Official WGMS News

Parent Conferences will be Thursday, October 19th, 4-7pm, and Friday, October 20th, 8am-10am. There is NO School on Friday for students.

Make sure to read the Newsletter here on the website for important information.

Our Volunteer-a-thon Fundraiser will be Saturday, October 21st.

The 8th Grade Field Trip to the Peoria Civic Center for Career Spark will be October 23rd.

Bring School Picture forms filled out, with money on Picture Day, October 24th, to order pictures.

Dress your best on Tuesday for Picture Day!

October 25th is a SIP 1/2 day for students, students will be dismissed at 10:30am.

8th graders will go to Springdale Cemetery on October 26th. Make sure to dress for the weather!

There is an IB informational meeting for parents of applicants at Richwoods on October 26th at 6pm.

Bring your Library cards on October 26 for the Bookmobile.

Come to the Parent University at Five Points Washington on October 26, 5:30-8pm to represent Washington with family and friends.

Our first Exploratory will be Friday, October 27th at 1pm.

Are you excited for the Fall Parties? 5th and 6th will have parties in Homeroom, 7th and 8th will have a dance in the gym.

Meet up with friends and family at WGMS PTO Night at Double A's on Nov 1st, 5-9pm.

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Headlines & Features

Washington Class of 1972

On October 6th, Washington Gifted Middle School had some every special visitors - the Class of 1972! The group toured the 'new' building, since their class had still been at the building on Moss Avenue, and enjoyed refreshments in the Library while reminiscing about their days as Washington Wildcats. Our Principal, Dave Poehls, spoke about the current gifted program at Washington. The group presented Washington Gifted with a check for $1,972.

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October 19th Newsletter is Online!

In order to save paper, we are putting all newsletters here on the website instead of giving paper copies to students. (Also because we know some students can take quite a while to finally give it to a parent.) Click here for the newest issue of the Washington Newsletter. If you would like to submit an article, email it to maureen.pantages@psd150.org by 11am on Tuesday before the next newsletter.

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Saturday University offered to students in grades 3 and 6

This month Peoria Public Schools introduces Saturday University, a new learning opportunity for third and sixth grade students to sharpen and strengthen math and reading skills. Beginning October 21 and meeting from 9 a.m. to noon on 20 Saturday mornings through April 14, Saturday University will be open to 100 students. The program will be held at Glen Oak Community Learning Center and bus transportation will be provided. Bradley University students and Caterpillar Inc. volunteers will work with students, as well as certified teachers and teacher aides. The program will include field trip opportunities, prizes and other incentives. Click on this story for the links to register and for the full list of program dates.

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Washington Help-a-Thon is October 21st

Dozens of Washington students and parents gather for breakfast before spreading out around Peoria to complete community service. This is part of the school’s fundraiser. The Help-a-Thon encourages students to collect donations in return for a pledge to volunteer in the community. Last year participants completed the following projects: visited residents at Grand View Memory Care Center, prepared and served meals for Loaves & Fishes, cleaned classrooms at Crittenton Centers, readied holiday and birthday cards for Meals on Wheels, handed out packets for Run River City, set up activities for an event at Wildlife Prairie Park, completed several projects for the Center for Prevention of Abuse. Last year's fundraiser was a great success, and not only raised valuable funds for the school, but also allowed students to have fun while helping their community.

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Parent University travels to Five Points Washington October 26

The October Parent University, hosted by Lindbergh, Mark Bills and Rolling Acres middle schools will be held at Five Points in Washington on Thursday, October 26, 5 to 8 p.m. The location will provide families the opportunity to see and play in one more family-friendly venue in the Peoria area. More information will be available next week on the facility-based activities that will be available to attendees. In addition, the knowledge sessions focusing on Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Curriculum, Snack-Ademics, Special Needs, English Language Learners and Learning Through Play as a Family will continue building on information presented in September. Transportation will be available from the three host schools and three high schools at 4:30 p.m.

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Student Pick-up and Drop-off Guidelines

7:05-7:30am and 2:00-2:40pm, CARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE FRONT PARKING LOT and students may only be picked up and dropped off in the North Parking Lot located near the ball fields. For student safety, only buses may drive in the Main Parking Lot during these times. Thank you for your cooperation in helping keep our students safe.

