May 8, 2020

Upcoming Events

WA Men’s Prayer
Saturday,  May 9, 2020
8:00 a.m.
Each month the men of Wheaton Academy meet to pray for our school. This month, join a Zoom Meeting to gather in prayer with us.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83312424676?pwd=NWEzUzJaK2JRNE9zOVMyY2FSYXprUT09
Meeting ID: 833 1242 4676
Password: 7k9pdD

WA Women’s Prayer
Tuesday, May 12
1:30-2:10 p.m.
Zoom Meeting

On Tuesday, the WA Women’s Prayer Group will meet from 1:30 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. via Zoom. 
Meeting ID: 954 300 588
Password: Prayer 
Link to join: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/954300588?pwd=ZjdVajg2dDE0Z1JzeUtiQUlJZlRjQT09
Please contact Sarah Gieser or Claudia Fabela with questions.

Virtual Academy Awards
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
7:00 p.m.
http://YouTube.com/WheatonAcademyOrg
Please join us for the Virtual Academy Awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 13. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. on the Wheaton Academy YouTube channel. We will celebrate the gifts of character and achievement that God has bestowed on our students. You won’t want to miss this amazing event honoring our students!

General News

A Message from the Principal
As we come to the end of another week, it was such a blessing to see how our community came together during our first ever “Homestaying” week.  I had a blast looking at the photos, and I was so thankful to see over 900 pairs of shoes to send to our partners at GO Ministries.  It has also been a blessing to celebrate our teachers this week, and so many of our students took time to let them know how much they appreciate the teachers at Wheaton Academy.  So, at the end of this week, I am just thankful.  Thankful that amid circumstances that are not good, we can demonstrate what hope looks like because of Jesus Christ.  I am not surprised at our incredible students, because they come from incredible families. Once again, I want you to know that the partnership we have with you as parents is something we believe is fundamental as we seek to help students become who God created them to be. Thank you for partnering with Wheaton Academy – we are so grateful for you and your students!  I trust you will have a great weekend and I want to leave you with 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Blessings – Kori Hockett

Faculty/Staff Appreciation Thank you!
We would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone that contributed to the kind notes and gift cards that were sent out to faculty and staff last week. They were an unexpected gift, and we are all thankful for the thoughtfulness and love shown through this warm gesture. It was such an encouragement to see the love, comfort, and compassion displayed by so many. May the Lord bless you for your generosity and kindness!

End of the Year: Book Return, Locker & Athletic Locker Cleanout, Choir/Band Uniform Returns, Artwork Pick-up, Medication Pick-up, and Surface Drop-off for Seniors
Parents, please note that based on the ISBE recommendations with social distancing, Wheaton Academy has determined the following guidelines for student presence on campus to return/collect items:

  • We will allow for a limited number of individuals to enter buildings to gather their personal belongings at any given time. Only the student will be allowed entry.
  • We ask that parents who arrive to assist students remain in their vehicle until the student brings their items outside to be loaded into their vehicle. If one-on-one assistance is necessary, only one guest may accompany students into the building.
  • Parents/students should park in the parking lots, and students only should line up outside of commons covered sidewalk. Students will be permitted to enter by Mr. Holtrop to ensure only a certain number of people are in the building at one time.
  • Students entering any Wheaton Academy facility need to wear a face mask/covering. All staff will wear face coverings while in the building as well.
  • Hand sanitizer will be made available in school buildings for staff and students.

Below are the assigned days for students. If you have multiple siblings in your family, please bring both/all siblings on the oldest sibling’s assigned day. For example, if you have a junior and freshman student, both should come on Monday, June 1.

  • Tuesday, May 26 – Seniors (class of 2020)
  • Monday, June 1 – Juniors (class of 2021)
  • Tuesday, June 2 – Sophomores (class of 2022)
  • Wednesday, June 3 – Freshman (class of 2023)
  • Thursday, June 4 – Incoming Freshman (class of 2024) and transfers who are attending Summer Academy: Surface Pick-Up Day

All Activities need to be completed between 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on assigned days above. Complete the activities that pertain to your student:

  • Book Rental Returns (bundles only) – Commons
  • Academic Locker cleanout – Academic Building
  • Surface return days for seniors – Commons
  • Choir uniform return for seniors only – Commons
  • Return tux, Return Music, clean out music locker, return borrowed instruments – FAC bandroom
  • Athletic Locker cleanout – Fieldhouse – entry at office door only
  • Ceramics picked up – FAC – side door entrance by cube
  • Visual Art picked up – FAC – side door entrance by cube
  • Pick up prescription meds, PRN meds, EpiPens, Diabetic supplies, etc. – Commons. If medications are not picked up during this time, families should contact Rachel Austin, or the medicine will be properly disposed of over the summer. 

