Harper Happenings
October 21-25th
What's Happening
Important Upcoming Dates-
Book Fair: October 21-23
Environmental Awareness Week: October 21-25
Harper Parent Social: November 1
PASS39 Parent Education Evening: Monday, October 21st. All Parents Welcome!
Topic: How to help your child navigate social conflict and bullying 7:00 - 8:30 PM (at MEC)
PTO General Meeting at Harper: Thursday, November 14 at 9am, in the school auditorium. District 39 Superintendent Kari Cremascoli will be our guest speaker. If you would like to submit a question ahead of time please email jreynolds028@gmail.com All questions welcome.
December 6th: Save The Date, Harper Movie Night, hosted by the PTO. Drop your child at school Friday, December 6, at 6pm. Support the school and take a little time to holiday shop. Registration will open mid-November.
Assistant Principal's Message
Hello Harper Parents/Guardians,
With the brisk change to the weather comes new moments of fun at Harper. I am sure you are all busy at home preparing your entry to our Learning Commons Book Pumpkin Decorating contest. My son and I did this for his school and our pumpkin of choice was “Harry Potter!” I look forward to seeing the entries as we prepare the LMC space for our Book Fair to occur the week of the 21st.
A big thank you to all of the students and staff who prepared an outstanding Down Syndrome Awareness assembly this week. How we treat each other defines who we are as a community, and the knowledge we gain through presentations like this help us all to be better citizens of Harper and Wilmette.
Have a great weekend!
Elena Ryan
Parent Planning Notes:
Next Wednesday, October 23, we are encouraging everyone to wear ORANGE to show our support for Unity Day. The meaning of Unity Day is: “Together against bullying. UNITED for kindness, acceptance and inclusion.” More information about Unity Day is HERE. As a school community, we are united together, encouraging all to be kind, and continuing to have age-appropriate conversations around these topics.
Fall Conferences Information: Sign-ups are coming soon! You can begin to sign-up on Monday, October 21. You will receive an email from District 39 today, Friday, October 18, with specific sign-up information. Conferences take place on Thursday, November 7 and Friday, November 8. There will also be time-slots for kindergarten on Wednesday, November 6. Please know that conferences cannot be scheduled outside of the D39 designated conference times.
Halloween Costume Information: This week, we wanted to share this powerful video that discusses the hurtful cultural appropriations that often happen during this season. We want to remind families to be sensitive to all cultures when picking out costumes. For reference, cultural appropriation is defined as the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another. We encourage you to share and discuss this video with your children as an opportunity to learn and grow this October.
Please remember that students are not allowed to bring weapons or wear a costume that "is in bad taste." Many popular characters are not appropriate developmentally for our students in school (such as the Joker, Momo, and It). Costumes need to be appropriate for school and not depict violence. We prefer no face masks that cover the entire face (we want to be able to see and identify children). Please have conversations with your children about what is appropriate.
If the weather is nice, we will have Halloween parades outside according to the schedule below. Parents are welcome to stay outside and watch the parade. Classroom teachers will be staying with classes as we walk along the sidewalks and the perimeter of our school property. If it rains, the outdoor parade will be canceled and we will bring the parade indoors for students and staff only.
AM Kindergarten Parade: Wednesday, 10/30 at 8:50am
PM Kindergarten Parade: Wednesday, 10/30 at 12:55pm
Grades 1-4 Parade: Thursday, 10/31 at 9:00am
School Fields During the Day: We do not want extra people walking through or around the fields during the day for safety reasons. Please, if walking near the school, try to stay away from the fields. Thank you for understanding and your support in this matter.
Harper Parent Social
The Parent Social is 2 WEEKS AWAY! Grab your friends, book your sitters and PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS! This years party will be held on the second floor of A. Perry Homes in downtown Wilmette- their cool and modern space features a roof top overlooking downtown Wilmette. $50 a ticket includes an open bar and apps. Have a song request- email us...parentsocial@harperpto.com. Link to purchase tickets: http://harperpto.com/category/events/parent-social/
Environmental Week!
