Bobcat Blog

• Thursday, April 25: Choral Festival at OPRF
• Monday, April 29: Incoming 6th Grade Julian Parent/Guardian Orientation Night at 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 30: Elementary Instrumental Festival at OPRF
• Friday, May 3: Student Bobcat Bolt (more details coming soon)
• Monday, May 6 - 10: Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
• Friday, May 10: PTO Teacher/Staff Appreciation Luncheon
• Saturday, May 11: Beye PTO Plant Sale Pick Up
• Thursday, May 23: Parents' Night Out (See details below)

Update: Please see below regarding signing up for the Bobcat Bolt. The links can't be accessed through the image I included. However, you can sign up within the text in the Bobcat Bolt section.

We had an exciting week in more ways than imagined. Thank you so much to all of the families who were able to join us at our Read, Recite, Recycle Reading Night! I think the students had a blast picking out "new books", creating writing pieces, listening to teachers' read alouds, making bookmarks and listening or hopping on stage to perform during the Open Mic portion. Thank you SO much for all of you who donated books! It helped us pull of our vision for a fun evening. As said before, I also know it conflicted with the OPPL STEM night. While we will ensure that doesn't happen in the future, I hope many of you enjoyed that special event as well.

Hopefully you saw the email that went out on Friday regarding our alarm system, although I am sure many students shared as well. I was very proud of how well our students did.

Please take a peek below for timely information from the Green Team. There are many things happening TODAY for Earth Day coming up Monday.

Coming up Wednesday is Administrative Professionals' Day! We are very fortunate to have Ms. Cooper and Ms. Harlan who do SO much for Beye School. Please join us in celebrating them this week.

Through this fun run/walk/roll, to be held during school hours on Friday, May 3, we will promote outdoor exercise with peers while raising money for our school. Please help us reach our fundraising goal by supporting the Bobcat Bolt 2024. We have teamed up with Get Movin’© to make this event fun and profitable with online mobile friendly technology! Please note that all students will participate in the Bobcat Bolt – registering is not a requirement for participation.

Students will be running/walking/rolling with their reading buddies this year! See the SY23-24 tab for the schedule HERE.

See Flyer below but you will need to click on the link to register here (see directions)

1. First Register or re-Login to your parent dashboard and complete your child’s student webpage with a PICTURE at getmovinfundhub.com. School Identifier: 6231cfe597ac7

2. Make an online donation using the red Donate button right away

3. Share with friends and family, they want to help!

· Send emails and/or text messages and/or

· Post to social media

Student Goals (as seen in flyer below)

• Our goal is to have 100% of all students registered online! It’s easy, FREE, and takes few quick minutes!
• Each student is encouraged to raise $50, but there is no fundraising requirement and registration is free.
  
• There will be extra recess earned by the class(es) with the highest participation.
  

PTO/Green Team Plant Sale: Volunteers needed, pick-up reminder and plants for purchase

Plants will be delivered on Saturday, May 11th and we need volunteers to help sort and distribute orders. Please sign-up for a fun volunteer opportunity here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040E4FA4A62DA20-48946235-beye

Happy Earth Month from the Green Team!

Local Earth Month Family activities this weekend:

ONE EARTH FILM FEST -YOUNG FILMMAKER VOICES

Oak Park Public Library

Saturday, 4/20 doors open 1pm movie begins 1:30 pm

Free screening of winning films made by youth. Registration info in flyer.

TRAILSIDE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

738 Thatcher Ave. River Forest

Saturday, 4/20 @ 10am-12pm

Free family program-plant a tree, make your own bird feeder, pick up litter, and more.

EARTH DAY CLEAN-UP IN COLUMBUS PARK

Saturday, April 20th 9:00-12:00

Looking for a tangible way to give back to the Earth on Earth Day Weekend? Join One Earth and partners in cleaning up historic and beautiful Columbus Park and the state-of-the-art BUILD Chicago campus in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago's Greater West Side.They will provide gloves and bags... you bring your energy! Sign up here: bit.ly/24ed-cleanup After, they’ll provide a free vegan lunch and gather in a circle to reflect on our accomplishment.

YOUNG FILMMAKERS CONTEST

BROOKFIELD ZOO PARTY FOR THE PLANET RECYCLING EVENT

Saturday, April 20 9am-12pm

Brookfield Zoo North Parking Lot

The Zoo will be collecting electronics, textiles, and used books (see link for list of all acceptable items)

https://www.brookfieldzoo.org//PartyPlanet

SHREDDING AND FOAM RECYCLING EVENT

Saturday, April 20, Oak Park Public Works garage, 201 South Blvd.