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Remarkable Readers RECOGNITION

On Monday, September 25, 2017, the district will recognize the participants of our summer Remarkable Readers program. The recognition will start with a Remarkable Readers Reception for the student and their family (and teacher/administrator) at the District Administration Building in Professional Learning Center Room 1. If you park on the north side of the building (not the Von Steuben side), you can walk behind the building (by the garage) and find the door to "entrance 6" open. Our room is right inside that door. · The reception begins at 5:45 p.m. · During the reception, cupcakes and punch will be available. · Each student present will receive a t-shirt. · A drawing was held by the Curriculum team, one for each grade level. The nine winners will receive gift cards. · At 6:25 p.m., everyone will make their way to the Board Room (down the hall) to be recognized during the Board of Education meeting. The recognition will occur at the beginning of the meeting, and families can leave after the “awards and recognition” segment is complete. This segment should be over between 7 and 7:15 p.m. Congrats to Carson for winning in the 7th Grade category!

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Congratulations from Peoria Public Library

The numbers have been totaled up and we have our school winners for the 2017 Peoria Public Library Summer Reading Program! Washington Gifted had 44 students. Representatives from the Peoria Public Library will take a picture of our participating students and are making a summer reading poster for our school! They will also bring some neat coupons for the kids who helped us win the middle school division of the Summer Reading Program. Great job Moises, Javen, Brianna, Maleah, Mia, Kiara, Lena, Kenneth, Alexi, Georgia, Theo, Destiny, Beth, True, Mackenzie, Monica, Hiruni, Nethmi, Aidan, Jasmine, Michael, Guy, Chase, Emily, Lilyhan, AJ, Kirsten, Nylah, Taurus, Bella, Ethan, Liv, Audrey, Henry, Lauren, Lilia, Fatema, Ibrahim, Victoria, Mia, Owen, William, Savannah, Brady, Adler, Kanye, Sofia, Phoenix, Amelia, and Hania.

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Renaissance Home Connect for Parents

Parents- We are hoping that you will soon begin using Renaissance Home Connect as a way of monitoring and encouraging your child’s reading practice. It can be a valuable tool for monitoring your child’s progress. Research confirms that parental involvement in a child’s education is a strong predictor of student achievement. Thank you for your involvement in your child’s education. What is Renaissance Home Connect? Renaissance Home Connect is a tool that connects the school and home to keep parents informed of their child’s progress in Accelerated Reader, and encourages the child to practice reading at home. How does Renaissance Home Connect help me improve my child’s reading progress? • You can view your child’s progress toward reading goals and view all books that your child has read and quizzes your child has taken. • You can access an online search tool, AR BookFinder, to search for books using various criteria, including author, subject, or reading level. • You can receive emails that reveal results for Reading Practice Quizzes and provide links to the website where you can check progress. The same login and password that your child uses at school will work at home with Renaissance Home Connect.

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“Bigs & Littles Game Night” Makes for an Exciting Evening at Washington

On a Friday night in September, approximately one hundred students gathered in the gym to get to know their new classmates at Washington. After introducing all of the new students, mostly 5th graders with a few 6th, 7th and 8th graders, students rotated to multiple game stations, which included Catch the Bacon, Who Am I, popsicles, and more. "Bigs and Littles" is a mentoring program designed to help new students ease into the rigors of middle school life and help all feel welcome here at Washington. What a great chance to make new and lasting friendships!

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Washington Speech Team

Congratulations to the members of the Speech team who represented Washington so well at the tournament this past Saturday at Peoria Academy. Many of our students took top honors in their events, and we are very proud of you! Thank you to Ms. Nelson for getting the students prepared! Washington had the most entries of all participating schools: 10 for Solo Acting, 20 for Duet Acting, 4 for Improv Duet, 3 Original Script Duet, 10 Small Group Acting, and 1 Team Improv. Great job, Wildcats!! Peoria's Bradley University is known across the US as the BEST Speech Team there is! It is great to see our students participating in this Peoria tradition of excellence!

