Pleasant Ridge Family News
Reminders, Events, Insights & Opportunities at PR
Welcome to PR Family News!
From The Principal
How have our Eagles been doing this summer? While school is still a while away, I look forward to hearing about our students’ summer adventures when we catch up in late August. I hope your family has enjoyed time together this summer and your children are engaged in activities that bring them joy and many smiles. I’ve been appreciating summer time with my family, and refreshing myself in preparation for the upcoming school year.
Each year we welcome new staff members into our community and some familiar faces take on new roles. I’m excited for our newest staff members to join Pleasant Ridge and I know they will bring passion, positivity, and energy to our learning community. I look forward to their contributions and welcome them to our family. I’d like to make special mention of Megan Chin, our new Assistant Principal. Megan has been a pleasure to work with this summer and her student and family centered focus will only strengthen the work we do at Pleasant Ridge. She is looking forward to meeting our students and families in the coming months. Please help me in welcoming our newest staff members this fall:
- Jaqueline Cyz: 3rd Grade Teacher
- Jodie Hogan: 4th Grade Teacher
- Morgan Nuetzmann: 4th Grade Teacher
- Dan Hammer: 5th Grade Teacher
- Abigail Kayman: Instructional Teacher
- Michelle Ostman: ELL Resource Teacher
- Ellie Kaiser: Reading Interventionist
- Andrew Mayer: Physical Education Teacher
- Anthony Mazza: Part Time Physical Education Teacher
- Matthew Hickey: Orchestra Teacher
- Laura Strejc: Science Instructional Support
Every summer our Student Achievement Committee meets to review our school year, celebrate our successes, and identify growth areas for our students and staff. Given our District wide commitment to implement Writing Workshop in all our classrooms, this was a natural area of instruction for us to focus on. I’m beyond excited to support this effort as I’ve seen how the quality of student’s writing is positively impacted by this curriculum. I hope you will notice the changes in your children as writers over the coming year. I’m confident that you will see development and growth in their writing, and hopefully an eagerness to write, write, write! Both our school and District will be supporting professional development opportunities for our staff throughout the year as this will be a big instructional focus for us and our students.
I’d like to extend a special welcome to all our incoming 3rd grade students and families. We are excited for you to join the Pleasant Ridge family. Our 3rd Grade Team is excited to meet all our new students and prepared to make the transition smooth and comfortable for our students and their families. We have an amazing 3rd Grade Team and I’m confident that they will usher our newest group of students successfully into Pleasant Ridge.
I appreciate you taking the time to read through this summer newsletter. It contains a lot of information on our routines and procedures and will be helpful information for you.
Erik Friedman - Principal
Calendar of Events
August 9: Class Assignments Emailed Home to Families
August 14, 5-6 pm: Meet & Greet at Pleasant Ridge
August 21, 7:55 am: First Day of School
August 28: NWEA Assessments Begin at Pleasant Ridge
September 2: No School, Labor Day
September 3, Attea: Beginning Band & Orchestra Parent Night
September 4, 6:30 pm: Curriculum Night
September 20: Picture Day
View the full calendar at the District website (www.glenview34.org -- Parents -- Calendar).
Look for Class Placement & Bus Information
Class placement and bus information for the upcoming year will be emailed home by District 34 on Friday, August 9th.
Find Us on Facebook!
Meet & Greet on August 14
Curriculum Night on September 4
Please save the date, our Curriculum Night will take place on Wednesday, September 4th at 6:30 PM. More detailed information will be coming home from your children’s teachers at the start of the school year.
We Want All Eagles Here on the First Day of School!
District policy prohibits students from starting school without completing the Registration and Residency process.
Registration is not complete until you have updated your information online. Click to log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
Residency is approved by the District and is required for:
All incoming 3rd grade students
Students who have moved during the school year (even to temporary housing)
Renters whose leases have expired
New students to the District
Please upload and submit your residency documentation online.
If you need assistance, you can visit the administration building (1401 Greenwood) from 8:30am-4pm Monday - Thursday beginning August 5.