Drop off paper for secure shredding (see link for details about allowable type and amount) and Styrofoam (with number 6 symbol) will both be collected 9am-12pm

Details at https://www.oak-park.us/newsletters/marchapril-2024/paper-shredding-and-foam-recycling-event.

Thursday May 23rd from 6:00 - 8:00pm

Last year we raised a glass at Friendly Tap and this year the Beye parents will hobnob after hours at the distinguished Oak Park River Forest Museum! Mingle with other parents while supporting Beye school programs! Emcee LB (aka Laura Barnard) is back to host this lively evening. Learn about the history of Beye School from museum staff, hear from Principal Sullivan and PTO volunteers, and be entered into a raffle to win a cash prize. A limited quantity of free childcare slots generously provided by By Discovery will be available. (details forthcoming).

Donate a ticket $30

The Oak Park Department of Public Health has been informed of an increase in Fifth disease cases in our community. Fifth disease (parvovirus B19) is a viral infection that typically presents with a red rash on the face, in addition to other symptoms. Please review the letter provided by the health department for more information.

The health department notes:

• Families should not send child(ren) to school with a rash without first being evaluated by a physician. A return to school note may be required.
• Any individuals who are pregnant should carefully review the letter, as Fifth disease can pose complications. Please contact your physician for additional guidance.

Additional information about health guidelines for District 97 students can be found at https://www.op97.org/health-services/sick-day-guidelines.

Join us for a Family Workshop hosted by the District 97 Student Services Team! The event will be held Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Holmes Elementary School. Learn more about the IEP process, eligibility meetings, school-based and clinical supports, and your parental rights. Click here to view the event flyer >>

Don’t miss out on this morning of learning and connection! Click here today to RSVP >>

Online registration for the 2024-25 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 web site: www.op97.org/registration.

Returning Students

Registration for returning District 97 students will be open March 5 - April 19. 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. 22. Please click the links below to learn more about the registration process for kindergarteners and new students.

• Kindergarten Registration

• New Students

In order to register your student, you must be the custodial parent/guardian and currently reside in Oak Park. Students who are registering for kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year must be at least 5 years old and must be born on or before Sept. 1, 2019.

We appreciate your partnership in preparing for a successful 2024-25 school year!

You will see information in the District's Weekly Wrap Up. Click here to learn more about One Book, One District >> Thank you for encouraging your child to read the designated pages or read with them. Here is the schedule again: reading schedule

Beye’s Student Leadership Team is leading Beye School in the Can Do Challenge! Starting April 1st we will be collecting food for Beyond Hunger, our local food pantry. We would LOVE for Beye to win the trophy. Although there are many ways to earn points, one is by bringing in certain foods.

Food Donation List - Most Needed Items:

High Need Items – 8 points

• Dry black-eyed peas (1-2lb bags)

• Canned salmon

• Brown Rice

Essential Items – 5 points

• Peanut Butter

• Canned Chicken Soup

• Cheerios’ Cereal

• Canned Mixed Vegetables (low sodium)

• Tomato Paste

• Bagged Rice (White or Brown)

• Refried and Dry Beans (Pinto and Black)

• Canned Pineapples

• Canned peaches (in natural juice)

• Canned chicken (in water)

Create your own Cooking Video with your family!

Star in your own cooking show! Students can choose one of the Healthy Recipes from our website and create their own cooking video for us to share on our social media and YouTube channel. Try to keep the video approximately 2 minutes or less. Once we post your video, be sure to share it with your friends and school community. Send video submissions to: corina@gobeyondhunger.org.

500 Points

TRIMESTER III COMMUNICATION:

Weekly Wrap Up

K-5 Literacy Update:
D97 Respects Teachers as Experts in Standards-Based Instruction

At the beginning of this school year, District 97 shared its beliefs about literacy as we commit to ensuring that every student is in love with literacy and able to read, write, speak and listen at grade level. CLICK HERE to read more about our approach. >>

Today we are providing a brief update on the work of our K-5 English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum Committee as we move through the curriculum review and adoption process.

March 19 Board Update

During the March 19 meeting of the District 97 Board of Education, the Core Instruction team shared an overview of the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan, the district’s approach to literacy instruction, and an update on the curriculum review process. We invite you to check out our “In Love with Literacy” update by clicking the following links: Recording | Slides

Literacy Curriculum Review Process: 2024-25 Pilot Schools

The K-5 ELA Curriculum Committee is a collaboration between the Core Instruction Team and District 97 teachers from each elementary school. This year, the committee has been engaging in professional learning and meaningful discussions focused on high-quality, evidence-based literacy instruction.

