Milne Grove Messenger
February 2020
Highlighted Dates to Remember (see linked calendar for full schedule of events)
Valentine's Day Parties: February 14th
11:30 Early Dismissal: February 14th
President's Day-No School: February 17th
Late Start Morning - 9:30 am February 18th
Family Fitness Night In Milne Grove Gym 6:00pm-7:00pm: February 19th
End of 2nd Trimester: February 21st
PTO's Escape Room at Kelvin Grove 7:00pm-8:00pm: February 21st
Notice of Public Calendar Hearing
Lockport District 91 will hold a public calendar hearing on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. in the Kelvin Grove LRC regarding the proposed 2020-2021 School Calendar. The proposed calendar includes attendance on President Lincoln's Birthday and Veterans Day. Testimony from educators and parents regarding the proposed 2020-2021 school calendar will be taken during the hearing.
The Lockport School District 91 Board Of Education is pleased to announce their approval of full day kindergarten at Milne Grove School for the 20-21 school year! In order to project staffing, we are requesting prospective kindergarten students register by April 1, 2020. Beginning on February 24th, online registration will be open through our Infinite Campus portal; simply visit our www.d91.net on the 24th or after to access information and forms. Kindergarten round-up will be offered March 19, 2020 at Milne Grove for those families that need registration assistance. Please contact Mrs. Koziol at jkoziol@d91.net with your full day kindergarten questions or to join our kindergarten email list. Please include the following information:
Child’s Name
Child’s Gender
Child’s Date of Birth
Where the child attends pre-school, if applicable
Parent(s) Name(s) and contact information
If you know of any friends or neighbors with an incoming kindergartener that live within the District 91 boundaries that are planning to attend in the fall, please share this information with them.
Please Take the 5 Essentials Survey!
MG Needs Your Input
Kelvin Grove is looking for parents to provide input on our school climate measurement called the 5-Essentials survey. This survey is developed by the University of Chicago and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education as part of our district's annual school report card. The results of the survey, which gathers input from parents, students in grades 4-8, and from our staff becomes a large portion of our school's improvement plan each year. We need parents to complete the survey to reach the required minimum number of parent responses to receive a valid score on our 5-Essentials report. Below is the link to access the parent survey.
The survey is specific to each building. Therefore if you have children at both Milne Grove and Kelvin Grove, we ask that you take the survey for each building. Thanks for taking the time to complete this survey!
Principal's Page
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
Even though it is cold and gray outside, the students and staff at Milne Grove are excited to be moving ahead on our learning journey! The students just finished their Winter MAP benchmarking and I am impressed by the hard work and good thinking I witness each day. Over the next several months, your students and their teachers will be diving deeper into their grade level content and really building their brains. Third grade families will be receiving information about the Illinois Assessment of Readiness at the end of February. If there is anything at all that I can do to have a positive impact, please call me at 815-838-0542x2104 or email jkoziol@d91.net.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Koziol
Winter Notes:
If your family is impacted by illness this winter, we would like to remind you to call the district attendance line to report absences by 9am. If you would like to request homework, you should do so in that message and indicate whether you will pick it up or wish for it to be sent home with another student.
Since it has been quite cold the past few weeks, I would like to remind caregivers that students line up and have recess outside as long as it is 20 degrees or over. We would like to see children wearing heavy coats, hats, and gloves each day in order to stay warm. If your child does not have winter gear, please contact our office and we will make sure warm gear is provided.
In case of emergency closings, there are lots of ways to get the information. The district will send out a call, email, and text. In addition, our website, WJOL, and the Emergency Closing Center will be updated.
Mrs. Jaime Koziol, Principal
815-838-0542 x2104
Mrs. Cindy Dragosh, Secretary
815-838-0542x2100
Notes From the Nurse
February is Dental Health month! Due to high demand of Dental services provided at school, Miles of Smiles will not be here at Milne Grove until April 16th to give dental examinations and cleanings to all students who returned the permission slip for services. Miles of Smiles is a team of dental professionals who deliver preventative and educational services to children in schools. If your child is in need of a dental examination, this is a great opportunity for them to meet the state’s requirement for dental examination. A permission slip for Miles of Smiles Dental services will be sent home at the end of the month of February. Please fill out the permission slip and return to the health office if you would like your child to participate in the Miles of Smiles Dental program at school. If you have any questions about the Miles of Smiles Dental program, please call me at 815-838-0542 ex.2106.
