IG Guardian

We took a pause this past week with our Social Emotional lessons to teach and practice the act of gratitude. Our message was for students to recognize and appreciate the help they give and received from others and, along those lines, I wanted to share a heartfelt "Thank You" to the IG community for your partnership and support. The list of qualities that we try to instill in the next generation is long - independent, flexible, curious, kind, confident, creative, courageous, just to name a few - but is so important, and working together makes it that much easier for all of us. Thank you!

On a personal note, my wife and I welcomed the arrival of our daughter, Clara, right at the start of this school year, and I will be taking a leave in January to spend some time with her until we are able to start daycare on February 10.

In my absence, we are very excited to welcome back Mrs. Kim Shaffer to IG as my substitute. As many of you may recall, Mrs. Shaffer subbed for Mrs. Kruzel last year when she had her baby and we are thrilled to have her back in the building. In addition to living in the Mount Prospect community, Mrs. Shaffer joins us with a wealth of experiences as a special education teacher and building administrator in neighboring CCSD59.

December 2 - Trimester 1 report cards shared electronically

December 4 - PTC Dine & Share at Portillos (Dundee Road)

December 6 - PTC Holiday Boutique during P.E. classes

December 10 - RTSD26 Board of Education meeting 7pm

December 12 - Winter Chorus Concert 7pm

December 12 - PTC Meeting, IG lounge 7pm

December 23-January 5 - Winter Break NO SCHOOL

January 6 - Institute Day NO SCHOOL

January 7 - Students Return

January 6 - Institute Day NO SCHOOL

January 7 - Students Return

January 9 - PTC Meeting, IG lounge 7pm

January 14 - RTSD26 Board of Education Meeting 7pm

January 20 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; School in session

We will be doing the following assessments in December:

• CogAT - All 3rd and 5th grade students will be taking the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). The CogAT is a standardized test that measures a student's reasoning and problem-solving skills in three areas: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal.
• Aimsweb - All first grade students and a handful of 2nd and 3rd grade students will take the winter Aimsweb benchmark to measure literacy and math growth since the start of the year.
• MAP - Select 2nd-5th grade students will take the winter MAP assessment. In an attempt to reduce the amount of time students are testing, students will be identified to take the winter MAP if the student missed the fall MAP test or if the data is needed to inform a potential intervention or change of placement.

Order your 2024-2025 yearbook today! Yearbooks are $20 and can only be ordered online using the link below. The deadline to order is April 4, 2025. Yearbooks will be delivered to school and distributed to students in May.

For an additional $5, 5th grade parents/guardians have the opportunity to contribute a short shout-out (3-6 sentences) about your student to be included in the 2024-2025 yearbook. An example can be seen below:

If you have a 5th grade student and are interested in including a shout out in the 2024-2025 yearbook, please drop off your blurb and $5 in an envelope with your student's name on it to the main office by January 31, 2025.

Please join River Trails School District 26 for a night of fun at a Chicago Wolves hockey game on Saturday, January 18, at 7pm as the Wolves battle the Bakersfield Condors. Everyone who attends will receive a Chicago Wolves hat. Be sure to tune into your email a few days before the game for instructions on how to pick up your hats.

Game night promotions include Adopt-A-Dog Night and Superhero Night featuring a Superhero Cape Giveaway.

Please join us on December 4th at Portillos in Arlington Heights from 5pm-8pm. 20% of sales will benefit Indian Grove PTC when you present the attached flyer (either printed or on your phone) when ordering. You can also order online and enter code PORTILLOS9 before checkout in the "Apply Offers" field. This offer is valid on drive thru, pick up, curbside, and in restaurant orders. Thank you for your continued support!