One of the committee’s priorities is to evaluate and identify K-5 English language arts resources to pilot at Hatch, Whittier, Beye, and Irving during the 2024-2025 school year. Throughout this year, the K-5 ELA Curriculum Committee has been conducting a comprehensive review of more than 15 resources utilizing information gathered from vendors through surveys and presentations. During the month of March, committee members have been provided time to explore each resource being considered on their own. The Core Instruction Department will reconvene the committee in April to select two to three standards-aligned, evidence-based ELA resources that pilot schools will implement next year.

At the conclusion of the pilot in 2025, the committee will select resources to recommend to the Board of Education for district-wide adoption during the 2025-2026 school year.

District-Family Partnership

It is important that the Core Instruction Team partners with all stakeholders to make an informed decision as the K-5 ELA Curriculum Committee engages in the curriculum review process. This includes:

• Providing updates each trimester in our Weekly Wrap-Up newsletter.

• Inviting all District 97 K-5 families to participate in a survey about their student’s experience in order to inform decisions regarding future ELA resources.

We would like to thank the families who participated in the survey and shared their experiences. Our team looks forward to our continued partnership and to providing another update on this work in May!

TRIMESTER II COMMUNICATION:

Weekly Wrap Up

Core Instruction Department Gathers Feedback about K-5 Literacy from D97 Families

District 97 is committed to ensuring that every student in pre-kindergarten through second grade is in love with literacy and able to read, write, speak and listen at grade level by third grade. At the beginning of the school year, the Core Instruction Department shared the district’s beliefs about effective literacy instruction and our plans to enhance student learning experiences in the area of early literacy.

One of District 97’s priorities is to ensure teachers have access to high-quality resources that are aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards for English Language Arts and grounded in the components of the literacy framework (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and oracy). This year, the Core Instruction Department is partnering with the K-5 ELA Curriculum Committee which includes teachers across the district, to review various resources to support effective evidence-based literacy instruction. During the 2024-2025 school year, Hatch, Whittier, Beye, and Irving will pilot the resources evaluated and selected by the committee. At the conclusion of the pilot, the committee will identify resources to recommend to the Board of Education for district-wide adoption during the 2025-2026 school year.

As we engage in this process, it is important to partner with all stakeholders to make an informed decision. Your voice is important to us! We are inviting all District 97 K-5 families to participate in a brief survey about your student’s experience with the district’s current reading and writing resources. This will also be an opportunity for you to provide insight regarding your hopes for a resource that will support your student’s strengths, needs, and goals. The survey opens on Friday, January 12, 2024 and closes on Monday, January 22, 2024. Click here to participate in the survey. We look forward to receiving your feedback.

TRIMESTER I COMMUNICATION:

Weekly Wrap Up

District 97’s Approach to Early Literacy

Dear District 97 K-5 Families,

As your child’s first and most important teacher, you play a crucial role in encouraging your child’s love for reading. District 97 values our partnership with families and the community, and we appreciate those who have shown interest in our approach to literacy instruction. We acknowledge that many families have listened to the Sold a Story podcast that was released in October 2022, which examines the ongoing debate between balanced literacy and structured literacy approaches for effective reading instruction. We are pleased to outline our plans to make educator-informed decisions about early literacy to enhance student learning experiences across the district.

The work of District 97’s Core Instruction Department is grounded in Board Policy 7:12 (Ensuring Racial and Educational Equity). This policy charges our district to provide all students with what they need to thrive, achieve at the highest possible level, and graduate prepared for college, career, and community success. As we embark upon the Portrait of an Oak Park 8th Grade Graduate and the competencies that are important for student success, it is essential that all students are afforded equitable access to high-quality literacy curriculum and instruction.

Research shows that children who are strong readers have much greater academic success in school. Remaining current on research and findings in literacy instruction is vital to serving our students. Systematic and direct instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics is critical as students learn how to read and master print concepts. A wealth of research exists detailing the importance of ensuring that students have demonstrated competency in the skills foundational to reading in elementary school, with an emphasis on students learning to decode words and read texts fluently and accurately by third grade.

Where are we now?

