Bobcat Blog

• Monday, September 4: No School in Observance of Labor Day
• Saturday, September 9: General PTO Meeting - 10:00 am in Beye School Library (see details below)
• Sunday, September 17: Bobcat Farmers' Market Feast (see details below)
• Monday, September 25: District Closed - No School

It was great to see so many of you at Beye Wednesday night for Curriculum Night. The teachers will be sending home the slide presentations soon if they haven't already done so. We hope to see many of you again at next Saturday's 10:00 am general PTO meeting. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about the PTO and take part in the general election.

From the District on August 18

The district sends periodic text notifications from the short code phone numbers 79041 and 87569. You may opt-in to text messages from your school at any time by sending YES to these numbers. You must have your phone number on file with your child's school to receive text messages. Once you opt-in, BrightArrow will send you a confirmation that your phone number is opted-in.

Consider signing up as we use this communication weekly to remind families about Wednesday’s early dismissals and when necessary for things like bus delays.

Come to school next Saturday for the general PTO meeting at 10:00 am in the library. This will give you a chance to learn more about the PTO, how to get involved, and share thoughts. You will also be able to participate in the board election.

See the flier below for information about this program.

See the flier below for details. For more information including pricing, email:

jodiwalkerspeech@gmail.com

Thank you to the Beye PTO Fitness and Nutrition Group for this exciting opportunity.

Bobcat Farmers' Market Feast is being hosted by the PTO on Sunday, September 17 from 2-4 pm at Beye on the back patio. We're asking families to respond by September 11 so we can get a head count for guests.

Here is the link to the RSVP for Bobcat Farmers' Market Feast:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFjmHacagWkd9LvcSg6P0qzje0vpPz1FIs3h-9uSvAjLXPmA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Thank you for taking a peek and signing up!

Join the 'Beye School Families' Facebook Group to connect with other Beye families and stay in the know about upcoming PTO events/programs

The Beye PTO will soon be moving away from using Konstella as a means of communication. They will be using google instead. They are working on building out their database of family emails for communication this year. With your approval, please take a minute to record a family email or two that the PTO can use for Beye communication this year.

If you have a Konstella account you do NOT need to submit your email as the PTO will migrate contacts from Konstella to Google.

Beye PTO Brief Communication Survey (If not a part of Konstella, please consider completing this so the PTO captures emails for communication)

The PTO is looking to fill many important positions this year! There is something for everyone depending on your interest and time availability.

Many roles are needed. In particular, we need a Finance Chair. If you could help in this area, please reach out with any questions or to learn more about the opportunity.

Interested candidates please reach out to board@beyeschoolpto.org by 9/2, a week ahead of the election to ask questions or share your interest.

The current forecast for the Chicago area is calling for temperatures between 90 and 100 degrees starting Saturday, Sept. 2, and continuing through at least Tuesday, Sept. 5.

District 97 schools will continue to enact preventative measures for extreme heat, including:

• Temporarily moving classes without air conditioning and utilizing portable air conditioning units when possible;

• Keeping students and staff hydrated;

• Monitoring student health.

A determination about outdoor time will be made next week utilizing the most current forecast.

Things you can do include:

• Bring a full, reusable water bottle to school.

• Wear weather-appropriate clothing. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) recommends light, light-colored, loose-fitting garments, as they reflect heat and sunlight.

• Plan ahead for safe travel before and after school.

• Follow guidance provided by state and local health departments to keep your family safe.

District 97 remains committed to maintaining safe and healthy schools. We continue to work in partnership with the Oak Park Department of Public Health, following guidance set by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

When should a child remain home from school?

Staying home if you are ill is essential to keep infections—including the virus that causes COVID-19— out of schools and prevent spread to others. Please visit the District 97 Health Services page for more information about when to stay home. If you have specific questions, please contact your school nurse.

COVID-19 Guidelines for 2023-24

Following IDPH guidelines, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 must stay home for five days after the first day of symptoms or testing positive (Day 0). They may return to school on Day 6 if:

• They are 24 hours fever free with no fever-reducing medication AND

• No diarrhea or vomiting for 24 hours AND

• Improvement of other symptoms.

Masks are strongly recommended around others for five days (through Day 10). Per local guidance, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should also complete Oak Park Department of Public Health's Positive at Home COVID 19 Test form.

For more information, please visit: COVID-19 Guidelines for D97 Students and Staff

District 97 has updated the Student-Family Handbook for 2023-24. It contains important information regarding school policies, procedures, guidelines, student rights and responsibilities, and notifications required by state and federal law.

The purpose of this handbook is to outline for students, families and staff the expectations for building an educational community where everyone feels safe, included and able to learn. Having shared expectations, procedures and policies helps us respect all members of the school community in which we learn and work every day. Please take the time to read through the handbook and review it with your child.

As seen in the District Handbook:

To help ensure the safety and inclusivity of all students, regardless of food-allergy status, religious or cultural practice, or medical condition, District 97 school celebrations are “food free.” This means that no food will be served during celebrations at our schools. More is available at: https://www.op97.org/health-services/food-free-in-three.

On a student's birthday, we announce it over the intercom, and they receive a birthday pencil and birthday ribbon from their homeroom teacher. Food items are not permitted to come to school; however, if you want to have them pass out something little to each classmate you may.

Due to latex allergies, balloons are also not permitted. at school.

A note from Nurse Shilpa regarding Beye Health Requirements and Matters for the 2023-2024 school year

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