Glen Oaks Family Focus
Happy New Year Edition - January 2, 2020
Newsletter Translation
Principals' Post and 5Essentials Survey
Hello Panther Families,
Welcome 2020! We are excited to begin another year with our Panther students and families! During this time of year, many of us commit to resolutions - a way to capitalize on the new year as an opportunity for renewal and growth. A resolution is a great way to empower our children to take ownership for their own personal choices - their decisions matter and make an impact! Take a few moments to talk with your child about personal goals they have for the upcoming year!
As always, OUR goal is to provide your child with an education and learning environment that challenges them to grow each and every day. With that said, we would love your input as to how we are serving your child and your family. Please take a few moments to complete the Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey. This survey provides an opportunity for parents to share information that will aid in our continuous improvement planning process. The survey information is also part of the Glen Oaks School Report Card.
To take this short survey:
- Visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/
- Type and select “Cook” as "County."
- Type "Glen Oaks" into the "School" field and select your school.
Please note, in order to receive a Parent Report, we must have at least 20% of our parents submit survey responses. As of today, we only have 11% of parents who have responded. We truly appreciate your valuable input that will continue to help Glen Oaks grow - please take the survey today!
Any day now....Dr. Braun and her husband are expecting their first child! We wish her and her growing family nothing but the best as they embark on this new chapter in their lives!
Your partners in education,
Mrs. Kristin Reingruber, Principal
Dr. Carla Braun, Assistant Principal
Upcoming Events
WINTER BREAK - December 23rd - January 6th
Tuesday, January 7th
- School resumes
- After school programs (ASSETS)
Wednesday, January 8th
- TEAM DAY - Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
- NO AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Thursday, January 9th
- After school programs (ASSETS)
Friday, January 10th
- PTA Smencils orders DUE!
- NO AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Wednesday, January 15th
- PTA meeting - 6:30 pm in Media Center
Thursday, January 16th
- 5th Graders ONLY - Robert Crown presentation
Friday, January 17th
- 4th and 5th Graders ONLY - Lion King Kids tryout signup deadline
- PTA Winter Dance - in APR from 6pm - 8pm
Tuesday, January 21st
- Victor Pacini's Erin's Law presentation - Be Seen and Be Heard 2.0
After school programs run from 3:00 - 4:00 PM unless otherwise noted.
Winter Weather and emergency closing procedures
The change in the weather brings conditions that call for us to be extra cautious when driving. We ask that you please follow procedures and directions given by our arrival and dismissal staff when dropping off or picking up your child from school. Our procedures are put in place not only for efficiency, but for the safety of you, your child, and our staff members. We ask that, when a staff member approaches your car, please have your child safely and quickly exit the vehicle.
While we expereinced some unusually warm temperatures over break, January will most likely bring cold temperatures and snow. It is very important to us that our students have every opportunity to get outdoors for fresh air and exercise - even in the winter! Barring any unsafe situations and adverse weather conditions, we WILL have the children go outside each day for recess, provided they have the necessary clothing items to keep them warm and dry. Hopefully, there may even be some snow for them to enjoy in the process!
When we have accumulated snow, the children who wear snow pants, boots, hats, gloves and warm coats will be permitted to play in the snow during recess time. Children who do not have those items will play on the blacktop area only - so they don’t get wet or dirty. Want to fully enjoy recess during the winter months??? REMEMBER THE FROSTY FIVE!
In an effort to improve communications between parents and school, District 117 has instituted a telephone broadcast system that enables school personnel to notify all households and parents by phone within minutes of an emergency or unplanned event that causes early dismissal, school cancellation or late start. This service is provided by SchoolMessenger, which specializes in school-to-parent communications. District 117 will continue to report school closings due to snow or weather on WGN radio and TV stations and will use this system as an overlay to the public announcement.
When used, the service will simultaneously call all listed phone numbers in our parent contact list and will deliver a recorded message from a school administrator. The service will deliver the message to both live answer and answering machines. No answers and busy signals will be automatically retried twice in 15 minute intervals after the initial call. It is imperative that we have your most up-to-date contact information (phone and email). Please contact the school office with any changes!
Parents will be notified in the event of an emergency closing during school hours. In the event that students would be dismissed early due to an emergency, students should know where to go if parents are not home. Please have this conversation with your child so they are prepared if this emergency plan was ever to be instituted.
4th and 5th graders - Be a part of the MANE EVENT and try out for LION KING KIDS!
District 117 is excited to be staging a musical production of “Lion KIngs Kids” in May, 2020! This opportunity is being extended to 4th and 5th grade students from Oak Ridge and Glen Oaks Schools.
If your child is interested in this opportunity,
Attendance is KEY to Student Success!
Our goal is to maximize the attendance of our students at Glen Oaks School, as consistent school attendance is essential for a child’s academic and social/emotional growth.
We encourage families to have POSITIVE conversations with their children about the importance of attending school regularly/promptly, unless there is a valid reason otherwise. Please review the information under Absences on page 4 of the NPD117 Parent/Student Handbook for more information on our attendance policy and procedures. The Illinois School Code and Juvenile Court Act consider a student with an absentee rate of more than 5% of the last 180 school days to be at risk of not completing their education. Additionally, the State of Illinois considers a student “Chronically Absent” if they have missed 10% or more of the school year, regardless of excuse.
Parents should keep their children home from school if they have the following symptoms:
Fever above 100 degrees
Vomiting within 24 hours
Diarrhea within 24 hours
Strep throat (diagnosed by a physician) until 24 hours after treatment
Pink eye (diagnosed by a physician) until 24 hours after treatment
Head lice until no nits
Outside of the aforementioned symptoms, we ask that you send your child to school, even if they are not feeling 100%. Additionally, if you child is absent two or more days in succession, a physician’s note is required.
