South School News

As we are halfway through the school year, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind our families to review and update your contact information including your phone number (home, work, cell), email and emergency contact information.

Having accurate and up-to-date contact information is crucial for us to:

• Communicate effectively: We rely on this information to send messages and updates regarding school closures, emergencies and other important events.

• Ensure student safety: In case of an emergency, we need to be able to reach you quickly.

To update your contact information, please do so via the Campus Parent (Infinite Campus) website or use the Campus Parent app on your smartphone.

Should you have any additional questions, please contact the school office.

Your child recently took a FastBridge assessment in math and in reading. As a district, we use multiple data points to monitor your child’s progress with FastBridge being one of those assessments. Below are instructions on how to read the report. If you have specific questions or concerns about this assessment or about how your child is performing overall, please contact your child’s teacher.

How to read the FastBridge Family Report:

• Box 1: Shows an explanation of the assessments that your child took
• Box 2: Shows how your child performed on the assessments indicated
• Box 3: Shows how your child compares to other students nationally who took this same assessment
• Box 4: Shows how your child’s scores have changed over time
• If your child’s scores fall within the gray banded area your child is performing within the average range.
• Again, if you have any questions please contact your child’s teacher.

During the winter months, we use the Child Care Weather Watch to determine if students go outside for recess. We intend to go outdoors every day as long as the weather permits. We ask students to dress to match the weather conditions. Please send your child to school each day with hats, gloves and an appropriate jacket. Students will need to have boots and snow pants in order to play in the snow. Extra winter clothing may be stored in lockers. Please call the office with any questions.

Join D62 SEPAC for an informative virtual session on Navigating Transitions in Special Education on February 6th at 6:30 PM. Topics Covered: Transitioning from Pre-K to Kindergarten, Moving from 5th to 6th Grade, Preparing for High School from 8th Grade. This session is designed specifically for parents of special education students to help ease the transition between these critical stages in your child's educational journey. Please RSVP here. We look forward to seeing you there! Together, let's make each transition a success!

Tuesday, February 18th is a non-attendance day for students. We are using a portion of this day from 12 to 3 PM to schedule some Parent-Teacher Conferences. You will receive a notification from your child’s teacher if a conference is necessary. More information will be forthcoming.

District 62 uses the Standard Response Protocol when responding to situations that require students to be out of their normal routine. This can include things like a fire drill, a water spill in the hallway, something in the community outside of the building, and a severe weather situation. Please see the image to the right to familiarize yourself with the Standard Response Protocol. Safety is our number one priority in District 62.

Attendance is the strongest predictor of student success. Attendance matters! We love having all of our students here engaged learning every day! Please see the image to the left for a flyer with tips and information.

Please see below with information about MaineStay's free and low-cost services. They continue to expand their program offerings to meet the needs of the community.

• MAP and FastBridge Reports will be sent home to families on Friday, January 17th.
• Second Trimester Progress Reports will be sent home to families on Friday, January 17th.
• There is No School on Monday, January 20th for MLK Day.
• District 62 will hold their January Board of Education Meeting is on Tuesday, January 21st at 7 PM in the Forest Boardroom.
• Our February PTO meeting is Wednesday, February 5th at 6 PM on Zoom. We hope to see you there!

• South's 4th and 5th Grade Concert is on Wednesday, February 12th. The daytime concert begins at 10:10 AM and the evening concert begins at 6 PM. The PTO will host a bake sale following the evening performance.
• There is No School on Monday, February 17th for President's Day and on Tuesday, February 18th for a Teacher Institute/ Parent-Teacher Conference Day.

Email: south@d62.org
Website: http://south.d62.org/
Location: 1535 Everett Avenue, Des Plaines, IL, USA
Phone: 847-824-1566
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/South-Elementary-School-Des-Plaines-IL-241984412674318/