Thank you to our Hatch families for the overwhelming amount of love and appreciation you have shown our staff during Teacher Appreciation Week. Our teachers work long hours, not only implementing top notch curriculum and instruction, but also remembering to do all the little things that make our school such a special, happy place for children. Your support means the world to us!
Thank you also to all the parents who came out for our Spring Arts Fiesta! Our students gave amazing performances and worked so hard on their artwork. We are very lucky to have such dedicated staff, who make these experiences possible for our children. As the weather turns warmer, it has been great to see our students getting out into the garden. Our “Hatch Patch” offers a unique outdoor education experience that has so many benefits for our children. As we head into the last weeks of the year we have a number of events and celebrations to be aware of. Please continue to check our PTO reminders and mark your calendars. Next week we have our last PTO meeting on Tuesday evening at 7pm in the library! Our annual talent show is next Friday, May 18th. The show for grades 1-2 will begin at 9am and the show for grades 3-5 will begin at 1:00pm. Parents are always welcome to attend, however please know that seating is limited.
Please drive and walk safely! We have noticed a number of cars not stopping at stop signs and driving at speeds above the limit around the school. Please be extra cautious when crossing the street and be sure to drive slowly and obey all traffic laws especially during drop off and pick up times.
Library Books All Due Back to Hatch by Monday, May 21st. Please help the library staff get the library in order this summer by getting all the library books returned to Hatch. There are over 1,000 books currently checked out that we need returned no later than Monday, May 21st. This includes the Birthday Books. Next Friday, May 18th, the library staff will send out an email to those families that still have books checked out. Thank you so much for your support in getting all the books collected!
Thank you to everyone who gave so generously to help out a Hatch family in need. We have already set them up in temporary housing, but will leave the go fund me account open in the event that you’d like to contribute to groceries etc. I am so grateful to be a part of such a loving school community!
Join the Hatch PTO Diversity Committee at our first annual Career Night! On Tuesday, May 22nd at 6 PM families are invited to join us in the lunchroom at Hatch for pizza, socializing and to hear guest speakers from our community. We have amazing guest speakers that everyone will enjoy, an attorney, a marketing exec and an aerospace engineer! It's an event for the whole family, please RSVP here: http://bit.ly/
The fifth grade class is trying to fundraise to build a GaGa Ball Pit at Hatch. Thank you so much for so many donations already. It costs about $1,200 for the kit, and $300 for shipping, handling and installation, so we are trying to raise $1,500. GaGa Ball is like dodgeball for the feet but there are no teams. It's a fast paced game that lots of kids can play of all ages. The fifth graders played this game at Camp Edwards, and wanted to get one for Hatch. It is the end of year goal for the kids to raise the rest of the money to get a pit installed this summer hopefully. If you get a chance, please donate to our fundraising page. Again thank you for all of your support already! We are so excited to already be two thirds of the way to the goal! Also here are three promo videos the kids created!:
Returning student registration will close on Monday, May 21. This three-step, online-only process will allow parents to access their InfoSnap accounts using a hyperlink sent to their email, verify/update any information and submit to become re-enrolled. You will also have the option to upload any updated residency documents while on the online portal. More information about the registration process is available on the district website.
Please see the attached notice regarding asbestos abatement scheduled for this summer.
As we prepare for the many end of the year activities our students will participate in, please keep in mind that any food served to Hatch students must be pre-approved 2 weeks in advance with our school nurse, Ms. Rossi. You can reach her at [email protected].
On behalf of the faculty and staff at Hatch we would like to wish everyone a very happy Mother’s Day!
PTO Reminders
PTO MEETING- May 15th will be the last PTO meeting of the year and you won't want to miss it. Ms. Mendez will discuss a high-level overview of next year's instruction plan and what efforts were most successful this year. The Hatch Diversity Committee leads will share a brief overview of the programs that Hatch PTO funded across the district and will also share a preview into what is to come with the new school year. Lastly, we'll be voting on next year's PTO budget and several PTO Board positions. Free childcare in the lunch room. 7pm. Agenda
CAREER DAY- DIVERSITY COUNSEL NEEDS SPEAKERS AND VOLUNTEERS
Do you have a career you would like to share with the young minds at Hatch? We’d love to have you participate in Career Day! We are hoping to represent a wide variety of careers. There will be a day and an evening session on Tuesday, May 22. Day session is 11:30 a.m - 2 p.m. Plan to speak about your occupation for 15 minutes and spend 10 minutes doing Q&A. We have tips available to help you create a talk. You will present in 2 classrooms. We also need volunteers to help greet and escort guest speakers to classrooms. Evening Session is 6:30-8 p.m. Speak once for 20 minutes with a 10-minute Q&A session.
