Irving Weekly Newsletter: Sept. 27, 2019

Posted September 27, 2019

IRVING-RELATED: NEW

NOTE FROM MS. NOONAN

Looking for some quick and relaxing volunteer work? Look no further than the Irving Library! We are looking for volunteers who would be able to spare an hour or two a week to shelf books. It can be the same time every week OR anytime you want to pop in and help. Please email Ms. Noonan at [email protected] if you are interested. We will contact you to set up an orientation. Thank you!

IRVING’S 5TH ANNUAL HISPANIC HERITAGE WEEK: OCT. 7-11TH

We will kick off the celebration with the performance: AMERICA: the continent by Old Town School dance ensemble in the auditorium on Oct. 7th.

12:30pm grades 3rd-5th
1:30 grades K-2nd.

Each performance will be approximately 45 min. long.

Hispanic Heritage Activities at Irving

ART UPDATE FROM MS. TAGUE

Click the links below to learn about what students are working on in art class.

TOYS & ITEMS FROM HOME

The last couple weeks we have started to notice that students are bringing a lot of fun toys or items from home, such as beyblades or cars. We are asking students to keep those items at home as they can easily get lost or broken at school. Students can bring equipment, such as balls, and we are getting more playground equipment and chalk for students to use at recess. If a class has earned a special party that involves bringing an item (such as a favorite stuffed animal or a game), the homeroom teacher will notify families of this special occasion. Thank you for your help.

SCHOOL SPIRIT STORE

The School Spirit Store is run by 5th grade students with supervision by Mr. Packer. The School Spirit Store carries tools for school, such as pencils, erasers, and sharpeners, and some fun items like key-chains, and locker magnets.

The School Spirit Store is open on MONDAYS and WEDNESDAYS immediately afer school for about 10-15 minutes. Most items cost from $.05 to $1.00.

Students can spend their own money, or sometimes they earn School Store Coupons from their teachers for behavior and/or work expectations.

If your child is planning on shopping at the school store, please make sure they know where their money is, and what it is to be used for. PLEASE DO NOT send your child with $20.00, we will not take that amount as we won’t have that amount in the cashbox, and they will be turned away. If your child comes with that large amount, you will also be contacted by Mr. Packer for a reminder.

This year the store will be located on the 1st floor by the elevator.

Thank you in advance for your support. This year’s 5th Grade workers are looking forward to a great year.

IRVING-RELATED: PBIS, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL, & SECOND STEP

SECOND STEP

This week our Irving students participated in their our fourth Second Step lesson. Our kindergarten and first grade students learned about self-talk and how to use it to stay on task and continue learning. Our 2nd grade students learned what it means to be assertive and role played how to assertively get one's needs met across different settings. Third grade students worked on making a plan for learning. In the fourth grade, students worked on respecting similarities and differences. Lastly, our 5th grade students spent time identifying how to predict the feelings of others through prior knowledge, reading nonverbal body language, and listening to what others are saying. This week there are home links for K, 1st, 4th and 5th graders.

If you have any questions or comments, please refer to our PBIS webpage or email Ms. Mura.

GRADE	ACTIVATION CODE (www.secondstep.org)	HOME LINK INFORMATION
Kindergarten	SSPK FAMI LY70	K Homelink Lesson 4
Grade 1	SSP1 FAMI LY71	1st grade Lesson 4
Grade 2	SSP2 FAMI LY72	None this week
Grade 3	SSP3 FAMI LY73	None this week
Grade 4	SSP4 FAMI LY74	4th grade Lesson 4
Grade 5	SSP5 FAMI LY75	5th grade Lesson 4

IRVING-RELATED: REMINDERS

IRVING PACERS

In its third week, PACERS is going strong and the students are really getting the hang of it. Students in grades kindergarten through second will get their necklace and foot charms sometime on Monday from their teachers. Students in grades three through fifth have already received their necklace and foot charms of this week.

Pacers is Irving's very own weekly 'running club' when the weather is nice. The students come out of the school during their lunch/recess time and run around the perimeter of the school [Cuyler to Harvard, Harvard to Ridgeland, Ridgeland to Fillmore, Fillmore to Cuyler and back around]. Three laps around the school equals one mile and a foot charm.

