The Hawk
Holmes Elementary School - Week Ending 1/10/20
IMPORTANT DATES/THINGS TO REMEMBER
- 2nd Trimester Benchmark Assessments begin (MAP, BAS, Aimsweb) 1/6-1/31
- Erin's Law Parent Session @Brooks - 7:00PM
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School - 1/20
- JA in a Day 1/31 - 8-11 - Parent volunteers needed
- Parent Teacher Conferences 1/30 & 31 - 11:00 am dismissal
National Board Teachers at Holmes
Congratulations to the latest Holmes teachers who earned this recognition!
Junior Achievement (JA) in a Day
Our school has an opportunity to participate in a unique educational enhancement program. Junior Achievement of Chicago is partnering with our school for the second year to introduce financial literacy to all of our students. Junior Achievement delivers relevant, hands-on experiences that empower students to make a connection between what they learn in school and how it can be applied in the real world.
The event will take place on January 31st, 8-11 a.m. We are looking for parent volunteers who are interested in serving in their child’s classroom. The lessons are laid out in an easy to follow format and the kits include fun, engaging activities for the students to participate in while they learn. Additionally, the curriculum aligns with the State of Illinois learning standards, so many of the skills are an enhancement to what the students have or will be learning in class.
Charlisa Pugh, our JA liaison, is taking volunteers on a first come first serve basis. So if the date and time commitment works for you, please email her at cpugh@jachicago.org or call 708-456-1400 ext. 255 ASAP, so she can slide you into the slot for your child’s class. There will be a brief training closer to the day of the event. Please contact Charlisa Pugh if you have any questions or concerns.
Potential Last Day of School
Erin's Law Parent Sessions
Parent Information Session - Early Admission to Kindergarten/First Grade
Save the Date: District 97 Summer Launch 2020
Summer Launch is a program designed for students in kindergarten through seventh grade who are identified as needing interventional support in reading and/or mathematics during the school year and fall below the 11th percentile in reading and/or math.
Our Summer Launch Program will include Reading/Writing Workshop and Math support, in which students will be able to build upon the reading and writing strategies they have learned during the regular school year, as well as participate in math activities.
The Summer Launch program is designed to support students:
- In continuing to build their skills towards becoming strong, confident readers
and writers. - By allowing them personalized instruction in reading, writing and math.
- By supporting them in sharing their voices and helping them to feel valued.
- By supporting them in building meaningful connections with their teacher and peers.
Participation in the Summer Launch program is by invitation only; letters will be sent to eligible families via email in late January. Click here to view the Save the Date flyer
2nd TRIMESTER BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS BEGIN 1/6/20
To learn more about our different assessments, click here.
To view the assessment calendar for the 2019/2020 school year, click here.
Come Together Feedback Welcome!
The goal of the COME TOGETHER initiative is to connect school families, strengthen relationships between families and teachers, and make the school a place where every student gets what they need to succeed. At our first event at Holmes, we asked families to complete a survey to tell us in what areas they could use support. We also asked for topics where they have expertise. If you were not able to attend or did not complete a survey, we'd love to hear from you. By completing and submitting this form, we will be able to create topic circles for our February 5 event. Thank you for joining us!
YOUR INPUT IS IMPORTANT TO US
Background Information:
Title One Funds - Targeted Assistance vs School-wide
Holmes School receives Title 1 funds. Title 1 is additional federal funding we receive based on the percent of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch services. Depending on the percent of students who qualify for this program we can provide either targeted interventions to students who need additional support (Title 1 dollars can only be used for resources that support students identified as needing Tier 2 or Tier 3 supports) or School-wide Title 1 services (Title 1 dollars can be used for resources that benefit all students).
Last year our percent of students who qualified exceeded the threshold and we were able to use our funds for school-wide resources. Because of this, we utilized these funds to support our work with Leader in Me. The cost of the materials and resources for this program is $10,350.00 per year.
This year our percent of students who qualified has dropped below the threshold and we are no longer able to utilize these funds for school-wide resources and are again offering targeted assistance. Our overall enrollment has decreased by approximately 60 students. Because of this, we are not able to use these funds to pay for Leader in Me.
Why is this important:
Leader in Me has begun to transform our school climate and culture and we are seeing tremendous benefits. We do not want to lose this program due to funding issues.
