Franklin Falcon Flyer
April 2017
PARCC schedule - help your child be ready
Dear Parents/Guardians of 3rd - 5th Graders:
The PARCC Test, an assessment for all students in Illinois, will be administered in District 64 from April 10-21.
The best preparation for the PARCC has been the quality instruction our teachers have provided this school year. However, there are things you can also do to promote your child’s success:
Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before each day of testing.
Provide your child with words of encouragement. While we don’t want our students to feel anxious about any assessment, we do want them to do their best.
Please send earbuds/headphones to school by Wednesday, April 5. We will be using these for the English Language Arts test and Math test. These items will be kept at school and returned at the end of testing.
The PARCC is an online assessment and students will be using their Chromebooks to complete these tests. Please make sure your child brings his or her Chromebook to school each day, fully charged.
Below is our school’s schedule for test administration/times each day:
4th: 9:00
3rd: 9:45
5th: 9:15Monday, April 10: Math 1
Tuesday, April 11: Math 2
Wednesday, April 12: Math 3
Thursday, April 13: Math 4
Monday, April 17: ELA 1
Tuesday, April 18: ELA 2
Wednesday, April 19: ELA 3
If you would like to learn more about the PARCC tests, English Language Arts sample tests, Math sample tests, and additional resources are available for your convenience.
Thank you for your support in helping your child be prepared for upcoming testing.
Sincerely,
Dr. Claire Kowalczyk
20th Anniversary of Franklin Winning State and National Chess Championship
Twenty years ago, on March 2, 1997, Franklin Elementary won the Illinois State Elementary Chess Championship by the largest score up to that time. They went on to win the National Elementary Championship on April 27th, 1997 by the narrowest of margins, and edging out three top New York teams on their way to victory.
The Franklin Chess Team was featured in articles in the Chicago Tribune, and on TV at CNN. You can link to those articles and TV video at http://www.cavemanchess.com/Selected_History.htm -- several print articles are linked on the right-hand side of the page. (And don’t believe everything in the CNN video – we had many female chess players – but only one could make it when they came by to film.)
Mr. Robby Rasmussen, one of our Franklin teachers, was a key member of that team. The team had earlier finished 5th nationally in their first year of play in 1995, and 3rd nationally in 1996. The team later went on to win another National Championship in 7th grade, and again in 8th grade, for Emerson Middle School. During their time attending Park Ridge schools, they won 7 state championships and finished second 3 times, won 3 national championships, finishing second twice. Also during their time at Franklin, they once went on a streak of winning 23 consecutive regional tournaments. They were truly a great team.
To celebrate the anniversary of the championship Mr. Rasmussen played 16 of our current Chess Club students at the same time during our chess club. Mr. Rasmussen circulated the room and made a move on each board and moved on to the next student. We had kids from Kindergarten up to 5th grade play a game with him.
If you would like to read more about the story click here http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/park-ridge/news/ct-prh-franklin-chess-tl-0323-20170317-story.html
ELF Innovation Grants
Short video showcases ELF innovation grants that are helping our Franklin School students
Innovation grants from District 64's Elementary Learning Foundation (ELF) have a lasting impact here at Franklin and other District 64 schools. Enjoy this new, four-minute video narrated by District 64 principals, describing some of the improvements made for students, such as collaboration stations, social-emotional programming, stand-up desks, 21st century learning centers, broadcasting rooms, and more! Teachers are now applying to win funding for the coming school year. ELF's recent Casino Night benefit raised almost $30,000 to support innovative, imaginative and educational programs for our children across the District in 2017-18. Donate now to help increase the number of grants that ELF can announce this May!
Caught Being Healthy! April 3-7, 2017
Wellness Council is repeating a lunchtime activity for students during the above week titled: "Caught Being Healthy". This will be during Nutrition Week, part of Healthy Living month. We sponsored this activity the last 3 years and the students really like it.
On April 7th, there will be a raffle in each building to win a healthy-related prize.
YEARBOOK ORDERS DUE APRIL 17th
There are only 3 weeks left to order your Franklin yearbook. April 17 is the deadline for placing your orders and customizing the book. If you have not ordered one, please do so. We have only sold 169 copies so far and time is running out. We will only have a limited number of copies for sale in the office on the last week of school. Don't miss out!
If you have ordered a book already, don't forget to customize your 2 pages, or even add more at an additional cost to make your child's book extra special.
