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Text Alerts (text to 810-10 and type @walker120)
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Calendar* Every Friday is Spirit Wear Day. Be sure to wear your favorite Walker swag and show your pride!
NOTE: Dates above are for reference only. Check with each event's organizer for further details and to confirm dates and times. CLICK HERE to view the D181 calendar. SCHOOL HOURS:
2020 - 2021 Non-Attendance Days2020
2021
2020-2021 Before/After CareThe Community House is offering an E-Learning Care Program this fall! Your child can thrive this school year in a safe, healthy and engaging environment as they learn virtually with assistance from The Community House's talented and experienced staff of child care professionals. Plus, cohorts will receive academic support from one Village Tutor up to an hour per day, when needed. While learning and completing their work will be a priority, students will also have fun, socialize with their peers and participate in enrichment activities through our very own LyArts Program.
If you have any questions please let regarding the program please contact Beth Hahn at 630-323-7500 x247 or via e-mail at bhahn@thecommunityhouse.org. |
AnnouncementsClick the button below to view this week's Walker Wednesday News, as well as archived newsletters.
If you have news or announcements to include in the WWN, contact Jan Martin no later than Monday at noon to be included in that week's newsletter. To share information on this website, email us at info@walkerpto.com.
GIVING AND SHARING
Walker's annual tradition of giving back to the local community kicks off November 30th and will run through December 17th. We will again sponsor HCS Family Services by donating non-perishable food items, toys, books or clothing. Donation boxes will be located at each entry door. Additionally, students can bring spare change to help sponsor Kasha, an amur leopard at the Brookfield Zoo. Students will earn compassion hearts for each donation made. VIRTUAL BOOK FAIR This year's book fair hosted by Anderson's Bookstore will be all virtual. Families can order books online at www.abcfairs.com - making certain to include Walker School and Clarendon Hills in the school name/city section to make sure orders go toward our fair. Books can be shipped directly to your home. Also look for links for the Walker Legacy option to donate books to Walker's library for future students to enjoy for years to come! HOLIDAY BAZAAR The Bazaar is back! We are pleased to share that one of Walker's favorite traditions is a go - the Holiday Bazaar! This year, students can shop virtually for gifts for the adults, siblings and pets in their lives. The virtual bazaar will run through Membership Toolkit and take place the week of December 6th. Gifts will be wrapped and hand delivered to your doorstep the following weekend. BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS As a reminder, one of the best places to learn about critical issues facing our children's educational path is through participation in D181 and D86 Board of Education meetings. We would encourage you to listen to the Board meetings to understand what is new and changing in terms of curriculum and other important topics. The Board of Education websites and meeting schedules can be found for D181 here and for D86 here. PTO FEES/STUDENT DIRECTORY If you haven't already, please remember to visit Membership Toolkit to pay your PTO fees. PTO fees are used to fund a number of initiatives throughout the school year, designed to enhance the learning and community experience for students, teachers and parents. Once your dues are paid, you'll also be featured in the student directory which can also be found in Membership Toolkit. Please note that your child's class list can be found in the directory. We are going green this year and will not be printing a paper copy of the directory. If you aren't sure whether you have paid your dues, please contact Heidi Lauerman or Jen Forcash. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Getting involved with the PTO is a great way to get to know other parents in the community, as well as the teachers and staff that work with your children every day. Our success as a PTO relies heavily on parent support, and we encourage you to check out to the list of volunteer opportunities here - there's something to fit into every schedule! Please note that we are in the process of reviewing these committees to determine how each should operate given current restrictions. TEACHER WEBSITES As a reminder, you can find each teacher's contact information and when available, website on the Walker area of the D181 web page. We would encourage you to review any websites available to learn more about what's happening in your students' classrooms! PARENT LIST Does your child need support for a learning, emotional, behavioral or developmental challenge? Check out the Parent List, an anonymous platform containing reviews on health care providers including doctors, therapists, support groups, etc. Note: In no way does Hinsdale Central PTO, Walker School PTO, D86 or D181 and staff endorse or recommend any specific providers reviewed. D86, D181, Hinsdale Central PTO and Walker PTO disclaim all liability for any damages, injuries, losses, expenses or claims of any kind arising out of the provision of services by anyone or any agency appearing on the list. COMMUNITY INTEREST
Community Backpack - Additional information on local events can be found on the district's community website. Please click here to access.
