Cougar Courier
ELM MIDDLE SCHOOL’S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
February 16, 2023
Principal's Message
Greetings Elm Families,
We hope everyone had a wonderful week. It was amazing to be able to connect with so many of our Elm Middle School families this week at Parent Teacher Conferences! The home-school partnership is crucial to our students success and these conferences help for the entire educational team to collaborate to best support and promote our student's achievement!
Student's were busy in Engineering! Working their way throught the design process creating basketball courts while 8th graders worked on creating pinball machines! Great job, Cougars!! We are so proud of all of your hard work!
As a reminder, we have no school tomorrow, Friday February 17th and Monday February 20th! Enjoy the long weekend! We will see everyone back in action on Tuesday!
Take a few minutes and complete the 5Essentials Survey for Elm Middle School. We greatly value all of your feedback. Also, if you'd like to order Spirit Wear click here!
Please take a few minutes to read through this week’s Cougar Courier. As always, should you need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly. Have a nice weekend. #TeamElmStrong
Most Sincerely,
Ms. Ashley Groeneveld
Assistant Principal's Corner
Good afternoon Elm Families,
It was great getting to speak to so many of you at conferences; the amount of participation from our families has been astounding. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our parent's club for providing so much support to our teachers during these past two lengthy days. Also, I would like to encourage more parents to join the PAT; it is a great way to become a part of our school community. Please reach out to Ms. Groeneveld or myself for more information.
At conferences, a parent asked me a very valuable question, and I would like to share my response with you all. I was asked about how to improve a student's ability to be creative and to think more critically. While there are many ways to improve analytical and cerebral thinking, I feel the most significant is to gain a passion for reading. Encourage our students, as I do, to read. Have them focus on reading anything they are interested in; the subject (within reason) does not matter. The act of reading provides a mental stimuli that invokes complex, free-thinking and builds mental stamina. The one caveat that I would suggest is to have students read text that is not on a screen; they get plenty of that from phones and Chromebook. Our library or the Elmwood Park Public Library are a great place to start. Ten minutes a day can show unbelievable benefits. Again, thank you all for your time and support; please reach out to me with any questions regarding your student's learning. Enjoy your long weekend!
Sincerely,
Mr. David Parolin
From Our Student Services Deparment
8th Grade Dinner Dance
Dance Letter: English
Dance Letter: Spanish
Dance Letter: Polish
Dance Letter: Ukrainian
Yearbook Orders
Elm Middle School Talent Show
Elm PAT Dine Out
Severe Weather Procedures
Clubs and Extra-Curricular Activities
Box Tops for Education
Join Elm in earning cash for our school by using the Box Tops app. It’s an easy way to make a difference. All you have to do is buy Box Tops participating products (like Cheerios) and scan your grocery receipt. Box Tops are worth 10 cents each, and they add up fast. Twice a year, our school receives a check to help pay for whatever we need - equipment, supplies, or experiences the kids love.
Use this referral code K7Y8751D when you sign up, and you will get 25 Bonus Box Tops when you scan your first receipt now through 05/31/2023, while supplies last! Download the Box Tops for Education app here: https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=K7Y8751D
Attendance Reminders & Community Resources
If a student is going to be absent from class, a parent or guardian should call our Attendance Clerk at (708) 583-6600 or email elmattendance@epcusd401.org.
When calling, please spell your child’s last name and give their student ID number.
For instruction on how to use PowerSchool for attendance please see the video here!
Please review the District Virtual Backpack, this is a resource for community involvement opportunities and more. These opportunities include karate, floor hockey, baseball and parents night out!
Take a few minutes and read through this list of Community Resources provided by West 40.
Upcoming Events
February 17th: No School
February 20th: No School
March 7th: Illinois Science Assessment (8th Grade Only)
March 9th: Trimester Two EndsMarch 16th: Trip to EPHS for Matilda
March 17th: Report Cards Go Home Via PowerSchool
March 23rd: Talent Show
March 27th: Spring Break Begins
April 3rd: School Resumes
Need Help? Contact Us!
Ms. Ashley Groeneveld, Principal: 708-583-6227, groenevelda@epcusd401.org
Mr. Dave Parolin, Assistant Principal: 708-583-6228, parolind@epcusd401.org
Mr. Michael Goodman, Dean of Students:
708-583-6238, goodmanm@epcusd401.orgMain Office: 708-452-3550, elminfo@epcusd401.org
Website: https://www.epcusd401.org/elm
Location: 7607 W Cortland St, Elmwood Park, IL 60707, USA
Phone: 708-452-3550
Twitter: @elm401_cougars