The Franklin Flyer

Mark Your Calendars:

August 19 - 30: Fall MAP Assessment Window (Grades 2-5)

August 19 - 30: PTA - Back to School Sign-Up Day (Pizza Monday & Parent Volunteers, Event Chair Positions, Back to School Bash & 5K Volunteers/Participants)

September 2: Labor Day - No School

September 9: PTA - 1st Pizza Monday

September 12: PTA - Back to School Bash 5-7 PM; Fall Book Fair

September 16: PTA - Head Room Parent & Parent Volunteer Sign-Up Opens

September 27: Picture Day

September 29: Annual Judi McCarthy 5k Run/Walk

September 30: PTA - Raise Craze Kick Off

Absences

Please call in or email absences by 8:45 AM. You can call our student absence line (847) 318-4390 (ext 1) is available 24 hours a day, or email Mrs. Linda Berleth at lberleth@d64.org.

If the absence is illness related, please also make sure to include Franklin's nurse, Mrs. Queta Karstens, at qkarstens@d64.org.

Franklin Office Hours
School office hours are from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

School Hours

School Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 3:30 pm

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30

4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 12:05 - 1:00

Wednesday School Hours: 8:50 am - 2:40 pm

Wednesday Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:05 - 12:00

Wednesday 4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30

Half-Day Kindergarten Hours

Kindergarten Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 11:35 am

Kindergarten Wednesday: 8:50 am - 11:05 am

Arrival Procedure Reminders

As a reminder, our doors to school open daily at 8:42 a.m. for student arrival. The doors close at the 8:50 a.m. bell. All students outside the building at 8:50 a.m. will need to come to the office to be signed in.

Issues with A School Device?

If you have are having issues with your student's device at home, please complete a ticket.

https://d64.incidentiq.com/guest/NPV6SRUK/d64-family-tech-support-ticket#top

Picture Day

Picture Day is coming! Picture day will be on September 27th throughout the day. Students will go with their classroom teacher to have their individual picture taken. Pictures are available for purchase and are used for the yearbook. Please see the flyer from the photographer, Color Portraits, Inc., below.

Student Technology

As a reminder, each Franklin student will be issued an iPad (grades K-1) or a Chromebook computer (grades 2-5) as part of the District’s one-to-one digital learning program. Students will receive their devices during the first week of school. Your child will also be assigned a Google account to access Google Apps for Education and other digital resources at school and to explore further concepts introduced in class at home. The devices and their applications are technology tools that provide all students access to digital content and higher levels of individualized instruction.

You can find more information about the 1:1 Initiative, Chromebooks, and the other technologies available to our students here.

Payments to School - My School Bucks

Park Ridge-Niles CCSD 64 employs My School Bucks as its payment platform for families. Most

purchases for students, including field trips and student orders. Directors can be found here.

Please send a change of clothes with your children for all K-5 students. It is helpful to have a change of clothes in the event of spilled water, accidents, or an unexpected incidents. Clothes should be labeled with your child's name and can be kept in your child's locker. We encourage you to make sure your child's name is on each article of clothing.

For the health and safety of our students and community, no pets are allowed on school property. We realize the beautiful weather increases the amount of families who are walking to and from school. However, we ask that you please leave your dog or cat at home. Properly identified service animals are always permitted.

Please take a moment to review the contacts section of your ParentPortal. Any adult who has approval for after school pick-up or emergency pick-up for illness/injury should be listed. Franklin staff will not release students to adults who are not listed on the ParentPortal.

Drop-off of Student Items/Lunches

If your student forgets something at home, an adult may drop off items at the Franklin front office. Our front office staff will message the classroom for your student to pick up these items during a break in student instruction. The teacher will send the student to the office when it works best in the classroom schedule.

Lunch Reminders

Quest, our food service company, serves pre-order meals and beverages to our students who have placed orders. Students must use their MySchoolBucks account to purchase any food. Please see this website page for more information from Quest.

Though we have Quest food choices during lunch, most Franklin students bring lunch to school. We highly encourage waste-free lunches. To reduce waste, please consider the following as you pack your child’s lunch:

• Please pack your child’s lunch in a reusable lunch box or bag (not paper or plastic bags).

• Use reusable containers for sandwiches rather than foil, plastic wrap, etc.

• Buy snacks in quantity and transfer them to a reusable container.

• Put drinks in a child-friendly thermos rather than sending throw-away juice boxes, etc.

