IRVING-RELATED: NEW
5ESSENTIALS SURVEY GENERAL INFORMATION
District 97 will be administering the Illinois 5Essentials Survey again this year to certified staff and parents/guardians from all 10 of our schools, as well as students in grades four through eight.
The online survey was developed by the University of Chicago’s Consortium on Chicago School Research and is derived from the Five Essentials for School Success, which is an evidence-based framework that identifies five factors that can lead to important student outcomes such as improved attendance and significant gains in test scores. These five factors/essentials are:
- Effective Leaders
- Collaborative Teachers
- Involved Families
- Supportive Environment
- Ambitious Instruction
The student survey is being administered to children in grades four through 12 throughout Illinois. School-level reports will only be generated for our district if at least 50 percent of the students and/or staff at each elementary school respond to the survey. In order to successfully meet this requirement, each elementary school will be setting aside time for students to take the survey with minimal disruption to instruction. We anticipate the survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
In order to participate in this process, students will need to log in to the survey using their student ID and birthdate. However, their participation is optional and their identities will be kept completely confidential. Teachers and administrators will never see individual responses to survey questions. They will only have access to summary level responses, such as the percentage of students who agree that homework assignments help them learn the course material.
We also want to make you aware that under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act. 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions your child will be asked. Survey questions can be found on the Illinois 5Essentials website, which can be accessed by visiting https://illinois.5-essentials.
If you DO NOT want your son or daughter to participate in this activity, please fill out the attached opt-out form and ask your child to return it to the front office of his/her school no later than Friday November 1st.
5ESSENTIALS PARENT SURVEY
The parent survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. You may skip questions you do not wish to answer, but the survey must be completed in one sitting and cannot be retrieved once it is submitted. If you have more than one child enrolled in a building (i.e., two students who attend the same school), you have the option of completing multiple surveys for that building. In addition, if you have children enrolled in multiple schools (i.e., a District 97 elementary school and middle school), you may participate in the survey for each school.
However, only one parent/guardian per household may fill out the survey.
As with the student and teacher surveys, your identity will be kept completely confidential and your responses will not be linked to you. In addition, school-level reports will only be generated if at least 20 percent of our parents/guardians complete the survey, which can be accessed until Friday, February 14, 2020 by visiting http://survey.5-essentials.
If we successfully meet this requirement, we will receive our reports in Spring 2020. The results will also be made available to the public via the Illinois School Report Cards, which will be released in the fall.
You can access general information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey by visiting https://illinois.5-essentials.
Thank you for participating in this important endeavor, and for your continued support of our schools and the children we serve.
IRVING-RELATED: PBIS, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL, & SECOND STEP
SECOND STEP: BULLYING PREVENTION UNIT
This week our staff and students continued to discuss ways to prevent bullying. Students are learning to recognize, refuse, and report bullying situations and the important role the bystander has in bullying situations. For help in distinguishing between social conflict and bullying, here is a helpful chart.
If you have any questions about the Bullying Prevention Unit or the Second Step program, please contact Susan Mura.
In addition to these emails, you can find information regarding PBIS and Second Step on our Irving Webpage through the PBIS & Second Step link on the left.
As always, if you have any questions or comments don't hesitate to reach out.
|
GRADE |
ACTIVATION CODE |
HOME LINK INFORMATION |
|---|---|---|
|
Kindergarten |
SSPK FAMI LY00 |
|
|
Grade 1 |
SSP1 FAMI LY01 |
|
|
Grade 2 |
SSP2 FAMI LY02 |
|
|
Grade 3 |
SSP3 FAMI LY03 |
|
|
Grade 4 |
SSP4 FAMI LY04 |
|
|
Grade 5 |
SSP5 FAMI LY05 |
IRVING-RELATED: REMINDERS
INCLUSIVE PLAYDATE: EVERYBODY PLAYS--SUNDAY OCTOBER 27TH
Irving’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee is hosting an inclusive playdate where children with and without disabilities enjoy accessible playtime which has been designed with your children’s needs in mind using Mr. Tim’s expertise (D97’s Adapted PE Teacher). This is also an opportunity for parents to get to know other Irving parents. See the Everybody Plays! Flyer for more information.
