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Important upcoming dates
11/8 - Election Day - No Student Attendance
11/9 - Cherrydale Fundraiser Due
11/10 - Plank Veteran's Day Assembly
11/10 - Evening Parent Teacher Conferences 4PM - 8PM
11/11 - Morning Parent Teacher Conferences 8AM - 1PM
11/17 - Future Wolves Night
11/17 - Future Panther Night
11/23 - 11/25 - Thanksgiving Break No School
In this edition of the Pirate's Cove:
- **UPDATED** Principal's Message
- **NEW** Parent Teacher Conference Schedule Now Open
- **NEW** Plank's Veteran's Day Assembly
- **NEW** Toys for Tots Information
- **NEW** Homework and Grading
- Finding Transportation Information in Tyler SIS
- Student Rights and Responsibilities Forms
- SD 308 School Safety Document
- Gift Cards for Plank School Store
- **UPDATED** Plank HSA Information
- **NEW** Cherrydale Fundraiser due on November 9th
- **NEW** Buona Beef Fundraiser November 13th
- Donations for Technology
- **UPDATED** Chromebook Reminders
- **UPDATED** Daily Announcements
- **NEW** Future Wolves Night
- **NEW** Future Panthers Night
- **NEW** Student Spectator at Plank Events reminder
- Junior High Students at Football Games
- Yearbook Information
- SEL Lunch Groups at Plank
- **NEW** Conflict Resolution
- Student Services at Plank
- Plank Care Closet
- Student Password Portal
- Parent Resources
- Attendance Information
- Important People to Know
- Important Resources
Principal's Message
Pirate Families!
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released our annual School Report Card on Oct. 28 at www.illinoisreportcard.com. The Report Card shows how well our school is progressing on a wide range of educational goals. We are proud of our students’ Academic growth. Plank received a designation as a “Commendable” school. We have room to grow, and I am excited to see how our students perform in the coming year. Last week, we shared our IAR reports with families so they can see their child's individual performance on the state assessment data that makes up the academic portion of the School Report Card. There were some reports that didn't go home yet, and those should be sent home with students today.
Next week we have parent teacher conferences. I invite parents to engage in these conversations with the teachers at Plank. We have group and individual conferences signing up now. If you have received a link from one of your child's teachers, please follow it to schedule a time to meet. As always, our teachers want to make those home connections. If you would like a phone call, email, or in person conference, please reach out to our teachers to establish a meeting.
On November 10th, we are hosting our annual Veteran's Day Recognition Assembly. We invite parents and community members to attend our Veteran's Day assembly, starting at 12:00. We ask that guests arrive and check in our main office at 11:45 so that we can ensure seating for our recognition ceremony.
The staff at Plank Junior High is committed to serving the students and parents of the surrounding community. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, and we can work together to find solutions. I can be reached at 630-551-9400 and thaymond@sd308.org. We look forward to partnering with you and your child throughout the year.
Always in partnership,
Tyler Haymond
Principal
Plank Junior High School
Parent-Teacher Conference Scheduler is now active
Pirate Parents and Guardians,
The Parent-Teacher Conference Scheduler is now active. Requests for conferences from teachers have already been sent out on an individual basis. A Spanish interpreter is available upon request; if needed, please let a team member know when scheduling your conference.
If you would like to schedule a conference then use this link: Plank Junior High Conference Scheduler
Parent-Teacher conferences can be scheduled for:
Thursday, November 10, 4:00 – 8:00pm
*The PTC scheduler is open for Thursday conferences.
Friday, November 11, 8:00am – 1:00pm
If you are seeking a Friday conference, or if a Thursday slot is not available, please reach out to your child's teacher to schedule a time that works best for you. As always, this is not the only time that you are able to speak with your child’s teacher. At any point if you need to speak to a teacher, please feel free to reach out directly to a teacher regarding your child. Our goal is to stay connected, parents and teachers, in order to provide the best education possible for your child.
Always in Partnership
Tyler Haymond, Principal
Veteran's Day Assembly
On November 10th, we will be hosting our Veteran's Day assembly. Below is a link to a Google slide so that families can honor their family members that are currently serving or have served in the United States Armed Forces.
