The Hawk
Holmes Elementary School - Week Ending 9/2/22
IMPORTANT DATES/THINGS TO REMEMBER
- Labor Day - NO SCHOOL - September 5
- 1st Day of Hispanic Heritage Month - September 15
- District Closed - NO SCHOOL - September 26
PTO Al Fresco Friday - family meetup on the Holmes playground - September 9 after school
PTO Holmes Carnival October 1, 4:30-7:00
Traffic Plan
Please understand that our main concern is the safety of our students. Making sure that traffic/child interfaces are carefully planned is one of our top priorities.
If walking north toward the school, cross the street with the crossing guards.
It is imperative that our families use the Chicago Avenue drop-off zone, or park in a legal parking spot and walk your student to their line. There is usually parking available on Woodbine. If a child has an injury and can not walk, families will be given a green Holmes pass to display and then may pull into the cul-de-sac to drop off students.
Between 7:30–8:15 a.m. only vehicles of the residents of the 500 block of North Kenilworth will be permitted south of Iowa Street. There is no student drop-off on the corner of IOWA and Kenilworth. You must legally park your vehicle if you want to walk your child to their line in the morning.
When using the drop-off zone, please abide by the following guidelines:
- Drivers must pull up to the furthest west spot available on Chicago Avenue to let their students exit their cars.
- Students must be ready to exit or enter the car as soon as it stops.
- Students exit vehicles ONLY on the sidewalk side. School staff will be on-hand in the morning to assist them.
- Last-minute instructions need to be taken care of before the car pulls into the drop-off zone.
- If stopped by the light at Kenilworth, do not let your children exit the vehicle in traffic. Proceed to the designated drop-off zone on Chicago Avenue.
Parking/NO Parking
- Parking is not allowed on either side of the 400 block of Kenilworth from Chicago Avenue, south to mid-block, between 7:30-8:30 in the morning and from 2:30-3:15 in
the afternoon. - School buses load and unload on Woodbine Avenue. Please do not drop your students off in the bus loading zones.
- Parking is available on Grove, Woodbine and the 600 block of Kenilworth
Between the hours of 2:00–3:30 p.m., families need to avoid walking in the street and the cul-de-sac as vans picking up students for after-school programs are arriving. Please do not drive past the barricades on Kenilworth. Our students are crossing the street to enter the building.
Thank you for your cooperation in abiding by these procedures. It takes a village to help keep ALL of our students and families safe.
Holmes School Improvement Goals
Supporting our Families
4th and 5th Grade Band & Orchestra
Does your child want to play in the school band or orchestra? Is the cost of renting an instrument keeping your child from this opportunity? PING! is HERE to provide equitable access to the school band & orchestra even if your family circumstances make renting an instrument out of the question. Please visit our sign-up table at the D97 Instrument Nights on September 8 from 5-8 pm at Julian Middle School! For more information, go to www.pingoprf.org, email us at info@pingoprf.org or check or check us out on Facebook—PING! Providing Instruments for the Next Generation.
Who to Contact
When emailing them, please be sure to email both to ensure continuity of care.
Nurse G has returned but in a limited capacity. Nurse G is not working directly with students at this time. She is be back on a part-time basis, overseeing 504s, IEPs, medical compliance paperwork, and hearing and vision screenings. If you have medical related paperwork to submit, that can be emailed to aguerrier@op97.org
It's Never to Early to Order Your Yearbook
Our yearbooks are designed by our yearbook student leadership club. Reach out to Ms. Conway or Ms. Peronto with any questions.
Food Allergies/Nut-Safe Schools
Nuts and nut products are not allowed in any District 97 schools during the 2022-23 school year. This includes products that are labeled “processed in a facility that shares equipment with nut products.”
District 97 schools have been nut-safe for the past two years—helping to create safer, more inclusive environments for all of our students. We appreciate your support of this important initiative.
Please visit https://bit.ly/3AyGPpI to access information about the district’s food allergy management program, as well as tips and options for identifying food that is safe for snacks and field trips.
Holmes Snack Policy
Does your child get milk with their lunch?
Breakfast and Lunch at Holmes
Please see below for important information about District 97’s food service program, including information on the free and reduced meal eligibility and application process, accessing student meal accounts through the “My Mealtime” online portal, and 2022-23 breakfast and lunch menus.
For the past two years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made it possible for school districts to serve all students free breakfast and lunch through waivers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA free meal waiver is now expired and will not be extended for the upcoming school year.
2022-23 Breakfast and Lunch Menus
During the 2022-23 school year, students can:
- Bring a nut-free lunch from home.
- Order school lunch.
