News You Can Use
May 8, 2020
Principal's Note
I hope you have been able to enjoy some family time outside as the weather gets a little nicer. I want to wish all the amazing moms in our community a Happy Mother's Day this weekend!
The process of placement is underway as we look to next year. We take great care to place each individual, with input from staff at Ravinia. If you have an incoming first-fifth grader, and you feel you have information we may not already know about your child that we need to consider for placement, please click on this link to share your input with me before May 10. As always, please do not request teachers on this form, as it will not be kept or considered. Please reach out with any questions you may have! A separate form was sent to the parents of incoming kindergarten parents.
Warmly,
Courtney Nordstrom
I'd love to see our Ravinia community in their school spirit. Feel free to post your child's picture on Twitter or our Ravinia School Facebook page with our #RaviniaRocks hashtag on MONDAYS in their favorite Ravinia spiritwear! Don't forget to watch my weekly videos on Facebook or Twitter.
Important Dates: Birthdays at Ravinia!
We typically announce our student birthdays during morning announcements at Ravinia. Since we can't be together, I am going to be publishing a recorded announcement on Mondays to our Ravinia School Facebook page and our Ravinia School Twitter account. You don't need a Twitter account to access the videos! Just go to Twitter.com and search #RaviniaRocks or @RaviniaSchool. I'm also posting some other videos for students.
RAVINIA BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK:
May 11: Sienna L. in Mrs. Butler's Class
May 12: Ella G. in Mrs. Fodor's Class
May 13: Maggie C. in Mrs. Dunning's Class
May 17: Oliver T. in Mrs. Wolin's Class
From the Library
I would like to share my gratitude with everyone in our Ravinia Community for the amazing Virtual Hug that I received during Teacher Appreciation Week. I feel extremely fortunate to work with all of our students, parents and staff. Thank you for a beautiful, heartfelt and overwhelming gift. My Very Best Regards,
Mrs. Lau
Weekly Spotlight for this week can be found here.
Want to listen to a story read by Mrs. Lau? Click here to visit our district library webpage and find Mrs. Lau under Library Storytime.
A Message from the School Psychologist and School Social Worker
May 4, 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians,
During these challenging times setting a routine/consistent schedule is very important for the social emotional well-being of both children and adults.
Why are routines important?
Some children need routines more than others, but routines are beneficial for all children for the following reasons:
Children become more independent when they know what to expect
Daily routines help set body clocks
They create a sense of safety and belonging, especially during stressful times (i.e., in the times of COVID-19).
Including chores in family routines help children develop responsibility skills.
Adults need routines too:
Routines free up time for other things, such as completing work tasks from home
Routines help you feel more organized and in control
Routines lower parental stress
Routines often free you from having to make decisions
Routines often free you from having to resolve disputes (i.e., if academic time is always at 9 am, no one needs to argue about what happens at 9 am).
Routines help provide some certainty and consistency during this time of COVID-19 isolation.
The best daily/weekly routines are:
Predictable, yet flexible
Planned (everyone knows their roles and responsibilities)
Please remember, that your job as a parent is not to recreate an eight-hour school day. Your job is to help your child feel safe and do their best with the distance learning plan that the teachers have provided.
Some kids will respond better to “hard” timed routines (breakfast at 8am, outside time at 8:30 am, outside time at 9:00, class meeting time at 9:30, etc). Others will respond better to “soft” routines, or a general structure of activities without time limits (first breakfast, then ELA work, then snack, then math work, etc). Some tips:
Involve your child in creating the structure. Now is not the time to control your child’s day. Now is the time to collaborate with your child on a schedule that works for the whole family.
Reflect on what’s working for you right now, and what’s not working. Is there already a natural rhythm to your days? Often, listening to the the natural rhythm that occurs is better than trying to force something
It is okay if your schedule does not go to plan every day. Every day is an opportunity to celebrate what is working and eliminate or change what is not working.
