Bobcat Blog
Saturday, February 10
Notes and Reminders
- Tuesday, February 13: Beye Dine Out at Billy Bricks (see flier below)
- Saturday, February 17: Black History Month Beye PTO Celebration (see details below)
- Monday, February 19: No School in Observance of Presidents' Day
- Saturday, March 9: Beye Carnival (11:00 am - 3:00 pm)
- Monday, March 25 - Friday, March 29: No School - Spring Break
Thank You
- All the families who attended conferences (If you were not able to meet, please do so soon with the homeroom teacher. We want 100% conference attendance.)
- Jacqueline Gelman & Joanna MacKenzie for organizing the Beye Book Fair!
- Everyone who helped set up, manage sales, or take down the Book Fair (Molly Greenwood-Whalen, Audrey Wojtonik, Morgen Alexander-Young, Sara Lumley, Betsy Leong, Linda Cooper, LIndsay Woods, Gordon Ferguson, Rebecca Deeb, Tony Creed, LIzz Kannenberg, and Laura Barnard)
- Molly Greenwood-Whalen for organizing the PTO lunch Thursday during conferences
- Everyone who contributed to the staff lunch Thursday: (Aly Schoenfeldt, Molly Greenwood-Whalen, Amy Rosenthal, Elizabeth Torres, Kayla Ahn, Claire Weinstein, Kirsten Olde Riekerink, Terrell James, Lauren Smith-MacGregor, Laurie Conley, Lindsay Woods, Kate Herron, Lizz Kannenberg, sue Etminan, and Rachel Gershenso-Gates)
**If I missed anyone, please email me so I can add you.
PTO News
February Dine Out
See the flier below for Tuesday's Dine Out opportunity. This helps raise money for Beye's PTO as well as helping a local business.
Beye's Carnival Fun Fair is Back! Mark your Calendars for: Saturday, March 9
Please see the flier below and scan the QR code to see the many ways opportunities to help. We need you as this is the PTO's biggest single fundraiser of the year! You can also find the volunteer sign up here. Let's start to fill that up!
Please join us for the Black History Month Beye PTO Celebration
Lift Every Voice and Sing!
On February 17th from 10am - 12pm, we will gather in the Beye Auditorium to introduce a Black History Playlist along with Fun, Food and Fellowship.
Volunteers are needed to help serve food - Reach out to Dessalina at dndc36@gmail.com
Three on Three Basketball Tournament is Coming Back
We are bringing it back! SAVE THE DATE! The Beye School PTO basketball tournament will be on April 7th at 1PM. We are currently looking for volunteers to help make the event a success. If you’re interested in helping prepare for or during the event, please email Michele at michelejurewicz@gmail.com
District News
Illinois 5Essentials Survey is Open!
Parents/guardians all 10 of our schools are encouraged to take the Illinois 5Essentials Survey between January 30 through March 29, 2024: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/.
Thank you for participating in this important endeavor and for your continued support of our schools and the children we serve. Please use the QR code below and go to the PARENT SURVEY. This information helps us learn our areas of strength and our areas of opportunity. I am a little competitive so would LOVE the highest percentage of families participating among the 10 schools.
Our 4th and 5th graders will take it in school the week of February 20.
- "If a parent has more than one (1) child, and they attend the same school, that parent may elect to participate multiple times. For parents with children enrolled in multiple schools, we recommend that they participate in the survey for each school. Only one parent per household may submit a survey for a given child."
Portrait of Graduate Community Session at Beye - Thursday, March 21!
On behalf of the District 97 Board of Education, superintendent and district team, you are invited to join us as we design our Portrait of an Oak Park 8th Grade Graduate!
Beye staff, families AND students are encouraged to attend a Portrait community session at our school on Thursday, March 21, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. During the open house, staff and families will have the opportunity to walk around, learn about our draft Portrait, and provide feedback on definitions and learning experiences. We’ll also have some kid-friendly activities for students and pizza for everyone who attends.
Anyone who is unable to attend is welcome to join one of the district’s other scheduled events in February or March! Click the links to access the Portrait of a Graduate Engagement Calendar: English | Español
For more on Portrait of an Oak Park 8th Grade Graduate, including opportunities to participate and connect, visit www.op97.org/ourportrait.
¡Sesión de aportes para el retrato de un graduado en la escuela Beye - jueves, 21 de marzo!
En nombre de la Junta de Educación del Distrito 97, el superintendente y el equipo del distrito, ¡está invitado a unirse a nosotros mientras diseñamos nuestro retrato de un graduado de octavo grado de Oak Park!
Se anima al personal, las familias y los estudiantes de Beye a asistir a una sesión comunitaria para el Retrato en nuestra escuela el jueves 21 de marzo de 6:30 p.m. a 8 p.m. Durante la jornada de puertas abiertas, el personal y las familias tendrán la oportunidad de caminar, conocer nuestro borrador de retrato y brindar comentarios sobre definiciones y experiencias de aprendizaje. También tendremos algunas actividades para niños para estudiantes y pizza para todos los asistentes.
¡Cualquiera que no pueda asistir puede unirse a uno de los otros eventos programados por el distrito en febrero o marzo! Haga clic en los enlaces para acceder al calendario para el Retrato de un Graduado: Inglés | Español
Para obtener más información sobre Retrato de un graduado de octavo grado de Oak Park, incluidas oportunidades para participar y conectarse, visite www.op97.org/ourportrait.
