Viking Family Digest

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Dear Parents and Guardians:

I hope all of our families had a wonderful Thanksgiving. As we look forward to the next few weeks until Winter Break, we have a full calendar! Be sure to note the spirit days and all of the upcoming concerts and basketball games.

Ms. Marks

• 11/28-11/29: Erika's Lighthouse
• 11/29: CCat Field Trip to MCC
• 12/01: December Celebration 2023
• 12/04: AVID Presentations
• 12:05: Ukrainian Lunch Bunch
• 12/05: Panda Express Food Fundraiser
• 12/07: Choir Concert
• 12/13-12/14: Adolescence Growth & Development
• 12/14: Symphonic Band Concert w/CLC HS @ CLS
• 12/18: Symphonic Band & Jazz Ensemble
• 12/18: Board Meeting
• 12/19: Symphonic Band & Jazz Ensemble School Assembly
• 12/19: UKE (Ukulele) Concert
• 12/21-1/5: Winter Break

Bernotas Sports Calendar
District 47 2023-2024 School Calendar

Tuesday, December 5th: We celebrate Walt Disney Day! Let’s show our Disney Spirit!

Wednesday, December 6th: We celebrate St. Nicholas Day. Dress in all things SANTA

Thursday, December 7th: We celebrate that all of our Vikings are unique! Wear Crazy Socks/Hair!

Friday, December 8th: It's the first day of Hanukkah. Let's dress in blue to celebrate!

Monday, December 11th: We show our spirit of season. Wear your Holiday Shirt!

Tuesday, December 12th: We celebrate helping one another. Wear anything elf/reindeer!

Wednesday, December 13th: We celebrate national Cocoa Day! Let’s have a Polar Express Day and dress in comfy clothes!

Thursday, December 14th: We support our student council candy gram sales! Wear red/white like a candy cane?

Friday, December 15th: We celebrate national Ugly Sweater Day!

Monday, December 18th: We celebrate snowflake appreciation day. White out day!

Tuesday, December 19th: We will support our music concert. Sliver and gold is today’s theme.

Wednesday, December 20th: We celebrate all of our Vikings! Grade level competition:

6th: Red

7th: Green

8th: White

As we are now a few weeks into the current daylight savings transition you may notice a few behavior changes in your child(ren). Six in every one hundred people experiences Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), "a form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern". With the pandemic and social distancing you may notice these behavior concerns at an elevated level this year. The following article identifies signs/symptoms, causes, treatment, and what parents can do if their child(ren) are demonstrating signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

https://teenshealth.org/en/parents/sad.html?WT.ac=ctg

1. Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands is the first and best defense to protect yourself from germs.
2. Use Hand Sanitizer.
3. Stop Biting Your Nails.
4. Disinfect High-Touch Areas.
5. Get Good Sleep.
6. Get a Flu Shot.
   
7. Get some fresh air- yes even when it's cold outside.
8. Stay away from those who are sick if possible.

We are getting reports again of vehicles from Bernotas driving past school buses with stop arms out loading students at North.

If the drivers are able to note the license plate, they forward that information to CLPD. They can't catch them all, because the drivers' focus must be on the students who are loading, and watching for students that might run out in front of the bus.

Parents and teachers this is dangerous! The buses are only loading for two to three minutes each. Your patience could save a life!

Community High School District 155 would like to invite families of dual language students to a virtual meeting. Course selection for high school will take place in January. Please join us for a short presentation about what opportunities exist in high school for Dual Language students. A Division Leader from D155 will share information about language classes in D155. Please join us via video conference.

• Thursday, December 7 at 7:00 pm
• Video call link: https://meet.google.com/qkd-vcnk-shs
• Please contact Steve Knope with questions - sknope@d155.org.

During the week of December 8th a brief follow-up video presentation of Be Seen & Heard©, an age and developmentally appropirate sexual abuse awareness and prevention program provided to students in fulfillment of Erin’s Law, will take place during your child’s XLT or Band. This very short refresher of the main ideas presented earlier this year reminds students how to stay safe and to communicate with their Trusted Heroes. If you prefer your child not participate, you may opt-out by contacting the principal in writing/email.

