March 2024 Banner Tracks
Banner. You belong here!
It's a great day to be a Bobcat!
It is so hard to believe that we are nearing the end of the third grading period, which is on Friday, March 8. We will also be celebrating our 5th graders' 1,000th day of school a week later on the 15th! I feel so blessed to have such supportive parents who work with their students to help them be the very best they can be. Our PTO is also so supportive in sponsoring activities for our students and families. Thank you for all that parents do to make the school experience one that is amazing at Banner!
~Mr. Fairchild
"YOU BELONG HERE!"
Yearbook Orders!
Yearbook orders are due March 15. An email link has been sent home for parents to order online. Yearbooks were NOT ordered at the beginning of the school year. Make sure to get your order in if you want one for your child! 😀
5 Essentials Survey
Parents - PLEASE take the time (5-10 minutes) to complete the 5Essentials Survey. We take a great deal of time going through the results as a school leadership team. We currently have 36% participation rate and are going for 40-50%. Thank you as we want your feedback! The survey window is open through March 29.
How do I take the survey?
CLICK HERE to take the 5Essentials Parent/Guardian Survey.
IAR Assessments - 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders
From March 11 through March 19, our 3rd - 5th graders will be taking the IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness). How our students score on these assessments determines our school's status through the state of Illinois. The results are also used when determining 5th grade awards. Students in grades 3 through 5 will be taking the following:
- TWO ELA (English Language Arts) assessments
- THREE Math assessments
Each classroom teacher will communicate with families when their classes will be testing. Please make every effort to not schedule any appointments during the testing times.
We want our students to give their very best efforts on these assessments. It gives our staff a good picture of how we are instructing our students. I ask that you encourage your child to do his/her best each day. In addition, there will be many problems and questions that they may not know the answers to, and that is OK!
Daylight Savings
Don't forget to turn your clock FORWARD on Sunday, March 10! Although we lose an hour of sleep, we will be seeing the sunshine longer in the evening!
Word of the Month
Spring Picture Day
Spring Pictures are scheduled for Tuesday, March 5. These are optional. Flyers went home last month.
Book Fair March 7!
Mark your calendars for our Scholastic Book Fair that will be held on Thursday, March 7 from 3:30 - 7:00 PM. It will be located in the gym!
Almost Home Kids Diaper/Wipe Drive
Thank you to our Banner Families for donating over 3,000 diapers and over 16 cases of diaper wipes! Way to go, Banner!!
PTO News
Upcoming PTO events:
- PTO READING Night - Friday, March 8 . More information coming soon.
- PTO meeting - Tuesday, March 19 at 6:30 PM via Google Meet (link will be emailed)
Days OFF coming up soon!
- Friday, March 22 - SIP Day - 11:15 AM dismissal
- March 25 - 29 - Spring Break
Birthday Treat Guidelines
Teachers recognize each child's birthday within the classroom, so treats from home for birthdays are not permitted. Thank you for understanding!
Snacks at school
Each classroom has a time built into their schedules where students may have a snack. Don't forget to send your child with some sort of snack. One that is healthy is preferred. We do have snacks for those who are unable to purchase on their own, but it is very limited and we tend to run out quickly. These snacks are typically reserved for those families who cannot consistently afford them.
Visitors and Volunteers
In an effort to maintain the safest environment possible for our children, security measures have been implemented in all buildings throughout the district. All school doors, including the front entrance, will be locked during school hours. Visitors to the school will need to press the buzzer located to the right of the main entrance and wait to be let in by office staff (you will hear a "clicking" sound to signify the door is unlocked). A drop area will be located in the foyer outside the main office for items that need to be dropped off or picked up. Please call to alert office staff (309-243-7774) ahead of time if you have an item to drop off and be sure to clearly label the item with your child's name and their teacher. Upon entering the building, visitors will be asked to present a US government issued ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into our electronic sign in system. Once entry is approved, a badge will be issued that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of the visit. Upon exiting the school, visitors will be asked to give their visitors badge to the office staff when checking out. Meetings with teachers should be pre-arranged with the classroom teacher ahead of time. We hope our families understand and appreciate our efforts in maintaining a safe school environment.
School volunteers are important to the success of our school district. If you are interested in volunteering for our school and working with the students, please complete the volunteer approval process. This process involves completing the online application, being fingerprinted, and providing fingerprinting confirmation. While the process from start to finish does take some time, volunteers will only need to complete this process once.
Step 1: Complete the online application. After application completion, an email will be sent regarding the fingerprinting process. This email comes from Dunlap District office staff, not Banner office staff.
Step 2: Get fingerprinted. Follow instructions found in the previously mentioned email.
Step 3: Provide fingerprinting confirmation to either the Dunlap District office staff or the Banner office staff.
BIST parenting videos
For those of you who participated in the BIST parenting sessions, I hope you were able to get some "takeaways." If you missed any or all of the sessions, see below the recorded links:
Session 1, January 30, 2024
Session 2, February 6, 2024
Session 3, February 13, 2024
Emphasis On Attendance
As a district, we are making a concerted effort to increase attendance rates across all schools as well as encouraging students to arrive on time for the school day. These new processes were outlined at the beginning of the year but I want to share these with you again for awareness purposes.
- New this year, we will be sending letters to elementary families after 7 absences in a semester to help increase awareness of accumulated absences. These letters serve to simply make parents aware of the number of absences their child has accumulated.
- A phone call by an administrator or counselor may occur after 9 absences in a semester.
- A referral for support may be completed after 10 cumulative absences in a semester or 3 consecutive days of non-verified absences.
- Being on time to school is important. School begins at 7:39 a.m. each morning. A student is considered tardy any time they arrive to school after the start time. Tardy letters will be sent for 3 or more tardies per quarter.
In addition, I am including resources below regarding attendance-based research as well as district policies centered on attendance.
March at a glance
- Read Across America Day - Friday, March 1
- Spring Picture Day - Tuesday, March 5
- Scholastic Book Fair - Thursday, March 7 from 3:30 - 7:00 PM
- End of the 3rd Quarter - Friday, March 8
- PTO Reading Night (free event) - Friday, March 8 beginning at 6:00 PM
- I.A.R. Testing (3rd - 5th) begins the week of March 11
- Report Cards issued - Friday, March 15
- 1,000th Day of school for 5th graders - Friday, March 15
- 5th Grade Jet Toy Derby - Thursday, March 21
- School Board Meeting - Thursday, March 21 at 6:00 PM at DHS
- School Improvement Day (11:15 AM dismissal) - Friday, March 22
- Spring Break - March 25 - 29
- Students return from Spring Break - April 1