IG PARENT NEWSLETTER
November 2019
Indian Grove Elementary School
Assistant Principal: Mrs. Amy Veytsman
Email: mcannata@rtsd26.org
Website: http://ig.rtsd26.org/Home
Location: 1340 North Burning Bush Lane, Mount Prospect, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 298-1976
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IndianGroveSchool
Twitter: @IndianGroveEdu
Message from the Principal
November is one of my favorite months of the year. The temperature is finally where it is cold in the morning and beautiful during the day. The fall colors are in full swing. And the holidays that are focused on family and gratitude and caring are upon us.
We have much to be grateful for here at Indian Grove. We have a wonderful, caring staff from our custodian, our paraprofessionals, our office staff, to all of our teachers. I am grateful every day for the opportunity to work with all of them and I know your children are in good hands with them. We have supportive parents and community, with a giving and engaged PTC at the forefront, to which we all say thank you for all that you do. And finally, we have incredible students, who challenge themselves every day to learn and be engaged as well as challenging us to become better people. They are why we are here every day!
We want to invite you to become more connected to Indian Grove School. Please make sure our office has your correct email and phone number in our database. Our website, www.http://ig.rtsd26.org, has contact information as well as calendar information that you can use to help plan your year. We try to keep it up to date as well with our newsletters and important information throughout the year. We are on Facebook as well, www.facembook.com/IndianGroveSchool and we post regular updates on there as well as on our Twitter feed, @IndianGroveEdu, to keep you up to date on what is happening at Indian Grove.
In closing, I leave you with this thought:
"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
-William Arthur Ward
Mrs. L. Fisher, Principal
NOVEMBER EVENTS
Monday - Nov 4 - 5th Grade Girls After School Sports - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in the Gym
Tuesday - Nov 5 - PTC Donuts With Grownups - 7:45AM -8:20AM in the Lunchroom
- Second Grade Field Trip to Mt Prospect Village Hall - Russo/Ryan
- Rhythm Ensemble - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in RM 53
- Board Meeting 7PM at RTMS
Wednesday - Nov 6 - PTC Donuts With Grownups - 7:45AM -8:20AM in the Lunchroom
- 2nd Grade Field Trip to Mt Prospect Village Hall - Robinson/Palumbo
- Book Fair - 4:30PM - 8:30PM
- Parent/Teacher Conferences - 4:30PM - 8:30PM
Thursday - Nov 7 - Late Arrival: 9:25 AM
- Vision and Hearing Screening
- 3rd Grade Boys After School Sports - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in the Gym
- GCSG Meeting - 3:30PM - 4:14PM in Room 53
Friday - Nov 8 -Vision and Hearing Screening
-End of 1st Trimester
Monday - Nov 11 - IG Singers (4th Grade Orchestra Only) - 7:50 am in RM 53
- 5th Grade Boys After School Sports - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in the Gym
Tuesday - Nov 12 - IG Dancers - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in RM 53
Wednesday - Nov 13 - 4th & 5th Grade trip to see Matilda
- 3rd Grade Girls After School Sports - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in the Gym
- 4th Grade Art Club - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in RM 21
- PTC meeting 7:00 PM
Thursday - Nov 14 - Late Arrival: 9:25 AM
-Book Fair - 4:30PM - 8:30PM
-Parent/Teacher Conferences - 4:30PM - 8:30PM
Friday - Nov 15 - IG Singers - 7:50 am in RM 53
- 1st Grade Purple Asparagus
- Kindergarten Field Trip to the Marriott Theatre
Monday - Nov 18 - 4th Grade Boys After School Sports - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in the Gym
Tuesday - Nov 19 - Rhythm Ensemble - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in RM 53
- Board Meeting 7PM at RTMS
Wednesday - Nov 20 - IG Singers (Solo Tryouts) - 7:50 am in RM 53
- 4th Grade Girls After School Sports - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in the Gym
- 5th Grade Art Club - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in RM 21
- Green Garden Club - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in RM 39
Thursday - Nov 21 - Late Arrival: 9:25 AM
- Vision and Hearing Rescreening
- 3rd Grade Boys After School Sports - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in the Gym
Friday - Nov 22 - REPORT CARDS SENT HOME GRADES 1-5 ONLY
- IG Singers (Solo Tryouts) - 7:50 am in RM 53
- 2nd Grade Trip To See Madagascar
- 5th Grade Pilgrim Play
Monday - Nov 25 - 3rd Grade Girls After School Sports - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in the Gym
Tuesday - Nov 26 - IG Dancers - 3:30PM - 4:15PM in RM 53
Wednesday - Nov 27 to Monday - Dec 2 Thanksgiving Break
Tuesday - Dec 3 - School Resumes
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Each individual conference is 15 minutes long.