In Case You Missed It
Kaleidoscope Group Starting - For Parents of Fourth and Fifth Grade Students to Read
Mx. Suhs and Ms. Luhrs are advising Kaleidoscope, a group for LGBTQ+, non-binary, and allied 4th and 5th grade students. The intent is to create a safe space for discussion and expression as well as explore ways to make Beye a more inclusive community.
Erin's Law Letter
January 19, 2024
Dear Beye Family,
We have been using the Second Step program in your child’s classroom and across the district to teach important social-emotional skills, such as getting along with others, solving problems, and managing emotions. The program also helps our schools to be safe and supportive places where everyone can learn.
The Second Step program provides instructional materials, called Child Protection Units, that are aligned with Erin’s Law, an Illinois state law that requires all public schools to implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program. For more information on Erin’s Law, please go to https://www.erinslawillinois.org/.
Beginning in February, your child’s Second Step teacher(s) will be teaching the lessons from the Child Protection Unit to teach students the following skills:
Personal Safety: Students will learn important safety rules and ways to stay safe. They will also learn ways to help them decide if something is safe or not.
Touching Safety: Students will learn about safe, unsafe, and unwanted touches, and rules about touching private body parts.
Assertiveness: These lessons will also give students a chance to practice asking an adult for help, telling an adult about an unsafe situation, and being assertive to get out of unsafe situations.
To keep your child safe and protected, everyone at school needs to be involved. All of our staff members receive special training on how to:
Recognize and report suspected child sexual abuse;
Respond to and support children who have been abused or who are facing other challenges;
Use strategies that promote a safe and supportive school climate.
For more information on the Second Step Child Protection Unit resources, please go to www.SecondStep.org, create an account and log in through My Dashboard with the activation key for your child’s grade level provided below.
Pre Kindergarten: CPUEFAMILYGE
Kindergarten: CPUKFAMILYGK
1st grade: CPU1FAMILYG1
2nd grade: CPU2FAMILYG2
3rd grade: CPU3FAMILYG3
4th grade: CPU4FAMILYG4
5th grade: CPU5FAMILYG5
District 97 acknowledges that families/caregivers are the primary educators for their children on sensitive matters such as this. If you have any questions about Erin’s Law and/or Second Step’s Child Protection Units, or if you do not want your child to participate in these lessons, please contact Karen Foleno, Student Support Specialist, at kfoleno@op97.org and Lori Janu-Chossek, Social Worker, at ljanu-chossek@op97.org by January 26, 2024.
Thank you for helping us make our schools supportive places, where students feel safe and a sense of belonging.
Sincerely,
Michele Capio
Director of Universal Design for Learning
Registration for Oak Park Youth Baseball and Softball's 2024 spring season is officially open!
Register at www.opybs.org. Early bird rates are available through January 8, 2024.
· T-Ball Leagues: $155 early bird rate ($200 regular rate)
· All Other Leagues: $200 early bird rate ($250 regular rate)
OPYBS has moved from TeamSnap to Crossbar for registration and team management. Birth certificates are needed for new and existing players.
If you have any questions you can reach out to Kelly Smith. (email vallaney@gmail.com or cell 312.399.0094)
See this Great Opportunity Below for Extra Math or Reading Enrichment
By Discovery has Some Spots
Aftercare on-site at Beye School, M-F through 6pm, with By Discovery:
By Discovery Art Enrichment Program currently has full and part time openings, M-F. We also have limited need-based scholarships available, offering a 50% reduction in the program fee. Jocelyne Adkins, Program Director & Lead Art Educator, is a former Beye parent who founded By Discovery in 2011 (formerly Beye Discovery). Students enjoy outdoor play everyday, weather permitting. Projects include painting, illustration, sculpture, clay, fiber/textile art, collage and printmaking. Follow us on Instagram at by_discovery_llc to see what our students are creating with us. To register, please visit https://forms.gle/YDLD31eMuELySwZg9 or visit https://www.bydiscovery.org/ For questions, please contact Jocelyne at jocelyne@bydiscovery.org Thank you!
Green Team Volunteer Opportunities
You do not need to be a Green Team member to volunteer. There are lots of options for one time or recurring volunteering shifts.
Lunchroom sorting sign up here
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0E49ADA92CA4FBC70-lunchroom
Student Green Team, Earth Month Events, First Grade Garden, Shoe Drive, and Food Recovery sign up here
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0E49ADA92CA4FBC70-45667625-beye
Meal Information for the 2023-24 School Year
The breakfast and lunch menus for our elementary and middle schools are available at http://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service. During the 2023-24 school year, students may:
- Bring a nut-free lunch from home.
- Order school lunch.
Free and Reduced Lunch Application
Students may receive meals at a free or reduced cost either by being directly approved by the State of Illinois OR being approved after completing the 2023-24 Free and Reduced Lunch Application (English/Spanish). All families who are directly approved by the state will receive an approval letter by email. If you feel your student may qualify for free or reduced priced meals but are not directly approved, we encourage you to complete the application as soon as possible Please visit https://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service for more information.
Join the Beye School Families' Facebook Group
William Beye Elementary School
Cheryl Sullivan
Beye Principal
Location: 230 North Cuyler Avenue, Oak Park, IL, USA
Phone: 708- 524-3070
Twitter: @MrsSullivand97