Oak Intermediate school day starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 2:55 p.m. Please click here to view additional details regarding the WOIS schedule, as well as late start, early release, and non-attendance day calendar. You may also access a printable district calendar here. 

• Extracurricular Activities:  There will be several after extracurricular activities taking place during lunch/recess and after school available for students starting in late September. More information and sign ups will be coming soon.

Band and Choir will also be available for 5th graders who sign up.  While Band and Choir are considered a daily class, they will happen after the school day, and students will take their assigned bus at 3:25 along with the middle school students. Families can also choose to pick up their students from Band and Choir.  Please keep an eye out for permission slips to join Band and/or Choir.  Band and Choir start for 5th graders in mid-September.

• 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.

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 & Kayla Rodriguez: krodriguez@dist76.org 

• Principal: Natalie Kalette: nkalette@dist76.org 

• West Oak Campus Nurse: Julie Marchese: jmarchese@dist76.org 

• West Oak Intermediate Health Clerk: Cinthia Maldonado: cmaldonado@dist76.org

To stay up to date on PTO news, follow us on Instagram or Facebook!

Next PTO Meeting: You are invited to join us at our monthly PTO meeting: Tuesday, August 25th, 2026 6:00-7:00 pm at Diamond Lake Elementary School Library. All are welcome to attend!