The Franklin Flyer

Mark Your Calendars:

August 20: PTA - Kindergarten Meet & Greet - 3:30 pm

August 21: PTA - Membership Sign-up

August 22: Supply Drop-off - 8:15 - 9:00 am

August 23: First Day of School - 8:50 am - 2:40 pm

August 28: PTA - Pizza Monday and Grade-Level T-Shirt Orders Open

August 30: Curriculum Night (schedule below)

September 4: Labor Day - 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 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.

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

School Hours

School hours are from 8:50 am - 3:30 pm. Please note that each Wednesday, students are dismissed at 2:40 pm for staff professional development activities. The doors to the school open for students each morning at 8:45 am. There is no adult supervision prior to 8:40 am. Please do not leave your child unattended before this time.

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

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

For those participating in half-day Kindergarten, the school hours for half-day Kindergarten students are below:

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

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

Parent Portal

Please take a moment to sign into your Parent Portal to ensure your student contact tab is up to date with the correct phone numbers and email addresses for each child. In addition, please make sure your emergency contacts are up-to-date and accurate. Each student should have at least one additional adult as an emergency contact. Only adults on your emergency contact list will be allowed to pick your child up from school in the event you are unable to do so.

Supply Drop-off

Students and their parents can visit Franklin to drop off supplies on Tuesday, August 22nd, from 8:15 - 9:00 am. It is an opportunity for students to meet their teacher before the first day of school. Classrooms will be in various stages of preparation. Following supply drop-off, teachers will prepare learning spaces to welcome students on the first day of school.

School supply lists are available on the Franklin website. If you cannot participate in the Supply Drop-off, students should bring their school supplies on the first day of school.

First Day of School

The school doors are open at 8:45 am each day, and students should use grade-specific entrances to enter the building at the beginning of the day and exit for dismissal. The first day of school follows a WEDNESDAY early release schedule. Please note school ends at 2:40 pm.

Students line up at their grade level doors. Please use the map below to identify your child(ren)'s assigned door. On the blacktop, you will find classroom lines assigned by room number. Use your child's class placement letter to confirm your student's teacher name and room number.

Curriculum Night

We are excited to welcome our Franklin parents to curriculum night at Franklin on August 30th. The presentation schedule is listed below. Should you be unable to attend, classroom teachers can send information to you after the event.

6:00 - 6:30 pm - Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade presentations

6:40 - 7:10 pm - 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade presentations

Franklin Website and Calendar

The website and Franklin’s school calendar are valuable resources to keep informed of important updates and events throughout the year. The District 64 Overview Calendar can be found here to view the year at a glance.

Lunch Hour Changes

In an effort to better ensure student safety and provide a positive lunch-recess experience for all children, Franklin will be making changes to the lunch-recess schedule. All students will still have the same amount of time for lunch-recess, but the schedule will include a staggered start time for some grade levels. This will decrease the number of students outside at recess at a given time and also ensure that students are outside with age-appropriate peers. This change also allows us to increase the ratio of staff to student supervision during the lunch hour.

Kindergarten through 3rd Grade Lunch Hour - 11:35 - 12:30 pm

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

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 during an instructional break to pick up their items.

Lunch Reminders

Quest, our food service company, serves pre-order meals and beverages to our students who have placed orders. Students must use their MySchoolBucks account to purchase any food. Please see this website page for more information from Quest.

Though we have Quest food choices during lunch, most Franklin students bring lunch to school. We highly encourage waste-free lunches. To reduce waste, please consider the following as you pack your child’s lunch:

• Please pack your child’s lunch in a reusable lunch box or bag (not paper or plastic bags).

• Use reusable containers for sandwiches rather than foil, plastic wrap, etc.

• Buy snacks in quantity and transfer them to a reusable container.

• Put drinks in a child-friendly thermos rather than sending throw-away juice boxes, etc.

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.

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.

Finally, I want to share some additional back-to-school tips with all families. Please find helpful advice here. The National Association of School Psychologists provides these.

We cannot wait for the return of our students starting on August 23rd!

From Your PTA

Franklin families, in preparation for the 2023-24 school year we are removing all members of this group this week by Friday, August 18. PTA membership for the 2023-23 school year opens on Monday, August 21 at franklinpta.membershiptoolkit.com. This year we are introducing a new Household Membership for $15 for two adults, or you can still join with one adult for $10. When you sign up for membership through the toolkit we'll ask you for the link to your Facebook profile(s) so you can be invited to join this Facebook group again. We recommend you sign up for membership as soon as possible - Pizza Monday and grade-level t-shirt ordering opens on Monday, August 28 in the toolkit and you'll want to be in by then. If you have any questions please reach out to us at info@franklinpta.com

Chess-Ed

Chess-Ed is excited to return to Franklin to provide lunchtime chess instruction this Fall. The 10-week program runs from 9/13/23 to 11/15/23 and takes place on Wednesdays. Students in grades K-3 will have Chess class from 11:00AM-12:00PM (lunch) while students in grades 4-5 will have Chess class from 11:30AM-12:30PM (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 https://2023-2024franklinchess.eventbee.com. Register by 8/30/23 to take advantage of the 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 Fall!