The Patton Post
Friday, 27th September
I am sure many of you have already heard from your children about the 5th Grade Musical announcement today!
We are so excited to announce that in May 2025, our genie-ous 5th Grade team will be taking us on a magic carpet ride to a whole new world as they grant our wish and perform.......ALADDIN!
Special thanks to all those involved in helping make the fun video for the big reveal this week - our students were treated to cameos from the Little Mermaid (Mrs. Vignocchi), Elsa (Mrs. Maloney) Mary Poppins, (Mrs. Dunning and Mrs. Hamilton) and the Cave of Wonders (Mrs. Chin). As a special treat, you can also watch this video HERE! Anticipation is already high for this amazing performance!
I hope many of our families are looking forward to the First Grade Family Night this evening! I know our Kindergarten families had a great time last week. I always love watching the kids come together and enjoy all the activities that have been planned for them!
Please remember that there is NO SCHOOL on Thursday, October 3rd in observance of Rosh Hashanah. Shanah Tovah to all our families that observe this holiday.
Thanks so much!
Ellie Chin
Our previous school psychologist, Drew Martin, will be supporting the Student Services Team at Westgate Elementary School this year. We are pleased to welcome two part-time staff members who will be joining Patton to fill this role.
Please welcome Mrs. Robin Sidell as the newest member of Patton’s Student Services team. Mrs. Sidell will collaborate closely with our staff to provide comprehensive support to students, ensuring their success both academically and emotionally. With a strong background in school social work, Mrs. Sidell is well-equipped to assist students in navigating social and emotional challenges, and fostering a positive and supportive environment. Additionally, Mrs. Sidell will be the 504 case manager for students with non-medical 504s.
We are also excited to welcome Dr. Dan Strissel to Patton! He will be joining our team as a school psychologist. Dr. Strissel brings with him a wealth of experience in supporting students and teams with in-depth evaluations. He has a strong background in school psychology and a passion for working with students, Dr. Strissel will be playing a key role in conducting assessments and providing insight into individual learning needs as a member of our Student Services Team.
We have 2 more safety drills coming up in October.
On Wednesday, October 9th we will have our third and final Fire Drill. For this drill, the Arlington Heights Fire Department will be in attendance. Please do not be alarmed if you see fire trucks outside Patton on this day.
We will also have having a Bus Evacuation drill on Tuesday, October 22nd.
I have no doubt that these drills will be as successful as the drills we carried out at the beginning of the school year and I know our students will do a great job!
We hope many of you take advantage of the fabulous fall weather we are experiencing and participate in National Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 2nd! Please feel free to have students wear bright/neon colors so they can be seen and be safe!
We are excited to have the Arlington Heights Police Department and Hersey athletes to start everyone's day off with a fantastic "High Five" welcome! We will still have all students enter through Door 7 or 8 as they do every day.
For those of you who have not participated in a High Five welcome with our Arlington Heights Police Officers and Hersey athletes, they typically form a tunnel by standing in two lines facing each other. Students walk through the tunnel being greeted with smiles, applause, and high fives as they are welcomed and encouraged to have an amazing day.
We do recognize that for some of our students this may be overwhelming. Parents who are typically walking our youngest students to the door may choose to accompany them through the tunnel and walk them to the door.
We will also make the main entrance (Door 1) an entry point for any students feeling too overwhelmed to go through the tunnel. All students will proceed indoors to their typical line up spots.
It’s hard to believe September is coming to an end! As October marches in, we wanted to share some information about Halloween costumes. I have had many students already share their costume ideas and there are definitely a lot of great ideas brewing!
We look forward to all of our panthers having fun and enjoying celebrating Halloween together at Patton. As a kindergarten through fifth-grade elementary school, we offer a friendly reminder that costumes that may be appropriate for older students and adults may frighten younger children. We are requesting your cooperation in selecting school-appropriate costumes that avoid violence, sharp objects, weapons (knife, gun, sword, etc.), dripping blood, gore, etc. Accessories such as brooms, pitchforks, scepters, wands, hockey sticks and baseball bats should not be brought to school. Please save these additional props for trick or treating. We do not want any of these special items to be lost, broken, or left behind at the end of the school day.
In the interest of safety, please be sure your child is able to walk and sit comfortably in his/her costume and is able to see where he/she is walking.
Weather permitting, we will do a parade outside in the neighborhood for families to view everyone’s costumes and celebrate with our students.
We usually draw a big crowd and students enjoy seeing their loved ones waving to them along the parade route. It typically takes about 20 minutes to walk our route so please plan accordingly based on the weather.
Check to see if your child’s costume is an appropriate length so that they will not trip over it. If teachers notice that a part of the costume is hindering your child from walking safely, they will instruct your child to leave that item (mask, prop, etc.) in the classroom during the parade. Please also ensure that your child is able to remove their costume independently in case they need to use the bathroom.
More specific information about the parade, class parties, and a google form regarding lunch plans will be shared as we get closer to Halloween.
