Harper Happenings
March 12th - 16th
Coming Up/Reminders
Monday, March 19th
- D39 Board of Education Meeting, MEC, 7 pm (Harper says the Pledge)
- Dr. Kick's March Birthday Lunch
Wednesday, March 21st
- Harper PTO Meeting: Cyber Safety Presentation, Harper Auditorium, 9:00 am
March 26th-30th
- No School- Spring Break
Dr. Kick's Corner
We are experiencing a large number of carpool "offenders" who are putting children at risk. Please take a few minutes to carefully review the carpool guidelines and make sure that anyone who is driving your child to/from Harper is aware of these rules! Our students' safety is our top priority!
- Do not drop-off/pick-up your child at the intersections of Thornwood, Greenwood or Elmwood. Use the carpool line!
- The carpool line for all grades begins at Kenilworth Ave. Do NOT enter the line from Thornwood.
- Drop-off/pick-up your child on the curbside of Harper, NOT in the middle of the street.
- Kindergarten students should be dropped-off/picked-up in the kindergarten line (enter at Kenilworth). Do NOT block the crosswalks!
- Stay off your cell phone.
- Drive slowly and be patient .
- Do not block driveways or use them to turn around your car.
- Frequent violators will be reported to the Wilmette police.
- See something? SAY SOMETHING!
- 4th graders: The 5th Grade parent placement input form comes out after Spring Break. Highcrest will send you an email directly in April and it will be posted on their website.
Cyber Safety Presentations
For the first time, our D39 Elementary schools are joining together to give you an opportunity to gain insight on keeping your child safe online. We are all facing challenges as we raise our children in an age where the social rules of technology are changing almost daily. Please join us for a presentation that is specific to navigating our younger children through the world online.
Wednesday, March 21st at 9am in the Harper Elementary School Auditorium
This General PTA/PTO Meeting is open to any D39 parent with kids in grades K-4.
Our presenter is Tony DeMonte, Director of Technology and Media Services for District 39.
Topics to be discussed are:
• Creating boundaries with mobile devices
• Potentially dangerous apps
• Social media
• Privacy
• Inappropriate content
• Cyberbullying
There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end. We are delighted to offer this open meeting with Tony,TWICE! So carpool over with some friends for an evening at Central School or a morning at Harper and let’s get this conversation started.
Announcements
- The Harper Garden is open for Lunch Recess volunteers! The days are getting slightly warmer and there are green shoots coming up in the garden. Volunteering in the garden is a great way to see your child during the school day and younger siblings are welcome. Sign up here or at harperpto.com. If you have any questions, please contact garden@harperpto.com.
- Looking to get involved and be on the PTO next year? There are a few opportunities left- don't miss out! We are looking for vounteers for the following: Exec Board- President Elect, Secretary and Communications Assistant. We are also looking for the following Committee Board Members: Bike Safety, Community Service, Community Review Committee, Directory & Membership, Enrichment for Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade, Fourth Grade Farewell Party, Harper Hoedown, Hospitality, Jr. Great Books, Library Coordinator, Nominating for 2019/20 PTO Board, Pass39 Building Coordinator, Parent Social, Teacher/Staff Appreciation, iGNITE assistant, Box Tops, Yearbook Assistants. Please contact Arielle Heneghan if you are interested at ariellelariviere@hotmail.com. Come be part of this amazing PTO and give back to the kids!!
- From March 12-16th the Student Council will be collecting toiletries for Connections for the Homeless. Please consider donating any travel or household-sized shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. (they are in particular need of deodorant, but appreciate any donations!) Thank you in advance for your support and generosity! -The Community Service Committee
The Green Corner
We all do it: leave the car running while we wait. It allows us to charge our phones, listen to the radio, keep ourselves warm, keep ourselves cool. But what idling also does is make the air quality worse, especially for our kids. In fact, one minute of idling creates more carbon monoxide than 3 packs of cigarettes. According to the EPA, school drop off and pick up lines create “hot spots” of air pollutants with all the car exhaust. Children breathe at a much faster rate than adults and because their lungs are still developing, this makes children more at risk for asthma, allergies or other respiratory problems. By turning off our engines, we dramatically reduce this and our children’s exposure to them.
According to the Ford Motor Company, “frequent restarting has little impact on the battery and starter whereas excessive idling can actually damage important engine cylinders, spark plugs and the exhaust system.” Please encourage all the drivers you know to turn off when waiting. Thank you!
Enrichment
Upcoming dates:
- 3/16--Kohl's Children's Museum presents "Water Investigations" to Kindergarteners.
- Through 3/20--1st grade yoga program led by Lisa Weber
Kindergarten Enrichment: On March 16th Kohl Children's Museum will be coming to Harper to present Kindergarteners with a hands-on, in-classroom experience called "Water Investigations". Each class with spend 45 mins with the educators investigating various tools and methods to move water. Thank you to iGNITE for providing this opportunity!
Community Events
- Link to community events: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events/
Adult ESL classes-see attached flyer
Regina Dominican offers a Spring Basketball Clinic March 24th for 4th - 7th graders.
Wilmette Children’s Theatre presents Legally Blonde Jr. The Musical opening March 9th. Tickets on sale now for $10.
Going Green Matters 2018 will be held March 11th from 12:00 - 4:00 pm at Michigan Shores Club.
Wilmette Public Library’s "One Book, Everybody Reads" featuring Amor Towles discussing his best-selling novel A Gentleman in Moscow at WJHS Auditorium April 22nd at 3:00 pm
Little Legends Soccer Academy offers soccer training for boys & girls ages 2-8.
Wilmette Baseball Spring House League registration is open.
FAN (Family Action Network)
Upcoming events:
- Thursday, March 15th: Professor and Author Dan Chambliss, Ph.D. to present "How College Works: The Primacy of Personal Connection" at 7 pm, NTHS/Winnetka, Gaffney Auditorium 385 Winnetka Ave., Winnetka, IL 60093.
- Wednesday, March 21st: Author and Fellow Richard Rothstein for 2 events on "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America" EVENT #1 (requires RSVP at www.familyactionnetwork.net): 12 pm Loyola University Chicago School of Law Ceremonial Courtroom, 10th Floor 25 E. Pearson St., Chicago, IL 60611 EVENT #2: 7 pm Evanston Township High School Auditorium 1600 Dodge Ave., Evanston, IL 60201. No RSVP required for evening event at ETHS.
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