Kirk Monthly

August 15, 2024 - First day of school for students!

September 2, 2024 - No School

Dear Kirk Community,

We all hope you have a great summer! This newsletter will highlight many of the amazing things our students did during ESY, all thanks to our amazing team of educators. I know many will be on the look out for teacher assignment letters. We will be sending those letters to families at the beginning of August.

We have a new Assistant Principal, Christina Spizzirri joining our administrative team. Christina has been working as a teacher here at Kirk and we look forward to having her support across the program. Maggie Cerniglia is continuing her role as the other AP.

During the month of July the office at Kirk will not be open daily. If you need anything please know that when you call and leave a voicemail or send emails there might be a delay in the response.

Sincerely,

Brian Weems

Principal

bweems@nsseo.org

Please make sure 2024-2025 registration is complete at Kirk Campus. If you have questions regarding registration or the process, please contact Grace Delaplane at gdelaplane@nsseo.org or at (847)-485-2600.

Kirk School celebrated the Summer Olympics during ESY. Each classroom got the choice to select a country to represent. Classrooms decorated their rooms, doors, and carts to show their country’s pride! Some of the PE competitions that students participated in were synchronized swimming, cycling, and gymnastics. All of the participants did an amazing job! ESY 2024 was a huge success. Thank you to all students and staff for their gold medal performances!

S'more Tasting

The class went to SLOEC during the first week of summer school. Before our trip, we went to Jewel and bought s’more supplies. On the day of our SLOEC trip, the class made s’mores on the campfire. The following day, the class made s’mores in the microwave. We then had the class compare and contrast the differences between the two types of s’mores. We also voted on if we liked the campfire s’more or the microwave s’more the best. John, Ashley, and Diana liked the campfire s’more the best, while Joseph and Anthony liked the microwave s’more the best. A delicious time was had by all!

The summer school was great!

Our class enjoyed our literacy unit theme, The Olympics. We created our own version of the Summer Olympics by competing with other classrooms in a race to the finish line! Using a classroom spinner and a switch, we counted squares on the floor and moved accordingly with our wheelchairs. We also took part in various in-school events such as JG’s Reptile Show, Petting Zoo, and Mane in Heaven. We also went to Sunrise Lake Outdoor Education Center, Twin Lakes, and a Bowling Alley. On our last day of school, we enjoyed a parade with the Police Department.

Room 109 had a blast this ESY! From going on a variety of field trips and CBIs to making new friends in the class, everyone had such a great time! Some of our favorite activities were meeting the animals, going swimming at Pioneer Pool, and going to camp! We also stayed up to date during morning meetings on the National Day of the week, where we read a story, listened to a video, and answered questions. We also focused on the Olympics and enjoyed creating “phryges” (a type of hat), which is the mascot for the 2024 Olympics! Everyone is looking forward to a great summer and is already excited for August!

Room 110 had such a fun ESY! We loved spending time with new friends and staff this ESY along with doing the things that we enjoy! We had so much fun going to Camp Sunrise, Swimming, along with seeing the animals during the Reptile Show! We loved trying new things and working on the things that we love!

Our ESY class created lasting memories this summer! We enjoyed a variety of activities including swimming, bowling, and attending animal shows, CBI trips and more! Inspired by our class read-alouds, the students also painted beautiful sunsets and trees on big sheets of paper. Our students focused on their schoolwork while taking advantage of the good weather by playing in the playground. Together, they formed strong friendships and began to settle into their roles as Kirk High School students!

We had a blast in Room 113 this summer! One of our favorite activities was working with Miss. Elena, our speech therapist, on a fun science experiment with fizzy ice cubes! We also enjoyed various activities such as cooking recipes from our National Day calendar, going on Community-Based Instruction trips to Walmart and Twin Lakes, visiting the Petting Zoo, and learning about the Olympics. Our students did a fantastic job practicing taking turns and utilizing their communication devices to advocate for their needs throughout our activities. We can’t wait to see them and their continued growth in the Fall!

Happy summer to you and your families from Room 113!

This summer was a blast! We got to meet new friends and hang out with friends that we already knew. One of our favorite activities in room 114 that students got to do was go to SLOEC. They got to participate in so many fun activities. One of those activities was playing a game called Duck, Duck, Splash. While they weren’t too engaged in the game, they had a lot of fun playing with the water and the sponges since it was a hot day. Some students were washing the leaves on the trees, which was fun for everyone. Another activity that they really enjoyed was making popcorn over the fire. They all wanted to eat a lot of it.

