Norton Creek Elementary

Kindergarten thru 5th Grades-

8:00am-3:00pm

Students can be dropped off at 7:45am for the school day. If you arrive before that time please keep your child with you until 7:45 as there is no supervision outside until then.

Our school office is open from 7:30am until 4:00pm on school days.

9/11/2023- School Board Meeting/Haines 5pm

9/18/2023- Learning and Teaching Committee Meeting/Haines 5:30pm

9/20/2023- DPTO Meeting 9:30am

9/25/2023- Business Services Meeting/Haines 5:30pm

9/27/2023- Elementary Early Release Day/Dismissal at 2:10pm

Please mark these dates on your calendars-

Early Release Days for Elementary school this year(dismissal is at 2:10) are September 27th, October 25th, November 29th, January 24th, February 21st, March 20th, and April 24th.

Last night, we had an event that I hope instilled a sense of belonging for you in our annual open house. It is always so powerful to see our community come together and enjoy the beauty of who Norton Creek is in its entirety and what it is and can be for our community. While I will write throughout the year on belonging, I want to focus today's article on the second core value of the D303 strategic plan - perseverance.

In our society today, I would say perseverance is something many feel they don't see modeled everywhere. Messages telling people of all ages that they should never be uncomfortable or feel a negative emotion teach us that these are experiences to be avoided. However, without them, there can be no growth.

In education, we talk about "productive struggle" - the act of persevering through a challenge and seeing it through to its completion. It was hard, I gutted it out, and I came through it all the better. This can only be accomplished through a sense of belonging as well as through the support and teaching of those around me. Otherwise, it is an "unproductive struggle," and I drown.

To aid in that "productive struggle" for each of our students, teachers not only at Norton Creek but across our district in each school began the process of prioritizing our standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. For example, kindergartners have over 70 ELA standards to master by the last day of kindergarten. To focus our instruction, kindergarten teachers analyzed each standard and determined which ones are the ones that truly move learning forward. To prioritize is not to eliminate, however. We teach all of them, but the remaining standards are considered supporting standards to the priority standards. This structures our instruction in a way that we can align which standards are stepping stones to get to the larger rocks as we climb mountains each school year. Then, these priority standards are the ones that we know we should intervene on or enrich for students who need extra help or who are demonstrating mastery.

The standard is still the standard for each student at each grade level. These structures and incredibly hard, analytical work done by our amazing, dedicated staff help get students to the top of the mountain. It leads to "productive struggle," and when students recognize something was hard, but they can do it...we see perseverance. Together as a Norton Creek community, we're helping each Eagle net those wins so they believe in themselves and achieve things they never thought they could.

To those attending the PTO Golf Outing today, I hope you shot 'em long and straight and had a blast! Thank you for supporting our Norton Creek community with your generosity!

Have a wonderful weekend, Norton Creek, making memories with your favorite people!

Illinois State Code requires that all Kindergarten and students new to Illinois submit a vision exam by October 15, 2023. If you have not already submitted your student's eye exam, please send the completed form to school with your student (in an envelope, labeled "Attn: Nurse") or forms can be submitted via email to karen.lombardo@d303.org. Blank vision forms can be accessed on the district website under the Health Services tab. If you have any questions, please reach out to our nurse, Karen Lombardo at 331-228-2704 or karen.lombardo@d303.org.

District 303 is pleased to present its lineup of Parent Education sessions for the 2023-2024 school year.

The Parent Education series (formerly Parent University) includes informational meetings and workshops intended to empower parents and guardians to support their children’s academic, social and emotional needs. Become informed on specialized topics, engage in two-way dialogue with speakers and fellow parents, and become a support resource for others.

Sessions for this school year will focus on bullying prevention, addressing anxiety, and include film screenings and discussions about the impact of screen time and cultural awareness. The schedule also includes college preparation workshops hosted by our high schools. Sessions were selected based in part on feedback from District 303 parents.

Explore the full lineup of sessions here. Signup forms for each session will be made available closer to the session dates. New this year, you can also register for Parent Education notifications and receive alerts as new information and session recaps become available.

Our scheduled day for picture retakes will be on October 2nd this year. If your child is plans on having retakes done and you ordered a picture package please send them in with the pictures to turn in that day. Please call the office with any questions.

Note: We are still waiting on pictures to arrive as soon as they do they will be sent home. If you ordered a package, your child will bring it home. If you did not order a package, your child will bring home a proof card with instructions on how to order.

Hello Norton Creek Families!

In art class, our students upload a photo of their work onto Artsonia, the world’s largest online student art museum. It's a free, safe, educational program designed to connect parents and families with their child's creative activities at school. Many of you are familiar with Artsonia because we have used it in the past.

Founded over 15 years ago, Artsonia has been recognized with the national distinguished

service award for outstanding contribution to the arts by the National Art Education Association, as well as the distinguished service award by the state art associations in New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan and Colorado.

Families in Kindergarten and those new to Norton Creek, please check your email for an invitation from Artsonia If you would like to grant permission for your child to join our exciting school art gallery or click on the link and enter your child's name and grade, along with an email address: https://www.artsonia.com/connect/J6SC62KW

We participate only for the digital gallery and it is not necessary to purchase anything that Artsonia offers. Thank you for your support! If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at Joyce.Simkus@d303.org.

If you are planning on volunteering this year at Norton Creek please complete the following forms. We are asking that forms be turned in by September 15th. Please fill out the form completely and indicate what you will be volunteering for this school year. If fingerprinting is required we will reach out to you. Once completed please turn them into the office. When you come in the building to volunteer a driver's license will be required every time in order to enter.

5th Grade Choir!

Dear Families of 5th Grade Students!

