Pleasant Hill Weekly Newsletter

December 21, 2022

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Hello PH Community!


We made it through the first half of the school year!


Thank you to our teachers, program assistants, custodians, nutrition services coordinator, secretaries, bus drivers and everyone else that provides our students with a high quality school experience every day!


I want to thank our PTA for continuing to provide events and programs for our families. Thank you PTA volunteers, committee chairs and board members for all the work you put into keeping our community involved!


Thank you to our families for your continued support of PH and involvement in school with your student. THANK YOU!


I want to wish everyone a very happy winter break and a very happy New Year!! Enjoy the time to be with family and friends.


Thank you for all your support.


See you in 2023!!


Warm Regards,

Dr. Morris


GO COUGARS!

Victor's Book Club Game Friday January 13th! Bring Your Tickets To Get Into The Game If Your Student Recieved One!

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6th Grade Pyramid Stem Project!

Instrumental Music Registration Is Now Open For Next Year

Are you interested in your 4th or 5th grader participating in Instrumental Music next school year?


Registration is now open! Go to the CCSD 15 Campus Parent page at:


https://ic.ccsd15.net/campus/portal/parents/palatine.jsp


Look for an available survey in your Message Center to register your student. If you need support logging in to Campus Parent, speak with your school secretary.

Pleasant Hill Spelling Bee Winner Sreenidhi Gudavalli and Runner Up Elaine Hong!

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Congratulations To All Of Our Participants!

Palatine Library Winter Reading Challenge

Begins Monday, December 12 – Tuesday, January 31


We have another great way to keep students reading and engaged through winter break! Encourage your students to participate and help us reach our goal. When we all read 8,000 books, the Northwest Special Recreation Association gets a grand donation of $1,500 from our sponsors.


Kids that finish get a star shaped stress ball for completing the program! While supplies last. Prizes funded by the Friends of Palatine Library.


Finishers are entered in a drawing for a chance to win an amazing prize basket filled with gift cards generously donated by participating businesses.

Reading Requirement

Birth - Grade 2 : 15 Books

Grades 3 - 6: 5 Books

Grades 7 - 12: 2 Books

Adults: 2 Books


Full program details here.


Watch this short video and share with your chld.

Track and Field and Soccer Special Olympics

Track and Field and Soccer Special Olympics will be here before we know it! If your child has an Intellectual Disability and is over the age of 8 and interested in either sport or both, please fill out the registration links below. Soccer practices will be on Thursdays and Track and Field will be on Tuesday's from 5-6, locations TBD.


CCSD 15 Track and Field Registration Form 2023 https://forms.gle/42KnK9vuWugVQhYB6


CCSD 15 Soccer Registration Form 2023 https://forms.gle/K4HiK3hwXtGozPvV7


Once registered, you will receive an email with follow up information and forms that will need to be filled out by your child's doctor per Special Olympics. If you have any questions, please reach out to Crystal Miguel, Student Services Coordinator, miguelc@ccsd15.net.

Making Wish Trees In The Library!

Cold Weather Recess Guidelines

It is that time of the year! The weather is now officially turning colder so please have students prepared. Hats, gloves, coats, snowpants and boots are recommended. The district guidelines are below.



Cold weather: Indoor recess is determined based on the following guidelines:

  • If the temperature outside, together with the wind chill, is below 0°F, all students will remain inside for the entire lunch hour.
  • If the temperature outside, together with the wind chill, is between 0°-10°F, the preferred procedure is a rotation of 20 minutes for lunch, a 20-minute outdoor recess, and a 20-minute indoor recess. However, at the principal's discretion, students may be kept inside for the entire lunch hour.
  • If the temperature outside, together with the wind chill, is above 10°F, students will have regular outdoor recess.

PH Library Bookmark Contest Winners!

PBIS AT PLEASANT HILL!!

We have set our January PAW goal for 1200! We can do it!


Thank you for all your support in continueing to express the importance of being Respectful, Responsible and Safe.


Keep up the great work PH!!


If you have any questions regarding our PBIS system please do not hesitate to reach out to your students' teacher.

Illustrative Math December Unit Task

Thank you to the families who submitted their unit two Illustrative math family tasks during the month of November! We enjoyed seeing your child use math outside of the classroom.


Illustrative Math provides students and families with an opportunity to take their learning from the classroom and apply it to an authentic situation. Below you will find a unit task for the month of December as well as a companion support video that explains what each grade level is learning in class. Follow the steps below to complete the optional unit task for the month of December.


1. Find your child’s grade level below and click the link to access your unit task.

2. Read through the “Try It At Home” section and complete the task.

3. Send your family’s math work to your child’s teacher in the form of a written paper, photo story, or a video of your child demonstrating and explaining their thinking.


