Cherokee Newsletter 10.28.22
Sept 16, 2022
October 28, 2022
A Message from the Principal
Dear Cherokee Families,
One of the highlights of this week was watching our student leadership team members present at the Board Meeting this week about one of our school improvement goals, which is to build a positive school community, and provide social emotional security for all students. We have been very intentional with teaching and providing specific feedback to our students when they are meeting our school wide expectations so that we develop safe, respectful and responsible citizens! Thank you to all of you for your collaboration in supporting your children’s social emotional development.
Have a great weekend! I can’t wait to see all of the fun costumes on Monday!
~Dr. Cavanaugh
A couple of highlights for special attention:
Review the reminders about the following items:
Halloween Festivity Details
Family Traditions Survey
Veteran’s Day Assembly
Day of the Dead Celebration
Let's Talk with the Elementary School Principals -- November 9 @ 7pm
Gentle Reminders
Please make sure to arrive on time at school. Any student who arrives after 8:00 am is considered tardy and will require a parent to sign the student in for the day in the main office. In addition, please refrain from parking by the buses or driving through the front parking lot during dismissal as it is a safety concern for our students leaving to get on buses.
Please have your children keep all of their personal toys and sports equipment at home. We have had safety issues during arrival with students out on the playground.
Halloween Details
We are excited for our Halloween festivities: costumes, parade, and class parties on Monday, October 31. The Halloween Parade begins @ 11 am. Please see the flyer for details. We hope you will join us! Please remember these costume parameters:
No gore or blood
No weapons
No masks
Children must be able to sit down
Costumes must not be distracting to learning (we reserve the right to ask a child to take off a costume if it is districting the learning of themselves or others)
Family Traditions Survey
Does your family celebrate a specific tradition? Do you celebrate Diwali, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Ramadan or something else? Maybe you play an annual family football game or maybe you bake specific cookies for the holidays. Whatever your family tradition is, I'd love for you to share it with us so we can celebrate all of the things that make us unique at Cherokee, but also that bring us together as a special community. We are excited to learn more about your family, how these align with our school-wide values of being respectful, responsible, and inclusive. We will share these traditions with our school community or on our morning announcements. Please complete the following survey to share your favorite family tradition.
Day of the Dead Celebration
November 2nd marks the Mexican celebration known as “Dia de los Muertos” or “Day of the Dead.” This is a festive day in Mexican culture, where beloved family members, friends or pets who have passed away are celebrated and remembered. In an effort to teach more about other cultures, our Multilingual Specialist, Spanish, and Art teachers would like to take this opportunity to create an installation of artwork and personal items to commemorate this day. Spanish and Art classes will be learning vocabulary and age-appropriate history that is linked to this special holiday. Students are invited to bring in a token or symbol of a lost family member, pet, or family friend to lend to a large display in the front of the school. Please see the attached flyer with more information about the celebration.
Veteran’s Day Assembly
Cherokee families, we will be celebrating Veterans Day this year with an all school assembly on Thursday, November 10th (time TBD). We will be putting together a slideshow of veterans, currently serving and retired, who are family members or friends of our Cherokee community. Even if you have submitted a photo in the past, please use this link to create a slide for your veteran(s). We would love to honor them during our assembly! Please complete a slide by Monday, November 7th. More details to come!
Family Reading Night
Family Reading Night is an annual statewide event held in November to encourage families to spend quality time reading together. The theme this year is "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" encourages readers of all ages to explore the world through reading and get out into the great outdoors! This year’s Family Reading Night will be November 17, 2022, from 7:00-7:30 pm. We will be doing a virtual family reading night where families can join teachers on Google Links and listen as a family to stories being read by Cherokee staff. Please RSVP on this form if your family will be joining us for a fun night of reading! A Google Meet link will be sent out based on the grade level of your children as we get closer to the event.
APT Thanksgiving Food Drive
The Food Drive kicks off on Monday, October 31 and runs through Friday, November 4.
Many people are struggling with food insecurity in Lake County. Please help us support these families in need this Thanksgiving.
Donation Items by Grade:
Kindergarten: Rice
1st: Canned Fruit
2nd: Canned Beans
3rd: Stuffing Mix
4th: Canned Vegetables
Thank you!
District Updates
Deerpath Road Closed Between Ahwahnee and Route 41
Friday, November 4 - 9:00 AM through Monday, November 7 - 6:00 AM
This closure is required for the bridge support concrete walls to be poured in conjunction with the ComEd bridge replacement project.
On Friday afternoon, November 4, DPM drivers will not be able to turn left (West) onto Deerpath Road following afternoon school pickup.
Drivers should allow extra time for travel during this road closure.
