Cougar Families,

I hope everyone had a good week and that everyone’s family and loved ones are safe. I want to echo the thoughts Superintendent Simeck shared yesterday. I am so sorry our community has to navigate hate and terror like this in the world. Our children, especially, should not be subjected to such horrific experiences. Please know our school’s safety and security are of the utmost importance to us and we have a great relationship with our police department and first responders who had a visible presence around our school today. It is important to note there is no direct threat toward Kipling or any DPS109 school.

Out of abundance of caution, our incredible PTO has hired the Deerfield Police Department to be here with us tomorrow for our annual Pumpkinfest event. I will be at Pumpkinfest with my family and I look forward to seeing yours as well. If anyone needs any kind of support, please reach out to us. We are here to partner with you, always, in any way we can.

All my best to you and your families over the weekend.

Respectfully,

-Matthew

Mr. Matthew O. Lombardo, NBCT

Principal

Kipling Elementary School

Please visit https://kiplingpto.membershiptoolkit.com/home for all things PTO. Please also note these important upcoming dates:

10/14: Pumpkinfest @ Kipling, 12-3pm, Sensory-friendly time: 11:30am-12pm

11/3: PTO Meeting @ Kipling, 9:30-10:30 in the Lounge

Pumpkinfest!

VOLUNTEERS: Please sign up to volunteer. We need volunteers to help facilitate the games, tickets and food! This event can not happen without each of you. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E44ACAD22A3FBCF8-44472490-kipling/29374066#/

Please feel free to email ptokipling@gmail.com for any questions!

Unity day is Wednesday, October 18th! In honor of Bullying Awareness Month, we are encouraged to wear orange on this day. Please share this linked flyer with your child.

Please see the linked information here about how to enter the contest!

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, October 26th from 1:00-4:00pm & 5:00-8:00pm and Friday, October 27th from 8:30-11:30am. All DPS109 schools will hold in-person parent-teachers conferences this year with an option to use Zoom or Google Hangouts for parents/guardians who are not available for an in-person conference.

Parents will sign up for a conference using Sign-Up Genius. The links to sign-up are included here.

It is best practice to hold one parent conference per child, to ensure that both parents receive the same information regarding their child’s strengths and needs. Therefore, I ask that parents sign up for one joint conference per student.

Conferences are a discussion between parents and teachers. At this time elementary conferences do not include students and therefore we ask that children not attend the parent-teacher conference.

Halloween is coming to Kipling on Tuesday, October 31st! We want to remind families to be cautious when helping your child select a costume for Halloween. Using another's culture as a Halloween costume can be viewed as insensitive or offensive. In addition, we encourage students to be as inclusive as possible when dressing in group costumes so that students do not feel excluded during the Halloween festivities. P.E. classes will be run as close to normally as possible so please have your child wear gym shoes if they have P.E. on Tuesdays.

Below are some additional reminders about wearing costumes at school.

-Please do not send students with accessories (e.g witch’s broom).

-Toy weapons are strictly prohibited.

-Students should either wear costumes to school all day or have the ability to change into costumes in the classroom. Students will not be permitted to change clothes in the bathrooms.

-Masks that cover the face as a costume accessory can be worn during the parade and party, not during class time as it may be a distraction during learning.

Parade

-Students will exit out the main entrance, walk around the entire school, and enter back through the main entrance

-If there is inclement weather the parade will take place inside the school. Parents and guardians will not be allowed to enter the school if the parade is indoors.

Timeline

-2:05-2:30 - Costume Parade

-2:30-3:05 - Class Party (Party helpers and volunteers must come to the office to lobby guard before noon on 10/31 to expedite the process of entering to volunteer for the parties.)

-3:05-3:15 - Clean-up + Dismissal

Families who are not comfortable sending their child in costume, please reach out to your teacher so we can be sensitive to you or your child's feelings about dressing up for Halloween. We want everyone at Kipling to feel comfortable.

