Viking Newsletter
Jim Calabrese, Superintendent, Taft SD 90
March 19, 2023
1:45 PM Dismissal - Friday, March 24, 2023
Graduation Picture Retakes - Monday, March 20, 2023
Viking of the Week
Our student of the week this week is nominated by Ms. Gura, congratulations to Nico Calvillo! We are so proud of you Nico, you are such a sweet young man, and I am so happy that Ms. Gura nominated you. Here is what Ms. Gura had to say!
I am very happy to nominate Nico for our Taft student of the week. Nico is a very kind and caring young man. He is respectful every day and cares deeply about his friends and classmates. Nico also works very hard to be successful and looks to do the best he can on every assignment. He is responsible and ready to learn and is always willing to help me if I need it. Nico comes to school every day with a smile on his face ready to learn. The family just welcomed a new baby boy, and Nico is excited to be a big brother. He cannot wait to tell stories to his brother as he grows up and already knows what he wants to teach him.
Well done Nico, keep up the great work!
Message from Mr. Davini
I would like to thank our students, staff, and community for a very successful St. Baldrick’s fundraising event. Over the last three weeks, we have worked to raise money for St. Baldrick’s, a foundation that supports the research of childhood cancer. We finished our fundraising on Friday and raised over $2,500!!! To celebrate, the school took part in an end-of-day assembly where students could help shave my head. Thank you everyone for your support, it was a fun way to end the week!
This week marks the end of the 3rd quarter. Our grades will be posted live on TeacherEase next Friday, March 24th by 5:00 PM. If you have any questions regarding your child’s grades please feel free to reach out to their teacher, but also expect a slight delay in response time due to spring break the week after grades are posted.
Sports Update
The Boy's volleyball team had 2 games this week and the 8th grade also had a tournament yesterday. Both teams were victorious over Oak Prairie and Laraway this week. We also had the first annual Lockport Classic Volleyball tournament on Friday and Saturday. This was a 12-team tournament. Taft was the number 2 seed in the tournament so they had a bye in the first round. The boys beat Nettle Creek and then Oak Prairie to get into the championship game against an undefeated Kelvin Grove team. We lost the first set, came back and won the second set, and then won the final set 25 to 23. It was an exciting win to bring home the traveling trophy for the first year. Great job boys. They have 2 away games this week: Monday at Kelvin Grove and Wednesday at Elwood.
Track begins Monday 3/20. Track is for all 5th through 8th-grade students. We have 5 meets this year and sectional and state. Please email Coach Howard if you have any questions. Show up to practice tomorrow after school in the gym if you are interested. Practice is until 4:30.
Strep Throat
Kindergarten Round-up
Every year we anxiously await our enrollment numbers when considering our kindergarten programming. While we would like to offer full-day kindergarten we have not been able to due to budget constraints. This year will be no different. If you are a parent of a kindergartener it will be vital for you to attend our Kindergarten Round-up and register your student as soon as our registration period opens so we can plan for next year. If you are not a parent of an incoming kindergarten student but know of some other families in our community who are, please consider sharing this information with them to help spread the word.
Construction around Taft
Please make sure you are speaking with our students about being safe in the neighborhood especially if they are walking to and from school. Also please make sure you leave yourself extra time in the morning if you are driving students to school. It is important for everyone to arrive on time while also being safe.
Snacks for Parties/Birthdays at School
We need to find a solution that can still allow our students to enjoy classroom parties and their birthdays without creating potentially unsafe environments for our kids. We have begun to investigate some alternatives by checking in with other schools but we are also looking for our community to provide some ideas. Some ideas that we have already received could be that instead of parents sending in a variety of food items for parties perhaps each parent sends in a dollar or two and the school can purchase a classroom snack. Another idea that was suggested at our last meeting of the Board of Education could be to have parents donate the same amount of money and instead of having individual classroom parties perhaps we could rent some inflatables and have each class spend some time in our gym playing instead of eating as part of a classroom party.
If you have any ideas can you please reach out to me or Mr. Davini to let us know? As we gather more information we will be sure to keep communicating with our community to inform everyone of any changes. We are through our class party season until the end of the year so we have a little time to be thoughtful. In the meantime, if you are planning on sending anything to school for birthdays please check out the guidelines near the end of our newsletter.
April Foolin' Comedy Show
The Bragi's Players is pleased to announce a unique fundraising opportunity that will take place at our school on Saturday, April 1, 2023, beginning at 7:00 PM. Please use the button below to access information about a Comedy Night that will take place in our Auditorium. This is a great opportunity for our community to come together to support two great causes, Bragi's Players and the Royal Family Kids Camp - Lockport. We hope to see everyone there!
Lockport App
Lockport Township High School District 205 is thrilled to announce our new app for mobile phones! Stay up-to-date with access to events, documents, school news, student stories, and even emergency notifications.
You can download the app for free on Google Play or Apple App Store.
Download for Android https://bit.ly/3S9pZTQ
Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3D1DHDW
40 Book Challenge!
Health Reminders
Snack Guidelines from Nurse McGraw
Each family should have received this letter regarding snacks in the classroom. We need to work together as a team to make sure all our students are safe! There is no obligation for any family to bring in treats or snacks for birthdays or holidays; bringing in any kind of snack is strictly on a volunteer basis.