We are also welcoming student family members who are currently serving or have served in the United States Armed Forces to join us in our honorary assembly. We ask that any visitors check in through the main office on November 10th starting at 11:45. Visitors will need their Driver's License or State ID to check in, and provide the name of their Plank student.
Toys for Tots 2022
1. Date of toy collection: Starting Monday, 11/7 through Friday, 12/9
2. Donations need to be new, UNWRAPPED toys
3. Students turn in donations to Homeroom Teacher.
4. Each toy donated will get an entry into raffle
5. Families can drop off donations in the office c/o their child's Homeroom Teacher.
The 5 winners of the raffle will get to choose a friend to help load the toys into the Fire Department vehicles, and attend a Pizza party at the school sponsored by the Fire Department.
Homework and Grading
Teachers will be regularly updating grades in Tyler. Check the Parent Portal for updates in grades. Students also have access to check their assignments, grades, and schedule in the student portal and on Google Classroom. Homework, projects, tests, and quizzes are all recorded in classes to reflect student grades. Please reach out to individual teachers if there are questions regarding student grades.
Homework is an expectation for all of our students to complete at home. Many students have a study hall, where they are able to complete any homework or receive extra help from teachers, when available. Check in with your child's teacher if you have questions regarding homework.
Finding Transportation Information in Tyler SIS
1. Click on the Transportation link on the left navigation tool.
2. You will be taken to the Transportation information page where you will see find transportation information, such as times and location, specific to your student(s)
- If you have multiple students, you are able to toggle between each of them
- You can click the down arrow to expand the transportation information for your student(s).
Screenshot examples are below to assist.
Student Rights and Responsibilities Form
The student Rights and Responsibilities form went live on August 1st in TylerSIS. Please be sure to read through the expectations and sign the form if you haven't already.
School Store - Gift Cards and Donations Needed
One HOT item students can 'purchase' with their Pirate Bucks can be gift cards to local businesses. Plank - and our HSA - is not able to purchase gift cards with our allocated budget. So, we could use your help.
If you are moved to do so, please think about purchasing $5 gift cards to local businesses (McDonalds, 7-11, CVS, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, or other businesses you can think of that kids love). Any gift cards purchased can be brought to the office - ATTN Melanie Reicher.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
Home and School Meetings
The Home and School needs you. Come get involved! Feel free to reach out to Felice Jernstad, current president at kplankhsa@gmail.com with any questions or to let her know you'd be interested in planning school events.
HSA plans to have a table at Orientation for any families that would like to inquire, give suggestions, or join!
President: Felice Jernstad - feliceandsophia@aol.com
Vice President: Aneesh Dhodapkar - aneeshd74@yahoo.com
Treasurer: Cindy Cheney - cindy.cheney52@gmail.com
Recording Secretary - Veronica Adame - vadame5534@gmail.com
Corresponding Secretary - Michelle Peterson - shellbelles82@gmail.com
Tyler Haymond - principal thaymond@sd308.org
Lauren Munson - teacher representative, lmunson@sd308.org
Plank Chromebook reminders
As we continue our 1:1 initiatives for students with chromebooks, please encourage your pirate at home to:
- Charge their chromebook and bring it every day
- Treat them carefully. If they break the chromebook, the technology department will contact home regarding the cost of the repair.
- Intentional damage to chromebooks are the responsibility of the student and family.
- Use them appropriately. Our Securely web filter notifies administration of inappropriate internet searches or words and phrases that could indicate bullying, threats, or self-harm.
Student Services at Plank
Pirate Families,
We hope the first few days of school are off to a great start for both you and your student(s).
This year, we are fortunate to be able to add a new counselor (Ms. Fabiola Perez) to our Plank Pirate Crew. With this addition, we wanted to take some time to (re)introduce you to our Plank Student Services Team, so you know who you can go to if/when support is needed.