Ms. Gilkerson, RN
Milne Grove School Nurse
PTO News
February 1st starts the third Box Tops contest which will run through March 31st. The winners will be treated to a classroom Popcorn party so keep clipping and scanning those box tops!
This month we’ll be having a Craft Day at Milne Grove on the 8th and an Escape Room night at Kelvin Grove on the 21st. Also on the 21st is our monthly “Take the Night Off” from cooking which will be at Pop’s and runs the whole day, 10am to 9pm, so grab yourself some lunch or dinner or both! Always remember to mention D91 when placing your order.
February 24th will start our La Braid fundraiser which will offer a variety of pastries and sweet treats. These items will be ready for pickup just in time for Spring Break.
Please come out and join us at our monthly PTO meetings-we still have a lot of fun events planned for the remainder of the school year and we’d love to have your ideas and support!
Save the date for Friday, March 20th. It’s our annual Daddy Daughter Dance night!
If you ever have any questions please email us at d91pto.info@gmail.com.
Like the D91 PTO on Facebook!
The Latest from the LRC
Book Notes
All grades are reading the Monarch Award nominated books and preparing to vote for their favorites in March. Our third grade Bluestem Bunch Book Club is underway and those students will also be voting in March.
February is LIBRARY LOVERS MONTH! Show your love by helping your child remember to return books on library day! Keeping books in the student’s backpack or a special place at home is the best way to keep them from getting lost.
Reading Incentives
Student reading may be counted for ALL incentives at one time - it’s ok to double or triple up on your recording. Duplicate forms may be found on my web page.
Six Flags Read to Succeed forms must be submitted online by parents by March 27!!! Be sure to get yours in on time to earn your free ticket. Please see the MG LRC page at d91.net to download a form.
PIZZA HUT BOOK IT continues monthly thru March.
Joliet Slammers will begin next month.
Join us for BINGO FOR BOOKS in the MG gym on February 6th! Win a game, get a book! Everyone wins! And it’s free!
Volunteer Corner
Many thanks to Heather Jerz, Linda Hozjan and Kathleen Kesteloot for keeping our books on the shelves and organized!
ltumino@d91.net 815-838-0542, x2122
Mrs. Tumino
Physical Education Feats
On January 24th students in Kindergarten-3rd grade attended a Kick-Off Assembly for the Kids Heart Challenge (formerly known as Jump Rope for Heart). A representative from the American Heart Association discussed with students what the Kids Heart Challenge is all about and how they can participate! Students should have brought home forms from the assembly to start their fundraising.
Throughout the month of February students will participate in activities that focus on living a healthy lifestyle! We will end February with our Kids Heart Challenge event during PE! For 1st-3rd grade students the event will take place on Friday, February 21st. Kindergarteners will participate during the same week during their PE time.
There will be a Fun Family Fitness Night in Milne Grove gym on Wednesday, February 19th from 6-7. All students K-3 are invited to bring their families to participate in some Workout Wednesday activities and check out some Kids Heart Challenge information.We will have a computer for students to sign up with!
You can get online with the Kids Heart Challenge by going to http://american.heart.org/kidsheartchallenge/ . Search for Milne Grove and you’re started!
Keep an eye out for more detailed information about PE events on Parent Square.
Please contact Mrs. Draper at kdraper@d91.net with questions about what your child is learning in gym!
Bags of Hope Weekly Food Donation Pledge
3rd Grade
Third Grade February Newsletter
ELA:
§ Please continue to work on spelling and vocabulary with your child at home.
§ Students should read each night for 20 minutes to assist with their reading fluency and comprehension.
Math:
§ Please continue to work with your student on fact fluency for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They need to work on accuracy as well as speed when practicing their facts. If you would like additional resources for fact practice, please visit the third grade page under math.
