Christian's Weekly Communication
March 5, 2023
Illinois Assessment of Readiness begins this week
Greetings Julian Families,
On Thursday, March 9th, all Julian students will be taking the Illinois Assessment of Readiness Test (IAR). All students should be familiar with the assessment as this benchmark is given in both Elementary and Middle School. The IAR test consists of five separate tests, three Math tests, and two ELA tests. Testing dates are March 9th, 10th, and March 14. The ISA testing dates (Science - 8th Gr. ONLY) will be March 20th. We have chosen several dates for IAR and ISA Make-Up testing between March 16th-21st.
Students have been assigned testing groups based on their grade level in their Advisory class. If your child receives alternative testing accommodations through their 504 or IEP, they will be administered by one of our Special Education teachers or we have made other arrangements to ensure their accommodations are met.
We need your help with a few items:
Students will need plug-in headphones for the testing dates. Bluetooth Headphones (Airpods) will not work with the testing software. Students can purchase headphones from the Main Office for $1. Wired headphones were requested at the beginning of the school year on our school supply list. However, if your child does not have wired headphones we are happy to support in anyway possible.
Cell phones will be collected by teachers during testing time. They will be placed in a secure bin and returned to students at the conclusion of testing.
We ask that all students be on time for school. Testing will begin at 9:15 a.m. If students are late, they will not have enough time to finish testing and will have to make it up at a later time.
Be in attendance. It is vitally important that your child is in attendance on each day of IAR testing.
Students will need to bring their fully charged laptops and chargers.
If your child is having any computer issues, please direct them to bring their laptops to the Media Center as soon as possible for repair no later than March 6.
Please talk with your child and encourage them to do their absolute best on these assessments. Teachers have been working hard all year to get the best from our students, but any additional encouragement you can give from home would be greatly appreciated. These scores will be an important data point for us to utilize to determine future instruction for our students.
Please have your child get a good night of sleep and encourage them to eat a good breakfast at home, or to use our free “grab and go” breakfast option here at school.
If you would like to preview the test format with your child or have them do any extra practice, please follow this link: https://il.mypearsonsupport.com/practice-tests/
If you have any questions, please contact Ms.Carr (ccarr@op97.org, 708-524-7513) or Mr. Lee (wlee@op97.org, 708-524-3042).
Thank you for your continued support! As Mr. Christian says, let’s give it our best and then some!
Chemaine Carr
Assistant Principal
Teams 6.1 to 7.2
William Lee
Assistant Principal
Teams 7.3 to 8.3, Multi-Needs
West 40 Speech and Drama Festival
On Saturday, February 25, 2023, the District 97 Middle School Speech Team earned first place at the West 40 Speech and Drama Festival, which was held at Elmwood Park High School. District 97 had earned a first place trophy for 10 consecutive years prior to the pandemic, and we were thrilled to return to our winning tradition.
The contestants are adjudicated by a rubric and can earn individual ribbons for a first or second place in their event. However, to win as an entire team, the district that has the most first place wins earns the trophy. It is a district team made up of Julian AND Brooks students and coaches. What is extra special is that every single Julian performer and event earned a first place ribbon!
Thanks to Ms. Baldassare who joined us for the first time and rocked it by leading her Reader's Theater performers towards earning a perfect score!
Thanks to Mr. Beck who used his expertise and tried an event we've never attempted before: Extemporaneous Duet Acting . He also coached Humorous Duet and their comedic talent earned perfect scores in both events!
Thanks to Mr. Colucci who guided his performer through an original slam poem, an extra special challenge when the piece not only has to be performed but also written by the student. First Place!!!
The other two events were Serious Poetry (First Place) and Trio Presentation (Perfect Score!) in which I had the honor of coaching these talented performers.
If you've read this...it's been 3 years since we last participated and I'm just a little excited. :) Congratulations to the team for their commitment, talent, and professionalism!
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Ms. Santos
Team 8.3 Language Arts Teacher
Percy Julian Middle School
Outstanding job, Math Team!
Jazz Ensemble news
Braden Estanilla
Spencer Mamola
Ronan Snyder
Congratulations!!
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Tom Kanwischer, NBCT
Percy Julian Middle School
Director of Bands
Coordinator for Instrumental Music
tkanwischer@op97.org
708-689-9367
Battle of the Bots
February was a great time for our Jayhawks! On the final weekend of the month, our very own Percy Julian Robotics Team went to Brooks Middle School to compete in the “Battle of the Bots". Of the 32 teams in the league, all 8 of the Julian teams were selected to compete in the finals!! And 3 teams came out as competition champs! They came home with an impressive collection of hardware. *Note: This is the first time in a long while that an “all Julian '' alliance swept the tournament. Congratulations to all our Robotics teams, well done!
Go Julian!
Coaches Walsh and Morrell
Robotics Summer Camp
Special Olympics Basketball
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Tim McDonald
Oak Park School District 97
Adapted Physical Education Teacher
Special Olympics Coach
Lost and Found - Spring Cleaning starts now
Acceleration Opportunities in District 97
District 97's Single Subject and Whole Grade Level Acceleration process for students for the 2023-24 school year is now open!
District 97 believes that all students should be challenged and supported to develop to their maximum potential. For students who demonstrate they may benefit from accelerated placement, we provide opportunities to participate in an instructional setting that is usually reserved for students who are older or in higher grades than the child. This includes, but is not limited to:
Single subject acceleration
Whole grade acceleration
In accordance with the Illinois Accelerated Placement Act, District 97 has continued to refine procedures to ensure equitable access to acceleration opportunities for all students. Continuing this year: all students who are grade eligible to take the Illinois Assessment for Readiness (IAR) must participate in the assessment in order to be deemed eligible for acceleration. The IAR is a critically important measure in determining the mastery of grade level standards and must be considered by the school team along with other sources of data.
