Hawk Talk

February is Black History Month and students at Half Day have been participating in many curriculum-aligned activities to learn about the history and accomplishments of black Americans.

The learning extensions center around the celebration of diversity through the sharing of social justice and injustice stories about African Americans, music and art exploring African American culture, and black American contributions across multiple disciplines. Individual classrooms have also included select read-alouds, curated book collections, independent research projects, and targeted news articles from current events. And, Instructional Technology Coach Italy Wallace created an augmented Reality Black History Museum where students learn about Black Historians through a ‘guided’ tour.

to view pictures of activities, please see the school's Facebook page or Google Doc folder.

Half Day needs about 85 parents to fill out the Illinois 5Essentials Survey so we have access to their feedback regarding school climate and learning conditions in District 103 through the state-administered, Illinois 5Essentials Survey. We need 20 percent of our parents to take the survey in order to see the results. The chart shows how many Half Day parents have taken the survey to date.

The 5Essentials survey is a great way for D103 parents to provide input into the five indicators from the survey that affect and predict school success:

• Effective Leaders

• Collaborative Teachers

• Involved Families

• Supportive Environments

• Ambitious Instruction

Half Day students and staff will celebrate Valentine's Day on Monday, Feb. 14. Students may bring valentine cards to school for all of their classmates. The names of all students in the class will be provided by the classroom teacher. Please do not send edible treats to school with your child’s Valentine's Day cards.

Our classroom parties for Valentine's Day focus on friendship and exchanging cards with peers and teachers during the day at school.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Our Winter Remote Parent-Teacher Conferences are coming soon! All conferences are scheduled to be held virtually via Zoom.

Conference Schedule:

• Thursday, February 24, 2022 - 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
• Thursday, February 24, 2022 - 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, February 25, 2022 - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Conference scheduling will be completed through the PTC Wizard system for Grades 3-8. Sprague teachers will reach out to families to schedule their own conferences. The PTC Wizard system will open on Wednesday, February 16 at 7 p.m. and close on Tuesday, February 22 at 11:59 p.m. For more about conference scheduling, please read the notice that was sent to families.

Registration is open for the spring Girls on the Run (GOTR) team for third- through fifth-grade girls.

GOTR is a non-profit, national program that inspires girls to be healthy and confident by using a fun, experienced-based curriculum, which creatively integrates running. The lessons encourage positive emotional, social, mental and physical development.

• Sessions will be held 3:40 to 5:00 p.m. Mondays and 7:30 to 8:40 a.m. Fridays
• Practices will be held both indoors and outside as weather permits
• The season will begin on Monday, April 4, and it will conclude on Friday May 28
• All current state and local COVID safety protocols will be communicated before the start of season and strictly followed
• Cost of the program varies based on household income. Please see the GOTR registration page for the fee structure. The registration fee includes a t-shirt, water bottle, journal and participation medal.
  
• There are limited GOTR spots. They will be allocated on a first come, first served basis through the registration process. Be sure to choose Half Day School as the site.

Please feel free to contact the program coordinators, Cat O’Keefe at seaglass13@gmail.com, or Jen Friedman at azjenf@gmail.com, with any questions.

We are also looking for volunteer coaches – no experience necessary; just a desire to work with girls and have fun! Send questions to Jen or Cat, or go to the GOTR website.

The next Board of Education meeting will occur at 7:00 p.m. Feb. 22. The notice and agenda can be found on the District 103 Board meeting website page. D103 board meetings will be held in-person and live-streamed each month on our YouTube Channel. Members of the community should attend the meeting at 111 Barclay Boulevard, Lincolnshire if they would like to make a public comment. The public can also contact the Board at board@d103.org.

MYAC is open to all ages K-12, and provides instruction and performance opportunities in the areas of orchestra, chamber music, jazz, and choir. This is a great supplement to your student’s school music program. For more information or to register for an audition, please visit the MYA Conservatory website.

HER Academy and Olive are partnering to bring you our third all-girl HERO Code Camp, expanded to include girl-identified and nonbinary students in grades 3 – 12. This event takes place Feb. 26-27. There is a $5 participation fee that will be waived upon request. Money will not be a barrier to participation for any student.

Choose one of six virtual classes.

• Class descriptions and event schedule
• Class Registration
  

Students who register by Feb 1 are guaranteed to get their swag bag before the event. Registration closes Feb. 18. Those who register after Feb. 1 may not receive their swag bag before the event.

• Half Day Calendar
• Archived newsletters

Principals

• Principal Jill Mau
• Assistant Principal Laura Delagrange