Hornet Happenings

Friday, February 28

NO SCHOOL - TEACHERS INSTITUTE DAY

PTO's BIG/SMALL BALL, 7 p.m. @ KG

Monday, March 3

REPORT CARDS DISTRIBUTED

Wednesday, March 5

PAA Monthly Meeting & Nominations, 7 p.m. @ KG

Thursday, March 6

PTO Meeting, 7 p.m. @ MG

Sunday, March 9

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS

Tuesday, March 11

D91 School Board Meeting, 7 p.m. @ KG LRC

Thursday, March 13

SPRING PICTURES @ MG/KG

Monday, March 17

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Wednesday, March 19

LATE START, 9:30 a.m.

"Spring Into Music" 2nd/3rd Grade Music Program, 7 p.m. @ MG

Thursday, March 20

FIRST DAY OF SPRING

Monday, March 24 - Friday, March 28

SPRING BREAK - NO SCHOOL

Dear Parents,

The entire D91 staff values your support and collaboration over the past year. Once again, we are asking families to respond to the annual 5 Essentials survey to inform our continued school improvement work. Throughout late february and March, we are asking our teachers, students, and parents to participate in the annual 5 Essentials Survey administration. Reports will be sent to schools and districts in late spring of 2025 and will also be included in the State School Report Card.

The survey is administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education. It 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

Parents are encouraged to participate in this year's 5 Essentials Parent Supplement Survey. This information has been helpful to both the MIlne and Kelvin school leadership teams in developing past school improvement plans and we would like to continue to receive feedback from caregivers. As a parent, you will be asked to share your thoughts on important elements of our schools' effectiveness. Families with children at both schools are asked to complete one survey for each school. If at least 20 percent of each school's families complete this survey, a parent supplement report will be generated. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

The Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey Supplement collection window for D91 is now through March 2025. To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/

For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view previous years’ Reports, please visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois.

Thank you,

Mr. John Jennings, Principal, Kelvin Grove

jjennings@d91.net

815-838-0737 x1105

Mrs. Jaime Koziol, Principal, Milne Grove

jkoziol@d91.net

815-838-0542 x2104

Our Junior High teachers have been participating in ongoing Professional Learning on the Science of Reading as we prepare to do curriculum review in the near future. The Science of Reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world, and it is derived from thousands of studies conducted in multiple languages. The Science of Reading has culminated in a preponderance of evidence to inform how proficient reading and writing develop; why some have difficulty; and how we can most effectively assess and teach and, therefore, improve student outcomes through prevention of and intervention for reading difficulties.

Our Literacy Team, composed of our ELA teachers in Grades 6-8, will be using the knowledge they build through their Professional Learning to choose two curricula that will be piloted next school year. Leading the process are two literacy coaches and consultants, Sheryl Leturgey and Joy Kamp, who come to us from the Will County Regional Office of Education. We look forward to working with them as we embark on this curriculum review process for ELA! The timeline for our District’s ELA Curriculum Adoption is below for your review.

Mrs. Dimitra Georganas, District Curriculum Coordinator

dgeorganas@d91.net

815-838-0737 x1124

February is National Children's Dental Health Month! This month-long observance promotes healthy habits and proper oral hygiene to prevent the most common condition among children - cavities!

Did you know that early childhood tooth decay has become the most common chronic childhood disease, impacting more children than asthma? According to the American Dental Association (ADA), more than 40% of children have tooth decay by the time they reach Kindergarten. Additionally, kids who suffer from poor oral health are three times more likely to miss school as a result of dental pain.

Did you know that February 9th is National Toothache Day? Who would think to celebrate this day; it is a bit of an odd one. This day is observed to not celebrate, but rather raise awareness of dental concerns and promote good oral hygiene to avoid toothaches!

Toothaches can be caused by many different reasons, including: food stuck between gums, decay or a cavity, cracked tooth or filling, infection (may or may not cause an abscess), sinus infections, as well as trauma to or near the oral cavity.

How can you help decrease the chances of your child(ren) developing cavities?

• Schedule routine check-ups. If it's been more than six months since your child has seen a dentist, schedule an appointment as soon as possible

• Brush 2x a day, with fluoride toothpaste (if younger than age 2, consult with your dentist when to being introducing fluoride toothpaste), with a soft bristle toothbrush

• Floss between all teeth that are touching

• Limit drinks and foods that contain added sugars - stick to water to help rinse away any sugar or food particles

• Increase fruits and vegetables in diet; Offer calcium-rich snacks like cheese or low-sugar yogurt. If you do offer an occasional candy treat, a chocolate bar is preferable to sticky or gummy sweets that can get lodged in between teeth

Remember that all students in Kindergarten, 2nd, and 6th grades MUST have a current dental form/waiver on file in the health office by May 15, 2025. Those students who are non-compliant will have their final report cards held.

