Romona Review
1.12.18
From the Principal
Greetings, Parents,
Happy New Year! We hope that you had a wonderful two weeks off with family. It was great to come back together this week and hear about all of the fun that everyone had over break.
It continues to be cold so please remind your child to wear appropriate cold weather gear to school. We try to go outside to play everyday if the weather allows it and want to make sure that everyone is dressed warmly enough, including coats, hats, and mittens. When it snows, your child will also need to be wearing snow pants and boots to be allowed to play in the snow at recess.
Over the next few weeks, we will be doing our winter assessments for all of our students. We assess students in math, reading, and writing to check on the progress that they have made this year. There is nothing to do at home, but to remind your children to get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast.
I hope you enjoy the upcoming three-day weekend, especially Monday as we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sincerely,
Cindy
Erin's Law Presentations
The State of Illinois passed a bill known as “Erin’s Law,” which requires all public school districts to implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program. This program teaches students in grades EC-12th grade age appropriate techniques to recognize child sexual abuse and tell a trusted adult.
Erin’s Law is important because child sexual abuse happens every day across the country, across all populations, to children in all socioeconomic and education levels, across all racial and cultural groups, and in rural, suburban, and urban areas. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before age 18. 90% of child sexual abuse is committed by someone they know and trust.
District 39 will provide a classroom-based program using age-appropriate strategies, language, and materials in grades K-4. Information for Kindergarten and 1st grade will include information from No Trespassing - This is My Body. Information for grades 2-4 will include information from Health World’s, “Keeping Kids Safe: An Erin’s Law program” (http://www.healthworldeducation.org).
From 1/29/18 - 2/28/18 these presentations for the Personal Body Safety Program will occur at Romona in all K-4 classrooms with instruction from our school social worker. Kathy Brandeisky and social work intern, Megan Mesirow. For our Early Childhood students, a Second Step program will be offered by our social worker, Jill Gershune from 1/17/18-2/28/18 this year.
These programs are designed to empower and educate the children. These presentations will discuss the following concepts:
· Safe vs. Unsafe touch
· The Safety Rule about Touching (No one should touch your private parts except to keep you clean and healthy)
· Safe vs. Unsafe Secrets
· Uh-Oh Feelings
· Saying no/stop
· Identifying and learning to tell safe adults
· You are the boss of your body
· If someone breaks the safety rule, it is not the child’s fault
If you have any questions about the content of the programs, please feel free to contact me at andersoc@wilmette39.org. Together we can make sure our children have the right to be safe, and know where to go for help from adults.
Kindergarten Registration for 2018-19
Necessary forms are available online; you can print and complete these at home to save time. Other forms are required later and dates are noted on each. Parents need to bring an original copy of their child’s birth certificate and two original documents that provide proof of residency (details included with the forms). Several weeks after you have registered your child, you will receive an email from D39 with an ID and password to complete the online registration.
When registering, you will specify a preference for morning or afternoon kindergarten. A lottery will be held in January and there may be limited availability to honor preferences. Please know that we do everything possible to accommodate your request.
We will have a Kindergarten Orientation session for parents on April 19th at 6:30 pm. Please plan to attend this informative event. The evening is intended for adults only.
Open Gym Nights at Romona
January 16, 18, 23, 25, 30
February 6, 13, 20
NEW TIME THIS YEAR: 5:30 - 7pm
Summer Enrichment Program
Wilmette, District 39’s Summer Enrichment Program brochure will be available to view online January 16
** Registration is done online . Registration opensFebruary 5, 2018 @ 9:30 am. **
Upcoming Dates
Monday, 1/15
- NO SCHOOL: Martin Luther King, Jr, Day
- Open Gym, 5:30-7:00
- Summer Enrichment Program brochure available online
Thursday, 1/18
- Kindergarten Registration (9:30-6:00)
- Open Gym, 5:30-7:00
Friday, 1/19
- Kindergarten Registration (8:00-3:30)
From the PTA
MULTICULTURAL PICTURE MOSAIC
Help Romona build a picture mosaic!!! Do you have a family photo of a trip you have taken to a country of your ancestors or to a native country? Submit one or more photos so we can create our custom American Flag Mosaic. This flag will be digitally mastered using pictures submitted by you and will be unveiled during our International Festival. Please email Esther your photo(s), location, and family name to romonamosaic@gmail.com by February 18th.
YEARBOOKS
Kids love to see themselves in print! A yearbook is a great way to preserve memories of your child’s experience for a lifetime to come. Click here to order your child’s 2018 yearbook NOW! Price is $23 until January 31st and then increases to $30 through March 31st so don’t delay!
LUNCH CLUBS
Lunch club registration is open at http://romonapta.org/! Clubs run Jan. 22 - March 16 during lunch recess, with several options each day. Some clubs have proven quite popular already, so we will open waiting lists for any clubs that meet their maximum enrollments. If you are unable to register for a club your child wants to join, please email lunchrclubs@romonapta.org and we will add them to the list on a first-come, first-listed basis. Thank you!
ROMONA INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
SAVE THE DATE: ROMONA INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL, MARCH 4th, 2-4PM. Come celebrate our diversity at Romona’s Annual International Festival. Enjoy multicultural performances by Romona students, then “travel the world” with your child sampling food from different countries as your child learns about the nations and gets their passport stamped. When the passport is fully stamped, your child can claim a small prize. For more info and to participate, sign up HERE.
READ TO SUCCEED
Great America’s Read to Succeed is a wonderful program to help motivate students to read at home. Any student (in grades K-4) who logs 6 or more hours of recreational reading can earn a free ticket to Great America this summer! Children can either read or have someone read to them. All logs are due by THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018. Can’t find yours? Get another one HERE.
RED GALA
SAVE THE DATE! This year's PTA Fundraising Gala will be held on Saturday, March 17, 2018, at the Wilmette Golf Club. More details to follow in 2018! If you have something you would like to donate to the Gala's online auction, please contact the committee at redgala@romonapta.org. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
DONATE TO IGNITE TODAY
Every student at Romona has access to innovative, hands-on programs that not only bring to life the curriculum taught in schools but helps build skill sets integral to future success like field trips, outside speakers and performances. What you might not know is that these programs are NOT paid for by the school district. They are funded by Romona families through IGNITE.
IGNITE is the Romona PTA's way to fund these enrichment activities for our students. It aims to enhance curriculum-based learning, build skills that drive characteristics of successful learners, and promote social and emotional awareness. Every dollar you donate goes directly back to your children and is tax deductible! If you haven't already donated, please consider doing so. IGNITE a passion for learning!
A TO Z & PTA MEMBERSHIP
Parents, want to stay involved in the PTA happenings at Romona Elementary? It is important to log into your A to Z account, verify your personal information and "opt in" to receiving PTA e-mails. For those of you who did not receive the initial e-mail, please contact our directory chair at directory@romonapta.org
We encourage all parents to verify their data to ensure that they can be easily contacted, but only paid PTA members will be able to view the entire directory and use it for looking up a student’s name and get GPS driving directions to their home, filtering students by class to get class or grade level lists, e-mailing, texting, or calling parents directly from the app as well as marking favorite contacts for easy access.
Community News
- The Volunteer Center offers community service opportunity on January 15th in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. at The Winnetka Community House 1:00 - 4:00 pm.
- MasterChef Junior is hosting open casting calls in Chicago on January 13th for children ages 8-13.
- Click here for more information.