The fourth week in October is Environmental Week at Harper with a variety of fun activities focusing on sharing knowledge from recycling to reducing.
Harper Environmental Week 2019 Activities - Summary
Monday, Oct 21: Recycling Sorting Quiz at recess: Test your knowledge of what goes where
Wednesday, Oct 23: Walk/Bike to School Day Meetups on designated routes start at 8:05 and 8:10. (SEE MAP) Native planting event with the Harper Garden Club and Greenwise Landscaping over Lunch.
Thursday, Oct 24: Break It Down Quiz at recess: How long does it take for an item to decompose?
Friday, Oct 25: National Park Registry: Who has been where and where do you want to go?
This week will kick off with a recycling sorting quiz at recess on Monday. We will also be tracking students’ favorite “green” books at the book fair, which starts Monday. BYO Bags! We are encouraging everyone to bring reusable bags for all of your book fair purchases.
Harper Environmental Week 2019 Activities - Details: On Wednesday, October 23rd we will have our Annual Walk/Bike to School event to reduce our carbon footprint. Please see the map for the chosen routes. We encourage escorts for all routes but need additional volunteers for the route#2 which starts near Mallinkrodt Park. Please reach out to environmental@harperpto.com, or Katherine Elliot to volunteer. On Wednesday, we are very excited to partner with the Harper Garden Club to host a native planting event during lunchtime. There will be information presentative about native plants and their importance within our ecosystem. On Thursday we will learn about how long it takes various items to decompose, emphasizing the value of waste reduction and reusing products.
And lastly, we will continue to encourage stewardship. We all need to take care of our land and be more respectful of what we leave behind. To that end, did you know that fourth graders and their families can visit national parks for FREE? Here’s how! https://everykidinapark.gov/
On Friday, we will catalog which parks students (grades 1-4) have already visited.
Questions? Suggestions? Please email environmental@harperpto.com. Thank you!
Walk/Bike to School Map for Wednesday, Oct 23, 2019
Announcements
- Diwali is an annual festival of lights celebrated by followers of Hindu, Sikh, and Jain faiths. This year it is taking place on October 27, and can take place over several days. If your family is celebrating Diwali, and your child is missing school for the celebration, please contact your child’s teacher or building administrator to help make accommodations so your child can fully celebrate the holiday with your family.
- Book Fair! Sign up to volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C44ADAA22AAFA7-2019
- Birthday Books- October and November Birthdays will be celebrated in the Library on Friday, October 25! Forgot to sign up for your child's August or September birthday? No problems - register at the link below and we will include them this month! Commemorate your child's birthday by donating a book to the Harper Library. The average cost of a new library book is $20 - after your payment has been received, your child will be able to select his / her book during Library time. A personalized bookplate placed inside the book will show everyone that your child has added this special book to the Harper library! Sign up here http://harperpto.com/birthday-books/
- Attention 4th Grade Parents!
Yearbook 4th Grade Cover Competition
The 4th-grade classes received information about this last week. If your child is interested, they need to also include "Harper School 2020" as part of their design. Additional templates can be found in the Yearbook PTO folder at the front office.
Please also submit a baby photo of your 4th grader for the yearbook. These can be emailed to yearbook@harperpto.com. Thank you to those who have already submitted one.
- FREE MONEY for Harper!!! Do you order from Amazon? Please read link to learn about Amazon Smile. If you make a small change to how you order, Harper PTO will receive 0.5% back from Amazon. Remember, only purchases at smile.amazon.com (NOT www.amazon.com or the mobile app) support charity. Be sure when you register your charity to search for Harper PTO. The Amazon Smile "App": You cannot use Amazon Smile with the Amazon App on the iPhone. However, the good news is that you can set up a shortcut to the Amazon Smile website which gives a near-identical experience to the app. It’s very quick and easy to do.