IRVING TRIVIA NIGHT
Don’t miss Irving’s annual school Trivia Night, sponsored by the Irving PTO. This event raises funds for 5th grade Outdoor Education scholarships and 5th grade Send-Off festivities. Register for Trivia Night by visiting this link.
HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS
Please see Irving's Halloween Schedule for information regarding how our school will be celebrating Halloween this year. If your child does not celebrate Halloween, please let your child’s homeroom teacher know and they will participate in an alternative activity in the library.
CULTURALLY SENSITIVE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
Please see the attached letter regarding costume choices that help support our goal to create a positive learning environment where all students, staff, and families feel a sense of belonging.
FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS FOR HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS
Please refer to Nurse Jamie’s letter regarding Halloween for information regarding allergies and the teal pumpkin project.
NEWS FROM THE PTO
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS: SATURDAY NOV. 2ND
Please join the D97 community at Beye School (206 N. Cuyler) on Saturday November 2nd from 11am-2pm for Dia De Los Muertos. Enjoy live music, food, story time, and crafts. See DIA DE LOS MUERTOS flyer for more information.
NEW: DIAPER PARTY FOR MS. GINA
Over the next two weeks, parents/families will be collecting diapers for Ms. Gina. There will be two drop off centers; 1168 South Taylor Ave or 942 Gunderson anytime between October 21st and November 1st. Parents/families who donate will also sign a card that will be available at each drop off location.
Ms. Gina’s diapers of choice include Pampers Swaddlers, Pampers Pure and Huggies Overnites; sizes 1 and 2.
Feel free to drop off a treat for Mrs. Johnson too as she will be holding down the fort while Gina is home with her new addition. (PS: Mrs. Johnson likes all treats that are non-chocolate)
NEW: PTO CO-PRESIDENT VACANCY
There is a vacancy for the PTO co-president position. This position would only be through the end of this school year. For more information or if you are interested in being nominated please email [email protected] prior to November 14th. The vote will be held at the November 14th PTO meeting.
PTO MEETING: NOVEMBER 14TH @ 7pm - CHANGE IN TOPIC
Our next PTO meeting will be held on November 14th at 7pm in the Irving Auditorium. There will not be a learning session for this PTO meeting. The Restorative Practices presentation will be in December.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION (DivInc): OCTOBER 22nd @ 7pm
Please join us for the next DivInc meeting at the Irving library. We will be discussing a variety of topics, including the upcoming Gender Inclusion training (Nov. 5th & 19th) and planning the Multicultural Potluck, which is November 21st. DivInc October Flyer
SAVE THE DATE: GENDER INCLUSIVITY TRAINING
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. Gender & Inclusion Flyer
DISTRICT AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION
FREE MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS
The Oak Park Public Library, in partnership with Rush University Medical Center, is offering free mental health assessments (through pre-scheduled appointments) for children and adults on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Main Library. A Rush psychologist will conduct the onsite assessment.
For more information, please visit https://www.oppl.org/news-events/announcements/free-mental-health-assessments-available/.
SUPER STEAM SATURDAY
Please join the Oak Park Education Foundation for a free fun morning of crafting, collaborating, and creating. Build a robot, design a skyscraper, unleash your inner artist and learn more about OPEF with great activities for kids ages 5-12. Join us Saturday, November 9th from 10am-12pm at Longfellow School. You can learn more about the event on OPEF's website or Facebook page.
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 31st Halloween Parade (1pm)
- November 1st No School (Institute Day for staff)
- November 5th Gender Inclusivity Training (7pm-9pm)
- November 7th Trivia Night (7pm)
- November 13-15 5th Grade Outdoor Education
- November 14th PTO meeting (Learning Session: Restorative Practice) (7-8:30)
- November 19th Irving Turkey Trot (2pm)
- November 19th Gender Inclusivity Training (7pm-9pm)
- December 5th PTO Meeting (Learning Session: Restorative Practices) (7-8:30)
- December 7th Irving Cookie Crumble/Craft Fair
IMPORTANT LINKS
- Weekly Newsletters from Mr. Hodge
- Bullying Report Form
- Background Checks
- School Fees
- Lunch Accounts
- Nut Safe letter
- Irving PTO Website
Helpful Links
Below are links that feature important school and district-related information and resources.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Backpack |
Let's Talk | Registration | YouTube |