The Ludwig Ledger

January certainly was a busy month at Ludwig School, and February is shaping up to be even busier! Coming out of winter break, and after a few e-learning days, students hit the ground running with our winter FastBridge benchmarking in the areas of reading and math. Teachers have been diligently reviewing the data to continue to inform and guide our planning, instruction, and levels of support for each of our scholars at Ludwig School. In addition, we’ve also wrapped up ACCESS testing for our English Language Learners!

Our beginner band hosted their first concert on January 23rd, and they did a phenomenal job! It was inspiring to see the OP Jazz band perform and how students, with practice and determination, develop their skills over time! Also in the area of the performing arts, our 4th graders will be performing their grade-level musical on Friday, February 23rd at 9:00am. 4th grade parents are welcome to attend, with doors opening at 8:45am. We hope you can make it!

Looking ahead, our second trimester ends on Friday, February 16th. Report cards will go home with students on the following Friday, February 23rd. Now is a great time to encourage your child to make a strong final push to solidify their grades, as we wind down the trimester. I know all students are up for the challenge!

Please take a moment to look through the information below, which highlights a combination of Ludwig School, D92, and PFA-sponsored events. In addition, you’ll find information about this year’s 5-Essentials parent survey and other philanthropic partnerships that Ludwig School has made. As always, thank you for your continued support of the programming offered at Ludwig School and across D92. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or Ludwig’s main office.

Respectfully,

Mr. Kulik

Feb. 12th - PFA Meeting at OP @ 6:30pm

Feb. 12th - 16th - Ludwig Food Drive

Feb. 14th - Valentine's Day

Feb. 16th - End of Trimester 2

Feb. 16th - Kids Heart Challenge Activities in PE

Feb. 16th - OP Trivia Night 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Feb. 19th - NO SCHOOL - Presidents Day

Feb. 20th - Board of Education Meeting at Ludwig @ 7:00pm

Feb. 23rd - Trimester 2 Report Cards Go Home

Feb. 23rd - 4th Grade Musical (Parent Performance) @ 9am

Feb. 23rd - American Heart Association Fundraiser Ends

Feb. 23rd - Health & Hygiene Presentations in PE

Feb. 24th - PFA Sweetheart Dance at OP @ 5:00pm

Feb. 26th - St. Baldrick’s T-Shirt Orders Due

Mar. 1st - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Institute

Mar. 4th - NO SCHOOL - Pulaski Day

At our Monday Morning Meeting on January 29th, Ludwig students were introduced to our new mascot - Oiler the Bulldog. Students learned about the progression of the Bulldog mascot, from Walsh, to Reed, to Ludwig, to Oak Prairie. They also learned about the symbolism behind the Bulldog mascot: Determination, Strength, and Courage. Take a look a the linked slideshow, which also highlights our motto, "Believe in the Bulldog" and introduces our new "Bulldog Pledge".

We would very much appreciate our Ludwig families completing this year's 5Essentials Survey for Ludwig School. This survey generates valuable data that our district can use to guide our ongoing efforts to improve our schools and to offer students an excellent education. The survey is another improvement tool that will allow our district and state to share data as a means to inform parents and community members about our school’s learning environment. The Illinois 5Essentials Survey is administered online by Chicago Impact at the University of Chicago on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education. Data and indicators are a result of the anonymous administration of the survey instrument.

In order for us to get results, we need at least 20% of our Ludwig families to complete the survey. Here is the link to access the survey. This survey link will close on March 29, 2024. Thank you for your help!

This past Monday, we kicked off our annual Kids Heart Challenge fundraiser. In partnership with the American Heart Association, all scholars learned how to take care of their heart, brain, and body. A shout out to Lorenzo and Owen for completing "Finn's Mission", before the assembly, and earning an opportunity to try the "impossible shot".

Our partnership with the AHA will culminate with students participating in heart-healthy exercises and activities in PE class on Friday, February 16th. Fundraising opportunities will continue through February 23rd. Take a look at Ludwig's AHA dashboard to see our progress in supporting the AHA and earning PE equipment for our school!

