Pleasant Hill Weekly Newsletter

April 14 , 2023

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Hello PH Community!


What a great week of weather we had! Students and teachers enjoyed the summer air and being outside!


Thank you to our PTA Make a Difference Team as they provided the kids with an outstanding week of projects to help those in need. The students did such a great job assembling and decorating projects to go to the organizations. We are looking forward to our assembly on Monday to hand over the items to the representatives from each organization.


We are excited for our first grade musical next week as well as our talent show coming up the following week!


MAP testing is almost finished and any student who was absent during a test will be made up upon returning to school.


Thank you as always for your support!


Warm Regards,

Dr. Morris


GO COUGARS!

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Students Made A Difference This Week!!

Thank you to all of our parent volunteers and our Make A Difference PTA team for another meanigful and awesome week!! We are so excited for our assembly on Monday where members from the organizations our projects go to will be joining us to accept them! Here is a list of the organizations we will be doing community service for.



Kindergarten -

Busy Bags for Northwest Community Hospital Pediatric Acute Care Division

We will collect coloring books, bubbles, fidgets, rubix cubes, crayons, and fun pads. Students will stuff the bags and make friendly cards.


First Grade

Diaper and Board Book Drive for Partners for Our Community (POC)

Students will separate, count and package diapers into groups for easier distribution at Palatine Opportunities Center. They will decorate labels, make a card and also donate board books and bubbles.


Second Grade

Welcome Home Puppy Packs for Second City Canine

Students will decorate canvas bags with positive pictures and messages. They will fill them with balls and toys to be distributed to those who rescue dogs from the shelter.


Third Grade

Positive Pillowcases for Northwest Suburban Special Education Association

Students will decorate and write positive messages on pillowcases to be distributed to students when they attend NSSEA summer camp. They will fill them with journals, pens, kleenex and chapstick.


Fourth Grade

Play and Read with Preschoolers from Children’s Home and Aid Preschool

Students will host preschoolers for an hour of reading, game playing, dancing and joke telling. We will send the preschoolers home with books, bubbles and coloring books that we have collected.


Fifth Grade

Fleece Activity Bags for residents at Little Sisters of the Poor Nursing Home

Students will cut and tie fleece tote bags and write friendly cards. They will fill the bags with sudoku books, crossword puzzles, playing cards, word searches, pens, kleenex and chapstick.


Sixth Grade

Feed My Starving Children

Students will assist the world wide hunger crisis by packing meals to be distributed to those in need in schools, orphanages and clinics around the world.

Students Enjoying The Weather In Our Outdoor Classroom!!

Donations For Library STEM Activites Needed!

We are looking forward to implementing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) into our elementary library lessons. We are excited to bring these hands-on learning experiences to PH and all of D15 schools.


Throughout these activities, students will develop their social skills while also developing skills in problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, curiosity, decision making, leadership, and more.


We are needing some help collecting materials for some of the STEM tasks. Here are some of the things we could use. These items are donations and will not be returned. Students can place items in a STEM collection box that are located near the front office in the foyer.


Used or Recycled Materials


  • Empty Cereal Boxes

  • Empty Paper Towel Rolls

  • Empty Toilet Paper Rolls

  • Empty Wrapping Paper Rolls

  • Empty Cardboard Egg Cartons

  • Puzzles (48-100 Pieces), **Please no wooden or missing pieces Please tape puzzle boxes closed.

2nd, 3rd and 4th Grade Students Learning About Nutrition From Midwestern Medical Students!

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Medication at School Guidelines

Parents, please remember that students are not allowed to have prescribed or over the counter medications in school without an authorization form.


This includes cough drops, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Advil and all others. Thank you for your cooperation.


If you want your child to have access to medication while here at school, please reach out to the school nurse Mrs. Martin to discuss how that is possible. If you have any questions, please see pages 57-58 in the Parent/Student Handbook.


Students From Our Helping Hands Club Donating To The Palatine Food Pantry!

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One Five Foundation Family Fun Run/Walk!

