Friday Focus 1.19.18
Check out the latest news from South Park School!
South Park School
Parker Penguin says...
SP PTO Spotlight
Greetings South Park Families!
I hope today’s Friday Focus finds you well. Last year District 109 launched the early release Wednesday concept where students would be released from school one hour early to provide time for professional development activities for teachers.
This week, during our Wednesday afternoon faculty meeting, I started wondering if parents knew what took place at the early-release meetings here at South Park. So, I thought that today's Friday Focus would be a good vehicle to share what we have been working on this year when the kids go home at 2:25.
Our largest focus this year is the new Lucy Calkins Units of Study writing program which we have instituted in grades K-5. We strongly believe that writing needs to be taught with rigor like any other basic skill, on a daily basis, with explicit instruction and ample opportunities for students to practice.
Thus, one Wednesday each month is dedicated to providing intense professional development in the teaching of writing. These sessions are led by our two instructional coaches, Mrs. Fattaleh and Ms. Kowalski. Teachers have been "dissecting" and discussing each new writing unit before teaching it to the students. They have spent time reading and analyzing student writing, and they are working on inter-rater reliability to ensure that all of the students' writing is assessed with fidelity across a grade level. They also have been reflecting on videos of their own writing instruction to find areas for improvement.
Another main focus for staff professional development this year has been the incorporation of Learning Leader Cohorts (LLCs). The concept behind the LLCs is to allow teachers to study a topic they are passionate about and highly interested in. In the fall we identified four areas that the staff would like to learn more about, and then we created four LLCs, or study groups. Each teacher chose a group with which to work.
Each month, these LLC groups research and plan together to become experts on their chosen topics. Here are the four topics of study:
- Project Based Learning;
- Growth and Innovators Mindset;
- Technology Integration;
- Teaching to the Whole Child.
In February and again in June, each group will present their work to their peers.
Finally, here are some of the other professional development topics we have covered during our early release Wednesday meetings:
- The Penguin Principles and Our Student Behavior plan;
- Social Emotional Learning Activities;
- The 4Cs of Instructional Technology (Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical thinking).
As I hope you can see, we have been working very hard on improving our instructional practices to "Educate the Whole Child and Ensure Student Growth."
Have a nice weekend.
Yours Truly,
Dave Sherman
Author to Speak to Kindergarten and 1st Grade
Sherri Duskey Rinker, the author of Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site and Steam Train, Dream Train will be coming to South Park School on Monday, January 29 to speak with all of our kindergarteners and 1st graders. Her new book is called Tiny and the Big Dig. If you would like to purchase a signed, personalized copy of her new book for your children, click HERE.
When to Send Your Child Back to School
As if it weren’t difficult enough to figure out when to keep a child home from school, parents often find it equally hard to tell when it’s time to send their child back to school. Here are a few basic guidelines:
- Your child no longer exhibits signs of pain or illness.
- Your child is fever free for at least 24 hours. (100 F)
- Your child is sleeping well and appears energetic.
- Bodily functions have returned to normal.
- If antibiotics have been prescribed, your child needs to be on the medication for at least 24 hours or longer before returning to school. Be sure to follow the doctors’ recommendations for school participation and turn in notes if there are any restrictions on activity.
- The “runny nose” has diminished to the sniffles, easily controlled with wiping and the mucous is clear.
- Your child’s cough is infrequent and non-productive.
- Your child is eating, playing and pretty much back to normal.
South Park Singers - REVISED information
Attention all 2nd-5th grade students! South Park School has a choral group called the South Park Singers. We are looking for girls and boys who would like to a part of this terrific group led by Mrs. Bahnick.
Rehearsals will take place Thursdays after school. Information and sign up sheets will be sent out next week.
This is a free program for all 2nd-5th graders who like to sing! Look for more information after winter break. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Bahnick pbahnick@dps109.org.
Parent Help Needed! 2018 Illinois 5 Essentials Parent Survey
We need your help! Our parent response rate on this survey is only 8%. Please take a few minutes to complete it.
