Bobcat Bulletin

January 2025

Principal's Message

Happy New Year, Bannes Families!

I hope your winter break was filled with joy, time with loved ones, and plenty of moments to relax and recharge. As we step into 2025, I’m filled with excitement for all the opportunities ahead to learn, grow, and celebrate as a community.

Just a quick reminder that Monday, January 6th, is a Teacher Institute Day. Our amazing teachers will be working together to plan and prepare for the second half of the school year. We’re looking forward to welcoming our Bobcats back to school on Tuesday, January 7th!

📊 MAP Testing:
The week of January 13th, our students will participate in MAP testing. This assessment is one tool we use to understand where our students are in their learning and to help us tailor instruction to meet their needs. There’s no need for extra preparation—just encourage your child to get a good night’s sleep and try their best. It’s a great opportunity for students to show us what they know and what they’re ready to learn next!

➗ Math Night:
Mark your calendars for Thursday, January 23rd, for our Math Night! It’s a family-friendly event that highlights how math connects to everyday life. We are looking for volunteers to host tables showing how math is used in real-world settings—anything from budgeting to cooking to sports. If you’re interested, we’d love to have you join in the fun!

❄️ Weather Reminders:

As temperatures drop, please be sure your child is dressed warmly for recess.

25° and above: Outdoor recess as usual.
20°–24°: Shortened outdoor recess.
Below 20°: Recess will be indoors.

📆 Upcoming Dates to Remember

January 9th – Skates from the Chicago Wolves is visiting Bannes to read to our students!
January 10th – District Spelling Bee at 9:30 AM. Good luck to all our participants!
Week of January 13th – MAP Testing. Students will take this benchmark assessment to help guide their learning journey.
January 23rd – Math Night from 5:30–7:00 PM. Join us for a fun and interactive evening exploring the many ways math connects to the real world.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Together, we’re creating a wonderful school experience for our Bobcats. Here’s to a great start to the new year!

Sincerely,
Ms. Folliard
Principal, Bannes Elementary

Congratulations to our Spelling Bee Winners!

Congratulations to the top 12 fourth and fifth-grade spellers who competed on Thursday, December 12, in Bannes' annual Spelling Bee. The first-place winner correctly spelled "jumbled" to capture the win.

The winners were:

1st Place -. George B.

2nd Place - John Q.

3rd Place - Keira M.

Best of luck to our first and second-place champions, who now advance to the District 140 Spelling Bee on Friday, January 10. Our third-place winner will be an alternate representative.

Emergency School Closings and eLearning Plan Review

Please take a moment to review our Emergency Closing notification protocols and eLearning Day plan:

If emergency days are needed due to snow or extreme cold, families will receive notification via an email/text message, and an alert will be posted on our District website. KSD 140 also communicates school closure information through the District’s social media accounts and the Emergency Closing Center (ECC). Detailed school closing information can be found here.

If an emergency closing day is needed, the District may elect to use an eLearning Day instead of a traditional “snow day” that has to be made up at the end of the school year. Please refer to our eLearning Day Overview to review specifics of the plan, including school hours and access to D140’s digital platforms.

Second-Quarter Report Cards Available January 24, 2025

Second-quarter student report cards will be available in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal on Friday, January 24, at 3 p.m.

How to Access Student Report Cards

Log in to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
Select Documents in your Message Center
Click 24-25 School Name under Report Card, and a pop-up window displaying your student’s report card will open in a new browser. If you cannot view your student’s report card, please ensure pop-up windows are enabled in your web browser.

Please call your school office if you need assistance accessing your Parent Portal.

Family Math Night at Bannes will be on Thursday, January 23rd from 5:30 - 7:00. We will play family-friendly math games, learn about math-based jobs, win prizes, and more. Please RSVP by January 20th.

Real World Math: "When will we ever need to know this stuff?" We hear this all too often. Now it's your turn to show the kids how math is used in your job or daily life! You are invited to be a presenter at our Math Night on Thursday, January 23rd. No matter the occupation, if math is used in some way, shape or form, we would like for you to be a part of our special night! You can plan a short speech, activities, games, a word search, or simply just talk about math in your profession - as long as kids get the idea that Math is Everywhere in the real world! Please complete and return this form if you are interested in sharing some real world math with our students. Someone will be in touch to share information and details for the night. Math Night is from 5:30=7:00, but you can come set up (if needed) as early as 4:30 pm, and stay for any amount of time that works for you. All presenters will be in the Commons. Families will visit each presenter's "booth" in a free-flowing event throughout the evening. We hope to see you there, and thank you in advance for helping build this community-school connection.

PTO Event Calendar

Bannes PTO Meeting: Join us at 7 PM in the conference room on January 8th

🎉 You're Invited to a Fun and Engaging Parent Teacher Organization Meeting! 🎉

Dear Parents,

We’re excited to invite you to our next Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) meeting on January 8th at 7:00 PM in the Conference Room.

This isn’t just any meeting – it’s a chance for us to come together, share ideas, and have fun while making our school an even better place for our children!

What to Expect:

Exciting Updates: Hear what’s happening at the school and what’s coming up!
Engaging Discussions: Share your thoughts and help shape future events.
And More Surprises! We promise it’ll be a good time!