Student Supply Fee
PR and Lyon have transitioned to a fee based student supply program. For the convenience of our families and teachers there are no supply lists or kits. Simply pay the fee for your students classroom supplies online or by check at the PR/Lyon school offices. If your family needs financial assistance please contact the PR office at 847-998-5050.
Arrival & Dismissal Procedures
Our goal is to provide a safe and secure environment for all Pleasant Ridge students. Following the procedures below will maximize the traffic flow in and around the school while minimizing the risk to our students.
ARRIVAL
Our school day begins at 7:55am with staff supervision beginning at 7:40 am. Please do not drop off students before supervision is available to assist with arrival. Car riders, bikers and walkers enter the building at Door A off the South Circle Drive. Bike racks are available for students and located on the East end of the playground. Students who arrive after 7:55am should proceed to the office through Door A to sign in, give their lunch order and are marked as tardy. To report an illness or late arrival, please dial the absence line and leave a voice mail at 847-657-2794.
DISMISSAL
Our school day ends at 2:25pm. Bus riders are dismissed first by Bus# and proceed to Door B in the North Circle Drive. After all the buses are loaded and released from the North Circle Drive then the car riders, bikers and walkers are dismissed through Door A and Door B. Finally, students going to after school enrichment or childcare are released from their classrooms. Parents who are picking up their students early should come to the school office to sign them out and allow time for students to pack up.
CAR DROP OFF & PICK UP
Cars drop-off and pick-ups take place in the South Circle Drive. Cars form a single line and unload students onto the sidewalk or in front of the school. After pick-up/drop-off please pull safely out of the car line. Cars may only exit the South parking lot by turning right onto Sunset Ridge Road - No Left or U-Turns are permitted. Cars may enter the North Circle Drive from Kenilworth Lane after the buses have been released. Please remember to...
- Remain in your car.
- Do not double park.
- Do not circumvent procedure by asking your child to meet you at a different location.
BUSES
Buses are unloaded and loaded in the North Circle Drive and students enter and exit at Door B. Staff is on hand to assist in bus arrival and dismissal. Bus riders will be expected to remain seated with their seat belts secure for the entire ride. All electronic devices, including cell phones and iPads should remain in their backpacks. Please remember that students may only ride the bus to which they have been assigned.
Questions about bus routes should be directed to the D34 Transportation Coordinator, Rob Conner (rconner@glenview34.org) at 847-998-5064. If your child forgets something on the bus you should promptly contact Alltown Bus Company at 847-674-0090 and reference Pleasant Ridge and their bus route number.
Dropping Off Items
We understand that sometimes items are left at home and need to be dropped off at school. In order to avoid calling into classrooms and interrupting the learning process PR has a Drop Off Cart located in the vestibule of Door A. Items should be left on the Drop Off Cart and labeled with the students name and the teachers name or room number. We will do our best to deliver the items to classrooms at 9am and 12pm.
Leave a Message
Volunteers & Visitors
PR welcomes and appreciates our wonderful volunteers and visitors while maintaining a safe and secure environment for all of our students and staff. When volunteering or visiting please:
Pre-arrange a classroom visit in order to avoid interrupting instruction.
From the South Circle Drive enter Door A and proceed to the office.
Present a valid photo ID, which will remain in the office during your visit.
Sign in and share the reason for the visit.
Wear a Pleasant Ridge Badge while on our campus.
Return to the office to turn in the PR Badge and pick up ID.
Before- and After-School Care
Before and after-school care is available through Wesley Child Care. For further information on these programs, please call 847-729-0184 or visit the Wesley website.
After-School Enrichment
After school enrichment activities are dismissed at 3:30pm from Door A to the South Circle Drive. Please be on time when picking up your student. For more information on Enrichment Programs at PR, visit the Enrichment section of the District's community fliers page.
Birthday Party Invitations
Please do not send Birthday Party invitations to school for you child or their teacher to distribute. We want your child’s birthday celebration to be a fun and positive experience. Please mail or email invitations. The Lyon/PR PTA publishes an online directory.
Hello from District 34 Food Service!
