Cougar Clips
24 January 2025
Happy Friday Kipling Families,
I know the weather conditions have been horrible as of late, but I have to ask that all parents and guardians adhere to the pick-up/drop-off guidelines I have outlined several times this year. Officer Maldonado has also reminded everyone about these expectations. Recently there have been incidents of driving around parked buses with Stop signs extended, issues with parents dropping off students in our parking lot and having them walk alone toward the building, and other cars forming double lanes in our drop off circle and letting students out from the inner lane they formed.
All of these situations are very dangerous and we have received several parent and neighbor complaints about this behavior over the past week. When there is cold or inclement weather, plan ahead that drop-off/pick-up will take a few minutes longer than it normally does. Remember, you have to pull all the way down to the western most part of our parking lot, turn around, and wait in line to pull up in front of the school for drop-off. You have to pull as far forward as possible before you let your child out. When you let your child out in front of the building, leaving large spaces in front of you, it causes backup and other parents then want to pull around you to fill those spaces - which also causes unsafe situations.
We have to work together and we have to remember the below guidelines. Specifically, please make sure you are always paying attention to the following:
-Not blocking driveways
-Reduction in speed
-Staying off cell phones
-Awareness for surroundings (kids/parents/staff crossing, etc.)
-Having patience
Thank you for your attention to this matter and your continued partnership.
All my best to you and your families over the weekend.
Respectfully,
Mr. Matthew O. Lombardo, NBCT
Principal
Kipling Elementary School
Kipling PTO
Don't forget to log in/sign up at the PTO site. Visit https://kiplingpto.membershiptoolkit.com/home to get started.
Send a Valentine to someone special, and the PTO will deliver it right to their door!
Join us for an afternoon at the movies. Purchase your tickets today and take advantage of our combo option while supplies last.
Yearbooks
We would like to send a reminder to purchase a Kipling 2024/25 yearbook before the deadline of January 31st. Please place your order on our PTO website Kipling PTO Yearbook before it is too late!
If you are not sure if you have ordered a book, please check your order history before ordering a duplicate book. Please email lauren.h.stein@gmail.com if you have any questions.
See's Candies - Last call to order in time for Valentine's Day!
Please feel free to email ptokipling@gmail.com for any questions!
Young Authors
It is time for Young Authors! For those who do not know, Young Authors is a program that encourages students to embrace being an author and write their own creative stories. This is an optional program that has been shared with your child during their LMC time. A packet was also sent home with more information for those who are interested in participating. Attached you will find THIS presentation that walks you through deadlines, logistics, and other pieces of helpful information regarding Young Authors. We are so excited to see what our amazing young authors will create this year. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Kaufman or Ms. Thurman.
Best,
Ms. Kaufman (akaufman@dps109.org)
Mrs. Thurman (lthurman@dps109.org)
4th Grade Illinois Flag Fundraising Opportunity
Please see the message below from a group of our 4th graders. They have taken this current event, which is tied to what they are learning about the state of Illinois, and have seized upon an activism and fundraising opportunity. Like we do for the Superbowl every year, please begin sending coins with your students next week so they can “vote with their wallets” to pick their favorite new flag for the state of Illinois. The winning flag (the current flag is one of the options) will be announced and shared with all staff and families so we can all go to https://www.ilsos.gov/special/IFC/home.html and vote for the Kipling choice by 2/14. We will collect the coins from 1/27-2/7.
This year Illinois is voting on a new flag, and we want Kipling to vote on what flag should be chosen. We will display all the flag choices and you can bring coins to vote for your favorite flag. These coins will go to a good cause. This is a good way to engage in your rights as a citizen.
Seeking Cultures to Showcase
Thank you to the Strobel family for filling our Cultural Collection case with your beautiful and rich Chilean artifacts. Thank you for taking the lead this year for our school community. We all have so many unique and special cultural perspectives and lived experiences to share with each other and I am very proud and eager to learn about each of yours.
In an effort to ensure inclusion of diverse populations and perspectives, we are looking for other Kipling families to use the Kipling Cultural Collection to teach the Kipling community about your culture! Display objects may include 6-8 traditional or cultural objects, a family video describing the significance of each object, recipe, flag, map, music, etc - anything to bring your vibrant culture to life!
Volunteering at Kipling
Composting
We need volunteers to help compost during lunch periods. This is a great chance to help the planet and see your kids in action!
LMC
The LMC is looking for volunteers every day between
8:50-11:20am and 12:50-3:25pm (Wednesdays 12:50-2:25pm)
Sign up for a slot and come in any time you are free.
DPS109 Info
Report Cards
Report cards are now available to view in Family Access.
Semester 1 Attendance:
As you review your child’s semester 1 report card, please be sure to pay close attention to the attendance information included at the bottom of the report card. If your child has already missed 10 or more days of school, they may be on pace to be considered chronically absent by the end of the school year.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as absences totaling 10 percent or more of school days—including absences with or without valid cause—during the school year. If a child is absent for 17 days or more during the school year for excused or unexcused reasons, that child is considered chronically absent.
Our goal in District 109 is to work together to ensure the success of every child. As we are entering the second semester of the school year, we want to remind you that regular student attendance is vital to your child’s success. We are committed to working with you, our families, to achieve this goal by supporting your family with any concerns regarding student attendance. There are many people in our building ready to help address any challenges in getting to school regularly or on time. We can also help identify barriers to regular attendance and implement key resources to support your family in these efforts.
Kindergarten Registration for 2025-2026 is Open!
Registration for the 2025-2026 school year is OPEN! Families of ALL incoming Kindergarten and NEW 1st-8th grade students, please visit our registration page and begin the registration process now.
In-Person Registration Completion & Celebration
Starting kindergarten is a BIG deal! Stop by the district office with your little one on Friday, January 31 between 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. to ask any registration questions you may have, drop off any documents, and most importantly, a photo op to celebrate the start of your child’s school journey, a small souvenir to take home, and an opportunity to meet some of the friendly faces they will see every day! Again, that’s Friday, January 31st from 7:30 am - 4:30 pm at our district office, located at 517 Deerfield Rd. (across the parking lot from Kipling School.)
Missed a Tech Tip? We got you covered!
In October, we began sharing weekly tech tips in our newsletters to encourage digital safety. If you missed a tech tip or just want to review them, we have a Digital Hub for you to view them at your convenience. Make sure to keep your eyes open for more tech tips to come in the following weeks.Upcoming Important Dates
-Fri 1/24: Report Cards Posted, 3:30pm
-Wed 1/29: 2nd Grade Music Show, 5:30pm
-Fri 1/31: Winter MAP closes