Bobcat Blog

• Friday, October 25 - 5:00 pm registration deadline for OPEF classes at Beye
• Tuesday, October 29 - PTO Brief General Meeting 5:45 - 6:15 p.m. in the auditorium
• Tuesday, October 29 - Beye Math Night 6:15 - 7:15 p.m. (right after the PTO meeting)
• Thursday, October 31 - Halloween Parade and Parties (please complete short lunch survey if you haven't yet for each of your Bobcats: Halloween Lunch Plans)
• Saturday, November 2 - Dia de los Muertos program - see below
• Tuesday, November 5 - No School
• Thursday, November 7 - Picture Retake Day

It was wonderful seeing so many of you in the building for conferences. If for some reason, you were not able to meet with your child's teacher, please discuss an alternate time. Our goal is for 100% participation in conferences.

Thank you so much to Jacqueline German for organizing the Book Fair and to all of the volunteers who helped with being a cashier or taking the Book Fair down. Also, a huge thank you to Molly Greenwood-Whalen and Michele Jurewicz for organizing the wonderful staff conference luncheon as well as all of the families who contributed food and drink Thursday. We truly appreciated it!

Registration is open until 5:00 pm Friday, October 25. Don't miss out!

"You know us and love us from attending BASE Camp in the summers and now, the Oak Park Education Foundation is teaming up with Beye After School! Beye school staff and the Oak Park Education Foundation are joining forces to offer a variety of hands-on, innovative educational STEAM programs, after school! Join us! These programs are open to all Beye students, K-5th, and will be running for a full 5-7 weeks of FUN!
Click here to explore class offerings and info!

Program Registration: Opens Wednesday, October 16th

Classes Dates: All classes run October 28th- Dec. 13th

(no classes on October 31st, November 5, 27, 28, 29)

See attached flyer for more details, class offerings and QR code to scan for more information! If you have questions, please contact Tara Oetting, Programs Director at Oak Park Education Foundation at toetting@opef.org.

Thank you so much to our PTO for generously supporting our fantastic assemblies this week. Kudos to Terrell Carter and Tanya Fisher for following up on a parent's recommendation. Students and staff were treated to weather assemblies by Mr. Nick from Storm Science. He was engaging and taught the students a lot of cool things about weather. As you can imagine, the last experiment shown above was a huge thrill!

We will be celebrating Halloween on October 31 in the afternoon. Please let the homeroom teacher and me know if you would prefer your child not participate. To help us prepare for this exciting day, please complete the following Halloween Survey for each of your Bobcats.

Costumes should be easy to put on if doing so at school. No weapons may be included, and students need to be able to safely see walking down the stairs and around the campus. Beginning at 1:10 classrooms will walk around the school block, beginning out the front door and heading north on Cuyler. We hope you can come out and cheer on our Bobcats!

• 11:40 - 12:35 Regular Recess and Lunch Time (Students can be picked up to go home for lunch and change into their costumes)

• 1:10 - 1:40 Halloween Parade around the school campus block

• 1:40 - 2:40 Halloween parties in the classrooms (no food or drink)

• 3:00 Regular Dismissal

Please see the district's important message about Halloween costumes: Our goal in District 97 is to create a positive learning environment where all students, staff and families feel a sense of belonging. In that spirit, we have put together information and resources regarding culturally-sensitive Halloween costumes. We appreciate families being proactive with their children in making thoughtful costume choices. Click here for more information >>

Please join us before Math Night in the auditorium for a brief, yet important PTO meeting. Students will have an activity do do while the meeting takes place.

At this time, you will get a high level overview of the State of Beye, including our end of SY24 data, beginning of the SY25 data and hear about our School Improvement Plan.

I am hoping to have a large crowd to hear this important information.

Please join us Tuesday, October 29 for Math Night. There will be math games and activities for students to do independently and with families. They will be labeled K-2 or 3-5 but are open to everyone. Math fun will be available in the library, STEAM lab, cafeteria and gym.

Like last year, there will be a contest to see which grade level has the highest attendance percentage. In the hall by the auditorium, please highlight your child's name so we can tabulate and determine the winning grade level.

Thank you in advance for signing up to help at next weekend's Dia de los Muertos celebration at Beye if you can: https://www.konstella.com/cd/8mpHUO

Beye's PTO has been invited by Donnie Biggins, Robert's Westside's founder to advertise the First Friday Parents' Night Out at Bobby's Eastside. This event will always be free and open to the public. It will coincide with what they are calling "Find Your People" at Bobby's Eastside.

The first date is Friday November 1st, which also pairs up with the CRC's Parents' Night Out, so childcare can be more affordable for more parents to participate in nights like this. You can sign up for via the Park District: here

"Find your People" is a new community driven monthly event encouraging dancing, building friendships and creating lifelong memories. Find Your People is your chance to unwind from the work week and meet your neighbors and fellow parents.

Featuring DJ Lovebug spinning 80’s, 90’s & more.
Every First Friday | 7PM - 10PM | FREE | Table Reservations Available | Bring $ To Tip DJ Lovebug if you wish

October 2024

Dear Beye School Families,

Oak Park Elementary School District 97 is committed to creating positive learning environments that are equitable, inclusive, and focused on the whole child. An important part of this work is listening and learning from our students as to how they are experiencing the culture and climate at our schools.

District 97 is working with Panorama Education, a student survey platform, to support us in administering school culture and climate surveys to our students in grades K-8. The purpose of the survey is for students to share their perceptions on engagement, school climate, school safety, sense of belonging, and teacher-student relationships. Students will complete the online survey in school and it will take about 10 minutes to complete. Student responses are confidential.

