The Franklin Flyer

Mark Your Calendars:

November 4 - PTA - 9:00 a.m. Book Club 2025 Volunteers SIgn-Ups Open

November 15: Wear Neon Colors Day for Cosmic PE Celebration!

November 20: Report Cards Emailed at 4:00 p.m.

November 25 - 29: Thanksgiving Break - No School

December 4: Holiday Sing

December 5: PTA Meeting @ 7 p.m. (Virtual only)

December 7: PTA (Time TBD) Toys for Tots

December 23 - January 3: Winter Break - No School

January 20: No School

February 12: Open House - 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

February 14: No School

February 17: No School

February 27: Spring Conferences - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

March 24 - 28: Spring Break - No School

April 18: No School

May 26: No School

Absences

Please call in or email absences by 8:45 AM. You can call our student absence line (847) 318-4390 (ext 1) is available 24 hours a day, or email Mrs. Linda Berleth at lberleth@d64.org.

If the absence is illness related, please also make sure to include Franklin's nurse, Mrs. Queta Karstens, at qkarstens@d64.org.

Franklin Office Hours
School office hours are from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

School Hours

School Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 3:30 pm

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30

4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 12:05 - 1:00

Wednesday School Hours: 8:50 am - 2:40 pm

Wednesday Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:05 - 12:00

Wednesday 4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30

Half-Day Kindergarten Hours

Kindergarten Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 11:35 am

Kindergarten Wednesday: 8:50 am - 11:05 am

We are excited to celebrate our school Raise Craze celebration with Cosmic PE on Friday, November 15th. As part of the celebration, students can come dressed in neon or dark colors to enhance the Cosmic PE experience.

Franklin's Holiday Sing program will be held on Wednesday, December 4th. We will have performances by grade. Our performance schedule is as follows:

9:00 a.m. - Kindergarten & 1st Grade

10:00 a.m. - 4th & 5th Grade

1:30 p.m. - 2nd & 3rd Grade

All concert attendees will enter through Door 3 (circle drive) and exit through Door 5 (exterior gym door to the blacktop) for the safety of our school and students. There will be no exceptions. Seats can not be saved between concerts. We appreciate your support to keep the remaining grades learning and school running smoothly during the performances.

When Entering The Building

When a parent or guardian arrives to Franklin with or for a student, dropping off items or for a meeting, when ringing the doorbell, please state your name and your student(s) names to support our safety procedures.

All visitors to Franklin must have a valid state ID or driver’s license. Identification is entered into the Raptor identification system. This process only takes a short time to complete. Once you have clearance, the office staff will print a visitor pass for you and attach it to a lanyard you must wear throughout the building. The office will hold your ID until you return to the office and return the lanyard. We appreciate your support as we proceed with this district-mandated safety procedure for the safety of our students.

Arrival Procedure Reminders

As a reminder, our doors to school open daily at 8:42 a.m. for student arrival. The doors close at the 8:50 a.m. bell. All students outside the building at 8:50 a.m. will need to come to the office to be signed in.

Issues with A School Device?

If you have are having issues with your student's device at home, please complete a ticket.

https://d64.incidentiq.com/guest/NPV6SRUK/d64-family-tech-support-ticket#top

Payments to School - My School Bucks

Park Ridge-Niles CCSD 64 employs My School Bucks as its payment platform for families. Most

purchases for students, including field trips and student orders. Directors can be found here.

Please send a change of clothes with your children for all K-5 students. It is helpful to have a change of clothes in the event of spilled water, accidents, or an unexpected incidents. Clothes should be labeled with your child's name and can be kept in your child's locker. We encourage you to make sure your child's name is on each article of clothing.

For the health and safety of our students and community, no pets are allowed on school property. We realize the beautiful weather increases the amount of families who are walking to and from school. However, we ask that you please leave your dog or cat at home. Properly identified service animals are always permitted.

Please take a moment to review the contacts section of your ParentPortal. Any adult who has approval for after school pick-up or emergency pick-up for illness/injury should be listed. Franklin staff will not release students to adults who are not listed on the ParentPortal.

Drop-off of Student Items/Lunches

If your student forgets something at home, an adult may drop off items at the Franklin front office. Our front office staff will message the classroom for your student to pick up these items during a break in student instruction. The teacher will send the student to the office when it works best in the classroom schedule.

