Ferson Creek eNews

OCTOBER

10/18 - FEARson Trick or Treat 6:00-7:30 pm

10/24-10/31 - Story Book Pumpkins Drop Off & Display

10/24 - Picture Retake Day

10/25 -Spirit Day -Channel Your Flannel

10/30 - Early Release, dismissal at 2:35 pm

10/31 - Halloween Costume Parade & Class Celebrations

NOVEMBER

11/5 - Election Day, No School

11/8 - End of 1st Trimester

We had our second Town Hall on Thursday focused on kindness. Town Hall Families read the book Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler and reflected on all the ways kindness can be shown at school, at home, and out in the community. Then, families brainstormed symbols for kindness. The kids had great ideas! In my group, we had a coffee cup because this student likes to make coffee for her parents. We also had a student draw a plate of cookies, because it's kind to share treats with people! These images of kindness were added to "Town Hall Family Flags" that will be used throughout our town hall meetings this year. We are excited to continue to spread kindness across our Ferson community!

Retake Picture Day is 10/24/2024!

If you're satisfied with your child's picture, no further action is required.

If you purchased and were unhappy with your Picture Package, please send your Picture Package to school with your student on Retake Day. Your Retake Picture Package will be produced and shipped to the school four weeks after Retake Day. Please note, if your child is photographed on the original and Retake Picture Days, the Retake picture will replace the original picture in certain products, like the yearbook.

Students who were absent for Picture Day should come to school prepared to have their picture taken. If you have not preordered, please use the Retake Order Code 87182PF to place your order at https://inter-state.com/Order. To see your Order History, check your Inter-State Account.

Find answers to Retake Day questions here.

On October 30th, Ferson Creek will be conducting their state required annual Lockdown Drill during which students will review and practice the classroom procedures. Parents/guardians may opt their child out of the physical participation in this drill each year by emailing Principal Kristy McKnight at kristina.mcknight@d303.org at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled date. Students who have been opted out will receive an alternative school safety learning experience with a certified staff member.

Halloween is just around the corner! We will celebrate Halloween on Thursday, October 31st. This year, we will hold our Halloween parade outside at 2:10 pm. Parents are welcome to view the parade from the blacktop area behind the school. In the event of inclement weather, the parade will move to the gym. Classroom celebrations will take place after the parade. While wearing costumes is optional, there are a few guidelines:

• Props representing weapons are not allowed.
• Students should not wear costumes which promote gore, violence, or inappropriate imagery.
• No costume face coverings or masks can be worn.

October 31st – Classroom Celebrations

Pre-arranged volunteers should plan to sign in and have their license scanned, and get their visitor’s badges just prior to the start of the classroom celebrations. Our celebrations are scheduled from 2:25 pm-3:10 pm. Party volunteers will be allowed down to classrooms at 2:00 pm.

The following information is being provided as a reminder of District 303's attendance procedures and how information may be recorded and shared with a student's family throughout the school year.

Hello Orchestra Families,

Orchestra spiritwear is NOW AVAILABLE! Yay! Our students LOVE wearing their Orchestra spiritwear on Orchestra days. We also use spiritwear for special events: spirit days, in-school performances for peers, fiddle fest, and more. A flyer with visuals is attached, and the link to order is below.

Short Sleeve, Long Sleeve, and Hoodies!

Short and long sleeve t-shirts - and hoodies - are available. We recommend getting a short or long sleeve t-shirt for the warmer months, and a hoodie for the colder months.

Fan Shirts - Not Just for Students!

"Fan" on the back, same logo on the front. Moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, and uncles - anyone in the family is welcome to join in! Be sure to get yours as well!

Be sure to get a drawstring bag! These are great for making sure your student comes to school each week with all of their needed materials together in one tidy place: including their book, binder, rockstop/shoulder rest, rosin, etc!

The order window closes on Tuesday, October 29th! Spiritwear will be distributed to students before winter break.

LINK TO ORDER SPIRITWEAR!

(you will choose your student's instrument for the back of each shirt once you start the order process, selecting product and size first)

All proceeds from spiritwear sales go toward D303 Orchestra students.

Thank you for your support!

Jennifer

We have many lost and found items still unclaimed! Please pick up any lost items by Thanksgiving Break. Any items remaining after that time will be donated!

At the end of October, Heidi Sheridan and Amy Penar, school social workers, will begin Erin's Law lessons utilizing the Second Step Child Protection Unit. For more information regarding Erin's Law and the Second Step instructional resource, please see this letter.

Have you ever dreamed of being a mascot?! If so, now’s your chance! On Fridays, Frankie the Ferson Fox will be outside greeting students with a fist bump as they arrive. Volunteers are needed to be Frankie from 8:40-9:05am. Sign up for a Friday in the sign up genius.

D303 will host the 4th annual Pathways Night at Compass Academy on October 30. This career fair welcomes employers and educational institutions supporting careers that don't require a 4-year college degree. If you are a business owner and wish to participate in Pathways Night, please complete this form. More information for students and families interested in attending will be available in the next few weeks.

District 303 is proud to partner with the Glenbard Parent Series (GPS) to offer our families broader access to information sessions and resources that support their child’s development.

For decades, GPS has been offering free programs that aim to empower and strengthen families, individuals and communities. As a partner organization, District 303 will support promoting upcoming programs and their importance to our local community.

Click image below to listen!

Technology can be a wonderful way to keep in touch with family members. However, smartwatches and phones can become quite disruptive to the learning environment when parents are contacting their children throughout the day (and vice versa). The Elementary Student Handbook contains the following language:

Students are extended the privilege of possessing phones/smartwatches on school grounds; however, their use is limited to after-school dismissal and non-school days. These devices must be in the off position, or not used once the student arrives on campus until the end of the school day.

Teachers will request that phones and smartwatches are off and/or set to school mode for the duration of the school day. If you need to get a message to your child during the day, please reach out to the main office and your child's teacher.

Click image below to order!

Please call 331-228-2300 to report absences and choose option "1" or email Cheryl Wiley at cheryl.wiley@d303.org

• Messages can be left 24 hours a day.
• Please leave your name, your child's name, phone number, reason for absence and your child's symptoms if ill.
• If you have advance notice of an absence please fill out our prearranged absence form, inform your child's teacher and submit the completed form to the front office. You are allowed up to 5 prearranged absences per school year.

Our parent volunteers are an integral part of our school community. Therefore, we'd love to invite you to spend time with Ferson Creek students during lunch and lunch recess.

Interested? Information and sign up can be found using this link.

Please keep in mind that it is important to keep our students, staff members, and volunteers safe while they are in our schools. Given that, all volunteers must:

• Have your ID ready and sign in at the office to receive your visitor badge.
• EACH YEAR complete a Volunteer Liability Form. If the school does not have one on file for you and you do not provide one, the office will provide one for you when you come for your first day as a volunteer.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Dr. DuCharm (331-228-5920, Alison.DuCharm@d303.org)

If you'd like to be a part of the optional, PTO sponsored school directory, please login into your Membership Toolkit account to update your students' information for the 2024-25 school year. All students' grade levels have been advanced, but you will need to update their teachers.

If you don't have an account yet, be sure to register! You can update your account privacy settings at any time!

PTO- Membership Toolkit

Kristy McKnight, Principal

Website: https://fersoncreek.d303.org/
Location: 38W160 Bolcum Road, St. Charles, IL, USA
Phone: 331-228-2300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ferson-Creek-Elementary-1492773537612187/