Bobcat Blog
Friday, November 3
Notes and Reminders
(Sent again in case you missed the good news. Also, we are really hoping to see you at the short PTO meeting and Math Night Thursday. During the evening, please highlight your Bobcats' names. We are going to recognize the grade level with the highest percentage of students in attendance.)
- Friday, November 3: MAP reports coming home again (see blurb below)
- Friday, November 3: IAR & ISA reports coming home today for current 4th and 5th graders
- Sunday, November 5: Set your clocks back an hour
- Thursday, November 9: Picture Retakes
- Thursday, November 9: General PTO short meeting (15 min.) followed by Math Night (6:00 - 7:30 pm) Don't miss out!
- Friday, November 10: Institute Day: No School
- Tuesday, November 14: Beye Dine Out (See details below)
- Friday, November 17: 1st Trimester Ends
- Wednesday, November 22 - Friday, November 24: Thanksgiving Break
Thank You
- PTO for providing the funding for us to have the two Opera for the Young, "Beauty and the Beast" performances Thursday! Our Bobcat performers did a fantastic job!
- All of the parents and family members who were able to organize and/or come in on Halloween to help with the parties. The students had fun.
Congratulations Beye School
I have some good news to share about the 2023 School Report Card, which was released Monday, Oct. 30, by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The Report Card for Beye Elementary School, which contains school performance data from the 2022-23 school year, can be viewed HERE on the ISBE website.
One component of the Report Card is the annual summative designation—a federally-required accountability measure that describes how the school is meeting the needs of all students. It falls into five categories, and is based on eight indicators of academic performance, including growth and proficiency in English Language Arts and Math.
On our 2023 Report Card, I am proud to see that Beye Elementary received an Exemplary rating, which is granted to schools that are performing in the top 10% of schools statewide and have no underperforming student groups. A new visual on the Illinois Report Card (Beye Elementary) helps to explain the data behind our summative designation. On the left side, click on “accountability” and then click on “summative designation.”
The exemplary rating is an indicator that we are headed in a positive direction, and is a reflection of the positive teaching and learning efforts underway at Beye Elementary School and across District 97 schools. I hope you can come next week on Thursday, November 9 at 6:00 pm for a brief PTO meeting ahead of the Math Night. At that time, I will give a brief overview of our data from the end of last year, where we are at now, and our School Improvement Plan for this year.
General Reminders
"Students should NOT be carrying any other medication at school of any kind, including: eye drops, cough drops, topical steroid creams, supplements, tylenol, ibuprofen, etc. No prescription or over the counter medication. All of those items require a medication authorization form completed by the physician and signed and dated by the guardian.:
Also, please remember, we are a nut safe district. Please do not pack nuts/nut containing foods for your child.
Brief General PTO meeting/Math Night Coming up Thursday, November 9 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Day of the Dead
We will be celebrating Day of the Dead. Beye School, together with other places in the community, is preparing an altar to honor loved ones who have passed away. The ofrenda -titled "We Remember You"- will be finished on Wednesday, November 1st and you can visit it till November 5th (new big windows by door 5E, right in front of the playground). Come and honor our loved ones!
Inviting All Educators! Free Film Screening of The Right to Read | Nov. 6th | Oak Park Library
You are invited to join some other Beye parents and myself (as well as many other community members) on Nov. 6th for a free screening of The Right to Read at the Oak Park Main Library. Click HERE to learn more and to register.
Halloween Fun this Past Week
PTO News
New from the Student Green Team
We hope you had a great Halloween!
What to do with your jack o' lanterns?
Don't trash them, smash them at a local pumpkin smash event!Last year the SCARCE Pumpkin Smash events composted 232 TONS of pumpkins!
Saturday, 11/4 @ 9am-12pm
Forest Park Picnic Grove at Altenheim Property
7824 W. Madison St. Forest Park
Saturday, 11/4 @ 9am-12pm
Roosevelt School
7560 Oak Ave. River Forest
Wednesday, 11/8 is National Plastic Free Lunch Day!
The Student Green Team will be swapping out the single use plastic utensils with reusable utensils for the day. SGT will also host a raffle of reusable lunch box items (snack bags, straws, etc)!
Green Team Volunteer Opportunities
You do not need to be a Green Team member to volunteer. There are lots of options for one time or recurring volunteering shifts.
