Owen Community News!
"We are 'OWL' about our community!"
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Let's Meet Our Owen Team!
Our Owen Team was so excited to welcome back our students this week! We had a terrific start to our school year with building community in our classrooms and learning school-wide and classroom expectations.
Each week during the beginning of our school year, I will highlight a team at Owen for you to meet our staff! We hope meeting our team will help you feel connected to our Owen community and learn more about each of us. As an Owen Team, we value our partnership with you in your child's education and we are honored to teach your child each day.
Communication to Families
With the start of the school year, you will now receive our weekly newsletter on Friday afternoons following student dismissal. If you have any questions with the information shared with you in our newsletter, please reach out to our office team!
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Thank you, Owen Families, for following our arrival and dismissal procedures to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families! Our arrival and dismissal process will continue to become more efficient as we learn the routines and procedures. Safety is a main priority at Owen, so we appreciate your continued support!
Owen Parent Safety (OPS) Watch Program
Our Owen Community understands the importance of ensuring our students and staff are safe at school. An Owen parent, Jim Pecoraro, has created an Owen Parent Safety Watch Program that volunteers their time in the morning to help monitor our school grounds during arrival.
If you are interested in learning more about the Owen Parent Safety Watch Program and how you can volunteer to support this program, please join the Owen Parent Safety Facebook Group by clicking on the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/owenparentsafety/.
Thank you, Mr. Pecoraro, for your organization of this support system to keep our students, staff, and families safe!
Kindergarten Volunteer Opportunity
Families with kindergarten students, please look for a separate email for an opportunity to sign-up to volunteer in our lunchroom the week of August 28th. Helping hands are always appreciated during our kindergarten lunch the first full week of school.
MyStop Bus Tracking App
To increase the safety of our students and improve communication about their location while riding district-provided transportation, District 204 has technology called MyStop and the app is available to all District 204 families at no cost and allows parents and guardians to see an estimated time of arrival (ETA) for the bus arriving at their child’s specific bus stop.
MyStop:
Allows parents/guardians and students to view the bus stop time, location, and projected arrival time. This feature is available during scheduled route times only.
Updates approximately every 5 seconds and adjusts the scheduled arrival time as the bus is traveling along its route.
Will show if the bus has already passed the assigned stop.
To learn how to access and use the MyStop Mobile App, view the
My Stop User Guide.
Click here for more information on MyStop.
Right At School Program
Owen is excited to host the "Right At School" program that provides families with before school and after school child care. Please review the flier for more information about the program as well as how to register your child.
Volunteering at Owen
Owen is excited to welcome our parents/guardians as volunteers in our school throughout the school year! If you are interested in volunteering at Owen this year, please complete the Indian Prairie School District 204 Volunteer Form that is attached to our newsletter. You may email the completed form to Debbie Jones (Health Assistant in the Owen Office) or drop off your completed form to the Owen office. Debbie's email address is the following:
deborah_jones@ipsd.org.
Recess and Lunch Supervisors
Owen is looking to hire Recess and Lunch Supervisors! Supervisor positions are a great opportunity to have flexible hours allowing parents to be with their children before and after school before coming to work! If you are interested in a supervisor role at Owen, please contact Michelle Hebenstreit or Heather Whisler at 815-428-7300.
Teaching Assistant Openings
Owen Elementary has Teaching Assistant positions available! For more information regarding becoming a Teaching Assistant, please reach out to Michelle Hebenstreit or Heather Whisler at 630-428-7300. You are also welcome to view the Teaching Assistant job description or apply for our opening by clicking on the following website:
https://www.ipsd.org/domain/97.
Crossing Guard (PM)
Owen Elementary is looking for a Crossing Guard for our afternoons! Please reach out to Michelle Hebenstreit or Heather Whisler at 630-428-7300 if you are interested in being a crossing guard Monday through Friday during our student dismissal.
Owen Spirit Wear
Let's celebrate Owen Elementary by wearing OWL spirit wear! The PTA has created a spirit wear order for staff, students, and families! To view Owen’s spirit wear and to place an order for spirit wear, please click on the following link:
OwenElementaryFall23.itemorder.com.
Orders for spirit wear are due September 6th, 2023. All orders will be delivered to the school the week of September 18th, 2023.
We are excited to show our school spirit at Owen!
Dining for Dollars - Smashburger
Smashburger is hosting an Owen "Dining for Dollars" on Tuesday, September 5th from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.! Stop by Smashburger for lunch or dinner; you can dine-in, pick-up, or order take-out. Smashburger will donate a percentage of money earned on this date back to our Owen PTA.
Smashburger is located at the following address:
2736 Showplace Drive
Naperville, IL
For more details about this event, please click on the following link:
https://grouprai.se/f257697.
Room Parents and Classroom Party Volunteers
Owen will host four classroom parties this school year:
- Fall Party on October 31, 2023
- Winter Party on December 22, 2023
- Friendship Day Party on February 14, 2024
- Curriculum Party (Dates will be set by each grade level team.)
If you are interested in being a Room Parent or volunteer for a classroom party, please contact your child's teacher or email the Owen PTA at
owenelementarypta@gmail.com.
Volunteer with the Owen PTA!
Our Owen PTA is seeking volunteers to help with the following events:
If interested in volunteering, please reach out a team member for more details:
- Karyn Eckman: 309-310-1882
- Kyle Bellazzini: 630-364-9774
- Jen Curran: 815-440-4101
For more volunteer options, please click on the following link: Volunteer. Thank you for your support for our upcoming events held at Owen; it is a terrific opportunity to be involved in our community!
Join Owen's PTA!
The Owen PTA is excited to share with our families that you may sign-up to join the Owen PTA for the 2023-24 school year! Please see the flier to find out all the PTA does to support our students and our amazing Owen teachers!
To become a member of the Owen PTA, click on the following link: https://owenpta.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true.
Thank you for joining and supporting our Owen PTA and community!
Stay Connected to Owen's PTA!
We invite our Owen families to stay connected to our PTA:
September 4, 2023
Labor Day
No School
September 5, 2023
SIP Day
No Student Attendance
September 12, 2023
Curriculum Night
Time is TBD
September 14, 2023
Donuts with Grownups
Event for PTA Members Only - Join the PTA!
8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
September 15, 2023
Fall Picture Day
September 22, 2023
Movie Night at Owen
6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
