Castle Street USA
March 2020
"Learning Today, Shaping Tomorrow"
Dear Prairie View Families,
How many candles do you think you could (safely) fit on one birthday cake? 100? 150? 200? What about 211? That’s how old Abraham Lincoln would have been on February 12, 2020! Students learned about our 16th president along with some George Washington history in recognition of President’s Day (February 17th). Things weren’t quite so presidential on February 14th when many Valentines were exchanged and treats consumed, but it was a fun day. As always, the Valentine boxes were over-the-top imaginative and creative. Representatives from Safe Passage, an organization from DeKalb that works to reduce and prevent domestic violence and sexual abuse, visited all of our classrooms on February 11th to talk to students about abuse. The statistics report that 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. And those are just the assaults that are reported. These age-sensitive presentations fulfill a required state mandate called Erin’s Law. There were so many countries to explore that we stretched Multi-cultural Day into days with two assemblies. We had two former foreign exchange students (one from Italy and one from France) teach us about their countries. In addition, Mrs. Gudmunson and her students had many artifacts from Norway, Mrs. Johnson and her students created and decorated a huge stack of nesting boxes to simulate the Matryoshka stacking dolls of Russia. Each class highlighted a country and shared something they learned with the entire study body. Multi-cultural Day culminated with Mrs. Baker’s class and a class-created Chinese dragon that paraded through the gym! Trimester #2 ended on February 21st, which means we are now in the last 1/3 of this school year.
Forging ahead into March…… We will be recognizing all of the students who raised money for the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital through the annual Math-a-Thon. Will we or won’t we make our goal of $1500? Students will find out at the assembly. The whole first week in March will be dedicated to one of our favorite authors….Dr. Seuss! What a great time to visit the library and pick up one or two of Dr. Seuss’ more than sixty books to read together as a family. It’s time to start thinking about the 2020-2021 school year when Kindergarten Registration opens from March 16th-March 20th. If you know someone with a child who will turn five on or before September 1st, please spread the word. We’ll be wearin’ the green, searching for the pot of gold, and trying to catch one of those pesky leprechauns on March 17th in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. The testing window for the third grade standardized assessment, Illinois Assessment of Readiness, begins on March 11th. Our third grade students will begin before spring break with one or two of the subtests and finish after break. Standardized testing will definitely not be on the agenda for our grandparents on Grandparents’ Day March 20th. Please note that we are making a change to the number of guests that a student may invite. Each child can invite two grandparents or “grandfriends” (not a parent). Having 23-24 students in some of our classrooms could potentially mean over 100 people in one classroom. We enjoy providing this special opportunity to welcome grandparents to our school and appreciate your understanding in the attendance limitations. Spring Break officially starts at 2:50 on March 20th. I hope everyone is looking forward to a few relaxing days away from school.
Finally, if you currently have a child attending Prairie View, you should have received an email from Central Office announcing the selection of the next principal, Mr. Garrett Ryan. Many of our families have known of my pending retirement at the end of the 2019-2020 school year, but I have been putting off writing about it because it is truly bittersweet. My career goal was to serve as an educator for forty years and in a few more months, I will have accomplished that goal. This is not my ‘farewell speech’ (since I do have a few months….and newsletters….left before the end of the year), but I will say that I have always considered this wonderful assignment as my dream position. To every mom and dad or grandma or grandpa who have shared your child(ren) with me, I thank you. But it is time for some new ideas and new leadership. Many of you know of Mr. Ryan, as he is currently the assistant principal of Sandwich Middle School. He began his Sandwich career teaching P.E. at Prairie View and Woodbury before transitioning to the middle school to teach health. Mr. Ryan has coached and been involved in many community activities. I am excited to begin this transition and have every confidence that Mr. Ryan will be an outstanding Prairie View principal! He will not officially take the helm until the 2020-2021, but if you see him around Sandwich, please congratulate and welcome him to our amazing Prairie View family!
Sherrie Stricklin
Principal
* * * * * District News * * * * *
Please Read and Register Now!
Kindergarten Registration for 2020 - 2021
The Sandwich School District will be holding Kindergarten Registration for the 2020-2021 school year the week of March 16th – March 20th from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. If your child will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2020, he/she is eligible for Kindergarten.
This registration is to determine the approximate enrollment for 2020-2021 school year. Please bring with you a state issued birth certificate and three forms of proof of residency, one of which must be a lease or mortgage. We cannot register any student until we have proof of residency. No payment is required at this time. All students registered on these dates will be invited to a special Kindergarten orientation to be held in the spring.
If you are unsure which elementary building your child will attend, please contact one of the following schools: Woodbury (815)786-6316, Prairie View (815)786-8811 or Haskin at (815)786-8812.
