Harper Happenings
5.18-22 2020
What's Happening
Important Upcoming Dates-
- Monday, May 25: No e-learning, Memorial Day
- Friday, June 5: Last day of instructional remote learning
- Tuesday, June 9: Reverse Parade/Supply Pick-up
Principal's Message
Hello Harper Families,
As we start coming to a close this school year, I am excited that our teachers are continuing to plan meaningful and fun culminating activities, just as if we were at Harper doing in-person instruction. The end of the school year is always bittersweet. It is hard to see a great year end but it is always rewarding to think about the growth the students have made. This year it is no different. As we start to wind down, even though we are in unique times, the end of the school year will still have final activities and we can still take a step back and see the growth students have made, both during the past couple months in remote learning as well as during the whole school year. During remote learning, it may be more challenging to see all the positives, but I have witnessed students' perseverance, effort, flexibility, and growth. Thank you to all the Dolphins! Thank you parents! And thank you teachers.
Have an excellent Memorial Day Weekend and enjoy your day off on Monday. Be well and stay healthy!
Aaron
Reverse Parade Information - June 9
Our plans to celebrate the 2019-2020 school year are certainly not what we had hoped for, but we have been working hard to find a way to safely say goodbye and wrap up another wonderful year. Please save the date for the reverse car parade and student materials pick-up on Tuesday, June 9th. HERE is the detailed information about the day (this also will be emailed to you in June with any other important reminders).
Our goal is to limit contact and provide a safety environment for all students, parents, and staff, but provide an opportunity for closure for everyone. On June 9, families can drive to Harper at an assigned time (to limit the number of people and cars at any given time) to pick up student materials. We will be asking you to stay in the car and we will bring your child’s bags of supplies to place in the trunk (locker materials, class materials, art projects, and more). Meanwhile, there will be Harper teachers lined up to wave goodbye to your child from a safe distance away!
Now, this is also your opportunity to have fun too... Let’s give our students and staff the celebration they all deserve. We will be encouraging you to decorate your cars, make signs, or paint your windows so feel free to start planning ahead. But of course, just simply arriving with a smile on your face to wave and cheer for an amazing year together is perfect too.
June 9 Schedule:
8:30 - 9:30 Kindergarten
8:30 Kozubal AM
8:45 Kozubal PM
9:00 Levinson AM
9:15 Levinson PM
10:00 - 11:00 First Grade
10:00 Ballard
10:15 Brown
10:30 McCann
10:45 Mor
11:30 - 12:30 Second Grade
11:30 Beien
11:45 Fowler
12:00 Moore
12:15 Peterson
1:00 - 2:00 Third Grade
1:00 Boeckman
1:15 Dix
1:30 Incandela
1:45 Lancaster
2:30 - 3:30 Fourth Grade
2:30 Kennedy
2:45 Kerber
3:00 Nerenberg
3:15 Sroka
Erin's Law Information from the Social Workers
Hello Families,
Each year, our school social workers provide child safety lessons within your student’s classroom. These lessons are in response to Erin’s Law, a state law requiring that all public schools implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program in grades PreK-12. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, social workers were unable to facilitate these lessons in classrooms. We wanted to provide families with resources to help facilitate conversations at home. Please review them to determine which resources are the best for your child/children and his/her developmental level.
It is never too soon to talk to your children about body safety, and it doesn’t have to be a scary conversation. Attached is an article that details 10 things that could help your child be less vulnerable to sexual abuse:
Resource link https://childmind.org/article/10-ways-to-teach-your-child-the-skills-to-prevent-sexual-abuse/
Protecting your child from sexual abuse may seem difficult and scary. But the more you know about how abusers manipulate children and their families and about how to talk with your children, the better chance you have of protecting them. This video introduces the problem of—and the solutions to—child sexual abuse.
Resource link Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ1X0pGAhCM
We understand that this can be a sensitive topic and encourage parents/guardians to preview these resources. Parents and guardians do have the right to opt their child/children out of the Erin’s Law presentations and therefore you would simply choose not to discuss the material with your child/children. The Erin’s Law materials will not be sent to our students directly from our staff.
When we talk with children about Erin’s Law in their classrooms, as social workers we emphasize that they have trusted adults in their lives, i.e. parents, teachers, principals etc. and children should report or tell a trusted adult if they have a safety problem, which includes being touched by an adult. Talking with your child about safe adults and encouraging them to report or tell if they feel uncomfortable is an important message in delivering these safety lessons. No one should be touching the parts of their bodies covered by a bathing suit unless it is to keep them healthy or clean.
Children learn more about safety and are more likely to follow safety rules when they have multiple opportunities to practice and talk about safety with their family. We have included expanded resources at the end of this letter.
We thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions about these resources or Erin’s Law, please feel free to contact your school social worker.
Stay healthy,
Your District 39 Elementary Social Workers
Harper
Erin Medsker medskere@wilmette39.org
Parent Planning Notes
District 39 Remote Learning Website: Informational resource HERE and it is constantly being updated including the end of the year calendar.
