August 16, 2019
Upcoming Events
Important Dates
Please note the following dates in August – More details below
August 17 Instrumental Retreat
August 18 & 19 Freshman Overnight Retreat
August 19 & 20 Book & Schedule Pick-up, Locker Assignment
August 21 8:00 a.m. First Day of School – 7-period days all three days this week
Instrumental Music Retreat
Saturday, August 17
1:00 p.m.
Meet at Fine Arts Center
Please turn in your permission slip and fee if you haven’t already (Extra slips and info. are available in the links below).
Seniors – please arrive at 12:30 p.m.
All Students – Please meet in the FAC auditorium at 1:30 p.m. Plan on wearing good shoes to walk in. (If you’d like, you may also bring a lawn chair or blanket that is small enough to carry around Chicago). Parents who are chaperoning/driving, please meet in the FAC auditorium at 2:00 p.m. Students who indicated that they would drive to the train station, please bring your cars. Questions? Email swillemssen@wheatonacademy.org.
Band, Orchestra, and Percussion ensemble info, click here.
Percussion Studies info, click here.
Freshman Retreat
Sunday, August 18 & Monday, August 19
4:00 p.m. arrive at Wheaton Academy
Freshman Retreat is an important event that introduces our freshmen to Wheaton Academy! It is a time where they begin to connect with other students and learn about WA culture. Your student won’t want to miss out! Students should arrive at WA at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 18, in the Field House. We will then spend the night at Conference Point near Lake Geneva, WI. They will return no later than 5:30 p.m. on Monday, August 19 after receiving a custom tour of their class locations. Please click here for more information and to fill out the needed forms if your family has not done so already. If you have any questions, please email Brittany Klenke or Jim Holtrop.
Back-to-School Night
Thursday, August 29
7:00 p.m.
Please join us for Back-to-School night on Thursday, August 29. The evening is designed to introduce parents to the students’ daily lives at Wheaton Academy. You will meet administrators as well as your student’s teachers. You won’t want to miss out!
Todd Beamer Golf Outing
Monday, August 26
Stonebridge Country Club
11:00 a.m.
Enjoy a beautiful day of golf to support Wheaton Academy! The entire Wheaton Academy family – past, present, and future – is invited to join us for our annual Todd Beamer Benefit Golf Outing on Monday, August 26 at Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora. Proceeds benefit financial aid scholarships at Wheaton Academy. Click here to register and/or sign up to be an event sponsor! If you are unable to play this year, please take advantage of the dinner-only option. We hope to see you there!
General News
First Week of School
We are excited for our first week of school beginning on Wednesday, August 21, at 8:00 a.m. Please note that for the three days of this week, we will be operating a 7-period, chapel schedule. We will resume our regular bell schedule the week of August 26. To view the 2019-2020 Bell Schedule, please click here.
NEW: STUDENT DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP TRAFFIC FLOW – USE HAWTHORNE AVENUE ENTRANCE ONLY***
We are requesting that all families who are picking up and/or dropping off students before and after school to please use the Hawthorne Avenue entrance ONLY. We are looking to keep open the north drive lane entirely for fire and police should that been needed. Pick up and drop off can occur in the central lot circle, north drive circle, or in front of the Field House. Please click here for a campus map. Thank you for your assistance!
Updated Attendance Policy for 2019-2020
Parents, please note the bolded change below that we have added to our attendance policy which states, “If your student is going to be absent, please call 630-562-7500 ext. 7300 and let us know before 9:00 a.m. If we haven’t received a call by 9:00 a.m., someone from the school will be contacting you to inquire about your child’s attendance at school that day. You should also call this number to notify us if your student has an appointment in the morning and will be coming to school later in the day. If Wheaton Academy has not heard from a parent or guardian within 24 hours of the student’s absence, he/she will be marked as unexcused and will receive a consequence.” Please see page 19 for full attendance details and contact our Dean of Students, Erin Carwell with any questions.
Move-In Days, August 19 & 20 in the Commons
Monday and Tuesday, August 19 & 20 are move-in days for our students. Students may stop in the Commons to pick up their schedules, books (for those who chose the OPT-IN rental bundle), locker assignments, parking permits (click here to complete online form first), and receive new barcodes on their student ID/ACCESS card for Pushcoin. Please have your students bring their ID/ACCESS cards with them. Students will not be able to purchase lunch without the new barcode this year. If returning students have lost their ID/ACCESS cards, they may purchase a new one at this time for $10. This price is available until September 10, when the price will return to the usual $25 replacement fee. Here is the schedule for the two days:
Monday, August 19
- 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. – Sophomores arrive to move in
- 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. – Freshmen return from retreat and move in
Tuesday, August 20
- 9:00 a.m. – Mandatory Senior Orientation Meeting in FAC followed by seniors move-in until noon.
