October 2023 EMSD Newsletter

• Meet the New Director of EL and Equity
• Parent/Teacher Conferences
• El Mariachi de Glenview Performances
• Otus Codes for Family Access
• National School Bus Safety Week: October 16th - 20th
• History of EMSD #37: Part 1
• Come Join the EMSD #37 Team
• Paper 24/7 Educational Support System
  
• School Breakfast and Lunch Menus
• Did You Know?

• October/November Calendar of Events

My name is Blanca Leal and I am pleased to be serving as the new Director of English Language Programming and Equity. I grew up in the Quad Cities and after graduating from college I moved to the Chicago area. After many years, I was excited to come back home to the Quad Cities. Throughout my career, my passion has always been working with multilingual students in various capacities as a teacher, instructional coach and administrator.

As an educator for over 25 years, I believe that as a school district we are making a difference in the lives of our diverse student population. District-wide we have identified over 40 different languages that are spoken in the homes of our students. East Moline School District #37 welcomes all families to our schools. We are committed to offering services that support and meet the linguistic and academic needs of all students.

We believe that our diversity is a strategic advantage. The East Moline School District is proud of the cultural and linguistic diversity in our community and in our schools! You will notice at the top of this newsletter you can translate my words in up to 90 different languages. Our parents have aspirational hopes and dreams for their children so it's important to us that we can reach as many of our families as possible.

I look forward to learning and growing with all of you as we prepare our students for a diverse, complex world.

Blanca Leal, Director of EL and Equity

Early Learning Center:

Thursday, November 2, 2023 3:30-7:30 P.M.

Friday, November 3, 2023 7:30 - 11:15 A.M.

Bowlesburg Elementary:

Thursday, November 2, 2023 3:30-7:30 P.M.

Friday, November 3, 2023 7:30 - 11:15 A.M.

Hillcrest Elementary:

Thursday, November 2, 2023 3:30-7:30 P.M.

Friday, November 3, 2023 7:30 - 11:15 A.M.

Ridgewood Elementary:

Thursday, November 2, 2023 3:30-7:30 P.M.

Friday, November 3, 2023 7:45 - 11:30 A.M.

Wells Elementary:

Thursday, November 2, 2023 3:30-7:30 P.M.

Friday, November 3, 2023 7:45 - 11:30 A.M.

Glenview Middle School:

Thursday, November 2, 2023 3:00-7:00 P.M.

Friday, November 3, 2023 7:15 - 11:00 A.M.

Looking to check your student's grades? Information about how to create a Family Access account with your student's Otus code was recently sent home in the mail. Otus is our standards based reporting system and an account is needed to check grades. If you already created this account last year, you will not need to create it again. Click the image to the right to see those instructions on how to make your account. If you are in need of the Otus code, it can always be found when your student signs in to the platform via Clever.

Photo Credit: Rock Island County Historical Society. Grinnell School, which was located just west of the East Moline-Moline border, it briefly served students from East Moline for a few years before becoming part of the Moline District. In 1905, it was a two-room school.

In the book "East Moline: A Centennial History 1903-2003" by Judy Belan, she detailed the inception of the East Moline School District. Back in 1895, local children attended existing rural schools closest to their homes. Over the ensuing twenty-five years, the East Moline School was formally established and several new schools were created.

Grinnell School was one of the first schools to serve East Moline children and was located in a sparsely populated area between Moline and East Moline, close to the present-day location of the former Hardee's restaurant. Although Grinnell School accommodated many East Moline students, the population of the city was gradually shifting eastward. In 1899, there was a proposal to construct a new school within East Moline as a replacement for Grinnell School. However, this proposition faced rejection with a vote of thirty in favor and seventy against, primarily due to concerns about cost and potential tax increases.

The first school established within the town of East Moline was initially referred to as the Primary School. It started with approximately ten students in late 1899 or early 1900. By the fall of 1900, it had relocated to a new wooden building situated at Seventh Street and Seventeenth Avenue (pictured below). Like many schools during this era, this building served various functions, including religious services, hosting special events, and education. Later, this building transitioned into a tin shop, and various businesses including a grocery store. Today, a convenience store occupies the same site. Students would eventually move into the new John Deere School after it was completed in 1901.

Photo Credit: Rock Island County Historical Society. In the early 1900s, East Moline students used to attend the Primary School at Seventh Street and Seventeenth Avenue until the construction of the first John Deere School was completed in 1901.

The East Moline School District uses a handy program called Nutrislice to display our menus. There is quite a bit of information on the site from nutrition, item descriptions, allergy information, and even pictures of the items. We recommend checking the menu at least weekly, if not daily since there are times when changes are made on short notice due to food shortage issues.

Use the QR code to the right with your phone's camera to access the menu or visit the school website main page and click on lunch. You can also download the Nutrislice app onto your phone.

Oct 20 - End of 1st Quarter

Nov 2 - Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences

Nov 3 - Morning Parent/Teacher Conferences (No Student Attendance)

Nov 21 - 1/2 Day Early Release/School Improvement Day

• Glenview - 11:00 am Dismissal
• Elementary - 11:30 am Dismissal

Nov 22 - 24 - Thanksgiving Break