We've spent the summer preparing for a great 19-20 school year, and look forward to welcoming your children back to school. With new families joining us and increased student interest, this letter is meant to clarify our mission and procedures.
Glenview District 34 offers breakfast and lunch at all eight schools. Our mission is to provide safe, nutritious, tasty meals to all students. Good nutrition fosters proper growth and development to prepare students to learn at their optimal level during the school day. We participate in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program and meet all of the nutritional requirements of these programs. We offer healthy entree options that meet the calorie, fat and sodium guidelines set forth by the USDA. We offer a variety of fresh fruit and vegetable options daily, including local produce and all grains offered are whole grain rich. Our entree options are age appropriate portion size; fruits and vegetables are offered in half-cup portions and eight ounces of skim milk is offered in plain and flavored varieties with no sugar added. All students are welcome to participate in our meal program.
Free and Reduced Priced Meals: Families may apply for assistance by completing a meal application for the current school year. FAMILIES MUST REAPPLY EVERY YEAR. Free and reduced price meals are provided to families that meet the established federal income guidelines. Students who qualify for free meals do not need to have money on their account unless they choose to purchase milk alone, or they choose to purchase ala carte items from the middle schools (Attea/Springman). Reduced price meals cost $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch.
Lunch Balances: The lunch account (student id card) is set up as a debit system. Students must have money in their accounts to purchase meals and ala carte items. Lunch is an important component in academic achievement and we want to ensure your child can access the daily lunch offerings. Therefore, parents need to make sure that their child's lunch account has money available in it. An automated email sends low balance reminders when a student lunch accounts fall below $10.00. Delinquent accounts will be addressed by contacting the parent through email, letter, phone or text message.
Lunch Account Deposits: Funds can be added to a student lunch account by check or cash sent directly to the school, or by credit card (https://payments.efundsforschools.com/v3/districts/56335). All payments require the student's full name and student id number to ensure the deposit is applied to the proper account.
Lunch/Student ID Cards: At the primary and elementary schools, lunch/student id cards are provided to the teachers and kept at school. Students retain their cards just prior to their lunch time, and have the option of just purchasing milk or purchasing a complete meal which includes milk. Middle school students are provided one student id card on the first day of school, which is used for lunch, bus and the school library. Replacement id cards can be purchased for $5.00.
Special Dietary Needs: Please contact Kimberly Cleveland, the Director of Food Service, if your child has any special dietary needs that require accommodations (kcleveland@glenview34.org or (847-486-7711).
Students in District 34 have the opportunity to join the school band or orchestra starting in 4th grade. Students who do not start instrumental instruction in 4th grade can still join in any grade 5-8. On August 23, 2019, the instrumental music staff will present the instruments to all 4th and 5th grade students. During the following two weeks, directors will work with individual students to select an appropriate instrument.
On Tuesday, September 3, 2019, 7:00pm at Attea there will be a Beginning Band and Orchestra Parent Night where enrollment, program procedures and curriculum will be presented. Representatives from music stores will also be available for rental information. More
detailed information will be available about the instrumental program, enrollment procedures and obtaining an instrument.
Instruction is available in flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, french horn, trumpet, trombone, baritone, percussion, violin, viola, cello and bass.
Many families already have an instrument from a family member or friend that their student is interested in playing. Please take that instrument to a music store over the summer to have it checked out and repaired if necessary. August is a very busy time for music stores, and it will take longer to service your instrument if you wait. Lessons for beginning students will start the week of September 9th, so please make plans accordingly.
Playing an instrument can be a big commitment, but it is also very rewarding. Ensemble playing teaches teamwork, cooperation and responsibility, as well as providing an outlet for students’ creativity. There are many other benefits to participation in instrumental music as well.
- On the 2012 SAT, students who participated in music scored an average of 31 points above the average in reading, 23 points above average in math, and 31 points above average in writing. -- College Board SAT, 2012 College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile Report.
