Bobcat Blog

• Thursday, October 24- Conferences 3:00 - 7:00 pm (full day of school for students)
• Friday, October 25 - No Student Attendance; Conferences - 8:00 - Noon
• Tuesday, October 29 - PTO Brief General Meeting followed by Beye Math Night (see details below)
• Thursday, October 31 - Halloween Parties and Parade
• Saturday, November 2 - Dia de los Muertos program - see below (more information coming)

I hope you all enjoy the weekend. Please remember that next week's schedule will look different. Students will attend the regular school day Thursday, with conferences following from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. Students do not attend school on Friday. Conferences will continue that morning.

We hope you can stop by the Book Fair on Thursday or Friday in the auditorium. A few helpers are still needed for that as well as the conference meal so please see sign ups below. Thank you!

Finally, if you have not filled out the Halloween survey, please do so below.

Thank you so much to Ms. Harlan and Ms. Sundquist for creating the bulletin board shown below highlighting all of our Beye Bobcats. Please be sure to see it when you come for conferences or Math Night.

As you know, conferences are fast approaching. You should have a scheduled conference for each of your Beye Bobcats. If not, reach out to the homeroom teacher.

If you would like to schedule a conference with one of our special area teachers or Mr. Bulger, please see the sign up link below. Please note that you need to sign up for a conference ahead of time. They are not able to accommodate "walk-ins."

Special Area Conference Links

"You know us and love us from attending BASE Camp in the summers and now, the Oak Park Education Foundation is teaming up with Beye After School! Beye school staff and the Oak Park Education Foundation are joining forces to offer a variety of hands-on, innovative educational STEAM programs, after school! Join us! These programs are open to all Beye students, K-5th, and will be running for a full 5-7 weeks of FUN!
Click here to explore class offerings and info!

Program Registration: Opens Wednesday, October 16th

Classes Dates: All classes run October 28th- Dec. 13th

(no classes on October 31st, November 5, 27, 28, 29)

See attached flyer for more details, class offerings and QR code to scan for more information! If you have questions, please contact Tara Oetting, Programs Director at Oak Park Education Foundation at toetting@opef.org.

Looking for a safe and enriching after-school program for your child?
At La Casa Montessori School, we offer Spanish immersion and a
child-centered Montessori approach, all within a warm and welcoming
community where your child (and your whole family!) feels at home. Our
after-school care at the Adams/Scoville campus (514 Adams, Oak Park)
is designed for students aged 5-11 years old and includes engaging
enrichment classes like music, art, and yoga, along with quiet study
time, an afternoon snack, and plenty of outdoor play! As one happy
7-year-old put it, “The teachers are my favorite part!” Pickup is
available on foot for nearby schools or by van for select D97
elementary schools. For more information, please contact Christina
Harris at charris@lacasamontessori.org.

We will be celebrating Halloween on October 31 in the afternoon. Please let the homeroom teacher and me know if you would prefer your child not participate. To help us prepare for this exciting day, please complete the following Halloween Survey for each of your Bobcats.

• 11:40 - 12:35 Regular Recess and Lunch Time (Students can be picked up to go home for lunch and change into their costumes)

• 1:10 - 1:40 Halloween Parade around the school campus block

• 1:40 - 2:40 Halloween parties in the classrooms (no food or drink)

• 3:00 Regular Dismissal

Please see the district's important message about Halloween costumes: Our goal in District 97 is to create a positive learning environment where all students, staff and families feel a sense of belonging. In that spirit, we have put together information and resources regarding culturally-sensitive Halloween costumes. We appreciate families being proactive with their children in making thoughtful costume choices. Click here for more information >>

The Beye Community Pantry got a much needed repair and makeover! Special thank you to our Beye families for helping with this project. Big thanks to Taylor Bernadin for replacing the pantry doors and to Brian Stemley, Mabel Stemley, and Elise Korpics for painting the new doors!

Student Green Team shares their tips to "green" your Halloween!

Dear Beye Families,

As you know, Parent-Teacher conferences are coming up and the PTO would like to provide our hard working teachers and staff with a meal on Thursday, October 24th. The PTO will provide sandwiches for lunch on Thursday, and we are asking for contributions of food and drinks to round out that meal and to serve as grab and go snacks, since Thursday and Friday will be long days for our teachers and staff. Please check out the categories below and consider signing up to contribute, or volunteering with set up or clean up. Food can be homemade or store bought, but please make sure that everything is NUT-FREE! All food should be dropped off on Thursday morning, from 8-10:30. Any questions, or if you need to make other arrangements, please email Molly Greenwood-Whalen at president@beyeschoolpto.org Thank you!

Thank you Jacqueline Gelman for organizing our Fall Book Fair coming during conferences on Thursday, October 24 and 25. Thanks in advance for signing up to help.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805044CABAF2CA2F49-51802205-fall

Please save October 29 on your calendar. We hope you can come for an important, brief PTO meeting to learn about this year's School Improvement Plan from 5:45 - 6:15 pm, followed by a fun Math Night from 6:15 - 7:15 p.m.

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month! An estimated 20% of our population has dyslexia, an unexpected difficulty in learning to read, write, and spell despite being intelligent and often uniquely creative. This simulation provides a lively, thought-provoking activity for teachers, parents, or anyone interested in better understanding the lives of individuals with dyslexia. Participants rotate among learning stations that simulate language-related tasks that may be encountered in the classroom and workplace.