Mrs. C. Olson, BSN, RN

Milne Grove Nurse

815-838-0542 ~ x2106

Ms. N. Hasamear, BSN, RN

Kelvin Grove Nurse

815-838-0737 ~ x1102

Mrs. Lucy Fiday - MG SPED

Ms. Cindy Navarro - MG SEL Aide

Mrs. Molly Maci - KG 7/8 Social Studies

Mrs. Diane Zimmerman - KG Custodian

Mrs. Sharon Bruemmer - KG LRC

Mrs. Laurel Clark - KG Physical Education

Mrs. Rebecca Maly - MG 2nd Grade

Ms. Kaylee Gannon - KG 4th Grade

Ms. Nicole Plagman - KG Band

Mrs. Cheryl Steed - MG 3rd Grade

Visit kgcyberlibrary.weebly.com to see what's happening in the KG LRC each week.

The LRC is a welcoming environment where students can locate books for recreational reading AND classroom assignments and projects. Forgot your print books? No worries -- use Destiny Discover to locate digital books, too! 24/7 access. Students have access to the LRC MakerSpace, too, with a variety of S.T.R.E.A.M activities available. The Kelvin Grove Learning Resource Center serves students in grades 4 through 8.

D91 Web KG LRC Web KGTV Instagram Facebook Twitter (X)

1st Place: 3rd Grade Maier, 5th Grade Girls Ramirez

3rd Place: 4th Grade Adcock, 6th Grade Coed, 3rd Grade Arvidson

1st Place: 3rd Grade Ward, 5th Grade Girls Ramirez, 5th Grade Boys Ward

2nd Place: 3rd Grade Arvidson

4th Place: 3rd Grade Maier, 6th Grade Lindstrom

1st Place: 3rd Grade Maier, 5th Grade Girls Ramirez

2nd Place: 5th Grade Boys Ward

3rd Place: 3rd Grade Ward, 4th Grade Adcock

4th Place: 3rd Grade Arvidson, 6th Grade Lindstrom

Hot Shot Competition Winners:

Josephine O. - 6th Grade Girls, Callum A. - 3rd Grade Boys, Lillianna A. - 4th Grade Girls

Teachers pay close attention and work hard to understand your child’s learning. One measure they use is testing. Many students take tests in stride as part of school. Many other students experience a certain level of test anxiety. Test anxiety is the worried, nervous, or scared feeling that happens to you when it is time to take a test or a quiz. These are not comfortable feelings. So if your child is struggling with this, what can you do about it? Read the list below for some test taking tips to discuss with your child.

Get a good night's sleep.

Before and during the test, calm your body.

Read all the answer choices.

Eat a healthy breakfast.

Take slow deep breaths.

Focus on keywords.

Use positive self-talk, such as “You’ve got this!”

Drink water.

Eliminate answers you know are wrong.

Talk about your worries.

Count backwards from 10.

Read carefully.

Picture yourself doing well on the test.

Stretch.

Ignore distractions.

Remind your child that tests do not measure your ideas, kindness, creativity, or self-worth!

If your child’s anxiety is growing, please reach out to a child therapist. The school counselor and social workers can help connect you to counseling agencies. There are a lot of resources in our community. You can call 211 or check out one of these sites to find a whole variety of community resources.

https://lockportresource.org/community-resources/

https://beacon.illinois.gov/

https://sites.google.com/d91.net/mrscarresciascounselingcorner/community-resources?authuser=0

Will County Health Department & Community Health Center

https://willcountyhealth.org/

The Behavioral Health Division’s main office in Joliet (501 Ella Ave.) continues to offer outpatient mental health services for adults, children, and adolescents, psychiatric assessments, and substance use treatment and recovery services. Will County also will dispatch a crisis response team to assist you or your family prior to any admission to a hospital for inpatient care. They have a dental clinic, micro food pantry, eye care services, a pharmacy, assistance enrolling in health insurance, high risk infant follow up, immunizations, and a phlebotomy lab.

If you would like additional support surrounding test taking or finding community resources, please contact any of us! We can be reached by email, Parent Square, or by phone:

Milne Grove:

Ms. Rajca, MG/KG 3-5 Social Worker, jrajca@d91.net, 815-838-0737 ext. 1175

Mrs. Reynolds, MG K-2 Social Worker, mreynolds@d91.net, 815-838-0542 ext. 2103

Kelvin Grove:

Mrs. Carrescia, KG School Counselor, acarrescia@d91.net, 815-838-0737 ext. 1170

Ms. Onate, KG 6-8 Social Worker, sonate@d91.net, 815-838-0737 ext. 1176

Ms. Rajca, MG/KG 3-5 Social Worker, jrajca@d91.net, 815-838-0737 ext. 1175

If you like interacting with the kids and can be flexible; If you enjoy different settings and different age groups of kids, then substitute teaching at Milne or Kelvin Grove is what you have been looking for! Contact Athena Freeman for details (must possess a bachelor's degree and be willing to obtain the sub teacher credential through ISBE). afreeman@d91.net

Email: jkoziol@d91.net
Website: www.d91.net
Location: 565 East 7th Street, Lockport, IL, United States
Phone: 815-838-0542

Email: jjennings@d91.net
Website: d91.net
Location: 808 Adams Street, Lockport, IL, USA
Phone: 815-838-0737