Friday Focus

• A Message from Marcie
• RSVP for VIP Day
• Goals and Concerns Form - Due April 14th
• Parker's Picks
• Erin's Law Presentations

• Attention Future Blue Jays - 5th Grade Families Only

• Tech Tip Hub
• This Week in Pictures
• News from Early Learners
• Other Important Info

• Order school supplies NOW!
• Room Rep Sign-Up for 25/26 School Year!
• Support Staff Appreciation Week- check out how!
• Cubs game fundraiser- June 1st
• School's Out Party- June 6th
• Order Camp Labels
• and much more...

Dear Families,

We know how tough it can be when your child comes home feeling upset, frustrated, or hurt by something that happened at school. These moments are so important—not just because they impact your child’s day, but because they offer valuable opportunities to build lifelong skills in problem-solving, communication, and resilience.

A helpful starting point when your child shares a difficult experience is to gently ask, “How did you handle that?” A great follow-up could be, “Did you ask an adult at school for help?”

We’ve begun to notice that adults at school first hear about an issue from a parent, rather than from the child when the issue is happening. While we always want to be responsive and supportive, we also want to empower our students to use their voices and advocate for themselves in the moment. These are essential life skills—and the foundation starts at home.

Here are a few ways you can support your child in managing tricky situations:

• Talk through scenarios at home. Practice what they could say or do if someone is unkind, cuts in line, or excludes them from a game. Role-play can be a great tool!

• Normalize asking for help. Reassure your child that telling a teacher or adult at school when they’re struggling isn’t tattling—it’s problem-solving.

• Celebrate self-advocacy. When your child tells you they spoke to a teacher or handled a problem themselves, praise their independence and maturity.

• Stay curious. Asking questions like “How did that make you feel?” and “What do you think you could try next time?” helps them reflect without feeling judged.

We are always here to help support your child, but we also want them to grow into confident, capable problem-solvers. When home and school work together in this way, kids truly thrive.

As always, thank you for your partnership!

-Marcie

Dear South Park Families,

We are excited that South Park will once again be hosting VIP (Very Important Penguin) Day on Tuesday, May 20th and Thursday, May 22nd 2025!

Each student will be able to invite one special guest (family/adult 16+ with state ID) to visit the classroom for thirty minutes to participate in a fun activity at school!

VIP Day Details:

• Please RSVP before Friday, May 9th to sign up for VIP Day. Please click the link for your grade level at the bottom of this letter. You will need to fill this form out for each child who will have a VIP.

• VIPs MUST have a DRIVER’S LICENSE or STATE ID. We cannot let you in without it.
  

• We recommend that VIPs stop by the South Park office prior to VIP Day
  (Thursday 5/15, Friday 5/16, or Monday 5/19) to have their IDs scanned through the school’s visitor management system. VIPs can have their IDs scanned on the day of the event, but they will need to wait in line and they may risk the chance of being late.
  

• ONLY VIPs who have signed up in advance will be allowed to attend.
  

• The VIP should arrive through the school's front center doors at least 10 minutes before the grade's specific time to sign in.
  

• If your VIP cannot make the event or changes need to be made to who is coming as a VIP, please contact your child’s teacher prior to their assigned date so we know who to expect or we can make arrangements to ensure all students have a special person available!

Kindergarten: Tuesday, May 20th from 2:30 - 3:00 p.m. Click here to RSVP

1st Grade: Thursday, May 22nd from 9:30-10:00 a.m. Click here to RSVP

2nd Grade: Thursday, May 22nd from 10:30-11:00 a.m. Click here to RSVP

3rd Grade: Tuesday, May 20 from 1:30-2:00 p.m. Click here to RSVP

4th Grade: Thursday, May 22nd from 1:30-2:00 p.m. Click here to RSVP

5th Grade: Tuesday, May 20 from 10:30-11:00 a.m. Click here to RSVP

We look forward to welcoming your child's special guest to South Park next month!

The Goals and Concerns Form is now live.