PRESCHOOL SCREENING
2020 U.S. Census Information
The U.S. Census event will take place this spring. The census is a count of all people living in the United States and takes place every 10 years. For the first time, one can respond online and will receive a unique identifying number in the mail. The online feature begin this month.
The census is important because it helps decide how much federal money our schools will receive over the next 10 years, and how much money our state will receive for parks, neighborhood improvements, public health, transportation, and many other programs and services.
Counting For Dollars 2020: Illinois Fact Sheet
https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Census-Dollar-Allocations.pdf
ISBE’s Census Info
https://www.isbe.net/Pages/census.aspx
Illinois 2020 Census Info:
RAILROAD SAFETY
ATTENTION PARENTS!
- Only cross train tracks at a designated crossing. Designated crossings are marked by a sign, lights or a gate.
- If lights are flashing or the gate is down at a railroad crossing, wait for the train to pass completely, the gates to lift and the lights to stop flashing before crossing. It is never okay to rush across and try to beat the train. Trains may be closer and faster than you think.
- Don’t be tempted to walk along the train tracks. It might be a shortcut, but it is dangerous and not worth the risk. It is also against the law to walk on the track and the land around it because it is private property.
Lost and Found
Testing Information
Valentine's Day at Prairie View
Grandparents Day - Friday, March 23rd
Grandparents Day
MARCH IS NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH
These websites have fun recipes, games, and ideas to help your family celebrate National Nutrition Month by eating healthy!
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/
https://www.eatright.org/for-kids
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/index.htm
National Poison Prevention Week Is March 15-21, 2020
If you suspect a poisoning or if you have questions regarding poisoning, call your Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222. When you call this number, you will reach a Poison Center covering your area. Poison Centers are staffed by specially trained nurses, pharmacists and physicians and are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The call is free and confidential. To learn more about how to help prevent poisonings, visit: poisonhelp.hrsa.gov. Almost 90% of the public who call a local Poison Center get the help they need over the telephone without having to go to a doctor or the hospital.
Poison Prevention Tips:
• Make sure all potential poisons are out of the sight and reach of children
• Keep medicines and household products in their original containers with original labels
• Always read labels before using medicines, cleaners and other products
• Teach children to ask first before eating or drinking anything
• Never call medicine candy or make a game out of taking it
Praire View PPA
We currently have another Box Tops for Education class competition running until mid March. Please send in any boxtops you have.
Our next PPA Meeting will be March 11th at 1:30. If you were unable to make it to our last meeting please feel free to contact us via our email or Facebook page with any questions or ideas.
PPA email:prairieview@gmail.com
PPA Facebook: www.facebook.com/PVPPA
Thank You,
Prairie View PPA
News from the Classrooms
February seemed to fly by in a flash, even with the extra day! We continued to work on strengthening our writing skills, increasing our vocabulary, and making rhyming words. In math we are working on decomposing numbers to 10 and number concepts to 20. For multicultural day, K1 learned about Japan and K2 learned about Germany. Both did a great job counting in each language and learning about their respective countries. We did a lot of testing for the
second trimester report cards. It has been exciting to see everyone’s growth!
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
Mrs. Stahl's class enjoyed an afternoon of fun and learning with some STEM activities. The students built the tallest structure they could using only gumdrops and toothpicks. They also made catapults out of popsicle sticks and rubber bands. They were able to test them out using candy hearts to see how far they went. The students then made adjustments to their designs and tested them to see if they worked any better.
Mr. Steimel's class has been reading with partners from their Scholastic News story, "Legends of the Wild West". The students have been learning about cattle drives and the many roles of cowboys and cowgirls on the rugged trail. Students have also been comparing and contrasting these facts with those in Gail Gibbons' cowboy book, "Yippee-Yay!"
Mrs. Baker's students continue to work on informative papers. They have been researching facts on the computer about their favorite animal, including details about diet, characteristics and habitat.
What's Happening In...............
Understanding money concepts and telling time are important life skills. But, with the increased use of credit cards and digital clocks, some students have difficulty naming and adding coins and struggle telling time on an analog clock. Luckily, with practice, the use of a variety of teaching methods, and hands on activities and games, third grade students are having fun learning money and time concepts.
March 2020
If you have not done so already, please turn in completed February fitness calendars. Enjoy the new March fitness calendar: Color Dash!
Let's get our Garden Growing!
It is that time of year that we start to make preparations for our garden. We hope this spring does not bring as much wet, gloomy weather as last year so we can make the Prairie View Garden Flourish. We are seeking out any donations to help buy seeds, plants, and gardening supplies such as new shovels, hoses, and possibly to build boxes around the gardens to keep our little furry friends out. If a student brings in a donation, they will put their name into a drawing for a chance to win their own plant to bring home and take care of!
