Dear Emerson Families,

Thank you to all the families who helped make Teacher Appreciation Week so special for the staff. We are so grateful! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a special Mother's Day to all!

All the Best,

Tessa

Monday May 13 - Boys Volleyball @ South Middle School

Tuesday May 14 - Band and Orchestra New Student Night, Boys Volleyball VS Friendship, Emerson PTO Meeting

Wednesday May 15 - Boys Volleyball @ Lincoln, Career Day

Thursday May 16 - Board of Education Meeting @ District Office

Friday May 17 - Emerson/Lincoln Symphonic Band @ Chicago Dogs Game

We are quickly closing in on the end of the school year. With the warmer weather and vacations, here are a few quick reminders for reporting the attendance of your student:

• Attendance should be phoned in daily by 8am
• Attendance messages can be called in 24 hours a day/7 days a week
• Emailing the teachers does NOT replace letting the office know that your student will not be attending school. The absence still needs to be called in to the office.
• A phone call is required if the student will be more than 5/10 minutes late.
• If you are picking your student up early, this information can also be left on the attendance line.
• Students are to be IN THEIR SEATS in their homeroom by 8:05. The only door they will be able to enter through after 8:00 is the main door. This may result in your student being tardy to Homeroom. Doors open for entry at 7:55. Please have your student on school grounds by 7:55 to ensure arrival to class on time.

Please call the Emerson Office Attendance Line at 847-318-8110 and press 1 to report an absence or late arrival.

SGA is hosting a food drive for the Maine Township Food Pantry! Each homeroom will be given a box to collect items for donation. Collections will take place from May 13th - May 17th The top team at each grade level will get a small reward!

The last day for the 4pm bus for after school activities will be Friday May 31st. Also a reminder there will be no activity bus on Friday May 24th due to the Memorial Day weekend.

6th Grade dental exam forms are due May 15th. Please upload them to PowerSchool, email them to em-nurse@d64.org, or fax to 847-318-8701.

An exam dated after 11/15/22 is acceptable.

Thank you!

A local Rainbows peer group was recently initiated to provide a safe space for students in 1st - 8th grade to share their experiences associated with loss of a loved one and/or a changing family dynamic due to divorce, deployment, etc. Trained facilitators help encourage communication while identifying, navigating and discussing feelings amongst the group. A second session of the program will begin in September of 2024. Each session is 12 weeks long, meeting weekly in the evening for 1 hour.

Please note, we are looking for more volunteers to help facilitate these peer groups. Teachers will receive CPDU credits! Any interest or questions please contact Justine Karl, 847-340-1741 or Phyllis Lubinki, 312-659-6226

Please fill out this Google form to sign up and/or to be added to our communication list."

Rainbows Student Peer Group Sign up

• Promotion will be held on June 5th at 6:30pm at Maine East High School in the Auditorium
• SEATING IS LIMITED! EXTRA TICKETS ARE LIMITED! Due to capacity restrictions in the Auditorium, students will receive 4 tickets which will be distributed to them in school on May 22nd and they will be responsible for bringing them home.
• If you have extra tickets that you know you will not be using, please return them to the office so that we can pass them on to those looking for extra tickets.
• Extra tickets will be distributed AFTER June 1st. ONE extra ticket will be set aside per family if you are added to the list. If you wish to be put on the list for an extra ticket, please email Melissa Arnos at marnos@d64.org. If there are additional tickets remaining after everyone's request for one is fulfilled, they will be distributed accordingly, on a one by one basis.
• If someone in your party will require accessible seating at the ceremony, please email Melissa Arnos at marnos@d64.org
• Gowns and ribbons will be distributed in homeroom on May 22nd. There are NO caps, only gowns.

Please email the Emerson Office at em-secretaries@d64.org if your student DOES NOT plan to attend Maine South High School for the 24/25 school year. Please include the name of the school that they do plan to attend. In order to facilitate a smooth transition of records at the end of the school year for our 8th graders, we will separate these files and notify the district office that they will need to be transferred elsewhere. Thank you for your assistance.

BACKGROUND

Judith Snow, a 25-year Park Ridge resident and dedicated member of the League of Women Voters, gave selflessly of her time and talents. She was a courageous and ethical leader. Her many friends and colleagues described her as conscientious, decent, dutiful, full of integrity, honorable, and principled.

When Judith Snow died unexpectedly in 1995, the League of Women Voters created the Judith L. Snow Memorial Fund. The League donated this Fund to the District 64 Elementary Learning Foundation, which created the Judith L. Snow Ethical Leadership Award to honor the memory of this outstanding citizen of Park Ridge, as well as the mission of the Foundation.

PURPOSE

The Judith L. Snow, Ethical Leadership Award, fosters awareness and respect for ethical behavior in a leadership role among District 64 8th-grade students. Award recipients will be recognized at the end-of-the-year celebration, as well as be presented with $250. The award is presented annually to one or two 8th-grade students at each middle school who demonstrate “ethical leadership."

