LONDON LOOP
January 13, 2020 - Vol. 4, Issue 8
#WeAreLondon
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Dear London Families,
Welcome to 2020! I sincerely hope that all London families enjoyed the holiday break and had time to rest and relax. It is certainly nice to see all the students back into the swing of things after their time away from school. We are very excited to have the school full of energy and learning again this past week.
With the onset of bad weather through the winter months, we typically see more cars coming through our parking lot each morning and afternoon (and more students arriving late and considered tardy). We ask that you remain cautious and patient and recognize arrival and dismissal may take a few more minutes than usual. It is always our hope to keep things safe and orderly, and appreciate your attention to dropping students off and picking them up within the parking zone that is monitored by our staff each morning/afternoon. Please make an effort to arrive a few minutes earlier so that students are not late to class in the morning. Students may arrive as early as 8:00 A.M. to the supervised breakfast in the cafeteria.
Finally, with the new calendar year upon us, what a great time to sit down with your child(ren) and come up with some goals or “New Year’s Resolutions." As a family, talk about new strategies and ideas to implement to work on that will help your child succeed in school. Whether it be committing to a set time for homework everyday after school, or spending more time reading, many things can be done to turn over a new leaf and help your child as they come back from the winter break!
Dr. Luis Correa
Principal
Students, teachers and parents across Illinois have an opportunity to participate in the eighth annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school.
On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are:
Effective Leaders
Collaborative Teachers
Involved Families
Supportive Environments
Ambitious Instruction
Prior research in more than 400 schools has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of these “5Essential” indicators were 10 times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading than those that were weak on three or more Essentials.
All teachers and 4th through 12th grade students will be responding to this survey. 5Essentials Reports will be generated for schools if their teachers and/or students meet the response rate threshold of 50 percent. These reports will be sent to schools and districts in spring 2020 and will also be included in the Illinois School Report Card.
Additionally, CCSD21 has chosen to provide the optional 5Essentials parent survey. If at least 20 percent of a school’s parents complete this survey, a parent supplement will also be generated. The parent data will not be reported on the Illinois School Report Card.
Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be conducted through February 14, 2020. To take the parent survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin.
For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view previous years’ reports, please visit https://illinois.5-essentials.org. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu.
More information regarding student participation will be sent home later this week, so ask your child to give you the letter. As always, feel free to call us if you have any questions.
New Year's Resolutions can be tough to keep! How about making resolutions as a family this year? Here are some ideas:
Unplug
We spend so much time with electronics for work and play. When was the last time you and your family spent a day “unplugged,” without watching TV, playing video games, checking email, or staying glued to your cell phones? Set a goal of spending at least one day per month without your gadgets!
Eat Well
Committing to eat healthy meals as a family can replace the need to go on a diet as your New Year’s Resolution. Involve your children in the kitchen can make them more interested and adventurous at mealtime!
Exercise
We all know how easily resolutions to exercise can quickly fade within a few wintery weeks. Make fitness fun and easy by doing family activities that get you moving!
Read
Together you can make this the year you all become bookworms! Find age appropriate books for your children at your library, and encourage your children to keep track of the books they have read.
Do Chores
Assigning chores and reminding kids to do them can feel like a chore in itself! Try keeping a chore jar with slips of paper to pick which chore they’ll do that week, such as taking out the trash.
Get More Sleep
Everyone needs eight hours of sleep to stay healthy and productive. This can be difficult in a busy world, but talk with your teen about their nightly routine. Create a bedtime checklist for any younger children.
We all know the feeling of meeting a goal! Children also relish that thrill of accomplishment, especially when their parents are acknowledging it. As you go over the family list of resolutions each month, take time to acknowledge the successes, along with reinforcing the resolutions that need more attention. It's important to be flexible and understanding, especially if the child is making the effort.
Have fun, and make these your own!
Happy New Year!
London Social Workers
Order a yearbook BEFORE they are GONE!
ONLY 100 copies left!!
We are having an awesome school year and making some amazing memories. Our yearbook club has been busy taking pictures and creating yearbook pages. If you would like a yearbook now is the time to buy one!
Order yours today by seeing Mrs. Harrold (Room 404) or Mrs. Wroblewski (Room 401) for a form or order online at: https://yearbookforever.com/schools/london_middle_school_buy_yearbook_9053/2h6KK7xsshp0v4cwogxpJNp1
PTSA News
Happy New Year London Parents!
As you may know, the PTSA Board is currently comprised of 8th grade parents and our kiddos will (sadly) be moving onto High School next year. That means we are looking for 6th and 7th grade parents who can take over the PTSA so we can continue the strong partnership we’ve developed with London students and staff.
Getting involved now means you’ll get a chance to see what PTSA is all about without the responsibility of having to organize events on your own. We hope by shadowing us during the rest of the school year you’ll be better prepared to make a decision about how you want to be involved in the years to come.
If you’re interested in helping out, please email us at londonptsa@gmail.com and we’ll work with you to make sure its a low-stress and fulfilling experience.
Thank you!
