February 2025

Friday, February 7th - Conference Signup Closes

Friday, February 7th - School Newsletter Bulldog Brief Published

Friday, February 7th - Student Council Spirit Day - Super Bowl Day

Monday, February 10th - Group Yearbook Pictures

Tuesday, February 11th - BFA Lino's

Wednesday, February 12th - Summer School & 25/26 School Year Registration Opens

Wednesday, February 12th - PT Conferences

Thursday, February 13th - Valentine's Day Parties 9AM

Thursday, February 13th - PT Conferences

Thursday, February 13th - 1:15 PM Early Release

Thursday, February 13th - Student Council Spirit Day - Valentine's Day

Friday, February 14th - No School

Sunday, February 16th - BFA Chicago Wolves Event

Monday, February 17th - No School

Tuesday, February 18th - BFA Culver's Day

Wednesday, February 19th - Families Learning Together

Thursday February 20th - 5th Grade Basketball Tournament Begins

Thursday February 20th - Families Learning Together

Friday, February 21st - Bulldog Brief Published

Friday, February 21st - Student Council Spirit Day - PJ / Cozy Day

Monday, February 24th - Families Learning Together

Tuesday, February 25th - BFA Max's Food Day

Friday, February 28th - 1:15 PM Early Release

Friday, February 28th - Student Council Spirit Day - College Day

Tuesday, March 4th - BFA Dos Amigos Food Day

Tuesday, March 4th - BFA General Meeting 10AM

Tuesday, March 4th - 4th Grade Basketball Tournament Begins

Friday, March 7th - BFA Winterfest 5-8PM

We will soon introduce a new communication tool, ParentSquare, that provides a more secure and engaging way to communicate between District 70 teachers and families. ParentSquare can be accessed directly through email, a website, and a mobile app, and will host emails, newsletters, and photos of classroom activities, for families to find in one location.

If you want to learn more, please visit the communications page of the District 70 website.

Registration for D70 Summer School and the upcoming 25-26 school year is almost here. Registration for both opens on Feb. 12th!

Summer School

We are proud to build on the success of last year’s program and offer a fun and engaging summer school program this June. The updated course catalog is posted on the District 70 Summer School website. Courses include chess, digital art, beginning ukulele, traveling around the world, soccer, volleyball, math essentials, keyboarding, and much more!

Program information

• Dates: June 4 - July 3, 2025

• Times & Days: 8:30 - 11:45 am, Monday - Thursday (no school on Fridays or June 19)

• Grades: K-8

• Location: Copeland Manor School, 801 7th Ave.

• What: Both enrichment and academic classes are being offered

• Tuition: $425

• Register through the PowerSchool Parent Portal

• Busing: Available for an additional fee - pick-up locations are Adler Park, Butterfield, and Rockland schools.

• Questions: Contact D70 Summer School Director Dr. Lori Poelking at lpoelking@d70schools.org

For directions on Summer School registration, please view the Summer School website.

The BFA is gearing up for another family fun event featuring inflatables, a DJ, bingo, face painting, raffle baskets, food, and more! Wristbands, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and raffle tickets will go on sale in February. In the meantime, visit the Amazon wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/407RMPHGUOXE?ref_=wl_share or membership toolkit: https://butterfieldfa.membershiptoolkit.com to make your raflle basket donation by February 21st. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to your room parent or Jaclyn Rodriguez (773-531-8921 or bfawinterfest@gmail.com). And don't forget to mark your calendars for

Students that participated in various Butterfield activities will take a picture with their group for the yearbook this day.
Students that are new or were absent for the previous picture days can take their photo for the yearbook this day as well.

List of Groups

Parent/Teacher conferences are an important opportunity to connect about your child’s progress. Fall conference sign-ups will begin at 9 AM on Tuesday, January 21st through SignUp.com. You can register for a conference time using this link:https://signup.com/go/sELcMMC.

The Winter conferences will take place on Wednesday, February 12th (5:15-8:15 PM) and Thursday, February 13th (3:15-8:15 PM). Be sure to sign up early to secure a convenient time slot!

https://signup.com/go/sELcMMC

Valentine’s Day Parties will take place in classrooms Thursday, February 13th. Please be on the lookout for more information from your child’s headroom parent.

Please keep in mind the following…

With increased scrutiny regarding school security, we wanted to clarify our plans for Valentine’s Day in regards to keeping our students safe and the building secure. In order to manage the large number of visitors that attend these events, it is in the best interest and safety of the students to limit the number of guests in attendance. We ask that only the head room parent and the preselected party volunteers attend the classroom parties. Volunteer names will be sent to the office indicating you are allowed to attend the party. Check-in for party volunteers will begin at 8:30AM with access to the rooms beginning no sooner than 8:45AM

• Parties = 9:00-10:00 AM

• Volunteer Access to Classroom for Setup=8:45-9:00 AM

• Volunteer Check-in=8:30-8:45 AM

As the cooler weather settles in, please help us to ensure that children are dressed appropriately for the elements. Please label coats, snow pants, hats, gloves, boots, etc.