We can’t wait to see you there! Let’s make 2025 the best year yet for our school community.

Don’t miss out – join us for a night of fun, community, and all things school spirit!

Sincerely,
Your PTO Team

Bannes PTO Hot Lunch Online Fundraiser Second Half: February ‘25 - May ‘25 ORDERS DUE: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22ND Dear Bannes Families, Make preparing and packing lunches less of a hassle this school year by ordering Hot Lunch for your child. Hot lunch ordering is ONLY available online. The deadline for ordering Hot Lunch for the first half of the school year is 10 pm Wednesday, JANUARY 22nd. After the deadline date, the system will be closed and no further orders can be accepted. If you are unable to access the online ordering system from home, please try using a smartphone, public library computer or your child’s school iPad. TO PLACE ORDERS Open the online ordering link: banneselementaryschool.h1.hotlunchonline.net/ If you have never ordered through the Bannes Hot Lunch portal before, create an account. Sign in to your account with the correct email address and password. Click the “Getting Started” tab to find instructions for how to use the ordering system. Follow the instructions on the screen to place orders for your child(ren) for the entire second half of the school year. All orders from February through May must be completed all at once. For returning students, please remember to CHANGE your student’s CLASSROOM # first. Orders cannot be changed once they have been submitted and paid for. Please make your selections carefully. Plan on entering your orders and submitting payment/finalizing the order in one sitting. The online system does not allow for partial order entries to be saved and completed later. PAYMENT Payment can be made through credit card online or check. NO cash payments are accepted. A 3.75% fee is added to each order to cover charges associated with HotLunchOnline, Paypal, and incidentals such as napkins, condiments, etc. If you choose to pay by check, please print the billing statement page on the website and send it in with your check. Make all checks payable to BANNES PTO. Checks must be turned in to the school office by 2 pm Wednesday, January 22nd. If it is not, your order will not be processed. Orders are not complete until the check has been processed in the system. There will be a $25 fee for all NSF (Non-Sufficient Funds) checks. Please Note… Bannes School / KSD 140 / Bannes PTO does NOT assume any responsibility due to food / health / dietary restrictions. We make every attempt to use the vendors and items listed for each lunch, however, unforeseen circumstances may cause an alternate vendor to be used to provide certain lunch items periodically. If a child is absent on a hot lunch day, a parent may pick up their lunch at the school during their lunch period. Please notify the front office first thing in the morning while calling your child off. Lunch can also be sent home with a sibling if a parent notifies the office by 10:30 AM. Lunch may NOT be given to anyone other than a child’s parent or sibling. If you have any questions about our hot lunch program, please contact Bannes PTO at bannespto@gmail.com Thank you for supporting the BANNES PTO!

Ready, Set, Bobcats Glow in 2025! 🌟Pre-Order your Glow Shirt!

Hey Bobcats!

The Bannes PTO is wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year! We hope you're enjoying some well-deserved downtime, but we've got something fun to look forward to...

Glow Dance Alert!
Save the date for the Glow Dance on Friday, January 31st from 6-8 PM! It’s going to be an unforgettable night of music, fun, and glowing memories!

NEW THIS YEAR:
To make things easier and faster, we’re going online only for t-shirt orders!
(That’s right, no paper forms this time!) Click here: https://forms.gle/URh968eUaUTtw9Uj9

Here’s how it works:

Pre-order your custom Glow Dance shirt for just $16 each using the online Google Form (it’s quick and simple).
No shirt required to attend the dance, but it’s the perfect way to glow in style!
Orders must be submitted online by 2 pm on Tuesday, January 7th (don’t wait until the last minute!).
When school is back in session on January 7th, simply send in cash or check (made payable to Bannes PTO). All payments are due by 2 pm on Friday, January 10th.

No exchanges on shirts, so please check sizing carefully!

Looking forward to seeing all our Bobcats glow at the dance!

Questions? Contact us at bannespto@gmail.com

🏒🎉 Fundraiser Night at the Chicago Wolves Hockey Game! 🎉🏒

[Link to Purchase Tickets] https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/bannesfamilyday

Looking for a fun way to support Bannes PTO while enjoying an exciting night out with family and friends? We've got just the event for you!

Join us on Saturday, February 22nd for an action-packed Chicago Wolves game as they take on the Iowa Wild!

Location: Allstate Arena
Doors Open: 6:00 PM
Puck Drops: 7:00 PM

Special Deal for Bannes Families:

All attendees will receive a FREE Chicago Wolves knit hat !
We’ll be seated together in the same section so you can enjoy the game with all your friends and fellow Bannes families!
Stick around after the game for an autograph session with select players !
Don’t miss out! The deadline to order tickets is Friday, February 21st at Noon.

Order now for just $18 per ticket and help raise funds for Bannes School while having a blast at the game!

Let’s fill the stands with our school spirit and enjoy a great night of hockey together!

Health & Wellness

D140 prioritizes comprehensive strategies to support students' mental, emotional, and physical health. Please click Health Information to review our resources. Together, we can create a nurturing environment where every student can thrive.

Bannes Elementary School

16835 S. Odell Avenue, Tinley Park, IL 60477

Phone: 708-532-6466

Website: ksd140.org/bannes

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