Harper Happenings
November 5th - November 9th
What's Happening
Tuesday, November 6th
- November Birthday Lunch
Wednesday, November 7th
- D39 Education Foundation Attire to Aspire Fashion Show, 7-9pm
Wednesday, October 31st to November 9th
- Donate any extra Halloween candy. Bins are located in the Harper Lobby and donations benefit Connections for the Homeless
Thursday, November 8th and Friday, November 9th
- No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences
Dr. Kick's Corner
- Harper students were highly invested in an assembly on Down Syndrome that emphasized how we are more alike than different.
- Our Halloween parade and parties were a huge success. Thank you to all of the party volunteers who were so creative with games and arts/crafts. I also appreciate the energy that went into facilitating safe and fun Halloween costumes.
- Parent-teacher conferences are approaching quickly! If you haven't already, please sign-up for a conference. An email was sent by D39 with conference sign-up information. This is an opportunity to obtain an update about your child's academic and social successes.
District 39 utilizes a variety of assessments that serve different purposes and help guide educational decisions. Please check out our new Assessment Website for details about the District and State assessments administered for each grade.
- Bike safety: Please make sure that your child locks their bicycle when parked at school. Officer Pavely has noted that bicycles that are not locked at local schools have been getting stolen.
Coming Up/Reminders
Monday, November 12th
- Board of Education meeting, 7:00 pm
Wednesday, November 14th
- General PTO Meeting, 9am. Guest Speaker: District 39 Superintendent, Dr. Ray Lechner (See detailed information below.)
Monday, November 19th - Friday, November 23rd
- No School, Thanksgiving Break
Friday, November 30th
- Harper PTO Movie Night
Announcements
- Special General PTO Meeting, Wednesday, Nov 14th at 9:00am in Harper Auditorium
- Please mark your calendars and come see special guest speaker, Superintendent Dr Ray Lechner, who is presenting and discussing the upcoming 2019-20 Harper School changes. This event is not to be missed and your parent input is very important and much needed!
Dr. Lechner will be addressing the NEW Superintendent Search, NEW Harper Principal Search, NEW Kindergarten Enrichment Program and NEW Harper building construction! Harper is YOUR school so please come with any questions, comments or just listen. There will be a Q&A. Children Welcome. Coffee and treats will be served.
- A few things to think about in advance:
- ~What qualities should the new principal possess?
- ~What changes at Harper do I want to see, if any?
- ~What do me and my kids like about Harper?
- ~Will the Kindergarten Enrichment program affect me and my children?
On Friday, October 26th, students at Harper School participated in a Down Syndrome Awareness Assembly in recognition of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Will Personette, a second grader at Harper who has Down Syndrome, and some of his classmates presented information to help those in the assembly learn more about Down Syndrome.
The idea that we are all More Alike Than Different was highlighted and the students were reminded that we all have things that are easier for us and things that are harder for us to do. There are many things that all students can do to make Harper School an inclusive place for everyone.
- Treat everyone with respect and talk to others the way you would like them to talk to you
- If it seems like a classmate needs help, ask "Do you need help?"
- When working in a group, listen to everyone's ideas and make sure everyone has a role
- Pay attention if kids are playing alone at recess and ask them to play
- Teach kids the rules to a game if they don't know how to play.
The assembly ended with Will sharing a quote from one of his favorite movies,
Paddington 2.
"If we are kind and polite, the world will be right.”
- The Yearbook Committee Is In Need Of Your Halloween Pictures! If you haven’t tried the ReplayIt app for uploading photos to the Yearbook, it’s so easy. Below is a guide on how to set it up. Download the app and give it a try www.replayit.com (password is HarperRocks). Or email pictures to debbiemelchiorre75@gmail.com
- Harper PTO Movie Night presents: The Polar Express (G)
- All Harper Students (K-4) are invited to come discover that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe! Pajama's welcome and encouraged!
