School News

Parent /Teacher conferences are on the horizon! This is a time for you to connect with your child's teacher for an update on their progress academically, socially, and their overall acclimation to the new school year. Our teachers value this time and appreciate you making it a priority to schedule and attend. If you have not had an opportunity to schedule a time, kindly reach out to the classroom teacher to set something up. Conferences will be held on Monday, November 25 from 12:00-8:00pm, and on Tuesday, November 26 from 7:30-11:30am. There is no school for students that week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

GREAT NEWS TO SHARE!

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has released its summative ratings for schools in Illinois and we have increased our designation from commendable to EXEMPLARY, placing us in the top 10% of schools state wide. This recognition is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and families. An accomplishment of this magnitude does not happen by chance, rather it is the result of every individual in our school community working toward a common goal. I have never felt more proud of the outcome of a complete and total group effort. Our flock certainly does ROCK!

Congratulations to Marion Jordan 5th graders Brayden K. and Arisa I. for their first place finishes in the District 15 mile run. The two were recognized, along with first place finishers from other schools, at the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, November 11, 2024. We are so proud of these talented athletes!

Our school Climate and Culture Team has been busy setting goals for students to achieve and creating a fun way to celebrate when we meet that goal. After reviewing our school wide data, we realized our students were having the most difficult time meeting our expectations of safety, respect, and responsibility during the noon hour. This is not surprising as this hour of the day is less structured than our students' classroom time. In response to this information, teachers have re-taught the expectations of the lunchroom and playground. We have presented videos reinforcing our expectations starring our very own staff on the daily announcements. Our students are responding positively to our efforts!

Perhaps your child has mentioned thier grade level band turkey named Tallulah, Tony or Tilly? These turkeys have been moving along a game board each day students in the corresponding grade band demonstrate our expectations of respect, responsibility, and safety over the noon hour.

When (we are extremely confident our bluejays can do it) each of our turkeys crosses the finish line of the gameboard, we will be celebrating our success with an all school Turkey Trot. Students will run/walk around the school 4 times and earn a finger feather for each lap. In the end, all students will have hand turkeys to bring home at the end of the day. As an added bit of fun, our very own JayJay the Bluejay will be running a sprint race against a turkey between the Turkey Trot sessions. Please ask your child(ren) if they are cheering on JayJay or the turkey!

Due to space constraints, we cannot welcome spectators for this event. We will record and send a video recap of the festivities for families to enjoy.

Having first responders greet our students upon arrival was a great way to start the school day on Friday, October 18th. We are grateful for the partnerships we have with our local police and fire agencies.

As winter approaches, we want to ensure that our families are ready for potential E-Learning days due to inclement weather. Should inclement weather prevent school from being open, we will utilize an e-Learning Day so as not to extend the last day of school. This decision was made to support the necessary extended summer required to implement the Moving 15 Forward plan and related construction. Doing this for another winter season will allow us to get back into alignment with our feeder high schools.

Should we need to call an e-Learning Day, we will notify families through email, text message, and phone calls via our mass notification system. The information will also be posted on our District and school websites, Facebook, Instagram, and pushed out through the CCSD15 mobile app. When severe weather is forecasted, materials will be sent home with your child the day prior in anticipation of a possible e-Learning day. PLEASE make sure your contact information is updated so you receive notifications from our schools/district.

If an e-Learning day due to inclement weather is called, students and staff will attend school virtually from home. E-Learning days count as school attendance days and all students are expected to join virtual classes. If your child is ill or otherwise unable to join, please call our absence line at 847-963-5501 to report their absence. All students should sign in to their Google classroom following their normal school schedule. Visit the D15 e-Learning Plan page for FAQs about our e-Learning Plan and additional help for students if needed to login and join their Google Classroom.

We recognize that providing Internet service at home may present a financial hardship for some families. Your household may be eligible to receive a monthly discount on a new or existing internet service plan. Visit our website for more information on Internet Options for Families. If you need assistance with home connectivity, please contact your school principal/school office.

In order to be best prepared for an eLearning day, the students of Marion Jordan will participate in a practice day on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. On November 20, all students will bring their learning devices home and have a short assignment or task to complete. These practice assignments/tasks will test their ability to access websites and resources that would be needed on an e-Learning day. Thank you for supporting your students as they navigate the practice day and any e-Learning days we may have due to inclement weather as the seasons shift.

