Dear West Oak Intermediate Families,

Happy end of Trimester 2! The school year is truly flying by, and we are so proud of all the learning and growth our students have shown.

This week marked the exciting kickoff to D76 Loves to Read, and it has been wonderful to see the joy and enthusiasm for reading throughout our school. Students were thrilled to receive their bags of books from Bernie’s Book Bank and participate in book swaps in their classrooms, giving them the opportunity to explore new stories and discover books they are excited to read.

We also had a fantastic time celebrating World Read Aloud Day on Wednesday. Students were fully engaged in reading, and it was especially meaningful to see our intermediate students connect with middle school buddies through shared books and conversations. These experiences help strengthen a love of reading while building positive relationships.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting reading at home. As a friendly reminder, next Friday is an early dismissal day. We hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend with your families!

Natalie Kalette

Principal

West Oak Intermediate School

• SEL Focus of the Month: February's SEL focus is HONESTY! Students will be developing skills like emotion regulation, positive self-talk, and stress-management 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

• D76 Loves to Read: D76 Loves to Read continues next week! Monday, February 9th, kicks off our three-week book reading challenge. Students will log the pages they read at home and in school to see which classes and individual students read the most.  Let’s get reading Wolfpack! 

• 5Essentials Survey: Each year parents, students, and teachers across Illinois will have an opportunity to participate in the annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent/guardian, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school. Please take a few minutes to complete the Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey. Your feedback is greatly important to us and your participation allows us to focus our continued improvement efforts. After completing the survey, if you'd like to be entered into a raffle for a free dinner for you and your family, complete this quick form!

    We need 20% of our families to participate in this survey in order to receive the results. 

• Valentine's Day Celebrations: We are looking forward to celebrating Valentine's Day at WOIS on Friday, February 13th! Students are welcome to bring in valentines to exchange with their classmates if they wish. We ask that you please refrain from sending your student to school with food to share or exchange to maintain a safe environment for our students with allergies. An allergen-free snack will be provided to all students. Thank you for your understanding!

• SMILE Dentist Visit: The SMILE dentist is coming to West Oak Intermediate School on March 18th. If you are interested in having your child seen by the dentist at school please click here. If you have questions, please contact Julie Marchese at 847-388-2599.

• 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.

• 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.

Reading Together: Reading at home is one of the most powerful ways families can support learning. Set aside a few minutes each day to read with your child: take turns reading, listen as they read, or talk about the story together. These shared reading moments build comprehension, strengthen vocabulary, and help children develop a lifelong love of reading.

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- You are invited to join us at our monthly PTO meeting. Tuesday February 17th, 2026 6:00-7:00pm Diamond Lake Elementary School Library. All are welcome to attend.

Family Loteria Night! Please join us for this fun family night of bingo style play on Friday, February 20th, from 6pm-8pm at the West Oak Campus Cafeteria, 26156 N. Acorn Lane, Mundelein, IL 60060.  This event is free to play.  Prizes will be awarded. Snacks will be available to purchase.  

• Planning on coming? Help us plan by letting us know.  RSVP on Parent Square.  

• Want to help make the magic happen?

  • Sign up on Parent Square to volunteer!

  • We would love your support through donations!  Please visit our wishlist to donate to the event! Items purchased from other sources may be delivered to the WOMS office. 

Next DINE OUT- Luke's Tuesday February 24th from 10:00 am-9:00 pm.