Bobcat Blog

• Saturday, February 25: PTO Black History Month Event at Beye (10 am - 12:30 pm) See Details Below!
• March 2: Parent and Author Katie McElligott is coming to visit our K-2nd grade students
• March 8: Second Trimester Ends
• March 9 - 23: District IAR and ISA assessment window for 3rd - 5th grade students
• March 24: Report Cards emailed home
• March 27 - 31: Spring Break

***Please label all student water bottles, lunch boxes, sweatshirts, coats, etc. We want to reduce the amount of things we have in lost and found this year. Thank you.

Thank you so much for sponsoring this week's Amazing Africa dance performances! The students loved the experience!

Thank you for providing the Oba William King books to the homeroom teachers ahead of tomorrow's BHM celebration. See details again below. We would LOVE to see you there!

Students and staff will be receiving matching Beye t-shirts next week! One component of our School Improvement Plan is improving students’ sense of belonging. Through the development of a parent SIP advisory group and staff input, everyone will be receiving the same shirt as a way of celebrating our sense of belonging at Beye School.The t-shirts have arrived, and will be sorted and sent home with students next week. We would like to see everyone wear their t-shirt for the first time on Friday, March 3. Each Friday, we will continue to promote students and staff wearing Beye spiritwear. Some Fridays and other designated days, to be determined shortly, will be for our matching t-shirts. Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring this apparel.

The Beye Talent Show is right around the corner! If your child is interested in participating, they need to complete the Act Submission form (with your permission) with a video of their act by next Tuesday, February 28th. Behind the Stage Crew forms are also due by then. Our first meeting will be after school from 3:30-4:30 on Wednesday, March 1st, to announce the act order, Emcees, and Behind the Scenes committees.

Please use the forms below to submit!

Act Submission Form 2023

2023 Behind the Scenes Crews Form

Note: Stunt Compilation Videos (any sports tricks/talents that can't be performed on a stage) can be turned in any time up until April 14th--- that form can be found here.

Look forward to Spring and mark your calendars for the Beye Plant Sale! This year the PTO will be offering a variety of flats, gorgeous hanging plants, 12” pre-arranged planters, veggies, herbs and pollinator kits. Orders will be taken between 2/27-3/10. The plants will be ready for pick-up or delivery on Saturday, May 6. Watch your email for the order form starting Monday, February, 27!

During our monthly Waste Fact Wednesday, students are invited to come learn about ways we can reduce waste in the lunchroom and beyond, they can enter their name in a raffle to win a reusable snack bag, shopping bag or reusable water bottle. Congrats to this month's winners: Avira and Joe (Kindergarten), Ellie and Madison (1st Grade), Camden and Zoe (2nd Grade), Joshua and Lawrence (3rd Grade), McKenna and Autumn (4th Grade) and Amira and Alvie (5th Grade).

At this month's Waste Fact Wednesday, our daily compost collection weighed in at 20 lbs. That means over the course of an average month we divert approximately 400 lbs of food waste from the landfill that will be turned into compost. Way to go, Beye!

Is your child interested in sustainability and environmental action in their school, home and community? Are they looking for an opportunity to connect with other like-minded students across grade levels? They may want to join the new Beye Student Green Team! We will gather twice per month during lunch/recess to share their ideas and explore earth friendly actions to pursue in school and beyond. Permission slips should be going home this week and should be turned in by March 1st.

Student Green Team Permission Slip

All About IAR!

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.

This year, the IAR will be administered to 3rd through 5th grade Beye students March 9 and March 21. Check out our “5 Things to Know About IAR” document to learn more about this year’s assessment!

Beye had the highest percentage (by A LOT at 45.6%) of families who completed the survey last year. Let's go for a repeat!

Please take 10 minutes to give us valuable feedback. Thanks!

Below as seen in the D97 Wrap Up:

Parents/guardians all 10 of our schools are encouraged to take the Illinois 5Essentials Survey between January 24 through March 31, 2023: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/.

Thank you for participating in this important endeavor and for your continued support of our schools and the children we serve.

The Illinois Association for Pupil Transportation (IAPT) is hosting a statewide poster contest for K-8 students. CLICK HERE to learn more and view the student poster contest guidelines >

Here is the link to where the classes are posted and where you can register: WINTER CLASSES | SLOWFIRE ART STUDIO (slowfireceramics.com)

Monday THEME: DRAGONS & JELLYFISH This class is all about animals! We will explore all matters of life living in the ocean, from fish to mermaids and on land, from cats to dragons. This class focuses on foundational skills in painting, drawing, printmaking, and ceramics. This class incorporates field trips when possible, in our magical van, Vincent Van-Go.

