The Crosby Chronicle
Weekly Newsletter ~ December 21-25, 2020
GREETINGS FROM PRINCIPAL FERGUSON!
I hope this newsletter finds you all doing well and staying healthy. With this being our final newsletter for the first semester, I realize how quickly this school year is moving. It is hard to believe that we are ready to begin the winter break!
My hope is that you all will have a restful holiday season, and enjoy some time with friends and family over the break. May we all be able to make time to be together safely, and start some new traditions this winter.
In this newsletter you will see some photos from the Kindergarten Supply Pick Up, and our Crosby Spirit Week. I will continue to post more photos in January when we return from break.
Also, I have started a new column, "Specials Teacher Feature", which will spotlight a few of our specials teachers over the coming weeks.
For our amazing staff last week, I organized a "Staff Drive By" to thank them for all they have done this first semester. It sure was nice to bring some holiday cheer to everyone! Our staff has been preparing learning materials for all grades throughout this first semester. I decided it was time to have a "Drive By" for them, and we had some fun visitors!
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, or your child's teacher, if you have any questions or concerns. We are all here to help you and to support all of our students.
Happy Holidays to all of our Crosby Families, and a Healthy and Happy New Year in 2021!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ferguson
Principal
KINDERGARTEN SUPPLY PICK UP WITH GUESTS
STAFF HOLIDAY DRIVE BY WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
HOLIDAY SPIRIT WEEK
"SPECIALS TEACHER FEATURE"
MS. KATIA SCHMITT ~ MUSIC TEACHER
Ms. Schmitt is in her second year of teaching, and is enjoying every second of it! Ms. Schmitt was born and raised in Harvard, IL, and completed all of her schooling in Harvard CUSD 50. She attended VanderCook College of Music, and graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor in Music Education. It was at VanderCook that Ms. Schmitt learned to play over 18 different instruments!
After graduating, she accepted the music teacher position at Crosby and was excited to join the CUSD 50 team, this time, as a teacher!
Ms. Schmitt was always the most musical member of her family. While her dad always enjoyed listening to music, her mom often joked that Ms. Schmitt and her older brother stole her college major and minor. Her minor in theatre closely relates to Ms. Schmitt’s career in music and her major in math is used heavily in her brother’s aerospace and software engineering career.
When Ms. Schmitt is not teaching music, she enjoys time at home painting or doing other crafts, watching TV, and spending time with her cat, Basil. She can’t wait to continue to teach and, most importantly, learn from her students!”
MR. JASON CHUPICH ~ PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER
My name is Jason Chupich, and I have been teaching Physical Education for 28 years. I have been teaching in Harvard District 50 for 13 years, which includes stops at Washington (kindergarten), Central (second grade, which is now the District Office), and currently Crosby Elementary (K-3) and Washington (Pre-K).
I was born and raised in Chicago, IL, and grew up just a few miles from Wrigley Field, which makes me a huge Chicago Cubs fan. My wife, Lisa, is a Special Education teacher at Crosby. We have a son named Jacob, who is getting ready to graduate from Harvard High School and go to college. We also have a daughter named Julia, who is a junior at Harvard High School, and a three sport athlete and animal lover.
We live on a farm in Harvard and have horses, cattle and dogs. My hobbies include golfing, scuba diving and family trips. I graduated from Carroll College in Waukesha, WI, and participated in baseball and golf at the collegiate level. My favorite food is sushi and seafood, and I enjoy grilling all year round. I would like to thank you for allowing me to teach and work with your children throughout the year.
END OF THE SECOND QUARTER AND FIRST SEMESTER
When we return from break, it will be the start of the third quarter on January 7th, and the start of the second semester.
Your child's second quarter grades will be available to view in PowerSchool on Friday, January 8th. Please remember that in order to see your child's final grades, you will need to login to your PowerSchool account on Friday, January 8th.
Teachers will still be adding grades and finalizing the scores over the break, so the final grades will be completed on Friday, January 8th.
If you need assistance, or you would prefer a paper copy of your child's grades, please contact the school office after the winter break. Our office staff will be happy to help you after January 4th.
THE "COUNSELING CORNER" ~ MRS. SPAULDING & MRS. ALTMANN
Hello Crosby Families,
Last year, our students participated in initiatives to make cards and letters for military personnel, first responders, and our own faculty and staff. We were blown away by their creativity and commitment to their assignment. Our Crosby Kids love to serve their community! A sense of purpose and value is so important for children, and we feel it is our responsibility to continue giving them those opportunities.
