The 929 October 16, 2024

The Student Council is hosting an awesome Pumpkin Contest, and we’d love for your kids to join in the fun! Whether they’re carving or decorating, all they need to do is snap a pic of their pumpkin, upload it to Google Drive, and submit the link through this Google Form by October 30th!

Remember, NO pumpkins should be brought to school – it’s all virtual! 🖼️

Voting will happen online on October 31st, and we can’t wait to see all the creative pumpkins!

All my best,

Louis Kotvis

Edgewood teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, and staff work tirelessly to support our students. If you would like to recognize a staff member for their hard work, please complete this form. We’ll pass along your message. Thank you in advance for acknowledging the hard work of our Eagle staff.

We are thrilled to continue the tradition of offering students the option to wear Halloween costumes at school on Thursday, October 31st! We want everyone to have a fun and festive day while ensuring that learning continues and the school day runs smoothly.

To balance both fun and academics, all costumes must follow these guidelines. If these are not followed, students may face consequences from the office:

• Please leave any items that could look like weapons at home.
• Masks and face paint are not allowed.
• Costumes should allow you to move freely in the hallways and sit comfortably in your classroom seat.
• Make sure your costume is respectful and considerate of others’ feelings.
• Students should arrive at school already dressed in their costumes, as changing during the school day will not be allowed.
• Remember, Halloween is still a school day, so students are expected to fully participate in each class.
  

If any of these items are taken from a student, they will be held in the office until a parent or guardian can pick them up from school.

We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to a great day of learning and fun for everyone. Let’s work together to make it an enjoyable experience!

Please come out and join the first ever Cooper's Dream Team- Sled Hockey game vs Highland Park Hockey Team on Sunday, October 27th at 5:30pm at Centennial Ice Arena. Please see here for details of this wonderful philanthropy. Please click here to buy some swag!

Nominate an outstanding teacher at Edgewood Middle Schools, North Shore School District 112, for a chance to win the Highland Park Community Foundation Golden Apple Award! Please see this attached document for nominations! Paper Copies available in the office and submissions due by Friday, November 15, 2024, at 5:00 P.M

Exciting news! We finally have enough photos to start creating this year’s yearbook, and we need your help! If you're creative and love photography, design, or writing, the Yearbook Club is the perfect place for you. Join us as we begin crafting the pages that will capture the memories of this school year. Whether you enjoy taking photos, designing layouts, or writing captions, there’s a role for everyone. We meet on Wednesdays before school starting 10/30/24 at 7:15 am in room 101B. Contact Ms. Wadhwa for more info!

On Friday, December 6th, 2024, Edgewood students and staff will participate in a service learning day connected to District 112's Day of Giving. Day of Giving originated at Elm Place Middle School in 2011 when students and staff collected donated food, clothing, toiletries, and winter gear to help support 12 local families. We have kept the tradition alive and now service 200 families in our community. Partnering with the PTO, we have been collecting food items this year as part of Day of Giving. The service learning day on 12/6 allows all students to participate in acts of service to support our community, as well as hearing from speakers about local service organizations. The special schedule for Friday 12/6 is linked here.

The November 2024 newsletter on chronic absenteeism highlights the growing issue of students missing school and its negative effects. Key points include the rise in chronic absenteeism, particularly post-COVID, with over 16 million students affected. This absenteeism contributes to lower academic achievement, widening educational disparities, and increased dropout rates. Contributing factors include bullying, housing instability, and mental health challenges. The newsletter also offers strategies for parents and schools to improve attendance, such as creating a positive school climate and engaging students and families.

You can read more here.

Edgewood Middle School has been partnering with the Lake County Health Department in leading a communication about the harms and dangers of alcohol on youth. We will be conducting a survey next week (10/28) with our students to gather data on their perceptions about alcohol. The anonymous survey is administered through the Lake County Health Department. If you do not want your child to take the survey, please contact Mrs. Garza at cgarza@nssd112.org. For more information about this campaign visit our website at www.prevention112.com/about.

Bullying and cyberbullying impact children across the country, and we want to ensure parents and guardians have the support they need. The Cook Center for Human Connection and ParentGuidance.org are offering a valuable parent/guardian coaching resource to help guide you through these challenging situations. To learn more and register for parent/guardian coaching, please visit https://cookcenter.info/coaching or see more here.

Food Days Deadline

The deadline to place an order, or make changes to next week's Food Days service is Thursday, October 24 |10:00am. Link directly to Lunch Solutions here: Lunch Solutions

For more information about PTO activities and events, including those outlined above, please follow this link to the PTO website: Edgewood PTO

Questions and feedback for the PTO can be directed here: edgewoodpto112@gmail.com