NTZB Parent Bulletin
APRIL 5, 2024
Hello ZB East Families,
We are in the final weeks of this school year, and it is critical we finish strong! Please continue to visit the website and stay connected for the latest information regarding end of the year details.
Please make note that the District Assessment Days are fast approaching. Junior students will take the SAT test and Illinois Science Assessment, while 9th and 10th graders will take the PSAT test. As with every day of school, Attendance Matters! Please make sure your students are in attendance and on-time each day of testing! We will be testing all Juniors on Tuesday, April 16 and ALL 9-11 grade students on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Seniors will not be in attendance for either day but should devote their time to post-secondary planning, college visits and academic APEX recovery if needed for graduation. Buses will depart at 11:35 on Tuesday and at 10:30 on Wednesday. Please continue to support your child as they work to bring this school year to a successful close.
As always, I look forward to creating more great days for our students and staff!
In partnership,
Bonnie Felske
Contact Information
Watch for complete assessment day details soon!
CLASS OF 2024
Graduation is quickly approaching and year-end events will begin soon! To stay up-to-date on the most current information, please check the link on our ZBE website's homepage regularly.
INSIDE THE CLASSROOM
In anticipation of the Total Solar Eclipse happening next week, Ms. Byrne (Physics and Astronomy) approached our administration about acquiring solar eclipse glasses for every ZBE student and staff member. In preparation of the big day, students in her Astronomy course created informational slideshows. These were presented on Monday (4/1/24) in all 9th period classes to help students understand what happens during an eclipse and the importance of viewing it safely.
To view student presentations, click the links below:
Information About a Solar Eclipse by Alexis Vaughn-Knuckles
What is a Solar Eclipse? by Charles Martin
Solar Eclipse by Valeria Herrera
Solar Eclipse by Kingsley Brown
On Monday, if weather conditions are favorable, we should be able to view the eclipse during the school day, around 2:00PM! If you are unable to find solar eclipse glasses, you can make your own Box Pinhole Projector!
Explore more using the links below:
Total Solar Eclipse Coloring Page
American Association of Ophthalmology - Solar Eclipse Eye Safety
TECHNOLOGY TIDBIT
Making sure your children are safe while gaming and communicating with others through the games is very important. Here are some tips from NetSmartz to help parents get involved and be in the know when it comes to gaming safely.
Dr. Cheri Bridge
Director of Technology
1,000,000 MINUTES!
In January, we began a district-wide reading challenge using a "new to us" platform called Beanstack. The goal was to reach 1,000,000 collective minutes---achievable if each student and staff member of D126 read 400 minutes. While we did not reach our goal, the results at ZBE were quite remarkable for a ten week reading challenge!
Our Freshman English teacher, Mr. Mark Davenport, took advantage of this reading challenge as a way to have his students, to log their daily in-class reading minutes. Many of his student became very invested and enjoyed the competition--particularly seeing where they ranked in total minutes. 100% of students enrolled in the challenge are due to Mr. Davenport's influence.
115 Total active readers - 108 are in the 9th grade!
Those 108 9th grade students collectively read 107,896 minutes!
Our campus total was 110,019 minutes!
Over 350 book titles were sampled!
There were seven Freshman students with notable results and were recognized at the grade level celebration held on March 20th in the ZBE cafeteria! They are 1,000,000 Minutes Reading Challenge Legends!
Third Place Recognition (Each received 2 free books):
Alexander Arambula - 3,000 minutes
Zakaivea Booths - 4,494 minutes
Jonathan Barwig - 4,522 minutes
Second Place Recognition (Each received 4 free books):
Josiah Funderburg - 7,829 minutes
Jose Rodriguez - 8,643 minutes
Connor Pope - 8,792 minutes
First Place Recognition (Received 7 free books):
Laila Murphy - 11,8677 minutes
All students were treated to a brownie dessert from Aramark and a goody bag! And discussions are underway to launch a Spring Reading Challenge, so stay tuned for more information.
I would like to thank Mrs. Deb Will, Mr. Mark Davenport, Dr. Cheri Bridge (and the IT Team), Jason Ponivas, Mrs. Bonnie Felske, and Mr. Mike Isaacs for your support in making this a success! Special thanks to Superintendent, Dr. Jesse Rodriguez, for supporting my vision of increasing the reading options for our ZBE students and providing the funding to make that a reality.
Mrs. Deb Biar
ZBE Librarian/Media Specialist
FREE COMMUNITY SERVICES
Grocery Distribution
There are multiple locations and dates in the Lake County area for anyone in need of free groceries. Details are available on the Get Groceries page of the Northern Illinois Food Bank's website.
Zion-Benton East (1634 23rd Street) is a designated Mobile Market location. Stop by the next distribution date: Saturday, April 27th from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM.
Health Screenings
Blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol (fasting), health education, COVID & flu vaccine (when available) and questions about medication, review lab results, connections to primary care. Learn about community resources by calling 847-578-8451 or 847-578-8670.
Offered through Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinics.
Check the schedule for dates/times/locations.
MAIN OFFICE REMINDERS
IMPORTANT DATES AT-A-GLANCE
- Tuesday, 4/16/24 - SAT Testing Day - Junior Class (non-attendance day for Freshman, Sophomore, and Senior students) - Early Release
- Wednesday, 4/17/24 - Assessment Day - Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Classes (non-attendance day for Senior students) - Early Release
- Wednesday, 4/24/24 - ZBE NHS Induction Ceremony - 6:00 PM - ZBE Cafeteria
- Thursday, 4/25/24 - Senior Honors Program - 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM - ZBTHS South Commons (this is an invitation-only event)
- Friday, 4/26/24 - School Holiday - No School
- Saturday, 5/11/24 - Prom
- Sunday, 5/19/24 - NTZB Commencement Ceremony - 12:00 PM - ZBTHS Performing Arts Center (this is a ticketed event)
- Tuesday, 5/21/24 - Exams - Student Early Dismissal (1:04 PM)
- Wednesday, 5/22/24 - Exams - Student Early Dismissal (1:04 PM)
- Thursday, 5/23/24 - Exams - Student Early Dismissal (11:25 AM)
- Friday, 5/24/24 - Teacher Institute Day - No Students
CALENDAR & WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
ABOUT US
Website: www.zb126.org/zbe
Location: 1634 23rd Street, Zion, IL, 60099
Phone: (847) 731-9800