Haskin Happenings
October 2023
A Message from Ms. Venetucci
October is here, and with it has come some crisp mornings and cool evenings. This month, we hope your spare time is filled with family and friends at pumpkin patches, eating apple cider donuts, and sipping pumpkin-flavored coffee drinks. We are excited to start to see the leaves change and all the fun that comes with raking piles of leaves to play in for hours, followed by the faint smell of burning leaves. What a great time of year!
Over the course of the 2022-2023 school year, the District Leadership Committee, a collection of teachers, administrators, board members, and district parents, created a list of Core Values. These Core Values are behaviors that embody our community. The DLT committee has created a district calendar to systematically reinforce these values with our students throughout the school year. We hope these values become a part of our students' journey from Kindergarten through Senior year and beyond. We encourage you also to get to know these seven values. Use the vocabulary in conversations with your student(s) when the opportunity arrives. The more often our students think about these values and reflect upon them in their school work and peer interactions, the more of a positive impact they will have.
At Haskin, we've created a positive and proactive student recognition process focused on these seven core values, similar to our "Character Counts" tickets from last school year. You can also recognize our staff for embodying these values with our Staff Spotlight form.
Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions that you may have!
Ms. Martha Venetucci
#IgniteTheSpark
Important Upcoming Dates
October 4 - Walk, Bike, and Roll to school
October 6 - No school - Institute Day
October 9 - No school/Columbus Day
October 9 - 13 - Fire Prevention Week
October 10 - Law Enforcement Drill
October 11 - First Grade - Hoover Field Trip
October 12 - Fire Drill & Fire Safety Assembly
October 12 - Cake Roll Fundraiser Begins
October 16 - October 20 - Book Fair
October 17 - BOE Meeting
October 19 - Literacy Night
October 24 - 3rd Grade - Napersettlement Field Trip
October 26 - Cake Roll Fundraiser Ends
October 27 - Kindergarten - Kuiper's Field Trip
October 27 - 2nd Grade - Discovery Center Field Trip
October 31 - Halloween Classroom Parties
Progress Reports
This Friday, September 29th, you will receive your student's Trimester 1 progress report. This progress report is being provided to give you information about the current learner traits your child is demonstrating to start off the school year. Please review the “Key for Performance Standards” section at the top of the document before looking over your student’s learner traits. We encourage you to look over the entire document as a preview of what standards are being assessed this trimester and throughout the school year. Your child's progress towards those standards will be indicated on their first trimester report card and will be discussed with you at our parent teacher conferences. You will also receive a copy of your student(s) Fastbridge Family Report. If you have any questions about either of these documents, please reach out to your student(s) teacher.
Notes from the Nurse
Nurse Updates
All medication, including cough drops and over-the-counter products, require a Medication Authorization Form to be completed and signed by a student’s healthcare provider and their parent/guardian.
All Kindergarteners and any student attending school in Illinois for the first time are required to submit a State of Illinois Eye Exam or Waiver by October 15, 2023.
Flu season is around the corner! Protect yourself and your family this season with an annual flu vaccine for everyone who is 6 months and older. Seasonal flu activity can begin as early as October and last as late as May. Visit www.flu.gov or talk to your healthcare provider for more information.
Some tips from the American Safety Council for a safe and fun Halloween:
Stay in groups
Costumes should be well-fitting and flame resistant
Always test makeup so it doesn’t irritate skin
Remember to look both ways before crossing the street
Examine all treats before eating
Stay on the sidewalk
Avoid dark houses
Flashlights and glow sticks for visibility
Enjoy with caution!
New Security Measures
Celebrate the Haskin Staff!
We are blessed with an amazingly dedicated staff here at Haskin. Each day, our staff arrives with a student-centered mindset and goes to great lengths to help students learn academically, socially, and emotionally. If you are feeling extra appreciative of any of our staff members at any time this year, please give them a shoutout! It truly makes their day to receive such validations and appreciation form our stakeholders. Click the button below to access our Haskin Staff Spotlight Google Form.
Golden Apple Nominations
Honor an outstanding Pre-K-3rd grade teacher by nominating them for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching today:
Click Here to Nominate a Teacher
#TeachGolden #GoldenAppleAwards
We Need YOU, Dads!
Did you not have a chance to sign up for a Watch DOGS day?? Please join us by signing up HERE!
WatchDOGS stands for “Dads Of Great Students.” The main mission of the program is to have positive male role models in our schools (showing our kids that education is important) and to have an extra set of eyes in the building to increase security and reduce bullying.
