Milne Grove Messenger
April 2020
Principal's Page
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
One month ago, I could never have imagined all the ways in which our school community would have to change and adapt. Our students, parents and teachers/staff have truly impressed me over the past few weeks with your hard work and dedication! In the blink of an eye, our kids have learned how to connect with their teachers and each other AND keep their academic skills sharp! This would not have happened without your support. Parents, I realize that many of you are juggling stressors on many fronts - working from home (or out), supporting multiple children, managing your homes, preparing three meals a day (and snacks), and going on quests to secure toilet paper just to name a few. While instantaneous, nothing about society’s closure has been easy. Thank you for the time and effort you have put in to support our teachers in educating the children. What you are accomplishing is nothing short of amazing!
Please remember that though we are apart, we do not want you to feel alone. The Milne Grove faculty and staff is ready to assist you and your students. Have health questions or concerns? Mrs. Gilkerson is available during office hours to support you. Need support or referrals to resources? Reach out to Mrs. Reynolds for all things social work related. Anything else? That’s my department - call me, send me a ParentSquare message, or email me and I will happily help with solutions.
Meal pick up is offered twice a week - just stop by KG Door 9 (by the playground) on Monday or Thursdays from 9-10:30am and we will bring it out to you! Families do not have to be pre-enrolled to receive meals, just pull and we will bring them out to you - most cars are in and out in less than 2 minutes and you never have to leave your vehicle. It is important for each child to have a working electronic device; iIf you are having difficulty with a district-supplied device OR if you would like to check out a device for the first time, stop by KG Door 9 during the meal time frames and we will help you out. Lastly, if your child is struggling to access coursework due to lack of internet connectivity, please let your teacher know, so that we can put alternate packets together and allow you to pick them up during meal pick up.
Beginning this week, I will be inviting your children to my own Google classroom. This is not meant to add any burden whatsoever! Students who want to interact will have a chance to share jokes, thoughts and more with their grade level peers. In addition, I will be recognizing students who have impressed their teachers with their outstanding work. Watch our website for the shout outs and be on the lookout for handwritten notes to those students. Please contact me with ANY questions you may have at 815-838-0542x2104 or email jkoziol@d91.net. No question or problem is too small - I would love to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Koziol
Notes From the Nurse
I hope you and your families are safe and healthy. The stay at home order that has been extended through April 30th is to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve. We are living through a history lesson that will be taught to future generations. A lesson that will tell of how we each played our own part by staying at home while we saved lives. We are all in this together!
What is the risk of children becoming sick with COVID-19?
Based on available evidence, children do not appear to be at higher risk for COVID-19 than adults While some children and infants have been sick and have had severe illness with COVID-19, adults make up most of the known cases to date.
How does COVID-19 impact infants, young children and teens?
Children seem to have milder forms of the illness. Symptoms in children under 18 years of age range from infection without symptoms to mild upper respiratory symptoms with a runny nose and cough, to pneumonia requiring hospitalization.
Children and infants with underlying health conditions may experience more serious COVID-19 infections, especially those with problems that impact the heart or lungs or the ability to fight infections.
How can you protect children from COVID-19 infection?
You can encourage your child to help stop the spread by teaching them to do the same things everyone should do to stay healthy.
Clean hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid people who are sick (coughing and sneezing)
Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in household common areas
Launder items including washable plush toys. If possible, launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting and dry items completely.
Are the symptoms of COVID-19 different in children than in adults?
No. The symptoms are similar in children and adults. However, children with confirmed COVID-19 have generally presented with mild symptoms. Reported symptoms in children include cold-like symptoms, such as fever, runny nose, and cough. Vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported. There is much more to be learned about how the disease impacts children.
Should children wear masks?
No. If your child is healthy, there is no need for them to wear a facemask. Only people who have symptoms of illness or who are providing care to those who are ill should wear a mask.
I am here to answer any D91 parents/guardians and student health questions. Office hours are 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Monday - Friday. You can contact me by dialing 815-838-0737 ex. 3552 and follow the prompts.
#HornetPride
#BetterTogether
Mrs. Gilkerson, RN
The Latest from the LRC
Book Notes
We certainly never could have predicted times like this! I realize that most students have library books - just do your best not to lose them and we will get them back at a later date. I have started a Google Classroom for the library where I will be posting links to read-alouds and other literacy activities, and also some videos of me reading to the kids.
