Viking Newsletter

Please join the Taft Foundation for their open meeting on Tuesday night at 7:00 PM. The Taft BETA Club will provide supervision for child care in the gym. The Taft Foundation is a group of dedicated community members that in just the last year have helped fund our new playground, the K-4 Art Program, gates to secure the playground, the 4th-8th grade STEM Club, and the planetarium assembly. They also directly support the Taft Parents Athletic Association and Bragi's Players

On Tuesday, February 18, the 5 Essentials Survey will open for staff, students, and parents. This survey provides a detailed look into the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent or guardian, you’ll have the opportunity to share your thoughts on key elements of school effectiveness. When the survey opens, a link will be sent, please take a moment to complete it. Your input is highly valued by all of us at Taft!

Taft administration was made aware of some anonymous social media posts this last week claiming that we have been unresponsive to bullying that may be happening at Taft. While our society can always do a better job of being nice to each other I can assure everyone that every report of our students teasing, taunting, and bullying are addressed as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.

I would like to say that the first time either me or Mrs. Thompson were made directly aware of the issue outlined in the anonymous post was almost a day after the initial post. When the parent reached out we invited them in for a meeting within hours and began addressing the situation immediately. We worked with all of the students who were named by the individual and reached out to all parents. We have also repeatedly checked in on the student multiple times each day and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Finally, I would like to remind all of our parents how accessible we are at Taft. Most days a parent can simply walk into school and see either Mrs. Thompson or myself without any type of appointment. We are readily available via school phone and email. Taft uses the StopIt app which can be found on our school's website and/or at the bottom of this newsletter. When a StopIt report is created it sends me, Mrs. Thompson, and Mrs. Dyer a text message within seconds and we stop whatever we are doing, day or night, to check on the report and communicate with each other about a plan of action. Finally, I routinely provide my cell phone number to our community to reach out directly to me. If you have any issues outside of school please reach out to me directly so we can talk about the issue. My cell phone number is 708.514.1659.

Over the last two weeks I had multiple parents reach out to me asking for help getting their students to school on the coldest days and when that Facebook post was made earlier this week I received no less that 37 text messages from 14 separate people alerting me to the issue. That's a long way of saying that I was readily accessible that night just like I am every night. While I would never tell anyone how or when to use social media I would highly suggest simply reaching out to us directly and or coming to an open session of a school board meeting to air your concerns. It is much more effective.

Our Viking of the Week is extra special because he is fluent in two languages, how cool is that?!?! Ms. Gura has nominated second-grader Abraham Proa-Serrano for his outstanding achievements. Here’s what she had to say about him: I am so proud of how hard Abraham has been working in my room. His spelling tests have been amazing. He is reading so well and continues to impress me every day. He is working so hard on being the best student and Viking he can be! Keep up the fabulous work Abraham.

Everyone wants to go with Mrs. Haas whenever she walks into a classroom! However, not everyone needs to see her. Here is what is happening in Mrs. Haas, your friendly speech/language pathologist, classroom. In speech and language, we are working very hard on ARTICULATING our speech sounds such as K, S, CH, R among so many others! We are also working on following multi-step directions as well as answering comprehension questions after learning what each WH question word means: such as WHERE wants to know about the place, and WHO wants to know about the people. Another thing we are working hard on is learning the rules of grammar, such as using correct verb tenses and correct pronouns among many other fun things.

The Lady Vikings Volleyball team had 3 games this week. They played Gompers, Laraway and Kelvin Grove. The 7th grade team lost to Gompers but beat Laraway and Kelvin Grove. The 8th grade team beat Gompers and Laraway but lost to Kelvin Grove. The girls play at home on Wednesday against Elwood and Thursday against Fairmont. Good luck ladies.

The Boys Volleyball team has their first games this week. They play at Kelvin Grove on Wednesday and at home on Friday against Oak Prairie. Good luck boys.

Attached is the February look ahead calendar for your review. From time to time we may send an updated calendar if there are any changes.

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Please check out the Lockport Township Park District Newsletter attached below. We are so fortunate to have such a tremendous park district serving our community. There are so many activities and events scheduled!

Teachers and Administration have been addressing social media challenges. We cannot do this alone and need support from home. We understand that social media is a significant part of their social world. While platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat can be fun and engaging, they also come with risks that require careful attention and guidance.

Here are some tips to help keep your child safe online:

1. Open Communication
   Talk openly with your child about their online activities. Ask which platforms they use, who they interact with, and what they post. Creating a judgment-free space encourages them to share concerns or ask for help if needed.

2. Address Negative Posting or Commenting
   Talk to your child about the impact of posting or commenting on content in a way that isn’t nice. Explain how words can hurt, even online, and encourage them to pause and think about how their comments might affect others. Reinforce that being kind and respectful online reflects positively on their character.

