Ellis Parent Newsletter
November 26, 2023
Great Things are Happening at Ellis Middle School
Greetings Parents and Supporters of Ellis Middle School-
Good Evening Parents and Supporters of Ellis Middle School,
After a few says off, I hope you enjoyed your time with your families and loved ones. We are moving now into the last week of November. As we move to December, there are a lot of things happening.
Last week, Ellis held its Annual turkey Trot where students participated in the race. Winners received turkeys and the runner-up received pumpkin and apple pies. It was fun to see the whole school being part of this event!
At the school level, we have two boys basketball home games this week. On Tuesday, our boys team will face Larsen MS and then on Wednesday, they will play versus Abbott Middle School. Now, on Wednesday is not just a regular game, our Ellis Student Council will be manning the concession stand and they want to pack the gym! They are asking parents and students to come and support our team and pack the GYM! Come out and support us!
Our Annual Ellis Winterfest festivity for our parents and community will take place on Thursday December 14th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm in the Gym. There will be music, a potluck, Loteria, garage sale and raffles (cash only) and entrance is free! This is a great and fun event and we are hoping that you will all attend.
For the potluck part, some of our Ellis staff and others will be providing a dish to pass but we are asking our parents and community if you have a dish to pass to please bring it to this great event so we can all share a fun evening.
Our attendance went down somewhat but please remember that student attendance is very important. Miss a day..miss a lot! Please support our student attendance efforts to make sure our students are here every school day.
I know I have mentioned this several times before but I will continue to bring it up. Here at Ellis, we have great staff all around and they are well prepared to provide support and assistance to any of our students when it comes to social, behavior, emotional, academic or any kind of support they might need. Please talk with your student and make sure that he/she has an Ellis staff member they can always talk to in case they need anything.
I have information regarding random searches at school. As part of our commitment to ensuring a safe learning environment, Ellis will be conducting random, non-invasive searches throughout the school year in accordance with board policy and law. There is more information regarding random searches at school within this parent newsletter.
The December meeting of the Community Advisory Council (CAC) offers a unique opportunity for you to spend time with leaders in our school district. The meeting is being held virtually at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7. It will follow a roundtable format, allowing our parents and community members to meet Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Johnson, members of her Cabinet, and members of the U-46 Board of Education. There will be time to ask questions and to learn about new initiatives and plans, too.
Also within this newsletter, I have information for all 8th graders students and families. U-46 High Schools will be offering High School information Night for in-coming 8th graders.
As always, we are here to assist and support you and all of our Ellis students.
Respectfully,
Mr. Cadengo
Principal-Ellis Middle School
What is a Chronic Absentee Student?
Ellis' Chronic Absentee rate went up to 23.2% as of 11/23/23
A Chronic Absentee Student is a student that has missed 10% or more of the school days that we have attended so far. For example, if we have been in school for 100 days already and the student missed 10 or more days (Over two weeks of school), he/she would be considered a chronic absentee student. There about 180 days of school in the school year, so if a student missed 18 or more days already, she/he is considered a chronic absentee student for the rest of the year. As you can see in the graph above, Ellis currently has about 23.2 % of students that are Chronic Absentee students. By the way, the state uses chronic absentee student percentage (20% of the rating) to assign their summative designation every year. Please support Ellis by sending your student to school when he is capable to do so on every school day.
Conducting Random Searches at Ellis Middle School
School Safety Measures
As part of our commitment to ensuring a safe learning environment, Ellis Middle School will be conducting random, non-invasive searches throughout the school year in accordance with board policy and law. These searches are a proactive step towards maintaining safety and fostering an environment where learning can thrive without disruptions. They will be carried out by trained school personnel, in a manner that respects the privacy of all students. We assure you that these measures are standard safety procedures and not in response to any specific incident or concern. Should you have any questions, please contact the school's main office.
Medidas de seguridad escolar
Como parte de nuestro compromiso de garantizar un entorno de aprendizaje seguro, Ellis Middle School realizaran registros sin previo aviso y no invasivas durante todo el año escolar de acuerdo con la política de Junta Educativa y la ley. Estas búsquedas son un paso proactivo para mantener la seguridad y fomentar un entorno donde el aprendizaje pueda prosperar sin interrupciones. Estas serán realizadas por personal escolar capacitado, de manera que se respete la privacidad de todos los estudiantes. Le aseguramos que estas medidas son procedimientos de seguridad estándar y no en respuesta a ningún incidente o inquietud específica. Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con la oficina principal de la escuela.
Ellis Boys basketball Schedule
Below is the updated (11/5/23) Middle School Boys Basketball schedule for the season.
IMPORTANT: Please look at the schedule closely as scheduled times have been changed.