- 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Juniors arrive to move in
Important Details if Your Family OPTED-IN for Books:
- See the above dates for pick-up times
- If your student’s schedule has changed within the last few weeks, some of the books in their package may be incorrect. Please verify all books received are correct for the corresponding courses your student is currently registered for.
- If schedules have changed within the last few weeks and you have received a book you no longer need, you have two options:
- You may hold on to the book (Don’t lose it or forget about it!) and return the book at the end of the year, or
- You may give the book with you student name listed on the book to Jenn Trott, and she will return immediately.
- Before students put books in their lockers, please have them double-check the packing list to make sure all the books listed were actually shipped. Jenn Trott needs to know now if a student is missing a book so it can be replaced. Your family will be responsible for returning that book at the end of the school year, and we can serve you better knowing you didn’t receive it at the beginning of the school year rather than finding out at the end of the school year.
Picture Day
School pictures for Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors will be taken on August 27 and 28. Lifetouch pictures will be at school from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on both days. Order forms will be available at the front desk. Please pick up an order form and look over the picture options before picture day. If you have any questions, contact Jim Holtrop.
Meet Our New Employees
We are excited to welcome many new employees to Wheaton Academy for the 2019-2020 school year. Please click here to learn more about them.
From the Wheaton Academy I.T. Department:
This year, we are discontinuing the practice of issuing loaner Chromebooks to students. Please make sure your student brings their Surface Pro 6 to school fully charged. If they have questions or difficulties, the Wheaton Academy I.T. department is glad to help. We are located on the second floor of the academic building next to room 202. Please don’t hesitate to send your students for help!
WA Women’s Prayer Walk
Please join us for an on-campus prayer walk on Monday, August 19, from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. We will meet outside the Armour Building at 3:30 p.m. and WA Women’s Prayer leaders will guide prayer across campus for an hour. Contact Sarah Gieser or Claudia Fabela with questions.
ILMEA Auditions for Choral Singers
Information for all WA choral singers interested in auditioning for ILMEA is attached here. If you haven’t already contacted Mrs. Westerfield about your interest, please email her right away at hwesterfield@wheatonacademy.org if you are interested. There will be an ILMEA audition workshop in the white Alumni Chapel on Thursday, August 22 from 3:05 – 3:45 p.m.
Mozart and Muffins
To all singers and instrumentalists: Interested in sharing your musical gifts in a relaxed, warm environment of a WA family’s living room? Mozart and Muffins is the perfect venue! After a wonderful start to our community house concerts last year, we are giving you an opportunity to start early this fall. The first M & M is Saturday, September 7 at 7:30 p.m. If you are interested in performing, email Mrs. Westerfield. Include your name, the title, and composer of your piece and the timed length.
Book Lists are Now Available
If you chose to OPT-OUT of Wheaton Academy purchasing your book order for you and plan to rent/buy your own books, the book list for courses is now available on the Wheaton Academy Website. You will need to go to Community, Current Families, and click on the eCampus Bookstore link at the right-hand bottom of the page. Click the Order Now button. You may then search for course names to see which books are needed for your student’s schedule. You do not need to rent/buy the books from eCampus. However, this is the location where you will find the books for each course.
English Summer Reading
If your student is in an Advanced English course next year, there is summer reading required. Please click here to see the required reading book list.
Athletics
Fall Sports Kickoff: Saturday, August 24
This event is for all fall sport athletes, and at least one of their parents. It will take place in the Fine Arts Center at 10:00 a.m. and should last approximately 30 minutes. Marketing update and Booster club information will be presented, and individual team/parent meeting may take place that day. Team head coaches will communicate with the parents when their individual team meeting will take place.
Magnus Physicals and Completion of Athletic Packets
By this time if your child is in a fall sport, you must have an updated physical, and the athletic packet forms (concussion and steroid sheets) completed and updated on Magnus. Your child will not be allowed to pay without these completed. Magnus has sent weekly reminders to you since the beginning of July. If your child has not yet completed this, please do so immediately.
Athletic Schedules & News
Be sure to bookmark our Athletics website http://athletics.wheatonacademy.org/ to stay on top of the latest athletic news and team schedules!