Caruso Connect - March 4th
#CarusoWay
With just a few weeks to go to until Spring Break, time is flying by. Your students continue to impress all of us through their actions, spirit, and willingness to take on new challenges.
We hope that you could take a few moments to complete the statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. 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. We need to receive a response rate of 20% to receive the report. Currently we are at 4%. We would like to use this information to better meet you and your student's needs.
IAR testing will be April 5th - 7th. We ask that all students are present in school to take these state mandated tests. We will be running a modified schedule on these days and will send that home before spring break; for now, we wanted to keep you in the loop so you can hopefully avoid any optional appointments on these days.
As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to any of us.
Have a GREAT weekend!
Tim, Caitlin, and Heidy
Tim Brodeur - Principal - tbrodeur@dps109.org
Caitlin Lucci - Associate Principal - clucci@dps109.org
Heidy LaFleur - Interim Coordinator of Student Support - hlafleur@dps109.org
Upcoming Events
3/11 - 3/12 - The Little Mermaid
3/21 - 3/25 - Spring Break
4/5 - 4/7 - IAR Testing
4/15 - Non Attendance Day
Blue Jays of the Week
Caruso Auditorium Renovation
This upcoming Thursday, you will begin to notice temporary fencing going up around the northeast corner of CMS. This will make door 18 unavailable for use for the duration of the project. Door 17, the one with the large Caruso Activities Entrance sign above it, will still be accessible. Traffic in our loop of the building will not be impacted.
Work will be going on to lay foundation throughout the spring. All work doing the school day will take place outside of CMS. Anything that needs to be done inside the building would happen after school hours.
We are excited for this new space! Check out the rendering of what the finished space should look like below.
Information for Families
5ESSENTIALS SURVEY NOW OPEN - LEND YOUR VOICE TO HELP OUR SCHOOL!
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.
In addition to parents, 4th through 8th grade students will also be responding to this survey. Per school board policy 7:15, you may opt your child out of any survey. If you would not like your child to participate in the 5Essentials Survey, please contact your building principal.
While You're In Family Access, Complete The Vaccine Disclosure Form
Remember, you can complete an optional form in Family Access to let DPS 109 know that your child is vaccinated. This is the same form that was made available to students ages 12 and older earlier this year.
A major benefit of completing the form is that if your child is deemed to be a close contact to a positive case, either in school or outside of it, our contact tracing team will quickly be able to potentially rule out quarantine for those that have voluntarily disclosed their child’s vaccination status or minimize the number of additional tests required to participate in the test to stay program.
CMS Clubs and Activities
GET YOUR CONSENT ON FILE FOR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
A reminder, to participate in any before/after school clubs, sports, and activities, all students must have a signed consent form and be signed up for SHIELD testing in order to take part. Please click below to find the consent form.
Wednesday and Friday Spirit Days
All students and staff are encouraged to join us for Wednesday and Friday Spirit Days!
Every Wednesday is Caruso Day! Wear your Caruso Wear!
3/11 - Neon Day
Spring Spirit Week:
3/14 - Comfy Day - Day Light Savings
3/15 - Tourist Day
3/16 - Caruso Spirit Day
3/17 - Wear Green - St. Patrick's Day
3/18 - Basketball Jersey Day - March Madness
4/1 - Backwards Day
4/8 - Crazy Sock Day
4/22 Earth Day (Blue and Green)
4/29 - Color War Day 8: Black 7: Blue 6: White
5/6 - Socks and Sandals
Heath and Wellness Reminders
SHIELD Results
SHIELD Testing
Students will begin SHIELD testing at 8:30 AM. Please ensure that students do not have food, gum, or drinks an hour prior to testing. Students will be called out of class for SHIELD testing according to the schedule below. Please communicate with your student if you would like them to test or not. We make reminder calls for all students for testing, and if students have your consent they can test even if they do not have a QR code/lanyard yet. (We are working with district office to ensure everyone has one soon!)
8th Grade 8:30-8:50 from Encore 1
6th Grade 8:50-9:10 from Core 1
7th Grade 9:20-9:40 from Core 2
CARUSO - 8:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Wednesday, March 2
Wednesday, March 9
Wednesday, March 16
Wednesday, March 30
Wednesday, April 6
Wednesday, April 13
Wednesday, April 20
Wednesday, April 27
Wednesday, May 4
Wednesday, May 11
Wednesday, May 18
Wednesday, May 25
Wednesday, June 1
Testing is not mandatory. By consenting to the testing, your child’s name is put on a roster and the expectation is that they will be testing weekly unless a parent/guardian notifies us otherwise.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO FILL OUT THE SHIELD CONSENT FORM…
Log in to Skyward/Family Access and it should appear as a green box next to your child’s name. Contact Kristen Neu (kneu@dps109.org) with any Family Access questions.
IF YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO OPT OUT OF A WEEK OF TESTING…
Fill out this Google Form prior to 7 AM on the day that our school tests: Wednesday
COVID Information
TESTING FOR SYMPTOMATIC STUDENTS
DPS 109 will be offering testing for symptomatic students Monday through Friday afternoons during the school year. The BinaxNOW test will be administered outside of the District Office in the beige testing building (please look for sign on door). Testing is free of charge to families. Click here to read more about testing.
WHAT DO I DO IF MY CHILD WAKES UP SICK? DO OTHER SIBLINGS HAVE TO STAY HOME?
It’s always a tough situation when this happens in the morning! Be sure to read this section in our COVID information hub, especially if you have multiple children enrolled in DPS 109. Our school exclusion guidance comes from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
8th Grade Transition to DHS
DHS Registration Dates for the Class of 2026
Special Education Articulation Meetings are scheduled Mid-January – Early February. DHS Special Education staff meet with 8th-grade families to review plans for incoming freshmen with Individualized Education Plans.
Calendar of Events:
April 11, 2022: Extra-Curricular Night
May 2, 2022: Health Forms Due to DHS Health Services Office
Mid-August, 2022: Schedules posted on Infinite Campus
August 15, 2022: Warrior Welcome for Students & Parents/Guardians (6:30 pm- 8:00 pm)
August 17, 2022: First day of student attendance
Who to Contact?
Mrs. Lucci, Associate Principal
Mr. Brodeur, Principal
Mrs. LaFleur, Interim Coordinator of Student Support
Caruso Middle School
Email: cmsoffice@dps109.org
Website: https://www.dps109.org/Page/9
Location: 1801 Montgomery Road, Deerfield, IL, USA
Twitter: @109Caruso