GDW Celebrates the 100th Day of School

This week's winter weather has resulted in several days of school being closed.  As cold as the temperatures have been, it warmed my heart to know that many of our Wildcats were saddened to learn that school was closed on Monday, January 28 because they were looking forward to our 100th Day of School festivities.  I love that our students are so excited to come to school each day and am incredibly proud of our staff for their efforts in planning fun and engaging lessons for our students to look forward to.

While Mother Nature put a wrench in our plans for Monday, a short-lived break in this week's extreme weather was all we needed in order to attend school on Tuesday for our 100th Day of School celebration.  Many of our students and staff wore special headbands, and some even dressed to impress by selecting special outfits!  One of our second graders pictured below is sporting a shirt featuring 100 purple paws that says "100 Paw-some Days at GDW".  Gotta love that school spirit!  Students also celebrated the day by engaging in a variety of literacy and math activities featuring the number 100. With the help of our families and some amazing parent volunteers, our kindergarteners created a 100th Day quilt, which is featured below along with Mrs. Chmelik's Kindergarten Class.  We have so much to celebrate because this school year, our students are now 100 days wiser!  We look forward to their continued growth throughout the year!

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey

Attention Wildcat Parents and Guardians:

The Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey is open now through February 15, 2019. We are hoping to increase our parent participation rate and would ask that if you haven’t already done so, please take an opportunity to share your thoughts on the important elements of our school’s effectiveness.

We sincerely appreciate everyone’s efforts in providing feedback for our school!  

Please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/login/ to access the survey.

Thank you for helping us make Gary D. Wright Elementary School an exemplary place to learn!

GDW Earns ISBE's 2018 Exemplary School Summative Designation

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to provide every school a summative designation, beginning in 2018.  Each school's designation is determined based on multiple measures of school performance and growth.  We are pleased to share that Gary D. Wright Elementary School has earned the Illinois State Board of Education's (ISBE) 2018 Exemplary School Summative Designation.  While this designation represents a snapshot in time, it is certainly worth celebrating.  I would like to commend the Gary D. Wright Elementary School students, staff, parents, and community members, whose collaborative efforts have contributed to our school's Exemplary designation.  Thank you for your continued partnership to ensure that every student at Gary D. Wright Elementary School is thriving.  Way to go, Wildcats!

NAESP's "Report to Parents": Fight Flu and Germs

The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) offers a monthly publication, Report to Parents.  With flu season in full swing, this month's Report to Parents, "Fight Flu and Germs", provides resources to help families navigate flu season with tactics for prevention and care.  Click here to access this report.

Welcome Back to School, Wildcats!

GDW Students & Staff are like glow sticks… Sometimes we need a little “break” to shine in the New Year! Welcome back to school!  Let’s shine bright in 2019, Wildcats! ~ Dr. Gravel