Elmwood Families,

A few things you will find in this update include: Yearbooks, 5Essential Survey, Information about P/T Conferences, Spirit Week as well as arrival procedures!

Read on to know more.

These past few weeks have been so much fun! We celebrated the 100th day with activities, dress up days, and assignments. It is crazy to think that there are only around 70 school days left this year! Classes also celebrated Groundhogs Day, which unfortunately meant 6 more weeks of winter because the groundhog saw his shadow.

It didn't take long for that winter storm to come as we had our first remote learning day on Wednesday. Students and teachers did wonderful but we also realize there is nothing like being in-person for learning.

February is Black History Month and we will be celebrating and honoring individuals all month long. We will be talking about civil rights leaders like MLK and Rosa Parks, historical figures like Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman, government officials like Barack Obama and Colin Powell, musicians like B.B. King and Aretha Franklin, athletes like Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson, and the list goes on.

Valentine's Day is coming on Monday, February 14th. Classroom teachers will be reaching out if they are doing something with their homeroom. Reminder that anything brought to school should be store bought and individually packed.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Hagins or myself.

Sincerely,

Mr. Lerner

Tuesday, February 8th- Family Resource Fair at Elmwood Park High School Library- 6 PM

Wednesday, February 9th- Board of Education Regular Meeting- 7:00 PM @EPHS

Thursday, February 10th- EPCUSD #401 Spelling Bee- 5:30 PM

Monday, February 14th- Thursday, February 17th- Spirit Week!

Wednesday, February 16th & Thursday, February 17th- Parent Teacher Conferences

Friday, February 18th- No School (Conference Exchange Day)

Monday, February 21st- No School (President's Day)

Thursday, February 24th- End of Trimester 2

Friday, February 25th- Early Release- All students will be dismissed at 1:00 PM

March 4th- Teacher Institute Day- No School for Students

View all of our upcoming district events by visiting our district calendar.

View all of our upcoming school events and activities by visiting our school calendar.

A few reminders to keep our students safe while dropping off:

• Drivers in the drop off line must remain in the vehicle. If your child needs assistance getting out of the car, we ask that you park across the street and walk your child to the building.
• Please refrain from dropping off children in the middle of the street.
• Please do not use the handicapped parking spots to unload students.
• Please follow the directions of the school staff and local police department.

Thank you for being patient, and doing your part to keep our students safe!

As a reminder, there is no school for students on Friday, February 18th for Conference Exchange Day and on Monday, February 21st for President's Day. Enjoy the four day weekend!

Fifth graders work on comparing and contrasting

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Spring conferences will be held on Wednesday, February 16th and Thursday, February 17th from 3:15pm-6:50pm. These conferences will be virtual and we will be using the same scheduling platform as we used in the fall.

You may begin scheduling conferences on Monday, February 7th in the morning. Directions to sign up can be found here. If you would like to schedule a time to meet with your teacher, please be sure to schedule one once the sessions open. Selection for conferences will remain open through February 15th at 3pm.

The sessions are on a first come basis and will be 10 minutes long. If you do not feel a conference is necessary at this time, then you do not need to sign up for a session. As always, you can reach out to your classroom teacher at any time.

Thank you!

Mr. Matthew Lerner

Principal

Elmwood Elementary

As a reminder, if your child is sick or has flu-like symptoms, keep them home and send an email to our attendance clerk. The Elmwood attendance email is ewattendance@epcusd401.org . Please include the following information in your email:

• Your child's first and last name
• Your child's grade level and teacher
• Your child's ID number
• Reason for absence and duration of absence

Email is preferred, but you can still call our absence line at 708-583-6260

Absence calls and emails must be received by 8:30 AM. Thank you for your cooperation!

The nurse and/or office clerk will help you navigate through the COVID protocols if necessary. We all need to do our part to ensure that the kids, staff and community stay safe!

A fifth grade student works hard to support his answer using evidence from the text.

We appreciate the support, encouragement, and understanding as we continue to find ways to navigate the pandemic and provide the best education experience for your student(s). Here is a link to a parent survey called the 5Essentials. We encourage you to take the time to complete the survey and provide meaningful feedback to the administration and teachers for continuous improvement opportunities. Thank you in advance for your time and participation.

Order your school spirit wear by clicking here. All items ordered will be delivered to the school and distributed to students in March.

Pictured above, Mrs. Webb is making her way around to classes so students can spend the Panther Pride tickets they have earned for being ready, responsible and respectful on prizes!

Order your yearbook today! Soft cover yearbooks are 15 dollars this year and you can order a hardcover for 20 dollars. Click here to order!

If you ordered a class photo with your school pictures, they will be mailed out shortly.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about becoming a substitute teacher in District 401, please share this information with them. All our open vacancies can be seen on our district website. Start your day with a purpose and join our team!