Just a reminder that students will be kept indoors for recess only when air temperatures fall below 10 degrees or when the wind chill temperature falls below 0. With this in mind, please have children dress appropriately for recess.

While it is always a goal to have students in school, when safety is an issue, there is no compromise to placing children at risk. With that in mind, when there is a forecast of inclement weather, television and radio stations, as well as reports from the National Weather Service and Weather Channel, are monitored.

When heavy snow or extremely cold temperatures are predicted, superintendents in neighboring school districts begin planning in the early morning hours of, and sometimes even the night before a storm. Communication is maintained with District 70's bus company representatives and the district's maintenance/snow removal crews as well.

Visit D70's website for more information to learn how school closure decision is made.

Libertyville District 70 may call a snow/emergency day where there is no school. The District would then ask students to attend an extra day at the end of the school year on a planned traditional emergency day. To learn more about district weather related closings please visit the page about School Closing Information

The other option is to enact an “eLearning day.” Please see the information below on how to engage remotely during eLearning instruction.

The District will likely call one or two emergency days prior to enacting eLearning as to not extend the school calendar too far into June.

Five things parents should know about eLearning

1. The school day starts at 8:15 for Grades 1-5 and 8:50 for 6-8.
2. Your child's teacher (grades 1-5) will communicate Google Meet codes by 8:00 am. In grades 6-8, Google Meet codes are the first initial and last name of the teacher (Ex: Michelle Langlie = mlanglie)
3. Little Sprouts and Kindergarten will have a packet to work on for the day, and the teacher will provide office hours for parent questions about eLearning..
4. Specials and student support (GTE, special education, intervention) will be scheduled for your child if they typically attend on that given day.
5. Samples schedules and more information are listed below.

The Family Association has created a wonderful opportunity for parents to share their appreciation and recognition with our amazing Butterfield staff! If you’d like to send a personal note of thanks, simply fill out the Google Doc they’ve provided. Whether it’s a teacher, custodian, or support staff, your kind words go a long way in brightening their day and acknowledging all the hard work they do. Let’s take a moment to show our gratitude and celebrate the incredible team that makes Butterfield such a great place for our students!

To send a teacher a thank you, click here

FLT/FAN Topic: John Lewis: A Life

Presenter: David Greenberg, Ph.D.

Interviewer: TBD

When: 7 p.m. on Feb. 19

Zoom Registration Link: ZOOM COMING SOON

Program Information: A professor of history and of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University and author or editor of several books on American history and politics. Greenberg's biography of Congressman John Lewis (FAN '16, '17) has received overwhelming praise since its October release. "Monumental," exemplary," "lyrical," "profoundly moving, indefatigably researched, and absorbingly written'; that's just a small sample. The book landed on many 2024 Top 10 lists -- we're thrilled to host.

FLT/FAN Topic: The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing

Presenter: Mary-Frances O'Connor, Ph.D. (FAN '22)

Interviewer: Meghan Riordan Jarvis, MA, LICSW

When: 7 p.m. on Feb. 20

Zoom Registration Link: ZOOM COMING SOON

Program Information: A professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss, and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab. O'Connor's 2022 event for FAN for her book The Grieving Brain was a sensitive, thoughtful exploration of the neuroscience of grief. Her new book expands the topic to examine the impact of grief and loss on our cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems. This will be a fascinating program that touches all of us.

FLT/FAN Topic: Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will

Presenter: Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D.

Interviewer: Oliver Burkeman, FAN '24

When: Noon on Feb. 24, 2025

Zoom Registration Link: ZOOM COMING SOON

Program Information: Robert Sapolsky a giant in his field, and the book has been reviewed and debated everywhere. Sapolsky is a John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor of Biology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery at Stanford University, as well as a research associate at the Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya. He is also a NYT bestselling author of multiple books. Sapolsky so enjoyed his time this fall when he interviewed Jamil Zaki for FAN and subsequently reached out to see if we would be interested in a program for his most recent book about free will.

Please note the noon CT start time for this event, as Burkeman (interviewer) lives in England.

Thank you to the following students listed below

for your generous donations to our library!

Caroline K. – Disney Villains Cookbook

Ellie S. – Trouble at the Tangerine

Alexander G. – The Wishkeepers Apprentice

Jackson S. – The Unofficial Super Mario Cookbook

Rhett A. – Too Pig To Fail

Hattie C. – The Truth About 5th Grade

Lianna E. – Dino-Earth Day

Mary C. – The First Cat in Space And The Wrath of The Paperclip

Robbie K. – Wings of Fire Escaping Peril Graphic Novel

Lazar B. – Pop Corn

Connor G. – Erno Rubik and His Magic Cube

Elsie M. – Apple Crush

Ananya R. – Nothing Rhymes with Orange

Dylan T. – My Footprints

Website: https://butterfield.d70schools.org/
Location: 1441 Lake Street, Libertyville, IL, USA
Phone: 847-362-3120
Twitter: @Butterfield_D70