This summer the students in 115 were able to participate in so many new experiences! Some of our favorite activities included heading to Camp Sunrise for outdoor recreation, going bowling and practicing taking turns with our friends, and going to the pool to enjoy the hot weather! We had so much fun this summer meeting new friends and staff around the building and in class. We can't wait to come back in the Fall!

Room 116 had an exciting Extended School Year. Our best memories include spending time with Coach Nick, popping popcorn, meeting Hope the miniature horse, swinging, enjoying ice cream, visiting the park and pool, attending a reptile show, and even photocopying our toys. Wishing everyone a fantastic summer!

117 had a lot of fun this summer! We enjoyed going on community trips including bowling, swimming, and on CBI to Target and Jewel. We also feel lucky to have had the reptile show, petting zoo, Mane in Heaven and Kona Ice come to visit us.

In Room 119 this summer we had a lot of fun! We started off our summer attending a reptile show and we even got to hold a snake! We were able to head to the pool where we loved swimming and jumping in!! Next, we went to camp and our goal for the day was Teamwork! We cheered on all our friends during paddle boating and bottle rockets.

We also attended a Petting Zoo and we even got to feed the animals! Our final summer CBI was bowling! We really enjoyed working on our Teamwork goal and encouraged all of our friends during their turns!! Room 119 had a fun summer full of laughs, teamwork, and lots of fun!

Room 120 had a great time learning and participating in some fun summer activities these past three weeks! Our staff is so proud of the growth and accomplishments the students of 120 have made as we worked hard this summer to continue progress, as well as have some summer fun at bowling, Camp SLOEC, swimming, and seeing animals at the petting zoo! You can’t beat the smiles and laughs in our room! Happy Summer, Kirk!

122 had a great ESY! We loved learning new things about our community and each other! Some of our favorite summer trips included bowling @ Arlington Heights, going to camp, and the community pool! While at Kirk, we got to try new experiences with MINI HORSES!!!! Our friends loved spending time cooling off this hot weather with the Kona Ice truck. We tried new food recipes at the bake sale! Every year we look forward to new experiences, and this summer gave us tremendous memories together!

128 had a great ESY! We loved spending time together, and meeting new friends and staff around the Kirk building! Some of our favorite summer trips included bowling and going to the Arlington Heights Pool! While at Kirk, we got to try new experiences such as braving the reptile show, exploring new flavors at the Kona Ice truck, and trying out new cooking recipes with our related service team members during weekly cooking groups! Every year we look forward to new experiences, and this summer gave us unforgettable memories together!

What happened to Summer School?! We were so busy that we barely noticed the days went by. We loved meeting the animals and observing the ducks follow the tortoise. We followed directions and were cautious in our handling of the reptiles. At the bowling alley, we stayed behind the line and rolled for turkeys. We beat the heat and stayed indoors, completing crafts at Sunrise and enjoying swimming at Pioneer Park. On our final day, we celebrated Ms. Donna on her retirement from NSSEO. While our time at summer school was brief, we were active and safe and had a blast.

Room 133 had a great ESY, thanks to the many fun activities planned this summer! From interacting with the reptiles in the gym at Kirk to all the fun activities at SLOEC, our class had fun learning and growing while engaging in unique experiences. The students also continued to practice skills for vocational development. We enjoyed the nice summer weather, having gym class and other activities outside. The students worked hard to maintain the skills they have been working on all year and are ready to enjoy a nice, relaxing summer break! Thank you for a great 2023-24 school year and ESY. We can’t wait to see the students back in August!

Room 134 had a great summer! We welcomed three new students into our class: Jazzy, Alex, and Dash. Josh, Armando, and Jack did a great job adjusting to our new friends. We started our summer with a trip to SLOEC and had a great time hiking, playing games, launching bottle rockets, and making popcorn. Some of our students went to the pool and loved the water! We enjoyed going bowling and spending time with friends in other classrooms. The petting zoo and reptile show were a big hit. It was so fun getting to know new friends and going on community trips to McDonald’s, Target, and the park.

ESY 2024 was definitely one to remember!

135 had an amazing ESY! We enjoyed getting to know our new friend Jeriel and participating in fun activities. Some of the fun activities included playing at the park, going to Camp Sunrise, meeting animals, playing with shaving cream, bowling, and, most importantly, swimming. ESY 2024 was definitely one to remember!