We are starting a new PBIS challenge in December! The Core 1 classrooms at each grade level with the least amount of tardies to core 1 will get country donuts.

When students are late to their first class they can feel rushed and anxious and miss out on instructional time. At times, when just one student enters class late, it can throw off the lesson and interrupt learning.

See the graph on how missing just 10 minutes a day can add up to nearly a 1/2 of a school year!

All students should wear a warm jacket, gloves/mittens and a hat. All students (elementary and middle) will go outside for recess according to the following guidelines*:

• 15 degrees or warmer: unlimited time outside

• 0-15 degrees: maximum of 20 minutes outside

• Below 0 degrees: remain indoors

*District 47 schools refer to ”feels like” temperatures according to the Weather Channel app.

As we transition from fall to winter, we encourage families to consider the impact of a school closure due to inclement weather. It is our goal to keep schools open when possible to ensure we meet the needs of all students and, most importantly, to avoid a disruption to teaching and learning. Please note: There will be no remote learning if school is closed due to weather conditions. Instead, the day would be made up at the end of the year in one of the five scheduled emergency days on the school calendar. If the decision is made to close school, families will be notified via phone call, text and email. We do our best to make the call before 5 a.m. the day of the closing. The announcement will also be posted on the district’s website and social media channels. No communication means school will remain open. Please be sure to keep your contact information updated in ParentVue.

As we strive to maintain a safe and secure learning environment, we urge all families to emphasize the importance of keeping valuables secured with your students. Please encourage your children to leave unnecessary items, especially expensive electronics, at home whenever possible. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

We are excited to share that The Break is partnering with District 47 to provide a safe place for our students to have fun, connect and find acceptance in their after school program. Transportation will be available after school. We are limited to 20 spots daily (until The Break is able to expand this service). As a result, all 3 middle schools will have a daily sign up sheet (much like the activity bus sign up but this will be shared among all 3 middle schools). This will be a first come, first serve basis.

Families will need to enroll their child at The Break.

Step 1: The Break Registration Form

Step 2: RSVP on the home page The BREAK Home Page RSVP For Day/Event Would Like To Join

Membership at the BREAK is $10/month and that can be paid online when you register and there is an option for recurring membership fees. Nobody is ever turned away if they are unable to pay!! It is a simple process and they simply need to send a request to brenda@clbreak.com.

For additional information please refer to https://www.clbreak.com/ We are so grateful for the support of the Crystal Lake community and excited for this opportunity for our students!!

Pre-order your RBMS yearbook. This book tells stories of Viking pride and community, don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind keepsake. Place your orders here: Bernotas Yearbook

YOUR feedback is very important to us. The way we grow and learn is through positive feedback. If you have been in the building, or have any general feedback, RBMS Feedback link. We appreciate you being a part of our team to improve our practice, ensuring student success.

To check out the clubs and activities, click here!

Wrestling practice starts Monday Dec 11th. Please check out the RBMS website for more information.

Girls Basketball tryouts will be on Monday Dec 18th and Tuesday Dec 19th from 2:30pm - 4:00pm. Please check out the RBMS website for more information.

Does your student stay after school for sports or clubs? We offer activity buses. Activity buses run on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. All activity buses leave Bernotas Middle School at 4:15pm from the front of the building and all drop off times are approximate. Activity Bus Schedules.

Car Pick Ups: If you are picking up your student from a sport or club at 4pm please be aware of the elementary buses that are loading. If the STOP sign is out and the lights are flashing, do not pass the bus.

When: Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Where: Panda Express 5260 US-14 Crystal Lake

Time: 10:30am - 9:00pm

How to Order: Bring paper flyer or show it on your smartphone. Order using the APP or pandaexpress.com. Enter 360472 in the fundraiser code box.

Nominations for the Elevate Award are now open for the 2023-2024 school year. Don't forget to nominate a deserving District 47 staff member for the Elevate award.