• October 4th - PTO Meeting 5:30 PM Steele Library or Google Meet
• October 12th - 1 hour early dismissal (End of 1st Quarter)
• October 13th - No School (Teacher's Institute)
• October 16th - 20th - No School (Fall Break)
• October 24th & 26th - Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30 - 7:00 PM
• October 31st - Fall Parties

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday, October 24th and Thursday, October 26th from 4:30 - 7:00 PM each night. Letters are going home for you to sign up for your preference of time. Please make sure those are returned by Friday, October 6, 2023 so we can schedule everyone appropriately. Thank you!

These students were nominated by their teachers for exemplifying our CHAMPS expectations throughout the building. They are shining bright as Steele Stars!

Keisha Cares will begin serving families in our District on October 10. The purpose of Keisha

Cares is to continue the legacy of late long-time Lombard Middle School secretary Keisha

Harris. Keisha was well-known for the extent to which she supported students in need. By

offering Keisha Cares, we seek to meet the needs of students and families through offering

food, tutoring assistance, referrals for other services, hygiene items, and clothing as needed.

Through Keisha Cares, District staff travel via our dedicated van showing Keisha’s likeness.

The service has a set schedule for locations to serve families, but home visits/ family check-ins

are also available per request by any CUSD #205 staff members or families in our community.

Requests for this mobile service may be made by filling out the brief Google form linked here:

Keisha Cares Request Form.

Note that this service is not intended for crisis response and is not meant for the first

contact/communication with a parent/guardian or student.

Keisha Cares will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m.. To see the schedule for

planned stops, please check the district Facebook page weekly.

The food pantry is located at GJSHS in room A131. The pantry is open to students after school

on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays from 2:55-3:30. Outreach, Counselors, Family

Engagement Specialists and Administrators have access to the pantry to serve students and

families within their schools. Deliveries can be made via Keisha Cares during after school hours.

To request pantry services, please complete this Google form linked here: Food Pantry

Requests

Contact Sara Gray at 309.973.2381 or sgray@galesburg205.org for additional information.

Students were chosen for exhibiting the characteristics of the September monthly theme of Self-Esteem!

Students will learn about controlling their actions and thoughts. They will also learn to stop & think and how to focus on being in charge of yourself.

Hip, Hip Hooray, You've Won Breakfast at Judy's Cafe!

Click here to nominate a #205 staff member: https://forms.gle/dKxYFirU2qxCt53H8

Meet our English Learner Team: Mrs. Heidt, Mrs. Sargent, Mr. Varela

They help our students that have a different home language learn English.

During the month of November, students and families will read the book together at home while celebrating and exploring a novel at school. It’s all part of a unique, national family literacy program called One School, One Book from non-profit Read to Them designed to strengthen the educational connection between home and school.

“Reading a common book together turns out to be a terrific way to unite a school community and increase parental involvement. Reading aloud at home ensures students come to school prepared to read and to succeed – in school and in life,” explains Read to Them Director of Programs, Bruce Coffey.

Steele School will join the schools and districts across North America who have undertaken this family literacy strategy. Families will read and discuss the story at home. In school, students will experience dynamic assemblies, answer trivia questions, and engage in creative extension activities.

One School One Book is the flagship program of Read to Them, a national non-profit based in Richmond, Virginia. The organization’s mission is to create a culture of literacy in every community. “The secret sauce of family literacy is to create a symbiosis between home and school. When students see their book being read and shared and discussed at home and school, they are surrounded by the culture of literacy,” explains Read to Them Director of Programs, Bruce Coffey.

“We’ve heard about the effect One School, One Book can have on our students and families,” explains Gayle Hefty, William Fox’s principal. “We are super confident that reading one great book together can ignite excitement about reading in our school community. I can’t wait to start hearing and joining in the conversations The Trumpet of the Swan will spark.”

Read to Them’s family literacy programs have reached over 2 million families in over 3,000 schools in all 50 states (and 6 Canadian provinces). A continually growing body of research demonstrates that children who are read to at home are better prepared to read, succeed in school, and graduate. www.readtothem.org

Recent testimonials from participating schools:

“My students love participating in this initiative. It is great to see my students from different grade levels discuss a book in class and out of class. It builds this camaraderie through literacy that I have not seen before.”

- Amber Anglada, J.B. Fisher Elementary School, Richmond, Virginia

“I watched this program turn kids onto books. We went from a culture of hating reading to one where the question was: ‘When are we getting our next book?’”

- Corey Carpenter, Virginia elementary school teacher, on bringing the program to Florida

Each day our arrival and dismissal routines are getting smoother and quicker. As a reminder, for:

• Kiss-n-Go Line - pull up as far as possible, drop all students off at once so they can walk to their specific door
• Parent Park Lot - you must park your car in a spot, exit your car and come up to the cafe doors to meet your child

Early dismissals are strongly discouraged, but we do know that sometimes it is needed. Anyone showing up at 3:30 or later to pick up their child will be directed to wait in the parent park lot. Thank you.

Quarter 1: August 10 - October 12, 2023

Quarter 2: October 24 - December 20, 2023

Quarter 3: January 9 - March 14, 2024

Quarter 4: March 18 - May 23, 2024*

*May 30 - June 5 are emergency days if needed

How do we grade at the elementary level? We use a standards-based report card instead of a report card with letter grades. Elementary report cards are issued at the end of each grading period. They are intended to give an evaluation of the scholastic achievement and work habits of each child. Parents should examine all cards carefully since each child is rated not only on academic progress, but also progress in development of social attitudes and work habits.

We use a 4,3,2,1 system to assess a student's mastery of standards.

4 = Exceeding State and District Standards

3 = Meeting State and District Standards

2 = Approaching State and District Standards

1 = Not Meeting State and District Standards

Our district takes student attendance very seriously and we are committed to seeing that every child is at school unless there is an excused reason for absence or tardiness. “Helping Students Achieve Their Dreams” is our district’s mission. Studies have shown that when students are consistently at school they are more likely to achieve their dreams.

What Parents and Students Can Do:

• Ensure children arrive to school on time.

• When absent, be sure to make up missed work.

• Communicate with school and seek support when needed.

• Call when your child is absent from school or unavoidably late ASAP at 309-973-2016.

• Know attendance is required on early dismissal days.

• Return to school after appointments.

• Plan appointments outside of school day.

• Call within one hour of the start of school or send a note within 48 hours of the return to school.

• For minor health issues—come to school.

Contact the Steele School office to request your free student pass to district activities.

Mrs. Grice, Dean of Students

Mrs. Knuth, Nurse

Mrs. Hickey, Family Engagement

Mrs. Mowen, Outreach

Mrs. Fones and Ms. Patch, Front Office Assistants

Email: kcoate@galesburg205.org
Website: https://steele.galesburg205.org/
Location: 1480 West Main Street, Galesburg, IL, USA
Phone: (309)973-2016
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steele205/
Twitter: @wearesteele