Lions Park Paw Prints
Letter from the Principal
Dear Lions Park Families,
October is a busy month at Lions Park! We kicked it off with a very successful PTO Roar and Run. Thanks to all of you for an extremely successful Roar and Run fundraiser!
Please read below for important information about upcoming events and plans at Lions Park.
Bullying Prevention Month
October is Bullying Prevention Month! In District 57, we take the prevention of bullying very seriously. Bullying is intentional physical, verbal, or social aggression. It’s often repeated over time and occurs when there’s a real or perceived power imbalance. All Kindergarten through 8th grade students participate in classroom meetings/advisory meetings to build classroom community and provide strategies for students on how to prevent/handle potential bullying situations. This is done, in part, using the Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit. These instructional materials offer an opportunity for students to share their feelings and opinions, to suggest solutions, and to learn to follow the rules and handle bullying situations appropriately. It also builds class community and cohesiveness and recognizes achievements and successes of the class as a whole.
We encourage any student or parent who is aware of a potential bullying situation to report the issue immediately to a staff member. This report will initiate an investigation. Whether or not the issue is found to be bullying, any behavior that does not follow school expectations will be addressed. If your child does not feel comfortable telling someone at school, we have a bullying report box outside the office. We also have a Google Form at this link that you could help your child fill out. Over the next few weeks, teachers will be showing this video to your children to let them know how to get help. We want all students to feel safe and comfortable during their time at school, and we are committed to removing barriers that are preventing this for individual students or groups of students. For more information on this topic, please visit this link.
On Wednesday, October 18th all students and staff are encouraged to wear orange for Unity Day. On this day, everyone is encouraged to unite for kindness, acceptance and inclusion to send a visual message that no child should ever experience bullying.
Halloween
We look forward to celebrating Halloween at school on October 31st. Students may wear costumes to school in the afternoon only. Students may bring their costume to school in a bag. Some families also like to pick their children up for lunch that day from 11:50-12:50 to feed them and help them get into their costume. If you wish to take your child home for lunch, please fill out this form by October 30th at 3pm. If the form is completed, students will be dismissed in the courtyard at 11:50. If you do not fill out the form, you will have to sign your child out in the office.
We will have an outdoor parade (weather permitting) at 1:15pm. All families are welcome to attend. In case of inclement weather, families will not be able to attend. Whether we have the parade or not, we will have classroom parties from 2-3 pm that will be attended only by scheduled volunteers. Please help your child make safe and respectful decisions about their costumes. Students may wear an appropriate mask in the parade, but not during school. If your child's costume has a fake weapon, please leave that part at home. All costume accessories will be left in the classroom for recess and lunch. Students may not bring food or candy to share.
Erin's Law
As you may know, Erin’s Law mandates sexual abuse prevention education for public school children in Illinois and many other states across the country. More information about Erin’s Law can be found by clicking here. Between October 23rd and 27th, Lions Park students will participate in a 30-minute classroom presentation delivered by Gail Valentini, School Social Worker, to educate them in an age-appropriate way about the topic of childhood sexual abuse. These valuable presentations will teach students more about personal safety, safe vs. unsafe touches, safety steps to follow if someone breaks the touching rule and good secrets vs. bad secrets. Please do not hesitate to contact me or Mrs. Valentini (gvalentini@d57.org) if you have any follow up questions.
Teaching Empathy
Throughout October, students will learn about empathy as part of our work with the Portrait of a Graduate. Being empathetic means understanding and feeling how someone else is feeling. We can put ourselves in their shoes and show them kindness and support. Through these activities, we will define what empathy looks like, sounds like, and feels like throughout the day. This process will be repeated throughout the year with the other Portrait of a Graduate components: collaborative, critical thinker, resilient, and adaptable. Additionally, students in grades K-5 will learn more about empathy as part of the Second Step® lessons. The following resources from Second Step® discuss what students will learn about empathy and how families can support their child’s learning both in and out of school.
Parent and Teacher Conferences
Lions Park will have Parent and Teacher Conferences on November 1st, 8:05-3:35, November 9th from 3:40-6:40 p.m. and November 16th from 3:40-6:40 p.m. The electronic sign up and instructions can be found at this link. We value this opportunity to share celebrations and areas for growth for your children, to hear from you how things are going and to answer any questions you may have.
As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.
Warmly,
Katie Kelly
Principal
Lions Park School
DATES TO REMEMBER
Wednesday, October 18 - Wear orange for Unity Day.
Thursday, October 19 - Board of Ed Meeting, 7 p.m. @ FV
Friday, October 20 - NO SCHOOL, Staff Institute Day
Tuesday, October 24 - Ed Foundation Meeting, 7 p.m. @ FV
Thursday, October 26 - Coffee with the Superintendent, 9 a.m. @ LP
Tuesday, October 31 - Halloween Parade, 1:15 p.m.
Wednesday November 1 - NO SCHOOL, Parent/Teacher Conferences
Thursday, November 2 - Picture Retakes, AM
PEPS
Please click on the following link for PEPS information:https://www.smore.com/kcsm3-peps-meeting?ref=email
VETERANS DAY
Mark your calendars! Lions Park School typically attends the Village of Mount Prospect Veterans Day ceremony at Lions Park Recreation Center. This will be held on a Saturday this year, but all Lions Park students and staff are still invited, and our chorus will be performing. The ceremony will be on November 11th at 10:30am.
STUDENT COUNCIL - OCTOBER
PTO SPECIAL LUNCH ORDER FORM
COFFEE WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT
PTO BOOK CLUB
PTO LEGO CLUB
PTO JINGLE & MINGLE
MPPD HALLOWEEN DECORATING CONTEST
PHS HAUNTED HIGH SCHOOL
MPPD BALLET
Lions Park Elementary School
Email: kkelly@d57.org
Website: http://www.d57.org/lionsparkelementaryschool_home.aspx
Location: 300 E Council Trail, Mount Prospect, IL, United States
Phone: (847) 394-7330