Who are WatchDOGS (Dads Of Great Students)?
WatchDOGS are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other father-figures who volunteer for at least one day each year at an official WATCH D.O.G.S. ® school. During the day, WatchDOGS may read and work on flash cards with students, play at recess, eat lunch with students, watch the school entrances and hallways, assist with traffic flow and any other assigned activities where they actively engage with not only their own students, but other students as well. Many school principals have reported that the mere presence of a WatchDOG dramatically reduces reports of bullying.
Heart of Haskin
The following Sandwich Core Values will be embedded in our Heart of Haskin program. These are also embedded in our goals for our staff and school wide community. These are great skills to discuss with your students as we will be emphasizing them throughout each month. Throughout the month of August and early September we provided an overview of what each core value means through our morning announcements, building assemblies, classroom read alouds, and Morning Meetings. During the month of October we will be focusing on Growth Mindset. Have a Growth Mindset is believing that you can learn and grow through ambition, perseverance, determination, and guidance.
FREE AND REDUCED BREAKFAST/LUNCH
The carry over period for students who were receiving free/reduced lunch for the 2022-2023 school year will end on September 27, 2023. If a new 2023-2024 application has not been submitted by that date your child will automatically be put on paid breakfast and lunch beginning September 28, 2023.
Please click on the link below to apply for free/reduced breakfast and lunch:
https://www.freereducedlunch.com/sandwich430
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, and Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Walk, Bike, and Roll To School Day Wednesday, October 4th
Parents who normally drive their children to school are encouraged to find a place of their choice to walk from. Using crosswalks and crossing guards, we hope you enjoy a walk with your child to Haskin!
Students who ride the bus will be dropped off at Sandwich High School and will “walk” to school together. The Haskin staff members, will assist students in utilizing crosswalks and sidewalks during their walk to Haskin.
Staff members will be positioned between the high school and Haskin to make sure all students are walking safely.
National Fire Prevention Week
National Fire Prevention Week is the week of October 9th. The 2023 campaign is titled "Cooking Safety start with YOU." For additional information, including documents you can use to reinforce fire safety in your household, please visit this site.
On Thursday, October 12th, the Sandwich Fire Department will be visiting Haskin for an assembly to teach and reinforce fire safety with our students.
H.O.P. Volunteer Opportunities
Next HOP Meeting is Monday, October 2nd at 1:30 at Haskin - We would love to see you!
Notes from the Social Worker…
Notes from the Social Worker…
Happy Spooky Season everyone! October is such a fun month full of celebrations beyond Halloween (though that is the most fun!). October is officially Bullying Prevention Month, which is a month-long event to prevent childhood bullying and promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. If you would like to find out more about this wonderful cause please visit https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/. October 10th is also World Mental Health Day. The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health (https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day).
Closer to home, here at Haskin we have our own celebrations this month. As part of our Core Values, we are talking about our Growth Mindset. Having a growth mindset means having a mindset that you can learn and grow through ambition, perseverance, determination, and guidance. This is discussed as part of our Second Step lessons, which have been focusing on both a growth mindset and goal setting. The power of “yet” and what to do when making mistakes is a very important lesson for all of our students to learn. It helps them realize that they can do whatever they set their mind to, even if it is hard.
We will also be celebrating Red Ribbon Week from October 23rd-27th. The theme is “Be Kind to Your Mind. Live Drug Free.” We are having a spirit week along with some other fun activities here at school to celebrate and bring awareness to the mission of keeping our kids drug-free. Our spirit days will be…
Monday, October 23rd - Red Ribbon Week Kickoff - WEAR RED
Tuesday, October 24th - Team Up Tuesday - WEAR YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS GEAR
Wednesday, October 25th - Wake Up Drug Free - PAJAMA DAY
Thursday, October 26th - Use Your Head, Make Good Choices - HAT DAY
Friday, October 27th - Our School Always Chooses to Be Drug Free - SANDWICH SPIRIT DAY
I am available to chat with you if you have any questions or concerns or need any help. Please feel free to reach out. I am available at 815-786-8812 x24007 or at rhaskins@sandwich430.org.
Have a great school year!
Sandwich Area Community Resources
Sandwich Education Foundation
Lynn G. Haskin Elementary School
Email: sgaskin@sandwich430.org
Location: 720 Wells Street, Sandwich, IL, USA
Phone: 815-786-8812