Pirate's Cove Newsletter
September 23rd - September 30th
Traduzca este boletín al Español
Upcoming Events and Reminders
Please read the information in The Pirate's Cove Newsletter in it's entirety. This is our weekly communication to bring you up to speed on all important information.
Important information, upcoming events, and details can be found further in the "Cove".
National Hispanic Heritage Month - September 15th through October 15th
Hispanic Heritage Month is the celebration of Hispanic Americans. September 15 is the independence day of several Spanish-speaking countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Additionally, on September 16, Mexico celebrates its independence, and on September 18, Chile celebrates its independence. Hispanic people come from 20 different Spanish-speaking countries. Some are born in the United States and learn Spanish as their first language, while others simultaneously learn English and Spanish. There is no single history of people of Hispanic or Latino heritage coming from other countries to the United States because each story is different. Therefore, from September 15 through October 15, we celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of those whose ancestors came from Mexico, Spain, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
Important upcoming dates
9/15 - 10/15 - National Hispanic Heritage Month
9/26 - Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
9/30 - Author David Barclay Moore Visit
10/7 - School Improvement Day - 11:40 Dismissal
10/10 - Indigenous People's Day / Columbus Day
10/12 - Plank Band Concert
10/21 - Plank Halloween Dance and Haunted Hallway
10/26 - Plank HSA Meeting
In this edition of the Pirate's Cove:
- **UPDATED** Principal's Message
- Author Visit - David Barlclay Moore
- Finding Transportation Information in Tyler SIS
- Student Rights and Responsibilities Forms
- SD 308 School Safety Document
- Gift Cards for Plank School Store
- **NEW**Elyssa's Mission Presentations
- Mutual Grounds Presentation
- **UPDATED** Plank HSA Information
- **NEW** Plank Halloween Dance and High School Volunteer Information
- **NEW**Sparkinderklub @ OEHS
- Chromebook Reminders
- **UPDATED** Daily Announcements
- Junior High Students at Football Games
- Yearbook Information
- SEL Lunch Groups at Plank
- 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!
Now that we are into the swing of our school year, I want to remind parents that checking TylerSIS for grade updates should be a regular occurrence. Students are checking their grades regularly on Monday during their SST time, and using some of that time to get organized for the week. If you are noticing missing assignments, please reach out to your child's teacher if you have questions.
We have had a great start to our school year. We opened our school store twice, and our pirates have spent almost 4000 Pirate Bucks already this year! If you are interested in donating items for our Plank school store, please send any donations to our front office. We are gladly accepting gift cards, card games, and individually packaged snacks as items in our store. Students earn Pirate Bucks for following our schoolwide expectations in their classes, hallways, and at lunch. Keep earning those Bucks! Our next store will open on Thursday 9/29. If you are interested in donating items such as chips, drinks, gift cards, or snacks, please bring them to the Plank Main office care of Melanie Reicher.
At all grade levels, we will be working on appropriate language use and volume of voice in our hallways, classrooms and cafeteria. We want all of our students using appropriate language at Plank at all times. We are providing reminders for students to use appropriate language, but if adults are hearing swearing or derogatory language, consequences will be applied.
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
Award-Winning Author David Barclay Moore visits Plank Junior High
Plank Junior High is delighted to welcome award-winning author David Barclay Moore on Friday, September 30th. Mr. Moore will talk with students about his career as an author and discuss his new book Holler of the Fireflies.
To guarantee a personalized copy of Holler of the Fireflies or The Stars Beneath Our Feet, pre-orders will be available with payment (cash or check payable Plank JH) until Thursday, September 29th. If you miss that date, there will be a limited supply of signed books available for purchase through October 7th. Order forms will be available in ELA classes, in the LRC, and posted on our Plank website.
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.
SD 308 School Safety Document
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!
Mutual Grounds Presentation
Below are the dates for our Mutual Grounds Presentations. PE and Health Teachers will send an email to parents. Parents can contact PE and Health teachers only if they do NOT want their child to participate in these presentations. Parents can also notify counselors or building administrators.
8th Grade Sexual Harassment Prevention Presentation for ALL 8th Grade PE classes: September 26 and 27.
7th Grade Sexual Abuse Prevention Presentations for Semester 1 Health Students ONLY: September 26 -28.
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 HSA Sponsors the Halloween Dance and Haunted Hallway
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.
- 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.
Chromebook Insurance Open Enrollment
It is once again that time of year to obtain coverage for your student's Chromebook, open enrollment is here! The insurance policy is for accidental damage and theft. There is no deductible and it will cover all repair costs and the cost of replacement should it get stolen. With the average repair cost above $50, it more than pays for itself the first time you use it and you can take advantage of it an unlimited number of times during the coverage year.
We highly recommend that every 5th - 12th grade family whose student(s) have a take home device to consider enrolling in this program. Check the flyer for all the information on how to register, enrollment dates, and the cost.
High School Football Games
Students and Parents-
Please remember that all Junior High students must be with an adult to enter the football games. Parents cannot drop students off and leave. Backpacks can be checked and other items such as balls, skateboards, scooters, etc. are not allowed unless they are for medical reasons.
We appreciate your support and compliance with this.
2022 Yearbook Pre-Sale
SEL Lunch Groups at Plank
Plank Junior High School's student service team will be offering Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) lunch groups. Groups are designed to meet students’ needs through fun activities, such as games, art, teambuilding, discussions, etc. Groups will meet once a week during lunch and will be facilitated by school counselors, social workers, school psychologist, and/or school speech pathologist.
*Based on the student needs assessment, the following groups will be offered this year:
Connections - students will work on social skills to help build positive relationships with their peers.
Student Empowerment – for students who are feeling sad, depressed, stressed or anxious and need help processing their feelings and learning coping strategies.
Grief Group - for students who are experiencing grief from the loss of a significant person through death.
Family Group - for students who are experiencing family struggles, such as divorce and separation of parents.
Mindful/Yoga Group - students will learn and practice mindfulness strategies and yoga to help reduce stress.
Academic Success Group - students will learn skills to improve their academic performance such as organization, study, and time management skills.
Pride Group - to provide a safe place for students who identify as LGBTQ+.
If you are interested in your student participating in a group, complete the linked permission slip and turn it into student services by Friday, September 23, 2022.
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
Plank Care Closet
Student Password Portal
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
Email: thaymond@sd308.org
Website: https://www.sd308.org/plank
Location: Plank Jr. High, Secretariat Lane, Oswego, IL, USA
Phone: 6305519400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plank308/?scrlybrkr=2abf877d
Twitter: @Plank308