The Tiger Times Newsletter
Pleasantdale Middle School
February 2, 2020
Pleasantdale Takes The Court at Northwestern!
Yoga @ Pleasantdale!
Kindness Reminder...
Our Bulletin Boards Have The Best Messages!
Parents, Please Complete the 5Essentials Survey
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be conducted January through February 14. To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/login/ and complete the information to begin.
Friday, February 14-Half-Day AM For Students
Sports and Games Club is Back!
Here are the games and sports by day of the week for the month of February! All grades are welcome! 3:30-4:25 p.m.
Mondays-Board Games-Library
Tuesdays-Saturn Ball-South gym
Thursdays-Soccer-South Gym
PTO Cultural Night-This Friday, February 7th, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Cultural Night is this Friday, February 7th at the Middle School from 6:30-8:00 p.m.
We are still looking for Pleasantdale families to represent their country of origin at this event. This is a fun and exciting way to showcase your country and give others the opportunity to learn all about your interesting and unique culture.
We would be really grateful for your participation and support in making this event a great one again! The kids love learning about all of the different cultures of their fellow students, so we hope to see your country represented!
If interested in participating or if you have any questions, please contact our Co-Chairpersons Anne Urban (annewalshurband@gmail.com), Bobbie Sengupta (bobbienkelly@gmail.com), or Supreeta Kapoor (SupreetaK@gmail.com).
You can also use the below link to sign up for your country.
Parent Education Corner
As we continue to hear and see, Tween vaping is on the rise and the dangers are only beginning to come out. In today's Parent Education Corner, here's another article co-authored by Phyllis Fagell entitled, "How to Keep Tweens from Vaping." The key points are highlighted below, but I encourage everyone to take 5 minutes to read this article to help keep our kids away from vaping and to help them make good decisions.
Preview challenging social situations.
Help tweens formulate a plan.
Encourage kids to take comparatively safe risks.
Set the stage for good decision-making.
Provide good information.
Read the full article here.
Upcoming Parent Presentations
Parent Presentations at LTHS
February 25: 7:30 p.m. "Drugs, Alcohol, and the Teen Brain" Presented by Tammy Tunac (MA, LPC, CADC Behavioral Health Clinician), LT South Campus. See the flyer below.
March 10 (Gurrie) or March 12 (Pleasantdale Middle), 7:00-8:30 p.m.
#RealTalk Parent Cafe with your teen or preteen sponsored by the Coalition for a Drug-Free LT! (see the flyer below) Please consider coming to this facilitated conversation for you and your child prior to high school! It's going to be a great event. RSVP to Cindy at ckfrymark@me.com. See the flyer below.
Nazareth Academy Parent Offerings
Click here to see Nazareth Academy's Parent Speaker Series this year!
From the 181 Foundation in Hinsdale-Open to all parents
Calendar Dates for the Year
If you are like me, you want to know the dates for the year as far in advance as possible. As long as you understand that something may change due to unforeseen circumstances, I’d like to provide you access to the dates we’ve planned for the year (many of which are in the paper calendar you received in the mail). To access the middle school calendar dates, please click here.
Collections at the Middle School-New One-Lids!
We collect the following at the middle school:
1. Pop Tabs-The Pop Tab competition by grade has begun so please continue to collect Pop Tabs for us throughout the year. We donate them to Ronald McDonald House to support families of children with cancer.
2. Box Tops for Education-These are all given to the PTO to support our schools!
3. Lids-Our Elements of Nature Club (EONC) 5th graders are collecting clean lids to drink containers to create art to put around the school. There is a collection place in the front hallway outside the office.
Throughout the year, there are other collections and drives that occur. Keep an eye out for how you can support the causes that are important to the students and staff here!
Tiger Tipline
While it is always best to talk directly to a staff member, we understand that sometimes this can be uncomfortable or difficult for students or parents. At Pleasantdale Middle School, we offer the Tiger Tipline as an anonymous tool for reporting unsafe, uncomfortable, or unkind behaviors and situations. We explicitly teach the students that if they ever see something or hear something that makes them feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or is unkind, either online or in person, they should tell a “trusted adult” which could be parents, school personnel, or other adults in their lives. The Tiger Tipline can be accessed here and we will post the link in Schoology and create a shortcut to the link on the student devices for easy access.
