Harper Happenings
November 12th - November 16th
What's Happening
Monday, November 12th
- Board of Education meeting, 7:00 pm
- Thanksgiving Food Drive Begins at Harper (more info included within Community Service)
Tuesday, November 13th
- Author Kate Klise visits Harper School
Wednesday, November 14th
- General PTO Meeting, 9am. Guest Speaker: District 39 Superintendent, Dr. Ray Lechner (See detailed information below.)
Thursday, November 15th
- America Recycles Day -- All week we will be collecting worn out athletic shoes as part of Nike’s recycling efforts. A large bin will be by the front office.
Monday, November 19th - Friday, November 23rd
- No School, Thanksgiving Break
Dr. Kick's Corner
- Second graders enjoyed using the Dash Robots to code a course for the life of a mealworm (see picture).
- Thank you for your participation in parent-teacher conferences! The home-school partnership is truly valued by all Harper staff.
- Help your child develop a "growth mindset"! Dr. Dweck devised the term, believing that all basic abilities can improve with dedication and hard work.
- The monthly Board of Education meeting is Monday, November 12th at 7:00 PM at the MEC. Below are a couple of topics that may be of interest. If you can’t make the meeting, you can view it live or later, either on the District website or on Channel 6. Highlights of the meeting will be emailed and posted online within a day or two.
- New Trier Township 8th Grade Survey
- 2019-2020 Student Fees
- Long Term Enrollment Projections
- Board resolutions:
- establishing fund balance goals
- authorizing intervention in property tax appeals
- Illinois Association of School Board Representation
- Bike safety: Please make sure that your child locks their bicycle when parked at school. Officer Pavely has noted that bicycles that are not locked at local schools have been getting stolen.
Coming Up/Reminders
Monday, November 26th
- PASS39 Parent Education at Harper School, 9:15 am
- Topic: Updates with D39 Staff and Self-Regulation Strategies (sensory, etc)
Friday, November 30th
- Harper PTO Movie Night - The Polar Express
Friday, December 7th
- D39 Educational Foundation Family Bingo Night
Thursday, December 13th
- Before School Chorus Winter Concert
- Attention Library Volunteers! New November and December dates/times have been added to the Sign Up Genius below. Thank you in advance for your help!
Announcements
- Special General PTO Meeting, Wednesday, Nov 14th at 9:00am in Harper Auditorium
- Please mark your calendars and come see special guest speaker, Superintendent Dr Ray Lechner, who is presenting and discussing the upcoming 2019-20 Harper School changes. This event is not to be missed and your parent input is very important and much needed!
Dr. Lechner will be addressing the NEW Superintendent Search, NEW Harper Principal Search, NEW Kindergarten Enrichment Program and NEW Harper building construction! Harper is YOUR school so please come with any questions, comments or just listen. There will be a Q&A. Children Welcome. Coffee and treats will be served.
- A few things to think about in advance:
- ~What qualities should the new principal possess?
- ~What changes at Harper do I want to see, if any?
- ~What do me and my kids like about Harper?
- ~Will the Kindergarten Enrichment program affect me and my children?
- Harper PTO Movie Night presents: The Polar Express (G)
- All Harper Students (K-4) are invited to come discover that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe! Pajama's welcome and encouraged!
- Join us in the auditorium:
- Friday, November 30th
- 6:00pm-8:00pm
- Little Ceasar’s Cheese/Pepperoni Pizza, Lemonade and Water will be served in the cafeteria
- Sign up today as movie nights sell out quickly: HERE
- Cost: $20 for the first child, $10 for the second, and $5 for the third.
- Parents who volunteer at Movie Night can bring one child for FREE! Sign up to volunteer HERE.
- Space is limited to the first 115 kids. NO WALK-INS. All children must be registered in advance.
- All Children must be walked into Harper for check in and picked up by an adult for check out. NO DROP OFFS
- Need to find yourself a replacement for lunch duty? Wondering what time the parent social starts? Did your child lose their backpack? Looking for a nanny? Well look no further, join Harper Parents Page on Facebook for all your answers and questions. Harpers Parent Page is a wonderful Harper community resource where Harper parents respectfully exchange information. To join, send a Facebook request to join this private closed group.
- *Harper Parents Page is parent administered and is not moderated by Harper Elementary School, D39 or Harper PTO. To access Harper’s PTO, please go to www.harperpto.com
iGNITE! Enrichment Information
Thank you to iGNITE! for the following Enrichment Experiences!