This year more than ever we have felt the importance of maintaining connections to one another. Sadly, this pandemic has left some of our most valued community members feeling very isolated in nursing homes and care facilities. However, if there’s one thing we know, it’s that no one can lift your spirits like a Crosby Kid! With that in mind, we’d like to invite your student to take some time over the winter break to write to a resident in one of these facilities. It can be a picture, card, or letter- anything! We are hopeful that this will present an opportunity for your student to share their feelings. How do they feel when they do something kind for someone else? They might refer to this idea as “bucket filling”, based off of a story we frequently reference in their classrooms. To revisit that story with them, click here for English, or here for Spanish.
Below you’ll find the addresses of community nursing homes and care facilities that would love some mail from a Crosby Kid:
The Fountains
965 Brighton Cir, Crystal Lake, IL 60012
Crossroads Care Center of Woodstock
309 McHenry Ave, Woodstock, IL 60098
Hearthstone Manor
920 N Seminary Ave, Woodstock, IL 60098
McHenry County Valley Hi Nursing Home
2406 Hartland Rd, Woodstock, IL 60098
Shepherd Premier Senior Living of Harvard
210 E Front St, Harvard, IL 60033
Bethesda Lutheran Homes
805 Thornapple Ln, Marengo, IL 60152
We wish you a safe, relaxing, and joyful winter break!
Your Crosby Counselors,
Alli Altmann and Kortni Spaulding
THE "SOCIAL BUZZ" ~ MS. LORENA VILLAGOMEZ
Hello Crosby Families,
I hope these next few weeks serve as a time for students to shut down the Chromebooks and enjoy their winter break! My hope is that parents/ guardians will encourage children to step away from technology and enjoy family and outdoor activities. I know that with the COVID-19 pandemic it is hard to plan outings or family gatherings. However, there are many “Family Staycation” things that you can still do while having fun! Here are a few activities for our Crosby families to do during winter break!
1. Have a Movie Marathon
While you probably don't want your kids glued to the TV for the whole winter break, a planned afternoon or evening of movie-watching can be fun. Choose a theme or a genre for your movie marathon, or just have everyone pick their favorite movie. Make some popcorn, grab a few other favorite movie treats and some cozy pillows and blankets, relax and enjoy!
2. Have a Craft Day
If your children like to do crafts, this can easily keep them busy for hours. From painting or drawing, to making jewelry or collages, the possibilities are almost endless. Provide them with an assortment of supplies, and see what their creative minds come up with.
3. Bake Cookies
There's nothing like the smell of cookies baking in the oven to put a smile on everyone's face, so gather the crew and get baking.
4. Have a Family Night
A family games night—or day—can be anything you want it to be.
5. Go Christmas Lights Hunting
Many of our neighbors have beautifully decorated houses! Load up the car and drive around the neighborhood looking for Christmas lights
I hope you try some or all of these ideas! If you do, I would love to see! Please share pictures with me at lvillagomez@cusd50.org
Happy Holidays! Have fun and be safe!
McHenry County Crisis Line number 800.892.8900.
You can also visit https://www.mc708.org/resources/ for more mental health resources.
Mobile food pantries: https://solvehungertoday.org/get-help/distributions/
Harvard Community Food Pantry: Tuesdays from 9:30-11:30 am and from 1:30-5:00 pm. Located on 6817 Harvard Hills Rd, Harvard IL 60033. You will need an ID to receive assistance.
Please call or email me if you have any questions or if you need assistance finding this resource.
Sincerely,
Ms. Lorena Villagomez
School Social Worker
PARENT COMMUNITY LIAISON ~ MRS. VANIA DEALMEIDA
Hello Crosby Families,
The Parent Community Liaison is here to help!
- Facilitate the resolution of parent concern
- Help YOU support your child's education
- Assistance navigating programs, services, policies and procedures
- Answer questions about community based programs and resources.
Don't hesitate to call!
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
IMPORTANT DATES ~
December 22 - Early Dismissal @ 1:30 pm/End of 2nd Quarter
December 23 - January 5 - No School/Winter Break
January 6 - Teacher Institute/Non Attendance Day/Start of 3rd Quarter
January 7 - Classes Resume
January 8 - Grades available in PowerSchool
RICHARD D. CROSBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Principal - Mrs. Kathleen Ferguson kferguson@cusd50.org
Asst. Principal - Mr. Paul Brass pbrass@cusd50.org
Social Worker - Mr. Brandon Barry bbarry@cusd50.org
Social Worker - Ms. Lorena Villagomez lvillagomez@cusd50.org
Parent Community Liaison - Mrs. Vania DeAlmeida vdealmeida@cusd50.org
School Counselor - Mrs. Kortni Spaulding kspaulding@cusd50.org
School Counselor - Mrs. Allison Altmann aaltmann@cusd50.org
Email: kferguson@cusd50.org
Website: https://www.cusd50.org/crosby/
Phone: 815-943-6125