The Tiger Times Newsletter
Pleasantdale Middle School
September 15, 2019
What a Week!
I don't know if the kids were as exhausted and many of us staff members were at the conclusion of this week, but it sure was a busy one! I'm proud of how hard the students worked on their MAP tests and listened and followed directions during Safety Day. The Attaboy Assembly was rocking and had an important message for the kids about making good choices. The kids were an amazing audience and had fun while learning! If you want to hear more of Attaboy's music, find them wherever you get your music.
Meet the Teacher Night was a great success! Thank you to everyone who came out. I hope you learned something new about our school or your child's teachers.
Finally, the week concluded with the first girls' basketball game on the new gymnasium floor. The 7th graders got the win! Thank you again to the Board of Education, Dr. Palzet, and Mr. Adams for their support of this project.
Some pictures from all of these events are below (well, not MAP testing for obvious reasons)! Enjoy!
Make it a great week, everyone! The choice is yours!
Student ID's/Bus Passes Coming This Week
Unfortunately, we are NOT able to accept notes from parents asking for their child to ride a different bus home from school.
Vaping-The Continued Unknown Dangers for Kids
This information came from the Illinois Department of Public Health and I wanted to share it with you concerning the dangers of vaping for kids.
All materials referenced in the below message can be found at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/School-Health-Issues.aspx under “Drugs and Other Substances.”
Last week, IDPH learned of the death of an individual who had recently vaped and was hospitalized with severe respiratory illness. The number of cases of people reported to IDPH who have used e-cigarettes or vaped and have been hospitalized with respiratory symptoms has doubled in the past week. As of 8/23/19, a total of 22 people in Illinois, ranging in age from 17-38 years, have experienced respiratory illness after using e-cigarettes or vaping.
E-cigarette use is epidemic in the US and Illinois. Among Illinois high school seniors, past 30-day e-cigarette use is significantly rising while cigarette use is declining. In 2018, 8.4% of 8th-grade students and 23.1% of 12th-grade students reported using e-cigarettes. Using e-cigarettes puts youth at risk for addiction and other health consequences, but unfortunately, 40% of 10th and 12th graders said there is low- or no risk of harm when using e-cigarettes.
Tobacco 21 law, effective July 1, 2019, prohibits the sale of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to a person under 21, however, youth continue to access and use these products at alarming rates. Parents and anyone who works with young people may have seen an e-cigarette device without even knowing it. The most often sold e-cigarette in the United States is a brand called JUUL, which looks like a USB flash drive. JUUL “pods,” which contain liquid heated by the device, have as much nicotine as a pack of 20 cigarettes. They also come in flavors, which can make them more appealing to young people. E-cigarettes can also look like other everyday items, such as highlighters, credit cards, remote controls, and pens. There are many internet websites which provide easy-to-follow instructions on how to alter or “hack” these devices to add other products such as marijuana.
IDPH and ISBE are committed to working to distribute this information to schools, administrators, and families through multiple sources. IDPH will also be communicating this information to local health departments, colleges and universities, and other organizations which work with or serve youth.
If you have any questions about these materials, please contact Gail DeVito, IDPH Tobacco Control Manager gail.devito@illinois.gov.
Picture Retakes/Class Pictures Tuesday, September 24
Parent Education Corner
This week, I wanted to share with you the Ted Talk from 2014 of Dr. Carol Dweck, the one who developed the concept of "Growth Mindset". This 10-minute talk really provides a great level of understanding about the power of the word "Yet" and how we can all support student growth by helping them believe in having a Growth Mindset. Please send me a note after watching/listening to this and let me know what you think.
The Power of Believing You Can Improve-Ted Talk-Carol Dweck
Upcoming Parent Presentations
Evidence-Based Practices for Autism Spectrum Disorders - A Session for Parents/Guardians
Presented by Dr. Celine Saulnier
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 / 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Location: LADSE Central Office, 1301 W. Cossitt Avenue, LaGrange, IL
Dr. Saulnier will provide a broad overview of what practices are evidence-based, as well as those that aren't, followed by a 30-minute discussion session for parents and guardians. Click here to register.
Lyons Township High School
Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety, Thursday, September 19, 7 p.m. in the North Campus Reber Center. Admission is Free.
Presentations offered through NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
- Barb Barrett- "The Teen Brain"
- September 26th, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Community Wellness Center (4731 Willow Springs Rd)
- Tandra Rutledge from Riveredge Hospital- "Question, Persuade, Refer training for suicide prevention"
- October 3rd, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Community Wellness Center
- NAMI Basics, a 6-week course for parents with children under 20 with a mental health diagnosis.
