Bulldog Paw Prints
Week Ending March 17, 2023
Irish Dancers!
From humble beginnings in Naperville, the McNulty School of Irish Dance has grown into one of the largest, most active dance schools in the Midwest. They offer Irish dance lessons throughout the Chicago suburban area, in Bloomington, and Rockford, Illinois, Dubuque, Iowa and Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.
We are grateful that the dancers shared and celebrated their talents with us today, and the students and staff really enjoyed the performance. From the mouth of one of our second grade students, "My mind is blown! Where did they learn how to do that?!"
Have fun this weekend, and be proud of all of your hard work.
Chicago Architecture Field Trip
*The first type of field trip is fully funded by the district (cost of busing and any admission/program costs). These trips include a mix of experiences like the Museum of Science and Industry, the Holocaust Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, etc.
*The second type of trip is partially funded by the district and by families on a per-student cost. The elementary school example of this is the Grade 6, outdoor education, camp experience.
*The third type of trip is an optional, school-specific, field trip organized with PTA. Some of these trips are fully-funded by the PTA thanks to donations via fundraising. Belle Aire’s theater trips fall into this category. Others may be partially-funded by PTA, the school, and/or a per-student cost. The third grade Chicago trip falls into this category.
This Chicago trip aligns with the Chicago unit in third grade and supports the history, the landscape, the symbols, etc. that students study, and it offers the students an opportunity to see the city in a different way. Another part of what makes this trip special and memorable is that each student can be accompanied by a parent/guardian. PTA, historically, has paid for the busing, and families have paid the cost of the tickets for the boat tour component.
The PTA set aside funding within this year's budget to pay for busing for Grades 4, 5, and 6 to also attend this trip. All of those students did have varying experiences with the Chicago unit when they were in third grade, and they weren't able to participate in the field trip due to the pandemic. It was clear at the PTA meeting that this is a worthwhile and meaningful trip for students and families, and we will continue forward to establish trip dates for all students (and an invite to a parent/guardian for each student) in Grades 3-6.
More information will be coming your way as dates are established for each grade level, so please keep your eyes open for that.
Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR)
As a quick preview before the following information, STUDENTS NEED TO HAVE FUNCTIONING HEADPHONES FOR THIS ASSESSMENT. Please check in with your child to see that his/her headphones are still at school and that they still function.
In April, students in grades 3-8 will complete the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and additionally, students in grades 5 and 8 will complete the Illinois Science Assessment. Both are state-mandated assessments. By the time of the assessments, your child will have seen sample test items and reviewed online assessment tools, which allow them to familiarize themselves with the structure, format and questioning style of the test. Our curriculum and instruction are robust and complete and aligned with the standards measured on the assessments, therefore we do not “teach to the test.”
How can you support your child?
These tests are important and as with any other assessment, we ask students to give their genuine best efforts as we know they are strong, persistent and capable. In fact, our approach to these tests continues to be “can-do” rather than “must endure.” We continue to ask for your support in encouraging your children to approach these tests with the same rigor and investment as they would with any other test. Please read this letter from Assistant Superintendent Justin Sisul about these tests and ways to help support your student. As always, thank you for your support and partnership.
BELLE AIRE WILL BE TESTING ON THE FOLLOWING DATES:
April 5, 10:10 a.m.
April 6, 10:10 a.m.
April 10, 12:30 p.m.
April 11, 10:00 a.m.
April 12, 10:00 a.m.
April 13, 10:00 a.m.
Sixth Grade Families:
District 58 Author Fest. (repeat item)
Dusti will be visiting the 5th graders at Belle Aire, Fairmount, Kingsley, Lester, Pierce Downer, and Whittier.
The community is invited to meet Dusti at a Book Signing held at Anderson’s Bookshop, 5112 Main Street from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Dusti Bowling grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where, as her family will tell you, she always had her nose in a book. Dusti currently lives in Eagar, Arizona with her husband, three daughters, and a bunch of farm animals. She will share with students her inspiration for her middle grade novels including Insignificant and Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus, 24 Hours in Nowhere, The Canyon’s Edge, and Across the Desert. Dusti's books have been honored numerous times with medals and awards including the Sakura Medal, and a Golden Kite Honor, as well as being named best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library, A Mighty Girl, and many more.
www.dustibowling.com, @dustibowling, @58foundation, #AuthorFest, #AuthorFest58, #DG58AuthorFest2023
Dusti will be visiting the 5th graders at Belle Aire on the morning of Thursday, April 27
www.facebook.com/AuthorFestD58PTA, @authorfestd58pta
David Biedrzycki
We welcome David Biedrzycki for his first Author Fest visit to District 58!
David will be visiting the 1st and 3rd graders at Belle Aire, El Sierra, Kingsley, HIghland, Hillcrest, and Pierce Downer.
The community is invited to meet David at a Book Signing held at Anderson’s Bookshop, 5112 Main Street from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
David has always loved to draw. Thanks to an early lesson from his older brother Bob and practice, practice, practice, he was pronounced an awesome artist at the age of 4. While he always strived to be the best artist he could be, he did not want to lead the life of an artist and pursued work as an illustrator which developed into writing the stories he illustrated. David married his best friend Kathy and lives with three kids in Medfield, Massachusetts. David’s presentations are energetic, humorous, and give insights to the creative process that students don’t get from just reading the stories. He will feature just four of his many picture books including SumoKitty, SumoPuppy, Invasion of the Unicorns, and Bear Alert.
www.davidbiedrzycki.com, @DavidBiedrzycki, www.instagram.com/artofdave1, www.facebook.com/david.biedrzycki,, @58foundation, #AuthorFest, #AuthorFest58, #DG58AuthorFest2023
David will be visiting the 1st and 3rd graders at Belle Aire on the afternoon of Friday, April 28
Mark Your Calendars
Monday, March 20: 2:00 dismissal
Tuesday, March 21: Severe Weather Drill with Students (in the morning); Spanish Class (after school); Game Time Club (after school)
Thursday, March 23: Lunchtime Book Club (Grades 5 & 6); Young Authors Club (after school); Kindergarten Round-Up (6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the school)
Friday, March 24: Pizza Hot Lunch (for those who ordered)
=-=-=
March 27 - April 2: Spring Break (School Resumes on April 3)
April 4 - NO School (Teacher Institute)
April 5: - IAR Testing begins