- Music training in childhood “fundamentally alters the nervous system such that neural changes persist in adulthood after auditory training has ceased.” -- Skoe, E. & N. Kraus. (2012). A little goes a long way: How the Adult Brain Is Shaped by Musical Training in Childhood. The Journal of Neuroscience
Your Band & Orchestra Staff
Orchestra:
Rachel Atlas
847-657-2155
Matthew Hickey
Band:
Michael Collins-Dowden
847-657-2771
Rehearsals Start Week of 8/26
Rehearsals for Advanced Ensemble members (students playing one or more years) will start the week of Aug. 26. Your director will send home more information about lessons when school starts.
From the LY/PR PTA
Hello Lyon and Pleasant Ridge Families!
As the newly elected Lyon/PR PTA President, I would like to welcome back returning families and extend a warm welcome to our new families! We look forward to working with our wonderful principals, teachers, staff and administration. We appreciate all that you do and will continue to work hard to support you!
I am honored to work with our dedicated and supportive Lyon/Pleasant Ridge PTA, which consists of a nine-person Executive Board, a 45-person General Board and over 300 parent, teacher and administrative members, all who advocate for our students, families and staff. Through the PTA fundraising efforts, we provide “additional” funds, programming, and resources to enrich our children’s educational experiences throughout the school year. We personally invite you to become an involved member of the LYPR PTA. We will be hosting various sign-up opportunities soon. The annual dues are $20, which includes a hard copy of the Lyon/PR student/parent directory. Your contributions, whether it is your time, knowledge or resources truly make a difference.
The PTA works to continually improve communications with the Lyon/PR community. We utilize a mobile friendly website, which allows us to showcase event photos, volunteer opportunities and the PTA activity calendar. Weekly e-Blasts are sent to all families to inform them of upcoming events volunteer opportunities and provide links to
newsletters.
As we embark on another exciting school year, we have outstanding educational assemblies, author visits, International night, Book Fairs and other programming. We look forward to sharing all of these opportunities with you. Here are a few great ways to get involved and make a difference:
International Night 2019
We are currently seeking co-chairs to assist in coordinating country hosts and volunteers. This wonderful annual event will be held in February at Pleasant Ridge. Please help us celebrate the diversity and cultural heritage of our students, faculty and community. Hosting a room allows you to showcase your heritage at the much loved
and well attended event. Don’t miss this great opportunity to do something educational
and fun with your kids! Visit PTA website www.lyonprpta.org, to see what has been
done in previous years. For more information or if you are interested in being a co-chair contact me at afalleroni@me.com.
Room Parents
Our PTA Room Parent Coordinators, Whitney Langas and Jessica Plopper are seeking
two room parents for each classroom. Sign-up sheets will be available in the classrooms
during teacher meet & greets, or you can email them at lyprroomparents@gmail.com
after class assignments have been received, until Friday, August 23rd by noon. Please provide your name, contact information, and please list all children and their assigned teacher. If there are multiple requests for the same classroom, a lottery system will be used to determine the assignments.
Fall Book Fair
Our first book fair will take place during the week of November 11 at Lyon School. Thousands of books will be available, including new and noteworthy titles, state and national award winners and favorite authors. Special family events will be held throughout. Contact Co-Chair Kristin Spieldenner (kristin.overson@gmail.com) for more information on how to volunteer.
Ways to Support PTA Programming From Your Home
Please consider donating 0.5% of your eligible Amazon purchases to the Lyon/PR PTA by setting up an AmazonSmile account and choosing Lyon Pleasant Ridge PTA as your charity. You get the same products, prices and service while helping our schools. Sign up today at http://smile.amazon.com.
We look forward to making the 2019-2020 school year fun and productive. Please join
us for our first PTA meeting on Tuesday, September 17, at 9:15AM at Lyon School and stay for coffee and breakfast to meet fellow members after the meeting. Meetings will be held monthly on Tuesdays throughout the year. We look forward to seeing you!
Best Regards,
Alexis Falleroni
PTA President 2019-2020
Mother of Luca Falleroni (3rd grade)
About Pleasant Ridge
Email: efriedman@glenview34.org
Website: pr.glenview34.org
Location: 1730 Sunset Ridge Road, Glenview, IL, USA
Phone: 847-998-5050
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PleasantRidgeD34/
Twitter: @PleasantRidge34