Bobcat Blog

• Monday, March 4: IAR testing begins (Beye Window 3/4 - 3/14) **See more details below.
• Tuesday, March 5: Trimester 2 Ends
• Wednesday, March 6: General PTO Meeting 7:00 - 8:00 pm (see details below)
• Saturday, March 9: Beye Carnival (11:00 am - 3:00 pm)
• Sunday, March 10: Plant Sale deadline
• Tuesday, March 19: No School - Institute Day
• Thursday, March 21: Portrait of a Graduate Community Session at Beye
• Friday, March 22: Trimester 2 PBIS Celebration - Pajama Day and Read-a-Thon Day
• Friday, March 22: Report cards emailed home
• Monday, March 25 - Friday, March 29: No School - Spring Break
• Saturday, April 7: Beye PTO Basketball Tournament (see details below)

Thank you for your patience as I waited for the newsletter company to help with a technical problem. Thank you for taking the time to read through the Bobcat Blog.

The IAR testing for our 3rd - 5th grade students begins Monday, March 4. Ms. Woodson, our Instructional Coach, Ms. Foleno, our Student Support Specialist and myself did a short IAR Pep Talk with each grade level.

Some tips we shared with students that you could help us with include:

• Get a good night of sleep before testing days
• Eat a healthy breakfast
• Be at school on time (in line with your class by 7:57 a.m.) **Many tests begin first thing in the a.m.
• Have your fully charged iPad at school each day
• Bring a physical book to read when done; students may not be on their iPads when done with testing
• Come with a positive attitude and ready to do your best

This year, District 97 is utilizing the Standard Response Protocol language and visuals developed by the I Love U Guys Foundation, a national organization dedicated to school safety. The SRP is action-based, flexible and easy to learn.The premise is simple - there are five specific actions that can be performed during an emergency incident (e.g., inclement weather, fires, accidents, introducers or other threats). The five actions are: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter.

One of the most important things we do to keep our schools safe is practice a variety of drills each year to ensure that everyone is prepared should an emergency occur. As part of our ongoing preparedness training, all students K-8th grade will receive instruction on the five SRP protocols during the month of March.

All content will be delivered in developmentally-appropriate ways for the student's age. This will occur during physical education classes at the middle schools and during Second Step or assembly at the elementary schools.

If you have any questions about our emergency preparedness lessons, please contact your building principal.

Mrs. Sullivan will share details of the School Improvement Plan, Dr. Felicia

Starks-Turner, from D97 will discuss the district’s safety protocols, and the board

wants to hear from you about how the year is going and how you can feel more

engaged with the school.

See the flier below and scan the QR code to see the many opportunities to help. We need you as this is the PTO's biggest single fundraiser of the year! You can also find the volunteer sign up here. There are still many open spots that need to be filled. We are also in need of more items for the gift baskets to be raffled at the Carnival. Please see the link below; thanks in advance for contributing if you can.

Grade Level Baskets

Calling all ballers! It’s time to register for the Beye School PTO Basketball Tournament!

There are three ways to participate:

1. Students kindergarten to 2nd grade: free throw shoot out

2. Students 3rd to 5th grade: 3-on-3 tournament

3. Adults (staff, family, or friends): 3-on-3 tournament

Form your team now and register via www.beyeschoolpto.org/basketball to secure your spot.

• Prizes for the winners promise to be exciting!
• Teams do not need to be grade or gender exclusive.
• Only adult teams pay to register; the fee covers the cost for event clean-up!

Many thanks to our talented volunteers… Evan McKerns, Azhar Majeed, Curtis Cox, Katie Hoogland, Laura Barnard, Casey Goldberg, Wendy Borlabi, Kate Boonstra, and Michele Jurewicz.

Able to spare an hour or two on April 7th?! Email michelejurewicz@gmail.com to volunteer to help sell concessions or BeyeWear, or to referee a game!

STUDENT GREEN TEAM

The Student Green Team is preparing for the Fun Fair!

Do you have new or gently used small toy items to donate?

Student Green Team members are collecting gently used items to provide as carnival game prizes (Pokemon cards, matchbox cars, legos, etc.) helping to limit the purchase of one time use plastic prizes.

Please drop prizes in a collection box located in the school office or email beyegreen@gmail.com to arrange for a porch pick-up by 3/8.

Green Team Volunteer Opportunities

You do not need to be a Green Team member to volunteer. There are lots of options for one time or recurring volunteering shifts.

Lunchroom sorting sign up here

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0E49ADA92CA4FBC70-lunchroom

Student Green Team, Earth Month Events, First Grade Garden, Shoe Drive, and Food Recovery sign up here

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0E49ADA92CA4FBC70-45667625-beye

SGT members are excited to take part in the upcoming school wide Carnival Fun Fair! Please come visit their table and learn what these great student leaders have been doing this school year!

Kindergarten and New Student Registration is Now Open!

Online registration for kindergarten and new students is now open for the 2024-25 school year.

Registration for all returning District 97 students opens March 5. A separate link and communication will be sent to families prior to that date.

Kindergarten Eligibility:

In order to register your student, you must be the custodial parent/guardian and currently reside in Oak Park. Students who are registering for kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year must be at least 5 years old and must be born on or before Sept. 1, 2019.

All students entering kindergarten, including those currently enrolled in one of District 97’s early childhood programs, are considered “new students” and should follow the kindergarten and new student registration process beginning Feb. 22. All other currently enrolled District 97 preschool students who are not entering kindergarten should register as a returning student beginning on March 5.

Please click the links below to learn more about the registration process for kindergarteners and new students.

• Kindergarten Registration

• New Student Registration

Parents/guardians all 10 of our schools are encouraged to take the Illinois 5Essentials Survey between January 30 through March 29, 2024: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/.