December Support Videos & Unit Tasks


Kindergarten

Unit Task Support Video


1st Grade

Unit Task Support Video


2nd Grade

Unit Task Support Video


3rd Grade

Unit Task Support Video


4th Grade

Unit Task Support Video


5th Grade

Unit Task Support Video


6th Grade

Unit Task


Accelerated 7th/Pre Algebra

Unit Task

PTA NEWS AND EVENT REMINDERS ***PLEASE READ BELOW***

Message From Our PTA Presidents!

We can’t believe this is the last newsletter before winter break. We are excited to keep everyone updated on PTA happenings to carry you through the end of the year.


We had a great turnout at our last PTA meeting. A big thank you to all of those who were in attendance. Your participation means the world to us!


Our Gingerbread House Contest was a huge success! We really enjoyed seeing so much creativity. PTA members have access to the link for voting; if you did not see it in your inbox make sure to check your SPAM folder. The top two winners from each division will win a prize.


Rec Nights are coming back and will be organized by grade. It is a wonderful way for students to bond with their parents or guardians. With outdoor activities taking a back seat during the winter, this event will be much needed. Keep on the lookout for a save-the-date coming soon!


We are thankful for our Reflections coordinator who made a video of the entries from Pleasant Hill Elementary. Come see our artist’s work showcased at Carl Sandburg JHS on January 30th at 6:30 PM.


Chess Club made a positive impact for our PTA and the donations received for that program will help us continue to plan for future events. Students participating in Chess Club are engaged, gain strategy skills, and have an opportunity to join a chess tournament. These weekly sessions allow students to experience a sense of competition in a respectful way. We are grateful to Chess Without Borders for bringing Chess Club to our school.


Our Gift Card program earned $559.79. We are grateful for our coordinator and all the room parents who were able to make this happen. Without all of your efforts, we would not have this added benefit. There will be another gift card drive in the spring, so start planning ahead for who you will need to buy for this summer.


We wish everyone a happy and safe winter break! Don’t forget to vote for your favorite gingerbread house!


Best regards,

Julie Boldt and Rick France


PTA President and President Elect

Rec Nights Are Back!!

We are excited to bring back Rec Night - an evening event where students and their adult guardian participate in some fun activities & healthy competition. The events will be scheduled by grade level, look for dates to come for this January/February. If you have a HS student in need of volunteer hours or want to volunteer yourself Please email Faith.Gleeson@comcast.net.

The Talent Show Is Coming Back To PH!!! We Need Volunteers To Help!

The Talent Show is coming back! We will have dates and instructions for entry after winter break. If you have a student who is in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade who may have an interest in showcasing their talents, you can begin brainstorming ideas.


We are looking for volunteers to support this program. If you are interested, please email our committee at talentshow@phpta.com.

PTA Sponsoring Coke Rewards!

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PH PTA on Amazon Smile

Pleasant Hill PTA is on Amazon Smile. Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase to our PTA.

Sign up in four easy steps:

  1. Go to smile.amazon.com
  2. Find “Account & Lists” settings, under “Your Account” click on “AmazonSmile”
  3. Search for “Pleasant Hill PTA Inc”
  4. Select our school and start shopping

Schoolwide Information Below

School Safety New Procedure! Please Read

Keeping our schools safe and secure is a top priority for District 15. We regularly review our procedures and protocols, and make improvements when necessary. To that end, we are writing to share an update from previous procedures. Effective immediately, when visitors ring the doorbell at a school, the office staff will ask the visitor their name and the purpose of their visit. If the visitor is a parent or guardian that is just dropping off a forgotten lunch or homework assignment, etc. they will be asked to leave it on the "drop off" table in the vestibule.


Please remember to label the items you drop off with your child’s name and grade level/teacher to ease the delivery of the items.


When parents/guardians or visitors are at the school for a meeting or to volunteer, they will be required to provide a driver's license or state ID which will be used to produce a visitor badge for the individual to wear on a red visitor lanyard while they are in the building. The office will keep the license/state ID and return it to the individual when the visitor badge is returned as they leave the building. This will ensure all staff can visually see that only individuals cleared through their office are in our schools.


When a parent/guardian comes in to pick up a student early from school, they will be asked to produce a state ID for verification.


We appreciate your support and understanding as we work together to keep our schools safe places for our staff, students, and visitors.


Your partner in safety,

Claire Kowalczyk
Deputy Superintendent

School Safety Playground Sign Is Now Installed

School safety remains a top priority in District 15. To ensure our schools are as safe as they can be, an additional safety protocol has been put in place this year. A sign has been installed to our playgrounds notifying the community that the playground will be closed to the public during school hours. This will allow classrooms to go outside for PE or to learn outdoors without concern for who else is on school grounds.