- Breakfast Menu
- Hot Lunch Menu (3-Week Cycle)
- Hot Breakfast/Lunch Nutritional Information (coming soon!)
2022-23 Breakfast and Lunch Prices
Breakfast: $1.75 Full Price
$.30 reduced priced
Lunch: $2.80 Full Price
$.40 Reduced Price
$.45 Milk Only
Breakfast is daily from 7:15-7:45. Enter the lunchroom through the courtyard on Chicago Ave for breakfast.
Free and Reduced Meal Eligibility and Application
Students may receive meals at a free or reduced cost either by being directly approved by the State of Illinois OR being approved after completing the 2022-23 Free and Reduced Lunch Application. All families who are directly approved by the state will receive an approval letter by email. If you feel your student may qualify for free or reduced-priced meals but are not directly approved, we encourage you to complete the 2022-23 Free and Reduced Lunch Application as soon as possible. There are several options for completing and submitting your application (see below).
2022-23 Free and Reduced Lunch Application (English and Spanish)
Submit Your Application Online
Filling out and submitting a Free and Reduced Meal Application is a quick and easy two-step process when you use Mealtime Apply Online! Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to set up a Mealtime account and complete the online application.
Step 1: Create a profile (you will need your student ID#).
- Visit www.mymealtime.com/apps.
- If you already have a Mealtime account, you can access the application from there—just log in.
Step 2: Start your application.
- Click the "New Application" button.
- From the Mealtime account, click the orange banner or box.
Paper/PDF Applications
For those parents who do not have access to a computer, or those who prefer not to use the online system, paper applications (available in English and Spanish) are available to download from the district website or your student’s school website. You can also ask for one at any of the school offices or at the district office. Only one application per household, per school district is needed. Completed applications can be dropped off at your student’s school or the district office (260 Madison St.), or emailed to the district's food service coordinator, Carla Ellis, at cellis@op97.org. You can also fax the application to 708-524-3019.
Questions
If you have any questions, please reach out to the district's food service coordinator, Carla Ellis, at cellis@op97.org.
*NEW* Process for Reporting Positive COVID-19 Cases to D97 Schools
If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they must complete the following steps:
1) In order to notify the school nurse and receive a return-to-school date, families/staff must complete the confidential COVID-19 Positive Case Notification Form as soon as possible following the positive test. Information provided will also be shared with the Oak Park Department of Public Health.
2) Families must continue to report student absences via the school attendance line, and staff must enter their absences in Frontline.
To see the rules for isolation and quarantine, click here. Additional resources are linked below.
Holmes Family Handbook
Community Hawk Nest
PTO: Co-lead for Academics & Enrichment activities and other volunteering opportunities
The Holmes PTO Board is looking for a member of the community to co-lead Academics & Enrichment activities (e.g. organizing a STEAM night and/or book fair). Read the description and sign up here.
Not interested in joining the Board but still want to get involved? No problem - you can also sign up to lead a committee or find out when we need volunteers.
Here are some of the activities and events the PTO organizes for the community: Fall Carnival, Pancake Breakfast, Taste of Holmes, Room Parent Coordination, Staff Appreciation Activities, Reading Programs, STEAM Night, EDGE After School, Apollo After School, Trivia Night, Book Fair, Al Fresco Fridays, Dine Outs - and more! Please help us create a supportive, engaged community for Holmes!
PTO Website (under construction)
RunTough
In October 2020, a Mann Mustang, Owen Petrzelka, lost his battle after a 6-month fight against DIPG, an aggressive and incurable brain tumor. Since 2020, his family has organized a virtual run in conjunction with the ChadTough Foundation to raise funds for DIPG and childhood brain cancer research. This year’s 3rd annual run is scheduled for Saturday, October 1. This year, we want to make it an even bigger community event that lives up to one of Owen’s mottos, “making someone happy is our job”. To that end, Owen’s parents, Amanda and Adam, have plans to turn their street into a community fun zone that day where community members, whether they are running or not, can stop by throughout the day for some fun kids activities (free), food, and live music (Mann Fam Band and other local talented bands will be making appearances). The goal is to turn this annual run into a community-building event like LemonAid Day in River Forest.
This year they would like to have a friendly competition amongst the schools. The school that raises the most donations will receive the Team Owen Ninja trophy to display in their lobby for the whole school year!
Holmes Hawks
- Sign-up to run: https://www.teamowen.org/RaceGroups/92431/Groups/1138483
- Donate to your school’s team: https://www.teamowen.org/Race/92431/Donate/GYmVcDJd0NeuTVFO
The general link to information for Team Owen’s virtual 5K is:
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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HolmesPTO/
Twitter: @HolmesPTO