Friday Focus

• A Message from Marcie
• Front Circle Drop Off Reminders - Please Read and Share
• Park District Enrichment and Before/After Care Next week
• Weekly Tech Tip
• Chasing Childhood
• DHS Trunk or Treat
• Choosing a Photo for the Yearbook and Retakes (2nd Posting)
  
• Halloween is Coming! (2nd Posting)
  
• Calling all 5th Graders! Join the Caruso Middle School Wrestling Team! (2nd Posting)
  

• This Week in Pictures
  

• News from Early Learners

Check out the PTO Spotlight here:

• Indoor Recess Game Donations Needed
• Bring in coins to vote during Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest 10-28-10/31
• Order Elsie Mae Pie by 10/31
• Sign up for Dad's Night Out-11/7
• Sign up for Chicago Wolves Games-11/17 at 3pm
• and much more...

Thanks for a great week, South Park!

This week, we successfully completed two additional emergency drills for school safety and earthquakes. Our students did a terrific job participating and practicing during both of the drills.

As we continue our month of emergency drills, next Wednesday, our students will take part in a severe weather drill. This practice ensures that our students are well-prepared to respond quickly and safely in the event of a tornado or other intense storms during the school day.

A reminder that we will have parent teacher conferences next week on Thursday, October 24th from 1:00-8:00 p.m. and on Friday, October 25th from 8:30-11:30 a.m. To accommodate our conference schedule, K-5 students will be dismissed on Thursday at 11:40 a.m. and Friday will be a non-attendance day.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Marcie

We are noticing a lot of adults getting out of their vehicles during front circle drop off in the morning. As the weather turns colder, and more families utilize this drop off location, we anticipate more traffic flow concerns.

If you utilize the front circle for morning drop off, please follow the guidelines below with anyone who drives your child:

• Pull your vehicle all the way up toward the front entrance of South Park and let your child get out of your vehicle unassisted.
• All drivers should stay in their cars while students exit their vehicles.
• If your child needs help getting out of the car, please pull all the way up and past the front entrance of our school to help them.

On cold and rainy days, we will let children through the front door of the school so that they don't have to walk too far to their grade level door. We must ask that everyone pull up to keep the traffic flowing!

As a reminder, there are no Deerfield Park District enrichment courses next week due to our abbreviated schedule.

Before & after school care will take place as scheduled on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. There will be before care on Thursday but no after school care.

Please reach out to the park district if you have any questions.

While we encourage everyone to limit time spent on devices, we understand that these tools can foster meaningful connections when used wisely. However, in today’s digital age, it can be difficult to stay informed about the latest apps and trends to ensure your child's online safety. We want to do our part in supporting students and families in the various ways they can implement security settings on their children’s devices and monitor time spent online. What better time to introduce these tech tips than October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Throughout the school year, we will feature practical technology tips in our newsletters, offering fresh ideas for families to use at home developed by our own Student Resource Officer, Lauren Maldonado, and our Innovations Specialist, Maria Galanis.

Trunk or Treat is School Chest’s first event of the year! From 5:00 to 6:30 pm on October 25th, families are invited to show off their best costumes and head over to DHS for unique trick-or-treating and other fun festivities! This event will be at the DHS back parking lot next to the softball fields. All young children and families are welcome! We hope to see you there, no sign-up is necessary! All donations will benefit this year's beneficiary - Mother's Trust Foundation.

Now that school photos have been released, families are encouraged to select a photo for the yearbook. Please go to the Stuart-Rogers website and select a portrait-style photo for the yearbook by November 5th 2024? While there are several poses to choose from, it would be optimal for a "portrait" pose to be selected to be used in the yearbook.

If you would like your child to have their school photo retaken, please let your child's teacher know. Photo retakes will take place on Tuesday, October 22nd between 9:00-11:00 a.m.

This year, we will be celebrating Halloween at South Park on Thursday, October 31.

We want to remind families to be cautious when helping your child select a costume for Halloween. Using another's culture as a Halloween costume can be viewed as insensitive or offensive. In addition, we encourage students to be as inclusive as possible when dressing in group costumes so that students do not feel excluded during the Halloween festivities.

Below are some additional reminders about wearing costumes at school.

• Please do not send students with accessories (e.g witches broom).
  
