4/14/23
Our 5th graders competed in the annual Hatch Reading Olympics this week. Congratulations to our winning team and all the contestants for their hard work!
Hatch Has Talent!
June 2nd, 2023
Singing! Dancing! Magic! Music! Acting! Impersonations!
We are looking for talented Hatch students (Grades 3-5 only) to participate in “Hatch Has Talent,” the Hatch School Talent Show! Auditions will be held in the music room during lunch recess during the first week of May (2nd-5th). Please complete the
Parent Permission Slip Google Form by Thursday, April 20th, 2023. Participants must have their act completely organized by the date of the audition. The act should be 3-4 minutes or less. Students can participate in no more than two acts: One solo act and one group act. Individual students who audition to sing the same song may be asked to perform together. After permission slips are turned in, the Talent Show committee will reach out with times & dates of auditions the first week of May.
Traffic around Hatch! Please be careful and vigilant around Berkshire and Harvey. We have seen a great deal more traffic going down Berkshire due to the construction on Division, especially in the morning. If you are driving during drop off and pick up, please allow for extra time and drive slowly. Thank you!
5th, 3rd, and 1st-grade families, as well as chorus member families-SAVE, THE DATE! You are invited to attend the Spring Arts Fiesta on Monday, May 8th. Each participating grade will perform four songs from Music and Spanish class and display select works from Art class throughout the halls. Families are invited to the Hatch auditorium during your child’s grade level performance, then following the performance, check out their beautiful artwork in the Art hallway. Clay creations will be displayed, and families are welcome to take their ceramic pieces home that night. I hope you can make it! Performance times are listed below. Students will meet in the music room 5 minutes before their grade-level performance. There is no dress code. Chorus members will perform during the 5th-grade performance time, and all chorus families are welcome to attend!
Performance times for Monday, May 8th:
1st Grade: 5 pm
3rd Grade: 5:15 pm
5th Grade + Chorus: 5:30 pm
3rd-5th grade families-2023 Hatch Science Fair information has been updated on our website. Please click this link to learn more!
Student Council: The next Student Council Spirit Day will be Friday, April 21st. It is TWIN DAY! You and a friend/group can plan to dress the same.
K Lesson 17 and 1st-5th Lesson 16 in Second Step
This week we returned to using our Second Step curriculum to teach important social-emotional learning skills. Our kindergartners learned about the disappointment they feel when they don’t get what they want and how to apply calm-down skills so they can think more clearly about the situation. Our first graders practiced their calm-down skills of counting or talking to an adult to handle feelings of worry and anxiety so they could cope with school and stress in a more positive way. Our second and third graders are working on applying the calm down steps, or emotion management techniques of 1) stop, 2) name your feeling and 3) calm down. Second graders are using these steps to help them stay on task and use positive self-talk to stay focused. Third graders are using these steps to manage hurt feelings that might lead them to jump to conclusions about others. Calming down makes it less likely that they will act impulsively when their feelings get hurt! Our fourth and fifth-grade students are applying the perspective-taking skills that they’ve learned as they begin a new unit about problem-solving. They’ll learn the problem-solving steps and the importance of saying the problem without blame. Doing this helps them see the problem in a neutral way that doesn’t assume the other person was trying to be hostile. Only some grade levels have home links this week:
Kindergarten - No Home Link
Second Grade - No Home Link
Third Grade - No Home Link
Sarah Mendez
Hatch School Principal
1000 N Ridgeland Ave
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 524-3095
D97 Updates/Reminders:
2023-24 District 97 Blended Preschool Program
On Monday, April 10th, District 97 will begin accepting applications for the early childhood blended classrooms at Whittier Elementary School for the 2023-24 school year. There will be a limited number of spaces available. Click here to view the 2023-24 D97 Blended Early Childhood flyer >>
District 97 is seeking students who:
- Are non-IEP students who will be between the ages of 3 and 4 years by September 1, 2023;
- Demonstrate age-appropriate language and social skills;
- Are Oak Park residents;
- Are not enrolled in a preschool program.
The registration window will be open from April 10th, 2023, through May 19th, 2023. For more information about the Early Childhood Blended Program or to apply, please visit
https://www.op97.org/teach-learn/ecblended.
“Mindful Middle-Schoolers and Mindfulness Matters” April Community Talk: Navigating Community Resources in Oak Park
DePaul University, in partnership with the Oak Park Township Community Mental Health Board and District 97, is offering a series of free, virtual community talks to the District 97 community as part of the Mindful Middle Schoolers and Mindfulness Matters Program. The next community talk, “Navigating Community Resources in Oak Park,” will be held on Monday, April 17th, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The session will focus on ways to navigate and get connected to mental health resources, social services, childcare options, and summer programs in Oak Park and the surrounding area. Click here to register >>
Parent University on Student Social-Emotional Wellness - April 19
Oak Park and River Forest High School will host an in-person parent university session on Wednesday, April 19th, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Topics will include student mental wellness, substance use prevention, and more. The event is open to all families in Oak Park, River Forest, and the surrounding communities.
Process for Reporting Positive COVID-19 Cases to D97 Schools
If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they must complete the following steps:
- To notify the school nurse and receive a return-to-school date, families/staff must complete the confidential COVID-19 Positive Case Notification Form as soon as possible following the positive test. Information provided will also be shared with the Oak Park Department of Public Health.
- Families must continue to report student absences via the school attendance line, and staff must enter their absences in Frontline.
To see the rules for isolation and quarantine, click here. Additional resources are linked below.
