Emerson Enquirer ​
February 25, 2016
Principal’s Corner Dear Parents and Guardians: As you may have heard, Emerson will be once again, taking the PARCC. Students will be testing on April 11 – 15, 2016. Our sixth, seventh and eighth grade students are preparing to be tested in math and reading. As this is the second time taking the PARCC test, we are excited to see how our students perform compared to their performance from last year. This test is important because it is aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The audio portion of the test has increased. So please make sure your child has a pair of working earbuds. Exciting news! In this newsletter, you will find information regarding a very special presentation being offered to District 64 parents. At our District 64 Parent University on Tuesday, March 8, Dr. Heitner will present “Raising Kids in A Digital Age.” She is a leading advocate in the field of children’s digital connectedness. She is the founder and director of Raising Digital Natives, an online resource for parents and schools. This is a great opportunity for parents of students at all grade levels to learn more about raising children in this challenging digital age. Please mark your calendar and plan on attending. Further information is provided within this newsletter. Emerson will be hosting the annual Power Friday, February 26, 2016. Over 500 Lincoln and Emerson students will participate in this exciting event, which focuses on developing leadership skills and promote healthy choices for our eighth grade students. POWER seeks to bring together middle school youth, community members, middle school staff, and high school leaders, to develop trusting relationships as well as providing a framework for understanding one’s self and others. The program also strives to teach young people the skills needed to develop healthy peer relationships, resist negative peer pressure, and promote responsible decision-­‐making. We are all looking forward to this engaging evening. Our students have been working hard in preparation for this year’s musical production of Bye Bye Birdie, which takes place on Friday, March 4th and Saturday, March 5th at 7pm. Mrs. Glines and Mrs. Broeker are excited as the musical is coming together nicely. Tickets are $5 each for reserved seating and may be purchased before school in room 160, during the lunch periods, and at every rehearsal. Congratulations to Emerson's 7th grade girls volleyball team on winning the District 25 Sweetheart Tournament over the weekend. They beat three tough opponents to capture the championship. Good luck to the 8th grade girls volleyball team during the conference tournament on March 16th and 17th. Finally, come join us for the Emerson Faculty vs. Student basketball game on Friday, March 11, 2016 starting at 3pm. All are welcome. Jim Morrison, Ed.D. Principal Inspire every child to discover, learn, achieve, and care.
Important dates and events: 02/26/16 -­‐ POWER 3:00 p.m. -­‐ 9:00 p.m. 02/29/16 -­‐ Records / Planning Day -­‐ No Student Attendance Day 03/01/16 -­‐ Trimester 2 Ends 03/02/16 -­‐ PTO meeting 7:00 p.m. 03/04-­‐05 -­‐ Bye Bye Birdie Musical 7:00 p.m. 03/08/16 -­‐ Raising Kids in a Digital Age, Dr. Devorah Heitner 03/11/16 -­‐ Emerson Faculty vs. Student basketball game 03/13/16 -­‐ Daylight Saving Time Starts 03/15/16 -­‐ Uncle Pete’s Sack Lunch Day -­‐ Emerson School Service Project 03/17-­‐18 -­‐ 6th Grade Olympics 03/21/16 -­‐ SGA donation to Goodwill begins thru 04/08/16 03/22/16 -­‐ Quarter 3 Ends 04/07/16 -­‐ Helmet Sale / Fitting -­‐ Carpenter’s School 8th GRADE END OF YEAR EVENTS: 05/20/16 -­‐ 8th Grade Promotion Party 05/26/16 -­‐ 8th Grade Great America Field Trip 05/31/16 -­‐ 8th Grade Promotion, Maine East EMERSON SUMMER SCHOOL DATES: Tuesday, June 7, 2016 -­‐ Wednesday, July 15, 2016 MAINE SOUTH SUMMER SCHOOL DATES: Section 1 starts -­‐ Monday, June 13, 2016 Section 2 starts -­‐ Tuesday, July 5, 2016 ****************************************************************************************************************** Save the date! Calling all eighth graders -­‐-­‐ don't miss what's going to be the Best Eighth Grade Promotion Party Ever! Join your friends on Friday, May 20 from 7-­‐9 pm in the Emerson multi-­‐purpose room for a great time celebrating everything you've achieved so far, before you travel on to your next adventure -­‐-­‐ high school! More information is coming soon, including ticket price and a form your parents need to sign. So, mark your calendars for May 20 and get excited! ****************************************************************************************************************** Jefferson Preschool Still Has Openings! Jefferson School is currently accepting applications for the 2016-­‐2017 school year. If you have a child who will be 3 or 4 years old by September 1, 2016 and you reside in Park Ridge District 64, you are eligible to register for District 64’s preschool program. Jefferson School is a blended preschool program where students with special needs and typically developing children learn together in a play based preschool environment. The curriculum is aligned to the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards and the District 64 kindergarten curriculum. The District is proud of the high quality education provided the preschool children, as there is a low student-­‐teacher ratio and the teaching staff is highly qualified. To register, go to the​ ​district website​ and complete the pre-­‐enrollment form in Step 1. After your residency documents are reviewed for accuracy and completeness you will be notified if your child has a spot or will be on the waitlist. If you’d like a tour of the preschool, contact the Jefferson principal, Lisa Halverson, at 847-­‐318-­‐4249 or lhalverson@d64.org. For more information about the preschool program visit the Jefferson School ​website​. ****************************************************************************************************************** Inspire every child to discover, learn, achieve, and care.
