Harper Happenings
December 11th - December 15th
What's Happening?
Wednesday, December 13
- D39 Education Foundation Meeting, MEC, 7 pm
Thursday, December 14
- Harper Chorus Concert, 6:30 pm
Coming Up/Reminders
Monday, December 18
- Dr. Kick's December Birthdays Lunch
- D39 Board of Education Meeting, MEC, 7:00 pm
Monday, December 25th - Friday, January 5th
- No School-Winter Break
Dr. Kick's Corner
Did you know:
-Teachers are evaluated using the Charlotte Danielson Framework
http://www.danielsongroup.org/framework/
-In D39, tenured teachers (more than 4 years) are formally observed at least one time every other year. Pre-tenured teachers (4 years and less) are formally observed at least two times a year. Informal observations also occur and administrators are constantly walking through and observing in classrooms to ensure that our high D39 standards are being implemented and upheld.
-Reading “fluency” is hugely supported by home involvement! If your child is not a fluent reader, please make sure that you are having your child read DAILY to you at home. This oral reading will build your child’s reading fluency. Reading fluently means that a person reads with speed, accuracy and with good oral expression.
-Band and Orchestra Survey - An email went out yesterday with the D39 Band and Orchestra parent survey. Your feedback is important! Take the D39 Band and Orchestra survey HERE. Thank you!!!
-We had a great turnout for the presentation on "How to Raise a Resilient Child"! It was a very informative evening, and the feedback received so far has been great. Here is the presentation if you were not able to attend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYKnGdVWpuM&feature=youtu.be
Hour of Code
First and Third Graders Worked Together to Code!
Continue at Home
Announcements
- Does your child have a December Birthday? Don't forget to sign up here for BIRTHDAY BOOKS! Kids love it and it's a great way to donate a new book to our beautiful library!
- Are you collecting Box Tops? Every Box Top is worth $0.10 for Harper. We raised about $250 this fall, but still have another collection at the end of February 2018. If every child at Harper collects and turns in 15 Box Tops, we can reach and potentially surpass our goal of raising $1000 for the school! Please see the attached list of participating products. Keep in mind when clipping that the expiration date must be visible and not expired. There is a collection box in the front entrance of Harper - purchase the product, clip the Box Top, check the expiration date, and turn in to the school. Thank you and keep on clipping!
- A wide variety of after school clubs are coming to Harper in January! Classes include Hip Hop, Minecraft Coding, Dodgeball, Chess Club and many more. Please see the attachment for detailed information on all the classes available. Registration begins November 28th on the Wilmette Park District website.
Community Service Drive
The holiday season can be a wonderful time to teach our children the importance of giving to others. Here is an upcoming donation opportunity to consider:
- Winter Gear Drive (benefitting Connections for the Homeless*), December 1-15. New and gently used winter gear for Connections families (adult and children). Items needed: winter coats, gloves and hats, warm socks, boots, blankets and sleeping bags, disposable hand and foot warmers, and long underwear!
- THANK YOU for all of the Thanksgiving food items! MANY families were SO thankful of Harper's generosity, which equated into a bountiful Thanksgiving.
- A big thank you for donating toys to the UIC Children's Craniofacial Clinic!! There will be lots of excited kids thanks to your generosity. And, thanks to the parents who helped wrap the gifts!
Thank you in advance for your support and generosity!
The Harper Community Service Committee
*Harper has a longstanding relationship with Connections for the Homeless. Connections helps families and individuals across the northern suburbs who are homeless, or threatened with homelessness, to break the cycle of poverty by providing affordable housing, as well as support services needed for success and self-sufficiency. The items that Harper families collect and donate often encourage people in need to make the first step to reach out for help; the simple ability to address someone's immediate physical need can help initiate bigger conversations about housing, income and health. Please visit www.connect2home.org for more information. (Please also see attached PDF for the latest Connections Impact Report).
Enrichment
Here are some upcoming December dates:
- 12th- 4th grade visits Feed My Starving Children
- 12th & 14th- Mindfulness enrichment with Katie Kolbe
Wilmette Park District
- Link to community events:
- Wilmette Park District hosts after school clubs for students at Central, Harper, McKenzie January 9 - March 23. Registration began November 28th
-
MasterChef Junior is hosting open casting calls in Chicago on January 13th for children ages 8-13.
All announcements to be included in the Harper Happenings should be sent to Adriane McKnight via the Communication Request Form by Mondays at 9 am. If you do not receive an email response within 24hrs, please send an email to adrianemcknight@gmail.com to confirm your Communication Request Form was received.
For more school information, visit the Harper PTO website.
For additional D39 community events, visit wilmette39.org