Caruso Middle School is an inclusive and vibrant community where Blue Jays

take ownership of their social-emotional and academic growth by supporting,

challenging, and celebrating self and others.

Good Evening Blue Jay Families:

In this week's Caruso Connect, please make sure to check out a great opportunity to see Caruso, South Park, and Wilmot teachers play a charity volleyball game!

Please come out and support the Caruso, South Park, and Wilmot teachers as they compete in a charity volleyball game. All proceeds will go to Paws for Patrick, an organization that honors the memory of Patrick Roemer by providing support to young people with mental illness through the use of emotional support animals (ESAs) and therapy animals.

• Wednesday, March 15th
• 4:00 - 5:00 pm
• In the Caruso Gym
• Entertainment provided by Team Give (Wilmot's Philanthropy Club)
• Admission is $5 and concessions are $1
• This is not a drop-off event. Students need to come with an adult

Make sure to also check out IAR information and information for 6th grade Social Dance.

Enjoy your weekend!

Tim, Jim, Caitlin & The Caruso Staff

Tim Brodeur - Principal - tbrodeur@dps109.org

Jim Monaco - Associate Principal - jmonaco@dps109.org

Caitlin Lucci - Coordinator of Student Support - clucci@dps109.org

Please come out and support the Caruso, South Park, and Wilmot teachers as they compete in a charity volleyball game. All proceeds will go to Paws for Patrick, an organization that honors the memory of Patrick Roemer by providing support to young people with mental illness through the use of emotional support animals (ESAs) and therapy animals.

• Wednesday, March 15th
• 4:00 - 5:00 pm
• In the Caruso Gym
• Entertainment provided by Team Give (Wilmot's Philanthropy Club)
• Admission is $5 and concessions are $1
• This is not a drop-off event. Students need to come with an adult

Deerfield Public Schools District 109 is proud to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated auditorium at Caruso Middle School this upcoming Thursday, March 16th at 5 p.m. There will be a guided tour that starts shortly after the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 as well as a self-guided tour option as well. You can see a slideshow of the progress of the project at www.dps109.org/ourfuture.

Dear 6th-8th Grade Parents and Guardians,

Students across the district in grades 6 through 8 will be participating in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in English/Language Arts & Mathematics April 11-13.

This state assessment helps us understand how students are growing academically year to year, while also providing an achievement comparison to grade-level peers across the state. By measuring both mastery of the Illinois Learning Standards and the College and Career Ready benchmarks of the PSAT and SAT, the IAR is also designed to help prepare students for success in high school and beyond. The overall performance of each school, by grade, also impacts our designation, which is reported on the Illinois School Report Card.

If you have questions about the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, please let me know. As always, we encourage our students to do their best and appreciate your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Tim Brodeur

(Communicated 3/10/23)

Registration for 6th Grade Social Dance is now available on the PTO website.

Sign up to volunteer as a chaperone for one or more of the evenings.

(Communicated 3/3/23)

There will be a Family Reception in the DHS cafeteria immediately following the graduation ceremony.

Details on purchasing tickets will be communicated by the PTO soon.

Celebratory 8th grade field trip to The Main Event during the school day on 5/30.

Details on ticket purchase coming soon from our PTO. This is the Q4 rewards day.

Finally, the last day of school, 6/1, is a half day for 8th graders.

(Communicated 3/3/23)

Dear Annie Jr. Families & Friends,

The time has come!! Ticket Sale Information is here!!

The students, Production Team, and I cannot wait for you to experience our wonderful musical, Annie Jr.! Everyone has been working incredibly hard to put together a great show. We hope it'll be an experience you'll never forget!

Tickets can be purchased using the online ticket ordering system from ShowTix4U. Tickets are on sale! Please click the link below to order tickets online.

• https://www.showtix4u.com/events/cmsmusical

(Communicated 3/3/23)

Dear 8th Grade Parents and Guardians,

Students in grade 8 will begin taking the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) March 15 during their core classes. The ISA aligns with our new Illinois Learning Standards in science. This assessment helps families understand how well students are performing academically and see whether they are on track to succeed in college. The ISA represents Illinois’ commitment to preparing all students for college and careers, including in the high-demand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The assessment also satisfies federal accountability requirements.

The ISA has three sections and is untimed. The average student time-on-task is estimated at 120 minutes. The results provide administrators with important data to help them make broad curriculum decisions at the school and district levels.

If you have questions about the Illinois Science Assessment, please let me know. As always, we encourage our students to do their best and appreciate your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Tim Brodeur

(Communicated 3/3/23)

Dear Parents/Guardians of Deerfield 109 students,

Again this year, parents across Illinois have an opportunity to participate in the annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent, it allows you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness. Your responses also help guide district improvement.

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey is administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are:

· Effective Leaders

· Collaborative Teachers

· Involved Families

· Supportive Environments

· Ambitious Instruction

To take the Parent Survey, please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. Your identity and responses will be kept completely confidential and will not be connected to you or your child. The survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.

(Communicated 2/24/23)

8th grade graduation will be here before we know it. Please see our FAQs below which will address the details. We will continue to update our communication about the big day as we receive it.

FAQ:

1) When is graduation? June 1st, 2023

2) Where is graduation? The big gym at DHS

3) What time is graduation? 7:30 PM

4) When will we receive our tickets? Your student will bring them home following graduation practice

5) How many tickets does each student receive? Each of our students will receive 6 tickets for the ceremony (your 8th grader does not require a ticket). If your student is a twin, you will receive 8 tickets total for your family. For those who may need additional tickets, we will begin a waitlist at our office. Please contact Jenny (jkaplan@dps109.org) or Angie (abeermann@dps109.org) via email to request ONE additional ticket and to be added to the waitlist. We suggest you reach out to your community of 8th grade parents to see if anyone has any extras prior to requesting a ticket from the office. We will alert those who will receive an additional ticket when we have a final head count. This ticket will be included in the tickets your student brings home.

(Communicated 2/24/23)

(Communicated 2/24/23)

The Caruso Middle School Spirit Wear sale is in full force! Click HERE to check out our selections and place your order! Let's show some school spirit in the classroom or from home! Happy shopping!

*If you would like to nominate a staff member for this you may do so HERE!

(Communicated 1/13/23)

Have an incoming kindergartener (or know someone who does?) The registration process for the upcoming school year is now open and the earlier we know who is coming, the better we can plan! Just go to www.dps109.org/kindy to learn how to begin the process. Please reach out to our registrar, Rosa Castillo (rcastillo@dps109.org) with any questions.

(Communicated 9/23/22)

Please join us and RSVP by calling the main office.