The Franklin Flyer

Mark Your Calendars:

November 29 - December 4: PTA - Contribute to teacher and staff holiday gifts in Toolkit

December 4 - 15: PTA - Sign-ups open!

• Pizza Block 2 (closes December 15)
• Book Club (closes December 15)
• 4th & 5th Grade Volleyball (until teams are full)
• International Night (closes end of December)
• VIP & Me Winter Dance Volunteer (until roles are filled)

December 7: PTA - PTA Meeting 7-8 PM (virtual)

December 20: Holiday Sing

December 25 - January 5: Winter Break - No School

January 12: PTA - Book Club Kick-Off

January 15: No School

January 25: PTA - International Nights 5-7 PM

February 14: Valentine's Day

February 15: Open House 6:00-7:30 PM

February 16: Institute Day - No School

February 19: No School

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 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.

Franklin Office Hours
School office hours are from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

School Hours

School Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 3:30 pm

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30

4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 12:05 - 1:00

Wednesday School Hours: 8:50 am - 2:40 pm

Wednesday Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:05 - 12:00

Wednesday 4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30

Half-Day Kindergarten Hours

Kindergarten Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 11:35 am

Kindergarten Wednesday: 8:50 am - 11:05 am

Our lost and found will be donated at the end of the day on Friday, December 22nd. The Lost & Found will be out during the Holiday Sing for parents to check for missing items.

Please send a change of clothes with your student for all K-5 students. It is helpful to have a change in the event of spilled water, accidents, or an unexpected need for a change in clothes. Student clothes should be labeled with your child's name and can be kept in your child's locker.

If there are any significant changes at home that may impact your student(s) arrival or dismissal or impact your student(s) emotional at school, please reach out to notify Mrs. Williams or your child's teacher to best support your family.

Please do not park and leave your cars in the drop-off area on Dee Road, which is for attended cars only. This area is designated for those who can remain in their car to drop off or pick up students.

Franklin's Holiday Sing program will be held on Wednesday, December 20th. We will have performances by grade. Our performance schedule is as follows:

9:00 a.m. - Kindergarten & 1st Grade

10:00 a.m. - 4th & 5th Grade

1:30 p.m. - 2nd & 3rd Grade

All concert attendees will enter through Door 3 (circle drive) and exit through Door 5 (exterior gym door to the blacktop) for the safety of our school and students. There will be no exceptions. Seats can not be saved between concerts. We appreciate your support to keep the remaining grades learning and school running smoothly during the performances.

For the health and safety of our students and community, no pets are allowed on school property. We realize the beautiful weather increases the amount of families who are walking. However, we ask that you please leave your dog or cat at home. Properly identified service animals are always permitted.

Please take a moment to review the contacts section of your ParentPortal. Any adult who has approval for after school pick-up or emergency pick-up for illness/injury should be listed. Franklin staff will not release students to adults who are not listed on the ParentPortal.

Chromebooks

As a reminder, each Franklin student will be issued an iPad (grades K-1) or a Chromebook computer (grades 2-5) as part of the District’s one-to-one digital learning program. Students will receive their devices during the first week of school. Your child will also be assigned a Google account to access Google Apps for Education and other digital resources at school and to explore further concepts introduced in class at home. The devices and their applications are technology tools that provide all students access to digital content and higher levels of individualized instruction.

You can find more information about the 1:1 Initiative, Chromebooks, and the other technologies available to our students here.

Drop-off of Student Items/Lunches

If your student forgets something at home, an adult may drop off items at the Franklin front office. Our front office staff will message the classroom for your student to pick up these items during a break in student instruction. The teacher will send the student to the office when it works best in the classroom schedule.

Visiting Franklin

All visitors to Franklin must have a valid state ID or driver’s license. Identification is entered into the Raptor identification system. This process only takes a short time to complete. Once you have clearance, the office staff will print a visitor pass for you and attach it to a lanyard you must wear throughout the building. The office will hold your ID until you return to the office and return the lanyard. We appreciate your support as we proceed with this district-mandated safety procedure for the safety of our students.

Student-Parent Handbook
Franklin Elementary School and all District 64 schools follow policies and practices reviewed and implemented by the District 64 Board of Education. Please review the D64 Student-Parent Handbook before the start of the school year.

You can find frequent updates or snapshots from our days at Franklin on Facebook and Instagram! Follow us at

Facebook: facebook.com/FranklinD64

Instagram: franklin.d64

Chess-Ed is excited to return to Franklin to provide lunchtime chess instruction this Winter.

The 10-week program runs from 11/29/23 to 02/21/24 and takes place during lunch on

Wednesdays from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm for grades K-3 and 11:30-12:30 for grades 4-

5. 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 https://2023-2024franklinchess.eventbee.com. Register by

11/15/23 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!

4th and 5th Grade Volleyball Sign-Up Open

Franklin PTA volleyball is back. The GOAL of this popular league is to introduce the sport of volleyball in a fun way. This is a co-ed program open to students in 4th and 5th grades. Registration is open from 12/4 until teams are full.

• Sign up on PTA Membership Toolkit
• Volleyball season will run 8 weeks: February 12 - April 12
• 12 players max per co-ed team; two teams for each grade
• 4th grade practice and games will be Mon or Wed between 6:30-8:30pm
• 5th grade practice and games will be Tues or Thurs between 6:30-8:30pm
• Franklin will compete against Field, Roosevelt, Washington and Carpenter teams
• $30 fee includes T-shirt, pizza party, league supplies

Our PTA is also offering financial scholarships. Please contact Principal Williams, ASAP if interested. Openings are limited based on sign-up.