Plunge Into Fitness
Fitness logs for Plunge into Fitness have been sent home. For every 30 minutes of exercise, students can shade in a portion of the pathway. Once the pathway has been completely filled, or by April 6th, turn the fitness log into Mrs. Martin for a free waterpark pass to Raging Waves!
March is Nutrition Month
Nutrition Month focuses on helping people to make correct food choices as well as offering endless opportunities to help your children to become healthy eaters, which in turn helps improve self-esteem, reduces health risks, and sharpens focus in the classroom. Check out https://www.actionforhealthykids.org to discover more ways the entire family can be involved in making healthy nutrition choices.
Encourage children to use the 5 senses and practice small “mindful bites”.
Using mindfulness, paying full attention to something-with no distraction, staying in the moment and noticing our thoughts and how we feel (both physically and emotionally), have them experience their food in a new way. Encourage children to remain present and in the moment by drawing upon their five senses to take small, intention bites.
See: What do you notice? What color is it? What shape is it? What stands out?
Feel: When you hold it in your hand, what does it feel like? Is it soft or hard? Squish or rough?
Hear: Does it make any sounds? What about if you squeeze it between your fingers?
Smell: How would you describe the smell?
Taste: Invites children to close their eyes as they explore taste. Put the food in your mouth. Before you chew, what is the first thing you taste? Is it sweet or salty? Sour or savory? As you start to chew, chew slowly and before you swallow, think about the change in flavor, texture and sounds. Does it change the longer you chew?
What’s to come in PE:
Jump rope skills and activities
Parachute
Fit Sticks
**Bowing will start after Spring Break- I will send out more information regarding the field trip at a later date
Warm Regards,
Mindy Martin
February in the Library was a busy month of celebrating both the library and reading.
National Library Lovers’ Month
The kids wrote notes to express why they love the library. Obliviously, most said “because there are so many books”. Others indicated they loved to be in the carriage or the moon chair and then some mentioned that both the librarian Mrs. Mitilieri and Mrs. Sluiter (our volunteer extraordinaire) are always helping to find a book for anyone that asks. Thursday checkout is the best!
On 02/05/2020 “World Read Aloud Day”, the students listened intently and were totally engaged by Mrs. Mitilieri reading “Don’t Lick this Book” by Idan Ben-Barak. They were also excited to know that all over the world kids were reading aloud.
A fun Valentine’s Day surpise! Mrs. Mitilieri filled a heart box with “NEW” book covers. These are just some of the new books that are in the process of being cataloged, labeled and inventoried, for students to start checking out in March. This is so exciting for ALL of us.
During National Library Lovers’ Month, on 02/20/20 the HS R.E.A.D Club visited Prairie View. Earlier this year Mrs. Alison Kurtz the librarian at Sandwich High School reached out to all the primary schools to see if there would be a good time to have the club visit and read to the students. The HS R.E.A.D Club paired up to read 3 different non-fiction animal books to the three 3rd grade classes. Mrs. Mitilieri selected animal books because each class is working on an animal research project. Everyone had a great time. The 3rd grade students were happy to meet the HS R.E.A.D Club students. They listened intently and answered a number of questions after the read aloud. We loved hosting the HS Read Club and hope this is something we can continue on a regular basis.
*************************Menus***********************
Important March Dates
The Parent Institute
Menus
Prairie View School
Email: hmartin@sandwich430.org
Website: www.sandwich430.org
Location: 1201 Castle Street, Sandwich, IL, USA
Phone: 815-786-8811
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PVElementary430/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARBK8LuooTOCq4INHOPibA3xqV8hiP0QFJWDFCHB4cA8q_dRqIJfXaJ_opahAv8hxzIWUeshQWP-HgcM&hc_ref=ARSl6mOxgHpv53UJD0NSYnFOAJgPxOf3u0W_AETVfNc8cnOBMCml_DMCRSLlunUus74&fref=nf&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARA-CwxXs9YV_5Cs4xB1UVTblA3-jbeeQ9NEv3ZyMKcai_K0G9bsAJJVkEG0-KUpMt2XeN2tlN2YbBX0zOFWKiHU3Vn_4hCRWt4HYsLc0XQhxTEuAANwEUiBRdfhYvlr8WdVFp2qiYMiz5hzpq8qNY6tG5FosRnczluGPhFh1PLnH59Wmuxjnqh99mJuFFCOgzlNejfm-nrfUYucSitUUXGQBBiWwLw6-e19rmxVI8VHisM8LIBC14onC4wUytw-rSFBeSxuIWHymWPlPGfAUZHb0jtwuFt2DkEY0g4d8MmezXaqHtapvWSqExyTiJbX6OoB8HxNIiBXB3wwT9uIbu6A-Wts