Glen Oaks Family Focus
Back to School Update - Upcoming Week of 8.12.19
Newsletter Translation
Principals' Post
Welcome Back Panthers! We hope that all of our families enjoyed a summer filled with adventure, relaxation, and hopefully a little learning! We can't wait to see all of our Panthers THIS FRIDAY to start another great school year! We are grateful to continue this educational journey and look forward to continuing to building strong relationships with all of you this school year.
We look forward to seeing all of our families on Thursday, August 15th for Parent Orientation from 6-8pm at Glen Oaks School! You will have opportunities to meet your child's teacher, drop off school supplies, and learn more about our school. In our front gym, we will have representatives from our PTA, scouts, and our local libraries to share valuable resources with you. Our Back to School Selfie Station is always a hit - stop by to take a picture to commemorate the start to another great year! For those families that attend Parent Orientation, there will also be a raffle opportunity for students to win a "Panther Prize Pack"!
Classes at Glen Oaks begin on Friday, August 16th at 8:30 a.m. for a full school day. Students will enter the building beginning at 8:15 a.m. We ask that parents please say farewells to students before students enter the building and refrain from accompanying children to classrooms. We have a large staff who will be more than happy to provide assistance to our Panthers in finding their new classrooms and teachers. Please refer to the additional information linked below, which will help us all to progress smoothly through the school year.
Picture day will also be held on FRIDAY, AUGUST 16th. ALL STUDENTS will take their school photos on this date. Photos will be sent home in late August and you will be able to place your order for school pictures at that time.
Breakfast and lunch menus are always available on the Glen Oaks website. Please note, breakfast WILL NOT be served on Friday, August 16th. The breakfast program will begin on Monday, August 19th. We encourage all of our families to utilize the K12 Payment Center Signup page to help them arrange for ONLINE payments.
As always, please reach out to either of us with any questions, comments, or concerns. You can reach us by phone, email, or by filling out the feedback form located at the bottom of each Family Focus email. We look forward to working along with you to provide your child with a positive learning experience at Glen Oaks School!
Your partners in education,
Mrs. Kristin Reingruber, Principal
Dr. Carla Braun, Assistant Principal
Upcoming Events
Monday, August 12th
- Transportation and class placement information available in the PowerSchool Parent Access portal starting at 8:00 am
Thursday, August 15th
- Parent Orientation Night - 6:00-8:00 pm - Don't forget to bring your school supplies!
Friday, August 16th
- First FULL DAY of school for the 2019-2020 school year!
- SCHOOL PICTURE DAY!
Tuesday, August 20th
- Board of Education meeting - District Office, 7:00-9:00 pm
Friday, August 23rd
- Glen Oaks PTA Back to School Bash - 5:00-7:00 pm on the Glen Oaks Playground
Friday, August 30th
- Half Day Inservice - students dismissed at 11:30 am
Monday, September 2nd
- LABOR DAY HOLIDAY - NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, September 4th
- TEAM DAY - students dismissed at 1:30 pm
Please refer to both the Glen Oaks School Calendar and the NPD117 2019-2020 calendar for additional school year information.
Classroom Placement and Transportation Information
Once again, we will be utilizing the PowerSchool Parent Access Portal: https://powerschool.npd117.net/public/home.html to share this information with our families. A reminder email will be sent on Monday, August 12th that explains how to access this information. If you do not already have an Parent Access account set up, you will need a student access ID and a student access password to connect your student(s) to your PowerSchool parent account. Please note - this information did not change from last year. If you already had an account setup at any NPD117 school, please use that information to access your account. All newly registered families were sent their ID and password information via email this past week.
When students enroll, please understand that placements are TENTATIVE, pending screening assessments and records being sent from previous schools. When students enroll, we make the best placement we can at the time with the information we have. There are times where we will need to move students to different homerooms so they can receive the services they are entitled to receive. We ask that you allow us 10 days to finalize placements for our students.
If you require assistance with the PowerSchool Parent Access Portal, please contact the school office between 8:00 am and 3:00 pm to obtain this information.
Glen Oaks Procedures and Information
Please take a few moments to familiarize yourself with key Glen Oaks Procedures and Information to best prepare you for the upcoming school year.
School Hours and Class Information
Glen Oaks Students are in class from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. On TEAM Days, our students are dismissed at 1:30 p.m. and on half days our students are dismissed at 11:30 a.m. Please make a habit of checking the school and district calendars, as well as the district website (www.npd117.net) for special dates and announcements.
In addition to core content instruction, students are scheduled into a PE/health class three times a week, a media class once per week, and a fine arts class (art or music, dependent upon the semester) once per week.
Students do have lunch and recess daily. You will be notified of the precise times by your child’s teacher once school starts. Please make sure your child’s lunch containers, even brown bags, are clearly marked with your child’s full names and class number (2A, for example). Also, please make sure your child wears sturdy shoes every day (no flip flops, clogs, or Heelys) in order to prevent injuries while participating in physical education and recess.
