Dear West Oak Intermediate Families,

It has been great welcoming students back to school this week after winter break! We appreciate your support in helping students return to routines and start the new year feeling ready to learn.

On Monday, we held a PBIS Booster Day to help students review and practice our Wolfpack Ways. Students rotated through stations where behavior expectations were retaught and practiced in a variety of school settings. This was a fun and engaging way to reinforce what it looks like to be safe, respectful, and responsible throughout the building. Students continue to earn Pack Points for demonstrating these positive behaviors each day.

We are also placing a strong focus on attendance this month. Returning from break can feel challenging, but showing up on time and ready to learn each day is an important part of student success and connects to our Character Strong Value of the Month: Perseverance. To encourage this, students will receive three Pack Points for each day they are present and on time to school. Thank you for your continued partnership in helping students build strong habits and perseverance.

We are grateful for your support and look forward to a strong second half of the school year!

Natalie Kalette

Principal

West Oak Intermediate School

• SEL Focus of the Month: January's SEL focus is PERSEVERANCE! Students will be developing skills like focusing, organizing, and goal-setting 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

• Great Kindness Challenge: The week of January 26-January 30, our school will be participating in the Great Kindness Challenge, a global initiative that encourages students and staff to create a culture of kindness through simple, meaningful actions. This year, the theme of the challenge is: Show Us Your Kind!  Please review this letter for more information. 

• Acting Auditions: The Kirk Players are proud to announce the auditions for their upcoming children's show, "Alice in Wonderland"! They are hoping to have West Oak Middle School students try out for this production as two of them were in last spring's show. Please review this flyer for more information. 

• 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.

Starting the Second Half Strong: The start of the second half of the school year is a great time for a fresh start. Talk with your child about what they are proud of from the first half of the year and set one small goal for the weeks ahead. Reinforcing routines, celebrating growth, and encouraging effort helps students return focused, confident, and ready to finish the year strong.

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 DINE OUT- Monday, January 12th 4:00-8:00 pm at Chipotle

• Next PTO Meeting- Tuesday, January 20th 6:00-7:00 pm Diamond Lake Elementary School Library

• Save the Date- New event Family Loteria Night! Friday, February 20. More information to follow. 

Visit our website at any time for more information and volunteer opportunities.