In order for this program to be successful, we need 10 parent volunteers to supervise the students as they run. Sign up here to learn more and help us run this very important program.

FUN RUN (OCTOBER 18TH)

With only three weeks left before our event we are 55% of the way to reaching our goal of $15,000. Pat yourself on the back IRVING EAGLES... that's really impressive! If you haven't done so already, please take a moment and register your student using this link.

The school goal is $15,000 and each classroom goal is $575. The money raised will help support many programs that are not currently funded by District 97 but are necessary to enhance the quality of education for both students and teachers at Irving.

This year's "incentives" are as follows:

Raise $1 and receive a pedometer;
Raise $25 or more and receive a school spirit store certificate;
Raise $50 or more and receive a Monster squishy;
Raise $100 or more and receive an Irving water bottle;
The top earner for each grade will receive a Boogie Board Jot 4.5 eWriter;
Top earner K-2nd and 3-5th will win a Fitbit Ace 2;
Top earner in kindergarten will receive Irving spirit gear;
Top earner in fifth grade will receive Julian spirit gear;
The highest pledging student and classroom wiith the most participation will get eagle rings and a class party as chosen by the class, the teacher, Mr. Hodge and Ms. Mura.

The FUN RUN is on Thursday, October 18th, and the schedule of run times are as follows:

K: 8:50 a.m. - 9:20 a.m.
1st: 9:25 a.m. - 9:55 a.m.
2nd: 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
LUNCH/RECESS 11:30 a.m. - 12:25 p.m.
3rd: 12:45 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
4th: 1:20 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
5th: 1:55 p.m. - 2:25 p.m.

A Sign Up Genius for parent volunteers on race day has been created. If you are available to assist, please visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d44a8a92ba4f85-irving1

FUN RUN SPIRIT WEEK

To build excitement for the Fun Run we have a Spirit Week - October 14 - 18th. Start planning your outfits! Check out the Spirit Week Flyer for more information.

Monday, 10/14: Pajama Day
Tuesday, 10/15: Fanatic Day
Wednesday, 10/16: Class Color Day (K = red, 1st = orange, 2nd = yellow, 3rd = purple, 4th = green, 5th = blue)
Thursday, 10/17: Mismatch Day
Friday, 10/18: Fun Run/Irving Spirit Day

FREE/REDUCED LUNCH FORMS

If you are interested in applying for a free or reduced lunch for your child, the deadline is September 30th. Here is the Free and Reduced lunch information and application.

HEALTH FORMS

This is a friendly reminder that health forms for incoming kindergarten students and students transferring into D97 are due on or before October 15, 2019. Nurse Jamie has been in contact with families who need to submit the required health forms. Please submit these forms to the school nurse by October 15th, 2019 in order to remain in compliance with mandates from the State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health and Oak Park School District 97. Exclusion from school will take place starting on October 16th for students who do not have a Certificate of Child Health and updated vaccination records on file in the health office. A vision exam is required for all kindergarten students by October 15th but will not result in exclusion. Feel free to call with any questions or need for assistance at 708-524-3089 or email [email protected].

NEWS FROM THE PTO

PTO MEETING: OCTOBER 3RD @ 7PM

(LEARNING SESSION: POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS & SUPPORTS)

Our next PTO meeting will be held on October 3rd at 7pm. During our learning session, Irving staff will be presenting on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) at Irving. Have you heard your child talk about the 3 Be’s (be respectful, be responsible, and be safe), Eagle Slips, or Second Step? These are part of PBIS which is a data-driven decision making framework for establishing the social culture and behavior supports needed for a school to be an effective learning environment for all students and staff. This includes providing maximum structure, setting expectations and rules, increasing student engagement, acknowledging appropriate behavior, and responding to inappropriate.

Please attend this PTO meeting to learn more about PBIS at Irving.

SAVE THE DATE: GENDER INCLUSIVITY TRAINING

IMPORTANT: NOTE CHANGE OF DATE!!!

Tuesday November 5th 7-9pm and Tuesday, November 19 7-9pm

Join us for a collaborative training program for parents, teachers, staff, and community members on gender and inclusion provided by the PTO and DivInc. A flyer and registration information coming soon!

