Emerson's Enquirer
February 1st, 2019
Principal's Corner
Dear Parents/Guardians:
STEAM
Emerson's 1st STEAM Night (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) will take place on Wed., April 10, 2019, 6:30-8:30pm. All Emerson Families will be invited to participate in STEAM related challenges. Participants can register as a team or will be assigned to a group, based upon our total attendance. This event will push students and their families to learn about the practices of STEAM, while engaging them in group challenges. Prizes and refreshments will be included! Hope to see you there!
Career Night
We are still looking for parents and/or community members interested in spending a couple of hours talking to our students about their careers, in a casual environment. Many of our students are unaware of the career opportunities available to them and this is a fantastic way to provide them with first-hand knowledge of potential career paths. This is also a great way for you to get involved in Emerson Middle School and have an impact on our students’ futures. The event will take place on Wed., February 20, 2019, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
If you are not interested but know someone who might be, please feel free to share this information with them.
Winter Weather
As the winter weather continues, please make sure your child comes to school prepared for the weather. They should have a coat, gloves and a hat. Students will be going out to recess when the temperature is above 10 degrees. They also need to walk to and from the school buses to the school. This walk can take a few minutes, given weather conditions during winter.
Transitions and Scheduling
We are currently in the process of preparing for the upcoming school year. Students and parents will be guided through the changes as students transition from one grade to the next. Our current sixth and seventh grade students are in the process of making their choices for electives and need to give their selection form to their homeroom teacher or the office by Mon., Feb. 4, 2019. If your child does not turn in a form, he/she may not receive the electives of his/her choice.
During the months of February and March, we will be collecting information from the fifth grade feeder schools, regarding each students’ strengths and needs, both academically and socially/emotionally. We will use this information to place them on a team. We are also doing the same with our sixth grade students to determine the appropriate seventh/eighth grade team.
School Bus Safety
The Niles police would like to remind you to not violate the law regarding stopping behind a stopped school bus, and not passing a school bus when the bus is stopped and has the ‘stop arm’ out for loading and unloading students. The stop arm warns you that students may cross the street or move around the bus.
The minimum fine is a $250.00 ticket and could go as high as a suspended license.
Student Absence
If your child will not be attending school, please remember to contact the school attendance line prior to 7:15am. Due to the size of Emerson, it takes half the morning for our secretaries to identify who is absent from school and to ensure they are accounted for. You can simply call 847-318-8110 and dial 1 for the attendance line. Please make sure you give and spell out your child’s name and the reason for his/her absence. Your assistance in this matter will be greatly appreciated.
Truancy
Following the Illinois State School Code guidelines, parents will receive a truancy letter from Emerson after a student is absent for 5% or more school days. The letters are sent out on a monthly basis. If you receive a letter and have questions about it, feel free to contact Mr. Benka at: tbenka@d64.org. We will work closely with you to develop strategies to reduce the number of school tardies and/or absences.
Upcoming District Events
Finally to keep up to date with community information and events, please checkout the Community Info/Events page of the website. On this page, we post material from our community partners regarding important activities and happenings our families might be interested in knowing about.
Have a great weekend,
Dr. Jim Morrison,
Emerson Principal
Inspire every child to discover, learn, achieve, and care.
S.O.A.R.S. Update
Emerson Behavior Team’s
S.O.A.R.S. Update
January 2019
On Wednesday, January 22, students experienced lessons on self-awareness and self-regulation with our Second Step program. Students at each grade level met in their homerooms for 25 minutes to receive direct instruction, participate in simulations, and have meaningful discussions about managing emotions.
6th Grade
Sixth grade students considered how they can use their values to help them manage their emotions when faced with stress or conflict. They first considered why it is difficult to make good decisions while upset. They analyzed scenarios where students became upset because of perceived wrong-doings, and discussed how remembering their values can help them make good decisions in those moments instead of escalating the conflict.
7th Grade
Seventh grade students worked on ways to avoid letting their emotions control their decisions when faced with stress or conflict. First, they discussed emotions adolescents typically experience and how emotions can help them make decisions. Next, they identified how emotions can be both helpful and unhelpful. Then, they considered how they are in control of their emotions, and therefore need not let their emotions guide them towards impulsive acts they may later regret.
