Lions Park Paw Prints

Letter from the PTO

Dear Lions Park Families,


It is hard to believe that we are just a week away from winter break! The PTO is thrilled to be able to successfully bring back in person events this year. In November, we had the Turkey Shoot which had a wonderful turn out and we were able to donate many items to the Mount Prospect food pantry. A huge thank you to Molly Wintermute and Lorilee Marling for putting this event together, and thank you to all the families who attended and volunteered at the event. We look forward to upcoming events in 2022!


Next Wednesday, December 15, the Lions Park chorus is hosting a family holiday sing along. The PTO is excited to share that we will be providing hot cocoa for families who attend the event. We would love to see many families there to take part in this festive event before we celebrate the holidays. Thank you to Mrs. Koehlinger for all her hard work with these students and for making this happen!


As a reward to the Lions Park students for doing such an amazing job this year raising money for the Roar & Run, they will be treated to an in school assembly on Friday December 17. The PTO is so excited to have Matt Wilhelm come and perform his amazing BMX Biking skills for the students. For more info, check out his website: https://mattwilhelm.com/. Thank you again for the support during our fundraiser, we couldn’t have done this without your support.


The updated Lions Park directory is now available to all families who signed up for PTO membership.

● If you are new to Lions Park or Directory Spot AND signed up to be a PTO member: You should have received an email with instructions on how to set up your Directory Spot password to receive access to the directory.


● If you have used Directory Spot in the past AND signed up to be a 2021-22 PTO member: Open your Directory Spot app, log in, and you are good to go!


If you have not signed up, visit this link: https://lionsparkpto.com/product/pto-family-membership/


We are excited to announce that the PTO is now having in person meetings. We will be meeting in the Staff Lounge at Lions Park. We welcome all parents to attend to find out more about the PTO.


We look forward to seeing you soon!

Next PTO Meeting: Monday January 3, 2022 at 7pm

If you have any questions, please email us at lionsparkpto@gmail.com.


Sincerely,

Mallory Reyes and Monica Janiczek

Lions Park PTO Presidents

PTO board members:

● Co-Presidents: Mallory Reyes and Monica Janiczek

● Co-Vice Presidents: Patty Susmarski and Sarah Deitch

● Treasurer: Jackie Foley

● Secretary: Emme Higgason

Anxiety in Children & Adolescents: How to Recognize It and What to Do

Below is a link to a webinar for D57 families presented by Family Therapists Kelly Bucher and Constance Manske from Rogers Behavioral Health. This one-hour webinar provides an overview of anxiety and how it may manifest in children. Parents/Guardians will walk away with an understanding of anxiety in school-age children, as well as how to talk about and address anxiety with their children. In addition, this newsletter includes a handout with tips and strategies for how to recognize and address anxiety.


The video can be found at this link.

Student Vaccination Update

Fully vaccinated students will not need to quarantine for exposures to COVID, unless they are symptomatic. Therefore, the health office needs to have proof of vaccination, so that our nurse knows who is exempt from quarantine due to close contacts at school. If your child is fully vaccinated, please submit proof of vaccination at this link. The form does require you to have a Google account. If you do not have a Google account, please email a photograph of the proof of vaccination to our school nurse, Mrs. Bauer at cbauer@d57.org.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Wednesday, December 15 - Chorus Community Singalong, 6:30 p.m. @ LP Courtyard

Thursday, December 16 - Board of Ed Meeting, 7 p.m. @ FV

Monday, December 20-Sunday, January 2 - Winter Break, NO SCHOOL

Monday, January 3 - LP PTO Meeting, 7 p.m.

LOST & FOUND

The Lost & Found is overflowing with jackets, sweatshirts, hats and many other miscellaneous items. All items will be displayed on tables in the foyer next week, please feel free to stop by to check for missing items. Any unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity.

MESSAGE FROM THE EDUCATION FOUNDATION

The District 57 Education Foundation is a non-profit organization comprised of Mount Prospect community members whose mission is to raise money to fund grants in the areas of curriculum, wellness, and technology. Grant requests may be written and submitted by district teachers, staff, students, and parents. The grants enrich the educational experiences of all students, helping them to achieve at their highest potential. Funded grants allow teachers to have access to the resources they need to support teaching and learning at Westbrook, Lions Park, Fairview, and Lincoln schools.


Over the years, the Foundation has funded computers, iPads, ELMO projectors, Smartboards, musical instruments, art supplies, fitness equipment, and supplemental reading material - all to enrich our children’s educational experiences. We are currently in a new Grant Request Cycle. A description of the grant request submission process and form is located within the Grants section of our website at https://www.57edfoundation.org


Grant requests are due by 12/17/2021 to the Ed Foundation at d57edfoundationgrants@gmail.com


Parent community members who are interested in submitting a grant request should contact the school principal to which the grant will benefit. The Ed Foundation will review all requests at our February meeting. Please contact the Ed Foundation Grant team at d57edfoundationgrants@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you for your continuous support of the D57 Education Foundation.