Bobcat Blog

• Monday, April 29: Incoming 6th Grade Julian Parent/Guardian Orientation Night at 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 30: Elementary Instrumental Festival at OPRF
• Friday, May 3: Student Bobcat Bolt (see details below)
• Monday, May 6 - 10: Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
• Friday, May 10: PTO Teacher/Staff Appreciation Luncheon
• Saturday, May 11: Beye PTO Plant Sale Pick Up
• Tuesday, May 14: K-2 Spring Sing (see details below)
  
• Wednesday, May 15: 3-4 Spring Sing (see details below)
• Sunday, May 19: Blast Off to Kindergarten
• Thursday, May 23: Parents' Night Out (See details below)
• Thursday, May 30: All School End of Year Picnic
• Monday, June 3: 5th Grade Event

• Thank you to Dima who came to school Wednesday for two Arab American Assemblies - the students learned so much!
• Thank you PTO for sponsoring these assemblies
• Thank you to Kazimir Boyle and Jacob Worley-Hood for stepping up to lead this year's Talent Show
• Thank you to Terrell Carter, Tanya Fisher and Kate Boonstra for coordinating this event
• Thank you to Aly Schoenfeldt and Jessica Daly for organzing the plant sale (some slots still open to help on May 11 - see below)
• Thank you to those of you who have already signed up

It is hard to believe our ABC Countdown begins Monday. For those of you who are new to this, we offer students the opportunity if they want to join in the day's fun. See the calendar below. This is voluntary.

ABC Countdown

More information will be coming soon, but for now please see the schedule:

Tuesday, May 14

Grade K-2 Spring Sing
6:00 Grade K
6:30 Grade 1
7:00 Grade 2

Wednesday, May 15

Grade 3-4 Spring Sing
6:00 Grade 3
6:25 World Drumming
6:45 Grade 4

David, the Arborist, was here Friday to help us honor Arbor Day. He shared lots of facts with the students, listened to their great answers, taught them an Arbor Day song, and all second graders left with a tree to plant. We hope to have him back each year to engage our second graders.

As of Friday morning, we were at $3,155 raised, or 42% of the fundraising goal!! This is great; however, only 15% of our student population has signed up so far. Ms. McMahon's class is currently in the lead with the highest percentage of registration. See details below. Free to register!

Please email me (csullivan@op97.org) if you would be willing to be our mascot. The students would love it!

Through this fun run/walk/roll, to be held during school hours on Friday, May 3, we will promote outdoor exercise with peers while raising money for our school. Please help us reach our fundraising goal by supporting the Bobcat Bolt 2024. We have teamed up with Get Movin’© to make this event fun and profitable with online mobile friendly technology! Please note that all students will participate in the Bobcat Bolt – registering is not a requirement for participation.

Students will be running/walking/rolling with their reading buddies this year! See the SY23-24 tab for the schedule HERE.

See Flyer below but you will need to click on the link to register here (see directions)

1. First Register or re-Login to your parent dashboard and complete your child’s student webpage with a PICTURE at getmovinfundhub.com. School Identifier: 6231cfe597ac7

2. Make an online donation using the red Donate button right away

3. Share with friends and family, they want to help!

· Send emails and/or text messages and/or

· Post to social media

Student Goals (as seen in flyer below)

• Our goal is to have 100% of all students registered online! It’s easy, FREE, and takes few quick minutes!
• Each student is encouraged to raise $50, but there is no fundraising requirement and registration is free.
  
• There will be extra recess earned by the class(es) with the highest participation.
  

Staff Appreciation Week is May 6th-10th. There are many ways we can show the Beye staff how much we appreciate their hard work and dedication to our kids, and you should be hearing some ideas from your class Room Leader(s) soon.

The PTO likes to wrap up the week by providing a catered lunch for the entire staff, and we need your help with both some contributions of drinks and desserts, but also by volunteering to take a lunch or recess supervision shift so that the staff can enjoy a longer lunch. Lunch/recess supervisors MUST have passed the district background check.

Please consider signing up to supervise lunch or recess, contribute drinks or dessert, or help 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 Friday 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! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0B49AAAE2AA1FE3-49276221-staff

Kazimir Boyle and Jacob Worley-Hood, two Beye Parents, have stepped up to organize an informal talent show this year! Thank you! The talent show will be performed at the End of the Year All School Picnic on Thursday, May 30. It will take place outside. Please sign your child(ren) up if they are interested in performing that evening. (One form per child) Two practice dates after school will take place on May 16 and May 20 from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

Details were still being ironed out so students do not know about this yet. Thank you for taking time this weekend to share this news with your children. Next week we will be promoting it at school!

