The Jayhawk Weekly

Dear Julian Parents and Guardians,

We had an amazing time at Friday's Sneaker Ball! The shoe game was sigma, so many students and staff in their fresh "kicks"...lol😀! We got off to a great start with our sensory-friendly time and then moved on to the all-grade levels party time. Thank you to the Julian PTO for sponsoring the fun! 👟

Please click here and take the 5 Essentials Survey! Your voice matters and we want to hear from you! Currently, we only have 2% response rate from parents and we need at least 20% participation! Please click the link and take a few minutes to complete this important feedback: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/. Students will take the survey in Advisory tomorrow. If students are absent, they will have the opportunity to take the survey when they return to school this week.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, or ideas, please don’t hesitate to contact our team (emails below). Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our students' growth and success.

Jayhawks together,

Nick Filipowski

Principal, Percy Julian M.S.

• 8th Grade Class Trip: Sunday, May 25 - Tuesday, May 27th
• Memorial Day: Monday, May 26th (NO SCHOOL)

• 8th Grade Graduation: Tuesday, June 3rd (6:30pm @ OPRFHS)

Per our food supplier, on Monday, March 10th, due to a substitution, the beef patties may contain SOY. Please make note for any students with allergies.

Thank you,

Ms. Jones

Lunchroom Manager

vjones@op97.org

CAST presents A Midsummer Night's Dream! Performances will be Friday, March 14th @ 7:30pm and on Saturday, March 15th @ 7:30pm. Tickets are available online at www.castatjulian.org or at the door.

Any staff member of D97 is eligible for this OPEF award! You are welcome to nominate any individual who you feel has made a positive impact at Julian or within District 97: it could be a custodian, a teacher, a social worker, an office worker, a TA, or an administrator.

Please scan the QR code or go to the Oak Park Education Foundation's website for more details.

March 21st is the deadline to submit your nomination.

The advisory class of Mr. Cole & Mr. Walsh worked together to create this wonderful artwork last month for the Black History Month Door Contest. Note: This particular advisory class is held in the lunchroom, so they didn't have an actual door to decorate for the contest! Excellent job, Jayhawks!

Picture retake proofs were distributed in advisory classes last week. Please remember that the school office does not collect funds or take picture orders. All picture payments and orders are placed online:

• Parents/Guardians can place orders online only with Van Gogh School Photographers at www.ordervgil.com. If you have any questions regarding picture packages or proofs, you can contact Van Gogh's customer service dept directly at 847-382-2282 ext 7 or at vangoghphoto.com.

Please let your family and friends know that the graduation ceremony for Julian will be held on Tuesday, June 3rd at 6:30pm in Oak Park and River Forest High School's auditorium. Each Julian student that is graduating will receive 4 tickets for the ceremony. The school does not have a ticket wait list or ticket exchange. Every person over the age of 2 years old must have a ticket to obtain entry. Also a live stream of the ceremony will be available for those that do not have tickets and/or can not attend in-person. More details regarding the ceremony and expectations will be shared after spring break.

Parents/guardians all 10 of our schools are encouraged to take the Illinois 5Essentials Survey between February 18 through March 28: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/.

Thank you for participating in this important endeavor and for your continued support of our schools and the children we serve.

Dear Parent or Guardian,

We are writing to inform you about a student survey that will be administered at your child’s school for 4th-8th graders called the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This is the 12th year the Illinois State Board of Education will implement this survey across the state. This survey is based on 30 years of research at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. It asks students about their experiences in school, giving school leaders critical student input to help develop school improvement plans.

Student participants will be required to log-in using their state student ID and birth date in order to complete the survey. Students’ identities will be completely confidential. Teachers or administrators will never see individual responses to survey questions and will only receive aggregated information, such as the total percentage of students who agree homework assignments help them learn the course material.

Please be aware that under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act. 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions asked of your student(s). Survey questions can be found on the UChicago Impact Support Center (https://impactsurveyshelp.force.com/s/article/illinois-5essentials-survey-questions).

If you do not want your child to participate, fill out the information below (click the button to be taken to the google doc to print) and ask your child to return this sheet to his or her teacher by February 28, 2025.

Thank you for your cooperation,

D97 5essentials Team

Online registration for the 2025-26 school year in District 97 is now open for all students. Complete details about the process—including residency documents, timelines and other helpful resources—are available on the district website: www.op97.org/registration.

Returning Students

Registration for returning District 97 students is open Feb. 26 through April 30, 2025. Complete details can be found at https://www.op97.org/hr/returning-student-registration.

New Students and Kindergarteners

Registration for kindergarten and new students opened Feb. 19. Please click the links below to learn more about the registration process for kindergarteners and new students.

• Kindergarten Registration

• New Students

Get Ready to Register

Visit our District 97 Registration page for everything you need to know about the process, including residency documents, timelines, and helpful resources.

Need Help?

Our registration team is here for you! Reach out anytime through Let’s Talk. We look forward to supporting you through this process!

District 97's Single Subject and Whole Grade Level Acceleration process for students for the 2024-25 school year opens March 1!

District 97 believes that all students should be challenged and supported to develop to their maximum potential. For students who demonstrate they may benefit from accelerated placement, we provide opportunities to participate in an instructional setting that is usually reserved for students who are older or in higher grades than the child. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Early entrance to kindergarten or first grade

• Single subject acceleration

• Whole grade acceleration

The application/referral windows are:

• Feb. 1 through April 1 for early entrance

• March 1 through April 25 for acceleration

Information about the District 97 Accelerated Placement Program can be found at http://www.op97.org/acceleration.

