Weekly Update 10/9/23-10/13/23
Upcoming Dates
Monday, October 9: NO SCHOOL--Columbus/Indigenous Peoples' Day
Week of October 9: Fall Student Climate Survey (grades 1-5)
Tuesday, October 10 : Orchestra Sectional Lessons
Tuesday, October 10: Draw and Paint For Life (3:30-4:30pm)
Wednesday, October 11: 5th Grade Band & Orchestra Rehearsal at McClure (7:30am)
Wednesday, October 11: Student Council Meeting (lunchtime)
Wednesday, October 11: FUSION (3:30-5:15pm)
Thursday, October 12: Bus Evacuation Drill
Thursday, October 12: PTA Fall Fun Run (3:30pm)
Friday, October 13: Sticky Fingers Cooking (3:30-4:30pm)
Week of October 16-20: Unity Week
Monday, October 16: D101 Board of Education Meeting (6:15pm)
Tuesday, October 17: PTA Meeting (7:00pm)
Wednesday, October 18: Unity Day Assemblies
Thursday, October 19: Coffee With Dr. Coffey at Forest Hills (9:00am)
Friday, October 20: Blue Ribbon Celebration (More info to come!)
Tuesday, October 24: Lockdown Drill (10:15am)**changed from 10/26
Thursday, October 26: Picture Retakes
Tuesday, October 31: Halloween Parties (2:15-3:00pm) and Parade (3:00pm)
Blue Ribbon Celebration!
A BIG THANK YOU in advance to the PTA who is partnering with us on this exciting event!
Student Ownership Attribute–EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS
It has been WONDERFUL to spend time in each of the classrooms these first few weeks of the year, as we’ve re-launched our Student Attributes with students and staff. This month, we’re learning what EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS do and how we can strive to be one.
Our D101 definition of EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS is: Effective communicators are people who can share their thoughts and feelings with others in a simple, clear way that works!
Some of the components we discussed at the various grade levels:
Words are powerful–choose them carefully!
“HOW” you say something is often as important as “WHAT” you say.
LISTENING is a really important part of being a good communicator!
We communicate with our bodies and our words.
Words can bring people together.
Make sure what you are communicating is TRUE.
Digital communication can be tricky–think before you “speak” (5th grade)
We’re discussing these talking points in connection with the following grade level texts:
Kindergarten: Click, Clack, Moo…Cows That Type, by Doreen Cronin
1st Grade: Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker… by Christianne Jones
2nd Grade: Quiet Please, Owen McPhee… by Trudy Ludwig
3rd Grade: Mr. Peabody’s Apples… by Madonna
4th Grade: Mango, Abuela and Me… by Meg Medina
5th Grade: Nerdy Birdy Tweets…by Aaron Reynolds
Although this is our collective focus for the month of October, we’ll always be practicing being EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS throughout the year, and will be using these skills as a part of our November focus–COLLABORATION! Stay tuned for more information about COLLABORATION next month!
Fall Student Climate Survey
Over the past few weeks, I've spent time in each of the 1st-5th grade classrooms defining conflict--specifically, the distinction between rude, mean and bullying behavior. I also briefly overviewed strategies for dealing with conflict and how we can take care of ourselves and one another within our Forest Hills learning community. Forest Hills Social Work Intern, Juliana Guitierrez and I will then make a return to classrooms over the course of the next few weeks to dive further into conflict resolution skills.
Next week, (October 9-13), all students in 1st - 5th grades will take our Fall Climate Survey; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders will take the survey at home with your guidance, and 4th-5th graders will take it at school. The survey helps us gauge and measure what matters most to us -- our students' wellbeing and thoughts/feelings about school.
Parents of 1st-3rd graders, please watch for more information regarding the survey on Tuesday, October 10. Thank you for taking the time to sit with your child to complete this important survey!
Unity Day/Week Spirit Week: October 16-20
Every year on the third or fourth Wednesday in October, a very special event comes around — the Day of Unity, or Unity Day, as it is commonly called. This is the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month, also celebrated in October. Multiple anti-bullying campaigns — of which Unity Day is one of them, are organized during this period. The key message of this month, and this day, is to unite for kindness, courage, and inclusion, to prevent students from being bullied.
The PTA and Student Council have partnered to make this a week-long celebration and effort to combat bullying. Please watch for more information about the schedule of events (including a special assembly on Wednesday, October 18) and a Spirit Week the entire week.
Word From WSFEE
Western Springs Foundation for Educational Excellence (WSFEE) is already at work this year, approving our first grant to help support the newly renovated Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) classroom at McClure. We are so excited to see what students will cook up in the new space! WSFEE will also continue our partnership with D101, helping to fund the multi-year Renovation for Innovation Program. These renovations allow classroom designs to match innovative teaching and learning methods and include everything from classroom furniture to lighting upgrades. Remember to visit wsfee.org or follow WSFEE on Facebook or Instagram (@wsfee_d101) to hear about events and sponsorship opportunities throughout the year.
INFO FROM PREVIOUS UPDATES, BUT STILL RELEVANT...
Assessment Distribution
1st Grade: Fall Snapshot
2nd Grade: Fall MAP Report
3rd Grade: Fall MAP Report
4th Grade: Fall MAP Report and Spring 2023 Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) Report
5th Grade: Fall MAP Report and Spring 2023 Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) Report
If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's teacher. We look forward to a year of progress and academic growth!
2023-24 School Calendar
Have a wonderful LONG weekend!
Rachel
Rachel Corrough
Email: rcorrough@d101.org
Website: www.d101.org
Location: 5020 Central Avenue, Western Springs, IL, USA
Phone: (708)485-5184
Twitter: @corrough