CRAYON INITIATIVE

Did you know all the students at Irving with the help of Girl Scouts (there is a Troop for every grade at Irving!) are participating in the Crayon Initiative? The Crayon Initiative collects donated crayons from restaurants, schools and homes across the country, then melts them down and re-manufactures them, reducing waste. The recycled crayons are distributed to art programs at children’s hospitals across the UniteD States, brightening the lives of young patients during their stay. To learn more about the Crayon Initiative, please click here. If you have crayons lying around your house and are looking to get rid of them, please send them with your child or drop them off in the front office where you'll find a black five gallon bucket.

DISTRICT AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

COMMUNITY DISCUSSION ON E-CIGARETTES AND VAPING

In an effort to keep our teens healthy and drug-free, please join Oak Park Township for an opportunity to learn about local youth e-cigarette use. This discussion is ideal for adults wanting to learn more about e-cigarettes and vaping. Information and prevention resources will be available. RSVP to [email protected].

When: Saturday, Sept. 28, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Where: Oak Park Township Senior Services Building, 130 S. Oak Park Ave. (Parking available)

D200 COMMUNITY INFORMATION SESSIONS

Oak Park and River Forest High School will be hosting three additional community information sessions on their freshman curriculum restructuring.The sessions will be held:

Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Brooks Middle School, 325 S. Kenilworth Ave. in Oak Park
Thursday, Oct. 3, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Roosevelt Middle School in River Forest
Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Julian Middle School, 416 S. Ridgeland Ave. in Oak Park

SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT/GUARDIAN NIGHT: OCTOBER 7TH

The district's student services department will be hosting a special education parent/guardian night at Beye Elementary School on Monday, Oct. 7, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Learn more >

SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT WORKSHOP

The Student Services Department is excited to announce a Saturday parent/guardian workshop exploring curricula used in D97 and the tools your students use each day on October 19th from 9am to 12pm. The topics covered will be Literacy, Math, Assistive Technology, Augmentative/Alternative Communication, Assessments, and Social-Emotional Learning. Please complete this Google Form if you are interested in attending. Childcare is available.

DISTRICT 97 SCHOOLS OPEN MONDAY OCTOBER 14TH

All District 97 schools and offices will be open on Monday, Oct. 14, 2019. In accordance with school code, we will recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day (also known as Columbus Day) through instructional activities. More information is available at https://bit.ly/2m9f7Mb.

STRENGTHENING FAMILIES PROGRAM

The Strengthening Families Program is a free, evidence-based prevention program for families with children ages 7 to 17. The 12-week program will teach effective parenting skills, healthy communication, stress management skills, conflict resolution and more. The program will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Tuesday from Oct. 1, 2019, through Dec. 17, 2019, at River Forest Township. Click here to view the program flyer.

BACKGROUND CHECKS

The district has added Tuesday and Thursday evening sessions for parents to have background checks completed. They can sign up via the district website: https://www.op97.org/parents/background-checks

INTERNET FOR ALL

District 97 is now accepting applications for our Internet for All program. Through the program, which we launched two years ago, we are able to offer free home Internet service to students in grades three through eight who do not have access to this critical resource. You can access a video about the program by clicking here, a flyer about the program in English and Spanish by clicking here, and a web page featuring the flyer, the video and additional information about the program by clicking here.

EARLY CHILDHOOD SCREENINGS

District 97's student services department is offering free early childhood screenings for children ages 3 to 5. You can access additional information about these screenings, which are by appointment only, by visiting https://bit.ly/2md3FPH.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

October 2nd Walk to School Day
October 3rd PTO Meeting (Learning Session: Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports at Irving)
October 18th Irving Fun Run
October 8th Gender Inclusivity Training (7pm-9pm)
October 17th Math Night (6:30-8:00)
October 21-24th Book Fair (Scholastic)
October 24th Staff Soup Luncheon (11am-1pm)
October 31st Halloween Parade (1pm)
November 5th Gender Inclusivity Training (7pm-9pm)

IMPORTANT LINKS

Helpful Links

Below are links that feature important school and district-related information and resources.


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