Reading Incentives
Information on various incentives can be found on the D91 LRC webpage at tumino.weebly.com.
Six Flags Read to Succeed has ended for this year. The tickets will be distributed in May.
Spikes’ Super Students - This program is ongoing. Updated info will be shared via Parent Square. Your child can read books to earn a FREE ticket to a Joliet Slammers game, and you will have the option to buy half-price ($5) tickets for the rest of the family.
Kane County Cougars All students were given forms to order a free ticket.
Pizza Hut Book It ran through the end of March. Be sure to let me know if your child completed the reading and I will drop off their free pizza certificates.
Upcoming Fun
At this point we just don’t know what will be happening in May. We will update you as we get more information.
The D91 Kane County Cougars game night is tentatively scheduled for Friday, May 8.
The annual D91 Family Night Slammers Game is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 28.
Mrs. Tumino
ltumino@d91.net ~ 815-838-0542, x2122 Follow me on Twitter!
Greetings from Mrs. Draper!
I hope that you and your child are getting used to and adjusted to this new schedule we are all working with. I know each one of us are facing our own struggles, but I appreciate all the hard work you are doing to keep your children moving and active during this time!
Hopefully you have received my updates about PE Remote Learning through Parent Square. As stated, PE will now have 2 assignments per week. The assignments will be posted on Monday mornings by 9am and will be due by Thursday of the same week at 9pm. Please note that late assignments WILL be accepted, therefore if your child misses the due date, making it up WILL be counted.
Please keep sending your pictures and videos of your activities. It truly does brighten my day. I miss my Milne Grove family and I cannot wait until we are back together again!
I am currently listing my office hours as 9-11am on Mondays, however this could always change. If you have any questions or concerns, the best way to reach me at this time would be to email me. My email address is KDraper@d91.net.
Stay safe, stay healthy and stay active!
Love, Mrs. Draper
3rd Grade
ELA:
▪ Please continue reading with your child at home to help them grow in their fluency and
comprehension.
Math:
▪ Students are working on a variety of math word problems.
▪ Please continue to work with your student on fact fluency for addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division. They need to work on accuracy as well as speed when
practicing their facts. If you would like additional resources for fact practice, please visit
the third grade page under math.
▪ You can use the Go Math link to review lessons at home and assist with concept
questions.
Science/Social Studies:
▪ Students should read Scholastic News every week. They will have the entire week to read
it and then complete the questions assigned.
Thank you for all the hard work you are doing with your child during these
challenging times. Please check Google Classroom each day for assignments. The
third grade website has a lot of resources and games the students can use to
continue growing their skills. Please contact your child’s teacher with any
questions or concerns.
Our office hours are 9:00am-10:00am and 2:00pm-3:00pm on days that E Learning is in session.
Thank you,
The Third Grade Team
Mrs. Georgopulos, 3rd grade teacher, rgeorgopulos@d91.net
Mrs. Lyons, 3rd grade teacher,jlyons@d91.net
Mrs. Steed, 3rd grade teacher, csteed@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Jerz, Math Aide, hjerz@d91.net
2nd Grade
We would like to thank you for continued support during remote learning. We are proud of our students!
Mrs. Bolte’s office hours: Monday-Thursday 10:30-11:30 and 2:00-3:00
Miss Podwika’s office hours: School days: 10:00 -11:00 and 2:00-3:00
Mrs. Visser’s office hours: Monday- Thursday 9:00-10:00 and 2:00-3:00
During remote learning we will continue to review previous skills. Parents and students should expect a reading and math assignment each day. One science and one social studies lesson a week. Writing will be incorporated in the subject areas.
The Second Grade Team
Mrs. Bolte, 2nd grade teacher, mbolte@d91.net
Miss Podwika, 2nd grade teacher, kpodwika@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Jerz, Math Aide, hjerz@d91.net
1st Grade
Office Hours
Mrs. O’Halloran:
Monday and Wednesday: 10:30 - 12:30
Tuesday/Thursday: 9:00 - 11:00
Friday (when school is in session): 9:00 - 11:00
Mrs Stanly:
Monday thru Thursday: 11:00-1:00
(Same on Fridays when school is in session)
Curricular Focus During Remote Learning:
**Reading - Review of all phonics patterns that students have learned this year. Continued work on reading with fluency and reading for understanding.