If you’re feeling like your routine has to be perfect and is a measure of your success as a parent, try changing your thinking and being kind and self-compassionate. We are all human beings, and going through this change is hard. We are all doing the best we can, with what we have.
Your family schedule may look more like what you would create over a summer break, including opportunities for movement breaks, fun, hands-on (learning) activities, and family time. Remember the ISBE guidelines for the minimum and maximum times of engagement by each student in remote learning activities:
Routines can and should include things in addition to academic time. Add new activities into your routines, like doing a puzzle, baking your favorite dessert, arts and crafts activities, science projects, imaginary games, musical activities, board games, household projects, etc. Build in activities that help everyone get some exercise (without contact with other kids or things touched by other kids, like playground equipment). For example take a daily family walk or bike ride, yoga or having a dancing party— great ways to let kids burn off energy and make sure everyone is staying active.
ISBE has also included suggestions for additional activities. You may consider including some of these options in your daily/weekly routines:
Some additional resources for further reading include:
Kanban for Kids (this is an example of a “soft” schedule that gives kids autonomy of how to structure their day)
As always, please email us if you would like to set up a time to talk or if you have any questions.
Sarah Nichols, school psychologist (snichols@nssd112.org)
Jen Paxhia, school social worker (jpaxhia@nssd112.org)
Community Resources
MORAINE TOWNSHIP
IF YOU KNOW A MORAINE TOWNSHIP RESIDENT WHO NEEDS HELP:
847-432-3240 info@morainetownship.org Morainetownship.org.
Food Pantry: Weekly food to Moraine Township residents and HP/HW school families. Pantry open Tuesday 10 am to 2 pm.
If you know of a resident who needs food, please have them call our office 847-432-3240.
Lost Health Insurance
For assistance enrolling Township residents for Medicaid: call 847-432-3240
Premiums and Co-Payments for AllKids, HBWD and Veterans Care suspended until further notice
For residents who lost health insurance, but still have some income, they are eligible for a Special Enrollment Period on the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace.
Please email info@morainetownship.org and one of Moraine Township’s Certified Application Counselors will set up a remote appointment to help them enroll and ensure they obtain the premium subsidies they may be eligible for based on their family size and income, in addition to help with deductibles and co-pays, depending on income.
SNAP: For help enrolling in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – formerly known as food stamps), call 847-432-3240.
Emergency Assistance or other resources: For help completing an application for Emergency Assistance, or connection to other resources Townships residents may need due to the current crisis, call 847-432-3240.
Moraine Township low-income seniors: our staff continues to reach out to low-income Township seniors to see how they are doing and whether they can get to the grocery store or Pantry this week. For low-income seniors sheltering in place, we delivered food to the very small number who do not have a family member or support network to help them. If you know of a low-income senior who needs help but may not have visited the Township in the past, please have them call 847-432-3240; we are here to help.
Door-to-Door Van: Our door-to-door van is currently serving ONLY residents in need of dialysis or life-saving medical treatments.
Tax return preparation: If you did not file a tax return in 2018 or 2019 because your income did not meet the filing threshold, but would like to file a return to document eligibility for the stimulus check, please call 847-432-3240 and one of our volunteers will assist you via video conferencing.
NEED TO FILE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT?
Covid19 and Unemployment Benefits Information, click here.
To file for unemployment, click here.
800-244-5631
Food Service/Delivery
All Families
As a priority, the District will be providing meals for all community members age 18 & under. Food will be available for curbside pickup (drive-up or walk-up) at Oak Terrace school (rear of building, entrance #C-3) at 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Parents may pick up meals for children
Those who pick up a meal will receive a cold lunch for that day and a cold breakfast for the next morning, both of which will meet the USDA and National School Lunch Program guidelines.
Ravinia School
Website: nssd112.org/ravinia
Location: 763 Dean Avenue, Highland Park, IL, USA
Phone: 2247653700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raviniaschool/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @RaviniaSchool