Patriot Pulse
March 10th, 2023 Edition
Hello Grissom Families.
March has arrived with gusto here at Grissom! We have much to look forward to in these next few weeks and months. Students are continuing to enjoy and benefit from the engaging and relevant teaching happening in our classrooms. According to a recent survey measuring students' perceptions about school, we found that the vast majority of our students feel they make strong, meaningful connections with their teachers. Students also report seeing the relevance in the lessons they learn in their classes. Most also agreed that they feel PROUD to be a student at Grissom. That's great news! Our staff takes pride in caring for our students and offering them the best possible educational experience.
Our Grissom winter sports teams are impressing on the court! Two of our teams, the 6/7th girls volleyball team and the 6/7th boys basketball team, won regular season SWIC conference championships! These teams, along with our 8th grade girls volleyball and 8th grade boys basketball teams, all advanced to the semi-final rounds of their post-season tournaments. Our cheerleading squad also impressed all season long in their cheer and dance performances at home basketball games. Patriot Pride is at an all time high at Grissom! Way to go teams!
We are eagerly anticipating one of our most exciting school events on March 17th, our St. Baldrick's assembly. Our coordinators and shavees have been hard at work raising donations and planning for a spectacular assembly. We'll reveal the final fundraising tallies after the event, but we can confidently say the results will surpass our highest expectations!
We are also on the cusp of standardized testing. Our 8th grade students will be administered the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) over the course of three days next week. A letter was sent home to 8th grade parents regarding the ISA test. All students will be administered the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in early April over the course of five days. See below for more information and dates for each test.
Once again, I want to remind and encourage ALL parents and guardians to download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices). Moving forward, the vast majority of our school communications will come from this application.
Read on to learn more about what is happening at Grissom.
With gratitude,
Mr. Michael Rumbaugh
Principal
5 Essentials Survey
Share your thoughts to help improve our schools!
Over the upcoming weeks, D140 students, teachers, and parents will be given the opportunity to weigh in on school climate and learning conditions by taking the eleventh annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey.
Please click here to take the parent survey.
This survey assesses a school’s culture and climate and provides insight into strengths and weaknesses on the five key factors that research shows are predictive of school success - effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environment, and ambitious instruction.
Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child. We must get a 20% parent response rate for our results to be reported.
Thanks for your support!
REGISTRATION FOR THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS APRIL 11
Early Childhood/Preschool (EC/P), Kindergarten, and returning student registration for the 2023-24 school year opens online beginning Tuesday, April 11, 2023. An early registration discount will be given to families who register their students and pay their fees or set up a payment plan through the Business Office (708-342-5513) by Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
Please visit ksd140.org/registration for detailed information, including fees, health forms, busing, residency verification, and step-by-step directions for registering your student.
St. Baldrick's Week!
Our St. Baldrick's assembly will be held this Friday, March 17th during the school day. In anticipation, we will have spirit days every day next week. See the calendar below for details of each day.
Upcoming Concerts!
ParentSquare
KSD 140 is now using ParentSquare for email, text, and voice messaging! All District and principal communications will be sent via ParentSquare.
This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourages greater engagement and connection with D140. It provides an efficient way for District administrators and school principals to:
- Send District and school information via email, text, and app notification
- Share pictures, files, and calendar items
- Send attendance notifications
- and much more . . . all in one centralized place!
In addition to several enhanced messaging features, this new platform will allow us to communicate in multiple languages. Language settings were aligned to registration information provided by parents/guardians. If you wish to change the language of the notifications you are receiving from District 140, please contact your school office or fill out the form located at ksd140.org/contact-us
For even greater convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices). This app centralizes District and school communications pertaining to your student(s) and allows parents/guardians to customize their notification settings.
February Students of the Month!
March Students of the Month!
Grissom Yearbook Orders
Box Tops for Education
Directions for downloading and using the app can be found at this link: https://www.boxtops4education.com/s/get-the-app
Every Box Top scanned will raise money for our school.
Daily Announcements
Grissom's daily announcements can be found by clicking the link below. Please bookmark this link on your device.
The link to our daily announcements can also be found on our school website.
It’s almost time to celebrate Grissom’s 8th-Grade Extravaganza! This year’s event will be held at Grissom on Friday, May 5th, 2023 from 4:00 - 7:00 PM.
See the attached letter below if you are interested in donating to the event!
Grissom Spiritwear
Click the link below to order Grissom spiritwear!
https://1stplacespiritwear.com/schools/IL/Tinley%20Park/Grissom%20Middle%20School
Social Emotional Wellness
Social Emotional Wellness
We are here for you and your family, and we have resources to help. Please don't hesitate to reach out to your social/emotional leaders of Grissom:
School Social Worker
Molly Fahy
708.342.9563
School Counselor
Joy Labudzik
708.342.9561
Crisis & Support Hotlines:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
24/7 free & confidential support & crisis resources
Crisis Textline: text HOME to 741741
24/7 text message support for those in crisis.
Between Friends: 1-800-603-HELP (1-800-603-4357)
24/7 domestic violence crisis line
Call 4 Calm: Text “TALK” or “HABLAR” to 552-020
Free Emotional Support Text Line
Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline: 1-888-293-2080
24/7 Chicago rape hotline for survivors of sexual violence & their significant others
Illinois Warm Line: 1-866-359-7953
Peer & Family mental health support by phone, weekdays M-F 9AM-5PM
NAMI Chicago local resources & referral helpline: 312-563-0445
Compassionate support & personalized referrals M-F 9AM-5PM, Sat 9-1
If you or someone you love is experiencing an immediate, life-threatening mental health crisis,
call 911, clearly state that the individual is experiencing a mental health emergency and ask
that a Critical Incident Team officer respond to the situation. A Critical Incident Team officer is
trained in handling psychiatric emergencies.
Keep in Touch!
#KirbyONE40
Respectfully,
Mr. Michael Rumbaugh - Principal
Mrs. Julie Simpson - Assistant Principal
Follow us on Social Media!
Virgil I. Grissom Middle School
Principal Michael Rumbaugh- mirumbaugh@ksd140.org
Website: ksd140.org/grissom
Location: 17000 South 80th Avenue, Tinley Park, IL, 60477
Phone: 708-429-3030