We recognize the need for appointments and understand that situations may arise that require you to pick your child up early from school. We ask that you please try your best to schedule appointments OUTSIDE of the school day and not pick your child up early from school, as to not disrupt the learning process.
Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures
Please refer to this link for a map of the pick-up and drop-off procedures and share this information with ANYONE who will be dropping off or picking up your child during the school year.
Pick-up is on the north side of 91st Street - this is a TRAFFIC line, please do NOT exit your car!
Students will wait on the sidewalk between the crosswalk at the east end of the school property and 87th Avenue
If you are in the 91st Street pickup line, you must stay in your car and pull forward when possible - this helps us keep traffic moving efficiently and safely
Only children with a walker permit will be allowed to walk out of the designated waiting area
Walker permits will be sent home with your child on the first day of school. They can also be requested from the Glen Oaks office. A parent signature is REQUIRED!
We appreciate your attention to these procedures. We work hard to ensure everyone’s safety, whether they are part of the Glen Oaks community, a pedestrian or a passing motorist. Safety is our number one goal!
Bus Information
If your child is a bus rider, log in to Parent Access to find your child’s bus stop location and time. Please have your child at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to the scheduled pick up time. At the beginning of the school year and during inclement weather it does take additional time to get our Panthers to and from school safely. Please allow for extra time for your child’s bus. If there is a concern about the buses progress in dropping off or picking up your child, please call the Glen Oaks Office.
If, for any reason, you child will be picked up instead of taking the bus home, you must notify either your child’s teacher that day prior to noon OR the office prior to 2:15, indicating the change in transportation. If we are not notified prior to these times, your child will go home on the bus.
Tardy Designation
Please allow yourself plenty of time to drop off and pick up your child. Students must be in class and ready to learn before the 8:30 a.m. bell. A parent must sign in their child in at the front office after 8:30 a.m.
Front Entrance Procedure
There is a camera and a speaker at our front entrance. You will need to state your name and your business before being allowed entry into the building. If you are allowed entrance into the building, PLEASE DO NOT allow others to enter with you.
Student ID Card and Breakfast/Lunch Payments
Each Glen Oaks student will be issued an identification card (ID card). This ID card will be used to purchase breakfast, lunch, and/or milk. Families are encouraged to log in to PowerSchool, pay ahead to establish a credit, and the credit will be used to pay for breakfast, lunch, and/ or milk electronically. Specific directions as to how to access those features can be found on our website. We encourage all families that will be paying for breakfast/lunch to use this online payment system. The credit will be added to your child’s ID card and expedites the breakfast/lunch payment process. As in the past, cash and checks are also acceptable methods of payment. Please refer to the directions for electronic payments ON OUR WEBSITE for more specific information.
Dropping off Late Lunches
Place your child’s lunch on the table inside the front entrance and staple the form to your child’s lunch. Lunches will be collected by staff members and distributed to students prior to their lunch period
Volunteers/Chaperones
Per NPD117 Board Policy, all volunteers must:
1. Review and sign the North Palos School District 117 Guidelines for NPD117 Volunteers form
2. Review and sign the Volunteer Information Form and Waiver of Liability form
3. Provide a picture ID to the school office AT LEAST 7 DAYS PRIOR to volunteering or chaperoning an event or field trip.
Communication
Glen Oaks School utilizes email and text messaging as a main source of communication. One major mode of communication we use is our weekly FAMILY FOCUS EMAIL. To ensure you receive all of our communications, please make sure your phone number and email address are up to date with the school office. Additionally, we utilize our website (www.npd117.net/glenoaks) and Twitter (@GlenOaksNPD117) for communication purposes. Please check these sources regularly for up-to-date information and to learn more about the exciting things going on at Glen Oaks School.
PBIS - Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
We strive to provide the best educational environment possible for all students at Glen Oaks School. We follow the PBIS system, which stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. The goal of this program is to teach students expected behaviors as they follow school expectations, and to reinforce and reward positive behaviors. The expectations reinforced by all Glen Oaks staff are Be Respectful, Be Caring, Be Safe, and Be Here and Ready. For your information below, we have included our PBIS Flowchart and Behavior Matrix. This tool is used by Glen Oaks teachers and administration when working to redirect students toward positive behaviors.
School Supplies
School supply lists are available on both the NPD117 and Glen Oaks websites. We ask that you please bring your child’s supplies on Parent Orientation Night, which will be held on Thursday, August 15th from 6-8pm. It is important that each of our students are prepared for school on the very first day with all of their supplies, clearly labeled with his/her name.
PTA News
PTA board for the 2019-2020 school year
Nena Alayan - President
Clara Fraga - Vice President
Becky Koronkowski - Treasurer
Our board is excited to work with the families, staff, and students of Glen Oaks School during the 2019-2020 school year! Currently, our board is busy planning for the upcoming year - we will send information later this summer regarding dates and times for events.
Glen Oaks School
Email: kreingruber@npd117.net
Website: www.npd117.net/glenoaks
Location: Hickory Hills, IL, USA
Phone: 708-598-5711
Twitter: @GlenOaksNPD117