Cougar Clips

Happy Friday-Eve Kipling Families,

Thank you to all the parents who joined us for the Valentine’s Day parties yesterday. The students had a really great time and it is always rewarding to see students, parents, and staff all working and having fun together.

Kindergarten registration has been open for several weeks. Please help me by spreading the word to all of your friends, family, and neighbors that they need to start their Kindergarten registration process ASAP. To register your new student please visit our registration page.

If you have an incoming Kindergartener or a new 1st-5th grader for the 2024-2025 school year, it is important that you complete the registration process as soon as possible as our staffing decisions are based on the number of fully registered students.

Please note that only those new Kindergarten students who are fully registered will receive an invitation for our spring Kindergarten Round-Up.

After completing the online application, you will need to provide all required documents (listed on the registration website). Please reach out to our registrar, Rosa Castillo (rcastillo@dps109.org) with any questions.

As a reminder, there is no school tomorrow and Monday next week. All my best to you and your families over the long, Presidents' Day weekend - enjoy!

Respectfully,

-Matthew

Mr. Matthew O. Lombardo, NBCT

Principal

Kipling Elementary School

Don't forget to join the PTO at Portillo's after the art show on Thursday, February 22nd! It's a great way to hang out with friends and support the 5th graders! There will also be a raffle where you can win Marla's lunch Shookies Cookies and Legacy Pizza for the rest of the school year! PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS HERE. You do not need to be present to win!

Our 3rd-5th Grade Art Show will be held on Thursday, 2/22 from 5-6pm.

Mark your calendars! Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, March 21st from 1:00-4:00pm & 5:00-8:00pm and Friday, March 22nd from 8:30-11:30am. All DPS109 schools will hold in-person parent-teachers conferences this year with an option to Zoom for parents/guardians who are not available for an in-person conference.

Parents will sign up for a conference using Sign-Up Genius. I will share links for all teacher sign-up forms on Thursday, February 22nd, at 5:00pm.

It is best practice to hold one parent conference per child, to ensure that both parents receive the same information regarding their child’s strengths and needs. Therefore, I ask that parents sign up for one joint conference per student.

Conferences are a discussion between parents and teachers. At this time elementary conferences do not include students and therefore we ask that children not attend the parent-teacher conference.

It is time for Young Authors! For those who do not know, Young Authors is a program that encourages students to embrace being an author and write their own creative stories. This is an optional program that has been shared with your child during their LMC time. A packet was also sent home with more information for those who are interested in participating. Attached you will find THIS presentation that walks you through deadlines, logistics, and other pieces of helpful information regarding Young Authors. We are so excited to see what our amazing young authors will create this year. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Kaufman or Ms. Thurman.

Ms. Kaufman (akaufman@dps109.org)

Mrs. Thurman (lthurman@dps109.org)

We are currently at a 7% 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: One Powerful Technique to Transform Your Parenting on Social Media