Gower West News

We had a great turn out. We had over 325 people come to support their Gower West student. Thanks for spending the morning with us and hope you had a great time.

Please submit your completed health forms to Mrs. Anderson, Gower West Nurse, as soon as possible! The State of Illinois mandates that all incoming preschool and kindergarten students have a current physical and documentation of immunization on file before October 15, or be excluded from school. Kindergarten students also need an eye exam. Health forms and information can be found on the Gower West website. Please do not delay!

The Gower West Community would like to help the victims of Hurricane Helene that has devastated sections of our country including: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida.

We are asking students to donate money for the Red Cross at school on Friday, October 18, for the privilege of wearing a hat in school all day on Friday.

Donations will be sent to the American Red Cross and earmarked for hurricane/flooding relief. Let’s all put our hats on in hopes of helping those in need! Students are allowed to donate as much as they desire. Checks can be made out directly to the American Red Cross. Thank you in advance for your generosity and helping make a difference in the lives of others.

Thank you for joining us for our GLOW themed reading night. Thank you to all the teacher that came to be a mystery reader or run games and crafts to make the evening special. Special thanks to our Reading Team, Ms. Bjork, Ms. Mayyou and Ms. Nowak, that put the night together for all to enjoy.

This information to help you know about a state mandate related to child sexual abuse awareness education in Illinois schools. This mandate is commonly known as "Erin's Law." Erin Merryn was sexually abused as a child, and she didn't know how to stop it or get help. As a way to help others, she has become an advocate for training children about child sexual abuse and how children can stop it from occurring. The law mandates that schools provide age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention education in Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12. Teen dating violence is also a required topic for our middle school students. Gower School District 62 recognizes that the safety of children in school is a major concern.

Dear K, 2nd and 4th grade families,

The district is working with the YWCA Patterson and McDaniel Family Center. The YWCA Patterson and McDaniel Family Center is a local agency that specializes in age-appropriate sexual abuse awareness education through the Child Assault Prevention Project (CAP).

The CAP Project focuses on three components:

Bullying - children will learn about the importance of being respected and respecting others, options victim(s) have and the role that

bystanders have in preventing bullying.

Stranger Assault - children will learn about listening to their instincts, some self-defense techniques and what to do if approached by a stranger.

Known Adult Assault - children will learn that their body is their own; the difference between good and bad secrets and what to do if someone they know and trust hurts them.

Throughout the program instructors will be helping students to identify a safety network of adults that they can go to if they have any problems or concerns. Please partner with your children and learn how you, as a parent, can enhance their safety by viewing the virtual parents' program via the password protected links below. The parent presentation is available now and the links will expire on Monday, October 23, 2023 at 12:00 PM..

CAP Erin's Law Parent Presentation: https://ispri.ng/VNZ78

Password: GowerWE2025

Expires on: Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 12pm

(PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS AN ADULTS ONLY PRESENTATION)

Instruction for Gower West students will take place during the next few months.

Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grade students will be instructed through the one hour YWCA Child Assault Prevention Project one day during the week of October 21st.

If you do NOT want your child to participate in this instructional program, you will have the opportunity to "opt out" before the instruction takes place. Please call the office to opt out prior to Friday, October 18th, otherwise your child WILL participate in the program. NOTE: It is only necessary to contact the office if you DO NOT want your child to participate.

Ms. Breslin, Ms. Gutierrez and Mrs. Quirk will instruct students in Preschool, 1st and 3rd grades in the weeks following the YWCA presentations.

If you have any questions about the program or the form, please contact Social Worker, Emily Breslin (ebreslin@gower62.com), grades K, 2 &3), Social Worker, Juliana Gutierrez (jgutierrez@gower62.com), grades K, 1 & 4), School Psychologist Jeanette Quirk (jquirk@gower62.com, Preschool), Principal, Melissa Capizzi (mcapizzi@gower62.com) or Assistant Principal, Meg Hoff (mhoff@gower62.com). Thank you for your partnership in building a strong safety net for our children.

