Welcome to the 2019-20 School Year

Posted August 16, 2019

I hope everyone enjoyed their summer with family and friends and is rejuvenated for the start of another great year at Irving School. Irving has been a busy place this summer. We hosted the summer Hephzibah program and the West Suburban Special Recreation Association. Our engineer and his staff have been working hard all summer to have our school looking great to welcome back students on our first day. We are looking forward to the opportunity to work with our families to support student learning.

NEW FACES TO IRVING

Please join me in welcoming the following new staff members to Irving School:

Kindergarten: Joel Blecha
1st Grade: Anne Planek (coming to us from Whittier)
3rd Grade: Julia Stenger
3rd Grade: Shehara Brinson
K/1/2 resource teacher: Emilie Dolan (coming to us from Lincoln)
1st/2nd multi-needs: Heidi Jirka (coming to us from Holmes)
Music Teacher: Patrick Deaton
Instrumental Music (4th or 5th): Ryan Bigeck
Art teacher: Anna Carr (teaching four sections)
Title One Tutor: Courtney Perry
Planning Sub: Laura Dennis
Teaching Assistant: Emilio Lemus
Teaching Assistant: Magdelena Sotelo
Teaching Assistant: Juanita Scott
Teaching Assistant: Jill Kopecky

IRVING HOMEROOM TEACHERS

We are very lucky to have a wonderful staff at Irving. Here is a list of all of our homeroom staff members and their line up location. Please refer to the district website for a complete list of all our Irving staff members.

Kindergarten team: (North East Cuyler Entrance, 7E)
Amy Chinn (enters by the main office door), Joel Blecha, Jorie Grogan, Kiera Moody, and Mohogany Williams

1st grade team: (South East Cuyler Entrance, 2E)
Torrii Gibson, Elena Kekatos, Molly Sakamoto, Anne Planek, and Jenna Solomon

2nd grade team: (4W, on Ridgeland side of the building)
Tamara Koransky, Lori Pelling, Emile Williams, and Lisa Williams

3rd grade team: (6W, on Ridgeland side of the building)
Shehara Brinson, Lauren Kaunelis, Nick Sakellaris, Julia Stenger

4th grade team: (5W, on Ridgeland side of the building)
Savannah Heidloff, Mary Kelly, Kara Sakellaris, and Erin Woodson

5th grade team: (5W, on Ridgeland side of the building)
Linda Balicki, Seth Baker, Jen Browning, and Sue Tresselt

Kindergarten Multi-needs: (South East Cuyler Entrance with Grogan’s class)
Megan Vella

1st/2nd Multi-Needs: (Line up with their general education classroom)
Heidi Jirka

3rd/4th/5th Multi-Needs: (Line up with their general education classroom)
Marta Mohammad

Families will receive notification of their child’s classroom teacher on August 23rd via email. To protect confidentiality, we will not be posting class lists outside the school.

SUPPLY DROP OFFS

The following grade levels will be holding supply drop off prior to the start of the school year.

Kindergarten: Monday, August 26th from 4:30-5:30pm
1st Grade:* Monday, August 26th from 3:30-4:30pm
Marta Mohammad: Monday, August 26th from 4:00-5:00pm

*Ms. Gibson will be unable to attend this drop-off but will have bins set outside of her classroom for any students who would like to drop off their supplies early.

Nurse Jamie will also be available August 26th & August 27th from 3:30 p.m. -6:00 p.m. to drop of health forms, medication, and emergency action plans.

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

The first day of school is Wednesday, August 28th. Our hours every Wednesday are from 8:00-2:30. Please note this dismissal time for the first day of school. The first day is a full day of school for all students following our Wednesday schedule. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday school hours are 8am-3pm. There is a warning bell/line up bell at 7:57am each morning.

Attending school and being on time has a huge impact on student success. This year we want to make sure every student misses no more than 9 days of school, or 1 day a month. In addition, we want to make sure that every student is tardy no more than 1 day a month. To accomplish this, we need your help.

Some attendance tips to promote student learning:

Make sure your child keep a regular bedtime and establish a morning routine so they are rested and alert when they get to school.
Turn off all electronics including TVs, phones, and tablets at bedtime.
Make sure clothes and backpacks are backed the night before.
Check with our nurse if you are not sure about your child attending school due to illness.
Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.
Talk to teachers and social workers for advice if your child feels anxious to attend school.
Develop back up plans for getting to school. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.

Please let us know how we can best support you and your child so that they can show up for school on time every day.

NEW THIS YEAR: We will have a school wide incentive program to encourage students to be on time for school. More information to come.

LUNCH SCHEDULE

We have spent a lot of time planning for this year’s lunch and lunch recess. All students can remain at Irving for the lunch hour (11:30-12:25), which includes time for students to eat and play. Students can bring a lunch from home or select from one of the lunch options (hot lunch, sandwich, salad, or pizza kit). In case a family would like to ever pick their child up for a special lunch, below you will find the eating schedule for each grade level.

K/1: 11:30-11:50
2/3: 11:50-12:08
4/5: 12:08-12:25

COMMUNICATION THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR

I will be sending a weekly parent/guardian email. These emails can also be found on the district website for future reference.

NEW THIS YEAR: My weekly message will also include the information from PTO in order to consolidate communication.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

August 28th First Day of School
September 4th New Family Welcome Dinner
September 5th PTO Meeting
September 11th Grades K-5 Open House/Curriculum Night
September 12-13 Fall School Pictures (and Sibling)

School & PTO Events Calendar

DISTRICT 97 UPDATE

District 97 families and Oak Park community members are invited to attend a feedback session on the implementation of the district's equity policy, which will be held Monday, Aug. 19, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Please be aware of a location change for the event, which will now be held at Brooks Middle School. Free child care and food will be provided. More information is available at https://bit.ly/2Yx9o5m.