Please contact your child's teacher if you have not signed up for a conference.
Tips for Parents:
- Be on time (or early) for the meeting.
- End the meeting on time. Other parents will have a conference after your conference.
- Relax and be yourself.
- Stay calm during the conference.
- Ask the most important questions first.
- If your child receives services such as special education, RTI, EL, etc. ask about your child's progress in those classes.
- Ask for explanations of anything you don't understand
- Ask your child's teacher for ways that you can help your child at home.
- Thank the teacher.
5 Essentials Survey
We need your feedback for school success! survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/
The 5Essentials parent survey is to be completed by parents/guardians with a child in grades pre-k through 8. It is available in English and Spanish and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Parents who have more than one child who attends the same school may elect to participate multiple times. We recommend that parents who have children enrolled in multiple schools participate in the survey for each school. Only one adult per student may participate in the survey.
Computers will be available at conferences or you can access the link above from your smartphone.
5Essentials is designed to drive improvement in schools—it reliably measures changes in a school organization and provides individualized, actionable reports for each school. It is based on more than 20 years of research by the University of Chicago on five components found to be critical for school success:
Effective Leaders: The principal works with teachers to implement a clear and strategic vision for school success.
Collaborative Teachers: Teachers collaborate to promote professional growth..
Involved Families: The entire school staff builds strong relationships with families and communities to support learning.
Supportive Environment: The school is safe and orderly. Teachers have high expectations for students and support students to realize their goals. Classmates also support one another.
Ambitious Instruction: Classes are academically demanding and engage students by emphasizing the application of knowledge.
Research derived from the 5Essentials has proven that schools strong on at least three of the 5Essentials are 10 times more likely to improve student outcomes. In River Trails District 26 we ask parents to complete this survey every two years. Information from students in grades 4-8 and from all teachers is gathered yearly.
Although we have just started the month of November, it is never too early to be prepared for winter weather. As Mother Nature reminds us of her power, we want to share the guidelines used to determine if we will close school.
Schools will be closed if there is a forecasted sustained wind chill of -30 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, or when the actual temperature is a sustained -15 degrees Fahrenheit or colder between the travel times of 5:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. and/or 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. The District will use forecasts provided by the National Weather Service.
Though there are many questionable weather days ahead, we may need to make day-by-day decisions. Families will be notified via BrightArrow (calls, texts and emails), Facebook (www.facebook.com/IndianGroveSchool), Twitter (@Indiangrove.edu), and the District’s website if school is closed on a specific date. Please know that parents may keep their child home if you feel traveling to or from school is concerning. Please do call your school’s attendance line if your student is going to be absent on a day that school is in session.
Fuel Up To Play 60
Walk/Bike to School Day was a Success! A huge THANK YOU to all the students, staff and parents who participated in our Walk/Bike to School Day on October 17th. We had over 200 students come to school on foot or by bicycle. Many parents joined in as well. After the walk to school, we had an AWESOME assembly about choosing healthy food from Staley the Chicago Bear, The students loved his visit and his message. PE teachers, Mr. Geati and Mr. Martin, will oversee FUEL UP to PLAY 60 this year for Indian Grove. We really hope this event gave students and their families an incentive to get to school without using a vehicle so we can get some exercise, save fuel and have fun!
Another Great Pumpkin Patch
Many thanks to all the students and families who participated in the 2019 IG Pumpkin Patch on October 28th. It is always amazing to see pumpkins turning into minions, vampires, owls, donuts and many other creative things.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM THE NURSE'S OFFICE
Fall is in full swing and we are working hard to keep our classrooms healthy. At this time of year we see an increase in contagious illnesses. Please remember to review school health policies for guidance on when it's best to keep your child home. It is found on our Indian Grove website under health services.. If you have any questions please feel free to contact our school nurse at 224-612-7505.
We have scheduled our Vision and Hearing screenings for 11/7-11/8. (Per State of Illinois requirements)
Kindergarten-1st-3rd grade...Hearing
2nd grade...Vision and Hearing.
Click the link below to read ~ The Flu : A Guide For Parents
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/family/flu-guide-for-parents-2018.pdf
Wishing everyone a Happy Healthy Yummy Thanksgiving!
Please Label Your Belongings
and balls brought to school for recess. Thanks for all of your help!!