Calling all grandparents, aunts, uncles, and caregivers! Please join us on Thursday, November 16th or Friday, November 17th for an exciting day at Kipling Elementary School. Each student will be able to have a special visitor come to school to see what they are learning about and stop by our PTO Book Fair! Special Someone Day will look a little different this year:

-Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, and 4th Grade will have their day on Thursday November 16th

-1st Grade, 3rd Grade, and 5th Grade will have their day on Friday, November 17th.

-Limit 1 Special Someone per student due to space issues.

-Only Pre-registered Special Someones with a valid Driver’s License or State ID will be allowed into our school and you must scan your ID through our Visitor Management system before the time of the event.

-Click here for more information and the sign up link!

In an effort to ensure inclusion of diverse populations and perspectives, we are looking for other Kipling families to use the Kipling Cultural Collection to teach the Kipling community about your culture! Display objects may include 6-8 traditional or cultural objects, a family video describing the significance of each object, recipe, flag, map, music, etc - anything to bring your vibrant culture to life!

If you and your family are interested in sharing your culture with the Kipling community, please complete this brief form. If you sign up, a member of our committee will be in contact about next steps. If you have any questions, please email Mike Schwartz @ mschwartz1@dps109.org.

We are looking for daily parent volunteers to help students as they learn our new routine. Parents can sign up for a once a week, once every other week, or monthly slot. If you aren't familiar with composting, we promise it's easy. We will provide training and the kids are catching on quickly. This is a great chance to help the planet and see your Kipling kids in action. Please email Sandra Merrill at SandraKMerrill@gmail.com or Jessica Lorber at Jzindell@gmail.com or Jessica Cohen at

jessicabrody12@gmail.com for more information about volunteering. Sign up to volunteer here.

Schedule Reminder!

Thursday, October 26th is a ½ day of school and Friday, October 27th there is NO SCHOOL due to parent/teacher conferences!

Upcoming Fundraiser at DHS

October 26th marks the first official day of School Chest 2023! School Chest is Deerfield High School’s annual three week long charity fundraiser where the community unites to raise money for a worthy beneficiary. This year's non-profit beneficiary is GiGi’s Playhouse Deerfield located right down the street from DHS.

Come for TRUNK OR TREATING at 5pm on Friday, October 27th in the back parking lot of DHS! Admission is free with a suggested donation to benefit Gigi’s Playhouse!

Directly following Trunk or Treating on October 27th at 6:15pm is our Family Friendly DRIVE IN MOVIE. Come with friends and family, bring blankets, and enjoy treats like Shookies Cookies! Admission is $20 per car. Purchase tickets on schoolchest.org now or pay when you arrive!

For more information on how to become involved in this year's School Chest, please visit our website schoolchest.org or email us at Schoolchest@gmail.com or mkaufman@dist113.org. We hope to see DPS 109 families at these events!

Park District Before and After Care

The Deerfield Park District runs all of our before and after school care programs. Please contact the Park District, 847-945-0650, if you have questions.

Park District After School Enrichment Information

Sharing on behalf of the Deerfield Park District: registration is open for fall enrichment programs. To see a brochure of programs and get more information, visit https://www.deerfieldparks.org/programs/youths-teens/.

If you have any questions, please contact the park district directly as they run the programs.

-Sat 10/14: Pumpkinfest @ Kipling, 12-3pm, Sensory-friendly time: 11:30am-12pm

-Thurs 10/26: ½ Day of School Student Dismissal at 11:40am

-Thurs 10/26: Parent Teacher Conferences, 1-4pm and 5-8pm

-Fri 10/27: No School - Parent Teacher Conferences

-Fri 10/27: Parent Teacher Conferences, 8:30-11:30am

-Tues 10/31: Halloween Parade and Class Parties

-Fri 11/3: PTO Meeting @ Kiping, 9:30-10:30 in the Lounge

-Fri 11/10: No School - Veterans’ Day

-Wed 11/15-Fri 11/17 - PTO Book Fair

-Thurs 11/16: Special Someone Day for K, 2nd, and 4th Grade

-Fri 11/17: Special Someone Day for 1st, 3rd, and 5th Grade

-Wed 11/22-Fri 11/24: No School - Happy Thanksgiving!