Food allergies are common today for many school-aged children in the United States. With this in mind, we want to ensure a safe and healthy environment in our classrooms for all of our students. The following are basic guidelines that must be followed when sending edible food items to the school for distribution to the classroom. Be aware that there are multiple allergies in our school other than nut allergies that could impact your snack choice. It would be best if you called the school prior to bringing in any snacks and reviewing with the school nurse so we can work as a team to ensure the class will be safe with the snack you choose.
All food must be made and /or manufactured in the United States or Canada.
All food must be peanut nut/tree nut free and manufactured on a dedicated peanut/tree nut-free line.
Homemade food items are NOT allowed.
No treat bags unless you choose to fill bags with NON-FOOD items.
You may refer to the website https://snacksafely.com/guide/peanut-treenut-free/ to find appropriate snacks that may be acceptable for your child’s classroom.
All food /snacks and treats going to the classroom for any celebration ( i.e. birthdays and holidays) must be checked by the School Nurse before going to the classroom AND be individually wrapped AND in their original packaging.
Physical and Immunization Information
The State of Illinois requires that all students MUST have an Illinois physical exam with up-to-date immunizations on file. Please see below and work with the office to complete these requirements as soon as possible.
Kindergarten:
Physical exam on an Illinois form within one year prior to the first day of school with updated immunizations. Must be turned in by October 15, 2022, to avoid EXCLUSION from school.
Vision Exam by an Eye Dr. on an Illinois Eye exam form completed and turned in by October 15, 2022.
Dental Exam on an Illinois Dental Exam form turned in by May 15, 2023.
2nd Grade:
Dental Exam on an Illinois Dental Exam form turned in by May 15, 2023.
6th Grade:
Physical Exam (Sports Physical form not acceptable) must be on the State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Exam form and done within one year prior to the first day of school with up-to-date immunizations.
Must be turned in by October 15, 2022, to avoid EXCLUSION from school.
Dental exam on an Illinois Dental Exam Form Must be turned in by May 15, 2023.
New students enrolling in an Illinois School for the first time-Required regardless of grade level:
Physical Exam with up-to-date immunizations on an Illinois form (due within 30 days of enrollment to district).
Vision Exam by an Eye Dr. on an Illinois Eye exam form (due within 30 days of enrollment to district).
e-Learning Plan
Attached you will see our proposed e-Learning Plan that has been sent to the Regional Office of Education for their approval. We will be sending out more information within the next month or so to ensure we are prepared if an emergency day is needed. Over the past few years, we have decided to cancel school when necessary as early as possible to make sure everyone is as prepared as possible. We plan to continue this practice moving forward.
StopIT
Taft is proud to have the “Stop It” program up and running for the 2021-2022 school year. Stop it is an online program that students can use to report bullying or any unsafe behavior while remaining anonymous. These reports come through to the Superintendent, Principal, and Social Worker via text so we can address the situation right away. This provides the student with an opportunity to share their concerns if they feel they cannot speak immediately to an adult.
We continue to teach our students to advocate for themselves in situations where they feel they can speak to a situation on their own. The students are reminded there are different approaches to stop bullying or unsafe situations outside of reporting things anonymously. Students are encouraged to share concerns with friends, staff, and family to learn to advocate for themselves. However, we understand that there are some situations where students may feel safer reporting discreetly.
If you have any questions regarding the Stop It program, please contact Mr. Davini or Mr. Calabrese.
School Calendar
3/20/23 - Graduation Picture Retakes
3/20/23 - Boy's Volleyball Game @ KG - 4:00 PM
3/21/23 - 5th & 8th Grade Illinois Science Assessment - During School
3/21/23 - Boy's Volleyball Game v. AVM - 4:00 PM
3/21/21 - Taft Foundation Meeting - 7:00 PM - Library
3/22/23 - 3rd and 4th Grade Fieldtrip - All Day
3/23/23 - Board of Education Meeting - 6:15 PM Closed Session - 7:00 PM Open Session
3/24/23 - Early Release - 1:45 PM
3/27/23 - 4/2/23 - No School - Spring Break
4/3/23 - School Resumes
4/6/23 - BETA Club Induction Ceremony - 5:00 PM
4/7/23 - No School
4/10/23 - No School
4/11/23 - Student Council Meeting - 3:15 PM
4/11/23 - Art Club - 3:15 PM
4/12/23 - Kindergarten Round-up - 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM
4/18/23 - Kindergartenen Round-up - 8:30 AM - 11:00 AM
4/18/23 - Student Council Meeting - 3:15 PM
4/19/23 - Early Dismissal - 11:30 AM - School Improvement
4/21/23 - Wax Mesuem - 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
4/21/23 - PTA Fun Fair - 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
4/25/23 - Student Council Meeting - 3:15 PM
Taft School District 90
Email: j.calabrese@taftsd90.org
Website: www.taft90.org
Location: 1605 South Washington Street, Lockport, IL, USA
Phone: (815)838-0434
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taft.vikings
Twitter: @jjcalabrese