Prairie Point Panther Press
Newsletter for Prairie Point Elementary School
Friday, March 26, 2021
Welcome to the Prairie Point Panther Press!
Principal's Letter
Prairie Point Families:
Well there certainly was quite a bit of excitement as students left the building to officially start spring break! With spring weather and sunshine, we are definitely ready for it. There are a few key dates that I would like to draw your attention to:
March 29 - April 5, 2021: Spring Break - No School
April 6, 2021: Teacher Institute Day - No School
April 7, 2021: Students Return to School following regular Wednesday schedule
April 8, 2021: First Day of Phase Three In-Person
When students return to school on April 7th, we will start phase three of hybrid and remote by choice learning. Please note that at the elementary and early childhood level, there are no changes to time or schedules. The only difference, at elementary and early childhood, is that we will have several students join us at school for in-person instruction for the first time this school year! Thursday, April 8th will be our last “first day of school” and I cannot wait!
For families who are coming back to in-person instruction for the first time this school year, I would like to provide you with an overview of the in-person learning hours and arrival/dismissal procedures. If your family has been attending in-person instruction, this is not a change to what we are already doing.
IN-PERSON INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS
K - 5th Grade In-Person Instruction Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
8:25am - Student arrival and drop off begins
8:40am - In-person instruction begins
11:15am - Student dismissal for car riders will begin
11:25am - All remaining students will be dismissed from the building
Wednesday
12:40 - 2:45pm - Go Live! Remote Instruction for all students (in-person and remote)
Early Childhood AM In-Person Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
8:20am - EC arrival will begin
8:30am - Instruction begins
10:15am - EC dismissal
Early Childhood PM In-Person Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
12:50pm - EC arrival will begin
1:00pm - Instruction begins
2:45pm - EC dismissal
Arrival and Dismissal
Our arrival and dismissal procedures are not changing in phase three. There will, however, be more students entering and exiting the building each day. We do have several families who are beginning in-person instruction for the first time on Thursday, April 8th. Please take a few minutes to review our arrival and dismissal procedures.
Car Riders
Students who arrive by car may begin to enter the building at 8:25am through Doors #2 and 10. These are the doors on either side of the main entrance and will have signage to help direct students during the first week of phase three.
During dismissal, our dismissal team will be calling last names into the building to alert students that their ride has arrived. Please have a sign, with your childs’ last name, displayed on the passenger side of the car. This will help speed this process up. You are welcome to stop by the school on Tuesday or Wednesday (April 6th or 7th) and pick up a sign in the vestibule. We will also have them available at arrival and dismissal.
With many more cars coming through our arrival and dismissal car line, we are very fortunate to be working with the Oswego Police Department to keep our families safe and our car line efficient.
When our car rider line backs up (on the access road) to the park district soccer field lot, we begin to route cars into that parking lot as a holding area. Once the line begins moving, cars are able to exit that lot and continue on the access road to drop off or pick up. If you are new to this procedure and it sounds a little confusing - do not worry! We will have a police officer out there to direct traffic and let you know where to go. I will also be out there the first few days of phase three to help out. We have been using this procedure throughout phase two and it is pretty streamlined and efficient at this point.
Finally, we will have more families going through our car rider line in phase three. It is very important that all cars pull all the way forward before students leave or enter the car. This allows the maximum number of cars to be in the drop-off/pick-up zone and allows students to enter and exit cars safely. Thank you so much for helping us keep our car rider line safe and efficient.
Bus Riders
Bus Route information is available on the district website using the following link: https://www.sd308.org/Page/6175.
Bus riders will enter the building through Door #4. This is the door closest to the area where our buses will drop off and is the same door that bus riders entered last year.
Walkers
Walkers will enter through Door #3 with the exception of Ashcroft walkers, who may use Door #7. Door #3 is located on the side of the building near Grove Road. Door#7 is at the back of the building near the playground. We will have signs out clearly marking these doors next week.
Early Childhood Arrival and Dismissal
Early Childhood teachers will communicate any updates or changes in arrival and dismissal procedures directly to parents.
I hope that you have a wonderful spring break. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jennifer Groves
Principal
News from the Art Room
Hooray for all third - fifth grade art students who participated in the March Madness Art Careers Bracket! Each student learned about the basics of 16 different careers and voted for which they thought was the most interesting. AS the levels went up, the depth of learning went up. When we got to the Final Four, the students got to choose two art careers to do for themselves. The results were amazing and interesting for all.
The final Art Career Champion for Prairie Point 2020-2021 school year is Video Game Designer!
Congratulations to this weeks Panther Paw Recipients
Spring Cleaning!!
We are in the process of counting our books and materials to see what is missing.
Please return any outstanding books to school as son as possible.You can send them with your child or drop them off inside Door 1.
Thank you for helping us recover some of our books!!
From the Nurse's Office
Reminder that anyone who travels out of the country will not be allowed to enter any SD308 facility for 10 days after their return. This quarantine can be shortened to 7 days if you provide a negative Covid test that was taken 3-5 days after returning to the country.
Student online COVID Certification
5Essentials Parent Survey
You should have received communication from SD308 earlier this month regarding the 5Essentials survey. If you haven't already had an opportunity to complete the survey please visit the link below. If you have completed, thank you very much!
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey for students and teachers will be conducted February 3, 2021 through April 2, 2021. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of Prairie Point. As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about our school. . To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin.
Home & School - Konstella
Join us on Konstella!
For all communication and news from Prairie Point Elementary's Home and School Board, please follow the link below to begin the new sign in:
https://www.konstella.com/cd/0UJE2V
Sincerely,
Your 2020-2021 Home and School Board
Angela McCumber, President
Erin Szostak, Corresponding Secretary
Coreen Sedlacek, Treasurer
Other Ways to Earn for Prairie Point Home & School Organization
Young Rembrandts
MARCH DRAWING CLASSES
Are your kids missing afterschool drawing club?
I am too. So, until that magical day when we return to hosting afterschool activities at school, SIGN THE KIDS UP for my 60-minute virtual Daily Dose of Drawing weekly classes. They won't be disappointed and YOU will get 60-minutes of quiet time. You can sign up for the entire session OR pick-and-choose the dates that work best for your family. Only $8/household/class. Siblings draw for free!
On behalf of Young Rembrandts, THANK YOU for your continued support and helping me keep the kids connected to one another. I'm looking forward to drawing with you, your kids, your entire family soon.
Artfully yours,
Tess Gutkowski (MRS. G.)
Youth Drawing Director
Young Rembrandts Southwest Suburbs
(815) 242-2259 Text or call
Chess Scholars/After school Enrichment
: • Live, interactive weekly sessions with expert instructors o Chess and STEM live sessions are divided by grade level.
• Video lessons with step by step instructions to complete hands-on projects • Project workbooks to reinforce learning concepts
• Access to online Chess tournament play with other Chess Scholars students
Our live class times are held both in the morning and afternoon throughout the week to accommodate your schedules.
Video lessons are available 24/7. Learning is Fun with these engaging enrichment programs!
To learn more, please visit: https://www.afterschoolenrichmentsolutions.com
To sign up for sessions visit: https://www.learningmeansfun.com/signup ———————————————————————————————————————–————–————
Prairie Point Care Closet
If you are in need of any items please send your message to the following confidential email PTCares@sd308.org
Voluntary 24 hr Student Accident coverage plan for the 20/21 school year
"Peachjar" Communication
Oswego CUSD 308 has launched a new communication tool called "Peachjar." School-approved flyers will now be sent to you electronically and posted on the school website. Simply click flyers you receive via email or on the Prairie Point homepage click Digital flyers then Peachjar flyers.