The Hawk
Holmes Elementary School - Week Ending 9/24/21
IMPORTANT DATES/THINGS TO REMEMBER
- School Picture Day - 9/27
- Virtual School-Wide Assembly - Hispanic Heritage Month 9/29
- DePaul Presents - “Mindfulness-Based Strategies and their Applications at Home and School - 9/30 - 6:00pm
UpComing Student Lead Assembly - We Need You!
Check out the video from our assembly leader to learn more about what we are looking for.
Hispanic Heritage Month Resources
International Walk to School Day - October 6th
Students from Holmes School will celebrate International Walk to School Day on October 6th. Oak Park will join children and adults from all over the globe celebrating the fun and healthy tradition of walking and biking to school. Here are some ways to participate:
- Help your children enjoy Walk to School Day even more by walking with them yourself!
- Organize a “walking school bus” or "biking train" by picking up children, who know you, on the way to school.
- Make special arrangements to join the walking school bus or biking train, even if your child normally rides the bus.
By encouraging walking to school on October 6th and every day, we support an easy, healthy, and fun way for children to travel to school.
SEL Corner
We’re well into teaching our social-emotional learning curriculum, Second Step! Our Kindergarten and 1st-grade students are continuing to focus on important foundational skills to help them learn. This past week they learned to apply their self-talk to stay focused despite distractions. Ask your student to show you their attentoscopes, another cool strategy they learned to help keep their attention on what’s important!
Our 2nd graders learned the importance of using an assertive voice instead of a passive or aggressive voice to get their needs met. They practiced how to express needing help.
Our 3rd graders learned how to make a plan when they forget something or need help at school. They practiced making a simple, doable, and organized plan.
Our 4th graders learned about respecting differences and our 5th graders learned about predicting feelings. Both are important skills for getting along with one another! Here are our home links for the skills they learned this week so you can make connections at home. Not every grade level has a home link each week:
Kindergarten: Self Talk for Staying on Task
First Grade: Self Talk for Learning
Fourth Grade: Respecting Similarities and Differences
Fifth Grade: Predicting Feelings
DePaul Partnership
This school year Holmes School is continuing its partnership with DePaul University. Dr. Orson Morrison and our school PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports team) will be supporting the coordination of various groups to tackle anxiety, depression, and executive functioning that will be led by DePaul clinician Luxury Bryant.
We’re also welcoming Tetyana Krutsik to our team who will be supporting families by connecting them with various resources in the Oak Park community through her care coordination role. Please check out this link if you believe your child or family would benefit from these supports.
You are also invited to join us for the first DePaul community talk for the school year on Thursday, September 30th at 6 pm on Zoom. The topic will be “Mindfulness-Based Strategies and their Applications at Home and School”. Please click on this link to find out more and register!
Parent Referral Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6cggi4kyaAl7ftBqPs-_YtU60i4c2qSiuuQPMa0litN2CIw/viewform?usp=sf_link
DePaul Talk Link
To learn more about Ms. Bryant and Ms. Krutsik, click here
2021-22 Frequently Asked Questions
District 97 has created a 2021-22 FAQ page based on the top questions we have received over the past few weeks. Topics include ventilation, remote learning, vaccination and travel.
Our back-to-school plan is linked below and can also be found, along with other COVID-19 resources and information, by going to https://www.op97.org/back-to-school.
District 97 Now Hiring!
Certified Nursing Assistants
District 97 is seeking part-time certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to support the nursing staff in our schools. Applicants must have completed or graduated from an Illinois-approved accredited school of nursing, college, or CNA/Patient Care Tech program, and hold a current CNA or Patient Care Tech certification in Illinois. CLICK HERE to apply!
Permanent Substitutes
District 97 has immediate openings for permanent substitute teachers. If you know anyone who is looking to work with children, earn competitive pay and give back to the community, please encourage them to apply today at: https://www.op97.org/hr/employment.
Lunch/Recess Supervisors
To support our students and staff during the school day, we are still seeking more parents and community members to serve as lunchroom/recess supervisors during the 2021-22 school year. It's easy to apply, and your time would have a direct impact on our schools. CLICK HERE to apply!
Free/Reduced Meal Application
Although students will receive free meals, parents/guardians will need to submit the 2021-22 Free and Reduced Meal Application and be approved in order to be considered for a school fee waiver and other state programs. We encourage all families who currently qualify to take a few minutes to complete the application as soon as possible. Please visit https://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service for more information.
Celebrate Holmes Staff
Families, have you noticed a Holmes teacher or staff member who deserves a compliment or a thank you? Has this person made a difference for your child? Please share the reason in a brief email to me (czelaya@op97.org) so that we may recognize and thank them!
Community Hawk Nest
Interested in being a classroom parent?
The new school year is in full swing and our teachers are giving their all! Help them out remotely with a small amount of your time assisting in communication that will have a big impact.
Volunteer to be a classroom parent here https://tinyurl.com/y42dfuft
*Please note-classroom parents will provide virtual support and will not be in the classrooms
Inviting Hispanic Families to Contribute to Morning Announcements
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15th - Oct 15th), we would love to include facts about Hispanic people/countries/artifacts in our morning announcements. We feel the facts would best honor the month if they came from Holmes’ Hispanic community. Please fill out this form if you would like to contribute: Hispanic Heritage Month
Dr. Christine Zelaya
Email: czelaya@op97.org
Website: http://www.op97.org/holmes/
Location: 508 N Kenilworth Ave, Oak Park, IL, United States
Phone: 708-524-3100
Facebook: facebook.com/christine.zelaya.96
Twitter: @ChristineZelaya
Contact your PTO
Email: pto@holmespto.org
Website: https://www.holmespto.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HolmesPTO/
Twitter: @HolmesPTO