The 929-November 6, 2024

Dear Edgewood Families,

The HumanEx Family Engagement Survey is now officially open! This short survey—just 5-10 minutes—provides our team with invaluable insights into how we’re doing from your perspective. At Edgewood, we’re always striving to grow, and your feedback plays a key role in helping us improve.

I’ll be keeping you updated on our progress by sharing the number of responses we receive throughout the survey period. We want to hear from as many families as possible, so I’ll also send a few reminders to ensure everyone has a chance to participate. Your time and feedback mean a lot to us!

Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

All my best,

Louis Kotvis

Edgewood teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, and staff work tirelessly to support our students. If you would like to recognize a staff member for their hard work, please complete this form. We’ll pass along your message. Thank you in advance for acknowledging the hard work of our Eagle staff.

We are excited to give parents all the details regarding parent teacher conferences. Please reference this for dates, times and logistics.

Picture retakes and/or makeup photos will take place next Friday, November 15th, in the cafeteria from 8:00 to 10:30.

Cartwheel is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, November 13 at 6:00 p.m. For details, read here

Join us for the 14th Annual Day of Giving on Saturday, 12/7. For detail, read here!

• Edgewood Middle School partners with the Lake County Health Department to provide an underage drinking prevention campaign for both students and parents. Students get different messages via posters and newsletters throughout the year as well as interactive activities. The campaign is supported by a Youth Advisory Committee to help inform the campaign. You can find the monthly content for the parent campaign in the newsletter link below. You can also see the student campaign materials, parent campaign materials, and more on prevention112.com.

• Please take our Parent Survey to help inform the parent campaign!

• Parent Newsletter: https://secure.smore.com/n/tz5hqa

Nominate an outstanding teacher at Edgewood Middle Schools, North Shore School District 112, for a chance to win the Highland Park Community Foundation Golden Apple Award! Please see this attached document for nominations! Paper Copies available in the office and submissions due by Friday, November 15, 2024, at 5:00 P.M

Students are now able to sign up for Wrestling through a google form sent directly to their email from Miss Henderson on November 4th. All students, all genders and grades, are eligible to participate! Our wrestling team is housed at Northwood Middle School, so students will be bussed there after school for practices. See this link for more information!

Edgewood Middle School will be participating in a district-wide initiative to earn the designation as a No Place for Hate school. No Place for Hate, an initiative by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), provides Pre-K–12 schools with a framework that supports students, administrators, teachers, and families in creating long-term solutions for fostering an inclusive and equitable school climate.

Through this framework, schools work to:

• Build inclusive, safe communities where respect and equity are prioritized, allowing all students to thrive.

• Empower students, faculty, administrators, and families to take a unified stand against bias and bullying by integrating new and existing programs under a powerful, cohesive message.

• Communicate a strong, unified message that every student has a place where they belong.

We look forward to keeping you updated on Edgewood’s progress toward this important designation.

Please note that all lost and found items will be donated after Thanksgiving break. We have encouraged students, and will continue to encourage them, to check for their belongings daily. Students have received reminders during announcements, and written reminders are posted at the front of the school. Lost and found items will also be available for viewing on the first day of in-person conferences.

Join us on November 19, 2024, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Highland Park High School Auditorium for a special event featuring Dr. John Duffy, a clinical psychologist, author, and expert in parenting and personal growth. Dr. Duffy will share insights on the unique challenges modern parents face, including navigating social media, academic pressures, and mental health concerns. His practical advice will help parents connect with and support their children in today’s fast-paced, often overwhelming world.

This event is free and open to all families, co-sponsored by Districts 113, 112, and 109 in partnership with the Deerfield Parent Network.

REGISTER

Exciting news! We finally have enough photos to start creating this year’s yearbook, and we need your help! If you're creative and love photography, design, or writing, the Yearbook Club is the perfect place for you. Join us as we begin crafting the pages that will capture the memories of this school year. Whether you enjoy taking photos, designing layouts, or writing captions, there’s a role for everyone. We meet on Wednesdays before school starting 10/30/24 at 7:15 am in room 101B. Contact Ms. Wadhwa for more info!

On Friday, December 6th, 2024, Edgewood students and staff will participate in a service learning day connected to District 112's Day of Giving. Day of Giving originated at Elm Place Middle School in 2011 when students and staff collected donated food, clothing, toiletries, and winter gear to help support 12 local families. We have kept the tradition alive and now service 200 families in our community. Partnering with the PTO, we have been collecting food items this year as part of Day of Giving. The service learning day on 12/6 allows all students to participate in acts of service to support our community, as well as hearing from speakers about local service organizations. The special schedule for Friday 12/6 is linked here.

The November 2024 newsletter on chronic absenteeism highlights the growing issue of students missing school and its negative effects. Key points include the rise in chronic absenteeism, particularly post-COVID, with over 16 million students affected. This absenteeism contributes to lower academic achievement, widening educational disparities, and increased dropout rates. Contributing factors include bullying, housing instability, and mental health challenges. The newsletter also offers strategies for parents and schools to improve attendance, such as creating a positive school climate and engaging students and families.

You can read more here.

PTO Meeting

Wednesday, November 13 | 10:00am - 10:45am | EW Conference Room

Link to join virtually: November PTO Meeting

Food Days Deadline

The deadline to place an order, or make changes to next week's Food Days service is Thursday, November 7 |10:00am. Link directly to Lunch Solutions here: Lunch Solutions

For more information about PTO activities and events, including those outlined above, please follow this link to the PTO website: Edgewood PTO

Questions and feedback for the PTO can be directed here: edgewoodpto112@gmail.com