**Math - Review of all math topics that have been touched upon this year. Math fact fluency will be practiced through daily assignments.
**Science or Social Studies - We will be finishing up our study of animals through our Animal Habitat Project. We will then begin our Social Studies unit on Measuring Time in our workbooks.
Fun outside activities:
Sidewalk chalk - write sentences, draw an uplifting picture, tell someone thank you, play tic, tac, toe, do math facts, count while you jump rope, go on a scavenger hunt.
Go for a walk with your family and count how many pictures you see in windows.
The First Grade Team
Mrs. O'Halloran, 1st grade teacher, mohalloran@d91.net
Mrs. Stanly, 1st grade teacher, lstanly@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Jerz, Math Aide, hjerz@d91.net
Fun Resources:
Virtual Fieldtrips:
Kindergarten
We would like to thank you for continued support during remote learning. We are very proud of our students and the work that has been submitted!
The KIndergarten Teachers’ office hours are 10-11 AM and 2-3PM.
During remote learning we will continue to review previous skills. Parents and students should expect assignments to be posted in Google Classroom each morning at 9am.
Mrs. Adams - sadams@d91.net
Mrs. Preboy - cpreboy@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Jerz, Math Aide, mjerz@d91.net
Early Learners Preschool
Upcoming Events:
Week of April 6th - The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “E” and the theme will be Easter. They will also be introduced to the color purple and review numbers 0 to 20.
Week of April 13th - The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “”Y” and the color yellow. They will also be introduced to the star shape.
Week of April 20th - The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “O” and the theme will be Ocean. They will also be introduced to the oval shape.
Week of April 27th - The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “Z” and the theme will be zoo. They will also review numbers 0 to 20.
My Office Hours are:
Mondays & Wednesdays
9:00a.m. to 11:00a.m.
Tuesdays & Thursdays
1:00p.m. to 3:00p.m.
Remote Learning Activities will be posted Monday through Thursday by 9:00a.m. on each Remote Learning Day.
Each Week Remote Learning Activities will be in the following areas:
1. Music/Movement
2. Reading/ELA
3. Math
4. Gross Motor
5. Fine Motor
Fridays can be used to catch up on activities missed during the week or families can use some of the parent resources I shared.
Check out the Early Learners Website for websites and apps for preschoolers.
http://earlylearnerkids.weebly.com/websites--apps-for-early-learners--parents.html
The PK Team
Miss Robin, PK Teacher, rtorkelson@d91.net
Miss Sonya, Bilingual Liaison, spedersen@d91.net
Miss Ginte, PK aide, gjonikas@d91.net
Parent Resources
The Speech Spot with Mrs. Barker
Practicing Language Skills While at Home
As we are confined to our home I see more people taking walks or daily car rides to alleviate the boredom. Try one of the following games the next time you safely leave home!
*Categories: One player chooses a category such as “animals.” Every player takes a turn naming an item in the category. If a player repeats a word or is unable to name a word in the category, he/she is out. To make the game more difficult, choose more specific categories, such as farm animals or nocturnal animals.
*Rhyme Time: To practice phonological awareness skills, children can create rhymes for things they see. For example, if a child chooses the word “tree”, other players must think of rhyming words (e.g. knee, bee, see). Keep count of the rhyming words generated for each original word.
*Guess It: One player gives a clue describing something that they see, such as a dog or a traffic light. Remaining participants take turns guessing what the person is thinking of. If incorrect the player provides a second clue. Continue the game until the mystery item is discovered.
*Streets and Syllables: As you drive onto different streets, practice counting the number of syllables in that street name. In a variation of this game, a player chooses a number of syllables between one and five. Players look for words/things in the environment that match the number of syllables.
Alphabet Game: A tried and true favorite! Beginning with the letter A, players look for words in the environment which begin with the letter. (e.g. Avenue) The game ends when the letter Z is reached. Players can play as one group, as teams or as individuals.
I am going to …. To increase auditory memory, players can create a list of items to purchase at a store or to take to a destination. For example, the first player can say,” I am going to Walmart and I need to buy socks”. The next person adds a second item,” I am going to Walmart and I need to buy socks and crayons”. A player out when they can’t remember something on the list.
