Bobcat Blog

• Monday, February 21: No School in observance of Presidents' Day
• Wednesday, February 23: SHIELD testing (change from our usual Tuesday schedule)
• March 3: Trimester 2 Ends

***Please label your child's belongings (lunch box, sweatshirts, etc.) There are many items in the Lost and Found so encourage your child to look for any missing things in the Commons.

Watch for more district information coming out soon.

Beginning Monday, February 14, we went back to our pre A/B lunch plan. Students now have the full time to eat and do not have to take turns. However, some students need to be part of our Distanced Lunch Plan.

With students now returning from quarantine after 5 days instead of 10 days, we need to have students eating six feet apart from others for days 6-10; we understand some of those might be non-school days. Those students are now eating in the library's new STEM lab with a supervisor for the remainder of the designated days. If not quarantined, but identified as a close contact, students will be part of the distanced lunch/snack program for 10 days.

During snack time, if we have to be inside, the distanced lunch students will have their snack in a spot in the room allowing for six feet distance.

Look forward to Spring and mark your calendars for the Beye Plant Sale! This year the PTO will be offering a variety of annual flats, gorgeous hanging baskets, 12” pre-arranged sun and shade planters, veggies, herbs and pollinator plant kits. Orders will be taken between 2/28-3/11. Plants will be ready for pick-up or delivery on Friday, May 13 (we will also need lots of helping hands that day!). Watch your email for the order form starting Monday, February 28.

Parents/guardians from all 10 of our schools are encouraged to take the Illinois 5 Essentials Survey between now and March 11, 2022. Please click here to learn how parents/guardians can participate in this important endeavor and click here to access the parent/guardian version of the survey.

Currently, 16% of parents have completed the survey. (1 per household) Please take the short survey to help us collect more valuable data. Let's get it up to 25% by next Friday. Thank you for helping us!

All of February, our school will be celebrating the remarkable lives, histories and contributions of the Black community. We'd love to hear how you and your family are celebrating, too! You can share your Black History Month stories, photos and videos by tweeting (@OakPark97, using the hashtags #MyD97 and #OakPark97) or emailing d97feedback@op97.org.

In honor of Black History Month, the Beye PTO programs working group is co-sponsoring virtual workshops. This presenter facilitated programs at Beye last year and it was very thought-provoking and engaging. Please encourage signing your children up for these great workshops!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cobUIoKoHwJz44wQOhmB-zlS8_2MKS5Zvgr4nRbuusY/edit

8 Week Session Begins Tuesday, March 22nd

Registration is open! Register by March 11th

This family-based bereavement support group provides support and grief education for children and their families. It's free and consists of 8 weekly sessions. Children are placed in groups with similar aged peers and the adults gather together to learn how to support the children.

At this time Sessions are in person, however this may change to Zoom if necessary.

Dates (families are expected to attend all dates as long as they are healthy and do not have any Covid-19 symptoms):

• March 22

• April 5

• April 12

• April 19

• April 26

• May 5

• May 10

• May 17
  

Meetings are 6:15-7:30 pm each week, and consistent attendance is requested.

All participants will need to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status.

There is no cost to participate in Buddy's Place however program registration is required and then complete the 8 Week Session registration form - click here.

Additional information on Buddy's Place can be found at the Buddy’s Place website here.

Looking ahead to the spring, District 97 is preparing to implement the Single Subject and Whole Grade Level Acceleration process for students eligible for acceleration in the 2022-23 school year.

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. New 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.

Referrals 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. We will send additional communication to families as we near the opening of our referral and application windows next year. Additionally, Family Acceleration Night will be held Wednesday, February 9, 2022, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This information session will provide an avenue for families to share questions as well as receive information about the acceleration process. Please find additional information in the information session flyer.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us by visiting our Let’s Talk page (bit.ly/D97LetsTalk) and clicking the button labeled “Acceleration.”

COVID-19 Symptom Checklist and Instructions for Symptomatic Students
In October, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education released updated guidance and an updated exclusion decision tree. As a result, we have updated some of our protocols and required documents for symptomatic students. CLICK HERE for a one-page summary of the required steps and testing for students who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

District 97 Now Hiring!
District 97 is currently hiring for key positions to support in-person learning during the 2021-22 school year!

Certified Nursing Assistants
District 97 is seeking part-time certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to support the nursing staff in our schools. Applicants must have completed or graduated from an Illinois approved accredited school of nursing, college, or CNA/Patient Care Tech program, and hold a current CNA or Patient Care Tech certification in Illinois. CLICK HERE to apply!

Permanent Substitutes
District 97 has immediate openings for permanent substitute teachers. If you know anyone who is looking to work with children, earn competitive pay and give back to the community, please encourage them to apply today at: https://www.op97.org/hr/employment.

Lunch/Recess Supervisors
To support our students and staff during the school day, we are still seeking more parents and community members to serve as lunchroom/recess supervisors during the 2021-22 school year. It's easy to apply, and your time would have a direct impact on our schools. CLICK HERE to apply!

Cheryl Sullivan and Sheila Carter

Co-Interim Beye Principals

csullivan@op97.org

scarter@op97.org

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