Summer Academy Details
Wheaton Academy is committed to the health and well-being of all our students, and we will do all that we can to provide them outstanding learning opportunities even amid the current COVID-19 crisis.  In light of current government restrictions for gathering and our desire to plan for and provide an excellent educational experience, Wheaton Academy has decided to run Summer Academy through a synchronous learning platform.  This means that all Summer Academy classes will be online with portions of class being live each day.  Teachers will be conducting live instruction for up to 90 minutes at a time during the AM and PM classes.  Full-day science classes will have multiple portions of live instruction spread throughout the 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. class runtime.  When not receiving live instruction, students will be expected to complete independent work, small group work, or receive 1-on-1 guidance from teachers.  

Our morning and afternoon classes will be calibrated to account for 3-4 hours of work each day (a combination of synchronous instruction and independent work).  Full-day science classes will be calibrated to account for 6-7 hours of work each day (a combination of synchronous instruction and independent work).  The day-long science classes will also include a lab element that may require students to pick up equipment from Wheaton Academy to take home and/or use basic home items to conduct labs (we will release a list of what these items will be in advance of the class).  We will expect students to be ready for classroom learning each day, starting at the classes assigned start time.  This means that students will need to be ready to start learning from home at 8:00 a.m. for the AM and Science classes and 1:00 p.m. for the PM classes.

Wheaton Academy believes that the Summer Academy classes will build upon the excellent foundation of E-Learning already established in the spring.  We will take what we have learned an apply it to Summer Academy classes to make for an outstanding learning experience for all students involved.

Incoming freshmen and transfers will be able to pick up their Microsoft Surfaces on Thursday, June 4.  We will also host a webinar on Thursday, June 4, at 7:00 p.m. for all incoming freshmen and parents.  The webinar will include vital information on how to use the Microsoft Surface, how to access our Learning Management System call OnCampus, and how to best prepare for the adjustment to Summer Academy.   

We will be releasing more details and expectations as Summer Academy approaches.  Feel free to reach out to Angie Roberts (aroberts@wheatonacademy.org) with any registration questions and contact Brad Thornton (bthornton@wheatonacademy.org) with questions specific to classes or synchronous learning.

Thank you – Brad Thornton

Summer Academy registration is now open.

Register for Summer Academy

If you have any questions, please contact Angie Roberts.

A Few Items for Seniors:

1. We wanted to remind you about yearbook ads. Without any spring sports or activities, the yearbook, unfortunately, will not be featuring as many photos of our students as planned. So, we are extending the deadline for our senior ads. You may want to consider this ad as a way that you can honor your child during these times. Here is the information: Senior yearbook ads will again be available for purchase for $150 per quarter-page ad.  Fees for ads will include a yearbook at no additional cost.  If you order a senior ad, you do not need to order a yearbook through the Jostens website. You may click here for an example of what an ad should look like. Please submit ads by May 15 by mailing in a check to the school. Checks may be made payable to Wheaton Academy (to the attention of Jim Holtrop).

2. If you have not submitted a senior picture for your student (we are missing 60 senior photos), please submit a headshot to yearbook@wheatonacademy.org as soon as possible.

3. Seniors need to return their Surface Pro 6 in its case with the pen attached, and the charger clearly labeled with your name.   Please return the Surface Pro 6 clean and without any other stickers on it or the case besides the name tag and the serial number sticker – do not remove those.  Before you return your Surface Pro 6, please make sure you have copied any files that you wish to retain, either to cloud storage such as Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox, or to removable media such as a flash drive.  All data on your Surface Pro 6 will be permanently erased! The return date is May 26 in the Commons.

Winterim Trips 2021
Normally Wheaton Academy announces Winterim trips in April, but due to COVID-19, we have decided to delay the release of trip information until August.  When school resumes in August, we will unveil the 2021 trip experiences along with application information.  

Yearbook Order Deadline is May 15!
WA yearbooks are for sale again this year for last year’s price of $25.00 each.  Your 2019-2020 yearbook is now available for purchase at www.jostensyearbooks.com.  Go to the Yearbooks dropdown to find “Buy your Yearbook,” then search Wheaton Academy to finish your purchase. They will only be for sale through the website. We do not want you to miss out on receiving a yearbook, so please order yours today! If you do not order via the Jostens link, you will be unable to receive a yearbook next fall. DEADLINE IS MAY 15!

WA Service Team Sign-Ups
The Sign-Up link for the WA 2020-2021 Service Team is now live. You may click here to access it. We encourage students and families to sign up early. Contact Jim Holtrop at jholtrop@wheatonacademy.org if you have any questions. To read additional information regarding the WA Service Teams, click here.

College Corner

There are no new announcements at this time.