Join Triton College for a career-exploration-focused camp designed for middle-school-aged students! Campers will choose one major area of study to focus on throughout the week, culminating in a Campers Showcase on the final day where they can present what they ve learned to their families and friends. Along with gaining hands-on experience in high-tech labs and learning from experts in the field, campers will also enjoy engaging recreation activities and daily lunches as part of the program.

To learn more about College for Kids and other camps being offered, or to sign up, scan the QR code on the flyer. Or click here: https://www.triton.edu/cfkspring/. The camp is Monday, March 24th thru Thursday, March 27th. If you have any questions, please call Triton’s School of Continuing Education at (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3500, email AskCE@triton.edu, or contact Friday Night Place at (708) 657-1790 or (708) 704-3789, or email fnplace25@gmail.com.

Hosted by Triton College in partnership with Oak Park Elementary School District 97, Fellowship Community Services, Inc. and Friday Night Place.

The Park District of Oak Park, Oak Park Public Library, Oak Park Elementary School District 97, and Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 are excited to host a Multicultural Fest on Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Scoville Park. This event will celebrate and showcase the incredible diversity that makes Oak Park such a vibrant community.

We’re looking for organizations to join the celebration by hosting a table, organizing activities that highlight a specific culture or region, performing on stage, or leading an art workshop. If your organization represents a culture and would like to participate, please complete our interest form. We’ll be in touch with more details in early 2025!

Health Reminders

We are so happy when your child can be at school on time and well enough for learning. However, keeping your child home when sick is essential to keep illness out of our schools and prevent spread to others.

*Families must report any absences due to illness or for any other reasons by calling or emailing the school attendance line (708-665-3064 or julianinfo@op97.org).

Please keep your child home if they are exhibiting signs of illness:

• Temperature of 100.0 degrees F° (37 C°)
• Your child should be fever free without medication for 24 hours before returning to school.
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Your child must stay home for a full 24 hours after their last episode of vomiting/diarrhea before returning to school
• Strep throat:
• Your child must be on an antibiotic for 24 hours before returning to school and fever free for 24 hours without medication if a fever is present.
• Swollen, red eyes that itch and are draining (possible pink-eye)
• Your child must be on an antibiotic for 24 hours before returning to school for bacterial conjunctivitis and drainage free and/or a note from the doctor.
• Uncontrolled coughing or constant “runny” nose – especially with yellow or green mucus
• However, for a mild runny/stuffy nose and mild cough it is alright to send your child to school.
• An unusual rash, a blistery rash, or a rash associated with a fever
• Your child should remain at home until you have discussed the rash with your physician and your child is not contagious (a note from your doctor may be required)
• COVID? Please see and follow the info in the link: https://www.op97.org/health-services/covid-19-guidelines
• Has symptoms that prevent them from learning:
• Very tired or lack of appetite
• Headache, body aches or earache
• Sore Throat—a minor sore throat is ok for school, but a severe sore throat could be strep throat, even if there is no fever. Other symptoms of strep throat in children are headache, stomach upset, or rash. Call your doctor if your child has these symptoms.

Approximately 10% - 15% of students have a food allergy. The most common allergen item is nuts of any kind. Every food-allergic reaction has the possibility of developing into a life-threatening reaction within minutes. Some individuals may react to merely touching the substance, while for others, consumption of a tiny amount of that food can cause a reaction which could be fatal.

• We strongly encourage packing nut-free products in your student's lunches

• We strongly encourage sending nut-free products on field trips

• There is NO food sharing between students at any time during school

How to identify safer foods for your children to eat:

1. Please read all packaging to ensure the item is not produced on equipment shared with nuts

2. Additional safe options may be viewed at: www.snacksafely.com

We appreciate your partnership in promoting the health and safety of our children.

LUNCH

Hot lunch is available to students who wish to participate and have a funded or approved lunch account. If you have questions regarding your student's lunch balance, you may contact the Lunch Manager, Venus Jones at vjones@op97.org. To make payments on student lunch accounts please visit, https://www.mymealtime.com/signin.aspx

FOOD DELIVERY POLICY

***District 97 employees will not sign for food deliveries for students. Julian students or parents/guardians should NOT have food delivered to the school through any food delivery service (i.e. DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, etc). Food deliveries will not be accepted during the school day. Please plan to pack a lunch or purchase a school lunch each day.***

Fees may be paid online at https://oakpark.revtrak.net/Middle-Schools/BMS/BMS-School-Fees/#/list

You may also pay fees in-person (with check, money order or cash only) at the Julian School Office during the week between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

Come help Julian be an even more awesome place...all that's missing is YOU! Julian PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization) meetings will be held every 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the Library Media Center:

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

If you can't make it in person, log onto Zoom for the PTO meetings:

Every month on the Second Wed, until May 14, 2025, 9 occurrence(s)
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZIqd-2grzwqH9xbM57ma8Z4koONenHwAstO/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGuqTsuEtWSsByPRpwAB4igLPzzmGZfgvpFnjKwVC1SOjmiPe1tHLdxOM_x&meetingMasterEventId=8BZCj1FGQtmhEqFKmR7G4w

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86704817058?pwd=sQ8438MQAlKe75JZ21eRBMFkOpJDza.1

Meeting ID: 867 0481 7058
Passcode: 325017

• Please call the attendance line at 708-665-3064 to leave a voicemail regarding your child's absence.
• Email julianinfo@op97.org if you have any questions for the school office.
• Dial 708-524-3040 to reach the Julian school office. And remember, if you plan to get your child for an early dismissal, give the school office a call 10-15 minutes prior to your arrival. This will give them time to locate your student and for your student to gather their belongings. Please, whenever possible, have your pick up done prior to 3:00 pm. Thank you for your understanding.

Oak Park, IL 60302

708-524-3040

www.op97.org/julian