School Spirit Fridays!
Lunch information
The lunch menus have been upgraded significantly to show both nutritional information and allergens for the food served by Just a Dash, our third-party partner to provide hot lunch to our school. Here's the link to the menu:
January Lunch Menu, Nutritional Information, and Allergens
To put money on your child's account, please log into Skyward and add money. For more complete directions or apply for free or reduced lunches, please visit here.
Follow Us on Twitter @Pdaleprincipal for updates and pictures of the happenings around the middle school!
Follow pdalemsactivities on Instagram for reminders about school spirit days and events throughout the year!
This Week...
Monday, February 3
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Orchestra, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Boys' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
8th Grade Field Trip to Holocaust Museum
5th Grade Band, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Rubik’s Cube Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Open Library 3:30-4:25 p.m. in the library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Tuesday, February 4
ACT practice, 7:30 a.m., Room 15
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Band, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
7th, 8th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
ACT Practice Session, 7:30 a.m., Room 15
5th Grade Orchestra, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Open Library 3:30-4:25, Library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., South Gym
Girls’ Volleyball Home vs. Gurrie, 4:15 p.m., North Gym
Wednesday, February 5
ACT practice, 7:30 a.m., Room 15
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Orchestra, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
5th, 6th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Student Council Meeting, 7:30 a.m., Room 25
ACT Practice Session, 7:30 a.m., Room 15
PTO Meeting, Board Room, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 6
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
Boys' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Student Council Meeting**, 7:30 a.m., Room 25
**Thursday meetings are meant for the students that cannot come on Wednesdays
5th Grade Band, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Open Library 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Gaming Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., South Gym
Girls’ Volleyball Away @ Park Red, 4:15 p.m.
Friday, February 7
Jazz Band, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
5th, 6th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
7th, 8th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Yoga, 7:35 a.m., small gym (mats are provided)
PTO Cultural Night, 6:30-8:00 p.m., APR
A Look Ahead...
Monday, February 10
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Orchestra, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Boys' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
5th Grade Band, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Rubik’s Cube Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Open Library 3:30-4:25 p.m. in the library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Rubik’s Cube Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Girls’ Volleyball Away @ Heritage, 4:15 p.m.
Tuesday, February 11
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Band, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
7th, 8th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
5th Grade Orchestra, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Open Library 3:30-4:25, Library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., South Gym
STEM Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., STEM Lab
Girls’ Volleyball Away @ Highlands, 4:15 p.m.
Wednesday, February 12
ACT practice, 7:30 a.m., Room 15
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6-8th Grade Orchestra, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
5th, 6th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Student Council Meeting, 7:30 a.m., Room 25
Thursday, February 13-8th Grade LT Course Registration and Graduation Pictures
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
Boys' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Student Council Meeting**, 7:30 a.m., Room 25
**Thursday meetings are meant for the students that cannot come on Wednesdays
5th Grade Band, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Open Library 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Gaming Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Library
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25 p.m., South Gym
Friday, February 14-Noon Dismissal
Jazz Band, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
5th, 6th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
7th, 8th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Yoga, 7:35 a.m., small gym (mats are provided)
Fortnightly, 6:00-9:00 p.m., North gym, enter door 2
Questions? We're here to help!
Athletics: 708-246-7382
Mr. Mark Dreher, Athletic Director, mdreher@d107.org
Attendance notification: 708-246-3210, extension 5 or email middleattendance@d107.org before 8:20 a.m., please.
Health Office: 708-246-7619
Mrs. Denise Rende, Nurse, drende@d107.org
Main Office: 708-246-3210, extension 0
Mrs. Stacey Tantillo, Secretary, stantillo@d107.org
Ms. Maria Cuevas, Clerical Aide, mcuevas@d107.org
Mrs. Brianne Malatt, Assistant Principal, bmalatt@d107.org, 708-246-7373
Mr. Griffin Sonntag, Principal, gsonntag@d107.org, 708-246-7609
Social Worker: 708-246-7505
Ms. Carrie Castaldo, Social Worker, ccastaldo@d107.org