Bye Bye Birdie
The Young Performers’ Edition
March 4 and 5
7:00 p.m.
Emerson Middle School MPR
Tickets are $5.00 for reserved seats
Available at Emerson before and after school S.O.A.R.S. Update February, 2016 Our SOARS Day activities on February 4th focused on offering empathy and acting safely by providing students with information and ways to assertively respond to bullying and harassment. Sixth grade students analyzed scenarios and practiced ways they can effectively communicate by being assertive about their position while respecting that of other people. Seventh grade students discussed the adverse effects of sexual harassment and how to advocate for themselves or others who have that experience. Eighth grade students discussed scenarios in which bullying can arise among friends and practiced ways they can respectfully yet firmly self-­advocate during those situations. Congratulations to the following students who received S.O.A.R.S. tickets during February! 6th Grade Izzy C. (304)
Marco C. (313)
Mark C. (316)
Katie D. (304) Greta F. (302)
Billy G. (302)
Aidan G. (314)
Katie G. (307)
Shae J.
(311)
Nicolette M. (309)
Max M. (316)
Michael S. (311)
Anna T. (303)
Emily V. (302)
Anthony V. (304)
7th Grade Drew B. (218)
Nathan D. (203)
Gianfranco G. Jack G. (211) Tommy G. (113)
AnnMarie G. (218)
Bella K. (204)
Nick K. (111) Declan M. (203)
Ella M. (203)
Logan M. (111)
Timmy O. (218) Molly P. (204)
Maddy Y. (211) 8th Grade Nate J. (101)
Nick L. (202)
Luke M. (107)
Sean H. (114) Nick R. (116)
Peter W. (213) EMERSON SCHOOL SERVICE
PROJECT
Uncle Pete’s Sack Lunch Day
Tuesday, March 15th
Uncle Pete’s mission is to provide sack lunches to families in need all
over Chicagoland area.
On Tuesday, March 15th, we will collect lunches at Emerson Middle
School starting at 7:30 am. The lunches will be boxed and driven by
Volunteers to the Chicagoland area. They will be handed out to
people in need of a meal. Please participate in this special day.
We will send a paper bag home Friday March 11th to be collected the
morning of Tuesday, March 15th. Our goal is to collect over 400
lunches.
Instructions for Uncle Pete Sack Lunches!
Please include the following items in the paper bag attached.
2 meat sandwiches (no condiments or cheese)
Small bag of chips
1 piece of fruit (no bananas)
2 hardboiled eggs
Cookies or candy
Juice box or drink
1 paper napkin
Thank you!
Questions? Email erinpaluch@me.com
Spring is in the air… So why not let SGA help you get a jump start on your SPRING CLEANING?! WHAT: ​Donate ANY gently used clothing items! WHEN:​ Monday, March 21 - Friday, April 8 WHERE:​ D
​ rop items into the labeled collection bins located at the 6th, 7th and 8th grade entrances. GOAL:​ 1
​ 0 bins of clothing to be donated to Goodwill! Goodwill’s mission is to ​enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work​. Your donation helps provide funding for this mission! Image from: http://images.clipartpanda.com/clothes-clip-art-hanging_clothes.jpg NEXT PTO MEETING
We invite all of our Emerson families to our next PTO meeting on March 2 @
7pm in the LRC. We hope to see you there!