Plank Counselors:
Mrs. Caitlin Gannon (supporting families with last names that begin with A-H)
Ms. Fabiola Perez (supporting families with last names that begin with I-M)
Mrs. Kelly Hlavacs/Mrs. Jen Modaff (supporting families with last names that begin with N-Z)
Plank Social Workers:
Ms. Regena Alonzo (supporting 6th grade IEP students as well as our Life Skills Program)
Mrs. Maggie Slinger (supporting 7th and 8th grade IEP students as well as our Instructional Skills Program)
Please note, Mrs. Slinger is on temporary leave until mid-September. Ms. Alonzo will be working with Mrs. Slinger’s students during her absence.
Plank Restorative Practices Counselor:
Mrs. Melanie Reicher (supporting all students and staff to implement preventative measures within the Plank School community to support our Positive Behavioral Model)
Plank School Psychologist:
Ms. Stephanie Krug (monitors the completion of case study evaluations/special education reevaluations and participates in Individual Education Plan (IEP) conferences and problem-solving meetings)
Plank Speech Language Pathologist
Ms. Molly Miller (provides speech services for IEP Resource and Instructional Skills Program)
Ms. Zoe Palko (provides speech services for Life Skills Program)
The goal of our Student Services Team here at Plank is to provide comprehensive support and advocate for equity, access, wellness, and success for each and every student. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to connect with a member from our Student Services Team, please don’t hesitate to reach out; by clicking on a team member’s name listed above, you will be routed to their direct email address.
We are looking forward to a great year!
Sincerely,
Plank Administration
Parent Resources
Follow the links to access the parent resources that we have available.
- A Parent's Guide to Google Classroom - A step-by-step guide to help parents that are unfamiliar with accessing Google Classroom.
- Google Classroom Cheat Sheet for students - Shake Up Learning
- Google Suite Tutorials - A collection of Google tutorials that students will be using with their teachers during remote learning. There are dozens of resources here that cover almost anything you need to know about using Google Suite.
- Parent's Guide to Student Portal - Tyler 360 document that outlines Student Portal access and features.
- Parent's Guide to Google Suite Applications - From Google Docs to Google Meets, this is a guide for parents to use as a reference for all of the available Google Suite Applications.
Plank Attendance Guidelines
Call Asusana Montes-Mijares
630-551-9401
Please leave a message on the Attendance Line noting the reason for the absence. Include all symptoms or the reason for the absence if it is not illness related. Students need to be called in if they will miss a partial day. Please note the class/classes that will be missed in addition to the reason for the absences.
Teachers are keeping attendance through class period If you have questions, please reach out to the individual teachers about these procedures.
Students are considered Tardy if they are not in class on time. Class begins promptly at 8:10 AM. Students who are not in class by this time are considered Tardy.
Important People to Know
Administration:
Principal
Tyler Haymond 630-551-9410 thaymond@sd308.org
Assistant Principal
Bailey Campbell 630-551-9412 bcampbell@sd308.org
Assistant Principal
Katie Jones 630-551-9411 kjones@sd308.org
Student Support Lead Teachers
Lead Special Education Teacher
Carrie Quinn 630-551-9497 cquinn@sd308.org
EL Coordinator
Lebia Chatman 630-551-9466 lchatman@sd308.org
Secretaries:
Principal Secretary
Laurie Williams 630-551-9409 lwilliams@sd308.org
Registrar/Discipline Secretary
Camille Simmons 630-551-9418 csimmons@sd308.org
Attendance Secretary
Asusana (Susie) Montes-Mijarez 630-551-9408 amontesmijarez@sd308.org
Student Services:
Counselors:
Caitlin Gannon 630-551-9414 cgannon@sd308.org
Students with last names A-H
Fabiola Perez 630-551-9416 fperez@sd308.org
Students with last names I-M
Kelly Hlavacs and Jen Modaff 630-551-9415 khlavacs@sd308.org, jmodaff@sd308.org
Students with last names N-Z
Melanie Reicher 630-551-9496 mreicher@sd308.org
Restorative Practice Counselor
Social Workers:
Regena Alonzo 630-551-9405 ralonzo@sd308.org
Marguerite Slinger 630-551-9416 mslinger@sd308.org
Building Nurse:
Denise Salisbury 630-551-9402 dsalisbury@sd308.org
Plank Junior High School