3. Privacy Settings
   Help your child enable privacy settings on their accounts to limit who can see their posts and send messages. Regularly review these settings as platforms often update their features.

4. Recognize Red Flags
   Teach your child to identify and report inappropriate behavior, such as cyberbullying or messages from strangers. Let them know it’s okay to block someone who makes them uncomfortable.

5. Lead by Example
   Model healthy social media habits. Be mindful of your own online behavior, and show your child how to use social media responsibly.

Junior high is a time of growth and discovery, and social media can play a positive role when used thoughtfully. By working together, we can help ensure our students stay safe while enjoying the benefits of technology.

If you have any questions or would like additional resources, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Staff will be outside each morning beginning at 8:10 AM - 8:20 AM to supervise students prior to them entering the building at 8:20 AM. Before 8:10 AM, there will not be any supervision for students so we ask that parents please do not drop off your students before that. There is no parking in the drop-off lanes on 16th and 17th Streets. Parents who wish to park or wait with their children are expected to use the spaces on Washington Street. The drop-off lanes on 16th and 17th Streets are designed for parents to drive up and drop students off and proceed forward. Parents should simply wait in line until they get close to the school and then drop off students. Jumping the line to save a few seconds is dangerous and breaks down the process for everyone and will take longer in the end.

School ends at 3:15 PM and pick-up time generally follows the same procedures except parents will typically begin lining up prior to school letting out. During pickup time it is acceptable for parents to wait in their cars for their students however parents should not park, and leave their cars in the pickup lane unattended. As the line moves we ask that parents pull as far forward as possible to ensure the traffic flows and to allow more students to enter their cars. Please note that with the upgraded curves on the 16th Street side that there is a change in the traffic pattern.

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade - Line up on the back playground each morning and enter through Door 4. Teachers will come out and get them from their lines. First and second-grade students will be dismissed out the playground doors each day. Kindergarten will be dismissed from Door 2 nearest to the kindergarten classroom. All students in kindergarten through 2nd grade must be picked up by a parent or sibling and checked out with their teachers to ensure our youngest students are safely picked up.

3rd & 4th Grade - Line up and dismissed from Door 7 on 17th Street

5th - 8th Grade - Line up and dismissed from Door 2 on 16th Street

All students entering early childhood-including speech services, kindergarten, and 6th grade are required to have a current physical examination completed on the approved Illinois Department of Public Health Form.. A sports physical does not meet the requirement. The parent portion on the upper backside of the form must be completed and signed. Required physical exam with updated immunizations must be turned in by October 15,2023 to avoid exclusion from school.

• Preschool
  

  
  

  Complete Preschool Physical Examination

  No additional immunization requirement if up-to-date.

  
  

• Kindergarten
  

  
  

  Complete Kindergarten Physical Examination and all required immunizations including:

  • Two doses of MMR Vaccine

  • Four doses of Polio Vaccine

  • Four doses of DPT/DTaP Vaccine

  • Three doses of Hepatitis B

  • Two doses of Varicella Vaccine (chicken pox)

  • Complete Kindergarten Eye Examination - Must be turned in prior to October 15 of the current school year.
    

  • Complete Kindergarten Dental Examination - Must be turned in prior to May 15 of the current school year.

  
  

  • 6th Grade
    

    
    

    Complete 6th grade Physical Examination and all required immunizations including:

    • One dose of Tdap Vaccine

    • One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (meningitis) after the 11th birthday

    • Two doses of Varicella Vaccine (chicken pox)

    • Three doses of Hepatitis B at the required intervals

    Complete 6th grade Dental Examination - Must be turned in prior to May 15 of the current school year.

    
    

  
  

  Students entering an Illinois school from out of state or out of the country for the first time at any grade level must also provide the physical exam form. The exam must be completed no earlier than a year (365 days) prior to the start of attendance at an Illinois school.

  
  

Stop it is an online program that students can use to report bullying or any unsafe behavior while remaining anonymous. These reports come through to the Superintendent, Principal, and Social Worker via text so we can address the situation right away. This provides the student with an opportunity to share their concerns if they feel they cannot speak immediately to an adult.

We continue to teach our students to advocate for themselves in situations where they feel they can speak to a situation on their own. The students are reminded there are different approaches to stop bullying or unsafe situations outside of reporting things anonymously. Students are encouraged to share concerns with friends, staff, and family to learn to advocate for themselves. However, we understand that there are some situations where students may feel safer reporting discreetly.

If you have any questions regarding the Stop It program, please contact Mrs. Thompson or Mr. Calabrese.

Email: j.calabrese@taftsd90.org
Website: www.taft90.org
Location: 1605 South Washington Street, Lockport, IL, USA
Phone: (815)838-0434
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taft.vikings
Twitter: @jjcalabrese