Mondays 3-6pm 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 6/5 (12 sessions) Payment broken into a $200 deposit and then remainder $214 by 4/15. Ages K-5 5 students minimum/12 students maximum

Wednesday THEME LEGO! Students will do a creative build every day with lego and then complete art projects inspired by Lego! This class focuses on foundational skills in painting and drawing as well as functional ceramics, polymer sculpture and printmaking.

Wednesdays 2:30-6pm 3/8, 3/15, 3/22, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/24, 5/31, 6/7 (13 sessions) Payment broken into a $237.25 deposit and then remainder $237.25 by 4/15. Ages K-5 5 students minimum/12 students maximum

In District 97, we understand and appreciate that it will take all of us—families, staff, community members—working together to have a safe and healthy winter. As we continue through the winter months, we want to remind you of a few preventative measures our school community can take to reduce the spread of illness in our schools:

• Wash hands often, especially before eating and after using the bathroom.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. These are the most common ways for germs to enter the body.
• Cover your mouth and nose with your arm when you cough or sneeze.
• Get plenty of sleep!
• Eat whole, unprocessed foods and include fruits and vegetables at each meal.
• Stay up to date on your vaccinations

Should students get sick, they should not come to school. Please do not send your child to school with any of the following symptoms:

• Constant coughing
• Constant “runny” nose, especially with yellow or green mucus
• A temperature of 100 or higher
• Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
• Rashes or any scratching for unknown reasons, with or without fever
• Watery, itching eyes that have drainage or are crusted shut upon waking

If your child tests positive for COVID-19, please report the illness by completing District 97’s Positive Case Notification form. Thank you for sharing this responsibility with us to Be Safe and Healthy by looking out for the collective care of the community this winter!

As a reminder, all employee and volunteers must complete a background check before being issued work or volunteer opportunities with the District. Here is the sign-up genius to schedule a background check.

CELL PHONE/MOBILE DEVICES: OFF and AWAY DURING THE DAY

Reminder: Cell phones/Mobile Devices are not to be used during school hours. This includes calling parents/guardians due to illness, requesting items to be dropped off, etc.

• Students can ask a teacher to use the classroom phone or the phone in the main office if needed.

• Parents can call the main office to relay any urgent messages.

Cell phones are to be turned off upon entering the school building and not used until the dismissal bell rings. Our School Board Policy 7:190 - Student Behavior, Prohibited Student Conduct, #5, addresses cell phones during the school day. Also, Board Policy AP5 - Administrative Procedures

Thank you Beye Green Team for extending this throughout the year. Old sneakers can be brought to school and then dropped off in the office vestibule. Check out the photo of the latest batch of shoes going to be recycled instead of going into the landfill.

Recycle your old sneakers and earn money for Beye School!

Bring any and all sneakers, in any condition, to the school for donation through the end of the school year. Athletic shoes only please.

The Beye Green Team has partnered with gotsneakers.com to keep sneakers out of landfills and earn money for Beye!

The acceleration window is quickly approaching. The informational flyer for the Feb. 8 family session on acceleration is below. Similar to last year, the referral windows for those seeking single subject or whole grade acceleration opens on March 1 and closes on May 15.

Families can access information about the process here as well.
Click here to view the Acceleration Family Information Session flyer >>

We want to show our Beye Spirit by encouraging students and staff to wear Beye Wear or blue and white colors each Friday or the last day of the week.

If you are wanting to purchase some Beye clothing, please visit the Beye Website (Go to www.op97.org and then click on Beye) and then go to the PTO tab and then scroll down to the bottom to find the Beyewear. If you haven't joined Konstella, a way for families to connect with one another, consider signing up. Thanks! I can't wait to see all of the blue and white next Friday.

The breakfast and lunch menus for our elementary and middle schools are available at http://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service. During the 2022-23 school year, students may:

• Bring a nut-free lunch from home.

• Order school lunch.

PLEASE NOTE: During the 2022-23 school year, all students will be required to pay for their breakfast and lunch meals unless they are directly approved by the State of Illinois or approved after completing the 2022-23 Free and Reduced Meal Application.

Process for Reporting Positive COVID-19 Cases to D97 Schools
If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they must complete the following steps:

1) In order to notify the school nurse and receive a return-to-school date, families/staff must complete the confidential COVID-19 Positive Case Notification Form as soon as possible following the positive test. Information provided will also be shared with the Oak Park Department of Public Health.

2) Families must continue to report student absences via the school attendance line, and staff must enter their absences in Frontline.

To see the rules for isolation and quarantine, click here. Additional resources are linked below.

• Summary of District 97's COVID-19 Mitigations
• 2022-23 COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan

Cheryl Sullivan

Beye Principal

csullivan@op97.org

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