Washington Wildcat Chat

Dear Washington Families:

December is in full swing, and the excitement of the season is in the air. We hope everyone enjoyed a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving break, and look forward to enjoying winter break soon.

This is a very special and exciting time of the year, and our students are working hard to prepare for their Holiday Sing performances on December 22nd. Please see below for additional details regarding the locations and times for the shows. We can't wait to see what our students and music teachers have in store for us!

We would like to extend our gratitude to the Washington PTO and Student Council for launching our holiday food drive to benefit the Main Township Food Pantry. Washington collected so many items that the delivery truck had to come back for a second trip! We appreciate your kindness and generosity during this season of giving.

As always, we your support in helping our students to learn and grow. Have a wonderful week and stay warm!

Best,

Angie

Students wrote notes to thank our Park Ridge Police Officers and Park Ridge Firefighters for all they do for our community. Police Officer and Fire Fighter Representatives came to the school to visit and accept the letters. The students and adults had a blast!

Pizza Thursday Ordering for the second half of the school year is here! Spuntino's will deliver pizza to Washington School during lunch every Thursday. Cheese pizza will be served by the slice by parent volunteers. In addition to pizza Thursdays being a fun lunch, it is also an important fundraiser for the school!

Orders are due Sunday, December 18, 2022, by midnight. After December 18th there will not be any more opportunities to sign up for pizza for the second half of the year. No late orders will be accepted in order to ensure we have an accurate pizza count. If ordering for more than one child, each child will need to have his/her own order.

If you purchased pizza for a full year at the beginning of the school year, you are all set (please do not re-order for the second half)! We cannot accommodate changes in orders already placed. You can view previous orders on the PTO website.

Orders are placed through the PTO website so you will need to log in to the PTO website. Please click here https://washingtonelempto.membershiptoolkit.com/pizza to place an order for pizza.

To check if an order was placed correctly, please select "My Account" at the top right of your personal PTO account page, and then select "Order History" to view successful orders.

Families can choose 1, 2, or 3 slices per student. If you sign your child up for pizza for the second half of the year, your child will get pizza from Thursday, January 12th through Thursday, June 8th.

Additionally, we are looking for parent volunteers to help serve pizza to our students on Thursdays at Washington from 11:20 AM to 12:35 PM. Please click https://washingtonelempto.membershiptoolkit.com/pizza to sign up if you are interested in volunteering!

Thursday 12/22

Holiday Sing day is coming soon! This year we will have three holiday shows, divided by grade level. We ask that all parents enter through door #4 in the gym.

Here is the performance schedule:

9:30 3rd grade and Kindergarten

10:30 2nd and 4th grades

1:15 1st and 5th grades

Monday, November 28- Monday, December 12

In past years, Washington families have supported our own Wildcat community helping

make a difference during the holidays to those in need. This year in addition to giving

back to those in our own school community, Washington is expanding this initiative

working with the Salvation Army to provide gifts for children in the larger Park Ridge

community and surrounding areas.

We have a snowman set up in the front office at Washington School. There will be paper mittens surrounding our snowman that contain

a wish or a need for a single child. Each item is valued at $25-$50 and includes toys,

games, clothes, etc. We ask that all gifts be brought back to Washington’s front office by

Monday, December 12th.

We invite you to come to the front office and Lea or Michelle can assist in assigning you

as many mittens as you would like. Cash and or/gift cards will also be accepted. Please

drop it off at the front office and Lea or Michelle will make sure your gift goes to the right

place.

Thank you for your support of our community. Wildcats Give Back!

WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SESSION 2

Fridays 11:35 am – 12:30 pm (during lunch)

Chess-Ed is excited to return to Washington School to provide this unique, exciting, and

dynamic chess instruction which lifts each student to a new level of expertise. Each week

students will enjoy an engaging lesson with supervised time to play with classmates. Students will grow their knowledge of the game - from the basics through opening theory, middle-game tactics, and end-game combinations. Students’ vocabulary and math skills will continue to advance.

Studies confirm that the student who plays chess does better academically. Playing chess increases IQ performance, improves memory, uses analytical and critical thinking skills, teaches problem-solving, responsibility, sportsmanship, social skills, and more. The chess program is open to students in all grades (including those in full-day and half-day Kindergarten) and of all

playing levels.

JOIN TODAY!

10 Week Session 2: 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3, (no school

3/10), 3/17, and 3/24/2023.

EARLY Registration through 12/30/22 - $140

ON-TIME Registration 12/31/22 to 1/8/23 - $150

LATE Registration 1/9/23 to 1/27/23 - $170

Register at:

www.2022-2023washingtonchess.eventbee.com

Attendance sheets are prepared 24 hours before the first class begins. Please register early.

Your registration is complete when you receive two confirmation emails, one from Eventbee and the other from PayPal. If you do not receive these two emails, your registration is not complete. Please check your Spam/Junk folders as the confirmation emails may be diverted there.

Chess-Ed does not pro-rate classes. Questions? Please email info@chess-ed.com and include

WASHINGTON in the subject line. A full refund, less a $20 administrative fee, is guaranteed if notified before the third class. Contact Chess-Ed directly at info@chess-ed.com.

For more information about Chess-Ed, please visit us at www.chess-ed.com or check us out on Facebook at kumbayachessed.

Chess is the “SPORT OF THE MIND.”

Congratulations to the following students for being recognized at PAWS winners for the month of November!

Have you heard the BUZZ? The D64 Spelling Bee is back! Please see our D64 Spelling Bee Website for further details and links to registration forms. Contact Mrs. Joyce, bjoyce@d64.org and Mrs. Jaffe, gjaffe@d64.org, with any questions about the Washington School Spelling Bee.

Winter MAP Testing, December 12 - 16

Winter FastBridge Screening, December 14 -22

Board of Education Meeting, December 15

Holiday Sing, December 22

Winter Break, December 23 - January 8

School Resumes, January 9

Inspire all students to discover their strengths, embrace learning, achieve personal excellence, and demonstrate care. Students thrive in a rich, rigorous, and innovative curriculum delivered by highly qualified teachers. Each student learns and grows in a safe, nurturing environment. In collaboration with student, parents, teachers and the community, District 64 provides opportunities for each learner to investigate, be successful, be resilient, and become inspired and empowered as they contribute to our global society.