Join the one-five Foundation for its first-ever Family Fun Run/Walk! The event will be on May 20 at Winston Campus Junior High (120 N. Babcock Drive Palatine) at 9 am. The Family Fun Run/Walk is open to anyone in our community. Profits from the Fun Run/Walk will go toward the one-five’s teacher mini-grant program. These grants can support a wide range of opportunities for the students of the District with a focus on programs or technology.


REGISTER TODAY!

  • $5 for D15 students (including registered incoming students)

  • $15 for Adults and Non-D15 Students

  • Children ages 4 and under are free

PBIS AT PLEASANT HILL!! Majors and MInors

Has your student received a minor? Have they received a major? These forms of behavior management are used for various offenses that can occur during the school day. Below is a guide to help you as the parent better understand what they are to help you support your student at home. If for any reason you are unsure or have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or Dr. Morris and Mr. Fabrikant.


What is a minor?

  • Students have been taught what is expected at school in various settings. They are reviewed periodically throughout the year. We have visual reminders of our expectations displayed around school and Boosters three times a year as a school.

  • A minor is a record of a behavior that is in violation of the Three B’s. It is a warning.

  • A student will receive a minor after he/she has been re-taught the appropriate behavior but continues the inappropriate behavior .

  • If a student receives 3 minors within a month period, a Major will be issued.


What is a major?

  • Major behaviors demonstrate a purposeful or serious disregard for expectations at Pleasant Hill. Some examples but not limited to are behaviors that can lead to injury, the safety of others and extreme disrespect towards students or staff.

  • For a major offense students will be seen by administration.

  • Consequences will be determined and given by administration.

  • Parents will be notified by a school administrator when a major offense has been issued.

  • Three minors equals one major. Staying in from lunch/recess is a consequence that is issued unless administration determines otherwise.

Illustrative Math April Unit Task

Thank you to the families who submitted their unit Illustrative Math family tasks during the month of March! We enjoyed seeing your child use math outside of the classroom.


Illustrative Math provides students and families with an opportunity to take their learning from the classroom and apply it to an authentic situation. Each problem lends itself to deep conceptual understanding. Below you will find a unit task for the month of April as well as a companion support video that explains what each grade level is learning in class. Click here to learn more about problem-based learning.

Follow the steps below to complete the optional unit task for the month of April.


1. Find your child’s grade level below and click the link to access your unit task.

2. Read through the “Try It At Home” section and complete the task.

3. Send your family’s math work to your child’s teacher in the form of a written paper, photo story, or a video of your child demonstrating and explaining their thinking.


Kindergarten

Unit Task Support Video


1st Grade

Unit Task Support Video


2nd Grade

Unit Task Support Video


3rd Grade

Unit Task Support Video


4th Grade

Unit Task Support Video


5th Grade

Unit Task Support Video


6th Grade

Unit Task


Accelerated 7th/Pre Algebra

Unit Task

PTA NEWS AND EVENT REMINDERS ***PLEASE READ BELOW***

Message From Our PTA Presidents!

We want to thank our Make a Difference Committee for running a very successful week of

giving back. There is a positive energy among Pleasant Hill Elementary, the students showed a lot of excitement for helping our community. We are so grateful for everything our volunteers and donors provided in order to make this a success. We hope that many families were able to participate in making cards for service members. We know that your appreciation goes a long way.


We are looking forward to Movie Night next week. No worries if you did not have a chance to

sign up yet, the deadline was extended to Friday, April 14 th . Please consider volunteering and sending your child to this amazing fundraising event for our PTA. Without fundraisers we would not be able to provide the programming and events that we do.


We would like to thank our Book Fair committee for helping coordinate our latest author

assembly, Ryan Higgins. Be on the lookout for the next Book Fair at the end of the month.

When you buy books from our Book Fair you are helping create more opportunities for author

visits as well as adding new books to our library and classrooms.


Send us a note if you would like to learn more about our PTA. We are happy to have an

executive member get in touch with you about becoming involved. We are currently looking for a president elect as well as a secretary, treasurer and new membership committee for our

executive team for 2023/2024.