- Join us in the auditorium:
- Friday, November 30th
- 6:00pm-8:00pm
- Little Ceasar’s Cheese/Pepperoni Pizza, Lemonade and Water will be served in the cafeteria
- Sign up today as movie nights sell out quickly: HERE
- Cost: $20 for the first child, $10 for the second, and $5 for the third.
- Parents who volunteer at Movie Night can bring one child for FREE! Sign up to volunteer HERE.
- Space is limited to the first 115 kids. NO WALK-INS. All children must be registered in advance.
- All Children must be walked into Harper for check in and picked up by an adult for check out. NO DROP OFFS
- Need to find yourself a replacement for lunch duty? Wondering what time the parent social starts? Did your child lose their backpack? Looking for a nanny? Well look no further, join Harper Parents Page on Facebook for all your answers and questions. Harpers Parent Page is a wonderful Harper community resource where Harper parents respectfully exchange information. To join, send a Facebook request to join this private closed group.
- *Harper Parents Page is parent administered and is not moderated by Harper Elementary School, D39 or Harper PTO. To access Harper’s PTO, please go to www.harperpto.com
iGNITE! Enrichment Information
Thank you to iGNITE! for the following Enrichment Experiences!
- Author Kate Klise will visit Harper on Tuesday, November 13th! Kate Klise is the author of several picture books and novels! If your family would like signed copies of her work, please return the book order form to the library by Monday, November 5!
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Your K-4th Grade Students have participated in the iGNITE! sponsored Mindfulness Program this week! Please see the PDF below for details of what they learned and any take home work/challenges.
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Griffin's Tale Children's Repertory Theatre Company will be visiting and performing at Harper School on May 17, 2019. The company consists of 25 Northwestern undergrads who take stories written by local school children and turn them into songs, dances, scenes, raps, and games! https://northwestern.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/griffinstale
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If your child is interested, K-4 students are being asked to write one story (short, long, wordy, picture-filled, serious, casual, etc.) to be used by the company when they perform here at Harper in the spring! Have your child write their story at home and then complete the Story-Identification Form (PDF linked below).
- Please have your child return the forms to their teacher no later than Thursday, November 15, 2018 (note: the submitted copy will not be returned).
Harper's Green Corner
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Join us after school on Thursday, November 15 for Gratitude in the Garden! As we prepare to close up the garden for winter, we'd love to hear what you are most grateful for. We will be serving hot cider and making a Thanksgiving craft. Siblings and parents are always welcome!
FAN (Family Action Network)
Upcoming dates...
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Monday, November 5th FAN presents Ellen King Co-owner and Head Baker at Hewn in Evanston; author, Heritage Baking speaking about Heritage Baking at 7 PM at New Trier High School, Northfield Campus, Cornog Auditorium 7 Happ Rd., Northfield, IL 60093. Free and open to the public. The event will be recorded.
FAN presents clinical neuropsychologist and author William Stixrud, Ph.D. along with author and speaker Ned Johnson on 'The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives’ on Tues, Nov. 13th, 7 PM at New Trier High School/Northfield, Cornog Auditorium 7 Happ Rd., Northfield, IL 60093. Free and open to the public.
- If you would like to sign up for the FAN newsletter, click here!
Community Service & News
Not sure what to do with all your extra Halloween candy?? Be sweet and share it with others! Harper will be collecting extra Halloween candy and delivering it to Connections for the Homeless. It is used to motivate and reward clients participating in social services programs. Boxes will be in the school lobby starting this week through Friday, November 9.
LINK: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
Wilmette Rotary Club is running its annual BIG BOOK DRIVE at all District 39 schools from October 1st through November 15th. Please donate any gently used books.
Wilmette Park District’s Saturday Basketball registration is open for boys & girls grades 4-8.
Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
Free adult English language classes are available at Highcrest Middle School through November 13.
All announcements to be included in the Harper Happenings should be sent to Liz Hayes directly elizabeth.hayes78@gmail.com via the Communications Request Form word document attached below by Mondays at 9 am. Thank you!
For more school information, visit the Harper PTO website.
For additional D39 community events, visit wilmette39.org