Maple Marquee

Dear Maple School Families,

As we wrap up an eventful and rewarding first half of the school year, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your ongoing partnership, collaboration, and support. The connection between school and home plays a vital role in our students' success, and your involvement makes all the difference. Whether through volunteering, attending school events, or supporting learning at home, your contributions help us create a thriving and supportive environment where every student can excel. Together, we’ve accomplished so much already, and I’m excited for all the opportunities ahead in the new year.

This winter break is a wonderful time to rest, recharge, and cherish special moments with loved ones. I hope you take time to reflect on the growth and accomplishments your children have achieved and to celebrate the joy of the season. Thank you for being such an integral part of our Maple School community. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in January, refreshed and ready for another exciting chapter of learning and growth. Wishing you all a safe, relaxing, and joyous winter break!

Warm regards,
Sam Kurtz and Angela Jaeger

Monday, January 6

• School Resumes

Tuesday, January 7

Wednesday, January 8

• PTO Ice Cream Day

Thursday, January 9

Friday, January 10

Maple School’s Mustang Awards are presented to students at all grade levels each trimester, as part of our recognition of students’ positive contributions to our learning community. The teachers all work together to select students each trimester. Mustang Award recipients are students who exemplify the pillars of Character Counts: Respect, Fairness, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Caring, and Citizenship.

6 Grade recipients:

Arya Akash, Bella Liuzzo, Nicholas Ghavami, Gia Kaporis, Adrian Amaro, Mark Ameriazian

7 Grade recipients:

Eric Baczewski, Oliver Barszczewsli, Maddie Hernandez, Juliana Koziol, Amy Moerman, Liam Moore, Zach Wilcox

8 Grade recipients:

Melanie Nadler, Rania Matani, Rozlyn Purtill, Elin Magnusson, Ellis Washington

If your student participated in a fall club or activity and had a picture taken on the November picture day, please click the following link from Stuart-Rodgers Photography to look for your students group photo. Four price options are available for purchase.

Our winter/spring club and activity picture day will be Thursday, February 6. Also, don't forget that you can always order your student portraits at anytime, simply click the link below, find my sessions, add your students name and ID.

I am pleased to share that we successfully conducted our annual weather safety drill on Thursday to ensure our students and staff are well-prepared in the event of severe weather. Our students did an excellent job following instructions, demonstrating attentiveness, and understanding the importance of staying safe. These drills are a critical part of our commitment to maintaining a safe learning environment for everyone.

Thank you for your cooperation and support as we prioritize safety at Maple School. We appreciate your partnership in helping our students understand the value of preparedness and responsibility. If you have any questions about our safety protocols, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

A charter is a working document that is never set in stone. This month as part of our RULER School-Home Connection, we are revisiting our charters to evaluate and revise our ever-changing needs.

We will also be looking at our charters through a lens of empathy to ensure students feel a sense of belonging in our classrooms and brainstorm ways for how we can help everyone in our community feel safe, regardless of differences.

• We can reflect on our charter through an empathetic lens by asking questions:

• Does our charter include trying to understand others’ feelings and perspectives?

• Does our charter include being kind to one another with words and actions so all people feel good and a sense of belonging?

• Ways that we can show empathy towards one another through our actions and words.

• Ask your child if their classroom made any changes to their Charter.

• Brainstorm ways your family can use empathy at home and in the community.

• Evaluate and revise your Family Charter.

Calling all singers - it’s time to sign up for Glenbrook Choir Camp! This event is open to all students currently in grades 6-8 that will attend either GBN or GBS in the future.

The camp is on Saturday, January 11, from 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and will be hosted at Glenbrook North. Learn fun songs, meet students from other middle schools, and enjoy performances by GBN and GBS! Choir Camp is FREE and will include a pizza lunch. Parents are invited at 3:30 p.m. for a performance. To register, scan the QR Code on the flyer or go to gbnchoir.com. See you there!

For more information, contact Kelsey Nichols at knichols@glenbrook225.org

If so, Maple School Scholastic Bowl team might be a perfect opportunity to learn, compete, and have fun! Scholastic Bowl offers two weekly practices as well as five inter-school matches. Practices start at the end of January and run through April. We will have an informational student meeting on Wednesday, January 15 in room 206 after school. All students are welcome to participate with practices and/or matches. If you have further questions, encourage your child to contact either Mrs. Stannard or Mrs. Rathge.

This awesome event sponsored by both the PTO and Athletic Department provides all Maple students with an opportunity to participate in a fun, supervised, after-school volleyball “competition.” It is strictly a “FUN-raiser;” no volleyball experience is necessary.

When school resumes in January, your Maple student will receive information (sign-up links, etc.) via their Maple email. For $20 they can sign up to either “play” or participate as a “fan” – both options include pizza, drink and a giveaway. As a parent/guardian, please encourage your student to be a part of this event– they do not have to be an avid volleyball player!

Don’t forget to BLOCK this date on your calendar. We’ll be SERVING up pizza, BUMPING into friends, SETTING up matches and DIGGING up fun!

Now through Dec. 31, you can register for a discount fo r the 24th annual Lew Blond Memorial 5K Run/Walk happening May 17! We hope you will join us for a day of family fun and philanthropy! Visit lewblondrun.org for pricing and bundles.