Mrs. Barker Milne Grove Speech/Language Pathologist
* Ideas from Super Duper Publications- Handy Handouts
Relationship Roundup with Mrs. Reynolds
This month’s topic: The Value of Play
Parents have told me that the amount of assignments their children had this week (April 6-10) was better for them. They said the weeks before spring break involved too many assignments that demanded too much help from parents. I hope you are feeling better about your child’s education this week.
If you feel there are fewer assignments now and you miss the amount of assignments there were to do before spring break, I want to reassure you that your children are still learning. There is a lot of value in playing!
Dr. Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology at Boston College, has been researching the role of play in how children educate themselves, through play and exploration. In his blog for “Psychology Today,” Dr. Gray said that the school closures due to COVID-19 are an opportunity. He believes that as a culture we put too much value on measuring children’s education with standardized tests and in turn we limit their freedom with adult-led activities and homework. Dr. Gray explains that education is everything we have learned that makes life meaningful for each of us, and it is different for each person. He feels strongly that play is how kids learn, and play is an important part of what makes us human.
Dr. Gray believes that “parents need to be reminded of or need to remind themselves of, how much is learned in free play. Sometimes, when I speak to groups of parents, I raise this question: If you think deeply about it, what really are your hopes and dreams for your children? Do you want them to be happy, to know how to make and keep good friends, to be generous and caring, to feel in charge of their own lives and comfortable in their own skin, and to discover and pursue their own passionate interests? If so, then you need to allow them lots of time to play, as that is how children develop these traits.
To become educated is to learn who you are and what you love to do, to find your place in the world, and to learn how to take charge of your own life and solve your own problems. All of this requires freedom to play and explore, unfettered by adult control, the kind of freedom that most children had in quantity decades ago but not today. Now, thanks to all these shutdowns, children have an opportunity to experiment with freedom, if we allow it.”
So take this opportunity for your children to spend a lot of time directing their own play. It is okay for your children to not have anything to do. They will find creative ways to fill that time.
Notes about Remote Learning at Milne Grove:
Your first through third grade child can expect one Morning Mindfulness video from me to watch each week. He/she should click the “turn in” button after watching it.
Your kindergartener can expect one Second Step video from me to watch each week. He/she should click the “turn in” button after watching it.
Please reach out to me for anything you want to talk about or with which you might need some assistance. Email or call me any time any day!
I will be available to reply to emails and voice mails and take phone calls at least every weekday from 9:00 - 10:00 and 1:00 - 2:00. These are my “Office Hours” for remote learning.
Talk to you soon!
~Mrs. Reynolds
815.838.0542 ext. 2103
Milne Grove Technology, Music, and Art
The Milne Grove teachers of Technology, Music, and Art would like to thank students and parents for their ambitious efforts with E-Learning. It has been our pleasure creating technology, music, and art activities that are both engaging and enjoyable for the students of Milne Grove.
As a reminder, each week students must complete ONE activity for each class - technology, music, and art. Once you check “yes” (that the activity has been completed), we mark it as completed as well.
Instructions to access the E-Learning for specials is as follows:
Step 1- View the E-Learning Choice Board assignment in the "classwork" tab
Step 2- Each week scroll down to your grade level choice board
Step 3- Complete one square for each class (Art, Music & Tech)
Step 4- Go to the question assignment and answer the question YES if one square has been completed for that class (answering NO means the assignment was not completed)
Step 5- Students have one week (by Friday at 9:00 PM) to complete one square for each class (Art, Music & Tech)
We are so proud of your amazing efforts to continue the learning process at home. We all are here to answer questions, offer ideas, share inspiration, or just talk about your experiences. Although we miss seeing your children each day, we know that soon enough we will resume our school time together.
Thank you,
Mrs. Cravens jcravens@d91.net (Art)
Mrs. Randolph srandolph@d91.net (Music)
Mrs. Lakics jlakics@d91.net (Tech)
*When emailing be sure to include first and last name, grade, and homeroom in email.
For More Information on Milne Grove School:
Email: jkoziol@d91.net
Website: www.d91.net
Location: 565 East 7th Street, Lockport, IL, United States
Phone: 815-838-0542
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milnegrove/
Twitter: @milnegrove