Veterans Day is approaching, and we want to honor this special day by creating a Veterans’ Wall at our school. To make this possible, we need help from our wonderful Gower community.

Please share photographs of family or friends who have served or are currently serving in the armed forces (in uniform is great!). Electronic photos (.jpeg via email) are preferred, but we can also accept paper photos and will quickly and carefully convert them to digital format. If you’d like to keep your original photo safe, you can bring it to the school office for on-site scanning. We have also kept any photos that families have previously shared, so there is no need to resend them.

Please provide the following information with your photos by Friday, October 25:

• Student Name
• Teacher's Name
• Veteran’s Name & Rank
• Relationship to Student
• Branch of Service
• Years Served

We’re excited to involve our families in honoring our veterans! If you have questions, please reach out to Meg Hoff at mhoff@gower62.com. Thank you!

Dear Gower Families,

We are thrilled to invite you to Gower’s Multicultural Extravaganza! Join us for an evening of celebration, where our school community will come together to showcase the rich diversity of cultures that make Gower so special.

Date: Thursday, October 17th
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Location: Gower Middle School

Here’s what you can look forward to:

Authentic Cultural Clothing – See students and families dressed in traditional attire from around the world.
Delicious Foods – Savor various foods from different countries and learn about the unique flavors and stories behind each dish.
Entertainment – Enjoy live performances showcasing music, dance, and traditions from different cultures.

This is a fantastic opportunity for the whole family to connect, learn, and celebrate the diverse backgrounds of our school community. Bring your friends and family for an unforgettable evening! All are welcome to this FREE event.

Are you worried about parking? There is still time to enter to win the Front Row Frenzy for Gower’s Multicultural Extravaganza through The Gower Foundation.

Thurs. Oct. 17 Gower Middle Multicultural Night 6:00-7:30p

Gower Middle Front Row Frenzy – Premier Parking (4 winners)

TEXT: 33100 multicultural

Website: http://go.rallyup.com/multicultural

We can't wait to see you there!

Best regards,

ELL Teachers and Gower Administration

Organizers of Gower Multicultural Night

• Gower West will celebrate Halloween on Thursday, October 31, which is an Early Release Day (11:00 AM dismissal K-4, 8-9:15 AM Preschool & 10-11:15 PM Preschool). Students ARE allowed to wear costumes to school on this day only.
• The costume parade will take place outside (weather permitting) around the building at 9:30 AM. All are invited to watch.
• Students will participate in a Halloween celebration following the parade.
• PTO will provide treats for students on this day. If you wish to send a non-edible treat for your child's class they must be brought to school by Oct. 30th to check them. No bouncy balls.
• Think safety when choosing costumes! No "weapons" of any kind can be brought to school. Please, no excessive bloody or gory masks. We want Halloween to be fun for everyone! Thank you!
• PTO will be soliciting parent volunteers to help host the party next week.

Thurs. Oct. 17 Gower Middle Multicultural Night 6:00-7:30p

Gower Middle Front Row Frenzy – Premier Parking (4 winners)

TEXT: 33100 multicultural

Website: http://go.rallyup.com/multicultural

We are looking for parent volunteers to help run the Junior Achievement program at Gower West! This is a great opportunity to work with students in your child’s class--no prior teaching experience required!

Junior Achievement is a program that offers age-appropriate curriculum that teaches financial literacy, community connectedness, and entrepreneurship. Parent volunteers will work with the teacher to set up a weekly 45-minute session for 5-6 weeks. All materials and training are provided. Minimal preparation required.

Second grade sessions will begin in October, and third grade sessions will begin in November. To volunteer, please complete this form as soon as possible.

We can only accommodate two (2) parent volunteers in each classroom, so first come first serve. Thank you so much for your time--this program is only possible with our amazing parent volunteers! If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Lynn Salahi lsalahi@gmail.com.

Sign up here!

NOTE: For grades KG, 1st, and 4th- stay tuned- JA sign-ups will start later this year!