D86 News - Sign up for email alerts and district news here. Community Speaker Series - D181 offers many educational events on current parenting topics. Daytime and evening speaker times are scheduled. Please see the Family Education Events page for details. Amazon Smile
Planning to do a lot of your shopping online this holiday season? Amazon Smile is a quick and easy way to support Walker. CLICK HERE every time you shop Amazon and 0.5% of all sales will be donated to our school. You can add items to your cart on your phone and use the link above for checkout.
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Dinner BellMark your calendars for our next round of Dinner Bells!
Walker's Dinner Bell program is a great way to support both local establishments and the PTO! On Dinner Bell days, certain restaurants generously agree to donate a percentage of their sales to our organization when anyone stops in to purchase food and mentions the Walker PTO. Fundraisers like these are critical to support key Walker/PTO initiatives. If you have any questions or restaurant suggestions, contact us at info@walkerpto.com and let us know. Thursday, December 3rd - McDonald's (31 E. 63rd Street, Westmont), from 11:00 PM -8:00 PM, will be donating 20% of drive thru sales, plus putting out a tip jar and offering all proceeds of apple pie purchases with cash to Walker PTO. Wednesday, December 9th - Vintage Charm (22 S. Prospect Avenue, Clarendon Hills), from 10:00AM-5:00PM. Get some holiday shopping done and Vintage Charm will donate 10% of sales to Walker PTO. Enrichment ClassesWalker has a long history of partnering with local organizations to provide onsite extracurricular opportunities for students. While we are unable to host these programs at Walker this year, we have reached out to the companies we've worked with in the past and many responded that they are still running programming for students. Here are some of those offerings for interested parents:
BAMtheatre BAMtheatre is offering fall in person programming for students interested in the performing arts! New this year, BAMtheatre will offer Acting & Improv and Musical Theatre classes on weekday afternoons. Classes will be specialized in terms of the content and designed for specified age groups. Additionally, BAMtheatre will be presenting Beauty and the Beast as part of their Broadway Kids Series - while the original sessions did sell out quickly, a third session was just added! And finally, there are a number of virtual options for students who wish to participate in theatre from home - those include Virtual Show Choir and Virtual Broadway Nights! Click here to see all of BAMtheatre's current programming, which starts the second week of September! Chess Club Learn and play the game of Kings and Queens with Illinois Chess Teachers! No experience needed - beginners and new members are welcome! Walker Chess Club is back virtually. Join online to:
Elementary Golf Elementary Golf is pleased to share that one of their golf pros is available for instruction! If your child is interesting in continuing - or starting! - golf instruction, please reach out to Ian Grant at Oak Brook Golf Club via phone at 708-917-8951 or e-mail at iansgolf@aol.com! Language Labs Boost your student's interest in learning a new language by joining our energetic, creative, experienced and native team of teachers! Sign up today for The Language Labs' Language Virtual Fun Sessions - basic, intermediate and advanced level courses are being offered! Learning a second language is proven to improve your skills and grades in Math and English, and also enhances listening skills and memory! Children will not only absorb the basics of the language but but also the cultures and traditions of the Spanish, French and Chinese speaking countries. Learning and fun await your children in the Language Labs with a variety of virtual games, typical music and unique crafts. You can register on line here! Young Rembrandts Young Rembrandts is pleased to offer Drawing on Demand! Eight different lessons are available through December, focused around topics like Food Fun, Pets in Action and Monster Trucks. Pick and choose what you'd like! You can register for sessions here. *note: the programs listed above are for informational purposes only. These summaries do not include all activities offered by these organizations, nor does Walker PTO specifically endorse or recommend any of them. |
2020-21 Executive Board
Thanks for all the parent support.
Without a strong parent community, the PTO-funded programs would not be possible.
We welcome your feedback. Please email us with any suggestions or questions about the Walker PTO.
Without a strong parent community, the PTO-funded programs would not be possible.
We welcome your feedback. Please email us with any suggestions or questions about the Walker PTO.