Kirk Monthly

April 1st - No School

April 16th - Parent-to-Parent event - 5:30pm - 7:00pm

@ PERC

April 19th - Navigating the Special Education Process - 12:00pm - 1:30pm

@ PERC

April 19th - Spring Student & Alumni Dance 6:30pm-8:30pm

@ Kirk School

April 23rd - The Future Begins Today fair - 6:00pm-8:00pm

@ Harper College (Building W and A)

April 24th - IPADD Unite - Planning for a Meaningful Day 10:00am-11:30am

@ PERC

April 26th - School Improvement Day - No student attendance

ESY Dates

The Extended School Year (ESY) dates are June 10th through June 28th. School hours remain the same: 8:30am to 2:30pm. No school on June 19th.

Kirk Pool

The Kirk pool remains closed until at least April 1st due to urgent renovations.

Mark Your Calendars

Spring Dance - April 19th

Prom - May 9th

Connections Graduation Party - May 20th

High School Graduation Ceremony - May 21st

Develop the Love for Reading with Shared Reading

What is shared reading and how do you engage your son/daughter? This strategy is utilized within Readtopia and is designed to engage readers in interactions while reading together with an adult. The focus is on reading with students - not to them. Students are guided to lead the interactions and make meaning as they read together with a knowledgeable adult.

So why do shared reading? Shared reading builds receptive and expressive communication skills and understanding. A simple way to remember the steps of shared reading is the acronym CAR, which stands for Comment, Ask, Respond.

Just get in the CAR and follow CAR!

Below is an example of how to follow the CAR strategy for shared reading. We are currently reading the story Rolling Warrior, based on Judith E. Heumann, who fought for the rights of people with disablities. To practice with your child at home, simply ask your learner’s teacher for a copy of the book or print one yourself by using this link! When reading this page together from the Rolling Warrior, here's how it might go:

Comment: Oh look, that child is sick.

Ask (invite your son/daughter to respond) by asking open-ended questions not to test or quiz your son or daughter: How does being sick make you feel?

Your son/daughter responds: “No” on his/her communication device.

Respond: You don’t like being sick. Neither do I.

Ms. Laura Cotter using student’s AAC device to model the core vocabulary word “like” during shared reading.

For more information on this strategy visit Literacy for All.

For more advanced reading strategies, contact your classroom teacher.

More and Less!

Math vocabulary is powerful and can be incorporated in many different settings including school, home, and the community. Basic math concepts that you can reinforce with AAC devices include more/less.

At School

Here is one classroom learning about the word, ‘More’ in Ms. Alana Pickard’s’ class!

Not only does Alana utilize the core word “more” in her literacy instruction and in her Math Equals lessons, but she also includes it in her morning meeting to compare daily votes posing the question, “which category had ‘more’ votes?”

At Home

More and Less (Tips)

Activities to practice at home:

1. When you’re finished with dinner, look at each other’s plates. Who has “more” on their plate? Who has “less?"

2. When playing a game, such as Sorry or Trouble, compare two turns - Who rolled “more?" Who rolled “less?”

In the Community

Activities to practice in the community:

1. When at the grocery store, look at items on a shelf such as cereal - based on the size of the boxes, which has “more?” Which has “less?”

2. When shopping you can compare prices of products, which item costs “more?” Which costs “less?”

Check out the PERC Flyer to learn more about the upcoming Parent Education events being offered through NSSEO this spring!

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

April 1st - No School

April 16th - Parent-to-Parent event - 5:30pm - 7:00pm

@ PERC

April 19th - Navigating the Special Education Process - 12:00pm - 1:30pm

@ PERC

April 19th - Spring Student & Alumni Dance 6:30pm-8:30pm

@ Kirk School

April 23rd - The Future Begins Today fair - 6:00pm-8:00pm

@ Harper College (Building W and A)

April 24th - IPADD Unite - Planning for a Meaningful Day 10:00am-11:30am

@ PERC

April 26th - School Improvement Day - No student attendance