Thank you to all that you do to continue to support our PTA.


Best,

Julie Boldt and Rick France

PTA President and President Elect

phpta15@gmail.com

Spring Book Fair Is Coming!! We Need Your Help!

Our Spring Book Fair is coming up. We are looking for someone to take over for next year, if you have an interest in learning on how we run our Book Fairs please consider working with our current committee leads to show you how to organize a book fair. Email phpta15@gmail.com to let us know if you would like to join our Book Fair committee.

Looking For New Year Book Committe Members for 2023 School Year!!

The yearbook committee is looking for someone to lead the committee starting next school year. The previous lead will remain on the committee to co-lead and train.


Yearbook is a great way to connect with the students and see all the fun at the classroom parties and PTA events! If interested and would like to learn more, please email phyrbook@gmail.com.

PTA Sponsoring Coke Rewards!

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Schoolwide Information Below

Dental Examination Due Date

All Kindergarten, Second Grade, and Sixth Grade students are required to submit a complete dental examination form before May 1. If you are uncertain if you have already submitted this required form, please reach out to Mrs. Martin our school nurse. If your child still needs to provide it, please make an appointment at your dental office and bring this form (in Spanish) with you.


If you currently do not have a dentist, Orland Park Dental Services is scheduling services at D15 schools. For your child to receive this service, registration is required. An invitation will be sent home with your student at the end of February, or you may register them online with this link.

School Safety New Procedure! Please Read

Keeping our schools safe and secure is a top priority for District 15. We regularly review our procedures and protocols, and make improvements when necessary. To that end, we are writing to share an update from previous procedures. Effective immediately, when visitors ring the doorbell at a school, the office staff will ask the visitor their name and the purpose of their visit. If the visitor is a parent or guardian that is just dropping off a forgotten lunch or homework assignment, etc. they will be asked to leave it on the "drop off" table in the vestibule.


Please remember to label the items you drop off with your child’s name and grade level/teacher to ease the delivery of the items.


When parents/guardians or visitors are at the school for a meeting or to volunteer, they will be required to provide a driver's license or state ID which will be used to produce a visitor badge for the individual to wear on a red visitor lanyard while they are in the building. The office will keep the license/state ID and return it to the individual when the visitor badge is returned as they leave the building. This will ensure all staff can visually see that only individuals cleared through their office are in our schools.


When a parent/guardian comes in to pick up a student early from school, they will be asked to produce a state ID for verification.


We appreciate your support and understanding as we work together to keep our schools safe places for our staff, students, and visitors.


Your partner in safety,

Claire Kowalczyk
Deputy Superintendent

School Playground Is Closed During The School Day To The Public

School safety remains a top priority in District 15. To ensure our schools are as safe as they can be, an additional safety protocol has been put in place this year. A sign has been installed to our playgrounds notifying the community that the playground will be closed to the public during school hours. This will allow classrooms to go outside for PE or to learn outdoors without concern for who else is on school grounds.

Sick Day Guidelines

To help prevent the spread of illness, we would like to give you some guidelines to help with your decision on whether or not to send your child to school


We ask that you keep your child home if they:


  • Have a fever of 100.4F or higher
  • Have a sore throat with a fever
  • Have diarrhea (3 or more episodes in 24 hours)
  • Have abdominal cramps and/or vomiting
  • Have a rash or open and draining sores


If your child has recently been ill, please be aware of the following guidelines before having your child return:


  • Feel fit for at least 24 hours
  • Be fever free for 24 hours without medication
  • Be free of vomiting and/or diarrhea for at least 24 hours
  • For strep throat, they must be on appropriate medication for at least 24 hours
  • For conjunctivitis (pink eye), they must be on appropriate eye drops for at least 24 hours or cleared by physician
  • Rash illness should be assessed by a doctor


If chicken pox suspected, keep home for at least 5 days after the appearance of the rash or until the blisters have scabbed over


The single most important thing you can do to keep your child free of illness is to teach them the proper way to wash their hands. Also, be sure they are dressed weather appropriate. Please notify the nurse if your child has a communicable illness (strep throat, influenza, lice, COVID, etc.), or any health concerns that need to be monitored at school.