- Oak Park, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Mondays beginning October 7th
- Dr. Laurie Sackett-Maniacci (wife of Michael Maniacci)- "Taking in Wellness: Mind & Body"
- October 17th, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Community Wellness Center
To sign up for any of the free presentations above, please click here.
Nazareth Academy Parent Offerings
Click here to see Nazareth Academy's Parent Speaker Series this year!
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.
SPIRIT WEAR Order Deadline is this Friday!
We are working with a local family to keep the prices down and provide many options (t-shirts, sweatshirts, pj pants, etc.) for you and your children. We plan to open the spirit wear store 3-4 times throughout the year so if you miss out this time, there will be other opportunities.
Steps to order:
1. Go online at customstitchnprint.com/pleasantdale and select your items by putting them in your cart.
2. Pay online using a credit or debit card--please note there is a $5 handling charge per order so consider ordering all of the items you're going to order at one time.
3. Items will be shipped to the school and given to your child approximately 10 days after the order window closes--so in this case, we should look for the spirit wear to arrive in early October.
These are perfect for our students to show off their school spirit on Fridays here at the middle school!
Collections at the Middle School
We collect the following at the middle school:
1. Pop Tabs-We are planning to have a Pop Tabs competition by grade level this year, 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!
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!
STEM Informational Evening at COD
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
As you may have read in Dr. Palzet's email this week, 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 for the rest of August (and then you can just click over to see September).
September 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.
School Supply Lists
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, September 16
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6th, 7th, 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
Open Library 3:30-4:30 in Mrs. Schmager’s room (Room 13) until the library is reopened
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25, meet in the cafeteria
Boys’ softball game away at Washington, 4:15 p.m.
Girls’ basketball home vs. Heritage, 4:15 p.m.
Tuesday, September 17
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6th, 7th, 8th Grade Band,
7th, 8th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
New Family Coffee, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Conference Room--please check-in at the main office
5th Grade Orchestra, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
STEM Club, 3:30-4:25, STEM LAB
Open Library 3:30-4:25, Mrs. Schmager’s room (Room 13) until the library is reopened
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25, meet in the cafeteria
Boys’ softball game away at Highlands, 4:15 p.m.
Girls’ basketball home vs Highlands, 4:15 p.m.
Wednesday, September 18
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
6th, 7th, 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, September 19
Open Art, 7:30 a.m., Mrs. Washburn’s room (Room 3)
Boys' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
6th, 7th, 8th Grade Band, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
5th Grade Band, 3:30-4:25 p.m., Band/Orchestra Room
Open Library 3:30-4:30 in Mrs. Schmager’s room (Room 13) until the library is reopened
Student Council Meeting**, 7:30 a.m., Room 25
**Thursday meetings are meant for the students that cannot come on Wednesdays
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25, meet in the cafeteria
Cross-country meet home, 4:15, Walker park
Boys’ softball game home vs Park, 4:15 p.m.
Girls’ basketball home vs Willow, 4:15 p.m.
Friday, September 20
Jazz Band, 7:30 a.m., Band/Orchestra Room
5th-8th Grade Girls' Choir, 7:30 a.m., Music Room
Yoga, 7:35 a.m., small gym (mats are provided)
A Look Ahead...
Monday, September 23
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
Open Library 3:30-4:30 in Mrs. Schmager’s room (Room 13) until the library is reopened
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25, meet in the cafeteria
Girls’ Basketball Game Away @ Park, 4:15
Tuesday, September 24-Picture Retakes/Class Pictures
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
STEM Club, 3:30-4:25, STEM LAB
Open Library 3:30-4:25, Mrs. Schmager’s room (Room 13) until the library is reopened
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25, meet in the cafeteria
Girls’ Basketball Game Away @ Washington, 4:15
Boys’ Softball Game Away @ Westchester, 4:15
Cross Country Meet-Girls’ Only-Mid-Season Classic-Home, 4:15
Wednesday, September 25
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
Boys’ Softball Game Home vs. McClure, 4:15
Thursday, September 26
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 3:30-4:30 in Mrs. Schmager’s room (Room 13) until the library is reopened
Sports and Games Club, 3:30-4:25, meet in the cafeteria
Girls’ Basketball Game Home vs. McClure White, 4:15
Friday, September 27
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)
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. Charlotte Reschke, Secretary, creschke@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