Sick Day Guidelines

To help prevent the spread of illness, we would like to give you some guidelines to help with your decision on whether or not to send your child to school


We ask that you keep your child home if they:


  • Have a fever of 100.4F or higher
  • Have a sore throat with a fever
  • Have diarrhea (3 or more episodes in 24 hours)
  • Have abdominal cramps and/or vomiting
  • Have a rash or open and draining sores


If your child has recently been ill, please be aware of the following guidelines before having your child return:


  • Feel fit for at least 24 hours
  • Be fever free for 24 hours without medication
  • Be free of vomiting and/or diarrhea for at least 24 hours
  • For strep throat, they must be on appropriate medication for at least 24 hours
  • For conjunctivitis (pink eye), they must be on appropriate eye drops for at least 24 hours or cleared by physician
  • Rash illness should be assessed by a doctor


If chicken pox suspected, keep home for at least 5 days after the appearance of the rash or until the blisters have scabbed over


The single most important thing you can do to keep your child free of illness is to teach them the proper way to wash their hands. Also, be sure they are dressed weather appropriate. Please notify the nurse if your child has a communicable illness (strep throat, influenza, lice, COVID, etc.), or any health concerns that need to be monitored at school.


Mrs. Martin can be reached at 847-963-5902 or via email martins2@ccsd15.net

Student Entrances and Exits

Doors Will Open at 8:18 each morning.


Thank you for your support!


Grades 1&2 - Door #3 (located By The Bike Racks)


Grade 3/4- Door #10 (Back of the school, middle entrance)


Grade 5/6- Door #11 (Back of the school east entrance)


Kindergarten AM - Door #7 (Back of the school, top of the stairs)


Kindergarten PM - Front Entrance of The School


Students Riding The Bus Will Enter and Exit The Front Doors

PLEASE READ...STUDENT DROP OFF AND PICK-UP


-During the posted time on the sign by the back lot entrance. No left turn is allowed during drop-off heading north on Ceder.


-During the posted time on the sign located on the corner of Ceder and Michigan, no left turn is allowed heading south onto Cedar from Michigan.


-Drop off allows for one SINGLE file line in the circle drive in the morning. Please be patient as cars are stopping frequently to drop off students.


-Pick up allows for cars to park (not left unattended and running) along the curb. Double parking is not allowed.


-Students should not be crossing Cedar or Illinois to get to a vehicle without using he designated crosswalks. (A crossing guard is at Illinois and Birchwood, A crosswalk is at the corner of Michigan and Cedar)


-Students should ALWAYS exit a car on the passenger side while in the circle drive.


-If you are dropping off or picking up and decide to park in the parking lot, students must be escorted by an adult to the schools entrance. Students should not be going through the parking lot without an adult. This is extremely important.


It is important to remain patient and not be on any electronic devices to assure our students and your safety. Please think of the safety of all of our students and families during these times of the day.

Coming To The School During The School Day? Please Read

Throughout the school year, it is common to have parents, friends and visitors come to the school. Please know that the safety of our students is our number one priority. The following guidelines are in place for that reason. Please read...


* All visitors are requiered to produce a valid ID that will be scanned through our RAPTOR system. If you do not have a valid ID you will not be allowed in the building


*All visitors must enter through the front entrance of the school and check in at the front office and will recieve a colored lanyard that must be worn during the entire stay


*Meetings with teachers are by appointment only and must be scheduled with the teacher


*Only individuals who are listed in Infinite Campus under emergency contacts will be allowed to pick up a student. We will not release students to individuals who are not in our system as an emergency contact.


*Please do not park along the front of the school in the fire lane as this restricts access for emergency vehicles as well as school buses from entering properly.


*During drop off and dismissal in the front parking lot is not to be used. This is only for school buses.

Infinite Campus Parent Portal

Infinite Campus' Campus Parent is designed to provide parents real-time access to student information. The easy-to-use design displays what is currently happening in the classroom so you can understand, monitor, and participate in your child’s educational experience.


This portal also provides parents access to check for teacher placement and student schedules once their student is registered. District 15 has also used IC to gather parent survey responses. Make sure you have your account set up for the new school year! To learn how to set up your account, watch tutorials, or access a help center, please visit our website.

Mobile App

The District 15 mobile app is available on the App Store and Google Play! To download the free app, search for "CCSD15."

This communication tool allows parents and students to quick access to important school and district information, including Campus Parent, the D15 Bullying Tip Line, a quick link to MyStop (bus stop location and pick-up times), lunch menus, schedules, parent/student handbook, directory information, school news, and more.

  • To see integrated student information on the app, click the "student information" button and log-in using your email address and your Campus Parent password. If you are unsure of your password, please visit Infinite Campus and click "forgot password." If you are still having trouble, please contact your school's main office for assistance.

  • To make sure you aren’t missing any notices, make sure you turn notifications ON for the mobile app.

Dr. David Morris Ed.D

Pleasant Hill Elementary School Principal