Thank you to all the parents who came out to our October PTO meeting on Tuesday night to hear about all of our school improvement work. Thank you also to all the families who attended our first ever virtual conferences. Our dedicated teachers worked long and hard to prepare for the many conference meetings. We truly appreciate your time and partnership as we do our best to meet the needs of all our students!
Hatch Library Book Checkout: Students have the opportunity to checkout Hatch Library books! For all the information please click here.
Digital Citizenship Spirit Week: Thank you to all the families who participated in the Spirit week this week! It was great to see our students remembering their Digital Citizenship skills while dressing in fun ways. Here are some great pictures that were captured throughout the week!
Election Season is here! Hopefully by now you have seen the signs around Oak Park, heard the children talking about the intense race for President of District 97! Scaredy Squirrel is running against the Pigeon to have the honor of serving as the President of District 97. For the past few weeks in library class, students have been learning about the election process as well as learning what makes a good leader and how to decide who to vote for. During library class this upcoming week, all students across District 97 will vote for who should be president. The winner will be announced on Monday, November 2nd. If you want this weekend, ask your students who they are voting for and why! Maybe even make a poster for your window to try and convince other District 97 students to vote for that candidate!
Hatch Newsroom: Does your child know a joke? Do they want to be a part of the Hatch Newsroom? Starting the week of September 21st, every Hatch Newsroom Episode will include a Joke of the Week from a student(s) from Hatch! If your child would like to participate please have them submit a joke video on this Flipgrid. (Students have Flipgrid on their iPad and the join code is: f9c608dd) When a video is posted to Flipgrid, please note you are giving the green light for that video to be added to an upcoming episode of the Hatch Newsroom, which is posted on YouTube. If you aren't sure how to post a video on Flipgrid, please watch this video here to learn more.
Virtual Halloween Parade! Since we can't have our annual Halloween Hatch Parade in person, we are doing it virtually! If you would like to participate, please record a short video (30 second video) of the Hatch student in their Halloween Costume and say the following:
- Students first name only
- Homeroom (ie: Kindergarten Mrs. Martin's class can say KM)
- What you are dressed up as
Please submit your video to this Flipgrid by Thursday, October 29th, in the morning so we can compile all the videos into one virtual parade that will be shared with the students at Hatch on Friday, October 30th. A note about Flipgrid. Flipgrid is available on the district issued devices and the code is: 4e7b559f. If you aren't sure how to post a video on Flipgrid, please watch this video here to learn more.
Home Links for Bullying Prevention Unit
This is our 3rd week of the Bully Prevention Unit. We will complete the third lesson on Wednesday.
Lesson 1 Recognizing Bullying
Lesson 2 Reporting Bullying
Lesson 3 Refusing Bullying
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
As the winter is approaching we wanted to make sure that families have what they need to keep their Hatch child warm during the winter months. We are working with DivCo to provide families that need winter gear (jacket, snow pants, snow boots, hat, and gloves) for their children to be able to request these items using this form. If your family does not need winter gear but would like to make a donation to support a family that does you may do so by completing this form. If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Bates [email protected]
Sarah Mendez
Hatch School Principal
1000 N Ridgeland Ave
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 524-3095
D97 Updates/Reminders:
Halloween: Our goal in District 97 is to create a positive learning environment where all students, staff and families feel a sense of belonging. In that spirit, we have put together information and resources regarding culturally-sensitive Halloween costumes. We appreciate families being proactive with their children in making thoughtful costume choices. Click here for more information >
Village of Oak Park- Hours for Trick-or-Treating: Official trick-or-treating hours will be 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. this year in Oak Park as public health officials offer guidelines and recommendations on how to celebrate as safely as possible with COVID-19 still present in the community. Guidelines issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention share a common theme - reducing close contact with those outside of a person's household, which officials say is essential to reducing the risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19. Local officials also are urging trick-or-treaters to respect the properties of those who do not wish to participate in the traditional ritual of handing out candy. More information is at www.oak-park.us/halloween.
Next Meal D97 Meal Distribution: Tuesday, Oct. 27: Meals will be provided free of cost this fall to any District 97 student in need. Each bag of food will contain five breakfasts and five lunches. Meal distributions will be held every Tuesday, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Longfellow Elementary School (for Julian and feeder schools), 715 S. Highland Ave., and Brooks Middle School (for Brooks and feeder schools), 325 S. Kenilworth Ave.
D97 Breakfast/Lunch Menus - October 2020
'Stamped' Family and Community Discussions: District 97 students, families and community members are invited to participate in a three-session discussion on the book Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. Attendees will join together for a presentation followed by discussions in separate breakout rooms. In conjunction with Brooks and Julian middle schools' fall curriculum read, the sessions will follow along with the chapters being read by students and staff. Breakout sessions will be led by students from Dominican University, who will follow a peace circle format and draw on the Stamped Educator's Guide.
Events will be held:
Tuesday, Nov. 17 - 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (click here to register)
Tuesday, Dec. 1 - 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (click here to register)
These sessions are made possible with the support of: District 97 staff; Oak Park and River Forest School District 200; the Oak Park Public Library; the E-Team of Oak Park; and Dominican University’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) group
Continued Social-Emotional Wellness Check-Ins for Students: District 97 school psychologists and nurses have collaborated to offer access to virtual mental health wellness checks at each school this fall. Parents may sign up children for 25-minute Telehealth sessions where they can access an open ear for their sources of stress and learn self-care and coping strategies. Students may attend up to three sessions per trimester and may then be referred for other school-based supports if needed. To sign up or learn more about these services, please visit https://bit.ly/3m3Xece. If your child is experiencing an immediate mental health crisis, please do not use this service and instead call the Thrive 24-Hour Crisis Hotline at 708-383-7500. You may also refer to this local resource guide created by the Community Mental Health Board of the Oak Park Township.
"Mindful Middle-Schoolers" Program: The Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township, Oak Park Elementary School District 97, and DePaul University’s Community Counseling Center have partnered to deliver a vast array of educational and therapeutic services to staff, families, and youth through the “Mindful Middle-Schoolers Program.” Below is a list of upcoming VIRTUAL talks, which will be held via Zoom. Registration via the Eventbrite links below is requested. Once you register, a link will be emailed to you four hours prior to the start of each event.
"Mindful Middle-Schoolers" Community Talk Flyer
Thursday, October 29: Strategies to Support Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation https://www.eventbrite.com/e/strategies-to-support-executive-functioning-and-self-regulation-in-youth-tickets-124164006887
Wednesday, November 4: Mindfulness-Based Strategies and Their Applications in Academic and Home Environments https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mindfulness-based-strategies-in-academic-and-home-settings-tickets-124164791233
Thursday, November 12: Technology and Mental Health: Strategies to Promote Mindful Digital Citizenship https://www.eventbrite.com/e/technology-and-mental-health-strategies-to-promote-mindful-tech-use-tickets-124165523423
Wednesday, November 18: Understanding Depression in Youth and Strategies for Treatment and Support https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-depression-in-youth-and-strategies-for-treatment-and-support-tickets-124167264631
Tuesday, December 1: LGBTQ Youth: Understanding and Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lgbtq-youth-understanding-and-supporting-mental-health-and-well-being-tickets-124167752089
Wednesday, December 9: Understanding Anxiety in Youth and Strategies for Treatment and Support https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-anxiety-in-youth-and-strategies-for-treatment-and-support-tickets-124168632723