The Ask:
Last year our PTO sought feedback from our staff and community to determine how best to utilize the approximately $20,000 PTO budget surplus. Please see the following top 3 results:
1) Purchase 7 AC's for classrooms $9000.00
2) Purchase 2 water fountains with bottle filler - $6,000.00
3) Help fund SPARK for two years $8000.00
To date, the only expenditure has been for water fountains. This is because I worked with the district to replace and repair the air conditioning units that needed attention without drawing on the budget surplus.
I am hereby requesting the $9000.00 that had been allocated for the air conditioners to help support Leader in Me and offset some of our costs.
Please complete this form and let us know if you are in agreement that funds be used to offset costs for Leader In Me.
How Will We Fund Leader In Me Moving Forward?
Our PTO and Holmes staff will be partnering to host a Spring Fun Run with all funds from this fundraiser going to support Leader In Me for the 2020/2021 school year. Our goal will be to raise $10,350.00. We will also be working to secure corporate donations and sponsorship. If you know of any corporate sponsors or businesses that would donate to support this program I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for your on-going support. We appreciate you!
5Essentials Survey
We need your help - Mann is still in the lead. Holmes has grown to a 10% response rate.
Did you know the 5Essentials survey results make up part of our Exemplary state designation? Please be sure to give us your feedback so we earn our points towards this designation.
Please click here to access the parent/guardian version of the survey. Please note that school-level reports will only be generated if at least 20 percent of our parents/guardians complete the survey
Holmes Spirit Wear Store is Open!
Click here to order!
Celebrate Holmes Staff
Families, have you noticed a Holmes teacher or staff member who deserves a compliment or a thank you? Has this person made a difference for your child? Please share the reason in a brief email to me (czelaya@op97.org) so that we may recognize and thank them!
Community Hawk Nest
The Book Fair is coming
The Book Fair is coming January 28th (during conference week!)! We're celebrating Holmes and our amazing students and families by featuring and offering books that reflect our rich diversity. Our students will see titles with authors and protagonists that have different experiences, races, backgrounds, cultures, abilities, and different family make-ups and... 25% of sales will be directed back to the school to help with classroom books and resources.
The 2020 Bookfair will begin on Tuesday, January 28th at 9 am and run through Friday, January 31st at noon -- check our PTO website now or look for more information in backpacks next week.
Wanna help?!! Come meet other parents and spread the joy of reading by volunteering at this year’s fair. For more information about what’s involved, contact our Bookfair Committee at we-love-our-books@googlegroups.com or to volunteer, click here
Race Conscious Dialogues
The Holmes cohort for the Race-Conscious Dialogues will be held on the weekend of January 25th & 26th at The Echo Center in Oak Park. Register Here
This local nonprofit engages people who are white around identity, privilege, and power, then provides tools for anti-racism work, and has partnered with DivCo to offer school-specific cohorts for D97 schools rotating throughout the year. More information can be found at www.raceconsciousdialogues.org, and feel free to contact them directly with any questions.
FUNDraising Update
We need your help in our FINAL push to reach our $25,000 goal for the 19-20 school year. We are proud to say, because of you, we have reached 76% of our goal. Your generosity helps keep our FUNDraising efforts to a minimum while increasing our commitment to FUN-raising community events.
Thank you. We truly appreciate your partnership and mutual commitment to FUN in 2020.
There are some ways you can donate right now to help us reach our goal.
1. Donate to the Holmes PTO Annual Fundraising “Direct Drive”.
2019-2020 Donation Suggestions
- Heart Level = $1,000
- Appreciation Level = $500
- Warmth Level = $250
- Kindness Level = $100
- Star Level = $40
- Any Amount = Give what makes your SMILE (If each Holmes Family gives $30 to this year’s Direct Drive, we will surpass our goal).
Ways to Donate
- Please return a check to school made out to the Holmes PTO (put Direct Drive in comments)
- Donate online at https://www.mightycause.com/story/3e623g
- Scan the QR code
2. Employer and Business Support
- Many companies have matching programs, check with your employer to see if you can double your contribution.
- If you know a local business interested in supporting the Holmes Community, please email that contact to fundraising@holmespto.org.
your holiday gift card giving needs
- Here’s how… (notes scrip NOW accepts credit card as payment) Shopwithscrip.com
- Enter Holmes PTO Enrollment Code 6BL378C861333
All Things PTO
Dr. Christine Zelaya
Email: czelaya@op97.org
Website: http://www.op97.org/holmes/
Location: 508 N Kenilworth Ave, Oak Park, IL, United States
Phone: 708-524-3100
Facebook: facebook.com/christine.zelaya.96
Twitter: @ChristineZelaya