§ You can use the Go Math link to review lessons at home and assist with concept questions. Go Math Website
Science:
§ We are currently working on our plant unit in science.
Social Studies:
§ We are currently working on our economics unit.
Remind students to use the third grade website so they can continue working on their foundational skills. There are a variety of links that will help them increase their ability with the material that has been taught so far this year.
Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns!
Thank you,
The Third Grade Team
Mrs. Lyons, 3rd grade teacher, jlyons@d91.net
Mrs. Georgopulos, 3rd grade teacher, rgeorgopulos@d91.net
Mrs. Steed, 3rd grade teacher, csteed@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Jerz, Math Aide, hjerz@d91.net
2nd Grade
Language Arts- It is important to continue studying the weekly spelling and vocabulary words every night. Also, as you listen to your child read, continue to ask them to retell events that happened in the story and ask questions about the text. This will help their language skills and their ability to think critically about a text.
Social Studies- We have begun, Chapter 3, The World Around Us. Students will be focusing on maps and globes, locating different places and features, understanding the world is made up of different landforms and bodies of water.
Science- We will continue learning about landforms and how they change quickly and slowly over time. Students will be participating in experiments to observe these changes and discover ways to prevent erosion.
Math- Students will begin learning subtraction facts. It is important to study these facts nightly. We will continue to focus on 2 digit subtraction. After that, we will move into 3-digit addition and subtraction.
Mrs. Bolte, 2nd grade teacher, mbolte@d91.net
Miss Podwika, 2nd grade teacher, kpodwika@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Jerz, Math Aide, hjerz@d91.net
1st Grade
First Grade
February District Newsletter
Superkids Reading Program:
Spelling and reading words ending with long vowel sounds
Decode and encode CVCe words with -s, -ing, and -ed endings
Decode and encode CVVC words with ai, oa, ea, and ee
Review using good, better, best
Read fluently and understand literary and informational texts
Using interjections appropriately in speaking and writing
Identify and use adjectives correctly in speaking and writing
Read and spell new memory words
Language and Writing:
Focus on writing complete sentences with the correct ending marks
Introduction to narrative writing
GO Math:
Count to 120, starting at any number
Understand place value representing tens and ones
Read and write numbers between 110 and 120
Compare numbers to show greater than or less than
Using greater than, less than, and equal to symbols
Identifying 10 more and 10 less than a given number
Social Studies:
Discovering our world through maps
Identifying what we can do to take care of our environment
Learn about the importance of President’s Day and our Founding Fathers
The First Grade Team
Mrs. O'Halloran, 1st grade teacher, mohalloran@d91.net
Mrs. Stanly, 1st grade teacher, lstanly@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Jerz, Math Aide, hjerz@d91.net
Kindergarten
The Kindergarteners are very excited that they are becoming readers and writers! We notice that they are finding words EVERYWHERE in school…in books, in the halls, in the classroom. It is fun to watch and listen to them read and spell. If you are looking for a way to foster your child’s growing reading skills, the Lockport Library is a wonderful resource for Early Reader books. Journal writing has been a fun activity used in class to strengthen the kindergarteners’ letter-sound relationships and sentence making skills. If you are interested in applying these skills at home, have your child record events in a personal journal or have them write and illustrate a story to read to our class. Keep practicing the green memory words nightly.
Here are some videos to help with some of the new language arts concepts we will be introducing.
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Journal writing has been a fun activity used in class to strengthen the kindergarteners’ letter-sound relationships and sentence making skills. If you are interested in applying these skills at home, have your child record events in a personal journal or have them write and illustrate a story to read to our class.
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We LOVE to count!! We are practicing counting by 1’s and 10’s. In Math we will be continuing addition, introducing subtraction and will begin to measure, sort, and order and classify. In Math we will be introducing addition, writing numbers and showing quantities to 19.
Mrs. Adams - sadams@d91.net
Mrs. Preboy - cpreboy@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Jerz, Math Aide, hjerz@d91.net
Early Learners Preschool
Upcoming Events:
Week of February 3rd – The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “Dd” and the theme is Dental Health. They will also be introduced to the number 13 and the color pink. The Early Learners will also learn the sequence of how to brush their teeth.
