Half Day

During Kindness Week last week, Half Day students, with the program facilitated by student council, collected and counted coins for California. The students raised $895. The school is donating the money to the American Red Cross to help those individuals affected by the wildfires.

• Monday, Feb. 17: No School for Presidents' Day
• Friday, Feb. 21: Early Dismissal for Teacher Institute Day
• Wednesday, Feb. 26: Early Dismissal for Teacher Conferences
• Thursday, Feb. 27: No School for Teacher Conferences
• Friday, Feb. 28: No School for Teacher Institute Day

We encourage you to subscribe to the Half Day calendar so meetings and events can automatically be added to your personal calendar. Copy the calendar. Right click the url to a new tab. Download the calendar to your personal calendar.

Congratulations to fourth-grader Diya Gupta who was named Half Day's school champion in the districtwide Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. Diya went 12 rounds before being named school champion. There were 25 students in grades 4-8 who competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition for District 103.

Something exciting is happening in the Half Day art room. Students are using the site, Artsonia, as a way to create a digital art portfolio. With this app, students learn how to photograph artwork and why artists keep portfolios.

Parents, you should have received an email asking you to connect to view their child’s portfolio. Once connected, parents can view the portfolio, make comments, as well as create one of a kind keepsakes using their child’s artwork. Be sure to check out your child’s portfolio to see what they have been working on in the art room!

This week at Half Day School, we embraced the spirit of Lunar New Year with engaging activities that highlighted the traditions and cultural significance of this global celebration as seen in these photos. Some classes learned about the importance of giving and receiving red envelopes, a symbol of good luck and prosperity in many countries celebrating lunar New Year.

Your yearbook cover design could become part of Half Day School’s history! Designs are due by Friday, Feb. 21. Please follow these directions:

• The yearbook cover designs should be related to our school and may include our mascot, school colors (blue, yellow, and white), students, the school building, class subjects, etc.
• Complete the design on 8 ½” by 11” plain white paper only, using the portrait orientation.
• Include the phrase: Half Day School and 2024-2025.
• Color using crayons, markers, or colored pencils.
• Draw and write by hand (no computer generated images or letters are permitted).
• Write your first name and last name, grade, and teacher’s name on the back of the design in pencil.

Be sure all designs are neat and clean. They should be creative and eye-catching, but easy to read. Lettering should be consistent in size and carefully spaced. Check for correct spelling and capitalization.

For questions, please email Mrs. Grayes (agrayes@d103.org) and Mrs. Reed (jamireed@d103.org).

Half Day students and staff will celebrate Valentine's Day on Friday, Feb. 14. Students may bring valentine cards to school for all of their classmates. The names of all students in the class will be provided by the classroom teacher. Please do not send edible treats to school with your child’s valentine cards.

Our classroom parties for Valentine's Day focus on friendship and exchanging cards with peers and teachers during the day at school. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Consider becoming a substitute teacher in District 103 earning a competitive daily wage. Work the days you desire during school hours while bringing in extra cash for the holidays, vacations, or other expenses.

Please share this message with friends and families who might be interested in a substitute position in D103. Please use your account on WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook, email, or text messaging to reach out to potential candidates.

Candidates must hold a current and valid Professional Educator License (PEL), Substitute(SUB) or Short-Term Substitute (STS) license in order to be considered a candidate for substituting in District 103. All applications and registrations/renewals must be completed through the ELIS website platform. More information on the requirements to become a substitute teacher can be found at www.isbe.net.

Responsibilities include:

• Maintain the established routines and procedures of the school and classroom to which you are assigned.

• Teach the lesson outlined and described by the absent teacher provided in a detailed plan.

• Assume responsibility for overseeing pupil behavior in class and during lunch and recess periods.

• Follow all policies, rules, and procedures to which regular teachers/employees are subject and which good teaching practice dictates.

• Perform such other tasks and assume such other responsibilities as may be assigned by the school principal.

• Pay scale starts at $120 a day and increases depending on the number of days worked.

It's that time of year! Time for the Great 2025 Family Math Challenge. All Half Day families are challenged to use the digits in the year 2025 to make the counting numbers from 1-100. Click here to see a fun video that's sure to get you excited! Contact Mrs. Gagamov with any questions at jgagamov@d103.org.

Join Dr. Aliza Pressman, New York Times bestselling author and host of Raising Good Humans, for an insightful webinar on parenting strategies at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, on Zoom. She’ll share her "5 Principles of Parenting," relationship, reflection, regulation, rules, and repair, to help parents navigate raising resilient, well-rounded children while normalizing imperfection.

This event is free and open to all. Registration is required: Register on Zoom Today The event is presented by District 96, District 102, District 103, and Vernon Area Public Library. Take this opportunity to learn practical strategies and strengthen your parenting approach!

📅 When: Friday, Feb. 7
📍Where: Half Day School

Help bring history to life! Colonial Day is a special 5th-grade tradition where students experience hands-on activities simulating daily life in colonial times.

We’re looking for volunteers to make crockpots of chili or soup (your recipe of choice!) with at least 10 servings for our staff luncheon on Friday, Feb. 7.

Details:

• Drop-off: By 9:30 a.m. (in a crockpot with your name and ingredient list.)
• Pick-up: After 1:30 p.m.
• Please use crockpot liners for easy cleanup.

We also need desserts and volunteers for serving and cleanup. Not a chef? Donations are welcome to help with salads, décor, and extras.

Thank you for helping us show appreciation for our amazing D103 staff! ❤️

👉 Volunteers needed for this event. Sign up -> dub.sh/D103SignUp

Join us for Explore the Arts Day at Half Day School on Friday, Feb. 21, from 9:15 to 11:40 a.m.!

We’re looking for creative individuals to lead fun, engaging activities that inspire third–fifth-graders (ages 8–11). There will be three 40-minute sessions, with setup starting at 8:00 a.m.

Interested? Fill out the Google form to sign up and share your artistic talents with the next generation!🎶

• 2025 Explore the Arts Day (ETAD) Artist Interest Form

👉Any questions about this event can be emailed to explore.the.arts.day@gmail.com

The Run for D103 5K Run/Walk is a family-friendly, annual fundraising event held in the spring that enables the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) to provide District 103 with programs and equipment for the benefit of our children. This race is representative of our district's commitment to foster both healthy minds and healthy bodies in our children and to instill a lifelong passion for education and exercise.

Whether you're an experienced runner or just starting out, this is the perfect opportunity to challenge yourself, meet new people, and have fun! We can't wait to see you at the starting line!

👉 Register today @ runford103.org

Hope and Love are best shared! Give blood, save lives, and strengthen your community with Versiti from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit, 30 Riverwoods Road, Lincolnshire. Walk-ins are welcome or schedule an appointment on the Versiti website.

District 103's Transportation Department encourages students in grades k-8 to participate in the "Safety First - Safety Always" Illinois Association for Pupil Transportation Poster Contest. Get all the contest information on the Illinois Association for Pupil Transportation website. The submission deadline is April 18.

Congressman Brad Schneider is launching the sixth annual "Brad's Bookworms" program to encourage reading and learning for elementary school students (grades K-5) and their families!

Children participating in the program are asked to read and log 10 books with help from parents, grandparents, older siblings, or other family members, and track their progress toward this goal. Young people who meet the 10 books goal will be invited with their families to a recognition ceremony with Congressman Schneider to celebrate their achievement. The deadline to complete logs is Sunday, Feb. 2.

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Principals

• Principal Jill Mau
• Assistant Principal Laura Delagrange
Reporting an Absence
• 847-634-1484
• Hd_attendance@d103.org