- Author Kate Klise will visit Harper on Tuesday, November 13th! Kate Klise is the author of several picture books and novels! If your family would like signed copies of her work, please return the book order form to the library by Monday, November 5!
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Griffin's Tale Children's Repertory Theatre Company will be visiting and performing at Harper School on May 17, 2019. The company consists of 25 Northwestern undergrads who take stories written by local school children and turn them into songs, dances, scenes, raps, and games! https://northwestern.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/griffinstale
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If your child is interested, K-4 students are being asked to write one story (short, long, wordy, picture-filled, serious, casual, etc.) to be used by the company when they perform here at Harper in the spring! Have your child write their story at home and then complete the Story-Identification Form (PDF linked below).
- Please have your child return the forms to their teacher no later than Thursday, November 15, 2018 (note: the submitted copy will not be returned).
Harper's Green Corner
- Come enjoy the last garden event of the season! Join us after school on Thursday, November 15. We'll be staying cozy warm with hot apple cider while making a Thanksgiving craft. Siblings and parents are always welcome!
- Thank you garden volunteers! We are so grateful to Carrie Hamm, Galina Egorova, Johanna Toppenberg, Beth Karnes, Liz Ethington, and Mandy Gibbons for volunteering in the garden in October. Thank you for all your hard work. We couldn't do this without you!
- November 15th is America Recycles Day. But all week we will be collecting worn out athletic shoes as part of Nike’s recycling efforts. A large bin will be by the front office.
- Do you also have shoes to donate for reuse? If you have gently used shoes - any size or style - please take them to the Runner’s Edge in Plaza del Lago. They have an ongoing shoe donation drive to help people with physical and visual disabilities.
Wish-cycling is not recycling
- It’s something we all do. We’re not sure if something can be recycled, but we HOPE it can be. If it’s not, the recycling facility can just sort it out. Right? Well, actually no. The machinery can get jammed by our wrappers, bags or shredded paper. Or our wishful “additions” can contaminate a whole supply of potentially recyclable items. Have any questions on what can be recycled? Ask us and we will find out at environmental@harperpto.com.
FAN (Family Action Network)
Upcoming dates...
FAN presents clinical neuropsychologist and author William Stixrud, Ph.D. along with author and speaker Ned Johnson on 'The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives’ on Tues, Nov. 13th, 7 PM at New Trier High School/Northfield, Cornog Auditorium 7 Happ Rd., Northfield, IL 60093. Free and open to the public.
- If you would like to sign up for the FAN newsletter, click here!
Community Service & News
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Not sure what to do with all your 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 service programs. Boxes will be in the school lobby through Friday, November 9 (bring it in when you come for conferences)!
- Thanksgiving Food Drive: Nov. 12th-16th! Help families in need this Thanksgiving! Harper students and their families can give thanks by bringing in the below assigned holiday dinner items to help support the Connections for the Homeless Family Housing project. Items will be collected beginning November 12th through November 16th. Look for the bins outside each classroom!
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Kindergarten: Cornbread/Bisquick
1st grade: Boxed Stuffing
2nd grade: Canned Vegetables
3rd grade: Gravy/Broth/Soup
4th grade: Bottle of Juice
- November 26- November 30
- Holiday Toy Drive and Gift Wrapping Event (benefiting UIC Children’s Craniofacial Clinic)
- New toys (approximately $15) for kids from birth to 15 years old. We’ll also be having a wrapping party in the Harper Cafeteria on Monday, December 3rd at 9:00am – please join us! We ask volunteers to bring scissors and tape, and are looking for wrapping paper donations as well! Please see PDF attached below for more info!
- December 10-21
- Winter Gear Drive (benefitting Connections for the Homeless)
- New and gently used winter gear for Connections families (adult and children). Items needed: winter coats, gloves and hats, warm socks, boots, blankets and sleeping bags, disposable hand and foot warmers, and long underwear!
LINK: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
Wilmette Rotary Club is running its annual BIG BOOK DRIVE at all District 39 schools from October 1st through November 15th. Please donate any gently used books.
Loyola Ramblerettes offer 3rd-8th grade girls the opportunity to learn a Holiday dance and perform at halftime on December 11th.
Wilmette Park District’s Saturday Basketball registration is open for boys & girls grades 4-8.
Wilmette Park District is hosting a Holiday Hustle exercise challenge November 26-December 23; register November 19-25. Also the Center Fitness Club schedule and various classes for children ages 3-14 are posted.
Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
All announcements to be included in the Harper Happenings should be sent to Liz Hayes 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 elizabeth.hayes78@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