Week of February 10th – The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “Vv” and the theme will be Valentine’s Day. They will also be introduced to the number 14 and the heart shape.
Week of February 17th – The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “Ll” and the theme will be the Abraham Lincoln. They will also be introduced to the number 15.
Week of February 24th – The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “Qq” and the theme will be quilts. They will also be introduced to the number 16.
Dates to Remember:
Thursday, February 6th, Bingo for Books Family Fun Event at Milne Grove School from 6:30p.m. to 7:30p.m.
Thursday, February 13th, Valentine’s Day Party from 2:00p.m to 3:00p.m.
Friday, February 14th, NO CLASS, School Improvement Day
Monday, February 17th, NO SCHOOL, Presidents Day
Wednesday & Thursday, February 19th & 20th, DIAL Screenings during class time.
Friday, February 21st, Field Trip to FlipStar. Bus will leave at 12:45p.m and return by 3:00p.m.
The PK Team
Miss Robin, PK Teacher, rtorkelson@d91.net
Miss Sonya, Bilingual Liaison, spederson@d91.net
Miss Ginte, PK aide, gjonikas@d91.net
The Speech Spot with Mrs. Barker
Keeping a Healthy Voice
The cold and flu season can put a strain on our bodies as well as our vocal cords. Vocal cords are a part of your throat that vibrate when you speak. The vocal cords are covered with “mucus”, which helps to protect and lubricate the cords. If the mucus becomes too dry or too thick this reduces the ability to protect the cords. Keep the following suggestions in mind to keep your voice healthy all year long!
Drink plenty of water; aim for 6-8 glasses a day.
Avoid caffeine in drinks such as tea, coffee and pop. Caffeine can be drying and is also a diuretic.
Avoid sugary drinks which have levels of sugar. The sugar can lead to dryness in the mouth and throat and can leave you feeling thirstier.
Always drink plenty of water when eating hot, spicy foods.
Avoid smoking, or exposure to secondhand smoke.
Keep the air in rooms humid. Try using a humidifier or keeping a bowl of water near radiators.
Avoid whispering, even when your throat is hoarse from a cold. Whispering puts greater stress on vocal cords.
Reduce coughing and throat clearing, which can blow off some of the protective mucous layer on the vocal cords. When a cough is unavoidable due to a cold, try sipping lots of water and reducing the amount of talking.
Avoid shouting or screaming which forces the vocal cords together too roughly and will irritate them.
Set aside a period of time once or twice each day for vocal rest and enjoy activities such as reading, watching television or doing a jigsaw puzzle.
Taken from Voice Care for Children
By Graham Williamson
Relationship Roundup with Mrs. Reynolds
This Month’s Topic: Family Dinners
Here I go again reminding parents that the relationships you have with your children are immensely important! Well, whatever is worth stating might be worth stating more than once.
To build close, nurturing relationships, please consider this request: have family dinners. Eating together as a family and using some of that time for children to feel listened to, is great for your relationship, your child’s brain, your family’s mental health, and your family’s physical health. It’s one practical thing that has more than a few benefits!
Here are 20 years of research that confirm this: sitting down for a meal together is great for the brain, the body, and the spirit. Here are some scientifically proven benefits:
Higher self-esteem
Better academic performance
Higher grades
Bigger vocabulary
Greater sense of resilience
Better nutrition
Lower risk of substance abuse
Lower risk of teen pregnancy
Lower risk of depression
Lower likelihood of developing eating disorders
Lower rates of obesity
When I ask you to have a family dinner, I’m not asking for you to eat specific types of food, or have dinner at a specific time. The important part is that people are together at the table. Most of the benefits come from how everyone interacts during dinner. Children should be encouraged to share about their day, what’s on their minds, and then feel that what they had to say was worth listening to. The essential ingredient is the time spent talking to each other. People should participate in the conversation and enjoy each other.
It might be best to turn off all of the screens, so everyone feels important. (It is true that people are more important than electronics.) But if there’s a program your family wants to watch together, and it sparks conversation, then great! The academic and mental health benefits come from your family members connecting. Silent dinners are not what I have in mind. Neither are dinners where people are arguing or scolding. Take time to find out about each other’s days and enjoy one another.