Popsicle Party Challenge: This challenge returns with a friendly contest between the three schools of Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 – Wescott, Willowbrook and Maple – to see which school has the most students register for the race. The winning school will win a popsicle party for all students in May! Will Maple unseat Willowbrook this year? Game on!

Summer in District 30 means learning, laughter, and loads of fun! Our program has been a longstanding tradition, offering unique and exciting courses for students in pre-K through 8th grade. Whether your child is exploring new interests or diving into creative activities, there’s something for everyone in our vibrant community. District 30 is a wonderful place to grow and connect, and our summer school program is the perfect way to make the most of the season. We hope you will consider joining in the fun!

• 2025 Summer School Dates:Wednesday, June 11 to Friday, July 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. (No school June 19 & July 4.)
• Registration opens: February 5 at 10 a.m.
• Details coming soon: More information about registration and course offerings will be coming soon to district30.org/summer-school.
• Questions? Email summerschool@district30.org.

Sincerely,

Ms. Anna Davis, Summer School Principal

Mrs. Sarah Arends, Summer School Assistant Principal

Thank you to all the students and families who supported our Maple PTO Book Fair! We hope the kids had fun and found some good books. If you were unable to shop in person, you can always shop online 24/7/365 at abcfairs.com - 20 percent of the sales from online shopping will support Maple. Please just be sure to attribute the sale to Maple School.

We appreciate the effort and enthusiasm Mrs. Holmer put into helping plan the fair and coordinate teacher visits, and we are grateful to Mrs. Moran for the technology support. Thank you to the teachers and staff who brought the kids to the fair and allowed them to shop during class time. Big thanks to the Book Fair Committee for dedicating many hours this week to set up and work the fair: Jami Gryll, Jahnavi Rao, Laura Perpinyal, Janelle Duthie, Susan Lien, Sophia Sun, Amy Brennan, Joanna Porzecka, Sneha Srivastava, Luke Yang, Jin Tang, Michelle Bayer, Bhawna Sharma, Danielle Pollack, Grace Zheng, and Jie Chen.

Ice Cream Wednesday takes place the second Wednesday of the month from September through May. The next Ice Cream Day is January 8. As part of PTO registration, you had the option to prepay for Ice Cream for the year. If you prepaid, your child will receive a frozen novelty of their choice on Wednesday. If you did not prepay during registration, your child can bring $2.00 to school.

Thank you for participating in this week's Special Lunch! We hope your child enjoyed their lunch from Egg Harbor Cafe. Thank You to our Special Lunch Co-Chairs, Julian Cheng and Praneta Desai, and our volunteers, Melissa Girard, Elizabeth Purtill, Jin Tang, and Chunrong Xiong, for helping Special Lunch service go smoothly. If you would like to order future Special Lunches, click on the button below. You can order for the rest of the year or each month. Orders/modifications can be made up to Thursday at 10:00 a.m. the week prior to lunch. Thank you!

A simple "thank you" or a personal note can really make someone's day. Would you like to send a positive postcard to a teacher or a staff member? Please follow these steps in this short presentation, and if you have any questions, please contact Jeanie Moran from the Tech Team.

Please follow these steps:

1. Login to Parent Portal

2. Click on Forms on the left-hand side

3. Under General Forms, click on this form: 2024-25 School Year Information

4. You will see a Schoology Access Code along with the guide on how to sign up.

If you have any further questions, please reach out to Jeanie Moran at jmoran@district30.org

Help support your student with the Homework Grid. Click on the link below, then click on Homework Grid in the left hand column.

Want to know what's going on around the community? District 30 uses a "Virtual Backpack" to share community information while saving paper, costs, and lightening the loads our students bring home. Please click the button below to view upcoming Community Events.

Any time a student feels unsafe, any adult in their school can help!

But sometimes, students or parents wish to reach out for help in a different way or after school hours. Safe2Help Illinois offers students a safe way to share information 24/7 that might help prevent any threat to school safety, including bullying, self-harm or other serious concerns.

The goal of this program is to get students to “seek help before harm;" it is not intended to suspend, expel, or punish. Safe2Help Illinois also offers a Mental Health Toolkit that provides resources for parents and educators reinforce the components of this program.

Safe2Help Illinois offers around-the-clock help via:

• Hotline: 844-4-SAFEIL
• Text line: 72332
• Email HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com
• Plus a website full of resources for young people seeking help for themselves or a friend. Its Ways To Get Help page is a directory of specialized hotlines, and other sections of its website provide practical steps for dealing with depression or helping a distraught friend. The checklist called "20 Questions To Ask Yourself If You Feel Like Giving Up" can help older children overcome a bout of anxiety or depression.

Maple School is part of Northbrook/Glenview District 30, which exists to create an inclusive community that inspires learning, fosters resiliency, and cares deeply for every child. We honor childhood and foster intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth. District 30 serves more than 1,200 students in pre-K through 8th grade across Willowbrook, Wescott and Maple Schools.

We prohibit harassment and discrimination of all forms within our district and follows all policies and procedures to ensure a safe environment for all.

Main Office: 847-400-8900

Location: 2370 Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL, USA

Website: district30.org