1. If you have the Amazon App installed you should remove it. To do this, tap and hold the app icon until it starts to jiggle. Tap the cross at the top left of the icon and confirm that you want to delete it. Don’t worry, this will not delete your Amazon account or any of your settings.
2. Now load Safari (the iPhone internet browser) and go to smile.amazon.com
3. Tap the ‘share’ button (looks like a square with an arrow pointing up) on the bottom of the screen.
4. Tap the ‘Add to Home Screen’ icon. You may need to swipe to the left to see this.
5. You will now have an Amazon Smile icon on your home screen which you can use in exactly the same way you used the Amazon App.
Remember to select Harper PTO for your Amazon Smile charity.
iGNITE
Donate now to iGNITE! and help your children have a fun-filled year of enrichment opportunities! The suggested donation of $125.00 per child (tax-deductible) enables iGNITE the opportunity to bring in speakers, scientists, and programs along with taking children on field trips. In addition, this pays for our amazing crossing guards that keep your kids safe and secure! We ask that you donate early so we can begin these programs at the beginning of the year! Thank you so much to those of you who have already donated to iGNITE! We are currently at 56% (236 students) participation. If you have not donated, it is not too late. There are 2 ways to donate:
1. Click on link: http://harperpto.com/ignite-donation/
2. Drop off a check in the iGNITE! Folder in the Harper Lobby. Please make the check payable to Harper PTO and include your child's name on the check.
If you have any questions or can’t remember if you made a donation, please reach out to Jill Huebsch. jillhuebsch@gmail.com
Community Service Corner
Try doing a 30 day kindness challenge with your family. https://www.doinggoodtogether.org/bhf/30daykindnesschallenge
The Kindness Connection at Northbrook Court is featuring a new recipient, in addition to our regular recipients.
All of October and November we are volunteering for GiGi's Playhouse TKC volunteers will make Math Kits for students at GiGi's Playhouse.
Join us for a fun event to celebrate this partnership. We will be making math kit projects with GiGi's Playhouse Kids Club members on Tuesday, October 22nd at 6:00pm. Everyone is welcome! Just come by and help us make this a special event for the kids.
Thanksgiving Volunteer event for Connections for the Homeless on Saturday, Nov 9
It’s a great way for the entire family to help together!
Link: https://connect2home.volunteerhub.com/lp/tg19?format=List&filter=All
Harper will also be collecting donations for a food drive benefiting Connections for the Homeless from November 4-15
Kindergarten: Cornbread/Bisquick
1st grade: Boxed Stuffing/Box Mashed Potatoes
2nd grade: Canned Vegetables
3rd grade: Gravy/Broth/Soup
4th grade: graham crackers/pie filling
Community News
LINK: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
Acts of Kindness Cabaret performs a benefit for Family Promise Chicago North Shore, a non-profit assisting local families in crisis homelessness situations, on Saturday, October 19th, 7:00 pm at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, 1140 Wilmette Ave.
Family Action Network (FAN) hosts Anthony Abraham Jack, Ph.D., “The Priveleged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students” on Wednesday, October 23rd at 7:00 pm at the Alice Millar Chapel, Northwestern University, 1870 Sheridan Rd., Evanston.
PEDAL POWER wants your used bicycles! Please donate bicycles at various locations on Saturday, November 2nd, 9:00 am - 12:00 noon. Bicycles are renovated and awarded to CPS honor roll students.
Rotary Club of Wilmette is hosting its annual BIG BOOK DRIVE October 1st - November 16th at all D39 schools. Please donate your gently used books.
Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
All announcements to be included in the Harper Happenings should be sent to Kelly Maggio via the Communication Request Form by Mondays at 9 am. If you do not receive an email response within 24hrs, please send an email to kwmaggio@gmail.com to confirm your Communication Request Form was received.
For more school information, visit the Harper PTO website.
For additional D39 community events, visit wilmette39.org