We are off to a great start at MJ this year! The classrooms are alive with the sounds of teaching and learning. All of our students are enjoying their new math curriculum! It is fun to see students generating ideas and sharing strategies with their peers. Many of the situations that present are real world making them motivating for students to solve. Teachers are busy as facilitators of learning, providing information as it is needed for students to progress through the problems they are solving.

We will be completing our fall benchmarking assessments, MAP in grades 2-6 and FastBridge in grades K-2, in the coming weeks. Data from these assessments will be reviewed and used by teachers to drive instruction for individual and groups of students. Some students may be identified to receive additional academic support in the area of reading or math based on their performance on the assessments. If your child is recommended for something additional, you will be notified. If at any time you have questions about the progress your student is making, please reach out to your child's teacher.

We have shared our school wide expectations of Safety, Respect, and Responsibility with our students and are proud of their efforts in making our learning community a positive one for all. Blue Jays are tangible recognition for student effort, your child should be proud to tell you how he/she is earning them around the school. There are times when a student needs a reminder about making positive choices. Staff are quite skilled at providing verbal reminders, modeling, and reteaching expectations. In the event you child does not fully respond to these levels of adult support, a minor may be given. Please keep in mind that minor means small and it is a small reminder to make a better choice the next time. One of the biggest reasons we issue minors is that they serve as a form of communication for you. All minors issued will be brought to your attention by the classroom teacher. We believe that students achieve greater success when all of the adults in his/her life are supporting them and working toward a common goal. Thank you in advance for your support of our positive learning environment.

I hope to see many of you at our first PTA meeting of the year on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 7:00pm in the MJ Library. Do not hesitate to reach out with any questions before then.

Warmly,

Jenny Grosch

September is Pediatric Cancer Awarenss Month and we kicked it off with an all school assembly last week. The MJ community has been personally touched by pediatric cancer and we are committed to raising both awareness and funds for this worthy cause. Students will be able to participate in events that will promote awareness and raise funds for continued research for better treatment options and ultimately a cure for children diagnosed with cancer. Below is a summary of our events and the form for use to indicate what your child will participate in.

9/7 Kick off assemblies - 9:30-10 (3-6); 10:15-10:45 (K-2)

9/13 ManiCURES and Tattoos - over the noon hour

9/16 Hat Day

9/19-9/23 Toy Drive

9/21 Streaks of Support - over the noon hour

9/23 PJammin for Cancer Day

9/27 Dunk an MJ Staff Member

9/30 Reveal Celebration/ice pop party at 1:30pm

Here is the flyer with the information about the events/activities, and this is the form to use to indicate what your child will participate in.

It is important for us to begin and end each day with safety in mind. For that reason, here are a few reminders about arrival and departure for those of you who are dropping off and picking up.

• All incoming/outgoing cars should come up Clyde (one street east of the school on Palatine Rd) as Harrison is reserved for buses and day care vans. We have a staff member directing traffic at both arrival and dismissal and appreciate you following this person's direction.
• School starts at 8:25am. Supervision begins at 8:15am which is the time students may enter the building. Students will be marked tardy if they are not in their seats, ready for the day, at 8:25am.
• If you arrive late (and it happens), please bring your student into the office to sign him/her in.
• Parents should remain in their car when their student(s) exit the vehicle. For safety reasons, students should enter/exit on the passenger side. Staff are out and available to assist .
• Please do not leave your car unattended in the drop off /pick up lane at any time.
• If you decide to park in a parking lot and walk your student(s) to the door, you must escort your student through the lot. No student should walk without an adult through the parking lot.
• Some of our students require extra time to load and unload from their vehicle. Thank you for your patience with this.
• School parking lots are cell phone free zones. Thank you for staying off of your devices while on school grounds (and when driving in general).
• Any changes in your child's transportation plan should be brought to the attention of the classroom teacher and the office staff in writing (wallink@ccsd15.net and wieckiej@ccsd15.net) or by calling the school office at least 30 minutes prior to the end of the school day.

Thank you for your efforts to keep yours and all of our students safe.

School lunches and milk are no longer free for students. If your student wishes to purchase a hot lunch or milk, he/she will indicate this during attendance at the start of the day. As students get their school lunch over the noon hour, the lunch coordinator scans their individualized bar code for the purchase. Below is a link to a quick sheet for parents to set up and put money on their student lunch accounts. You can also access the menu for ease of choosing which days your child likes and will eat the offered school lunch.

September Lunch Menu

https://www.ccsd15.net//cms/lib/IL02215044/Centricity/Domain/37/SchoolCafe_Setup_Quick_Card-EngSpa.pdf

Picture Day for Marion Jordan Elementary School is scheduled for Wednesday, Sep 14.

Please use the link below to order your child's school pictures.

https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry

Order Code: 69890KF

• The beginning of the school year is underway and many of you made sure that your kids have their backpack, pencils, notebooks and all of the necessary school supplies. Why not take it one step futher and help them pack their mental health toolkit? While this article was clearly written for an Australian audience, the advice is wonderful. Be sure to check it out!
• Here are 25 ways to ask your kids "so how was school today?" without asking "so how was school today?"
• Learning how to play independently is important to for young children. It builds confidence, creativity, imagination, self-regulation and problem-solving skills (and it gives their caregiver a break to relax and recharge). Building solo play into your daily routine can help build kids’ stamina and attention span for playing on their own. These 25 creative ideas for independent play will spark creativity, independence, and fun!

Community Consolidated School District 15 is committed to supporting every student’s academic growth as well as their social, emotional and behavioral growth. In our continuing efforts to support the well-being of our students, District 15 is implementing a comprehensive mental health screening process this school year to identify students who may benefit from additional support. As part of this process, District 15 is utilizing the Social, Academic, Emotional, Behaviors Risk Screener (mySAEBRS) this school year. The screener, mySAEBRS, is a brief rating scale which will be completed by all students in grades 5-8th. Student screeners and presentations, for 6th-8th grade, will be taking place during the months of October, November and December. Fifth grade screening and presentations will take place in late winter (January/February).

If you do NOT wish your child to participate in the Social, Academic, Emotional, Behaviors Risk Screener (mySAEBRS) screening process and/or the Mental Health Awareness program in school, please click on the link below to access the form needed to indicate this. Forms should be submitted to your building principal. If we do not hear from you, we will assume your child has permission to participate in this program.

Mental Health Screenings Parent Letter

Thank you to so many who indicated an interest in serving as a room parent for the 2022-23 school year. Our response was generally greater than our need. If you indicated interest but were not notified that you will be a room parent this year, rest assured, there will be ways for you to be involved and help out. Room parents will receive the information sheet you filled out at Parent Orientation so they know what you are available to do to support their efforts. There are a few classrooms still seeking a room parent. Please watch for a communication from the teacher and consider your ability to fill this role if it is still available in your child's classroom.

Are you interested in working in District 15? Stop by one of the upcoming job fairs to learn more about the employment opportunites available.

September 12, 22 and 26

Location:

Palatine Library

700 N. North Court

Palatine, IL 60067

Time:

12:00 - 3:00pm

Please contact Lori Thum @thuml@ccsd15.net for additional information