Mrs. Martin can be reached at 847-963-5902 or via email martins2@ccsd15.net

Student Entrances and Exits

Doors Will Open at 8:18 each morning.


Thank you for your support!


Grades 1&2 - Door #3 (located By The Bike Racks)


Grade 3/4- Door #10 (Back of the school, middle entrance)


Grade 5/6- Door #11 (Back of the school east entrance)


Kindergarten AM - Door #7 (Back of the school, top of the stairs)


Kindergarten PM - Front Entrance of The School


Students Riding The Bus Will Enter and Exit The Front Doors

PLEASE READ...STUDENT DROP OFF AND PICK-UP


-During the posted time on the sign by the back lot entrance. No left turn is allowed during drop-off heading north on Ceder.


-During the posted time on the sign located on the corner of Ceder and Michigan, no left turn is allowed heading south onto Cedar from Michigan.


-Drop off allows for one SINGLE file line in the circle drive in the morning. Please be patient as cars are stopping frequently to drop off students.


-Pick up allows for cars to park (not left unattended and running) along the curb. Double parking is not allowed.


-Students should not be crossing Cedar or Illinois to get to a vehicle without using he designated crosswalks. (A crossing guard is at Illinois and Birchwood, A crosswalk is at the corner of Michigan and Cedar)


-Students should ALWAYS exit a car on the passenger side while in the circle drive.


-If you are dropping off or picking up and decide to park in the parking lot, students must be escorted by an adult to the schools entrance. Students should not be going through the parking lot without an adult. This is extremely important.


It is important to remain patient and not be on any electronic devices to assure our students and your safety. Please think of the safety of all of our students and families during these times of the day.

Coming To The School During The School Day? Please Read

Throughout the school year, it is common to have parents, friends and visitors come to the school. Please know that the safety of our students is our number one priority. The following guidelines are in place for that reason. Please read...


* All visitors are requiered to produce a valid ID that will be scanned through our RAPTOR system. If you do not have a valid ID you will not be allowed in the building


*All visitors must enter through the front entrance of the school and check in at the front office and will recieve a colored lanyard that must be worn during the entire stay


*Meetings with teachers are by appointment only and must be scheduled with the teacher


*Only individuals who are listed in Infinite Campus under emergency contacts will be allowed to pick up a student. We will not release students to individuals who are not in our system as an emergency contact.


*Please do not park along the front of the school in the fire lane as this restricts access for emergency vehicles as well as school buses from entering properly.


*During drop off and dismissal in the front parking lot is not to be used. This is only for school buses.

Infinite Campus Parent Portal

Infinite Campus' Campus Parent is designed to provide parents real-time access to student information. The easy-to-use design displays what is currently happening in the classroom so you can understand, monitor, and participate in your child’s educational experience.


This portal also provides parents access to check for teacher placement and student schedules once their student is registered. District 15 has also used IC to gather parent survey responses. Make sure you have your account set up for the new school year! To learn how to set up your account, watch tutorials, or access a help center, please visit our website.

Mobile App

The District 15 mobile app is available on the App Store and Google Play! To download the free app, search for "CCSD15."

This communication tool allows parents and students to quick access to important school and district information, including Campus Parent, the D15 Bullying Tip Line, a quick link to MyStop (bus stop location and pick-up times), lunch menus, schedules, parent/student handbook, directory information, school news, and more.

  • To see integrated student information on the app, click the "student information" button and log-in using your email address and your Campus Parent password. If you are unsure of your password, please visit Infinite Campus and click "forgot password." If you are still having trouble, please contact your school's main office for assistance.

  • To make sure you aren’t missing any notices, make sure you turn notifications ON for the mobile app.

Dr. David Morris Ed.D

Pleasant Hill Elementary School Principal