While other school districts may be making immediate shifts to a more structured literacy approach, in District 97 we believe it is important to partner with all stakeholders to make an informed decision grounded in research and based on our beliefs about effective literacy instruction. District 97 is committed to ensuring that every student in pre-kindergarten through second grade is in love with literacy and able to read, write, speak and listen at grade level by third grade. We will continue to take steps to move forward with incorporating the research about teaching our youngest learners how to read by upholding the following beliefs:

District 97…

• Values the expertise of practitioners closest to student experience so we engage them in the national debate around literacy instruction

• Expects all students to demonstrate competency in the foundational skills of reading and recognize that instruction and collective teacher efficacy are primary and resources are secondary

• Recognizes that strong adult practices in core instruction which support students in our focal cohort will result in positive outcomes for all students

• Provides on-going professional learning opportunities to expand teachers’ knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices for supporting emergent readers

• Utilizes the school improvement logic model process to engage teacher leaders and early literacy teachers in identifying resources and professional learning opportunities for future curricular review decisions

Where have we been?

During the 2016-2017 school year, District 97 adopted and began the district-wide roll-out of Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study for Reading and Writing over the course of three years for students in grades kindergarten through five. At the time, there was a great need for the immediate adoption of a common written curriculum and instructional materials across all eight schools.

Units of Study implements a workshop model of teaching reading and writing, which uses a “gradual release of responsibility” model of teaching, offering direct instruction through a mini-lesson, demonstration of the skill, guided practice, and independent practice—all with constant feedback and support from the teacher, as well as peers. Units of Study

provides a framework for interdisciplinary connections across all content, but overtime we discovered gaps in students’ foundational skills in phonological and phonemic awareness and phonics.

Over the past few years, District 97 has worked to provide elementary teachers with supplementary resources to support Tier 1 instruction with an emphasis on enhancing students’ foundational skills. The table below outlines the Tier 1 core and supplemental resources currently utilized and the alignment to the components of effective literacy instruction.

District 97 has also engaged in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to create a flexible learning environment in which information is presented in multiple ways, students engage in learning in a variety of ways, and students are provided a variety of options when demonstrating their learning.

Literacy Component

Phonological & Phonemic Awareness

Phonics

Fluency

Vocabulary

Comprehension

Where are we going?

The Core Instruction Department will continue to support teachers with evidence-based practices, materials, and professional learning. The timeline below demonstrates how this priority will be actualized through SY 2024-2025.

Parents and guardians have a direct influence on their child's literacy development and are responsible for creating a literacy-rich environment at home. As we continue to engage all stakeholders in promoting and supporting literacy in District 97, we are looking forward to providing opportunities for families to play an active role in the curricular review process and development of the Portrait of an Oak Park 8th Grade Graduate.

We have provided a summary of our district-wide plans to enhance the foundational skills of our emergent readers. If families have specific concerns about their child’s learning, the teacher is your first point of contact. Teachers can then engage with the support staff in our schools as well as with their building principal to seek smart solutions together.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we continue to fulfill our district vision to create a positive learning environment for all District 97 students that is equitable, inclusive and focused on the whole child.

2024-25 District 97 Blended Preschool Program

District 97 is now accepting applications for the early childhood blended classrooms at Whittier Elementary School for the 2024-25 school year. There are a limited number of spaces available. Click here to view the 2024-25 D97 Blended Preschool flyer >>

District 97 is seeking students who:

• are non-IEP students who will be between the ages of 3 and 4 years by Sept. 1, 2024;

• demonstrate age-appropriate language and social skills;

• are Oak Park residents;

• are not enrolled in a preschool program.

The registration window will be open through May 24, 2024. For more information about the Early Childhood Blended Program or to apply, please visit https://www.op97.org/teach-learn/ecblended.

See the flier below.

The breakfast and lunch menus for our elementary and middle schools are available at http://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service. During the 2023-24 school year, students may:

• Bring a nut-free lunch from home.
• Order school lunch.

Free and Reduced Lunch Application
Students may receive meals at a free or reduced cost either by being directly approved by the State of Illinois OR being approved after completing the 2023-24 Free and Reduced Lunch Application (English/Spanish). All families who are directly approved by the state will receive an approval letter by email. If you feel your student may qualify for free or reduced priced meals but are not directly approved, we encourage you to complete the application as soon as possible Please visit https://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service for more information.

Cheryl Sullivan

Beye Principal

csullivan@op97.org

Location: 230 North Cuyler Avenue, Oak Park, IL, USA
Phone: 708- 524-3070
Twitter: @MrsSullivand97