This optional form gives parents the opportunity to share input prior to our school's class placement process for the 2025-2026 school year. To learn more about this form, click here.

A few important reminders:

• Requests to separate students from specific peers related to out-of-school events or activities may not be possible unless there is a documented or known concern within the school setting.
• Honoring specific friendship requests may not be possible.
• Forms that state or imply a request for specific teachers will NOT be considered.
• We cannot guarantee that all requests can be accommodated due to the complexity of class-building.

Erin’s Law (House Bill 6193) was signed by Governor Pat Quinn on January 24, 2013. This law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness and prevention curriculum for grades Pre-K through 12. District 109 partners with Childhood Victories, Inc., an organization founded by Victor Pacini who is a motivational speaker and a survivor of sexual abuse. Speakers from Childhood Victories, Inc. provide programming for our students that teaches them basic skills to keep them safe from dangerous or abusive situations. The program, Be Seen and Heard 2.0, is developmentally appropriate, interactive, aligned with learning standards, and will cover the following topics:

• Distinguishing safe from unsafe touches

• Safety rules at home and school

• Saying “NO”

• Secrets

• It’s not the child’s fault if someone touches them

• Telling a trusted adult

The staff from Childhood Victories, Inc. will be presenting to all of our elementary students in Deerfield. South Park students will participate on Thursday, April 24th.

Requests to Opt-Out: If you prefer that your child opt-out of this prevention education session, please email your child’s principal by Thursday, April 17.

We’re excited to welcome our incoming 6th grade families to Caruso Middle School! Parents and guardians are invited to join us for a 6th Grade Information Night on Thursday, April 17, 2025, from 6:30–7:30 PM at Caruso. This is an adults-only event.

Come learn more about what to expect in middle school, meet members of our team, and get your questions answered. We can’t wait to meet you!

Click here for more information.

Thank you to all the families who joined us for Early Learners Reading Night on Monday! It was wonderful to see so many of you engaging with stories and celebrating a love of reading together with your children.

This week in Early Learners, our budding botanists have been busy exploring the life cycle of plants! Students have been carefully documenting the growth of their lima bean plants in their personal plant journals, and it's been such a joy to watch their excitement as sprouts begin to peek through the soil. We've also enjoyed diving into a mix of fiction and nonfiction books, which has sparked thoughtful discussions about the author's purpose, main ideas, and storytelling elements like repetition. In our welcome work writing, students are taking big steps in their storytelling by focusing on including who they are writing about, what is happening, and where the story takes place—both in their words and illustrations. Their creativity and attention to detail are really shining through!

In the Pre-K classrooms, dominos have become a class favorite as we explore combining two groups and representing them with equations. It’s been exciting to see how engaged the children are with this hands-on learning! Around the classroom, our centers are full of Spring-themed materials, with a special spotlight on plants and insects. Bees have been a particular favorite—there’s a real buzz of enthusiasm around all things bee-related!

In Grady’s Group, our social-emotional learning focus has been on problem solving and managing emotions. We’ve been practicing a three-step process: Feelings, Problem, Fix It. Using photos of kids in real-life situations, we worked together to identify the feeling, describe the problem clearly, and come up with safe and fair solutions. We also read I Will Be Okay by Laurie Wright, a comforting story that reminds us it’s okay to feel worried, scared, or mad—and that those feelings will pass. We encourage families to review the attached problem-solving steps at home to help reinforce these important skills.

• 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.

Friday, April 18th

• No School

Tuesday, May 20th

• VIP Day for Kindergarten, Third Grade, and Fifth Grade

• VIP Day for 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, and 4th Grade

• No School

2024-25 Music Concert Dates:

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

• 4th Grade - Wednesday, February 19th @ 6:00 (rescheduled from 2/12)

• 3rd Grade - Wednesday, April 9th @ 6:00 (new date)

• 2nd Grade - Wednesday, February 19th @ 5:00 (rescheduled from 2/12)

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

• Kindergarten - Wednesday, April 9th @ 5:00 (new date)

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