As this school year progresses, we will continue to monitor student attendance at school. All research indicates that a student’s academic achievement is directly related to the amount of time spent in school. We are committed to making every child’s school experience a successful one and are here to assist you, should you need additional advice or support. To that end, please do not hesitate to contact us at (708) 233 - 6800 if you have additional questions, concerns, or suggestions for improving your child’s experience here at school.
Thank you very much for your cooperation. We look forward to working together to assure that your child has an outstanding school year at Glen Oaks!
Be Seen and Be Heard 2.0 - Erin's Law Mandated Programming
A hard copy of this information was sent home with all students prior to break.
House Bill 6193, or Erin’s Law, was signed into law in the State of Illinois on January 24, 2013. This law mandates that Illinois public schools extend their current mandated educational programs regarding personal safety, abuse education and prevention curriculum to students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grades. The goal of the law is to teach children to avoid situations that may lead to abuse and to report any instances of abuse they many have endured.
Providing abuse education in schools is not a new initiative. Mandates under the Health Education Act and Internet Safety Education Curriculum require instruction beginning in sixth grade. Erin’s Law simply extends this education into grades pre- kindergarten through twelve.
This school year, NPD 117 will provide abuse education through an assembly entitled, “Be Seen and Heard” at each district school. This assembly will be held at Glen Oaks School on Tuesday, January 21, 2020.
Per Victor Pacini, the program presenter,
“This is a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program for all students. The program is designed to create an age- appropriate, safe, and engaging environment where students will learn about the difference between safe and unsafe touch, and the importance of having trusted heroes.”
Victor Pacini – Author and presenter has delivered this message to our students in the past. We are happy to have Victor return again this year with this very important and difficult topic. For more information about this presentation go to www.victorpacini.com/peace-of-mind-2
The purpose of this curriculum extension is to proactively build competencies within our students regarding safety, abuse and prevention while accomplishing the following:
1) Children are less likely to be abused;
2) Children are more likely to come forward immediately if they are abused;
3) Children are more likely to receive appropriate services and less likely to suffer long-term negative effects from abuse.
Childhood Victories has also partnered with the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center and is providing our families with the Keeping My Family Safe Guide
Should you have any further questions regarding the law, its implementation or the presentation content/materials, please contact your child’s teacher.
If you prefer your child to opt-out of this prevention education session, submit your request in writing to Mrs. Reingruber in the Glen Oaks School office by Monday, January 13th.
FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS ONLY - ROBERT CROWN PRESENTATION
On Thursday, January 16th, the Robert Crown Center for Health Education will be presenting “Puberty I - Understanding Changes” as a part of our regular fifth grade health education curriculum. This SEL infused class presents relevant health education through storytelling and age-appropriate scenarios. THIS PROGRAM IS FOR FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS ONLY.
This course will provide a unique female-only and male-only format for puberty education, comparing reproductive anatomy and will introduce the physiological changes that occur during adolescence. The Puberty I class utilizes a blended learning format, that includes on-line pre and post activities, providing students with multiple opportunities to learn and understand the program content. Classroom teachers will also be present during the lesson. Please note, intercourse WILL NOT be covered in this program.
Students will…
Increase their knowledge of human anatomy
Identify changes that are common during puberty and ways to manage these changes
Increase their comfort in discussing and caring for their changing bodies
This course is designed to meet both ISBE Health and Social Emotional Learning Standards, along with National Sexuality Education Standards.
Should you have any further questions regarding the presentation content/materials, please visit the Robert Crown website linked below for more information and videos to help you further understand the program.
https://www.robertcrown.org/parent-information/parents-of-student-in-program/puberty-parent-page/
If you have further questions, please contact your child’s teacher.
If you prefer your child to opt-out of this education session, submit your request in writing to Mrs. Reingruber in the Glen Oaks School office by Friday, January 10th.
Glen Oaks PTA Information
Amazon Smile
A simple way to support the Glen Oaks Panther PTA is by signing up for smile.amazon.com. As you shop, Amazon gives back to our PTA. Simply look for Glen Oaks PTA - Hickory Hills as the charity to support in Amazon Smile.
Smencils Order
Smencils will cost $1.00 per a mechanical pencil this year. Order forms were sent home and due by Friday, January 10, 2020 after winter break. Please submit orders by sending the form and money in an envelope labeled PTA SMENCILS back with your child.
PTA Events and Ideas
Student Council Spirit Days!
2nd - PURPLE
3rd - RED
4th - ORANGE
5th- BLUE
EVERY FRIDAY - Show your PANTHER spirit by wearing your Glen Oaks School spirit wear!
Monthly Spirit Theme Days
Thursday, Jan. 16th - Crazy Hair Day
Thursday, Feb. 6th - Stuffed Animal Day
Thursday, Mar. 12th - Sports Day
Monday, Mar. 30th - “We’re putting on our thinking CAPS!” -Hat Day
Tuesday, Mar. 31st - “We’re going to ROCK the test!” - Rockstar Day
Wednesday, April 1st - “There’s no fools in our SCHOOL!” School Spirit Day
Thursday, April 2nd - “Our brains hold our SUPERPOWERS!”- Superhero Day
Friday, April 3rd - “Get a good night’s SLEEP before testing” -Pajama Day
Thursday, May 7th - Beach Day
Glen Oaks School
Email: kreingruber@npd117.net
Website: www.npd117.net/glenoaks
Location: Hickory Hills, IL, USA
Phone: 708-598-5711
Twitter: @GlenOaksNPD117