Cardinal Corner
January 16- 31, 2023
January 16: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — No School; SMS Ski Trip to Alpine Valley
January 17: Wrestling Meet @ Emerson
January 18: Girls Volleyball @ Barrington Prairie
January 19: Girls Volleyball @ Thomas; Boys BasketBall vs Barrington Prairie
January 20: End of 2nd Quarter; Student Recognition Assembly
January 24: District Spelling Bee (South LMC ) 3:15-4pm; Wrestling Meet @ Aptakisic; Girls Volleyball @ Plum Grove 8/7; District School Board Meeting, 7pm
January 25: Girls Volleyball vs Barrington Station
January 26: PTA Meeting, 6:30pm, Via Zoom
January 27: Progress Reports Emailed Home
January 28: Jazz Jamboree @ Thomas Middle School
February 16-17: Parent-Teacher Conferences
Dear South School Families:
Happy New Year! We hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season. Thank you to all of the families who dropped off treats for our staff, as well as stocking the teachers lounge prior to the holiday break. We truly appreciate your support and thoughtfulness.
During days when we are experiencing colder temperatures outside, we have an increase in parents driving their child(ren) to school in the morning. We have held attendance on specific days when students were arriving late due to this increase. Please make sure you allow an extra 5-10 minutes of travel time on extremely cold days to reduce the long lines of traffic. This should enable your child to arrive on time. Students need to be in Homebase by 7:50am to be on time.
Our administrative team has realized that some of the parents' emails have been going into our SPAM folders and not being received. Please do not hit 'reply' to our newsletter or School Messenger, as those emails are automated and will not be sent to us. If you need to communicate with us you will need to create a separate email. You can reach Ms. Sheri Rosen, Assistant Principal through srosen@sd25.org, Dr. Steve Perkins at: sperkins@sd25.org, and me at: jmorrison@sd25.org.
Have a great week!
Dr. Jim Morrison
Principal
Ms. Sheri Rosen
Associate Principal
Dr. Steve Perkins
Associate Principal
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
A federal holiday that observes the birthday of the Civil Rights leader, minister and winner of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. His actual birthday is January 15, celebrated on third Monday in January each year.
Lunar New Year: January 22, 2023
Lunar New Year is the beginning of a calendar year based on moon cycles. Also known as Chinese Chunjie, Vietnamese Tet, Korean Solnal, Tibetan Losar, or Spring Festival. Typically celebrated in Asian countries, it begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later.
Dates change year to year.
Daily Attendance Information
Daily attendance is expected and essential to school success. Please work with us to ensure that your child is attending school each day. If support is needed in this area, please reach out to us.
- ABSENCE REPORTING: The SMS attendance reporting options are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If your child is sick or unable to attend school, the parent/guardian MUST report this to the SMS office by filling out the Online Attendance Form OR calling the office at (847) 506-6999 x7300 by 8am at the latest, on the day of the absences. Please be sure to report your child's absence so that we can account for all students each day. Advanced notification of absences is greatly appreciated.
- ARRIVAL TIME: Students should arrive at school between 7:30-7:40am, so that they can stop at their locker and be seated in their homeroom class by 7:50am.
- LATE ARRIVAL/TARDIES: Students arriving late to school are unexcused unless a parent or guardian calls to report the reason for the late arrival. Oversleeping and traffic are not considered excused tardies. Students must sign in at the office upon late arrival at school.
- EARLY DISMISSAL: If your child has a doctor's appointment and needs to leave school before dismissal at 2:45pm, please be sure to report this to the SMS office by filling out the Online Attendance Form OR calling the office at (847) 398-4250. Students must sign out in the office before leaving school early.
Students who are absent from class are encouraged to check Schoology for assignment information. In addition, it may be helpful for students who are absent to attend Office Hours for a few days upon returning to school.
RULER
The start of a new year is a great time to reflect on our well-being, not only our physical well-being but also our mental and emotional well-being. We do our best at South to promote the academic growth of students. With daily PE classes, along with going up and down stairs to our three floors, students enjoy physical growth as well. We promote social and emotional well-being through our RULER curriculum and for January and February we are in full swing!
Each grade level has completed their Charter and they are posted in the hallways on each floor as well as in almost every classroom. As you look at the three Charters, I hope you notice the beautiful overlap in feeling words. It is obvious that regardless of age and grade level, students universally want to feel SAFE, ACCEPTED (or VALUED) & RESPECTED.
In January and February, RULER lessons will focus mostly on regulating emotions. Students will spend time reflecting on their “Best Self” and how using regulation strategies can help them handle tough emotions in a positive way. Being able to PAUSE in a situation, see your “Best Self” and then choose a regulation tool are all steps of the Meta-Moment. More on that in next month’s Cardinal Corner!
In the meantime, check out the South homepage for more on RULER. There are two quick-links on the main page. Finally, if you are looking at those Charters above and interested in taking SEL a step further, check out this link for instructions on how to write a Home Charter. District 25 staff who have done this with their own families have found it to be a powerful and positive tool for stronger family understanding and connection.
