Hawk Talk

Colonial Day is a one-day, hands-on, engaging opportunity for the Half Day School fifth–graders, put on by the D103 PTO, where students learn about the Early American colonies, their people, and contributions that were made to society.

Colonial Day has been part of the fifth–grade curriculum for over 25 years. There have been many changes over time, but the objectives remain the same - for students to investigate how the cultural and environmental characteristics of places within the United States change over time. And, for students to describe how humans have utilized natural resources in the United States.

As part of the day-long activities at the Lincolnshire school, the nearly 200 students played games from that time period, hand-dipped wax to make candles, quilling, decoupage, silhouettes, pen and ink, and tin punch.

“Our hope is to help the students understand the struggles and difficulties faced by the colonists who built our country,” said Carrie Dwyer, one of the fifth–grade teachers. “The activities are designed to help the students see that the colonists faced many challenges in their daily lives.”

She added, “These activities help students realize all of the tasks required for self-sufficient farms to prosper. For example, students eat butter all of the time, but actually making it helps them to realize how much effort is required to create a staple of our world.”

Visit the school's Facebook page or the Google Doc folder to see pictures of the activities.

Archit Killedar, fifth-grade, and Nisha Salian, eighth-grade, will move on to compete at the regional spelling bee competition. Archit placed first in the D103 spelling bee last weekend and Nisha was named runner-up. Close to 25 students in grades 4-8 competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. They will now compete against other schools virtually at the Lake County Regional Spelling Bee Wednesday, Feb. 16.

For pictures of students participating in the event, please visit the school's Facebook page or Google Doc folder.

Thank you to all the families who helped the Half Day Student Council fill the Vernon Township food pantry. Students collected many canned and boxed items as well as household supplies.

Congratulations to the winners of the Half Day yearbook art contest. The artwork of fifth-grader Emma Lu was selected for the cover; the artwork of third-grader Shreya Bhave was selected for the back cover, and the artwork of fifth-grader Sarah Hu was selected for the title page. Congratulations to everyone who participated. To view the students' artwork please visit the school's Facebook page or Google Doc folder.

Registration is open for the spring Girls on the Run (GOTR) team for third- through fifth-grade girls.

GOTR is a non-profit, national program that inspires girls to be healthy and confident by using a fun, experienced-based curriculum, which creatively integrates running. The lessons encourage positive emotional, social, mental and physical development.

• Sessions will be held 3:40 to 5:00 p.m. Mondays and 7:30 to 8:40 a.m. Fridays
• Practices will be held both indoors and outside as weather permits
• The season will begin on Monday, April 4, and it will conclude on Friday May 28
• All current state and local COVID safety protocols will be communicated before the start of season and strictly followed
• Cost of the program varies based on household income. Please see the GOTR registration page for the fee structure. The registration fee includes a t-shirt, water bottle, journal and participation medal.
  
• There are limited GOTR spots. They will be allocated on a first come, first served basis through the registration process. Be sure to choose Half Day School as the site.

Please feel free to contact the program coordinators, Cat O’Keefe at seaglass13@gmail.com, or Jen Friedman at azjenf@gmail.com, with any questions.

We are also looking for volunteer coaches – no experience necessary; just a desire to work with girls and have fun! Send questions to Jen or Cat, or go to the GOTR website.

The Board approved the school calendar for the 2022-2023 school year.

Please visit the Quest Food Services website for daily lunch menu entrees.

Parents, students, and teachers are invited to participate in giving feedback on school climate and learning conditions in District 103 through the state-administered, Illinois 5Essentials Survey.

This 20-minute survey is a great way for D103 parents to provide input into the five indicators from the survey that affect and predict school success:

• Effective Leaders

• Collaborative Teachers

• Involved Families

• Supportive Environments

• Ambitious Instruction

The news recently reported that O’Hare Labs is being investigated for delayed results for PCR testing. The delays are occurring at walk-up sites, not for large organizations such as corporations and schools. Our PCR testing company, Ravinia Health, has been utilizing O’Hare Labs to process our weekly PCR tests. We have seen effective turnaround times between 24-48 hours for results. However, Ravinia Health will cease its partnership with O’Hare Clinical Labs and transition to a different CLIA Certified Laboratory to ensure the 24-48 hour result timeline continues. There will be no interruption of service during this transition.

The next test kit your child brings home may be a different vial with a red liquid. This is due to a different supplier for the PCR tests and equally as effective at detecting COVID-19.

The next Board of Education meeting will occur at 7:00 p.m. Feb. 8. The notice and agenda can be found on the District 103 Board meeting website page. D103 board meetings will be held in-person and live-streamed each month on our YouTube Channel. Members of the community should attend the meeting at 111 Barclay Boulevard, Lincolnshire if they would like to make a public comment. The public can also contact the Board at board@d103.org.

Please join the PTO in its second annual Valentine's Day Treats fundraiser with Max and Benny's. Ten percent of sales will be donated back to D103 PTO while you get to enjoy delicious treats just in time for Valentine's Day. It's a win-win! Choose from a selection of cookies, brownies, pretzels and more. There's even a DIY cookie kit for the creator in all of us. Valentine's Day orders are due by 5:00 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4.

The D103 PTO is offering an online parent education webinar on "Practical Tools to Increase Connection with Your Child and Simplify Your Parenting" by Child Development Specialist and Parenting Expert Dr. Siggie Cohen. The virtual presentation is divided into two sessions for parents of children of different grade levels.

• Preschool through Third-Graders: 8 p.m. Wednesday, February 9 - Developing Emotional Regulation Skills; Register for and add this event to your calendar.
  

For questions or more information about PTO Parent Education events please reach out to Michelle Kowalski at kowmichelle@gmail.com.

The 2022 D103 PTO 5K is in jeopardy and we need your help!

The 5K event helps fund significant projects at our schools and is a much-loved springtime event in our community.

We are asking for your support to help us keep this event going. If you have previously attended and enjoyed the 5K, please consider volunteering for the core 5K committee (planning and organization).

5K Committee meetings are a fun way to participate in the PTO and give back to the schools.

And yes, you can volunteer to help out and still run at the event!

Please email 5k@d103pto.org if you are interested in helping out and we will reach out with more information.

• When: January 30, 3022, 8:00-am-1:00 pm
• Where: Fellowship Hall
• Who: Any eligible donor, non-members welcome!
• Why: for the first time ever, the American Red Cross has declared a "blood shortage crisis;" hospitals have been advised of critical shortages and have been asked to postpone elective surgeries
• How: Walk in, or even better, make an appointment by calling 877.258.4825 and using group code ORD0LS06, by visiting Vitalant portal.

HER Academy and Olive are partnering to bring you our third all-girl HERO Code Camp, expanded to include girl-identified and nonbinary students in grades 3 – 12. This event takes place Feb. 26-27. There is a $5 participation fee that will be waived upon request. Money will not be a barrier to participation for any student.

Choose one of six virtual classes.

• Class descriptions and event schedule
• Class Registration
  

Students who register by Feb 1 are guaranteed to get their swag bag before the event. Registration closes Feb. 18. Those who register after Feb. 1 may not receive their swag bag before the event.

• Half Day Calendar
• Archived newsletters

Principals

• Principal Jill Mau
• Assistant Principal Laura Delagrange