To order, go to:
Enter our school’s passcode: 101411067007226
Jump Rope For Heart
Our students did an outstanding job at raising money to donate to the American Heart Association and the millions of Americans they serve during our Jump Rope for Heart campaign. Franklin students donated $4,652.05!
Almost every family in America is touched by heart disease or stroke, and our school's contribution will significantly impact the fight against these devastating illnesses.
Badminton Unit in PE April 10 - 28
Class Placements for the 2017-18 School Year
Dear Parents:
Soon the staff and I will begin the process of student sectioning for the 2017-2018 school year. Students will be assigned to heterogeneous classroom groups. Our sectioning process includes input from classroom teachers, the support services team, special area teachers, and administration.
The classroom teachers have worked with the children throughout the year and understand each child’s educational needs. They are included in the sectioning process but I will have the final word on placement so please direct all of your questions/concerns to me. Collectively as a team, we consider and balance many factors including but not limited to:
Individual’s learning style Teacher’s teaching style
Student combinations Pupil services needs
Support service needs Class size
Social/Emotional needs Academic characteristics
Gender balance
Our placement process is a team effort that is completed with great care and consideration. We want all of our children to be successful, and we take this process very seriously. Factoring in the above multiple variables can often be a delicate balancing act for each classroom at each grade level. You may want to share information or specific needs that may help us in the sectioning process. This should be put in writing with reasons outlined and related to the balance factors listed above. Please submit your letter to the principal’s office by Monday, April 3, 2017. Do not send an email to the principal. A hard copy letter must be turned in to our office.
We ask that you do not make requests for placement into a specific classroom to be with friends or request a specific teacher for your child. Such requests will not be considered, as this opportunity cannot be made available to all children. Each child has unique characteristics and needs as a learner and as a developing child. The perfect match for your older child may not be such a good fit for your next one. We trust that you will rely on our professional judgment as we group the children with the idea of creating the best learning environment for everyone.
Best,
CHILDREN'S BOOK DRIVE APRIL 1 - 30th
Franklin School will be having a book drive during the month of April. We are partnering with Bernie’s Book Bank, which is an organization that collects quality children’s books from birth through 6th grade. Our goal is to collect 1,500 books!
Please help us reach our goal by donating new and gently used children’s books for children ages birth through sixth grade. The collection bins will be located in the hallway at the main entrance.
Examples of books they do NOT collect are:
- Text books
- Activity/Coloring books
- Video game guides
- Young Adult
- Adult
- Reference
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mrs.Pater at spater@d64.org.
Thank you for supporting our book drive!
The best place to start your child’s District 64 education….is right here in District 64.
Jefferson School is still accepting registration for 3 and 4 year olds for the 2017-18 school year. The District 64 preschool program welcomes children of all abilities, as the classrooms are designed to educate children with a variety of abilities, interests, and needs within a play based preschool environment. The teachers are highly qualified and certified through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) in early childhood, special education and teaching English Language Learners. In addition to the preschool teachers, the classrooms are supported by a speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and social worker. Therefore, a low student to teacher ratio (1:5) is maintained with class sizes as low as 15 students.
The curriculum, Creative Curriculum, is a research-based and developmentally appropriate curriculum that is aligned to the Illinois Early Learning and Development (IELDS) and Common Core Standards. The program focuses on the four domain areas of development: cognitive, language, physical, and social/emotional so students are well prepared for kindergarten in District 64. For additional information about the program visit the Jefferson website. If you would like a tour of the program contact the Jefferson principal, Lisa Halverson, at 847-318-4249.
Click here to complete the preschool application for the 2017-18 school year. On the District website go to Step 1 to complete the pre-enrollment form. After your residency documents are reviewed for accuracy and completeness you will be notified if your child has a spot or will be on the waitlist.
IMPORTANT Upcoming Dates
April 10 - April 17th - PARCC testing for grades 3 - 5
Mon. 4/17 Yearbook Orders are due
Fri. 4/21 PTA Roller Skating and gym Party - free admission and skate rental @ Central Community Center 1000 W. Central Rd. Mt. Prospect
Contact Us
Website: www.d64.org/fra
Location: 2401 Manor Lane, Park Ridge, IL, United States
Phone: (847) 318-4300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Franklin-Elementary-School-Park-Ridge-Niles-414168118713916/
Twitter: @franklinD64