The Franklin Flyer
November 4, 2022
Mark Your Calendars:
November 7: Book Club Volunteer Sign Up @ 9 am
November 8: No School
November 21-25: No School - Thanksgiving Break
December 1: PTA Meeting @ 7 pm
December 2: Trimester 1 Report Cards Sent Home
December 12 - 16: Winter MAP Testing
December 23 - January 6: Winter Break
January 9: School Resumes
Absences
Please remember to call in or email absences by 8:45 AM. You can call our student absence line (847) 318-4390 (ext 1) is available 24 hours a day or email Mrs. Linda Berleth at lberleth@d64.org.
If the absence is illness related, please also make sure to include Franklin's nurse, Mrs. Queta Karstens, at qkarstens@d64.org.
You can view the current Franklin COVID-19 cases on the Franklin COVID-19 Dashboard found here. The dashboard is updated at the end of the day, Monday through Friday.
Each year in October, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) releases the Illinois Report Card, which provides school & district demographic Information, finances, student growth, and achievement. We are proud to report that all Franklin received Exemplary designation!
Leaving Franklin Early
If your student is leaving school early, please be sure to notify your child's teacher and the front office. We will call your student(s) down to the office once you arrive to the building to decrease the loss of learning time. Thank you for your support!
Devices at Franklin
In the Student-Parent handbook, it states that all communication devices (e.g. phones, smart watch, GPS tracker, etc.) must be kept in the students locker during the school day. Cell Phones and electronic devices will be asked to be powered off and kept in students' lockers. Please refrain from calling students during school hours. If you need to speak to your student or have an urgent message, please call the Franklin office. We can support you in reaching your child.
Emergency Contacts
Please take a moment to go into the Parent Portal to ensure your child's emergency contacts are up to date. Make sure to add any additional family/friends that have permission to pick your child up from school entered into your Parent Portal account.
Arrival: Circle Drive Kiss & Go
Please follow the circle drive driving directions. We ask all families to turn right into the circle drive and turn right exiting the circle drive. There should be no left-hand turns in or out of the circle drive to support the follow of traffic.
Please do not drop students off before 8:40 am, until you see a supervisor with a neon vest. The Kiss & Ride times are 8:40 am - 8:50 am. The supervisor must leave promptly at 8:50 am for the start of the school day. Parent(s)/guardian(s) must sign their student(s) in at the office starting at 8:50 am.
Arrival and Dismissal Parking
To be good neighbors and keep all community members safe, we ask that families do not park in front or block our neighbors' driveways. In addition, we ask that families do not park in the Franklin parking lot. The parking lot is intended for staff and Franklin buses.
We also ask families leaving Franklin at dismissal to remain on the sidewalks and no not walk through the parking lot. This helps ensure student and community safety. Thank you for your cooperation.
Changes to Pick-Up or Traveling Parents
If there will be a new adult/guardian picking up your students, please make sure that the person is listed in the Parent Portal as someone with school pickup permission. Please make sure to notify the classroom teacher and office if there are any changes for students if a parent is traveling and the student is staying with someone different.
Anyone Entering Franklin
All parents/guardians/visitors to Franklin must have a valid state ID or driver’s license. These will be entered into the Raptor identification system. This process only takes a short time to complete. Once you have clearance, a visitor pass will be printed and attached to a lanyard that you must wear throughout the building. The office will hold your ID until you return to the office and return the lanyard that was given to you. We request that you please be patient with staff as we proceed with this district-mandated safety procedure.
Student-Parent Handbook
Franklin Elementary School, along with all District 64 schools, operates following policies and practices that have been reviewed and implemented by the District 64 Board of Education. Please review the D64 Student-Parent Handbook before the start of the school year.
CHESS-ED WINTER SESSION
Chess-Ed is excited to return to Franklin to provide lunchtime chess instruction this Winter.
The 10-week program runs from 11/30/22 to 2/22/23 and takes place on Wednesdays
from 11:05 am to 12:00 pm (during lunch). The program is open to students in all grades
and of all chess abilities (including those in full-day and half-day Kindergarten).
Professional instruction will include the basics for beginner and novice players and build
with opening theory, middle game planning, and end game combinations for continuing and
advanced students. Playing chess improves memory, uses analytical and critical thinking
skills, teaches problem solving, responsibility, sportsmanship, social skills and more! The
benefits of chess last a lifetime!
To register, please go to www.2022-2023franklinchess.eventbee.com. Register by
11/16/22 to take advantage of lowest available fee. For more information about the
program, please refer to the program flyer. Chess-Ed is looking forward to working with
your CHESS ENTHUSIAST this Winter!
PTA Updates
October was a busy month with lots of events happening, and of course, none of it would be
possible without the help of some wonderful volunteers!!
Thank you to Liz Kelly and Nadia Lawrence for planning and organizing a super fun and
memorable Trunk or Treat!! This event is always a blast and a student favorite!
Thank you to Anna Dominick, and Andrea Kremidas for all of their hard work making sure all
classes had amazing and fun Halloween parties! Also, thank you to all the room parents and
party helpers who made sure the parties ran smoothly and for their time planning fun
parties for the students!
Thank you to Dana Bozeday and Courtney Schmidt for planning and organizing a super fun
and sweet Donuts with my VIP event! This was a Franklin tradition that we were so happy to
bring back! Thank you, Dana and Courtney, for making that possible!
Book club is a PTA-sponsored activity that takes place on Fridays during lunch and recess.
Book club will run from January 13 - March 17, meeting each Friday. We are looking for
volunteers to run the club for each grade level. Responsibilities include facilitating book
discussion and planning supporting activities, crafts, and/or games to go along with the
book(s). Book club chairs will select reading materials and distribute them to leaders. Each
group leader will be given a stipend to spend on supplies needed for extra activities.
Students will also eat lunch together during book club. Group size will be limited to 10
children per group.
All volunteers must be PTA members and must provide an ID to the office during book club meetings.
Sign up at franklinpta.membershiptoolkit.com starting MONDAY November 7th at 9am!
The date for student sign up for the Book club will be determined once volunteers are
obtained.
YEARBOOK
Please share your photos!
Franklin’s 2022/23 Yearbook is underway! You can directly upload photos from school events directly to folders in the TreeRing app or from your computer. It's super simple!
We are looking for pictures from the first day of school and the back to school bash.
10% off of Yearbooks has been extended until October 31s
Click here for a direct link for Franklin School!
The Holiday Sale will kick off next week! This is a great time to stock up on some spiritwear
essentials and also holiday gifts!! Take a look at the shop now to start getting some ideas:)
Dates: November 7th - November 30th
● 20% savings sitewide
● Free shipping over $75
● Guaranteed delivery by December 22nd or the order is free!
Spiritwear Store Link: https://1stplace.sale/30637
Already an Amazon shopper? Did you know you can shop through smile.amazon.com and register yourself as a charity with Benjamin Franklin Elementary PTA. This will earn 0.5% back to the PTA for eligible purchases. This is such an easy way to help earn savings for Franklin!
It only takes a few seconds to download to Box Tops for education app and help our school earn some savings! Earn 10 cents per box top directly for our school. Our yearly goal is $1000.
https://www.boxtops4education.com/s/get-the-app
Even though Box Tops is mobile, you may still run across the traditional box top clips from
time to time. You can still submit those as long as they are not expired. Here is a step by step video on how to do it.
Don't forget to scan your receipts for digital clips as well.
If you've been shopping online, watch this short video on how you can still earn money for Frnaklin school through Box Tops. The video will walk you step by step through submitting digital receipts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfUGb_3JzZg&feature=youtu.be