OPPL Event Link: https://oakpark.librarycalendar.com/event/dyslexia-simulation-83495

This year, District 97 is utilizing the Standard Response Protocol language and visuals developed by the I Love U Guys Foundation, a national organization dedicated to school safety. The SRP is action-based, flexible and easy to learn.The premise is simple - there are five specific actions that can be performed during an emergency incident (e.g., inclement weather, fires, accidents, introducers or other threats). The five actions are: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter.

One of the most important things we do to keep our schools safe is practice a variety of drills each year to ensure that everyone is prepared should an emergency occur. As part of our ongoing preparedness training, all students K-8th grade will receive instruction on the five SRP protocols during the month of October.

All content will be delivered in developmentally-appropriate ways for the student's age. This will occur during physical education classes at the middle schools and during Second Step or assembly at the elementary schools.

As Halloween approaches, we want to remind staff and families that nuts and nut products are not allowed in any District 97 schools during the 2024-25 school year, and all of our celebrations during the school day should be food free. Our schools have been nut-safe for the past two years—helping to create safer, more inclusive environments for all of our students.

Please visit https://bit.ly/3YriRs5 to access information about the district’s food allergy management program, as well as tips and options for identifying food that is safe for snacks and field trips. We appreciate your support of this important initiative!

I am excited to announce that the PTO is sponsoring a library birthday book program. When it is your child's birthday, they will have the chance to pick out a birthday book from a collection that Mr. Withers ordered and again was generously paid for by the PTO. Given we are starting this after the school year starts, we will follow the below schedule.

August 22 (when school started) through end of September - will pick out a book Friday, October 18

October Birthdays - will pick out a book on Wednesday, October 23

November Birthdays - Friday, November 1

Future Months TBD

You may have heard from your child that this past Tuesday we all gathered in our first Bobcat Dens of the year! On the second Tuesday of each month, we will gather in our Bobcat Dens that consist of a staff leader as well as approximately 10-13 students from all grade levels. For the first meeting Tuesday, students learned the names of their fellow Bobcat Den members, chose a den name, chose a non-verbal signal to use when crossing paths in school, and if time allowed, participated in a team building activity. This is one way we are addressing the importance of building a sense of belonging here at Beye School.

Student Leadership Team is sponsoring a sock drive and calling it Socktober! We will be collecting brand new socks of all sizes for the organization New Moms all of October. We will have labeled boxes in the commons to place the donations. Please consider donating a package of new socks for the cause.

Thank you for your support,

Beye Student Leadership Team

Co-sponsors Ms. Fogg and Mrs. Adduci

Please take a peek at Mr. Bulger's enrichment site: Here's the address: https://sites.google.com/op97.org/beye-school-enrichment

We are glad our Bobcats benefit from these opportunities!

Beye Fall 2 classes are now LIVE on our site. See link below for more information.

https://www.slowfireceramics.com/beyeelementaryschool

See message from Nurse Shilpa:

We will be offering a free dental clinic open to all current Beye students on December 10th and December 11th. This is being offered at Beye School in partnership with the IWS Children's Clinic.

If you are interested in having your child/ren participate, please complete and return the attached consent form by Monday 11/25. A consent form was sent home with your students Friday September 27th.

Note: If you have a Kindergarten, First, Second, or Fifth grade student, participation in this dental clinic will satisfy dental exam requirements for KG, Second as well as Sixth grade.

Below are details from the IWS Children's Clinic:

"We provide dental exams to students through our in-school portable dental program. Our services extend to every child, pre-k to 12th grade, regardless of insurance status or eligibility. Children in kindergarten, second, sixth, and ninth grade are required to receive a dental exam – this program fulfills this requirement. Eligible children covered by Medicaid will also receive a dental cleaning and fluoride varnish if it has been 6 months or more since last cleaning/fluoride. Upon dental examination, Medicaid students will also be eligible for sealant placement. "

An extra step, if you want your child to participate, feel free to email me so I know to look out for your consent to come in at some point before the due date.

Thank You,

Shilpa

Beye Dental Consent - English
Beye Dental Consent - Spanish

The D97 Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) will be meeting every other month this school year. This is an opportunity for families to learn together and act as an advisory committee to the D97 Core Instruction team.

Parents are also invited to the Special Education Parent Support Meetings (SEPSM) which will meet every other month. The support group will be led by two licensed clinical social workers and will act as a space for parents seeking support/connection. The meetings are held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Whittier Elementary School.

Special Education Meeting Schedule for 2024-25

October 28, 2024: SEPSM (Whittier)

November 25, 2024: SEPAC (Beye)

December 16, 2024: SEPSM (Whittier)

January 27, 2025: SEPAC (Beye)

February 24, 2025: SEPSM (Whittier)

March 17, 2025: SEPAC (Beye)

April 28, 2025: SEPSM (Whittier)

May 19, 2025: SEPAC (Beye)

Please consider signing up to help maintain our Beye community pantry! Thanks in advance.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409084FAEA82EA0FC1-beye1#/

Background Check Sign Up

Beye entrances/exits

D97 2024-2025 School Calendar

Health Letter from Nurse Shilpa

“My Mealtime” online portal, (If you need to add money to your child's account)

Student-Family Handbook for 2024-25

Join the 'Beye School Families' Facebook Group to connect with other Beye families and stay in the know about upcoming PTO events/programs

Cheryl Sullivan

Beye Principal

csullivan@op97.org

Location: 230 North Cuyler Avenue, Oak Park, IL, USA
Phone: 708- 524-3070
Twitter: @MrsSullivand97