Pre-applications for single-subject and whole-grade acceleration will be accepted from March 1 to May 15 of each school year. The general process is outlined HERE.
Information about the District 97 Accelerated Placement Program, including definitions and timelines, can be found at http://www.op97.org/acceleration.
5Essentials Survey
Parents please read this letter about our 5Essentials survey
Thank you for participating in this important endeavor and for your continued support of our schools and the children we serve.
Boys Volleyball Team
Parents/Community members, do you know the game of volleyball? Are you interested in coaching our boys volleyball team? If you are interested coaching our boys volleyball team, please email us at julianinfo@op97.org.
Culture & Climate Corner
- HELP NEEDED - March 15th “School Store”
- Restock - Can you support our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports) efforts by purchasing items from our Amazon wish list for our next school store?
- Volunteer - If you have 30 minutes available on Wednesday March 15, we could use your help to set up, tear down, or work the store during a lunch period! Check out our sign-up sheet here. Any questions? Please reach out to Katie Trathen at ktrathen@op97.org. Thank you so much!
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Katie Trathen, LCSW
Culture & Climate Coach
Percy Julian Middle School
416 Ridgeland Ave, Oak Park, IL
Career Exploration Day
Calling all Parents/ Family/ Friends of Julian Middle School:
We will be hosting a career exploration day at Julian Middle School on April 26, 2023 and need volunteers! We need individuals who are willing to speak with groups of students about their career and career paths. Sessions will be 30 minutes long and will start at 9:30 and go until 2:23. From 2:30-3:30, there will be a panel where students can ask specific questions. If you are interested in volunteering please sign up using this link.
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Casey Leiby
IB/Special Areas Coordinator
Oak Park School District 97
260 Madison Street
Oak Park, IL 60302
8th Grade Reminders
Please mark your calendars for the important dates:
- 8th Grade Graduation Picture Day - Mon., March 13
- 8th Grade Dance - Sat., May 6
- Six Flags Great America trip - Tues., June 6
- Julian Graduation rehearsal - Fri., June 9 @ 10:00am
- Julian Graduation ceremony - Fri., June 9 @ 6:30pm
More details will be forthcoming soon. Stay tuned!
OPRFHS Youth Football and Cheerleading
Registration for the Fall 2023 Season is Open
OPRF Youth Football and Cheerleading offers teams and cheer squads for ages 5-14 years old.
- Tackle Football (8 years old and up) fees are $525, plus a refundable equipment deposit of $100.
- Cheer team (7 years old and up) fees are $350, plus a refundable uniform deposit of $50.
- Flag Football 5-7* years old are $225, no deposit
*7-year-olds must be under 70 pounds to participate in Flag.
Registration for the 2023 Season closes May 5th
**Register today to take advantage of the payment plan option.
Limited scholarships available.
Scholarship application is available on registration page
Registering for the upcoming season is simple and easy.
Register at the link below...
https://oakparkyouthfootball.sportngin.com/register/form/410604878
DePaul News
- DePaul Community Talk flier
- DePaul Mindfulness Groups
Juneteenth Pageant
Julian Health Office
Be Safe and Healthy Reminders
In District 97, we understand and appreciate that it will take all of us—families, staff, community members—working together to have a safe and healthy winter. As we continue through the winter months, we want to remind you of a few preventative measures our school community can take to reduce the spread of illness in our schools:
- Wash hands often, especially before eating and after using the bathroom.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. These are the most common ways for germs to enter the body.
- Cover your mouth and nose with your arm when you cough or sneeze.
- Get plenty of sleep!
- Eat whole, unprocessed foods and include fruits and vegetables at each meal.
- Stay up to date on your vaccinations
Should students get sick, they should not come to school. Please do not send your child to school with any of the following symptoms:
- Constant coughing
- Constant “runny” nose, especially with yellow or green mucus
- A temperature of 100 or higher
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- Rashes or any scratching for unknown reasons, with or without fever
- Watery, itching eyes that have drainage or are crusted shut upon waking
Reporting Positive Covid-19 Cases
Process for Reporting Positive COVID-19 Cases to D97 Schools
If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they must complete the following steps:
1) In order to notify the school nurse and receive a return-to-school date, families/staff must complete the confidential COVID-19 Positive Case Notification Form as soon as possible following the positive test. Information provided will also be shared with the Oak Park Department of Public Health.
2) Families must continue to report student absences via the school attendance line, and staff must enter their absences in Frontline.
To see the rules for isolation and quarantine, click here. Additional resources are linked below.
Communication
In 2020, Principal Christian implemented the theme of "over-communicate" amid the flexibility of the COVID19 virus and how information might change at a moment's notice. Last year, our theme was "growing together". And now in 2022-23, we'd like to continue with our new theme of "Stronger, Together". Here are the ways in which Principal Christian and the Jayhawk staff communicates:
- Our Official Percy Julian Facebook Page (click here)
- Christian's Weekly Communication (every week)
- PowerSchool Daily Bulletin Alerts
- Text Messages (Jayhawk Text Messages District 97 uses the notification system BrightArrow to communicate with families via email and phone calls. This year, we have started using periodic text messages to send reminders directly to parents' cell phones. In order to receive text messages, parents must opt-in by texting YES to 87569. Once you have subscribed, you will receive a text confirmation.)
Percy Julian Middle School
Oak Park, IL 60302
708-524-3040
We give our best, and then some!