Student-Parent Handbook

Franklin Elementary School and all District 64 schools follow policies and practices reviewed and implemented by the District 64 Board of Education. Please review the D64 Student-Parent Handbook before the start of the school year.

You can find frequent updates or snapshots from our days at Franklin on Facebook and Instagram! Follow us at

Facebook: facebook.com/FranklinD64

Instagram: franklin.d64

Appreciation Spotlight

Huge thanks to Ashley Thielsen and Sarah DeCicco for planning our annual Donuts with my VIP. It was a blast to see students and their special peeps mingling alongside the teachers and staff.

We’re also very grateful to Sarah Buenaventura, Nicole Giese, Amy Fontana, Rachel Pethiyagoda, and Guicela Guerrero, for rising early to help set up and serve donuts. And special thanks also to our Franklin Falcon helpers: Nathan Buenaventura and Tommy Giese!

Book Club 2025 - Volunteers Needed!!!

It is hard to believe that we are already planning for the new year, but we are in need of parent volunteers in order to make the Book club a success! Volunteers lead book discussions during the lunch hours on Fridays, beginning January 10th and ending March 14th.

No teaching experience is necessary—just the desire to share your enthusiasm for reading with others! Parents can lead a class on their own or partner with another parent to co-lead a group. Parents who volunteer are guaranteed space for their children in the program. Interested in being a leader? Please visit the membership toolkit and sign up today! Sign-up will be open from November 4th until November 27th.

Have questions or want to know more before you volunteer? Contact: Susie Dordek (sdordek@icloud.com), Jezebel Esparza (jezadanny@gmail.com), Irene Prittis (iprittis@gmail.com)

Toys for Tots: Chair needed!!

Calling all Franklin Falcons, we need your help! We are in need of a chair for this event in order for Franklin to continue to participate this holiday season in the Toys for Tots Collection Drive!

Please reach out to Tania Wygonowski at tania1234@aol.com if interested and for more information.

If you would like to purchase a toy for a child of any age in need, consider shopping at the Amazon Wish List below for fast and easy ordering to the “Franklin Toys for Tots Collection House”, where all purchases will be delivered directly to our collection site. If you purchase a gift elsewhere, please drop it off at Franklin’s collection bin which is located inside of the circle drive’s vestibule door 3. If you have any questions, please contact info@franklinpta.com. All gifts should be new and unwrapped.

• Tuesday, December 3rd is the last day that Toys for Tots Amazon Wish List orders can be placed so that we can ensure on time delivery to our collection site.

• Friday, December 6th is the last day to bring your item to Franklin's collection bin in front of the office.

• Saturday, December 7th is the Toys for Tots Drive, please save the date, time TBD. All of the toys collected will be brought over to one of the D64 schools. Decorate your car and join us for the parade which will start at a school and end at Park Ridge City Hall. There, a semi-truck will be waiting for us to fill with all the toys collected for the Drive!

Thank you in advance for helping put a smile on a child’s face this holiday season! Any and every item will make a difference!

Here is the link to start ordering: Amazon.com

Staff Lunches

The PTA offers teachers and staff members an option to purchase lunch on Mondays from Spuntinos via franklinpta.membershiptoolkit.com. Families are always welcome to show their appreciation for a staff member by purchasing a Monday lunch on their behalf. If this is something your family is interested in doing, please consider the following before purchasing.

1. Please email your staff member prior to ordering to confirm what they would like to order. The options include 10 inch Pizza with 1 Topping Choice, Hamburger/Cheeseburger and Fries, Italian Beef and Fries, Grilled Chicken Salad, Caesar Salad, Grilled or Fried Chicken Sandwich and Fries, BLT Sandwich and Fries, and Penne Pasta with Vodka or Marinara Sauce and Side Salad. Options to customize are available on the form.

2. The form is only available for the upcoming Monday lunch. Ordering for the following Monday will close the Friday before 9:30 am.

3. Please confirm with the staff member what day you purchased their lunch.

Questions about teacher and staff lunches can be directed to rebeccavanpoucke@gmail.com.

Yearbook Updates!!!Yearbook Committee Needs photos!

Spirit Wear Sale

https://1stplace.sale/30637

• Sale: 11/4/2024 - 12/10/2024

• 25% off all merchandise

• Free shipping on orders over $75

• Guaranteed delivery by Dec. 23rd