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In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, there will be no student attendance on Monday January 16th. Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Day was signed as a Federal Day of Observance in 1983 by then President Ronald Reagan in order to honor the Civil Rights Hero. This was 15 years after the bill was introduced to congress. By the time of the initial observance in 1986, 17 states already had days to honor Dr. King as State Holidays, including Illinois. In 1994, Congress declared Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day as a day of service in honor of Dr. King. One of his endearing quotes states “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?” Dr. King was a model for service, and an advocate for those who serve others and making a difference in their communities. Take time to Honor Dr. King this weekend by taking up a service project and improving something within our community. The website www.Serve.Illinois.gov has a list of opportunities to get students to participate in service activities.

• **UPDATED** Principal's Message
• **UPDATED** Chromebook Check out
• **UPDATED** Chromebook Reminders
• **UPDATED** Tardies to class
• Homework and Grading
  
• **NEW** Course Selection for 2023-24 7th and 8th Graders

• Gift Cards for Plank School Store
• **UPDATED** Plank HSA Information
• Donations for Technology
• **UPDATED** Daily Announcements
• **NEW** Student Spectator at Plank Events reminder
• Junior High Students at Football Games
• **UPDATED** Yearbook Information
• SEL Lunch Groups at Plank

• Student Services at Plank

• **UPDATED** Conflict Resolution
• **NEW** Linden Oaks' Webinar Series: Mental Health Education for Parents and Teens
• Plank Care Closet
• Student Password Portal
• Parent Resources
• Attendance Information
• Important People to Know
• Important Resources

Pirate Families!

Second semester has begun! Students have a fresh slate in order to determine the grades that they earn for second semester. Completing work and doing their best everyday is a sure way to success and good grades. Please check TylerSIS regularly for grade updates.

Second semester will have a focus on respect at Plank. Character education is just as important as academic education, as we are preparing our children to be successful after junior high and high school. Plank awards Pirate Bucks for positive behavior, and starting second semester, we will be issuing our $5 Pirate Bucks for positive respectful interactions between students or with staff.

Now that we are experiencing the chill of winter, I want to continue to remind families of Plank expectations regarding winter weather wear.

• Winter coats and accessories are to remain in student's lockers. Yes, we can have backpacks in the classrooms, but coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and other outerwear should be kept throughout the day in student lockers. Students with these items will be directed back to their lockers. Blankets need to stay at home.

• Across Wolf Crossing is farmland. With the onset of colder temperatures, small critters like to take refuge in warm places. I would like to make sure that we don't have any unexpected visitors within the buildings. All food must be eaten only in the cafeteria. Lunches and snacks brought from home need to stay in student lockers. Students with these items will be directed back to their lockers.

• Dress for the weather! Sometimes the temperature within the building varies from room to room. If students have long sleeves, sweatshirts, sweaters, and pants, it will help to keep them warm in some of our rooms.

• Stay tuned! As you know, Illinois weather can change drastically and suddenly. Watch for weather alerts and follow the district website for any cancellations due to weather. Keep in mind, plan to send your students to school until a call is made by the district to cancel.

The staff at Plank Junior High is committed to serving the students and parents of the surrounding community. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, and we can work together to find solutions. I can be reached at 630-551-9400 and thaymond@sd308.org. We look forward to partnering with you and your child throughout the year.

Always in partnership,

Tyler Haymond

Principal

Plank Junior High School

A tardy is when a student is not in class on time when the bell rings. Students are issued tardies to class when they arrive after the bell without a pass to class. Tardies are issued throughout the day to students if they aren't to class on time. Students can also be tardy to school. Please have students to school no later than 8:05 in the morning so that they aren't considered tardy. Students can also be tardy to lunch periods. Students who are outside the cafeteria by the time the tardy bell rings without a pass are considered tardy. Please remind your child that there are 4 minutes for passing period and should be plenty of time to make it to classes on time. Students who are accumulating tardies may be issued disciplinary consequences.

Teachers will be regularly updating grades in Tyler. Check the Parent Portal for updates in grades. Students also have access to check their assignments, grades, and schedule in the student portal and on Google Classroom. Homework, projects, tests, and quizzes are all recorded in classes to reflect student grades. Please reach out to individual teachers if there are questions regarding student grades.

Homework is an expectation for all of our students to complete at home. Many students have a study hall, where they are able to complete any homework or receive extra help from teachers, when available. Check in with your child's teacher if you have questions regarding homework.

We will be hosting monthly Home and School Meetings both in person and with a remote option this year. Our next Home and School Meeting will take place on February 6th from 6pm to 7pm. Our virtual link is shared below.

meet.google.com/kwr-ftcq-tip

The Home and School needs you. Come get involved! Feel free to reach out to Felice Jernstad, current president at kplankhsa@gmail.com with any questions or to let her know you'd be interested in planning school events.

HSA plans to have a table at Orientation for any families that would like to inquire, give suggestions, or join!

