Mill Street Parent Newsletter
October 2021 Edition
Mill Street Continues to Excel!
Shield Testing
- Tuesday- Grades K and 2
- Wednesday- Grades 4 and 5
- Thursday- Grades 1 and 3
Please speak with your child about the testing procedure and their experience. We have utilized several staff to assist in the process along with the SHIELD testing personnel, to ensure that students understand the process and are performing the test within a safe environment. The process has been challenging to some students however, and if your child shows signs of distress or is uncomfortable with the process, you may opt your child out of testing at any time by contacting Monika Bicker, our school secretary, at mbicker@naperville203.org.
Safety Issue
R.I.S.E.
Removing barriers so students can succeed
Individualized support plans
Services on-site for students
Empowering families
Through this program we will be able to provide a variety of supports to empower families to access the resources necessary to meet their individual goals and to assist in removing barriers towards academic success for our students.
Supports may include resources to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, transportation and clothing, as well as access to medical and mental health professionals.
Our objectives in bringing these wraparound services to our community include
- Developing, implementing, and monitoring comprehensive service plans aligned to family goals and needs
- Building connections with community agencies to provide needed services to support the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our students
As the program gets underway in the coming weeks, more information will follow as to the process for connecting families to this new resource.
Playful Learning
In rising to the charge of our district leaders to #BeBold and innovative, Mill Street is working towards implementation of a Playful Learning Pilot Program. Our youngest learners will be provided opportunities to meet essential learning standards through purposeful play experiences throughout portions of their day. This move towards adding play experiences is grounded in research and is the culmination of two years of study by select members of our staff.
“Playful learning is a whole-child approach to education that incorporates guided play into existing structures. Guided play refers to play in a structured environment around a general curricular goal that is designed to stimulate children’ natural curiosity, exploration and play with learning oriented materials. In guided play, learning remains child-directed through exploration of well-designed and structured environments and through the support of adults who ask open-ended questions and gently guide the child’s exploration. Playful learning includes the premise that the teacher is intentional in planning and actively facilitating the play experiences, has identified learning goals and uses his or her skills to integrate them into child directed play. Teacher involvement in play is recognized as part of best practices.” (Saving PLAY-Gronlund, Rendon)
Due to the disrupted learning experiences of the past two school years, the majority of our youngest learners have missed opportunities to develop foundational skills related to executive functioning, collaboration, peer relationships, and social and academic skills, normally provided during in-person learning within a school setting. In bringing purposeful play experiences to our students, we hope to provide opportunities to address those gaps in an engaging and developmentally appropriate manner. More information will be forthcoming as the pilot unfolds and purposeful play becomes a consistent component of the school day. Purposeful play will not replace direct instruction, but will be utilized in combination with traditional teacher led learning experiences in order to provide a balanced approach to teaching and learning.
Book Fair Reminders
The Fall Scholastic Book Fair will be accessible to students on October 4th-6th. Students will shop at a designated time with their class. The Book Fair Schedule by class, can be found HERE.
During the Book Fair, students have the opportunity to practice the life skill of purchasing books. This opportunity is completely optional and a parent decision based on your child's level of responsibility and understanding. There is no obligation to send funds with students.
Students who bring cash to school must bring those funds in a marked envelope (student name, teacher name/grade). It is recommended that students bring no more than $20.00.
All students will have the opportunity to complete a wish list of desired books.
Parents may shop online to fulfill student wish lists at our school’s Virtual Book Fair.
All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25.
Please click on the link below to learn more about utilizing ewallet and our virtual sale which will remain open for purchases through October 14th. https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=millstreetnaperville
A Spooky Celebration!
- Costumes may not include any type of play weapons nor may they depict gore or violent content.
- Please do not send any costume props or accessories, make-up or hair coloring products.
- Students must be able to dress in their costumes independently or with minimal support.
- Costumes should be sent to school in a separate bag labeled with the student's name.
Only confirmed parent volunteers will have access to the building. A costume parade will not be included in this year's celebration. Please reach out to your child's classroom teacher if you would prefer that your child not participate in the classroom parties or if your child is in need of a costume. Classroom parties will take place at 1:45 on October 29th.
October Happenings At Mill Street
10/4-10/6 Fall Book Fair
10/5 Last Run Club of the Season
10/5 Bus Evacuation Drill
10/6 Outdoor Ed. Field Trip - Grade 5
10/7 No School Evening PT Conferences
10/8 No School Morning PT Conferences
10/10 Mayneland Farm Fall Fundraiser
10/12 Picture Retakes
10/13 3rd Grade On My Own Presentations
10/14 Student Council Meeting
10/14 In-Person Home and School evening meeting
10/21 Fire Drill w/Naperville Fire Dept.
10/25 Red Ribbon Week
10/28 Vision and Hearing Screening
10/28 Structured Learning field trip to Johanson's Pumpkin Farm
10/29 Trimester 1 Grading Window Opens
10/29 Halloween Class Parties
Reach Out!
Email: ssalness@naperville203.org
Website: naperville203.org/Domain/15
Location: 1300 North Mill Street, Naperville, IL, USA
Phone: 630 420-6354
Facebook: facebook.com/MillStreetPrincipalPage
Twitter: @ssalness