Feel free to play games to get the talking flowing. “Two truths and a Lie” is fun for family members of all ages. Each person shares three things about their day, only two of which are true. Everyone has to guess which story is the lie.
To read more about fun games, how to start conversations, or the research behind these stated benefits, go to thefamilydinnerproject.org
https://thefamilydinnerproject.org/conversation
Check out my blog at http://mrsreynoldsmilnegrove.weebly.com/ and contact Mrs. Reynolds at mreynolds@d91.net!
Art
Currently, all Milne Grove students are working hard, mastering the color wheel and practicing their color blending skills. Each art class at Milne Grove will be working on several paintings over the next several months, before moving into the art of three-dimensional sculpture.
Kindergarten students are currently working on a Pop Art painting inspired by the work of Wayne Thiebaud and his candy, cake, and ice cream paintings. Students will be creating their own giant sundae and painting their creation using colors mixed with white to create an assortment of tints. First grade students will be using the mystery and interest of outer space to motivate an original mixed media Outer Space Escape painting. Students learned about the planets and will use a variety of materials to create their own outer space inspired art! Second grade students are working the movement and rhythm within music to create their own Abstract Wassily Kandinsky inspired painting and third grade students will be taking a look at Jim Dine and his unbelievable heart paintings and sculptures - how perfect for the February season!
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly anytime at extension 1110 at Kelvin Grove, or via email at jcravens@d91.net. Don’t forget to check out the Art Department on the web at www.d91.net for a current listing of all projects.
Thank you for your continued support!
Mrs. Cravens
Technology
Technology Class- Mrs. Lakics
In technology class Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students have started their coding centers which is an extension of the Hour of Code which MG participated in during Computer Science Education Week (December 9-15). Take a look at all the different centers below and find out more information by clicking on the links. Please visit Mrs. Lakics’ website for more information and ideas- mrslakicstechnologyclass.weebly.com.
Digital Citizenship Family Activity
Topic: Staying Safe Online
Mrs. Lakics
Music Notes
To Contact Mrs. Randolph K-8 Music & KG Chorus Director
Email: srandolph@d91.net PHONE: 815-838-0737 ext. 1140
THANK YOU to everyone who came and/or supported our students by coming to our “Holiday
Road Trip” musical in December! We hope you enjoyed the program. Watch the web page for
pictures coming soon.
Orff Instruments has begun in all Grades K-3 music classes thanks to the IL Arts Council Fine Arts
Grant and Ms. Rae (who wrote the grant). Watch the music web pages for pictures coming soon.
Check the music web pages for announcements, pictures and assignments by grade level: Click on tabs for each grade and other information.
WEDNESDAYS (8:05-8:30 am): 3 rd Grade FREE RECORDER CLUB to earn stickers to pass
assigned recorder songs. Enter Main Door at 8:05. Do not come early. (CHECK WEB PAGE
BEFORE YOU COME FOR DAYS LAB IS CLOSED.) No appointment needed. Advanced
students will earn recorder award at the end of the year. Advanced students earn the opportunity touse music computers and pianos.
MUSIC FUNDRAISERS:
Crystal Music Instruments (flute, violin, glockenspiel, drum) $20 Each;
Hornet Magnets $5 Each (c. 110 left);
Hornet Fathead Stickers $5 Each;
Send money to D91 Music (Attn. Mrs. Randolph) to purchase them.
SAVE TABS FOR MUSIC! Please bring metal tabs from soda and other cans to school in a ziplock
bag or large mouthed container and have students put in large white buckets in the hallway.
Substitutes Needed!!
Order Your Yearbook Today! Only $21
See Link Below & Enter Yearbook ID Code 13213820
You can also send a check payable to Lockport District 91 / MG Yearbook to the office!
For More Information on Milne Grove School:
Email: jkoziol@d91.net
Website: www.d91.net
Location: 565 East 7th Street, Lockport, IL, United States
Phone: 815-838-0542
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milnegrove/
Twitter: @milnegrove