End of Second Quarter
The Second Quarter ends on January 20, 2023. Report Cards will be emailed home on January 28, 2022. Please work with your child and your child’s teachers to ensure everything is turned in for this grading period.
Elyssa's Misson
Elyssa's Misson is a community-based organization in honor of Elyssa, a Chicagoland girl who bravely battled post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. This organization provides hands-on support to educate students, staff, parents and guardians, on how to identify and assist at-risk teens.
This Spring, South and Thomas will be providing large-scale mental health screenings using and evidence-based SOS Signs of Suicide Program. South will begin with educating and screening our 7th grade students on Wednesday, February 22nd.
Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences: February 16th & 17th
Format for Parent-Teacher Conferences
District 25 has set aside February 16th & 17th as our spring parent-teacher conference days. The format for spring conferences is different from fall, as we will be offering less time slots for parents for individual conferences.
Time Frame
- Thursday, 8:30am-12pm: Open Parent Individual Signup — Using PTC Wizard
- Thursday, 1-7:45pm: Team Invited ONLY Conferences
- Friday, 8:30-11:45am: Team Invited ONLY Conferences
If your child’s team is recommending a conference, it does not necessarily mean there is a concern. Mainly, it signifies that the team feels this is a good time to check in with you and your child. For all conferences, we want students to be present, so please plan for your child to join you at the conference. Team Leaders will reach out to families for team-invited conferences if they feel a need to meet and discuss your child's progress.
As always we encourage parents to check PowerSchool, and communicate with your child's teachers at any time to discuss their academic progress.
More detailed information will be sent out in the next few weeks regarding parent-teacher conferences.
Eighth Grade Important Dates
Graduation - June 1, 2023
Graduation will be at Rolling Meadows High School on Thursday, June 1, 2023. Our goal is to have an outdoor ceremony in the football stadium, weather permitting. We are going to monitor the weather that week to determine if we will have an indoor or outdoor ceremony.
Additional Important Dates
- January 20, 2023: Graduation Gowns sent home with students.
- February 14, 2023: Graduation Pictures (Please see the flyer below for further details. This flyer will be sent home with eighth-grade students.)
- May 30, 2023: Eighth Grade Great America Field Trip
- May 31, 2023: PTA Sponsored Eighth Grade Picnic, 12:30-2:45pm
SMS Ski Club Information - Ski Trip January 16th
Date: January 16, 2023
Time: 7:45am -5pm
Location: Alpine Valley, Wisconsin
Transportation: School Bus
If your child is attending the ski trip on Monday, please sign up for the Remind App on your cell phone for updated information about the trip Remind Class Code - 2223skic.
In addition, Schoology messages were sent out to all students with important information regarding the trip. Please review this information with your child. We are looking forward to a fun and SAFE trip to Alpine!
STEM ASSEMBLY - CRIME SCENE SCIENCE
ABC/25 Foundation invites you to a hands-on forensic science STEM assembly, CRIME SCENE SCIENCE, presented by MobileEd!
Date: Monday, January 16, 2023 (non-attendance day)
Time: Four, 45-minute sessions available, sessions start at 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, and 5pm
Sign up: abc25.org/crimescene
Location: Ivy Hill Elementary School 2211 N Burke Dr, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Cost: Free for ABC/25 household member students! $10 per participant for non-members.
Details: Solve a mystery with science in Crime Scene Science!
Save the Date: ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge
The ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge will be held on April 15, 2023! Save the date and follow The ABC/25 Foundation on Facebook or Twitter for more information and updates!
Teacher Appreciation Feedback Wanted!
South teachers and staff work so hard to support our students' learning and well-being. You are invited to fill out the form below if you would like to recognize a staff member or team for their positive efforts. We will be sure to pass along the good news. Thank you in advance for sharing your encouraging words.
Recognizing South Graduates
We are looking to honor South graduates who have made significant accomplishments/achievements by displaying them on a TV monitor that is located in our school entrance. We are asking you to please complete this form and provide us with a picture of the graduate.
Free COVID-19 Testing Kits
Free COVID-19 testing kits are now available at South Middle School. If you would like one or more for your family, please come by South Middle School and simply request them with our front office staff!
PTA Meeting
Please join us at the next virtual PTA Meeting, January 26, 2023 at 6:30pm.
Join with Google Meet meet.google.com/xcm-ouho-hzo
Join by phone
(US) +1 330-975-0195
PIN: 212829862
Add it to your calendar here: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&tmeid=NXQzbjVxaW1kZ2lsMDVmb3J2OWZtNDJoa3Qgc21zLnB0YS5wcmVzaWRlbnRzQG0&tmsrc=sms.pta.presidents%40gmail.com
Office Information
The SMS Office is open Monday-Friday, 7am-3pm.
Address: 400 South Highland Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Twitter: @AHSD25South
Main Line: (847) 398-4250
Absence Line: (847) 506-6999 x7300
Fax line: (847) 394-6260