

Friday Focus
February 28, 2025
In this Issue...
- A Message from Marcie
- School Safety Reminder
- Panorama Parent Survey
- Conference Sign-Ups are LIVE
- ISA Testing for 5th Grade
- Parker's Picks
- Tech Tip Hub
- South Park VIP Day is Coming!
- This Week in Pictures
- News from Early Learners
- Other Important Info
Check out the PTO Spotlight here:
- Bingo Night is 3/9! Register and Volunteer!
- West Side Classic is 3/5!
- Feed My Starving Children Philanthropy Event is 3/15!
- Purchase tickets for the Bulls Game on 4/4!
- Save the Date for the End of The Year Bash on 6/6!
- and much more...
A Message from Marcie
Dear Families,
Thank you for taking last week’s message to heart—we appreciate your partnership! As a reminder, when concerns arise, your child’s teacher should always be the first point of contact. They have the most immediate insight into your child’s daily experiences, and starting with them allows us to problem-solve more efficiently.
As we approach spring break, this time of year can be challenging for students. Please take a moment to remind your child of our Penguin Principles—Be Respectful, Responsible, Helpful, and Safe—and encourage kindness, just as we do at school.
Lastly, school will be in session on Monday, March 3, as an emergency make-up day.
Thank you for your continued support!
Best,
Marcie
School Safety Reminder
While we always appreciate kindness and good manners, we want to remind everyone of the importance of maintaining secure school entrances. Please do not hold the door open for others when entering the building. Even when it feels like the polite thing to do, it's best to close the door behind you or ask the person their purpose for being at school. Thank you for helping us keep our school safe!
Join Us on Wednesday at the West Side Classic!
Panorama Parent Survey
Again this year, parents/guardians across Illinois have an opportunity to participate in the annual survey to provide feedback about the schools their children attend. District 109 is fortunate to be able to use the Panorama platform for this survey, which is the same used for students. Ultimately, the family survey is designed for you to share your thoughts on the home-school partnership and other important elements of school effectiveness. Your responses help guide our improvement.
To take the survey, please visit https://surveys.panoramaed.com/deerfieldil/1589963429/surveys and select your child’s school. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and will close March 21st.
If you have children in multiple schools, we encourage you to provide feedback on both schools. Please know that your identity and responses are confidential and will not be connected to you or your child. Thank you in advance for taking the time to give us this important feedback.
Looking to Borrow Play Materials for Kindergarten
Our kindergarten teachers are looking to expand the play-based experiences in their kindergarten classrooms. To help us achieve this, we are looking to temporarily borrow items that will enhance our students’ learning and engagement. If you have items at home such as pretend food, dolls, dollhouse furniture, or dress-up clothes, please consider loaning them to our kindergarten team by signing up below. Thank you!
ISA Testing for 5th Grade on Monday and Tuesday
Next week, our 5th graders will be taking the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) on Monday and Tuesday. This state-mandated assessment measures students’ understanding of key science concepts and practices aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards. The test is designed to provide insight into their scientific thinking and readiness for future learning. Please ensure your child gets a good night’s rest and arrives at school on time. Thank you for your support!
Conference Sign-Ups are Live
The Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-up is now open. Please click here to access the sign-up links.
Spring conferences will be held on Thursday, March 20th from 1:00-8:00 p.m. and on Friday, March 21st from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Families should indicate whether they plan to attend the conference in person or virtually in the comment section.
We hope that families who choose to travel during this time will take advantage of the virtual conference option and sign up for a time slot during our teachers' designated conference times.
It is our practice to host one conference per child, and we ask that children not be present during the conference.
Parker's Picks
Looking for the best books for your young reader? Over the next few weeks, Parker will share his favorite books for little penguins of each age group. This week, Parker’s favorite reads for third graders! Third grade is an interesting time for readers. They explore every section of the library and love to try longer books. Here are some great reads for third grade!
The Unicorn Rescue Society series by Adam Gidwitz. New kid at school Elliot Eisner and thrill-seeking Uchenna Devereaux are tapped to join an ultra-secret organization that’s been protecting mythical animals — and keeping them hidden — for centuries. Their adventures take them around the world and face-to-face with fantastic creatures.
Planet Omar series by Zanib Mian. Planet Omar centers a young Muslim boy as he nervously transfers to a new school. Omar is bighearted and wildly imaginative (he suspects his new teacher of being an alien, for starters), and though he’s confronted with a bully and a feeling of otherness, he has his imagination, quirky family, and new best friend to help him find his footing.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. Every third grader needs a dose of Judy Blume in their life — and every young reader who’s lived through the woes of sibling rivalry will appreciate this tale of Peter and his little brother, Fudge, who’s hogging all the attention. The kid is trouble in Peter’s opinion, though all anyone seems to care about is his so-called cuteness.