We are going to alternate starts for the grade levels. Week 1 we will play our normal 7th grade first and 8th grade second. Then for week 2, 8th grade will play first and 7th grade will play second. Then we will alternate weeks for the remainder of the season. This is to provide families who cannot make it to the early game an opportunity to see their child play.
2023 Boys basketball Schedule Updated 11/5/23
Community Advisory Council (CAC) Meeting
Please join the CAC’s roundtable with District leaders
Dear U-46 Community,
The December meeting of the Community Advisory Council offers a unique opportunity for you to spend time with leaders in our school district.
The meeting is being held virtually at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7. It will follow a roundtable format, allowing our parents and community members to meet Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Johnson, members of her Cabinet, and members of the U-46 Board of Education. There will be time to ask questions and to learn about new initiatives and plans, too.
All are welcome! Breakout rooms will be offered in English and Spanish.
We ask those who plan to attend to register in advance at info.u-46.org/CACDec23.
This annual meeting offers a fun and relaxed setting for U-46 parents and community members to learn more about the mission of the CAC and talk to U-46 leaders. We hope to see you there!
For more information, please visit the CAC website.
Sincerely,
School District U-46
8th Graders Invited to High School Information Nights
Dear U-46 8th Graders, Parents, and Guardians,
All five of our comprehensive U-46 high schools are hosting information nights over the coming weeks. U-46 8th graders are encouraged to attend the event at the high school they will attend next school year, accompanied by their parent(s) or guardian(s).
At the informational night, you will get to meet administrators, staff, and other families; learn about a typical high school schedule; receive an overview of the course selection process, including elective courses; and preview activities and athletics available to freshmen. The presentations will be offered in English and Spanish.
The schedule is as follows. Follow the link in each high school for more details, including on where to park, which door to enter, and more:
Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m. - Elgin High School, 1200 Maroon Drive, Elgin
Thursday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. - Streamwood High School, 701 W. Schaumburg Road, Streamwood
Monday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. - Larkin High School, 1475 Larkin Ave., Elgin
Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. - Bartlett High School, 701 Schick Road, Bartlett
Thursday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. - South Elgin High School, 60 E. Main St., South Elgin
If you are not sure which high school the student will attend or if you have questions about these events, please reach out to your middle school counselor or principal.
We look forward to seeing members of our Class of 2028 in the hallways of their future high schools!
Sincerely,
School District U-46
Ellis Turkey Trot Event
Ellis Middle School Daily Logistics
Cell phone:
Students will not be allowed to use their cell phones during the school day, this includes during lunch, in the locker room or bathrooms. This is already a practice across U-46 middle schools. These middle school guidelines support classroom learning and improved culture and climate efforts for all middle school students in order to minimize distractions and help teachers create and manage a classroom and school environment conducive to learning, discussion and collaboration. It also helps protect students against bullying and/or inappropriate social media use during school hours, which are often exacerbated by cell phone access.
Consistent with our secondary cell phone guidelines overall, students are expected to put their silenced or powered-off cell phones in their locker upon arriving at school or in their pockets. Cell phones should not be visible in classroom or hallway settings during the school day. This includes headphones connected to electronic devices. All middle school students are assigned a Chromebook, these devices fill any technological-related need to support learning and eliminate the need for cell phone use for educational purposes. If students do not comply and continues to engage in electronic device misuse, the student will turn over his/her phone to the main office for parent pick up or other interventions.
Parents: if you need to get a hold of your student during the day, please call the main office and we will either relay your message or bring your student to the man office for you to speak to them directly.
Lockers:
Students are not allowed to share lockers or their locker combinations with other students. Last year, Ellis Middle School saw a trend of students leaving their locker unlocked or having difficulty with opening their locks. Please come to one of our schedule pick-up days for the students to have time to practice opening their lockers.
Student IDs:
Students are expected to wear their IDs upon entering the school until dismissal at the end of the day. IDs need to be worn all day by students including their lunch period. Students will be given their IDs on the first day of school during the first period.
Ellis WInterfest - Thursday December 14th, 2023
Ellis Turkey Trot Race
ELLIS EVENTS HAPPENING THIS WEEK including After-School Activities
Events this week
11/28
Boys BB HOME Game vs. Larsen MS
Boys and girls club
11/29
Boys BB HOME Game vs. Abbott MS - PACK THE GYM!
Boys and girls club
U-46 High Schools Information for all 8th graders
Student Council Meeting
Boys and girls club
11/30
Boys and girls club
Science Olympiad Meeting
11/17
Boys and girls club
A Special Guest Musician from Mexico
This month our Ellis students and some staff had the pleasure of hearing a concert given by Yael Meza, a young internationally known cellist from Mexico. He was accompanied by Marc Thayer, CEO of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra on Violin. Our students got to hear him perform some classic songs such as Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prélude and Sabor A Mi, La Llorona, and Remember Me from Disney's Coco.