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Study Skills

Knowing how to study is an important skill to have. Students who use strategies to understand and remember what they read, such as underlining important parts of the texts or discussing what they read with other people, perform better in class and on tests. One of the biggest differences between top students and everyone else was that when they study, they take practice tests. Only 11 percent of students do this, but they perform better because they are studying in a way that goes beyond memorizing material. Also helpful is to create a study timetable & stick to it-- first include things you like/need to do on your schedule and then work study time in after. This method naturally ensures that you are doing things you like to do every day in addition to studying, so you don’t burn out and give up. These kind of balanced schedules are easier follow. Here are some ideas and strategies to help students learn more:

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8th Graders Visit Springdale Cemetery

On Thursday, Oct. 29th the 8th grade class of Washington Gifted Middle School went to Springdale Cemetery for an outdoor field class. As a cross-curricular trip, students completed learning projects with several subject areas. Assisted by Mike Rucker from Peoria Wilds, 8th graders helped maintain the savannah restoration lands there. Students also made their own cemetery tour of prominent Peorians and used math to make a graph of average life expectancies. Though cold, the students enjoyed learning more about Peoria history and lands in the beautiful historic cemetery.

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We Thank Our Exploratory Partners!

Thank you to the parents, community members, & teachers who led the students in exploratories once a month. The students had fantastic experiences! Thank you to the presenters for sparking new interests: High Altitude Balloon: Fritz Bock, Photography: Mike Boatman, Social Media: Andrea Tortora, Mindfulness: Donna Brown, Chess: Murrel Rhodes, Oil Painting: Anita Tuccillo, Finding Fame: Claire Zell, Historical Events in Song: Jeffrey Allen, Running & Body Weight Workouts: Peggy Shadid, Yoga Flow: Molly Waller, Knitting: Mary Gretton, Kiran Bhindari, Anu Sureka, Table Top Role Playing- D&D: Dan Dugal, Survival Skills: Forest Park Nature Center, Breadmaking: Charity Jeffs, Isaac Raabe, Science: Dean Kennedy, Bradley Chemistry Club, Karl Kleimenhagen, Tumbling & Cheer: Jennifer McDonald & Miss Johnson, Archery: Miss Nelson, Backgammon: Mrs. Hahn, All Things Automotive: Mr. Weinrich, Money 101: Mr. Carpenter, Early Education: Mrs. Zacovic, 3D Art: Mr. Toraason, Toraason Glass Studio, Sewing: Mrs. Klungseth

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WGMS Monthly Exploratory Fridays!

Students learn fun skills in our monthly Exploratory Classes at Washington Gifted Middle School. In the High Altitude Balloon Launch Project, students learn what near space is and how it impacts a high altitude balloon. Students build and launch a near space payload that includes student designed and constructed experiments. The students also learn the basic steps in preparing for, launching and tracking a high altitude balloon using amateur (ham) radio and the internet. Science offers a wide-ranging science track where topics include Forensics, Real-World Chemistry, Planes, Pop Bottle Rockets, Science Communication, and more! Students in Writing & Reporting for Social Media learn about the different social media platforms used to report the news and how to write for each one. Students will learn how to write in ways that: get to the point quickly, keep it brief, use images, and how to use tone. We'll discuss the role of ethics in deciding what to write, and when it is OK to give your opinion and when it is not. In Awesome Archery, students learn about the history and rules of archery. We learn all about the parts of the equipment, types of archery, and learn to shoot a bow! Photography and the Art of seeing - This class not only teaches you how to see artistically but also how to capture what you see photographically. Early Education- Do you love children and have an interest in helping them learn? Create lessons and interact with early education students at Valeska Hinton School. 3-D Art – Students learn about different types of 3-D Art, including Glass Blowing, Koons Balloon Animals & paper mache, clay, and more. Students will also explore other artists’ creativity with a field trip to Sculpture Walk Peoria. We also have: Yoga, Breadmaking, Money 101, Historical Events Captured in Song, All Things Automotive, Table-Top Role Playing, Chess, Survival Skills, Tumbling, Oil Painting, Running/BodyWeight Workouts, Knitting...

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