The Mustang Memo

• Monday, January 13th - January 24th: 2nd - 5th grade MAP testing window
  
• Monday, January 20th - NO SCHOOL - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  
• Thursday, January 23rd - Rainbow Walk in honor of Reese (wear your grade's color)
  
• Week of January 27th - Conferences
  
• Thursday, January 30th and Friday, January 31st - 1/2 days for students
  
• Thursday, February 6th - 3rd grade music performance 8:30am
  
• Friday, February 7th - PTO meeting 8:15am
  

Thank you to Kenna Welch for the Martin Luther King Jr. display in the lobby

We are gearing up for the Rainbow Walk which we have rescheduled for Thursday, January 23rd!!! We want to celebrate an important moment in one of our very own Mustang's lives. Reese, a 3rd grader, has been undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments over the last year and a half, and his last treatment was on January 2nd!!! In honor of this, we wanted to celebrate with him by wearing the colors of the rainbow on the day that he returns back to school after his last treatment because he LOVES rainbows! On this day, kindergarten will wear RED, 1st grade will wear ORANGE, 2nd grade will wear YELLOW, 3rd grade will wear GREEN, 4th grade will wear BLUE, and 5th grade will wear PURPLE. We will have a rainbow parade for Reese when he walks in the building. Thank you for helping us to make this possible.

It is hard to believe we are halfway through January and are in the second half of our school year. Our primary focus between now and June will be to make sure that our students finish the school year on a positive and productive note. With that said, there are several key tasks we will be undertaking in the days ahead to help ensure that we get off to a great start when we return to class in the fall. One of these tasks will be working with each of you, to identify your child’s future academic, social and emotional needs.

Please spend a few minutes at your child’s Spring Conferences sharing any suggestions with your child’s homeroom teacher for best supporting their learning needs moving forward for the upcoming year. We believe having you engage directly with your child's teacher to discuss strengths and possible areas of improvement will aid our efforts to make decisions about fall class placement. This in turn, contributes to your child's success in and out of the classroom. If there is a personal matter that you would like to share with me directly, please email me prior to May 1st, 2020 to set up a meeting.

Thank you for your continued support of our school and the children we serve.

Show your support for Reese and his family. A new fundraising goal of $75,000 will provide the best possible care for our third grade Mustang. 100% of the funds are designated for the costs of Reese’s therapies and long term recovery.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rsiler

District 97 Community Invited to Learn about Summer Improvement Projects
District 97 families, staff and community members are invited to attend an upcoming facilities advisory committee/special board meeting, where we will provide an overview of the capital improvement projects that will be completed during Summer 2020 at Brooks, Hatch, Irving, Mann and Julian. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, at the District 97 Administration Building, 260 Madison St.

This work is part of the facilities referendum passed by Oak Park voters in 2017, which has enabled the district to:

• Perform maintenance and repairs that support the safety, functionality and sustainability of our buildings;
• Improve building accessibility;
• Invest in the modernization of classrooms.

The administration will share an overview of the summer projects, and the community will have the opportunity to ask questions and share feedback. Please visit http://bit.ly/35XNW8C for an overview of the planned construction at each school. FAC/Special Board Meeting Flyer >

Parent Leadership Training Hosted by the Collaboration for Early Childhood
The Collaboration for Early Childhood is hosting a parent leadership training series starting Saturday, Feb. 1. The trainings represent an effort to give parents, grandparents, and caregivers the skills and tools to help them be their child's first and most important caregiver. All events will include child care, food and transportation (upon request). To register or ask questions, please contact Jennifer Little at 708-613-6122 or email jlittle@collab4kids.org. Click here to view the event flyer >

Save the Date: District 97 Summer Launch 2020

District 97 is excited to announce the dates for the upcoming 2020 Summer Launch Program. Summer Launch will be held June 15 through July 10, 2020 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon). The program for Grades K-4 will be held at Holmes Elementary School, and Grades 5-8 will be held at Brooks Middle School.

Summer Launch is a summer program designed for students in kindergarten to seventh grade who are identified as needing intervention support in reading and/or mathematics during the school year and fall below the 11th percentile in reading and/or math.

Our Summer Launch Program will include Reading/Writing Workshop and Math support, in which students will be able to build upon the reading and writing strategies they have learned during the regular school year, as well as participate in math activities.

The Summer Launch program is designed to support students:

• In continuing to build their skills towards becoming strong, confident readers and writers.
• By allowing them personalized instruction in reading, writing and math.
• By supporting them in sharing their voices and helping to feel valued.
• By supporting them in building meaningful connections with their teacher and peers.

Participation in the Summer Launch program is by invitation only; letters will be sent to eligible families via email in late January.

For families who are seeking early admission to kindergarten or first grade, the district will be hosting a Parent Information Session on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the District 97 Administration Building. The session will include a presentation that outlines the process and requirements, as on-site support for parents. Click here to view the event flyer >

We are administering the Illinois 5Essentials Survey again this year to certified staff and parents/guardians from all 10 of our schools, as well as students in grades four through eight.

The parent/guardian survey is available now. Please click here to access the parent/guardian version of the survey. Please note that school-level reports will only be generated if at least 20 percent of our parents/guardians complete the survey

Email: csullivan@op97.org
Phone: 708-524-3085