Please note that Deerpath Road is scheduled to reopen on Monday, November 7 at 6:00 AM. That time could move later, based on weather conditions over the preceding weekend. Dry conditions will allow the concrete to cure in time for 6:00 AM reopening of the road. Rainy conditions will require more time for the concrete to dry. We are collaborating with the City of Lake Forest to keep you informed.
Let’s Talk | Learning
District 67 parent and guardians are invited to the District’s first LET'S TALK program for the 2022-2023 school year on Thursday, November 3, 2022, 7:00 PM in the Board Room at LFHS West Campus.
Hosted by Superintendent Dr. Matthew Montgomery and featuring Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jeff McHugh and District 67 Director of Teaching and Learning Mrs. Vail Kieser, we will host a community conversation about teaching and learning in District 67. Topics discussed will include District performance data, current reading reviews, and curriculum considerations.
Please submit your questions using this form by no later than Wednesday, November 2, at 10:00 AM.
LET'S TALK | K-4 Behavior with the Elementary Principals
District 67 Principals Renee Fitzsimmons, Kate Cavanaugh, and Susan Milsk invite you to join them for an online conversation on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, 7:00 PM, that will focus on student behavior.
Please join us on November 9 at 7:00 PM using this livestream link.
Topics discussed will include:
Bullying - what it is, and what it isn’t
Proactive measures to prevent negative behavior
Reactive measures to negative behavior; how to respond/consequences
Board policy and research on school discipline
Answers to questions submitted by our parents/guardians
Please submit your questions using this form by noon on Tuesday, November 8.
Food Service News
Carmel Apple Craze!
o celebrate Halloween, Quest will be offering sliced apples with a caramel dipping sauce to satisfy both a healthful snack and sweet treat craving! Happy Halloween!
For menus, and other news and events, please visit the Food Services page of the website.
APT News and Events
It was so much fun to see so many of you at Spookfest last Friday! It was an amazing event! Thank you to the Spookfest team - Katie Salgat, Adrien Stanley, Jen Brody, Adrienne Winfield, Rasmey Picek, Nora Froelich and Kristin Rupp. Thank you also to all of our wonderful parent volunteers! We could not have made this event happen without all of you!
Thanksgiving Food Drive
Next week Monday, Oct. 31st - Friday, Nov. 4th is District 67's largest food drive of the year, the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. Each grade level collects important items to provide needy families with a complete food bag:
- Kindergarten - Rice
- 1st Grade - Canned Fruits
- 2nd Grade - Canned Beans
- 3rd Grade - Stuffing mix
- 4th Grade - Canned vegetables
- There will be food collection bins in the school.
Turkey "Feathers of Gratitude"
We are continuing our tradition of having the students create their "Feathers of Gratitude" which will be up on the bulletin board in school the month of November. ALL students are welcome to decorate the turkey by submitting a feather (or two or three). Print the feather template and assist your kiddos as needed with writing or drawing their thoughts on what they are thankful for on their feather(s). They can then decorate them, sign them, cut them out, and send them back to school by Wednesday, November 9th.
Upcoming Events:
- Monday, October 31st-Friday, November 4th - Thanksgiving Food Drive
- Thursday, November 3rd - 7:00pm - Let’s Talk with Dr. Montgomery at West Campus
- Wednesday, November 16th - 9:30am - November APT Meeting in the IRC lab
- Friday, November 18th - Donuts with Grownups - 7:15-7:45AM
- One special grown-up per family, please. Thank you to our amazing Donuts Coordinators - Carly Harvey, Julie Wade & Kelly Tracy. Volunteer signups will be posted soon!
Have a great weekend!
Gillian Goodfriend
Cherokee APT President 2022-2024
(773) 294-8131
Spirit News and Events
Did you know anyone can fill out a grant application for review?
We are so lucky to live in a community of parents, family, and staff who think BIG!!!! All you need to do is fill out the grant application online. The Spirit Board encourages anyone with an innovative idea that fills a need and is supported by the school administration, to submit a grant. Upon review, the Spirit of 67 Board will contact you! Each request will be evaluated by the building principal and the Grants Committee to ensure that they meet the goals of our Spirit of 67 Foundation mission.
Save the date!
Upcoming deadline for grant applications is Thursday, January 26th, 2023.
Community Programs and Events
Visit the Green Backpack or the front page of your school website to view the latest programs offered in our community.
Holiday Button Design Content: Students in grades 1-12 are invited to design the 2022 LF/LB Chamber Holiday Button! The winner’s design will be featured on the button available throughout the community during the 2022 holiday season – and the designer of the winning entry will receive $100 in Chamber Checks redeemable at Chamber member business throughout Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. Deadline is Tuesday, November 1. Read all the details here.
475 E. Cherokee Rd.
Lake Forest, Illinois 60045