Happy Friday Kipling Families,

As we celebrated and honored our incredible staff this week, it was heart-warming and so rewarding to see the overwhelming appreciation and gratitude from our PTO and from our families. There is a special bond between our school and our families and I could not be more happy and proud to be a member of this partnership. Thank you for making this week inspirational and very special for our staff.

I wish you all the best Mother’s Day weekend possible! I attribute the accomplishments and successes I've had in my life to the love and support I received and still receive from my mom. To all the mothers and mother-figures in our community - thank you for EVERYTHING you do for our students each and every day. Your special impact has more life-long, positive effects than you will ever know.

All my best to you and your families over the weekend!

Respectfully,

Mr. Matthew O. Lombardo, NBCT

Principal

Kipling Elementary School

-Please visit our website to sign up for your PTO Membership now! Click HERE to sign up if you have not already!

-Our final PTO meeting of the year will be on Friday, June 2 from 9:30-10:30 at Kipling.

This form is for current Kindergarten - 4th grade students who will not return to Kipling for the 2023-2024 school year. All student records will be transferred to the new school over the summer. The new school must submit a request for records via fax or email. Please submit one form for each of your children who are NOT returning to Kipling.

During the month of May we are challenging EVERY classroom to read a book a day. The books we are reading have a focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as well as Social Emotional topics. Our goal is to challenge our thinking, see the world through different lenses, understand and appreciate different perspectives and experiences, and strengthen our social emotional skills.

Our district’s core values state the following: “We embrace people of all identities, races, ethnicities, genders, ages, religions, abilities, orientations, education levels, national origins, or any other distinguishing characteristics.” As such, the age-appropriate books we will share with students may feature diverse characters that represent this core value. If you have any questions or would like your child to not participate, please let Mr. Lombardo and/or your teacher know.

We hope that each classroom enjoys reading and discussing some REALLY GREAT books. Thank you, Ms. Thurman, for organizing this fun literacy event for our school this month!

Dental forms for all Kindy and 2nd-grade students are due by May 15, 2023. Exams must have been performed within 18 months of the May 15th deadline. Please submit completed forms to Mrs. Szabo at eszabo@dps109.org. If you have any questions or updates, please reach out and let her know.

Our Student Leadership Philanthropy Team will be having a pajama and book drive the week of May 15th. Please see this link for all the info. Thank you for supporting our Student Leadership teams!

Please share this spirit week flyer with your students and staff about our upcoming Spirit Week. Thank you, Ms. Foran, for getting this week organized for us!

Hello, 3rd grade families!

Over the past few weeks, your child has had the opportunity to learn all about an exciting opportunity available to them in 4th grade - joining our band and orchestra family! They have seen performances from our middle school band and orchestra ensembles and met with instrumental music staff and student ambassadors to hear and learn about each instrument available for them to try out and select this spring. We encourage all families to talk about this opportunity with their third grader and to check out our instrumental music website to learn more about each instrument and watch past performances of our programs.

Additionally, all third grade families are invited to attend our virtual instrumental music open house on Monday, May 15th at 6:30 PM. During the webinar, we will discuss all facets of the band and orchestra program (which your child will register for this May), and there will also be time for us to answer many of the questions you have. Your child is welcome to attend the webinar as well, as we will have a number of performances by members of the middle school band and orchestra.

Please save this Zoom link to access the webinar! If you are unable to attend, the webinar will be recorded and made available for viewing the following day. Please direct any questions you may have to eim@dps109.org and one of our directors will be in touch.

We hope to see you there!
The DPS 109 Instrumental Music Team

We are excited to announce that A Day to be Brave, author event is coming VIRTUALLY to Kipling Elementary on May 19, 2023!

A Day to be Brave author event is based on the inspiring and empowering children’s book The Bravest Worrier, written and illustrated by Angelique Monet. During each 45-minute presentation, Angelique Monet inspires audiences through her captivating storytelling, magical props, behind-the-scenes tour, and The Bravest Worrier’s innovative free companion augmented reality app.

Often described as a TedTalk for children with Harry Potter and Disney magic, A Day to be Brave provides children with a roadmap to success including:

• Tools to build self-worth, self-love, and self-respect

• Preparedness to recognize their strengths and ask for help

• Means to cultivate their natural gifts and those they gain through education

• Understanding that courage and fear exist together and their dynamic interaction

• allows for growth and change

To see a sneak peek of A Day to be Brave, please view the event trailer.

Upcoming DPS109 Parent/Guardian Workshop: “Collaborative Problem Solving”

We are excited for the last session of our Spring DPS109 Parent/Guardian Workshop Series on Thursday, May 18th at 7:00 pm: (Zoom link). Each webinar will begin at 7 p.m. No sign-up is required ahead of time, and the sessions will be recorded and available on the DPS109 website following the event.

Below you can watch last night’s PPS 109 Parenting Webinar: “The Keys To Resilience”

You can find recordings for other PPS 109 sessions by clicking below:

• Understanding Development (4/6)

• Participating In The Process In A Meaningful Way (4/13)

• Addressing The Greatest Worries of Parents & Guardians (4/27)

• Understanding Children’s Hardest Moments (5/4)

Registration through the Deerfield Park District is open for returning families and will open up next week for new families in the district. For more information on Before and After School Club and registration information, contact Kathleen Muellner: kathleen@deerfieldparks.org or 847-572-2623. Click here for their brochure. Again, this program is NOT run by DPS 109 and all questions should be directed at the park district.

• May 14th - HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY!

• May 18th - K-2 Art Show @ Kipling, 5-6pm

• May 25th - Regular Board of Education Meeting @ District Office, 7pm

• May 29th - No School, Memorial Day

• May 30th - Kipling Field Day!

• June 2nd - PTO Meeting @ Kipling, 9:30am

• June 2nd - 5th Grade Picnic during their lunch/recess time

• June 5th - 5th Grade Visit to Tour Shepard Middle School

• June 7th - 5th Grade Send-Off Breakfast @ Kipling, 7:30am-8:30am

• June 7th - Final Day of School, 1/2 Day, 11:40am Dismissal