General News
6th Grade Service Learning Project
REFUGEES: People who are forced to flee their country due to war or persecution. They want to return home, but they can’t.
In conjunction with Exodus World Service, a Christian organization, and in response to reading A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, the sixth grade would like to help a refugee family in need. Chicagoland is receiving many, many refugees every day and Exodus World Service is helping about 15 families per week to settle here.
Just imagine fleeing your country in fear for your life, experiencing many weeks or months of travel (most likely on foot through treacherous areas), at the mercy of dangerous strangers, perhaps in hiding, not enough food or water for you or your children, living in a filthy and dangerous refugee camp for who-knows-how-long, finally getting on an airplane, and landing in a foreign city. You are once again at the mercy of strangers. A friendly face greets you at the airport and helps you and your family into a car. They drive you through the city and stop at an apartment building. The door to the apartment is opened and there waiting for you is a group of smiling faces who have just set up your furnished apartment with full cupboards, a well stocked refrigerator, soap, clean bed linens, fluffy towels, pots, pans, dishes … the list goes on. For the first time in months or years, the only things you have to worry about is getting your children clean, fed, and put to bed in a safe place. What a remarkable relief!
Most refugee families arrive in a new country with only the clothes on their backs … literally. They have no money, no possessions, don’t speak the language, don’t understand the culture, and have no place to live. Exodus World Service helps with ALL of these issues. Most importantly, they share the love of JESUS. Please help us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these struggling families.
How Can You Help?
6th Grade would like your help with filling a Welcome to America! Pack with basic items for the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom along with a month’s worth of food to get them started.
We will be collecting household items and food staples from
Monday, April 8th until Monday, April 15th
- Sign up to bring the items you’d like to donate (due by Monday, April 15th)
- Send the items to school with your child to place in donation boxes
- Grade 6 will deliver the items to a refugee family in need
We are also collecting money to purchase groceries for the refugee family. You can easily contribute to this effort by donating online.
Emergency Closing
Update 3/22/2024 – Due to road conditions, tardies will be excused. Parents should use discretion based on conditions in their area when determining if it is safe to drive to school.
WCA places safety as a top priority, which includes weather-related safety.
Snow and Ice:
Student safety includes traveling to and from school during times of inclement weather. On days when the school is open but travel conditions in your area are still treacherous, it is important for you to keep your child at home until travel conditions improve. If conditions improve later in the morning, you may bring your child for the remainder of the school day. Determining the safety of road conditions in your area is a parental decision.
Of course, we want as many children as possible to be in attendance but not at the risk of their safety. Please weigh carefully whether or not to attempt to come to school.
If school is open but you choose to keep your child at home, please submit an absence form online or in the WCA app.
Excessive Heat:
All classrooms currently have air conditioning units, which will impact any decisions to close school due to excessive heat. If possible, school will remain open during an excessive heat warning, with modifications to the daily schedule to limit exposure to the heat. In the event of a power outage or failure of an air conditioning unit, some or all classes might be closed.
Notification of Closure
If you’re wondering whether or not Westlake will be open due to the weather, you can find out in a few different ways:
- Check your phone for a text alert (make sure your cell phone number is current in your FACTS Family Portal Account)
- Check the Westlake website for a homepage notification (or this page for a header notification)
- Call our office and listen for an automated message: 847-548-6209
- Check your email; we will send each family an email by 6:00 AM
Please note: Westlake no longer uses Emergency Closing Center to report school closures.
Back to School – Summer 2024
Back-to-School Night | 1st–12th | Thursday, August 15th
4–7 pm, Registration Required
All families (1st–12th) should plan to attend Back-to-School Night on Thursday, August 15, 2024. The signup sheet will be published in the summer. The time slot that you sign up for is an arrival window. This helps to spread out check-in lines at the info table.
Preschool / Pre-K / Kindergarten families should NOT attend Back-to-School Night. These families should sign up for Meet the Teacher on Mon, Aug 19 or Tues, Aug 20.
What to expect:
- Visit classrooms to meet the teacher and learn about classroom procedures
- Drop off school supplies (if you ordered an online school supply kit, the PA will deliver it to your classroom in advance).
- 7th–12th graders receive schedule
- 1st–6th families receive pick-up line number (required for picking up students on first day)
- Opportunity to take “first day” photos of your students
- Reconnect with friends on the playground after you visit your classroom
Meet the Teacher | PS, PK, K | Aug 19th & 20th
Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten students will NOT attend Back-to-School Night. Instead, parents should sign up for a “Meet the Teacher” time slot on Monday, August 19th or Tuesday, August 20th. These will be 30 minute time slots for a small group of parents and students. ALL families are expected to sign up for a time slot, regardless of whether or not this is your first year at Westlake. If at all possible, families should make childcare arrangements for younger siblings.
What to Expect
- Drop-off your school supplies
- Find your cubby
- Explore the classroom
- Meet the teacher
- Meet new friends
- Receive pick-up line card (required for picking up students on first day)
- Turn in paper work (if necessary)
The focus of Meet the Teacher is helping students feel comfortable in their new classroom. Parents should focus on assisting their child. Parent questions may be asked during New Family Orientation. There will also be a preschool/pre-k orientation video that will be sent out over the summer. There will be a form for asking any questions that aren’t answered by the video.
New Family Orientation | Thursday, August 1st
5:30 pm (Preschool–6th) & 7 pm (7–12th), Registration Required
All new families should plan to attend orientation on Thursday, August 1, 2024. You can expect a presentation followed by a time for questions.
All incoming 7th graders (and their parents) are also encouraged to attend the session for junior high and high school.
Dinner (hot dogs and chips) will be provided in between the two sessions.
Schedule:
- 5:30 | Preschool–6th Grade Orientation (Gym)
- 6–7pm | Dinner (Cafeteria, lower level)
- 6–7pm | Chromebook Pick-up (Room 3, lower level)
- 6–7:30pm | Uniform Closet Open (Room 2, lower level)
- 7:00pm | 7th–12th Grade Orientation (Gym)
If you miss New Family Orientation, please contact the office to pick up your info packet.
Drop-Off and Pick-Up
All families should review the guidelines for dropping off and picking up students. Please be patient and allow extra time in the morning. Due to increased enrollment, it will take longer to get everyone through the parking lot.
Are you ready for school?
Check out the links below to make sure you’re informed and prepared for the start of a great school year.
Medical & Dental Requirements
To prepare for next year, make your appointments early and submit the following requirements to the school office by August 1.
Please email completed forms or fax to (847) 548-6481.
Forms may be obtained from your health care provider or the school office. WCA complies with the requirements of the IL State Board of Education. Consult your physician for details.
New Students
- Health exam & immunizations – parents must complete & sign the health history section
- Vision exam for students transferring from out of state (most recent for exam, Kindergarten and above)
- Dental exam (most recent for exam, Kindergarten and above)
Kindergarten
- Health exam & immunizations – parents must complete & sign the health history section
- Dental exam
- Vision exam
2nd Grade
- Dental exam
6th Grade
- Health exam & immunizations (includes 1 dose of Tdap) – parents must complete & sign the health history section
- Dental exam
9th Grade
- Health exam & immunizations (includes 1 dose Tdap) – parents must complete & sign the health history section
- Dental exam
12th Grade
- MCV4 vaccines (qty: 2)
Sports Physicals are required for ALL students participating in the athletic program prior to starting practice.
Forms may be obtained from your health care provider or the school office or under Documents.