Device Information for the summer: Families of current Kindergarten through 7th grade students will have the option to keep the school issued iPad/Chromebook through this summer to facilitate any educational needs such as summer school, extended school year or online enrichment. If you choose to keep it, the device expectations for use and general care for the device extend through the summer months. There will be a fall collection with date, time and process to be communicated during summer from the District Technology Department. If you do not need the iPad/Chromebook over summer, or are not returning to District 39 in the fall, it can be returned back to school at the following times. Grades K-4: During Student Material Pick-up/Drop-off on June 9th.
Returning Books: If you have library books or other classroom books checked out, you may begin to return these back to the school. Every Tuesdays and Wednesday through the end of the school year there will be a cart outside the school office between 9am and 3pm. Please place your library books onto the cart. Additionally, you may return any library books during student material drop-off/pick-up on June 9th. If you have any questions or have a missing book, please feel free to email our librarian, Mrs. Pinney, at pinneym@wilmette39.org.
- Lost and found? We will have lost and found out items out in front of the school on June 2nd and 3rd between 9:00am - 3:00pm. What is not picked up will be donated.
Summer Enrichment Programming: A new two-week “Jump Start to Fall Learning” option is being offered this summer. Families are encouraged to consider options and information provided on our 2020 Summer Enrichment Program website.
Playground Reminders: As the weather gets warmer, it is so refreshing and beneficial to be outside. We encourage all to take walks, safely ride bikes, and play in your yard. However, we want to remind you that school playgrounds are closed.
Giving and Receiving Support in D39: Wilmette Public Schools support the academic, social-emotional and physical needs of each child through a collaborative partnership with the greater Wilmette community. Through the generosity of families, businesses and affiliate organizations, District 39 is able to provide additional support to families when they need it the most.
A special note from our PTO President....
On behalf of the PTO Executive Board this year, I would like to extend a huge thank you to ALL parent volunteers who stepped up and contributed time, skill, and effort in achieving our overall PTO goal of enhancing the learning experience, of all students at Harper Elementary School.
This year together in a global pandemic, was not quite how any of us envisioned 2020 to begin, but I am proud how the PTO community adapted and found an effective way to work and deliver meaningful experiences, through social media platforms.
As we transition into next year, I encourage PTO members stepping out of their roles to reach out and transition to the new incoming parent volunteer. All PTO positions for 2020/2021 will be on the Harperpto.com website by the end of the month. Please email me directly if you would like to reach out earlier and I can pass on names. WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR A PARENT VOLUNTEER FOR GARDEN AND CHORUS. If we don't fill these two positions, garden club services will be reduced and chorus won't run at the school. WE NEED YOUR HELP. PLEASE CONSIDER.
Please email. me at jreynolds028@gmail.com if you have questions.
One PTO change I would like to address is how we gift our special teachers at Harper Elementary. Moving forward, parents will have the opportunity to gift teachers through the AtoZ Directory (you will also have the option to purchase AtoZ membership and Birthday Books for your child). Room Parents will no longer have the responsibility of collecting funds for our teachers. Before winter break the PTO President in collaboration with the school Principal will identify all teachers at Harper. Each teacher will be recognized and gifted the same amount of money. Parents can still gift their child's classroom teacher at the end of the school year as they see fit. Why the change? To ensure we recognize all teachers at Harper Elementary, including shared teachers.
Emily Primosch is your PTO President and Laurel Nelson is President-Elect in 2020/2021. The PTO is in fabulous hands.
It has been an honor serving the school on the PTO Executive Board, the board is a thoughtful, intelligent group of women, who work tirelessly to deliver PTO goals.
Take care and enjoy the summer with your family. Look out for a new garden fence and shed to be enjoyed by all.
Kind regards,
Jessica Reynolds
Announcements
May 15 SCHOOL KIT ORDERING DEADLINE EXTENDED! The school kit ordering deadline has been extended through next Friday, May 22nd. Don't miss out, order your supplies today (https://www.edukitinc.com/find-your-school). The deadline is being extended for all District 39 schools, so you can order supplies for all District 39 students until May 22nd. Questions? Contact schoolkits@harperpto.com
- Yearbook: The Yearbook will be distributed with your child's belongings from school. If you have not yet ordered one, you can email yearbook@harperpto.com to arrange to purchase one. There are only a few overrun copies so it's first in, first served! Cash or check $30.
iGNITE
http://harperpto.com/ignitetaxletter/
If you have not made a donation, it is never too late! We are still short of our goal that assures all enrichment activities are funded for our kids.
http://harperpto.com/ignite-donation/
If you have any questions or can't remember if you made a donation, please reach out to Jill Huebsch, jillhuebsch@gmail.com
Community News
- Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
- The Center for Gifted hosts summer programs. View flyers for details.
- NSSRA offers Campyardigans for Summer 2020. See flyer for details.
All announcements to be included in the Harper Happenings should be sent to Kelly Maggio via the Communication Request Form by Mondays at 9 am. If you do not receive an email response within 24hrs, please send an email to kwmaggio@gmail.com to confirm your Communication Request Form was received.
For more school information, visit the Harper PTO website.
For additional D39 community events, visit wilmette39.org