WildcatReader

Spring literacy was in full bloom for Western Trails kindergarteners this week! After reading Chicka Chicka Peep Peep, students went on an egg hunt, finding word-filled eggs and working together to build complete sentences, bringing the story to life through hands-on learning.

After a read-along story about a bumper bowling party, Western Trails kindergarteners are putting science into action! They are exploring pushes and pulls in the Learning Lab, testing how force can change an object’s speed or direction with their very own bowling lanes! 🎳

Students in Western Trails’s specialized academic program read The Wizard of Oz. To wrap up, 4th & 5th graders wrote a class fantasy story, Happy Sun, Happy Us. Today they shared it with younger peers & created a “potion” project together, relating back to their story!

Thank you to everyone who donated to our Hygiene Drive! We collected items from every school. Thanks to WT Student Council & RD’s Expect Respect Club for helping load them up! Donations support Carol Stream Christmas Sharing, Bloomingdale & Hanover Twp food pantries!

This week at WT, students are celebrating the power of words with a special read-aloud of The Gift of Words featuring Principal Kueker & AP Harper. After hearing the story, each student is choosing a meaningful word to add to the a word tree, creating a shared gift of positivity!

Western Trails is rolling out its Bluestem Reading Program for 3rd–5th graders this week! IC staff, dressed as safari guides, are introducing students to the statewide reader’s choice challenge & this year’s 20 nominated books. We can’t wait to see their favorite!

Western Trails’ 3rd graders brought history to life in their Living Museum this week! Students became figures like Fred Rogers, Kalpana Chawla, Dwayne Johnson, Frida Kahlo and more, performing in costume for parents and peers after researching biographies. Way to go, Wildcats!

Today, Western Trails 3rd-5th graders welcomed author Jennifer Hayes to the Innovation Center! She read aloud from her books & taught students about the writing process through an interactive contest, giving them a chance to have their work featured in her next publication!

3rd–5th graders in Western Trails’ Specialized Academic Classroom showcased their penguin research today, presenting poster boards and answering questions about the unique flightless birds from peers, parents, and staff who stopped by to learn and celebrate these young scholars!

Today Western Trails welcomed author and illustrator Jacob Grant! He met with K-2 students, read his latest book, Umami, and taught them how to draw its lovable main character. Mr. Grant stayed for a book signing for students who purchased one of his publications!

Season’s Greetings from Western Trails Elementary School! Special thanks to 5th grader Melaya P. for this impressive artwork, which was chosen as the schoolwide winner for CCSD93’s 2024-25 Seasonal Card Contest!

Before break, 5th graders in the Western Trails band program visited all of the school’s classrooms to spread cheer by playing seasonal songs, inspiring potential future musicians in younger grades with their skills!

Recently, students in Western Trails’ 3rd-5th grade specialized academic classroom wrote a book about a snowman named Sprunky and a polar bear named Honey. They then teamed up with kindergarten peers to share their work and create fun winter crafts together!

Each week, Western Trails kindergarteners engage in hands-on activities that support science and math standards, build language skills, reinforce learning, and lay the foundation for future lessons!