We hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day. Hopefully, everyone will have an opportunity to spend some time relaxing with family and friends and spend some time thinking about all of the great people who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our freedoms as Americans.

It is hard to believe, but we have made it to the end of the school year. We do not have school on Monday in observance of Memorial Day. On Tuesday, we will have a full day of school and our final day of school will be on Wednesday, May 31st. Students will be released at 11:30 AM on that last day of school, so please plan accordingly. Report cards will go live on Wednesday, and students will also bring home their MAP and AIMS Web test results. If you have any questions, you can still reach out to your student's teacher or me via email.

If your child is signed up for summer school, there will be an informative letter coming home that will cover daily procedures such as arrival/dismissal, snacks, materials needed, and anything else that should be covered heading into the first week. We will start summer school on Monday, June 5th at 8:30 AM. We are looking forward to the extended learning that will take place with our students!

Please come out to see the Bragi's players "Under the Sea" in their production of Disney's Little Mermaid Jr. held at Taft School. Show dates are June 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at 7:00 PM and June 4th at 3:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased online at: www.showtix4u.com/events/bragisplayers or by using the button below!

It is Taft Vikings Basketball Camp time from June 5th through June 9th. Please turn this form in by May 25th. Camp is for all current Kindergarten through 7th grade students. We do two sessions. The first session is for K-3rd grade from 12:30 to 2:00 and the second session is for 4th-7th grade from 2:30 to 4:00. This camp helps our students learn the game of basketball by learning the basic fundamentals of the game. This camp will help get them excited about playing basketball as a Viking. There is a spot if you would like to order additional t-shirts for the family as well. Ms. Kramer and I will be running the camp. We have a rich history of successful basketball teams at Taft, and I feel that this camp is one of the reasons why. If you have any questions please contact Coach Howard at p.howard@taftsd90.org GO VIKINGS!

Mrs. Sturm and Mrs. Calabrese would like to congratulate all of the students who participated in the 40 Book Challenge this year!

The following students participated in the challenge: Sarah A., Christoper A., Daniel A., Lily B., Elmer C., Elise C., Logan K., Evie K., Adam L., Natalia T., Bella A., Coral K., Ronan F., Garrett G., Sahil M., Charlotte C., and Mason M.

A huge congratulations to the four students who read 40 books!!!

Travis F. Chase B. Savanna G. Leah E.

If you would like to keep your kids reading this summer please join us for our Summer Reading Challenge. Please see the handout below!

Registration for the 2023-2024 school year is now open and can be accessed through the Taft website using the button below. There are several grade levels that we are looking closely at in terms of enrollment as we look to make staffing decisions for next year. Parents are encouraged to register as soon as possible to help us with our planning. Every year there are several grade levels that have numbers that seem high for one section but extremly low for two sections. We are not in the position to hire extra staff, so we need to take a wait-and-see approach which really makes things difficult for students and staff at the beginning of the year. Please do your best to complete this process as quickly as possible.

Taft is proud to have the “Stop It” program up and running for the 2021-2022 school year. Stop it is an online program that students can use to report bullying or any unsafe behavior while remaining anonymous. These reports come through to the Superintendent, Principal, and Social Worker via text so we can address the situation right away. This provides the student with an opportunity to share their concerns if they feel they cannot speak immediately to an adult.

We continue to teach our students to advocate for themselves in situations where they feel they can speak to a situation on their own. The students are reminded there are different approaches to stop bullying or unsafe situations outside of reporting things anonymously. Students are encouraged to share concerns with friends, staff, and family to learn to advocate for themselves. However, we understand that there are some situations where students may feel safer reporting discreetly.

If you have any questions regarding the Stop It program, please contact Mr. Davini or Mr. Calabrese.

5/31/23 - Last Day of School - 11:30 AM Dismissal

6/5/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/6/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/7/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/8/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/9/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/12/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/13/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon'

6/14/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/15/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/19/23 - No Summer School - Juneteenth Holiday

6/20/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/21/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/22/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/22/23 - Board of Education Meeting - 6:15 PM Closed Session - 7:00 PM - Open Session

6/26/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/27/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/28/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon

6/29/23 - Summer School - 8:30 AM - Noon