Hello, WOIS Families! 

We are excited to see our Wolfpack getting involved! Students have officially started their extracurricular activities, and the excitement has been contagious throughout the building. Our 5th graders, especially, were eager to get started with Band and Choir, and it has been wonderful to see their enthusiasm!

We are proud to share that 78% of our students are participating in some type of enrichment or extracurricular activity this year! Whether it’s our Dual Language program, Student Council, Choir, Yearbook, or one of our many other opportunities, we know that when students are appropriately challenged and connected to something they enjoy, they develop a stronger sense of belonging and connection to school. We want every student to find something that makes them excited to walk through our doors each day!

Thank you for partnering with us in helping our students discover their interests, build relationships, and find their place within our Wolfpack. 

Enjoy the long weekend, Wolfpack families, and we’ll see everyone back at WOIS on Tuesday!

Natalie Kalette

Principal

West Oak Intermediate School

• SEL Focus of the Month: September's focus is RESPECT! We kicked off this month by talking about anti-bullying. Check out our family connection letter to learn more: English and Spanish.

• BPAC Meeting: Join us for District 76’s first Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) meeting of the school year on Tuesday, September 22, from 5:00 to 6:00 PM at Diamond Lake School! This is a great opportunity to connect with other families, learn about district programs, and share your voice. The presentation will be in Spanish, and light snacks will be served.

• Sharing Test Scores: Fall STAR test scores for Reading, Math and Lectura (for Dual Language students) will be emailed to families with students in grades 1-8 next Friday, 9.25.  These initial benchmark scores provide us with an opportunity to set goals with students and ensure that we are adjusting our teachings, lessons, and practices to meet the needs of our students and establish a growth mindset.  Students will take STAR tests again in December to establish our winter benchmark.  This will provide us with data to compare to the fall benchmark scores and measure how much academic growth our students achieved.  Fall benchmark scores are an excellent tool to use as informative data that can assist in establishing academic routines and practices at home.  Additional academic support within the home can significantly impact student performance and growth.  If you have any questions about your child’s STAR score report, please contact your child’s Principal or teacher.

If your child took the ACCESS English language proficiency assessment last winter, their score report will be sent home soon, along with an annual notification letter about English Learner services and programming, if applicable. If you need help understanding either document, please contact the Director of Multilingual Learning, Yolanda Roldan yroldan@dist76.org.

• October 2nd Early Release: The October 2nd early release allows our staff, students, and families to be able to attend and/ or be part of the Mundelein High School homecoming parade at 3:30 that day. We invite you to attend to cheer on our students, families, and community! The parade route is included below. Additionally, MHS invites you to a fun food truck night to kick off the week on Monday, September 28th from 4:30-8:00 p.m. in the South lot on Hawley Street. Information is included below. 

• Countryside Fire Open House: The Countryside Fire Protection District is excited to invite the community to our 2026 Open House & Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, October 4th, from 8-12:00pm at Station 2 in Vernon Hills. Here is a flyer for this event. The Open House is a great opportunity for families to visit the fire station, meet our firefighters, and see live demonstrations, including vehicle extrication, a side-by-side burn demonstration, high-angle rescue, and more. A pancake breakfast will also be available during the event.

• Diamond Awards: We invite you to use this form to recognize a staff member who is going above and beyond to make a difference in our classrooms, school, or district. Help us spread the positivity by celebrating and highlighting the incredible work our staff members do each day!

• Health Physical and Immunization Requirements due 10.15: As a reminder, all students entering Preschool, Kindergarten, 6th grade, and any student new to Illinois schools are required by Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/27-8.1) to have a current physical examination (must be completed within one year prior to the first day of school) and up-to-date immunization records on file. Deadline: October 15, 2026

Important: Students who do not submit a completed physical and proof of required immunizations by this date will be excluded from school. They will not be allowed to attend classes or participate in school activities until the required forms are received.

Please schedule any needed appointments as soon as possible and submit forms to the school office. If your child has an upcoming appointment, please provide written confirmation from your healthcare provider to the school nurse prior to October 15.

If you have questions or need assistance accessing health services, please contact the school nurse or main office. Thank you for helping us keep all students healthy, safe, and ready to learn!

• 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

• Spirit Wear Store - This weekend is the last chance to order for the 2026-2027 school year. The store closes at the end of the day September 20th.  Shop now at https://diamondlake26.itemorder.com/.

• Thank You! - Our wish list for the Back to School Bash was filled in record time.  Thank you so much to all who purchased items to support the work of the PTO!

• Next PTO Meeting -  You are invited to join us at our monthly PTO meeting: Tuesday, September 22, 2026 6:00-7:00 pm at the Diamond Lake Elementary School Library. All are welcome to attend!

• Volunteers Needed - We still need a few more volunteers to help make the night a success.  Please sign up for a shift on our Sign up Genius.

• Back to School Bash -  The Back to School Bash will be held on Friday, September 25 from 5:30-7:30 pm. Weather permitting, this event will be outdoors. Tickets are $5 per person or $20 per family of 4 or more and may be purchased at the door. Visit our website for up to date information about the event.