It’s time for 5th Grade Choir! This ensemble will run in a similar fashion as the current Elementary Band and Orchestra programs with a weekly before school rehearsal, but will NOT conflict with current band and orchestra rehearsals. The choir program will run from late September through May, with our first rehearsal being Friday, September 29th! Please register by September 15th!

DATE/TIME: Choir will meet on Friday mornings at Norton Elementary School from 7:15-8:00 a.m. Parents/guardians are responsible for dropping their choir student(s) off at Norton Creek no earlier than 7:10 a.m. Rehearsal location will be the MUSIC ROOM!

FEE: This year for the first time, all 5th Grade Ensembles are running on a tiered fee system as follows:

Participation in…

1 ensemble=$50

2 ensembles=$75

3 ensembles=$100

All fees will be paid in Pushcoin on Home Access Center. If your student is only participating in choir, the payment can be made by selecting choir on the drop down menu under Elementary Ensembles. If your child is in band and/or orchestra, and you have already paid for those ensembles, you will receive a bill for $25 to cover the remaining choir cost once you register them for choir.

UNIFORM: Students will also be asked to purchase a choir uniform t-shirt later in the year! All singers will be required to wear this uniform t-shirt for all performances and can certainly wear them to school to show their choir pride!

CONCERTS: Performance dates are yet to be determined this school year!

The goal of the 5th grade elementary choir program is to offer a formal choral music opportunity to our young students and to enrich their musical experience while preparing for middle and high school vocal music possibilities. We will work on ensemble practice, team building, vocal technique, vocal health, unison and part-singing, all through a rich variety of vocal music repertoire. I look forward to this adventure and hope your student will be a part of this wonderful experience!

If you would like to register your student for 5th Grade Choir, please click the link below:

Choir Registration

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to email me!
Sincerely,

Mrs. Beetstra

Norton Elementary K-5 General Music Teacher
Norton Creek Choir Director

adrianne.gallaugher-beetstra@d303.org

A few reminders to keep the school year going.....

How do I contact the nurse?

Please email the nurse at karen.lombardo@d303.org or call 331-228-2704.

How do I contact the office or nurse via email?

Please email the office at nor-office@d303.org

What time can my student arrive to school?

We open the doors at 7:45am for student arrival every morning. Students should not be dropped off before that time as there is no supervision for students. If you arrive before drop off time please keep your child in your car until the appropriate time.

Arriving Late To School-

If your child is arriving after 8:00am please walk them into the school and sign them in. Please also notify the attendance line if you plan to arrive to school after 8:30am.

How do I report an absence?.

Absences should be called in by 7:45 AM if your child will be absent for any portion of the day. The number is 331-228-2700 and has voicemail. You can call during the evening or overnight and leave a message. Please leave your child’s name and the reason why your child is out. If they are ill, please indicate their symptoms.

Even if you notify your child's teacher of an absence via email, we ask that you please still notify the office at nor-office@d303.org for attendance purposes. Please note that if your child is sick, they should be fever free and have no vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school. Of course, you can always email the teacher as well, but you need to formally notify the school of any student absence.

Is your child leaving school early?

Also, if you will be picking up your child early or taking your child out for an appointment, please let our front office know as early in the day as possible by calling the main number at 331-228-2700 or email at nor-office@d303.org. This can be very helpful should a pick-up time be when the child is in specials or at lunch. Kids can be indoors as well as outdoors depending on their schedule and it can take a few extra minutes to locate and get the child down to the office for an early pickup if they are not in their classroom.

Does your child need a prearranged absence?

Students must apply for the privilege of using prearranged absence days through the principal’s office.

This completed form must be turned in at least (2) school days prior to the requested absence to the main office.

The building principal or designee has the authority to grant up to (5) days of excused absence per year

for the following types of absences:

 Participation in regional and/or national contests or awards

 Family vacation—qualified by the phrase “accompanied by parent”

 Special religious events

Please see attached form below or visit the district website at www.d303.org under the FORMS section.

What if my child has a change in dismissal/transportation?

Please let the school know as early as possible if there is a occasional change to your child dismissal by emailing nor-office@d303.org and your child's teacher or call the office directly at 331-228-2701. If it is after 2pm please call the office directly so that we can ensure your child gets the notification of changes. Dismissal time can be very hectic and to help ensure a smooth dismissal, getting any transportation changes for students early is very helpful. Simply call the school office or email at nor-office@d303.org and let them know.

What if my child forgot an item at home?

If your child has forgotten an item at home and it is needed for that day please email the classroom teacher to notify them that you will be dropping an item off. Bring the item labeled with the name and teacher to the office and place the item in the bookcase by the front window.

What is my child lost/misplaced an item at school?

Please ask your child to check the lost and found table. You can also email the classroom teacher to let her know that your student is looking for an item. They will allow time for them to check the table in the Community Room.

Note: Save our school number in your contacts. Norton Creek Elementary: (331) 228-2700.

LUNCH SCHEDULES:

1st Grade: 11:00-11:20

4th Grade: 11:20-11:40

RISE Students: 11:40-12:00

Kindergarten: 11:40-12:00

2nd Grade: 12:00-12:20

3rd Grade: 12:20-12:40

5th Grade: 12:40-1:00

If your student forgets their lunch please email the classroom teacher and drop off at the main office. Please label with the students full name.

Please remember to add money to your child(s) Pushcoin account in order to be able to purchase a lunch or a breakfast. Breakfast and lunch will not be free this year and will incur a fee daily. Norton Creek will be open at 7:45am on school days for breakfast. Please call the office with any questions.

Website: https://nortoncreek.d303.org/
Location: Norton Creek Elementary School, Smith Road, West Chicago, IL, USA
Phone: 331-228-2700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Norton-Creek-Elementary-1439295139641887/