We reviewed what plants need to grow and we decided to see what will grow faster- seeds inside a bag or a seed planted outside in the ground. We will water the outside seed only, and after every week will take a picture to see what is growing fastest!

During our first week of ESY, we learned about Argentina, Netherlands, and South Korea! We picked South Korea as the country that we wanted to represent for the Olympics. Throughout the three weeks of ESY, we learned about

• Facts about South Korea

• Hanbok, traditional Korean clothing

• Hangul, Korean alphabet and saw our names written in Korean

• Taegeukgi, Korean flag

• Jumeokbap, Korean rice balls and made them

It was exciting to learn about another country!!!

Room 141 had a great ESY! We spent our summer making new friends, going to new places, trying new things, and having fun! Some of our best memories include going swimming, spending time outside, going bowling, and meeting different animals. It was a great summer, and we are looking forward to the fall!

In Room 142, we had a fantastic time during the Extended School Year (ESY) program! Every minute was eagerly anticipated as we looked forward to engaging in various enjoyable activities. The first week kicked off with a bang as we had a delightful encounter with animals at the petting zoo. From snakes to bearded dragons to adorable chicks, there was a wide array of animals to interact with! During our time at school, we delved into learning about the upcoming Summer Olympics and even honed our skills in adapted shot put techniques. Both at school and in the community, we focused on cultivating traits of safety, kindness, and independence in our interactions with peers and community members. We savored the pleasant weather during our community outing to Twin Lakes and at Camp Sunrise, where we had a blast launching bottle rockets! Now, as our summer school adventure comes to a close, Room 142 is looking forward to some well-deserved rest.

We get to celebrate Father’s Day this ESY and make presents for our dads! Our students chose pictures of themselves that they wanted printed on a mug for their dad. We went to Hugs and Mugs on CBI, and had them printed while we enjoyed ice cream and coffee. We were able to have nice conversations with the café workers. They thought one of our students looked like Justin Bieber! They called her Riley Bieber! It was so nice to sit and listen to the music, talk with the employees, have some snacks, and make our Father’s Day presents, too! What an amazing Community-Based Instruction trip during ESY! Thanks, Dads, for all you do!

Room 216 had a fantastic ESY. From hedgehogs at SLOEC to swimming at the Arlington Heights pool, we enjoyed every minute! Many of us were new to each other this summer, so we spent a lot of time participating in activities that helped us get to know each other!

During the 2024 extended school year, students spent time in room 223 and room 225. They worked with Ms. Kaitlyn Thallemer and Ms. Erin Gillespie as well as a wonderful team of aides!

The goal of this type of programming was to provide transition-aged students with a balance of academic, vocational, and life-skill instruction. Ms. Kaitlyn (room 223) provided literacy, math, and daily living skills instruction within her classroom. Students read Harry Potter and did numerous engaging activities! Students rotated through small group stations with materials differentiated to meet the student's unique learning needs. Ms. Erin (room 225) provided vocational skill instruction, job exploration, classroom workstations, in-school and community job experiences, micro-business instruction, and life skill practice while learning about the summer Olympics! It was a busy and eventful ESY!

ESY Special Trips & Special Events:

• Rolling Meadows Pool

• Bowling

• Camp SLOEC

• Two CBI Trips- Hugs and Mugs and Portillos!

• Petting zoo at Kirk

• Mane in Heaven at Kirk

Room 227 had a great three weeks of ESY together. We enjoyed meeting new classmates and staff and experiencing new opportunities together. We worked on our academic, vocational, leisure, and community skills and worked hard each day. Some of our favorite moments of ESY were going bowling, the pool, camp, and our CBI to Dairy Queen/Dollar Tree. At camp, we loved meeting and interacting with all the animals; we were so brave with the bugs, snakes, and spiders! Check out some of our awesome pictures for our time at Kirk this summer! Have a great rest of your summer room 227.

Classroom 229 had an exciting and engaging summer! We spent time trying many different activities with some new friends! The petting zoo was a great experience! We met many different animals including chickens, bunnies, and turtles.

Are you, someone you know, or a business you're connected with, interested in partnering with Kirk to provide students with enriched learning through community instruction? We'd love to work with you!

Please contact us to learn more!

Greg Ciufo

847-485-2293

gciufo@nsseo.org

August 15, 2024 - First day of school for students!

September 2, 2024 - No School