Dear Emerson Families,
The end of the second trimester is upon us! 2/3 of the way through the school year,
and hopefully only weeks away from Spring and warmer weather! For many of us,
our thoughts are already turning to the next school year and all the fun in-store as we
plan for the summer and our children move to the next grade level.
As you are thinking ahead, please consider a leadership position on the Emerson PTO
Board. We are losing all but one of our Board Members (our Secretary). Without a
PTO Board to oversee the key functions, this year’s Board will have to consider shutting
down the PTO for Emerson. We cannot keep a bank account without signers, and
there is periodic (but very simple) paperwork to keep our non-profit designation active
that must be maintained.
There is not a requirement for the school to have a PTO, and there are no rules for how
active the PTO should be. The functions and support from the PTO in the past were
driven by the goals of the families involved who worked with Dr. Morrison and the staff
and teachers at Emerson on ways to improve the school and the student’s experiences. This is a long way of saying, being part of the PTO does not have to be a lot of work.
The basics steps to keep the organization active are less than a few of hours a month,
and the rest is driven by the plans the Board decides to make.
Thanks for your consideration. Feel free to contact us via the PTO email address
(ems.pto.64@gmail.com) and we will get back to you to answer any questions you might
have.
President - Molly Jacobsen
Treasurer - Michelle Rojo
Vice-President - Molly Gonzalo
Secretary - Marge Walzcak
2016-17
Park Ridge-Niles
School District 64
!
Enroll Now:
Kindergarten &
New Students
Welcome to District 64!
Visit the Registration Page of our website and
complete a pre-enrollment form to begin registering
kindergartners/new students for the 2016-17 school
year. A child must be five years old on or before
September 1, 2016 to be eligible for kindergarten in
2016-17.!
!
NEW! KINDERGARTEN ROUND-UP EVENINGS: !
April 18 - Roosevelt and Washington; April 19 Carpenter; and April 21 - Field and Franklin. See our
website for details about these events. Please complete
the pre-enrollment for 2016-17 via our website before
attending.
NEW: Kindergarten round-up dates!
Visit our website:
www.d64.org
Rai si n g Ki d s i n
a Di g i t al A g e
Our kids are growing up in a different world. How do
we help them be mindful and responsible citizens in
the 21st century? Our keynote, Dr. Devorah Heitner,
will offer a refreshing perspective on kids and media
that goes beyond the typical admonishment to limit
"screentime". She offers parents and educators
concrete criteria to evaluate the quality of our children's media experiences and is a resource for anyone seeking
advice on how to help children thrive in a world of digital connectedness.
The evening will also include a panel discussion prompted by audience questions and is expected to be an
enriching dialogue. This event is open to parents, educators, and all adult
members of the community.
Feat u r i n g Dr . Dev o r ah Hei t n er , Ph D
Fo u n d er & Di r ect o r o f Rai si n g Di g i t al Nat i v es,
an online resource for parents and schools
Dr. Heitner has appeared in a TEDx-Naperville presentation: The Challenges of Raising a
Digital Native (Empathy Is the App) and has been interviewed by CBS and NBC News in
Chicago, as well as the NBC Today Show. She has a Ph.D. in Media/ Technology and
Society from Northwestern University and has taught at DePaul University, Street Level
Youth Media, and Northwestern University. Dr. Heitner is currently writing a handbook
for parents titled, ?Raising Your Digital Native.? She is delighted to be raising her own
digital native, too.
Facilitated by Linda Diekman, Instructional Technology Coach,
and Mary Jane Warden, Director of Technology
Tuesday, Mar ch 8, 2016
6:30PM t o 8:00PM
@EMERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL
in t he Mul t i-Purpose Room
8101 N. Cumberl and Ave,
Nil es
2015-16 Parent Universit y Series
Co-sponsore by
District 64 Traffic
$1
per
helmet
(Toddler, Youth
& Adult Sizes)
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Each year, more than 300,000 children are treated for bicycle-related injuries in hospital
emergency rooms. Fortunately, wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of serious head
injury by 85%. That’s why Lutheran General Hospital is offering low cost bicycle helmets
for you and your family. These helmets are certified by the CPSC (Consumer Product
Safety Commission) and are designed to meet or exceed CSA & ASTM safety standards.
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Tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics to get your child wearing a helmet:
• Wear one yourself
• Reward your child for wearing a helmet
• Always insist that your child wear his/her helmet
• Point out professional athletes who wear helmets when participating in sports
• Encourage other parents to get their children to wear helmets