18% of Beye households have completed the survey. Let's get that percentage up! Thanks to everyone who has completed it so far. We need at least 20% participation to get our results and are hoping for a much higher number.

Thank you for participating in this important endeavor and for your continued support of our schools and the children we serve. Please use the QR code below and go to the PARENT SURVEY. This information helps us learn our areas of strength and our areas of opportunity. I am a little competitive so would LOVE the highest percentage of families participating among the 10 schools.

Each Spring, all District 97 students in Grades 3 to 8 take federally-required assessments to help us understand how they are growing academically. Since 2019, the state has utilized the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) to assess students’ knowledge and skills in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, as well as their progress toward the long-term goal of college and career readiness. Students in grades 5 and 8 will be taking the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) as well.

This year, the IAR/ISA will be administered to Beye third, fourth and fifth grade students between March 4 and March 14.

Check out our “5 Things to Know About IAR” document to learn more about this year’s assessment!

¡Todo sobre IAR e ISA!

Cada primavera, todos los estudiantes del Distrito 97 en los grados 3 a 8 toman las evaluaciones requeridas a nivel federal para ayudarnos a comprender cómo están creciendo académicamente. Desde 2019, el estado ha utilizado la Evaluación de Preparación de Illinois (IAR) para evaluar el conocimiento y las habilidades de los estudiantes en Artes del Lenguaje Inglés (ELA) y Matemáticas, así como su progreso hacia la meta a largo plazo de preparación universitaria y profesional. Los estudiantes de 5º y 8º grado también tomarán la Evaluación de Ciencias de Illinois (ISA).

Este año, la IAR/ISA se administrará a los estudiantes de tercer, cuarto y quinto grado de Beye entre el 4 y el 14 de marzo.

¡Consulte nuestro documento “5 cosas que debe saber sobre IAR” para obtener más información sobre la evaluación de este año!

District 97's Single Subject and Whole Grade Level Acceleration process for students for the 2024-25 school year opens on March 1st!

District 97 believes that all students should be challenged and supported to develop to their maximum potential. For students who demonstrate they may benefit from accelerated placement, we provide opportunities to participate in an instructional setting that is usually reserved for students who are older or in higher grades than the child. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Single subject acceleration

• Whole grade acceleration

In accordance with the Illinois Accelerated Placement Act, District 97 has continued to refine procedures to ensure equitable access to acceleration opportunities for all students. Continuing this year: all students who are grade eligible to take the Illinois Assessment for Readiness (IAR) must participate in the assessment in order to be deemed eligible for acceleration. The IAR is a critically important measure in determining the mastery of grade level standards and must be considered by the school team along with other sources of data.

Applications for single-subject and whole-grade acceleration will be accepted from March 1 to May 15 of each school year. The general process is outlined HERE.

Information about the District 97 Accelerated Placement Program, including definitions and timelines, can be found at http://www.op97.org/acceleration.

On behalf of the District 97 Board of Education, superintendent and district team, you are invited to join us as we design our Portrait of an Oak Park 8th Grade Graduate!

Beye staff, families AND students are encouraged to attend a Portrait community session at our school on Thursday, March 21, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. During the open house, staff and families will have the opportunity to walk around, learn about our draft Portrait, and provide feedback on definitions and learning experiences. We’ll also have some kid-friendly activities for students and pizza for everyone who attends.

Anyone who is unable to attend is welcome to join one of the district’s other scheduled events in February or March! Click the links to access the Portrait of a Graduate Engagement Calendar: English | Español

For more on Portrait of an Oak Park 8th Grade Graduate, including opportunities to participate and connect, visit www.op97.org/ourportrait.

¡Sesión de aportes para el retrato de un graduado en la escuela Beye - jueves, 21 de marzo!

En nombre de la Junta de Educación del Distrito 97, el superintendente y el equipo del distrito, ¡está invitado a unirse a nosotros mientras diseñamos nuestro retrato de un graduado de octavo grado de Oak Park!

Se anima al personal, las familias y los estudiantes de Beye a asistir a una sesión comunitaria para el Retrato en nuestra escuela el jueves 21 de marzo de 6:30 p.m. a 8 p.m. Durante la jornada de puertas abiertas, el personal y las familias tendrán la oportunidad de caminar, conocer nuestro borrador de retrato y brindar comentarios sobre definiciones y experiencias de aprendizaje. También tendremos algunas actividades para niños para estudiantes y pizza para todos los asistentes.

¡Cualquiera que no pueda asistir puede unirse a uno de los otros eventos programados por el distrito en febrero o marzo! Haga clic en los enlaces para acceder al calendario para el Retrato de un Graduado: Inglés | Español

Para obtener más información sobre Retrato de un graduado de octavo grado de Oak Park, incluidas oportunidades para participar y conectarse, visite www.op97.org/ourportrait.

The breakfast and lunch menus for our elementary and middle schools are available at http://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service. During the 2023-24 school year, students may:

• Bring a nut-free lunch from home.
• Order school lunch.

Free and Reduced Lunch Application
Students may receive meals at a free or reduced cost either by being directly approved by the State of Illinois OR being approved after completing the 2023-24 Free and Reduced Lunch Application (English/Spanish). All families who are directly approved by the state will receive an approval letter by email. If you feel your student may qualify for free or reduced priced meals but are not directly approved, we encourage you to complete the application as soon as possible Please visit https://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service for more information.

Cheryl Sullivan

Beye Principal

csullivan@op97.org

Location: 230 North Cuyler Avenue, Oak Park, IL, USA
Phone: 708- 524-3070
Twitter: @MrsSullivand97