• Toy weapons are strictly prohibited.
  
• Students should either wear costumes to school all day or have the ability to change into costumes in the classroom. Students will not be permitted to change clothes in the bathrooms.
  
• Masks that cover the face as a costume accessory can be worn during the parade and party, not during class time as it may be a distraction during learning.
  

If you need assistance in providing your child with a Halloween costume, please reach out to Dr. Faust.

Families who are not comfortable sending their child in costume, please reach out to your child's teacher so that we can be sensitive to you or your child's feelings about dressing up for Halloween. We want everyone at South Park to feel comfortable.

Weather permitting, families will be invited to watch our annual Halloween Parade at 2:00 on Halloween. Additional details will be shared in the coming weeks.

Caruso Middle School has a long tradition of running a successful wrestling club open to 5th through 8th grade students.

Though practice begins at 3:15 p.m. at Caruso, 5th graders can still participate after they are dismissed from school at South Park.

For more information, reach out to Tom Hoy at thoy@dps109.org.

This week, our preschoolers fully embraced the fall season with exciting activities centered around pumpkins and apples! In Ms. Fink's classroom, children explored the wonderful world of apples by participating in a fun taste test and even making their own applesauce. They also learned about the different parts of an apple, sparking their curiosity and enhancing their understanding of this tasty fruit. Meanwhile, in Ms. Prause's classroom, students focused on pumpkins, engaging in creative pumpkin painting and incorporating their creations into dramatic play. They, too, learned about the various parts of a pumpkin, deepening their appreciation for this seasonal favorite.

In Ms. Armstrong's classroom, the students celebrated "Applepalooza," where they had a blast painting with apples and experimenting with a Makey Makey circuit board to discover how it worked. They also enjoyed graphing their favorite apple types after another delightful taste test. Mrs. Smith's class continued the fall theme with pumpkin-themed art projects and discussions comparing the parts of pumpkins and apples. It's wonderful to see how engaged our students are in their learning, truly embracing the joy of the fall season!

Update for PM Families - Picture Retake Day will be on Tuesday, October 22. This is a morning only even that ends at 11:00 AM. If you are interested in having your student come to Picture Retake Day, please be sure to arrive during the event.

• All visitors to South Park School MUST bring a valid driver's license or state ID card to the main office before entering into the building. Beginning this year, we will collect IDs during your visit and return it to you as you leave.
• If your child is going to be absent from school, you need to call or email us by 9:00 that morning. ** Call 847-945-5895, ext. 2103 and leave a message OR ** Email Nurse Nora Moskos.
• Please follow our morning procedures, and drop your children off at their regular grade level doors. If you choose to drive through the front circle at arrival, kindly stay in your car when you drop off to help us reduce morning congestion.
• K-5 drop-off is between 8:35-8:45 a.m. Students who arrive after 8:45 a.m. will need to enter through the front door of the school, as all other doors will be locked.
• Dismissal for all Kindy and 1st-grade walkers and car riders will take place at their grade level door.
  
• Early Learners drop-off/pick-up info can be found here.
• When parking in our Birchwood parking lot, please remember that our preschoolers are dropped off and picked up by the west end (closest to the school). Sometimes, their parents' cars can block a parked car from exiting for a few minutes. To avoid that, we suggest that you park closer to Birchwood Avenue.

Tuesday, October 22

• Picture Retake Day - 9:00-11:00 a.m.

• K-5 Students Early Dismissal 11:40 a.m.
• Parent Teacher Conferences 1:00-8:00 p.m. (Sign-Up here)
• Early Learners - Non-attendance Day, Tentative Family Event TBD

• Non-attendance Day for all students
• Parent Teacher Conferences 8:00-11:00 a.m.
  

• Halloween Parade 2:00 p.m. (Livestream link will be shared by 1:30 p.m.)

2024-25 Music Concert Dates:

• 5th Grade - Wednesday, January 29th @ 6:00

• 4th Grade - Wednesday, February 12th @ 6:00

• 3rd Grade - Wednesday, March 19th @ 6:00

• 2nd Grade - Wednesday, February 12th @ 5:00

• 1st Grade - Wednesday, January 29th @ 5:00

• Kindergarten - Wednesday, March 19 @ 5:00

• Early Learners - Thursday, May 1 @ 5:00