Please sign up at: http://bit.ly/HatchCareerDay Please include your occupation, if day or evening is preferred.
HELP YOUR CHILD PLANT THE HATCH PATCH - All students will plant the Hatch Patch garden during the day. Teachers are signing up this week. We will post classroom planting times as they become available and update the sign up link. We ask for 3 parent volunteers from each classroom to help supervise a small group that will plant, explore nature, and do a little garden work. It's a one-hour commitment. No gardening skills required and we'll tell you what to do. Check the Hatch Patch Facebook page for daily updates.
BEACH PARTY The annual end-of-school Beach Party is Thursday, May 31. We need extra assistance this year as our traditional junior high volunteers are still in school that day. Please sign up! The 2018 Beach Party will be divided into morning and afternoon sessions. The afternoon will conclude with a 5th grade verses Staff kickball game! Note: The Fifth Grade Clap Out will take place Friday, June 1.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES Write Stuff School Supply online ordering for 2018-19 school year is open. Details
PTO ANNUAL DRIVE Join the Hatch Donor Society and support young minds through a special tax-deductible gift to the PTO. Details
PTO NEEDS ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEERS FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. Help by filling open chair positions for Fun Fair, Hatch Coffee House, Movie Matinee, and PTO Babysitting. Contact Beth at [email protected].
RETURNING STUDENT REGISTRATION – May 7-21 online. All students must re-enroll. Details.
REGISTRATION FOR NEW STUDENTS – Summer dates announced.
HATCH GOLF Come out and play golf in September! Create your own foursome or sign up by yourself and we will get you hooked up with a group. Either way we will have a great time on the course on September 15, 2018, raising money for our own Hatch PTO! Hole prizes on the course! Raffle prizes at a buffet dinner after that’s included in the price. Golf Cart is also included. Early bird price of $90 through June 29th, so get your tickets now from Eventbrite before the price goes up. If you can't make it you can also make a donation using Eventbrite ticket link. We are also actively looking for raffle prizes, so if you have something to donate (Sports tickets, gift certs, etc), please contact Tara at [email protected] or Claire at [email protected]. Flyer
SUMMER WATERING IN HATCH PATCH sign up to water the Hatch Patch each week over the summer. We have a sprinkler on a timer and there is a YouTube video that explains how to do it! https://www.youtube.com/
SUMMER TUESDAY NIGHTS IN THE HATCH PATCH - 6:30 p.m. all Summer. Every Tuesday night, starting May 29, from 6:30 til 7:30PM, families are invited to join in at the Hatch Patch to help maintain the garden and harvest produce for donation to the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry. It's a great time for kids to connect with classmates. Some evenings we have special tastings - in the past we've made a cheese with Hatch grown chives, chocolate chip cookies made with Hatch lavender, pesto pasta made with Hatch basil, and of course fresh beans and tomatoes or whatever else is growing for the tasting. Kids who come can take home a sample to try at home. No sign up required! Just show up and join in the fun! We harvest the orchard (pears, peaches, plums, cherries) all summer long, too!
BE PART OF OAK PARK HISTORY Do you love the gorgeous Gwendolyn Brooks mural? Are you sad you missed your chance to buy a tile? This summer a similar tile will be created in honor of Percy Julian at Julian middle school. Proceeds from tile sales support OPEF programs in all the D97 schools, including ours. For more information and to buy tiles visit: https://www.opef.org/
BASE CAMP OPEF OPENINGS Openings are still available for amazing camps like Coding with Ozobots, Storybook Engineering and Spoken Word for 1st-8th graders. Registration information here: https://www.opef.org/