Mr. Wolf’s Class series by Aron Nels Steinke. Mr. Wolf has just started teaching at Hazelwood Elementary. He wants the first day of school to go well, but he's got his hands full with his new class. This delightful graphic novel series captures the everyday -- and unexpected -- ups and downs of a fourth-grade classroom.
The Secret Coders series by Gene Luen Yang. In this graphic novel series we visit Stately Academy, a school which is just crawling with mysteries to be solved! The founder of the school left many clues and puzzles to challenge his enterprising students. Using their wits and their growing prowess with coding, Hopper and her friend Eni are going to solve the mystery of Stately Academy no matter what it takes!
Tech Tip Hub
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!
This Week in Pictures
1st Graders and 3rd Graders Attended the Magic School Bus at the Marriott Theater this Week
Students in Ms. Mason's Class Presented to Our School about Ramadan. Ramadan Mubarak to all who celebrate.
Congratulations to our Proud Penguin of the Week!
News From Early Learners
Our full-day students had a fantastic time diving more into the world of biography by choosing a figure we’ve studied recently to depict in the style of Vashti Harrison. They carefully focused on important details of the person’s appearance and applied Harrison's signature technique of using curves to represent facial features. This approach made it easy for all of our young artists to engage with the project, creating unique and personal representations of the people they’ve learned about.
In math, our full-day students have been practicing their number and shape recognition through fun and engaging color-by-number and shape activities. These tasks, which require matching numbers and shapes to the correct colors, have given them the opportunity to independently apply their knowledge and strengthen their executive functioning skills. This multi-step process, especially in the context of kindergarten rotations, has allowed students to show off their growing abilities with confidence and enthusiasm.
Our half-day students wrapped up their quilt projects with creative flair! The 3-year-olds made t-shirts, while the 4-year-olds wove beautiful designs with paper. They’ve also been having a blast exploring simple addition, and it’s been wonderful to see how much they are enjoying this early math concept. The excitement and joy they bring to learning each day is truly a highlight for all of us!
This week, there was no Grady's Group. Our students are excited to see what they will learn next week!
Early Learners Event - Save the Date!
Early Learners Week in Pictures
Simple Addition in Action
Enjoying the Nicer Weather
Collaborating Together on a Creation
Other Important Information ⚠️
- All visitors to South Park School MUST bring a valid driver's license or state ID card to the main office before entering into the building. Beginning this year, we will collect IDs during your visit and return it to you as you leave.
- If your child is going to be absent from school, you need to call or email us by 9:00 that morning. ** Call 847-945-5895, ext. 2103 and leave a message OR ** Email Nurse Nora Moskos.
- Please follow our morning procedures, and drop your children off at their regular grade level doors. If you choose to drive through the front circle at arrival, kindly stay in your car when you drop off to help us reduce morning congestion.
- K-5 drop-off is between 8:35-8:45 a.m. Students who arrive after 8:45 a.m. will need to enter through the front door of the school, as all other doors will be locked.
- Dismissal for all Kindy and 1st-grade walkers and car riders will take place at their grade level door.
- Early Learners drop-off/pick-up info can be found here.
- When parking in our Birchwood parking lot, please remember that our preschoolers are dropped off and picked up by the west end (closest to the school). Sometimes, their parents' cars can block a parked car from exiting for a few minutes. To avoid that, we suggest that you park closer to Birchwood Avenue.
Important Dates 📅
Friday, February 14th
- No School - Teacher Institute Day
Monday, February 17th
- No School - Presidents' Day
Thursday, March 20th (corrected date)
- Early Release at 11:40 a.m.
- Spring Conferences from 1:00-8:00 p.m.
- Non-Attendance Day
- Spring Conferences 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Monday, March 24th-Friday, March 28th
- Spring Break
Tuesday, May 20th
- VIP Day for Kindergarten, Third Grade, and Fifth Grade
- VIP Day for 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, and 4th Grade
2024-25 Music Concert Dates:
- 5th Grade - Wednesday, January 29th @ 6:00
4th Grade - Wednesday, February 19th @ 6:00 (rescheduled from 2/12)
3rd Grade - Wednesday, April 9th @ 6:00 (new date)
2nd Grade - Wednesday, February 19th @ 5:00 (rescheduled from 2/12)
1st Grade - Wednesday, January 29th @ 5:00
Kindergarten - Wednesday, April 9th @ 5:00 (new date)
Early Learners - Thursday, May 1 @ 5:00