Harper Happenings
October 30th - November 3rd
What's Happening?
Monday, October 30
- Kindergarten Halloween Celebration
Tuesday, October 31
- Halloween Parade, 9 am
- Early Release Day, 11:55 am grades 1-4, 10:00 am AM-Kindergarten
Friday November 3
- Friday dismissal, 2:15 pm
- Harper Spirit Day! Wear your Harper spirit wear!
- The Harper Parent Social 8 pm-11 pm at The Kenilworth Club
Coming Up/Reminders
Tuesday, November 7
- D39 Parent Event, Navigating Social Conflicts, 7-8:30 pm, WJHS
Thursday, November 9
- NO SCHOOL-Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, November 10
- NO SCHOOL-Parent/Teacher Conferences
Monday, November 13
- D39 Board of Ed Meeting, 7-9 pm, MEC
Tuesday, November 14
- D39 Parent Event, Growth Mindset, 7-8:30 pm, WJHS
- D39 Education Foundation Meeting, 7-8 pm, MEC
Wednesday, November 15
- General PTO Meeting with Ray Lechner, 9 am, Harper Cafeteria
Mrs. Ryan's Corner
The buzz and excitement of Halloween is here! The Halloween parade is always an exciting time. Please review the parade map that is attached for the full route. The parade for grades 1-4 will be held on Tuesday, October 31st at 9:00. We appreciate your help to ensure that all costume props remain at home on Halloween. Pretend weapons such as swords or pistols should be saved for trick-or-treating after school hours.
1st-4th classes will be dismissed at 11:55. AM kindergarten will be dismissed at 10:00. There will be NO PM kindergarten. The kindergarten parades will be held on Monday, October 30th. Kindergarten teachers will communicate the times.
If it is raining, our outdoor parade for parents will be CANCELLED! Hope for good weather!
Trick or Treating Reminders:
1. Always trick or treat with an adult.
2. Please walk when trick or treating! Don’t run ahead of your group.
3. Have an adult check your candy before you eat it.
4. Bring a flashlight if you will be out after dark.
5. Look both ways before you cross the street.
As I navigate through Halloween as a parent I am amazed at all of the creative ideas that I can take from Pinterest and incorporate to make the day special for my two boys. Vampire apple teeth, Ghost cups, and Halloween fruit cups have become some of the favorite features of Halloween in the Ryan house. I am excited to hear from our students what their favorite part of the day might be.
Everyone at Harper hopes that you have a fun and safe Halloween!
Students continue to receive “Mindful” enrichment within their classroom. Thank you for your donations to iGNiTE! to support this valuable enrichment! Here are some activities to complete at home:
Mindful Touch
Play the “What Did You Touch?” game. Materials: several objects with varying textures. Have your child close their eyes (or use a blindfold), and hand them something soft, prickly, rough, smooth, etc. Have child guess the objects. Reflection: How did it feel? How did you make your guesses? Which feelings/thoughts are soft? Prickly? Rough? Smooth? Where, in your body, do you “feel” your feelings?
Practice & teach your parents 5-finger breathing and “I am calm now”/”I am here now” breath.
Pick 1 daily activity, and focus all of your attention on your sense of touch (i.e., getting dressed, walking to school).
Practice loving touch. Hug yourself. Give (and receive) a heartfelt hug. Notice how that feels in your body.
One Mindful Minute: practice hands-on belly breathing.
Announcements
- HARPER PARENT SOCIAL is Friday, 11/3 from 8-11pm. Join us for HARPER’S BEST PARTY OF THE YEAR! VanHouten Band will be performing live, singing party favorites from the 60’s until today. A great night of LIVE music, socializing AND a fully stocked bar is waiting. Food and drinks are included in the $40 per person ticket price! Purchase tickets here or drop a check in Parent Social folder located in the school lobby. Registration deadline 10/30/17 so PURCHASE TODAY!
- You still have time to order books from Harper's Scholastic Book Fair! The online book fair is open till end of day today, October 27th here.
- Not sure what you’ll do with all the extra Halloween candy? Be sweet and share it with others! Harper will be collecting extra Halloween candy and delivering it to Connections for the Homeless. It is used to motivate and reward clients participating in social services programs. Boxes will be in the school lobby through Friday, November 10th.
- Purchase your yearbook here before Tuesday, October 31st to get the early bird rate!
- The Yearbook Committee wants your Halloween Parade and Party Photos! If you haven't tried the replay it app for uploading photos, it's so easy. Below is a guide on how to set it up. Download the app and give it a try www.replayit.com (password is HarperRocks). Please contact soniaesler@gmail.com with questions.
- Does your child have a November Birthday? Don't forget to sign up here for BIRTHDAY BOOKS! Kids love it and it's a great way to donate a new book to our beautiful library!
Enrichment
- Attention 4th grade parents! Earth Balloon is coming to Harper on Friday, 10/27 from 9 am-12 pm. This unique program allows us to enrich the classroom curriculum in earth science, geography, and environmental studies. Students will experience one of the largest, most unique and most accurate globes in the world! The Earth Balloon is a 20 foot in diameter inflatable model of the earth. Each class will be able to enter this portable classroom through a zipper in the Pacific Ocean! It is made of satellite photographs taken high above the earth. The children will see mountains, rivers, deserts, rain forests, islands and oceans plus get a unique view of places very different from where we live. Another program made possible by your generous donations to iGNITE!
- Attention Kindergarten and 2nd grade parents! On 11/15 Kindergarteners and 2nd graders will be visiting Lou Aiello's Native American Traveling Museum. The hands-on presentation will take place in the Auditorium and each class will attend separately. Thank you iGNITE! for sponsoring this event!
- Additional Enrichment events for the month of November:
2nd, 7th, 14th, 16th, 28th, 30th--Mindfulness Program with Katie Kolbe
13th--All school author visit from Candace Fleming
14th--Giant Maps, 1st Grade
15th--Lou Aiello visits Kindergarten and 2nd grades
17th--Water Treatment visit for 4th Grade
FAN Presentations
All announcements to be included in the Harper Happenings should be sent to Adriane McKnight via the Communication Request Form by Mondays at 9 am. If you do not receive an email response within 24hrs, please send an email to adrianemcknight@gmail.com to confirm your Communication Request Form was received.
For more school information, visit the Harper PTO website.
For additional D39 community events, visit wilmette39.org