Visiting Franklin

All visitors to Franklin must have a valid state ID or driver’s license. Identification is entered into the Raptor identification system. This process only takes a short time to complete. Once you have clearance, the office staff will print a visitor pass for you and attach it to a lanyard you must wear throughout the building. The office will hold your ID until you return to the office and return the lanyard. We appreciate your support as we proceed with this district-mandated safety procedure for the safety of our students.

Student-Parent Handbook
Franklin Elementary School and all District 64 schools follow policies and practices reviewed and implemented by the District 64 Board of Education. Please review the D64 Student-Parent Handbook before the start of the school year.

You can find frequent updates or snapshots from our days at Franklin on Facebook and Instagram! Follow us at

Facebook: facebook.com/FranklinD64

Instagram: franklin.d64

Volunteer Opportunities | Visit Membership Toolkit to sign up and support our Franklin events throughout the year.

• Pizza Monday Block 1 (closes TODAY, August 30!)

• Back to School Bash & Book Fair volunteers

• Judi McCarthy 5K volunteers

• Raise Craze 2024 volunteers

• 2024-25 School Year event chair and committee positions

*** NEW THIS YEAR ***

The PTA will be providing grade level t-shirts to all students, free of charge!

Teachers are collecting size information, please respond asap.

LAST CALL!!! Pizza Mondays closing today!

Orders will close today August 30th at 11:59 PM for Block 1 of Pizza Mondays, and pizza service will begin on Monday, September 9th. Volunteer spots to help serve pizza are now full for all grades. Students who are participating in Pizza Mondays will be served pizza as they enter their lunch area. We do recommend sending 1-2 sides and a drink with your child on Pizza Mondays. Questions can be directed to info@franklinpta.com

2nd Annual Judi McCarthy 5K Memorial Run/Walk on Sep 29

Register or volunteer

Registration is open for our inaugural 5K at Franklin in honor of a dedicated former Franklin teacher, Judi McCarthy. Franklin students and family members who want to participate in the 5K can register in the PTA Membership Toolkit for $10 per person. Your $10 fee includes a shirt and water and light snacks will be served at the end of the event.

Those who can’t participate in the event but would like to support can make a contribution in the PTA Membership Toolkit. Donations will be used to help cover event costs, and additional funds will be used to fund equipment purchases for the Franklin P.E. department through which Mrs. McCarthy touched the lives of so many Franklin students and families.

Yearbook is up and running!

• The yearbook staff is in need of pictures from the first day of school. This is due by 9/7

• Pictures can be added by clicking First Day of School Photo. Sign in and then click add photos.

Pictures can also be emailed directly to the folder in TreeRing through this email link 1st Day Email photo link Please note: in order to email photos you must have a TreeRing account connected to Franklin

If all else fails, email photos directly to franklinyearbook@gmail.com (this is the last resort please)

Yearbooks are 10% off through October 31st.

Order through this link Franklin Yearbook Orders

If for some reason you are asked for a passcode, the passcode is: 101411067007226

Chess-Ed is excited to return to Franklin to provide lunchtime chess instruction this Fall.

The 10-week program runs from 9/11/24 to 11/13/24 and takes place on Wednesdays.

Students in grades K-3 will have Chess class from 11:00AM-12:00PM (lunch) while

students in grades 4-5 will have Chess class from 11:30AM-12:30PM (lunch). The

program is open to students in all grades and of all chess abilities (including those in full-

day and half-day Kindergarten). Professional instruction will include the basics for beginner

and novice players and build with opening theory, middle game planning, and end game

combinations for continuing and advanced students. Playing chess improves memory, uses

analytical and critical thinking skills, teaches problem solving, responsibility, sportsmanship,

social skills and more! The benefits of chess last a lifetime!

To register, please go to https://2024-2025franklinchess.eventbee.com/. Register by

8/28/24 to take advantage of the lowest available fee. For more information about the

program, please refer to the program flyer. Chess-Ed is looking forward to working with

your CHESS ENTHUSIAST this Fall!

Rainbows Student Peer Group

There is still time to register your child/children for our 2nd session of the Rainbows for all Children peer groups. The first session for this school year begins Tuesday, Sept. 10th at 5:30 pm. This free program will meet weekly, for 1 hour, at the Park Ridge Community Church and provides a safe space for students in 1st - 8th grade to share their experiences associated with loss of a loved one and/or a changing family dynamic due to divorce, deployment, etc. Trained facilitators help encourage communication while identifying, navigating and discussing feelings amongst the group.

Please use the Google form link below to sign up your child and/or to be added to our email communications list. Any questions or interest in volunteering to become a facilitator, please contact rainbows64@att.net . For more info about Rainbows, please visit: https://rainbows.org/

Rainbows Student Peer Group Sign up