International Baccalaureate – Statement of Inquiry
The IB Middle Years Program emphasizes the power of “the big picture.” This means that teachers work to collaboratively develop a single, central statement for each unit that captures and reflects what’s so important about what students are learning. This is called the statement of inquiry. This statement represents the greater learning our students achieve through our content, leaving a permanent mark of knowing and understanding that will continue to develop throughout their lives. Please click on the grade level statements of inquiry below to get a sense of what our students are learning about during the 1st trimester.
6th Grade Statements of Inquiry
7th Grade Statements of Inquiry
8th Grade Statements of Inquiry
Student Led Parent/Teacher Conference – Thursday, October 24
Families will be receiving information from their student's grade level team leader to sign up for student led parent/teacher conferences within the next few days if you have not already. You will get an email from SignUp.com that will enable you to schedule a conference with one of your student's teachers. Our students lead these conferences. Over the next few weeks, they will spend some time considering the following International Baccalaureate Approaches to Learning Skill: organization, communication, being reflective, and affective skills. Students will complete a reflection form that will be the focal point of the conference. They will be collecting work samples from their classes to share during the conference. Students will also have a pre-meeting with their conferencing teacher in order to ensure that they are prepared and ready to lead this important meeting.
Oak Park Jr Police Explorers
The Oak Park Jr Police Explorers program will begin on Tuesday, October 22. Julian students will have the opportunity to learn about crime scene investigation, will participate in a police physical fitness challenge, view a demonstration with a police K9 dog, and take part in other fun activities. Snacks and juice will be provided each week. Please contact Officer Freelain at 708-524-3040, if you have any questions.
Hispanic Heritage Month
Our Julian Culture and Climate Team has been working on putting together activities that will honor and inform about our various cultural and heritage months on the calendar. We will be inviting families and students into the development process moving forward. Please complete this form if you are interested in being on the team.
Our first event will be on October 9 honoring Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month. Each grade level will attend an assembly and view a film about Cesar Chavez called Viva La Causa from Teaching Tolerance.org. We have invited Representatives Aaron Ortiz (6th grade), Delia Ramirez (8th grade) and National Education Association’s Hispanic Caucus Chair Gladys Marquez (7th grade) to come and speak about their work advocating for policy changes at the state and national level.
Our Hispanic and Latinx communities have made many contributions to equity in our country. Our goal as a team is to highlight some of the work and provide current and historical examples of Hispanic and Latinx social justice activists who are doing, or have done, monumental work. At both the state and national level these leaders are working to affect change for equity in our country.
Mindful Middle Schoolers Partnership with DePaul University
DePaul University, in partnership with the Oak Park Township Community Mental Health Board and District 97, plan to offer a series of community talks to the Brooks/Julian middle school communities during the 2019-2020 school year as part of The Mindful Middle Schoolers Program. All are welcome (parents/guardians, school staff, students and community members).
Click here for a list of upcoming talks. We plan to offer these again in the spring in case you are unable to attend these dates.
Julian Musicians Impress Once Again
Julian musicians rocked the Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA) Honors Festival auditions this past Saturday. All of them worked very hard on their own to prepare, auditioned completely on their own this past Saturday, and received very little assistance from us!
We again have a HUGE group of students who were accepted into the honors festivals, and they will participate in "all-star" ensembles with musicians from Chicago all the way down to Joliet on Saturday, November 9.
Congratulations to the following students:
Abe Koransky, Owen Ruszczyk, Joseph Blonski, Sebastian Hernandez, Malini Datta-Nemana, Clara Frantzen, Henry Hagedorn, Ivy Loentz and Clara Frantzen
Choir Students:
Ainsley McConnell, Clara Frantzen, Anna Miller, Annika Tenhor, Bella Lubelchek, Caleb Schulz, Catherine Cahill, Emily Churchouse, Emily Porrez, Grace Cahill, Hank Schaafsma, Holly Eagan, Jane Walker, Josh Oxer, Lainey Lewis, Lars Rauch, Lila Harris, Lydia Missey, Mackenzie Cohen, Marina Sjoblom, Nolan Walters, Norah Lougachi, Octavian Calin-Jageman, Phyllis Kreiter, Porter Jingst, Robert Johnson, Ryan Scott, Sadie Parkinson, Salomé Henry, Sierra Jones, Thomas Hann and Vilas Advani
Attention 8th Grade Families - OPRF Freshman Placement Exam
Here is some important information regarding the freshman placement exam for OPRF.
Halloween Costumes
For those of our families who celebrate Halloween, many of you are starting to discuss costume choices with your child. Although students are not required to wear costumes, we recognize that they are a fun and creative part of our schools' Halloween activities.
Our goal is to create a positive learning environment where all students, staff and families feel a sense of belonging. In that spirit, we ask that you take care to ensure that your child’s costume choice does not portray a stereotypical image of any group of people or culture, or be offensive to any one racial, ethnic or religious group. We appreciate you being proactive with your child in making thoughtful costume choices.
To support you in your conversation with your child and to build your understanding around this topic, we have compiled links to resources that you may find helpful. Thank you for your continued support of our students and schools.
Resources
- "I Am Not a Costume" (information about Laurier Students' Public Interest Research Group campaign)
- “We’re a Culture, Not a Costume” (article about Ohio University campaign)
- "Teaching Tolerance" (a lesson for classrooms and can be applied at home)
- "Teaching Tolerance: Teach About Blackface and Other Racist Halloween Choices" (written for educators, but provides useful prompts for discussions at home)
Information from Oak Park and River Forest High School - Attendance of Children at OPRF Sporting Events
October 1, 2019 - Effective Immediately
Oak Park and River Forest High School welcomes the community to our athletic events. To ensure the safety of all attendees, we are implementing the following rule, effective immediately:
Children ages 11 and younger will not be allowed to attend OPRF High School athletic events unless they are accompanied by an adult age 18 or older.
We have had significant behavioral issues with unaccompanied children under the age of 12 at our first two football home games this season. In addition, many of these events end late in the evening, and we are concerned about unaccompanied children getting home safely. Thank you for your cooperation.
Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Reminder that all D97 schools are in session on Monday, October 14.
Upcoming Events:
Student Led Conferences – Thursday, October 24 from 12:30pm - 8:00pm
12:00pm Dismissal - Thursday, October 24
12:00pm Dismissal - Friday, October 25
Sincerely,
Dr. Todd Fitzgerald
Principal, Julian Middle School