Talent Show Sign Up (Families - please complete for each child who is interested in participating)

Sign up by Friday, May 10

Run for next year’s executive board or find your perfect volunteer role!

Run for the PTO Executive Board:

• Elections for the 2024-2025 Executive Board will be held in late May.

• Run for the board and help shape the PTO’s role in the school.

• What does the executive board do?

• Meet one evening per month

• Build the budget: Decide how best we can use our resources.

• Craft policies: Help foster equity and strengthen the PTO’s role in the community, and be part of shaping both short term and long term goals for Beye.

• Support our Working Groups: Help our tireless Working Groups get the assistance and information they need from the Board.

• Facilitate a family-school partnership: Be a liaison between Beye families and Beye staff in working to create the best possible school for our kids. You can have a direct influence on your child’s educational experience.

• Plus, great company and snacks!

• We are especially in need of someone to work with our current Finance Chair, Tawny Lane, with the intention of taking over as Finance Chair for SY 25-26. Email Tawny at director06@beyeschoolpto.org for more information.

• If you are interested or have any questions, please email board@beyeschoolpto.org, or reach out to a current board member (find us in the front section of the Beye Directory).

Other essential volunteer roles:

• There are many other ways to get involved at Beye, from leading a working group, to helping run an event, to volunteering a few hours at an event or in the front office. Here is a list of volunteer opportunities to explore.

PTO/Green Team Plant Sale: Volunteers needed, pick-up reminder and plants for purchase

Plants will be delivered on Saturday, May 11th and we need volunteers to help sort and distribute orders. Please sign-up for a fun volunteer opportunity here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040E4FA4A62DA20-48946235-beye

Thursday May 23rd from 6:00 - 8:00pm

Last year we raised a glass at Friendly Tap and this year the Beye parents will hobnob after hours at the distinguished Oak Park River Forest Museum! Mingle with other parents while supporting Beye school programs! Emcee LB (aka Laura Barnard) is back to host this lively evening. Learn about the history of Beye School from museum staff, hear from Principal Sullivan and PTO volunteers, and be entered into a raffle to win a cash prize. A limited quantity of free childcare slots generously provided by By Discovery will be available. (details forthcoming).

Donate a ticket $30

In an effort to eliminate the ads associated with programs such as Sign Up Genius, effective immediately we will be utilizing a new link to sign up for background checks. This new format utilizes Google Calendar.

The district website has been updated with the new link. Please be sure to communicate this to your families in your next weekly update. Additionally, please be sure your office staff and teachers share this information as needed.

District 97 Background Check Appointment Schedule

Online registration for the 2024-25 school year in District 97 is now open for all students. Complete details about the process—including residency documents, timelines and other helpful resources—are available on the district web site: www.op97.org/registration.

Returning Students

Registration for returning District 97 students is now open. Complete details can be found at https://www.op97.org/hr/returning-student-registration.

New Students and Kindergarteners

Registration for kindergarten and new students opened Feb. 22. Please click the links below to learn more about the registration process for kindergarteners and new students.

• Kindergarten Registration

• New Students

In order to register your student, you must be the custodial parent/guardian and currently reside in Oak Park. Students who are registering for kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year must be at least 5 years old and must be born on or before Sept. 1, 2019.

We appreciate your partnership in preparing for a successful 2024-25 school year!

You will see information in the District's Weekly Wrap Up. Click here to learn more about One Book, One District >> Thank you for encouraging your child to read the designated pages or read with them. Here is the schedule again: reading schedule

See the flier below.

The Oak Park Department of Public Health has been informed of an increase in Fifth disease cases in our community. Fifth disease (parvovirus B19) is a viral infection that typically presents with a red rash on the face, in addition to other symptoms. Please review the letter provided by the health department for more information.

The health department notes:

• Families should not send child(ren) to school with a rash without first being evaluated by a physician. A return to school note may be required.
• Any individuals who are pregnant should carefully review the letter, as Fifth disease can pose complications. Please contact your physician for additional guidance.

Additional information about health guidelines for District 97 students can be found at https://www.op97.org/health-services/sick-day-guidelines.

The breakfast and lunch menus for our elementary and middle schools are available at http://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service. During the 2023-24 school year, students may:

• Bring a nut-free lunch from home.
• Order school lunch.

Free and Reduced Lunch Application
Students may receive meals at a free or reduced cost either by being directly approved by the State of Illinois OR being approved after completing the 2023-24 Free and Reduced Lunch Application (English/Spanish). All families who are directly approved by the state will receive an approval letter by email. If you feel your student may qualify for free or reduced priced meals but are not directly approved, we encourage you to complete the application as soon as possible Please visit https://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service for more information.

Cheryl Sullivan

Beye Principal

csullivan@op97.org

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