Ethical leadership is defined as knowing your core values (Think Emerson SOARS and Lincoln ROARS), as well as having the courage to live by them in all parts of your life in service to the common good. It aligns your internal beliefs and values with your external behaviors and values for the purpose of advancing the common good. Ethical leaders are principled and lead with:

INTEGRITY*SELFLESSNESS*DEPENDABILITY*CARING*FAIRNESS

ELIGIBILITY

All D64 8th Grade students are eligible for the award. Members of the staff and student body should encourage any student who has demonstrated ethical leadership to consider submitting an application. Any student applying must secure a recommendation from a teacher or staff member, as well as a non-District 64 community member (coach, clergy, charitable organization leader). Student Application templates and recommendation forms are available online on the Emerson/Lincoln website.

SELECTION

Applications will be evaluated, and the award recipients will be announced at the end of the school year. The name of each award recipient will be engraved on the Ethical Leadership Award plaque displayed at each school. A monetary award to be used by the recipient as he or she chooses.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Applicant’s ethical and leadership skills, focusing on the following behaviors:

• Conduct within an organization or group.

• Demonstration of dependability, respect from/to others, giving to others, integrity, and teamwork.

• Involvement in an activity or activities demonstrating an understanding and implementation of ethical leadership.

• Recognition as an ethical leader by others.

IMPORTANT LINKS

Student Application Template

Teacher Recommendation Form

Community Member Recommendation Form

The Mirror Ball

Friday May 31st 7pm-9pm

Emerson gym

Dance and party the night away,

reflect back on our time at Emerson and

look toward the future!

The dance is for 8th grade students only.

Students should "dress to impress" (school appropriate attire required).

Tickets can be purchased for $30 on the PTO website under "Join PTO & shop" or at:

Order 8th grade Mirror Ball tickets here

Please contact the PTO at ems.pto.64@gmail.com with any questions regarding The Mirror Ball or 8th Grade Shirts.

The deadline to order 8th grade shirts has passed, however, PTO ordered extras (in sizes adult small and medium). Please place your order on the PTO website or by using this link below while supplies last:

https://emersonmspto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/249262

May 16th - Math Room 113, LA Room 109

May 18th - Math Room 209, LA Room 109, Misc Room 203

In ASSP, you can get help in math, language arts and miscellaneous (science and social studies) with a teacher from 3:05-4:00 PM. Come to ASSP if you need to:

• prepare for a test

• get questions answered from your homework

• review a concept that you missed or confuses you

• finish that writing assignment

Registration information for Worlds of Wonder 2024:

• Registration will open at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, February 20th, 2024.
• WOW registration will close on Monday, June 3rd, 2024.

More information about enrollment fees, schedules for the sessions, and course descriptions will be shared soon. Plus, any time information is shared, it will also be posted to the Worlds of Wonder page.

This month we celebrated Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month in our extended homeroom. Students created a banner with the phrase "I Pledge to Spread Inclusion by..." Students took a pledge by signing the banner and stating how they plan to spread inclusion. The banners are on display outside of each homeroom.

Here is this week's Vocal Music Notes newsletter. Have a good Friday and wonderful weekend!

DINE TO DONATE - 5/22/24

Please support the Emerson PTO at our Raising Canes Dine to Donate event on May 22nd. Please see the flyer for details!

LOOKING FOR 7th Grade Parent VOLUNTEERS

Emerson tradition is for 7th grade parents to help out at the 8th grade dance, so that 8th grade parents can take pictures, host festivities, etc. If you are a parent of a 7th grader and are available on Friday, May 31 (before, during or after the dance), PLEASE sign up here https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4FAFAD2EA7FA7-49129461-8thgrade#/

END OF SCHOOL POOL PARTY - 6/1/24!
All Emerson students are welcome to join us and Lincoln Middle School students for an end of the year joint pool party on Saturday, June 1st from 8pm to 10pm. Join in for an evening of music, snacks and water fun, weather permitting, at the Centennial Aquatic Center on 100 S. Western Ave in Park Ridge. Adults are welcome to attend and help supervise, but only students and swimmers must pay $10 admission by purchasing their ticket on the PTO website under “Join PTO & Shop” or by using this link:
https://emersonmspto.membershiptoolkit.com/Open_Forms

The Emerson PTO Flower Power Fundraiser NOW OPEN through May 15! Beautify your garden, strengthen our local ecosystem, and support the Emerson PTO, which receives 50% of the sales. Products include bulbs, seeds, and seed mats that grow into the beautiful items you see on the website. Sales are online only and orders are shipped directly to your home for a shipping fee of $6.99. Use the link below to order:

Order FLOWER POWER Here

2024-25 PTO BOARD

We are looking for VOLUNTEERS to join the PTO board for next school year… interested in becoming an officer or even a co-chair for an event? Please let us know by emailing

mailto:ems.pto.64@gmail.com

Email: em-office@d64.org
Website: https://www.d64.org/ems
Location: 8101 North Cumberland Avenue, Niles, IL, USA
Phone: 847-318-8110