The 2018 Illinois Parent Survey opened on Dec. 5, 2017. The survey window will close on Jan. 31, 2018. This survey was created by the University of Chicago to assess the impact schools are having on students' lives. Please take a few minutes to provide some input. Here is the link:
Great America Read to Succeed
Think Summer!
Each year South Park School participates in the Great America Read to Succeed program. If students read on their own for 600 or more minutes between now and February 22, they will receive a free ticket to Great America!
Information and tally form were given to the students last week. I also have linked it HERE. Tally Sheet reading logs will be due Thursday, February 22, 2018.
Kindergarten & New 1st Grade Student Registration for 2018-2019
Please share this information with friends and neighbors with incoming kindergarten and new first grade students!
Online registration for incoming kindergarten and new first grade students for the 2018-2019 school year is open! You do not have to re-register current students in grades K-7 for next year; registration is only for students who will be new to District 109 in the 2018-2019 school year (and Helping Hands students moving to kindergarten).
You can register children for kindergarten who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2018.
1. Complete online registration:
- If you are a current District 109 parent, log into your Family Access account and click the New Student Online Registration button on the left navigation bar.
- If you are new to District 109, click this link to begin the registration process.
3. Plan to attend a Drop In/Drop Off session at the District Center (517 Deerfield Road, by the Little Red Schoolhouse) to review documentation and verify residency:
- Friday, February 2, 2018 from 7:30am – 1:00pm
- Thursday, February 8, 2017 from 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Full-day kindergarten will be offered for 2018-2019. Parents also will have the option to send their kindergarten child for half of the school day. The Board of Education has not yet approved the amount that will be charged for full-day kindergarten for 2018-2019, but they have discussed eliminating the fee. The District will communicate the tuition information as soon as it is approved by the Board.
If you have questions about registration, please contact Audrey Beresid at aberesid@dps109.org.
South Park on Twitter
Odds and Ends...
- The District 109 Young Authors Program starts soon. This is a great opportunity for 4th-8th graders to show off their writing skills. Details will be coming home next week.
- Please follow our morning procedures, and drop your children off at their regular doors.
- Please make sure that your children come to school with warm clothing for outdoor play. We go out for recess if the temperature (including wind chill) is 10 degrees or higher.
- Also, for safety reasons, the kids need gym shoes for PE class. Playing basketball in Uggs is not a great idea! Please ensure that they have gym shoes in school.
- If your child is going to be absent from school, you need to call or email us by 9:00 that morning. ** Call 847-945-5895, ext. 2103 and leave a message OR ** Email Ms. Brennan, our nurse, at nbrennan@dps109.org
Calendar
Early Release Wednesdays:
January 24, 31
February 7, 14, 21, 28
Upcoming Events:
Spelling Bees:
Grades 1, 2 & 3 - Tuesday, January 23, 2018 (1st @ 1:10, 2nd @ 1:50, 3rd @ 2:30)
1st Grade Music Show at SP - Wednesday, January 24, 6:00 pm
Grades 4 & 5 - NOTE DATE CHANGE: Thursday, January 25, 2018 (4th @ 9:10, 5th @ 9:50, Final @ 10:30)
Family BINGO Night - Sunday, January 28, 4:00 - 5:30 pm. All SP families are invited.
PTO Meeting - Wednesday, February 7, 7:30
Speech Tournament: Grades 3, 4, & 5 Saturday, February 24, 2018
South Park Speech Tournament Family Night: Thursday, February 15th, 2018. More information has been sent home with students. Registration and scripts are now available. Mr. DelGrosso is the SP staff sponsor for this activity. You can contact him at sdelgrosso@dps109.org.
South Park Elementary School
South Park School’s mission is…
“To educate the whole child and ensure student growth.”
South Park School’s vision is…
“To develop a collaborative learning community and a positive school climate in which students and staff will feel safe to grow academically, socially, and emotionally, and where innovation is encouraged and proliferated.”
Email: dsherman@dps109.org
Website: http://southpark.dps109.org/
Location: 1421 Hackberry Road, Deerfield, IL, United States
Phone: (847) 945-5895
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthParkSchoolDeerfield
Twitter: @dbsherman