Do you have energy to burn and want to get your body moving? Interested in FUN and FITNESS? If so, Join Fitness Club!
Fitness Club will meet on Wednesdays in October from 3:35-4:15. First meeting is October 2nd. (Enrollment limited to first 30 fitness fans!)
Parent volunteers are VITAL to the success of this program. Please sign up if you can help.
Please note: The club will not meet if it is raining.
Questions: Jenna Apel jenna.apel@gmail.com
On Thursday, October 10th the Arlington Heights Park District after school program, CAP, will be having a Lockdown Drill with the support of the Arlington Heights Police Department. CAP will communicate information with the parents of students that attend CAP, but we wanted to ensure that everyone was aware, including parents of students who may be attending after school clubs on this day.
Please do not be alarmed if you see any Arlington Heights Police vehicles outside Patton after school on this day as this is a scheduled drill.
Looking for a way to showcase your child’s talents and artistic expression? Encourage your child to submit entries for this year’s national PTA Reflections program, with the theme: Accepting Imperfection.
Last year Patton's theme was Panthers in Progress, Progress Over Perfection. We were thrilled when we learned the theme for PTA Reflections this year was Accepting Imperfection as we focused last year on celebrating progress and recognizing the incremental steps that are part of growing. Mistakes are part of the process of learning and we embraced the opportunity to learn and improve and make progress on our goals.
Students can submit projects in various categories, including Dance, Literature, Photography, Film, Visual Arts, and Music Composition. Please look for more details on submission guidelines and due dates in the coming weeks, and feel free to reach out to Tina Shah ( tinashah1@gmail.com) with any questions!
We had many Patton panthers participate in the PTA Reflections program last year with four of our students being advanced to the state level! We are so proud of all of our students who have chosen to participate. They have found it to be a rewarding experience, and one told me last year that he hoped to submit multiple entries in different categories this year. We hope to see many participate this year.
We will be sharing more information with our students directly in the coming weeks, but wanted to share with you as well as these projects are completed at home.
To learn more about the theme and the various formats students can express themselves, please visit the National PTA website here.
4th and 5th Grade homework club provides a quiet space for students to complete assignments or read in a relaxing setting. Mr. Morkert will be available to answer questions and provide help when needed.
It is important that you note whether you will pick up your child or if they will walk home. Mr. Morkert will bring the kids to the front doors at 4:25pm. Please be there waiting at this time.
Please reach out if you have questions. (tmorkert@sd25.org)
This club will run on Thursdays, 3:35-4:40pm, starting on the 19th September.
If your child is interested, please SIGN UP HERE and be sure to enter your child's name when signing up!
PTA
If you haven’t joined the PTA for the 2024-2025 school year, please consider doing so! Annual PTA membership is only $12 and can easily be completed through the School District 25 Online store! Click here to Join the Patton PTA
As a Patton PTA member, you will be able to access the Patton Student DirectorySpot App, which provides you with access to other PTA members contact information. This app is useful for planning birthday parties, carpools, and playdates.
Patton School is not able to provide you with contact information for other families. If you would like to communicate with parents of children in your child's class, the only way to access their information is through the Directory Spot App. Please do note that this is a manual process, it is not automated upon joining PTA. As a result, there is a delay in receiving access to the Directory Spot App. Please plan accordingly if you have a fall birthday coming up!
Your PTA membership gives you discounts at different retailers (see www.pta.org/benefits for details). You are also a member of the National PTA, which advocates for the safety, education, and well-being of our children.
Questions? Please e-mail ahpattonptamembership@gmail.com
ABC/25 FOUNDATION
The ABC/25 Foundation is a non-for-profit organization founded in 1991 by a group of caring parents to give A Better Community for District 25, hence the name ABC/25 Foundation. The mission of the Foundation is “to foster innovation, creativity, and excellence for the children of District 25.” The foundation’s Board of Directors and committee is composed of district parents, local community leaders, and school administrators that volunteer their time to serve the students of District 25.
We invite you to join ABC/25 Foundation and make an impact on District 25 student learning. Your support ensures that we can continue to provide students with projects and programs that foster innovation, creativity, and excellence. Your donation supports teacher/staff grants, school membership incentive grants, and foundation events that all members receive priority access to.
Each year, the ABC/25 Foundation grants $2,500.00 to any AHSD25 school when 25% of the school’s families become members. If you have children at multiple schools, each school will get credit for your participation, so make sure to indicate if you have multiple schools when joining. The membership grant funds may be used at each school’s discretion. Past membership grant funds have been used to purchase, among other items: lighting and sound system updates, playground equipment, app subscriptions, digital books, and Chromebooks. You may have noticed some posters hanging up at our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. We have a poster maker that is well-used for many purposes that was purchased with funds from the ABC/25 Foundation membership grant.
Please consider joining HERE!
PATTON ELEMENTARY
Main Line: (847) 398-4288
Fax #: (847) 394-6681
Absence Procedure
Twitter: @AHSD25Patton