The Western Weekly
Issue 29: April 6th, 2019
In a World Where You Can Be Anything, Choose To Be Kind.
As the weather warms, we understand how important it is to continue emphasizing our positive behavior expectations in school. We are looking forward to our PBIS celebrations as we continue building a positive school culture and climate at Western Avenue. Go Wolves!
This past week has also marked the final days before our 3rd-5th graders enter into the testing window for the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR). Students have been preparing for this assessment and they are ready for the challenge! We had a brief assembly on Friday to review how the assessment works so that the children feel confident entering into the testing window. Our 3rd-5th graders will all have five days of testing, and I have copied our testing calendar below for your review. Please take a moment to read what you can do at home to help support your child with the IAR assessment. We are ready!
Mr. Hood Brings The Music and Energy at Jump Rope for Heart!
1st Graders Helping One Another :)
5th Graders Working Hard During Enrichment
4th Grade Friends For Life!
IAR Testing Information and Schedule for Grades 3-5
The student scores for this assessment are what will determine a portion of our ESSA designation for the Illinois School Report Card. Where we use the MAP assessment to look closely at student growth, the IAR gives us data on levels of student grade-level proficiency. Both student growth and grade level proficiency are important indicators for academic achievement.
The testing calendar for the entire IAR window is below, and I will keep posting this in our Western Weekly for the month of April. I am posting our testing schedule because it is important that we partner together in order to make sure that testing is as stress-free as possible for our children.
There are things that you can do at home to help prepare your child for days when they have to test at school. Please make sure that your child receives a good night's sleep before they take any of their assessment units. Each grade level will test for a total five days. Please make sure that you child arrives to school on time and that they have had a healthy breakfast. All of our units are scheduled for the mornings when our children are fresh and ready to give their best. This assessment is administered on our chromebooks, so please make sure that your child's chromebook is charged the night before their test. Finally, please make sure your child has a snack packed, as testing can make kiddos very hungry!
If you have any questions or concerns about IAR testing, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher. Go Wolves, we are ready to rock the IAR!
Yearbook Order Deadline
Angels Sports Clinics!
Traffic Flow at Arrival and Dismissal
Parents, we understand that everyone is rushing to get their days started in the morning. However, we need to do a better job driving safely in the drop-off and pick-up lines. We have three staff members directing traffic at the front lot, two staff members posted at door I (primary playground), and multiple people posted at the playgrounds and blacktop area between the playgrounds. We also have one person stationed in the North parking lot. Please remember that there is a traffic flow. Students must be dropped off in the designated car lines. Please do not drop off your children on any other street or sidewalk other than the designated lines. Please do not wait in line to make sure your child walks to the door because that stops the flow for other parents behind you. And please be very mindful when you are pulling away from the car line. There should only be one priority for morning drop off and afternoon pick up--and that priority is the safety of all our kids at Western Avenue. If we all work together, we can ensure the safety of all students. Thank you!
Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful week!
Western Avenue Elementary
Website: http://westernavenue.sd161.org/
Location: 940 Western Avenue, Flossmoor, IL
Phone: (708) 647-7400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/district161wa/
Twitter: @western161