Lester Living
Friday, December 1, 2023
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! Students have had a busy week back and have been hard at work. We started the week off with author/illustrator, Nathan Hale, sharing his work with our 3rd through 6th graders. Students learned about the creative process and how Nathan comes up with his ideas and work!
We had a great PTA meeting. Thank you to all who joined. We have lots coming up in December. Please check out the dates to remember for important dates throughout the month. Report cards will be coming home in your child's backpack next Friday.
Our winter parties and our Winter Wiggle will both be happening on Fri. Dec 22nd prior to the winter break. We are excited for students to participate in this fun day!
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!
Katie Novosel
Principal
Lauri Smith
Assistant Principal
Science Fair registration NOW OPEN!!!
Students in grades 1-6 are invited to participate in the Science Fair this winter! Registration will be open Monday, Nov. 27 through Friday, Dec. 22. To register for this year’s Science Fair, use this Registration Form. The Science Fair will take place Saturday, Jan. 20 from 8-11 a.m. at O’Neill Middle School. The fair is open to all District 58 students in grades 1-6. Participating in the Science Fair is voluntary, but District 58 encourages every student to consider participating!
Students may register as an individual or with one partner. More details can be found here.
NO Visitor/Parent Parking in lot before school
If you need to park to drop off your child, please park on a side street and walk your child up. We have had issues with staff not having spaces to park when they get to work. If you are visiting school after 8:15, you are able to park in the lot.
Thank you for your help with this matter.
SPIRIT WEEKS COMING SOON!
CLUB SIGN UPS NOW OPEN FOR WINTER/SPRING!
Science Club - High Touch High Tech Chicago
High Touch High Tech Chicagoland is excited to be offering our after-school STEAM Club at Lester.
Who: K-6th Graders
When: Tuesdays 3-4pm
Dates: 1/9 -3/12 (No Class 2/6)
Price: $180
To sign up for the after school Science Made Fun! STEAM Club please follow this link and submit the form.
TAP Art Club
Our very own Shawn Smith with TAP - The Art Project will be back to host Art Enrichment Club for our students. It will be one hour of art education, creativity and collaboration once a week for 8 weeks.
Who: 2nd, 3rd and 4th Graders
When: Tuesdays, 3-4pm
Dates: 4/2-5/21
Price= $225
https://www.taptheartproject.com/art-club/p/art-club-lester-elementary
Chess Wizards
Join Chess Wizards this year for challenging chess lessons, exciting tournaments, fun, team activities, and more! If you’re brand-new to chess, we’ll teach you the basics and get you playing right away. If you’re a seasoned checkmate artist, we’ll show you new ways to let your creativity show on the chess board. Please note you will need to sign up for both sessions individually if you would like to participate in both.
Who: K-6th Graders
When: Thursdays, 3:00-4:00 PM
Dates: See Flyers for dates
Price= See Flyers for pricing
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Fri. Dec 1: FUN LUNCH! & Lester Spirit Day!
Mon. Dec 4: "Orange" you glad it's Monday- wear orange to promote positivity & 2:00 dismissal
Tues. Dec 5: PTA Reflections Ceremony 6:00 pm at ONEILL MIDDLE SCHOOL
Thurs. Dec 7: Club Group Photos
Fri. Dec 8: Report Cards go home & Lester Spirit Day!
Mon. Dec 11: "Orange" you glad it's Monday- wear orange to promote positivity & 2:00 dismissal
Fri. Dec 15: Herrick Chamber Ensemble/Jazz Choir Performance & FUN LUNCH! & Lester Spirit Day!
Mon. Dec 18: Aimsweb Testing window begins & "Orange" you glad it's Monday- wear orange to promote positivity & 2:00 dismissal
Fri. Dec 22: Winter Wiggle (30 min per class in gym mixed with 2 other classes - dances/games) & Winter Class Parties 2:00-3:00 (Gr. K-6)
Mon. Dec 25- Fri. Jan 5: WINTER BREAK (school resumes on Mon. Jan 8)
Tues. Jan 9- Fri. Jan 19: Aimsweb Testing continued & MAP Testing for all grades (individual class schedules will be shared by your child's classroom teacher)
Thurs. Jan 18: PTA Meeting VIRTUAL 6:30
New service on mental health resources
District 58 strives to create a culture of well-being for students, parents, staff and community. To further support this endeavor, the District has invested in an additional support service through ReferralGPS.
ReferralGPS is a service providing assistance to our community in finding local mental health and substance use-related treatment resources. The service compliments the District’s existing systems of support as a tool for student service teams and families to connect with treatment. Along with a searchable database of treatment options, ReferralGPS assists families in triage and appointment setting.
School district staff and families may access ReferralGPS in two ways:
Contact Student Services (social workers, psychologists, counselors) to seek out treatment options
Visit this link at https://referralgps.com/find-help/DG58 to search for treatment resources or connect with a Care Navigator anonymously
The platform has the ability to filter by mental health concern, clinician gender/specialty, location, and insurance acceptance. The service is available for all types of private and public insurance options including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and families that are uninsured or underinsured.
ReferralGPS is available for use by district students, staff, and families at no cost. All information entered on the ReferralGPS tool is completely confidential and securely stored.
From our PTA
Spirit Wear Website:
A Peek into Lester Life:
December Birthdays
4th Graders showing their Math knowledge
Second Grade Reading Groups
2nd Grade Writing
2nd Grader's Social Studies Discussion
Nathan Hale, Author/Illustrator Visit
5th Grade Social Studies
Games & Lunch with the Principals!
Community Resources
REPEATED ITEMS BELOW:
ABSENCES
Will your child be ABSENT?
This year, we have a Google Form for you to fill out to let our secretaries know when your child will be absent from school. This is an option for you instead of calling or emailing. Our hope is that this will streamline the process for you! We will add this link each week for you in this Newsletter.