On January 24, 2013, Governor Quinn signed into effect Public Act 097-1147, also known as Erin’s Law. Erin’s Law was named in honor of Erin Merryn, a brave young woman who has crossed the country advocating for laws that will increase awareness of sexual abuse against children. This law has passed in 37 states, Illinois being one of them.

One of the law’s requirements is that schools provide an age/developmentally appropriate presentation to all students relating to sexual abuse and safety skills, which may include a variety of discussions, activities, videos and/or role play scenarios. These topics include concepts such as; safe and unsafe touches, getting help, boundaries, and empowerment. The purpose of this presentation is to provide students with tools needed for personal safety. We also strive to provide a nurturing and caring environment to openly discuss these topics, if a student desires.

Nationwide, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. 1 in 5 children are solicited sexually on the Internet. Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under. The median age for reported sexual abuse is 9 years old.

Through this program aimed at educating and empowering students, we want to provide your child with the knowledge and skills to use if ever affected by sexual abuse.

Trained staff members will be presenting these lessons, in their classrooms, by winter break to meet the requirements of this law and to offer a safe space to students.

If you have any questions or would like additional information on the Erin’s Law presentations, please contact your building’s clinician or administrator. If you would like your child to opt out of these lessons please call your building principal. The District 15 website also has a list of parental resources for your reference.

We are excited to be offering several different activities for our special olympics athletes this year and we hope to have a great turnout for each of them. As a follow up to the information about the Special Olympics that came out in the District’s newsletter, I'm hoping there are still more interested athletes.

We are reaching out to see if you would like your child to participate in any of the activities we are planning to offer this year. Our first event will be snowshoeing and the deadline for getting in the necessary paperwork (medical and consent forms) for snowshoeing is December 2nd.

Practices for Snowshoeing will take place at Gray M. Sanborn Elementary School located at 101 N. Oak Street, Palatine on Tuesdays at 4:45. Our first practice will be December 3rd.

I’m excited to also share that we already have two coaches who have been involved with Special Olympics in the past. Mr. Donatowicz and Mr. Simonian are both very excited to work with your athletes.

Please refer to our Special Olympics page on the district website for more information including the link to indicate your child’s interest as well as a section for required medical and consent forms that need to be on file before December 2nd in order for your child to participate.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Larry Sasso at SassoL@ccsd15.net or feel free to call him at 847-963-3169.

• November 13: Board of Education Regular Meeting, 7:00PM Notice of Public Hearing
• November 15: Multicultural Night @ MJ 6-8:30pm
• November 18: 5th Grade Team Building Activity
• November 19: Lockdown Drill Practice with Palatine Police Department
• November 19: 3rd Grade Folk Dance Performance @6pm
• November 20: eLearning Practice Day
• November 20: Sky Dome Planetarium In House Field Trip K-5
• November 22: Grade K-5 End of Trimester 1
• November 22: MJ Turkey Trot PBIS Celebration
• November 25-26: No School (Parent/Teacher Conferences)
• November 27-29: No School (Thanksgiving Break)

Those who serve our country are among the bravest of people who deserve to be honored and recognized on Veterans Day. The staff and students of Marion Jordan invited veterans of our community to a Veterans Day event on Monday, November 11th. Our Kindergarten, first and second graders, along with our choir, shared a musical performance for the audience. THANK YOU for your service, Veterans!

We regularly give out replacement clothing items during the course of a school day for students who need them. This need presents when lunch is spilled, student clothing becomes dirty during play at recess, bloody noses present, or accidents happen.

We are currently in need of new or gently used pants, sweat pants for boys. T-Shirts and new (in the package) underwear are also needed. Sizes from S-XL are appreciated. Thank you for keeping us in mind as you shuffle the closets and dressers and pick up essentials for your own student(s) as the season of fall gets underway.

District 15 SEL Website

Welcome to Marion Jordan Elementary School, Home of the Blue Jays!

We are located at 100 N. Harrison Ave. Palatine, IL 60067

Our main office phone number is 847-963-5500. Our Absence Line is 847-963-5501.

Principal: Mrs. Jennifer Grosch 847-963-5505 groschj@ccsd15.net

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Hillary Pruc 847-963-5504 pruch@ccsd15.net

School Office Staff: Ms. Jess Veltri 847-963-5580 veltrij@ccsd15.net and Mrs. Kelly Wallin 847-963-5503 wallink@ccsd15.net

School Nurse: Mrs. Brooke Buczkiewicz 847-963-5502 buczkieb@ccsd15.net