As a friendly reminder, students are not to bring any medication to school with them (with the exception of certain life-saving medications eg; epipens, inhalers). All medications, including over-the-counter medications (OTC), must be brought to school by a parent, guardian, or otherwise authorized adult. For the nurse or other authorized staff to administer medications at school, we must have a signed medication authorization form completed and signed by the student's doctor and parent or guardian on file before administering the medication. This includes OTC medications. If a parent or guardian is unable to acquire the required documentation, the parent or guardian (or other authorized adult) may come to school to administer the medication to the student as needed. Please see page 22 of our Parent/Student Handbook for more information.

Prescription medications must be brought to the school in a container, labeled appropriately by the pharmacist or licensed prescriber. OTC (non-prescription) medication shall be brought in with the manufacturer's original label with the ingredients listed and the child's name affixed to the container. Medications brought to school in containers without a prescription label or original manufacturer's packaging will not be accepted. Unlabeled medications being transported by students could lead to the medication getting into the wrong hands and could cause an adverse event. By reinforcing the policies and procedures that are currently in place, we hope to prevent those types of events.

Lastly, all students who report they are feeling ill at school must be checked out by the school nurse. If a child is determined to be too sick to remain at school, the nurse will contact a parent or guardian to pick their child up from school. Thank you for your cooperation in this process and, if you have any questions, please reach out to Nurse Patti.

During the month of March, Ludwig School partners with the St. Baldrick's Foundation to host fun events and fundraise to help conquer childhood cancers! This year's Podcast-a-thon and Social/Open Gym will be held on March 20th. More information to follow!

If your child, or a family member, is interested in purchasing a Ludwig School / St. Baldrick's t-shirt, please Click Here to place your order. Students and staff are encouraged to wear these t-shirts during our events on March 20th, and throughout March. The deadline to order a t-shirt is Monday, February 26th, at 12:00am. T-shirts will be delivered directly to the school and will be distributed to those who placed orders.

We thank you in advance for your support in our annual partnership with the St. Baldrick's Foundation!

Yearbooks are currently ON SALE! If you are interested in purchasing a book for your child so they can remember their year, please use the link and yearbook code below!

ybpay.com

Yearbook ID Code: 12828524

PLEASE NOTE: The order form you received may have said Ludwig School, but this book is for ALL students at Walsh, Reed, and Ludwig. If you are interested in purchasing a book for a child at Oak Prairie, you will need to use a different yearbook ID code.

Sales will continue until Friday, March 29th. You will not be able to order a yearbook after that date.

Please take a read through the flyers below for February updates from our PFA! Congratulations to Mrs. Perusich's class (4th grade) and Mr. Hagedorn's class (5th grade) for being the top Penny Wars fundraisers at their respective grade levels! Thank you, everyone, for showing your support for the PFA and the programming that they offer to our school district.

All of Ludwig's students, parents, and staff members have been invited to OP's Trivia Night on February 16th, from 6pm - 8pm. All proceeds raised will go towards paying the trivia host, with any additional funds going towards NJHS programming and transportation to their end-of-the-year service event. Please see the flyer below for more information and contact Ms. Barrett (ebarrett@d92.org) with any questions. We hope to see you there!

The annual Doodle for Google contest is now OPEN! Please click on the link to learn more about how your child can participate: https://doodles.google.com/d4g/faq/

Sincerely,

Mrs. Jarosz

As part of Ludwig's Culture Goal this school year, we continue to strive to provide a positive feedback loop to both our students and staff. When students go above and beyond at school, they have the opportunity to earn a "Golden Ticket" and enter the Principal's 200 Club. Students are then recognized in Ludwig's main office, on the bulletin board outside the main office, and during our afternoon all-school announcements. Parents also receive a positive phone call home!

If you have a Ludwig staff member who has gone above and beyond for your child or your family, please take a brief moment to recognize them on our "Caring, Compassionate, Community Recognition Form." This form will be active all school year long, and feedback will be provided to the staff members who were recognized. Thank you to everyone who has already submitted someone for recognition!