Lunchroom sorting sign up here
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0E49ADA92CA4FBC70-lunchroom
Student Green Team, Earth Month Events, First Grade Garden, Shoe Drive, and Food Recovery sign up here
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0E49ADA92CA4FBC70-45667625-beye
Beye Fundraiser Updates
Dine Out for Beye 11/4: Coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 14th at Penny's Noodles. Dine in and carry-out orders will support Beye School, with 15% of sales donated to the Beye PTO.
Sock Pals Fundraiser: Did you or your kids notice the cool socks on display at the Bookfair? Well, you can purchase your own mismatched socks at the Beye FUNdraiser sale page: https://palssocks.rallyup.com/beyepto/Campaign/Details
Purchase between now and 12/15, and $5 of every sock sale will be donated to Beye!
Check Out the Sock Pals FUNdraiser sale, on now!
Back by popular demand, Beye School is doing a FUNdraiser with Sock Pals! Please check out our sales page at: palssocks.rallyup.com/beyepto and browse the cozy and adorable selection of mismatched socks for babies, toddlers, big kids and adults. These make great gifts-- or something nice for yourself as the weather turns cold-- and for every pair sold, Sock Pals makes a donation to the Beye School PTO. Purchase between now and December 15th!
District News
Why MAP Reports are Coming Home again Today
In Case You Missed It
Beye Drama Club - Join the Fun! How to Sign Up Will be Coming Soon
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00-4:30 beginning at the end of December
Where: Beye School Auditorium
Why: The goal of Drama Club is for students to be involved in performing or working backstage on a musical. This club helps create positive connections between 4th and 5th grade students, helps with reading fluency and comprehension, characterization, and allows students to build confidence on stage and in life! Come join in on the fun!
Nominate a Pre-K-3rd grade teacher for a 2024 Golden Apple Award today!
Help us spread the word that Golden Apple Awards nominations are open!
Honor an outstanding Pre-K-3rd grade teacher by nominating them for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching today: https://www.goldenapple.org/nominate-a-teacher
#TeachGolden #GoldenAppleAwards
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS TO HELP PLAN LUNAR NEW YEAR and BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATIONS
The Beye PTO Programs Working Group is seeking parent/caregiver volunteers to help plan events for both Lunar New Year and Black History Month events. There are many possibilities for each of these events, but we'd love your fresh ideas, experience and expertise to make them meaningful and fun for all. Please connect with Terrell and Tanya at programs@beyeschoolpto.org if you are interested or have questions.
In the Know with the PTO!
In the Know with the PTO!
Good bye, Konstella; Hello, Google Workspace!
Hi Beye families! As you may have heard, the PTO has transitioned to Google as our main communication platform. To join your child's classroom group, go to this document, and follow the instructions. Once your request is approved, you'll be notified that you've been added to your child's classroom. Once there, you'll be able to communicate with other families and get information from your classroom Room Leaders.
Would you like to join us on the PTO School Improvement Plan Working Group?
Families,
Last year, after presenting our Beye School Improvement Plan at a PTO meeting, a conversation began and some people in attendance initiated the idea of forming a PTO School Improvement Plan working group. I was excited that we formed that group and about 8-10 folks joined. We will be continuing with that work. Some of the folks from last year will be continuing, and we are looking for new members as well. Anyone who is interested in joining the PTO SIP working group, please see below. We will let you know when we will first be meeting. For those of you who are knew, the School Improvement Plan outlines the goals and action plans in the areas of Reading, Math, Sense of Belonging and Engagement. Our SY24 SIP will be shared soon.
You can go to this link and request to join the SIP Support Google Group (sip@beyeschoolpto.org)
Join the Beye School Families' Facebook Group
Meal Information for the 2023-24 School Year
The breakfast and lunch menus for our elementary and middle schools are available at http://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service. During the 2023-24 school year, students may:
- Bring a nut-free lunch from home.
- Order school lunch.
Free and Reduced Lunch Application
Students may receive meals at a free or reduced cost either by being directly approved by the State of Illinois OR being approved after completing the 2023-24 Free and Reduced Lunch Application (English/Spanish). All families who are directly approved by the state will receive an approval letter by email. If you feel your student may qualify for free or reduced priced meals but are not directly approved, we encourage you to complete the application as soon as possible Please visit https://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service for more information.
William Beye Elementary School
Cheryl Sullivan
Beye Principal
Location: 230 North Cuyler Avenue, Oak Park, IL, USA
Phone: 708- 524-3070
Twitter: @MrsSullivand97