Friday Focus
March 10, 2023
In This Issue...
- A Message from Marcie
- Destination Imagination (3rd Grade Families)
- Illinois Science Assessment (5th Grade Families)
- Illinois Assessment of Readiness (3rd-5th Grade Families)
- West Side Classic - 3/15 at 4:00
- Caruso Ribbon Cutting
- DPS109 Parent/Guardian Series
- Tickets on Sale for Caruso's Production of Annie Jr.
- Other Important Info...
Don't miss the PTO Spotlight:
- 2022-23 Yearbooks on Sale
- Spring Enrichment Registration Information
- Yearbook Photo Submissions Due
- And much more...
A Message from Marcie 👩🏻💻
Thanks for a great week, South Park!
Students enjoyed a week of excitement between our 1st and 3rd-grade music concert assemblies on Wednesday and lots of snow play today at recess. We would like to remind families that students must wear snow pants and boots if they want to play in the snow. An extra pair of pants and socks are always helpful on snowy days for students who enjoy submerging themselves in the snow!
Our word of the week was "commend." At this time of year, it is not uncommon for some of our students to experience spring fever with increased energy, impulsiveness and restlessness in school. In recent weeks, our staff has deliberately tried to commend our students whenever they follow school-wide and classroom expectations. Providing our students with positive feedback helps us motivate and encourage our students to continue doing their best in school.
Report cards were made available to you this afternoon to provide an update about your child's progress. As a reminder, to locate the report card click on the Portfolio tile (not grades) and then click on the current report card to open it up
We wish everyone a wonderful weekend!
-Marcie
3rd Grade Families, Learn about Destination Imagination
3rd-grade families,
If you have a child interested in Destination Imagination at South Park next year, now is a great time to see what it’s all about. The Team Challenge previews for next year have just been posted, and if you want to see D.I. in action, come check out the regional tournament this Saturday 3/11 for an hour or several! The tournament takes place at Hadley Jr. High School in Glen Ellyn. Below are the times and locations of each South Park performance, and there will be other schools competing throughout the day. There’s no cost to attend. Any questions, contact Kelly Jahng, kjahng@dps109.org
9:40 AM Engineering Gym A
11:00 AM Engineering Gym A
1:00 PM Fine Arts Room 134
1:20 PM Engineering Gym A
2:20 PM Fine Arts Room 134Illinois Science Assessment (Grade 5)
A reminder that the 5th grade students will participate in this assessment next week using the schedule below:
March 13th: Section 1 in the morning; Section 2 in the afternoon
March 15th: Section 3 in the morning
To learn more about the Illinois Science Assessment, click here.
Illinois Assessment of Readiness (Grades 3-5)
Dear 3rd-5th Grade Parents and Guardians,
Students across the district in grades 3 through 8 will be participating in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in English/Language Arts & Mathematics between April 3rd and April 24th.
This state assessment helps us understand how students are growing academically year to year, while also providing an achievement comparison to grade-level peers across the state. By measuring both mastery of the Illinois Learning Standards and the College and Career Ready benchmarks of the PSAT and SAT, the IAR is also designed to help prepare students for success in high school and beyond. The overall performance of each school, by grade, also impacts our designation, which is reported on the Illinois School Report Card.
Please find the testing schedule for South Park below:
Tuesday, April 11: ELA and Math Units 1- Grades 3-5
Wednesday, April 12: Math Unit 2- Grades 3-5
Thursday, April 13: Math Unit 3- Grades 3-5; ELA Unit 2- Grades 4-5
Friday, April 14: ELA Unit 2- Grade 3
If you have questions about the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, please let me know. As always, we encourage our students to do their best and appreciate your continued partnership.
-Marcie
Crosstown Classic - Wednesday, 3/15 at 4:00
Come out and support the Caruso, South Park, and Wilmot teachers as they compete in a charity volleyball game. All proceeds will go to Paws for Patrick, an organization that honors the memory of Patrick Roemer by providing support to young people with mental illness through the use of emotional support animals (ESAs) and therapy animals.
- Wednesday, March 15th
- 4:00 - 5:00 pm
- In the Caruso Gym
- Entertainment provided by Team Give (Wilmot's Philanthropy Club)
- Admission is $5 and concessions are $1
- This is not a drop-off event. Students need to come with an adult
Last Call for the 5Essentials Parent Survey!
Help us get important feedback about our school! You only have a short time left to take the 5Essentials Parent Survey. Please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. Your identity and responses will be kept completely confidential and will not be connected to you or your child. The survey should take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete.
From the District
Caruso Ribbon Cutting Next Week
Deerfield Public Schools District 109 is proud to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated auditorium at Caruso Middle School this upcoming Thursday, March 16th at 5 p.m. There will be a guided tour that starts shortly after the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 as well as a self-guided tour option as well. You can see a slideshow of the progress of the project at www.dps109.org/ourfuture.
Tickets on Sale for Caruso's Production of Annie Jr.
Other News
Other Important Information ⚠️
- All visitors to South Park School MUST bring a valid driver's license or state ID card to the main office before entering into the building. Beginning this year, we will collect IDs during your visit and return it to you as you leave.
- If your child is going to be absent from school, you need to call or email us by 9:00 that morning. ** Call 847-945-5895, ext. 2103 and leave a message OR ** Email Nurse Nora Moskos.
- When parking in our Birchwood parking lot, please remember that our preschoolers are dropped off and picked up by the west end (closest to the school). Sometimes, their parents' cars can block a parked car from exiting for a few minutes. To avoid that, we suggest that you park closer to Birchwood Avenue.
- Please follow our morning procedures, and drop your children off at their regular grade level doors. If you choose to drive through the front circle at arrival, kindly stay in your car when you drop off to help us reduce morning congestion.
- Drop-off is between 8:35-8:45 a.m. Students who arrive after 8:45 a.m. will need to enter through the front door of the school, as all other doors will be locked.
- Dismissal for all Kindy and 1st-grade walkers and car riders will take place at their grade level door. Parents who park in the front circle should wait until 3:10 p.m. to do so.
- Dismissal is at 3:25 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. We dismiss at 2:25 on Wednesdays.
- Our practice is to let kids go outside if the temperature/wind chill is 10 degrees or warmer and it is not raining or snowing too hard.
Important Dates 📅
Monday, March 13 & Wednesday, March 15
- 5th Grade Illinois Science Assessment
- Spring Break - No School
- Illinois Assessment of Readiness - Grades 3-5
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Thursday, April 20- South Park Showcase 5:00-7:00
UPCOMING MUSIC CONCERTS:
- Kindergarten - Wednesday, April 26 @ 6:30