Dismissal Procedures
Children who walk or are picked up by parents on foot will leave by way of the north playground by door #14. Bus riders will leave by way of the main door (#1) by our office. Children who are being picked up in a vehicle will leave by the south door #6 by the kindergarten classrooms.
Indian Grove’s south parking lot has four visitor parking spaces. These are the spaces to the left when entering the lot. There are signs clearly marking the area. THESE SPACES ARE NOT TO BE USED FOR DROPPING OFF OR PICKING UP STUDENTS before and after school. These spaces are for visitors who are coming into the school for an appointment, sick child, meeting, volunteer time, etc. The rest of the spaces are reserved for staff. THERE IS NO FOOT TRAFFIC ALLOWED IN THE PARKING LOT BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL.
Before/After School Hours Bus Questions
The school office is open from 8:00AM until 4:30PM. If you have any questions regarding bus issues outside of school hours, please call Grand Prairie Transit at (847) 871-1799
PICKING UP STUDENTS AT 4:15
School Absences
Remember to call the office when your child is absent from school. Calls can be made 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to our attendance line. Just dial 874.298.1976 and press 1. By doing this before the school day starts, it saves our staff time in trying to find out if a child is present that day. Excused absences are given for illness, doctor visits and family emergencies. All other absences are considered unexcused.
1st GRADE PROGRAM: PURPLE ASPARAGUS
Please mark your calendars for the monthly Purple Asparagus program. Once a month, the 1st graders will learn about nutrition and healthy eating. The dates and topics of each Purple Asparagus class during the year are:
· November 15 – Cranberries
· December 13 – Oranges
· January 10 - Chocolate
· February 14 – Beans
· March 13 – Roots
· April 17 – Herbs
· May 15 – Berries
Playground Safety
Many students exit each day at 3:30 p.m. onto the north playground. Students should have an adult waiting to meet them once school is dismissed. If you wait on Barb’s Playground at 3:30, PLEASE watch your children if they are going to stay and play on the equipment. We have many students running down into the ravine (west of the equipment) and this is UNSAFE. Parents and other adults are responsible for supervising their children on school grounds once they pick them up after school.
Want to Work at IG?
Lunchroom- Playground Subs Needed!
If you are willing to work 3 hours a day as a lunchroom or playground sub for this position, please contact the principal at lfisher@rtsd26.com. We have employees who do this job daily and there are times when they are ill and cannot work. There is very little training, you must be firm but friendly and you must love working with children. Values of respect and responsibility are also a must for this position.
Interested applicants must go through our district hiring procedures including securing a physical, a background check, and online application. Feel free to apply online at www.rtsd26.org on the Human Resources page in the District Office category within the District Info tab. It’s a great way to be involved with the school and get paid for doing it!
Preschool Screenings Information
RTSD26 will offer preschool screenings to all District 3 and 4 year olds suspected of having a developmental delay. In addition, we will also be screening students to see if they are eligible for the ECDEC preschool program and our Bilingual Spanish Preschool program. To be eligible for these programs, families must meet specific criteria, such as speaking a second language in the home, income level, or other criteria that can be explained to you at the screening.
If you are concerned that your child has a delay in vision, hearing, motor, speech, language, cognition and/or social functioning, call 224- 612-7308 to set up a screening time. All screenings are done by appointment only and take place at Parkview. Screenings are held on Thursdays and are once a month through April.
If you are unsure if your child is developing appropriately, please consult with your child's preschool teacher or pediatrician for advice. The Center for Disease Control offers the following information: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
Your child must be at least 3 years old at the time of screening. Screenings are staffed by educational professionals and therapists who will make recommendations for further action to parents. All screenings are at Indian Grove and by appointment only. Translation services are available. To make an appointment in Spanish, please call Mrs. Perez or Mrs. Santiago at 224-612-7402
SCREENINGS DATES: (2013/2020): 11/14, 12/12, 1/16, 2/13, 3/12, 4/19 & 5/14
Board of Education
Your district’s Board of Education meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month at 7:00 PM. Meetings are held at one of the schools, mostly River Trails Middle School. At one of the semi-monthly meetings, an education report is presented. These reports highlight something special happening in the district.
You are cordially invited to attend, ask questions, and learn about the district. Copies of the Board’s agendas and minutes are posted on the district’s web site at http://www.rtsd26.org. Please contact the Superintendent’s office (847) 297-4120 x 7301 for information concerning Board meetings.
If you want a Board member to contact you, please call the Superintendent’s office and leave your name and telephone number. A Board member will return your call.