8th Grade
Eighth grade students worked on becoming more aware of their emotions without reacting to or following them. Students reviewed their values and considered how their values can help them make good decisions when responding to anger. When faced with a situation that causes them intense emotions, students can take control by thinking about what is really important, and by trying to empathize with the other person involved in the conflict. Students then worked on scenarios where they saw the negative outcomes of impulsive decisions made in response to intense emotions. Students were asked to imagine how they would feel if they were in those situations, and collaborated on identifying good, values-based decisions they could make to resolve those conflicts.
NEW! Health & Wellness Resources webpage launched
In District 64, we regularly support our students through individual and group counseling as well as our social-emotional learning programs so that students are able to engage in all that school has to offer.
As a follow-up to the recent showing of the documentary film, Angst, about teen anxiety, District 64 would like to further support our students and families by providing information about community resources available in Park Ridge and Niles as well as links to where you can find additional perspectives from other reliable organizations. Visit our new webpage here.
SAINT BALDRICK’S FOUNDATION
Emerson Dodgeball Tournament Fundraiser
Emerson will be running a dodgeball tournament to raise money for The Saint Baldrick’s Foundation ( https://www.stbaldricks.org/ ) to fight childhood cancer.
Sign-ups will run from February 7th to the 13th. Tournament dates are February 14th and 15th.
Matches will be played from 3:00 - 5:00 pm.
Participants will need to arrange their own rides home as the tournament will not be completed until after the activity bus has left.
Participants can sign up as a team for $20 or as an individual for $4. (Participants who sign up as an individual will be randomly placed on a team.)
Teams will compete for grade level and overall school championships.
Visit Mr. Schauer’s office to get a packet containing rules, procedures, and sign-up information.
All forms and fees must be turned in to Mr. Schauer by:
2:30 pm on Wednesday, February 13th
Let’s Conquer Childhood Cancer!
Art Department will take your old towels!
Don't throw out those old towels if you get new ones!
We use them to soak/recycle dry clay and to dry tools
when the paper towels do not dry well enough.
Students may bring them in and drop them of in the Art Room, 324.
Thanks in advance for any donations : )
Sincerely,
Your Art Teachers
Choral Boosters
The District 64 Choral Boosters need your help! We are looking for volunteers for the Choral Boosters board! Choral Boosters raises money to support the Vocal program.
90% of funds go to the specific schools your children attend to purchase music, enrichment materials, and concert decorations; and to pay concert accompanists, instrumentalists, and guest clinicians.
10% of funds support Choral Booster initiatives, including music camp scholarships.
For more information, please contact Christine Mayer, President: csmayer86@yahoo.com
or Terry Broeker, tbroeker@d64.org
School Closing Guidelines
Enrollment and Registration 2019-20
Registration opens February 4th
Worlds of Wonder 2019
Registration opens March 1st at Noon.
Important Message from D64 School Health Services
As we near winter break, family schedules become even busier, with holiday celebrations, travel, and more opportunities for children to play with one another. Please take the time to check your child’s head for the presence of head lice and nits (eggs) now, during break, and prior to return to school in January. If nits or live lice are found, all household members should be examined and treated if needed.
If your child has an active infestation (live lice), you should notify parents of your child’s playmates, so that steps can be taken to prevent further spread. In addition, please contact the health office at your child’s school.
Head lice are spread most commonly by head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact with someone who already has head lice, and less frequently by sharing clothing or belongings onto which lice may have crawled.
Prevention Measures:
Avoid head-to-head contact during play (sports activities, sleep-overs).
Do not share items such as hats, caps, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair accessories, combs, brushes, or towels.
Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have been in recent contact with a person with head lice.
Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that the person with head lice wore or used during the 2 days before treatment, using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
Vacuum the floor and furniture. However, spending much time and money on house cleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing.
For more information, please visit the District website at
http://www.d64.org/health-services/health-safety-tips. Just scroll down to the section “Head Lice.”
Margaret Temari, R.N., M.Ed.
Facilitator, School Health Services
New District Transportation Email Address
The district has a new transportation email address (transportation@d64.org). This email is to be used for all busing related questions.
The link below will navigate you to the district bus information page.