One of the most popular stops was Astronaut Training, where students discovered that becoming an astronaut requires focus, strength, and plenty of practice. They crawled through tunnels to simulate the tight spaces astronauts navigate, completed balance checks to understand how the lack of gravity affects movement, and jogged in place for one minute, mirroring the hours astronauts spend running on treadmills in space. Students also tried constellation navigation, spotting star patterns projected on the ceiling, and took part in the ice water challenge, dipping their hands into cold water to experience the temperature conditioning astronauts endure. The station wrapped up with a taste test of freeze-dried fruit, just like the special food astronauts enjoy during missions.
Another highlight of the day was the Make Your Own Rocket station. Students designed and built their own rockets and then launched them, applying the vocabulary word launch in the most exciting way possible.
Additional stations enriched the experience even further. Students played Space Vocabulary Bingo to reinforce key terms from the unit and worked with space tangrams, building astronaut- and space-themed shapes that challenged their spatial reasoning and creativity.
Throughout the unit, students also created astronaut art, designed their own planets, and made moon dials, which were all projects that helped deepen their understanding of space while tapping into their creativity.
Astronaut Day was the perfect finale to a unit filled with wonder, discovery, and hands-on learning. Our first graders truly reached for the stars!
Today serves as a reminder that even the smallest acts of kindness can make a big difference. Let’s make kindness our superpower today and every day! 💛
-2025 Illinois School Report Cards Released-
District 52 is proud to announce the summative designations of schools in our district. These designations include descriptors of how well our school is meeting the needs of all students. The designations are based on eight indicators of academic success and school quality.
-Lincoln Grade School received a designation of “Exemplary”
(No underperforming student groups and performance is in the top 10% of all schools in Illinois. This is the highest possible ranking!)
-Washington Middle School received a designation of “Commendable”
(No underperforming student groups, reflects strong academic achievement and growth, and is the second highest ranking a school can earn)
We are excited to have an exemplary and a commendable school in our district! The success of our students and the hard work of our staff should be celebrated!
Happy Thanksgiving to All! From your Lunch/Recess Staff here at Washington GSD #52.
Principal Appreciation Week!
This week, we proudly celebrate the incredible leadership, dedication, and integrity of our school leaders: Mrs. Bowman, Mr. Lawson, Mrs. Arnold, and Mrs. McMullen! Each day, they go above and beyond to support students, staff, and families building a positive school culture, inspiring academic success, and leading with compassion and purpose. Thank you for the countless hours, the wise guidance, and the unwavering commitment you show our schools. You make a difference every single day, and we are truly grateful for each of you!
Next week, we recognize National School Bus Safety Week, a time to highlight the importance of safe transportation and to celebrate the amazing individuals who get our students to and from school safely each day.
A huge THANK YOU to our outstanding bus drivers:
Mr. Browning, Mr. Copley, Mr. Corbitt, Mr. Dreyer, Mrs. Loete, Mr. Rushing, Mr. Spillman, and Mr. Tinervin. Your early mornings, careful driving, friendly smiles, and steady presence mean the world to our students, families, and staff. You are truly the first and last faces of the school day and we appreciate everything you do to keep our kids safe on the road!
Let’s give our drivers a big round of applause!
Showtimes:
Tomorrow (Thursday) at 7:00 p.m.
Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are available for purchase at the doors (Connect Center) before each performance.
Come support our amazing students—you’ll laugh, cheer, and maybe even believe in fairy tales again!
Yesterday we held our New Teacher Orientation for our seven new teachers at LGS and WMS this school year. We look forward to seeing the great things they do in D52!