Survey data is used to help District 97 and school teams with continuous improvement, adjusting programs and resources to meet the needs of students and to support inclusive and safe environments for everyone in the school community. Students take this survey in the fall and in the spring.

We hope to have all students participate in our fall survey that will take place between November 4-15th. While our goal is to have 100% participation, parents/guardians may choose to not have their child participate. If you prefer your child does not participate, please complete this opt out form by October 31 at 4 p.m. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Michele Capio, Director of UDL at mcapio@op97.org.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Sullivan

Beye Principal

Oak Park and River Forest High School will host an in-person parent university session on Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The event will be focused on supporting adolescent and teen mental health.

Hosted by the D200 Mental Wellness Collaborative, keynote speaker Dr. Devorah Heitner will explore challenges adolescents and teens face in our digital age, and offer strategies to connect with your kids, recognize how to support them, and help them figure out who they are when everyone is watching. The evening will also offer sessions on enhancing communication with your adolescents and teens, and on helping them build effective executive functioning skills, along with a resource fair to connect families with local support. Access the flyer here, the program here, and register here. *Pre-registrants who attend will be eligible to win a free copy of one of the keynote speaker’s books! Questions? Contact Kris Johnson, OPRFHS Director of Student Services.

As Halloween approaches, we want to remind staff and families that nuts and nut products are not allowed in any District 97 schools during the 2024-25 school year, and all of our celebrations during the school day should be food free. Our schools have been nut-safe for the past two years—helping to create safer, more inclusive environments for all of our students.

Please visit https://bit.ly/3YriRs5 to access information about the district’s food allergy management program, as well as tips and options for identifying food that is safe for snacks and field trips. We appreciate your support of this important initiative!

Looking for a safe and enriching after-school program for your child?
At La Casa Montessori School, we offer Spanish immersion and a
child-centered Montessori approach, all within a warm and welcoming
community where your child (and your whole family!) feels at home. Our
after-school care at the Adams/Scoville campus (514 Adams, Oak Park)
is designed for students aged 5-11 years old and includes engaging
enrichment classes like music, art, and yoga, along with quiet study
time, an afternoon snack, and plenty of outdoor play! As one happy
7-year-old put it, “The teachers are my favorite part!” Pickup is
available on foot for nearby schools or by van for select D97
elementary schools. For more information, please contact Christina
Harris at charris@lacasamontessori.org.

Student Leadership Team is sponsoring a sock drive and calling it Socktober! We will be collecting brand new socks of all sizes for the organization New Moms all of October. We will have labeled boxes in the commons to place the donations. Please consider donating a package of new socks for the cause.

Thank you for your support,

Beye Student Leadership Team

Co-sponsors Ms. Fogg and Mrs. Adduci

Please take a peek at Mr. Bulger's enrichment site: Here's the address: https://sites.google.com/op97.org/beye-school-enrichment

We are glad our Bobcats benefit from these opportunities!

Beye Fall 2 classes are now LIVE on our site. See link below for more information.

https://www.slowfireceramics.com/beyeelementaryschool

See message from Nurse Shilpa:

We will be offering a free dental clinic open to all current Beye students on December 10th and December 11th. This is being offered at Beye School in partnership with the IWS Children's Clinic.

If you are interested in having your child/ren participate, please complete and return the attached consent form by Monday 11/25. A consent form was sent home with your students Friday September 27th.

Note: If you have a Kindergarten, First, Second, or Fifth grade student, participation in this dental clinic will satisfy dental exam requirements for KG, Second as well as Sixth grade.

Below are details from the IWS Children's Clinic:

"We provide dental exams to students through our in-school portable dental program. Our services extend to every child, pre-k to 12th grade, regardless of insurance status or eligibility. Children in kindergarten, second, sixth, and ninth grade are required to receive a dental exam – this program fulfills this requirement. Eligible children covered by Medicaid will also receive a dental cleaning and fluoride varnish if it has been 6 months or more since last cleaning/fluoride. Upon dental examination, Medicaid students will also be eligible for sealant placement. "

An extra step, if you want your child to participate, feel free to email me so I know to look out for your consent to come in at some point before the due date.

Thank You,

Shilpa

Beye Dental Consent - English
Beye Dental Consent - Spanish

The D97 Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) will be meeting every other month this school year. This is an opportunity for families to learn together and act as an advisory committee to the D97 Core Instruction team.

Parents are also invited to the Special Education Parent Support Meetings (SEPSM) which will meet every other month. The support group will be led by two licensed clinical social workers and will act as a space for parents seeking support/connection. The meetings are held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Whittier Elementary School.

Special Education Meeting Schedule for 2024-25

October 28, 2024: SEPSM (Whittier)

November 25, 2024: SEPAC (Beye)

December 16, 2024: SEPSM (Whittier)

January 27, 2025: SEPAC (Beye)

February 24, 2025: SEPSM (Whittier)

March 17, 2025: SEPAC (Beye)

April 28, 2025: SEPSM (Whittier)

May 19, 2025: SEPAC (Beye)

Please consider signing up to help maintain our Beye community pantry! Thanks in advance.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409084FAEA82EA0FC1-beye1#/

Background Check Sign Up

Beye entrances/exits

D97 2024-2025 School Calendar

Health Letter from Nurse Shilpa

“My Mealtime” online portal, (If you need to add money to your child's account)

Student-Family Handbook for 2024-25

Cheryl Sullivan

Beye Principal

csullivan@op97.org

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