The DES Community Newsletter

Week of May 5th: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 7th: Community Helper Day for our Kindergarten classes

May 7th: Reunification Drill for participating students

May 9th: Third graders visit to KVIS

Week of May 12th: Classes will visit the DeMotte Public Library

May 12th: ELL Parent Night

May 13th and 14th: IREAD Retest

May 13th: K1 - K4 Field Trip

May 15th: K5 - K8 Field Trip

May 16th: Field Day

May 19th: Part of 3rd grade will go on Field Trip - Rooms: 33, 34, 35, 36

May 21st: Kona Ice for students after lunch

May 22nd: Kindy 500

May 22nd: Part of 3rd grade will go on Field Trip - Rooms: 30, 31, 32

May 23rd: Last Day for Students: 3rd grade student parade

May 23rd: Bike Safety Lesson by Officer Zickmund for Kindergarten and first graders

Please click the button below and take a few moments to complete the Title I End-of-Year Survey for KV's Title I Program. Thank you!

ELL Parent Night La Noche de Padres de ELL

Monday, May 12, 2025 el lunes, el 12 de mayo, 2025

6-7pm 6-7pm

Kankakee Valley Intermediate School La escuela intermedia de Kankakee Valley

Come and learn about your student’s experience with the ELL Program at KV. During this evening, we will:

● Help parents understand WIDA ACCESS score reports.

● Explain what students need to do to improve their language skills.

● Discuss school policies such as attendance and eLearning Days.

● Explain new testing policies for IREAD and WIDA.

● Have give-aways and awards for students.

Vengan y conozcan la experiencia de su estudiante con el Programa ELL en KV. Durante esta tarde, vamos a:

● Ayudar a los padres a comprender los informes de calificaciones de WIDA ACCESS.

● Explicar lo que los estudiantes deben hacer para mejorar sus habilidades lingüísticas.

● Discutir políticas escolares como asistencia y días de eLearning.

● Explicar las nuevas políticas de pruebas para IREAD y WIDA.

● Tener obsequios y premios para estudiantes.

**Children are welcome to attend this event.

The ELL team will have activities for them to do

while the parents are together.

**Pueden llevar a sus niños a este evento. El equipo de ELL

tendrá actividades en las cuales pueden hacer mientras se

reúnen los padres.

We LOVE our PTO here at DES. They do amazing stuff for our students and staff. If you would like to be a part of it, please reach out to our PTO board at des.pto@yahoo.com. All our parents are welcome to attend the monthly meetings. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, May 7th at 4:00 p.m. in the library.

Dear DES Families,

On Friday, May 16, 2025, we will be having Field Day. (Our rain date for field day is May 20, 2025.) On this day all grades K-3 will gather for fun, outdoor games. This is a great way to celebrate the accomplishments we made this school year!

Some things to keep in mind for that day:

• Students should wear appropriate clothing for the weather.

• Please make sure your child has a water bottle for that day.

• Sunscreen should be applied before leaving home for the day.

• SNEAKERS ARE A MUST! No sandals or open toed shoes.

If you would like to come watch your child participate, please bring your lawn chair. Field Day will be located just west of the playground. We would like you to park on the southwest side of the playground and you will see a roped off area where you will be able to sit and enjoy. Please remember that this is a day for the students and teachers to enjoy before summer break. Spectators will not be able to come past the roped area to ensure student safety and ease of transition from station to station for our students. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

Here is the schedule for field day:

Second Grade: 9:15-10:15

Third Grade: 10:20-11:20
Kindergarten: 12:25-1:30
First: 1:35-2:35

We have really enjoyed this year and can’t wait to enjoy the day with your child as we finish up the school year!

-Sami Bushman & Wanda Dougherty

Physical Education Teachers

If you forgot to order your yearbook online, you can still purchase one in the office. First come. First serve. The cost is $16

Our annual Kindy 500 for all our Kindergarteners will be May 22nd @ 1:00 p.m. Parents are welcome to come and watch. The track will be behind the school in the grassy area west of the parking lot. Parents may sit behind the roped off area around the track. Students need to stay with their class at all times. Students should not be checked out after the race unless it is absolutely necessary.

Some Attendance Tips:

• Make sure your student keeps a regular bedtime and establishes a morning routine.

• Turn off all electronics including TVs, phones, and tablets at bedtime.

• Have backpack and clothes prepared the night before.

• Encourage good handwashing habits.

• Check with our school nurse or office staff if you are not sure about when to keep your child at home due to illness.

• Avoid scheduling vacations while school is in session.

• Make every effort to schedule doctor appointments around school hours.

• Talk to teachers and our social worker for advice if your student feels anxious about going to school.

• In the event that your student cannot get to school in their normal manner, develop a plan with another family member or trusted adult to get them to school that day.

Attendance Incentives

We will be adding some additional attendance incentives for students with excellent attendance. These incentives include the following:

*Every student who has perfect attendance during a grading period will receive a special brag tag.

*Every student who misses 2 or less days in a semester will receive an attendance ribbon.

*Every student who misses 2 or less days in a semester will get to participate in some fun activity.

*Every student who has perfect attendance for the entire year will have their name put in a drawing for a special prize that will be given away at the end of the school year.

REMINDER: Please call the office if you need to make a change for your child's dismissal transportation. Please call in before 1:00 pm. For example: You will be picking your child up rather than riding the bus home. Please DO NOT message your child's teacher on Class Dojo. We want to make sure the message gets to your child and your child's teacher. Please call in at 219-987-2789. Please call in before 1:00 pm. Thank you!

The LAST DAY OF SCHOOL is Friday, May 23rd. Report Cards will be posted on Skyward Family Access on Friday, May 30th. If you would like a copy of the report card, you can stop by the office before Wednesday, June 4th or call in and request one to be mailed to you.

If your child is missing a jacket, coat, hat etc.... Please have them check the lost and found. Any items that are left will be donated at the end of the school year.

It has been an honor and a privilege serving our wonderful DeMotte families this school year. On behalf of myself and the entire DES staff, I would like to thank all our families for another great year. We hope you have an enjoyable and safe summer break! We look forward to seeing all our students back in August. To our 3rd graders we wish you the best as you transfer over to KVIS. I know you will do a great job in 4th grade. We will miss you!