President: Felice Jernstad - feliceandsophia@aol.com

Vice President: Aneesh Dhodapkar - aneeshd74@yahoo.com

Treasurer: Cindy Cheney - cindy.cheney52@gmail.com

Recording Secretary - Veronica Adame - vadame5534@gmail.com

Corresponding Secretary - Michelle Peterson - shellbelles82@gmail.com

Tyler Haymond - principal thaymond@sd308.org

Lauren Munson - teacher representative, lmunson@sd308.org

Announcements Slides Presentation for students.

Pirate Families,

We hope the first few days of school are off to a great start for both you and your student(s).

This year, we are fortunate to be able to add a new counselor (Ms. Fabiola Perez) to our Plank Pirate Crew. With this addition, we wanted to take some time to (re)introduce you to our Plank Student Services Team, so you know who you can go to if/when support is needed.

Plank Counselors:

Mrs. Caitlin Gannon (supporting families with last names that begin with A-H)

Ms. Fabiola Perez (supporting families with last names that begin with I-M)

Mrs. Kelly Hlavacs/Mrs. Jen Modaff (supporting families with last names that begin with N-Z)

Plank Social Workers:

Ms. Regena Alonzo (supporting 6th grade IEP students as well as our Life Skills Program)

Mrs. Maggie Slinger (supporting 7th and 8th grade IEP students as well as our Instructional Skills Program)

Please note, Mrs. Slinger is on temporary leave until mid-September. Ms. Alonzo will be working with Mrs. Slinger’s students during her absence.

Plank Restorative Practices Counselor:

Mrs. Melanie Reicher (supporting all students and staff to implement preventative measures within the Plank School community to support our Positive Behavioral Model)

Plank School Psychologist:

Ms. Stephanie Krug (monitors the completion of case study evaluations/special education reevaluations and participates in Individual Education Plan (IEP) conferences and problem-solving meetings)

Plank Speech Language Pathologist

Ms. Molly Miller (provides speech services for IEP Resource and Instructional Skills Program)

Ms. Zoe Palko (provides speech services for Life Skills Program)

The goal of our Student Services Team here at Plank is to provide comprehensive support and advocate for equity, access, wellness, and success for each and every student. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to connect with a member from our Student Services Team, please don’t hesitate to reach out; by clicking on a team member’s name listed above, you will be routed to their direct email address.

We are looking forward to a great year!

Sincerely,

Plank Administration

Follow the links to access the parent resources that we have available.

• A Parent's Guide to Google Classroom - A step-by-step guide to help parents that are unfamiliar with accessing Google Classroom.
• Google Classroom Cheat Sheet for students - Shake Up Learning
• Google Suite Tutorials - A collection of Google tutorials that students will be using with their teachers during remote learning. There are dozens of resources here that cover almost anything you need to know about using Google Suite.
• Parent's Guide to Student Portal - Tyler 360 document that outlines Student Portal access and features.
• Parent's Guide to Google Suite Applications - From Google Docs to Google Meets, this is a guide for parents to use as a reference for all of the available Google Suite Applications.

Call Asusana Montes-Mijares

630-551-9401

Students must be called into the Attendance Line if they are not participating for all or part of the school day (Monday-Friday).

Please leave a message on the Attendance Line noting the reason for the absence. Include all symptoms or the reason for the absence if it is not illness related. Students need to be called in if they will miss a partial day. Please note the class/classes that will be missed in addition to the reason for the absences.

Teachers are keeping attendance through class period If you have questions, please reach out to the individual teachers about these procedures.

Students are considered Tardy if they are not in class on time. Class begins promptly at 8:10 AM. Students who are not in class by this time are considered Tardy.

Administration:

Principal

Tyler Haymond 630-551-9410 thaymond@sd308.org

Assistant Principal

Bailey Campbell 630-551-9412 bcampbell@sd308.org

Assistant Principal

Katie Jones 630-551-9411 kjones@sd308.org

Student Support Lead Teachers

Lead Special Education Teacher

Carrie Quinn 630-551-9497 cquinn@sd308.org

EL Coordinator

Lebia Chatman 630-551-9466 lchatman@sd308.org

Secretaries:

Principal Secretary

Laurie Williams 630-551-9409 lwilliams@sd308.org

Registrar/Discipline Secretary

Camille Simmons 630-551-9418 csimmons@sd308.org

Attendance Secretary

Asusana (Susie) Montes-Mijarez 630-551-9408 amontesmijarez@sd308.org

Student Services:

Counselors:

Caitlin Gannon 630-551-9414 cgannon@sd308.org

Students with last names A-H

Fabiola Perez 630-551-9416 fperez@sd308.org

Students with last names I-M

Kelly Hlavacs and Jen Modaff 630-551-9415 khlavacs@sd308.org, jmodaff@sd308.org

Students with last names N-Z

Melanie Reicher 630-551-9496 mreicher@sd308.org

Restorative Practice Counselor

Social Workers:

Regena Alonzo 630-551-9405 ralonzo@sd308.org

Marguerite Slinger 630-551-9416 mslinger@sd308.org

Building Nurse:

Denise Salisbury 630-551-9402 dsalisbury@sd308.org