Melissa & Georgiann
Monthly “Be in the Know” Parent Series
Student & Staff Dodgeball Tournament
All London students and staff are welcome to play! Players can sign up as a team or as a “free agent” and be assigned to a team. Team registration fee is $20 and free agents play for $5. The tournament will take place after school and activity buses will be available after the event is over. Family and friends are also invited to come watch the games at 3:30 pm in the main gym at London. Concessions will be sold throughout the event.
Your kids will begin getting information the week of Jan 13th - the deadline to register is Jan. 28th.
With planning well under way, only one thing is missing… YOU! Please consider helping out if you can by signing up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C49AAAC29A1FD0-dodgeball
This event is a PTSA fundraiser and all proceeds will be used to fund extra school programs, teacher appreciation week and end of the school year celebrations.
Healthy Relationships in Middle School
During the month of October, London Middle School students received the first Erin’s Law lesson (preventing child sexual abuse) focused on consent and empowerment. Students learned the importance of identifying trusted adults and knowing the 3 Safety Steps: Say No, Get Away, Tell a Trusted Adult.
Soon, we will have covered the second lesson of Erin’s Law. Healthy relationships is the overarching theme across all 3 grade levels. With a dramatic increase in the role of social media in the students’ lives, it essential for students to understand the impact social media can have on already existing relationships or potential ones, so that they are informed to make the right choices.
There are many characteristics of a “healthy” relationship. While some aspects are more obvious, others may not be very clear or need additional explanations With easy access to television series galore on smart phones, and current pop music, it can be easily believed that all relationships are “healthy. ”
Unhealthy relationships are often romanticized in pop culture, portraying either unrealistically perfect relationships or relationships where people are emotionally hurt with no consequences. According to youth.gov, a healthy relationship (either friendly or romantic) begins with mutual consent (making an agreement,giving permission) is defined as one where there is mutual respect, trust, individuality, self-confidence, and understanding. A good friend for instance, does not pressure the other student to fit in by posting mean messages on social media. If either person in the relationship feels manipulated or controlled by the other person's beliefs (e.g. you can’t hang out with your girlfriends because you spend too much time with them), then it is an unhealthy relationship since there exists no mutual respect or individuality.
What can you do?
Continue to have open discussions with your student. It may be difficult to talk about some of these topics for your student so it may not happen right away. Approaching the conversation about healthy vs unhealthy relationships with personal examples may motivate your student to be attentive and more open to share their experiences.
Valen-Grams Sale!
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, students will be able to purchase Valen-Grams for friends (or themselves) which will be delivered to Homebase classes on Valentine’s Day.
Valen-Grams cost $2 each and will be sold during each lunch period Feb. 3rd - Feb. 7th. Each Valen-Gram will also include a personalized note to the recipient.
If you’d like to purchase a Valen-Gram for your child, their friends or a special staff member please email us at londonptsa@gmail.com and we will send you an order form. Return your order form to the London office with $2 (per Valen-Gram) and we’ll make sure the Valen-Gram is delivered on Feb. 14th.
This event is a PTSA fundraiser and all proceeds will be used to fund extra school programs, teacher appreciation week and end of the school year celebrations.
PTSA Upcoming Events and Highlights
Monthly “Be in the Know” Parent Series
Student & Staff Dodgeball Tournament - Friday, Jan 31st
Valen-Grams Sale > Week of Feb 3rd
All School Lock-In > Friday, Feb 21st
Leave Your Mark Family Paint Night > Thurs, March 12th
Volunteers are needed for all events! These events are fun for the kids but we need all the help we can get so please consider signing up to help.
January
- 14 - Volleyball vs. Holmes - 4:00pm
- 16 - Board of Education Meeting - 7:30pm at Gill Administration Center
- 21 - Parent Series #1 and PTSA meeting - 7:00pm
- 23 - Variety Show - 7:00pm in the Main Gym
- 24 - Variety Show - 7:00pm in the Main Gym
- 28 - Wrestling vs. River Trails - 4:00pm
- 30 - Volleyball vs. Lincoln - 4:00pm
- 31 - PTSA Dodgeball Tournament - 3:40pm
February
- 4 - Parent-Teacher Conferences - 4:30pm - 7:30pm
- 6 - Volleyball vs. Cooper - 4:00pm
- 10 - Band Concert - 7:00pm
- 11 - Wrestling vs. MacArthur - 4:00pm
- 13 - Parent-Teacher Conferences - 4:30pm - 7:30pm
- 17 - No School - President's Day
- 18 - PTSA Parent Series #2 - 7:00pm
- 20 - Board of Education Meeting - 7:30pm at Gill Administration Center
- 26 - District Choral Festival - 7:00pm
- 27 - Mid-Winter Orchestra Concert - 7:00pm
London Middle School
Designated Illinois Horizon Schools To Watch
2009, 2012, 2015, 2018
Website: https://london.ccsd21.org/
Location: 1001 West Dundee Road, Wheeling, IL, USA
Phone: 847-520-2745
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ccsd21london/
Twitter: @ccsd21london