If you have any questions or want to help coach 4th grade, please contact the Franklin PTA V-ball Coordinator, Rob Barrett at vette02@aol.com.

Book Club 2024 parent volunteers needed!

We are in need of parent volunteers in order to make the Book club a success! Volunteers lead book discussions during the lunch hours on Fridays, beginning January 12th and ending March 22nd. No meetings on February 16th and March 8th. Opportunities still available including need for Kinder, 4th and 5th grades!

No teaching experience is necessary - just the desire to share your enthusiasm for reading with Franklin students! Parents can lead a class on their own or partner with another parent to co-lead a group. Parents who volunteer are guaranteed space for their children in the program. Interested in being a leader? Please visit the PTA Membership Toolkit to sign up. Volunteer signups will close on November 29 and we will then open up book club positions to students on December 4th-15th- the number of student spots we can open depends on how many parent volunteers we have to supervise and lead the grade-level clubs.

Have questions or want to know more before you volunteer? Contact: Tania Wygonowski (tania1234@aol.com) and Susie Dordek (sdordek@icloud.com)

Toys for Tots

Calling all Franklin Falcons, we need your help! Franklin, as well as other D64 schools, is excited to participate this holiday season in the Toys for Tots Collection Drive! This is the Drive’s 76th year, let’s make it the best one yet! Toys for Tots is a top-rated charity which provides toys, books and other gifts to less fortunate children.

If you would like to purchase a toy for a child of any age in need, consider shopping at the Amazon Wish List below for fast and easy ordering to the “Franklin Toys for Tots Collection House”, where all purchases will be delivered directly to our collection site. If you purchase a gift elsewhere, please drop it off at Franklin’s collection bin which is located inside of the circle drive’s vestibule door 3. If you have any questions, please contact info@franklinpta.com. All gifts should be new and unwrapped.

• Tuesday, November 28th is the last day that Toys for Tots Amazon Wish List orders can be placed so that we can ensure on time delivery to our collection site.

• Friday, December 1st is the last day to bring your item to Franklin's collection bin in front of the office.

• Saturday, December 2nd is the Toys for Tots Drive, please save the date, time TBD. All of the toys collected will be brought over to one of the D64 schools. Decorate your car and join us for the parade which will start at a school and end at Park Ridge City Hall. There, a semi-truck will be waiting for us to fill with all the toys collected for the Drive!

Thank you in advance for helping put a smile on a child’s face this holiday season! Any and every item will make a difference!

Here is the link to start ordering: Amazon.com

Pizza Monday- January 8-May 20

Ordering for block 2 will be opening up on December 4th-December 15th in Membership Toolkit. We can not accept orders after 12/15. Thank you for understanding!

If you ordered pizza for block 1, you need to order again for block 2. If you do not purchase

pizza by 12/16 there will be no other opportunity to sign up for pizza day for the remainder

of the year. You must be a PTA member to order pizza through the PTA sponsored pizza days. You can join the PTA, and order pizza at franklinpta.membershiptoolkit.com.

A few important things to note:

• Hot lunches ordered through my meal order are not available on Monday’s.

• If you do not participate in the Monday Pizza lunch program, then you will need to pack a lunch.

• 2 kinds of pizza are offered- cheese and gluten free cheese. 1,2, or 3 slices can be ordered.

• Drinks only for Monday’s can be ordered through my meal order.

• All sides must be packed from home.

• Pizza day is every Monday of in school attendance.

Pricing for Block 2: (16 Mondays) regular and gluten free

1 slice $63

2 slice $100

3 slice $136

Ciao! Mahalo! Γεια σας! Hola! Bonjour! Hello! Здраво! Witam!

Save the Date for one of Franklin's most beloved events, International Night, on Thursday, January 25th - if you have not been you are in for a treat! Our families join together to celebrate all cultures through food, dress, music, performances, and activities. This is 100% sponsored by the PTA so we need help from each of you!

Please sign up on Membership Toolkit starting 12/4 to host a country of your choice. We will group people together who sign up for the same country to partner. You can also showcase your culture through song, dance, demonstration, etc! Everyone is invited to participate - adults, family members, children, etc!

The countdown is on! V.I.P. and Me Winter Dance returns in February

We are pleased to bring back the Franklin Winter Dance - one of three “V.I.P. and Me” events where students can bring a special V.I.P. guest to a fun school social event. Last year’s Snowflake Winter Dance was a ton of fun and we’re planning this year’s event with a whole new theme and more fun surprises. More details about the event will follow, but for now we need volunteers who are interested in helping us the night of the event. This is a very popular event and we do have to limit capacity - only one adult V.I.P. per household will be admitted to the dance except in the cases where a parent volunteers. Families who have an adult volunteer can bring two adult V.I.P.s to the event, so grab your spot on Monday in the Membership Toolkit before they fill up. Please send questions regarding the dance to idalmy.colucci@gmail.com.

Capture those Falcon memories!

Please add photos of all of the recent school events to the yearbook. Easily upload to the TreeRing app or website or email notification.photos.298362828@treeringphotos.com