Cougar Clips

Respectfully,

-Matthew

Mr. Matthew O. Lombardo, NBCT

Principal

Kipling Elementary School

-Spring Book Fair:

Click HERE to get a head start on your Book Fair shopping. All orders purchased on the e-book fair will be delivered to your child's classroom after Spring Break.

This form is for current Kindergarten-4th grade students who will not return to Kipling for the 2024-2025 school year. All student records will be transferred to the new school over the summer. The new school must submit a request for records via fax or email. Please submit one form for each of your children who are NOT returning to Kipling.

On Monday, April 8th, there will be a nearly total solar eclipse (~93% coverage) visible from Deerfield. The eclipse will begin at 12:51 PM and culminate at 2:07 PM before concluding at 3:22 PM. Being so close to the path of totality is rare, which makes this event a valuable opportunity. In fact, there won't be another total solar eclipse visible from North America until 2045, so this could be considered a generational opportunity. To take advantage of this rare and impressive experience, the district has purchased eclipse glasses for all students and staff. We will be outside at some point during this window to view the eclipse.

Students across the district in grades 3 through 8 will be participating in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in English/Language Arts & Mathematics between April 8th and April 15th. Your teacher will communicate the exact dates and test times for your child’s class.

This state assessment helps us understand how students are growing academically year to year, while also providing an achievement comparison to grade-level peers across the state. By measuring both mastery of the Illinois Learning Standards and the College and Career Ready benchmarks of the PSAT and SAT, the IAR is also designed to help prepare students for success in high school and beyond. The overall performance of each school, by grade, also impacts our designation, which is reported on the Illinois School Report Card.

If you have questions about the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, please let me know. As always, we encourage our students to do their best and appreciate your continued partnership.

We are currently at a 12% response rate.

Again this year, parents across Illinois have an opportunity to participate in the annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent, it allows you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness. Your responses also help guide district improvement.

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey is administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are:

• Effective Leaders

• Collaborative Teachers

• Involved Families

• Supportive Environments

• Ambitious Instruction

To take the Parent Survey, please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. Your identity and responses will be kept completely confidential and will not be connected to you or your child. The survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.

The Library Information Specialist team came across this resource and I felt compelled to share it with families in hopes of providing insight, support, and advice in navigating and supporting healthy and productive student use of technology and social media at home.

This week's video: Kids and Tech - When to get a Phone