February 2025

February is here, bringing with it a month full of exciting events and opportunities! With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, our classrooms will be filled with kindness, friendship, and festive celebrations. Parent-teacher conferences are also approaching, providing a great time to connect and discuss your child’s progress.

In this edition of the newsletter, you’ll find important dates to mark on your calendar, details about second-grade CogAT testing, information on group yearbook photos, and reminders for our upcoming Valentine’s Day parties. With winter in full swing, be sure to review our cold-weather advisory and school closing procedures to keep your child warm and safe. We’ll also share information on summer school opportunities and how you can participate in our Families Learning Together series.

Additionally, we want to remind families about our school’s policy on electronic devices, including smartwatches. These devices are becoming increasingly popular, but their use to make or receive a call or text is prohibited during the school day. We appreciate your support in helping students stay focused on learning!

Stay warm and let’s make February fantastic!

Tuesday, February 4th - BFA Pizza Day

Tuesday, February 4th -Thursday, February 7th - 2nd Grade Cogat Testing

Tuesday, February 4th - Winter Orchestra Concert

Wednesday, February 5th - Families Learning Together

Thursday, February 6th - Winter Band Concert

Friday, February 7th - Conference Signup Closes

Friday, February 7th - School Newsletter Bulldog Brief Published

Friday, February 7th - Student Council Spirit Day - Super Bowl Day

Monday, February 10th - Group Yearbook Pictures

Tuesday, February 11th - BFA Lino's

Wednesday, February 12th - PT Conferences

Thursday, February 13th - Valentine's Day Parties 9AM

Thursday, February 13th - PT Conferences

Thursday, February 13th - 1:15 PM Early Release

Thursday, February 13th - Student Council Spirit Day - Valentine's Day

Friday, February 14th - No School

Sunday, February 16th - BFA Chicago Wolves Event

Monday, February 17th - No School

Tuesday, February 18th - BFA Culver's Day

Wednesday, February 19th - Families Learning Together

Thursday February 20th - 5th Grade Basketball Tournament Begins

Thursday February 20th - Families Learning Together

Friday, February 21st - Bulldog Brief Published

Friday, February 21st - Student Council Spirit Day - PJ / Cozy Day

Monday, February 24th - Families Learning Together

Tuesday, February 25th - BFA Max's Food Day

Friday, February 28th - 1:15 PM Early Release

Friday, February 28th - Student Council Spirit Day - College Day

Tuesday, March 4th - BFA Dos Amigos Food Day

Tuesday, March 4th - BFA General Meeting 10AM

Tuesday, March 4th - 4th Grade Basketball Tournament Begins

As we strive to create a focused and secure learning environment, we would like to remind parents and students about our policy regarding the use of personal electronic devices during school hours. As stated in our parent/student handbook, student use of personal cellular telephones, smartphones, smartwatches, video recording devices, or similar electronic devices is prohibited during the school day.

Consequences for the use of personal portable electronic equipment, including smart watches, may include confiscation of the device, and parents will be required to retrieve the item from the school office.

Your cooperation in ensuring a conducive and secure learning environment is greatly appreciated. Smartwatches are a great device and gaining popularity among Butterfield students. However, use to make or receive a call or text is prohibited at school. Please keep smartwatches and similar devices at home to support our collective efforts in promoting a focused and successful educational experience for all students.

Thank you for your understanding and commitment to the well-being of our school community.

Second grade students will be taking the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) from Feb. 4th - 6th. In District 70, the CogAT will guide efforts to adapt instruction to the needs and abilities of students, identify students whose predicted levels of academic achievement differ markedly from observed levels of achievement, and measure cognitive development to help identify academically talented/gifted students. CogAT results will be mailed to parents in March.

CogAT appraises the cognitive development of students.The test measures students' learned reasoning abilities. Although grounded in biological processes, these abilities are developed through in-school and out-of-school experiences. The questions on CogAT require students to demonstrate their reasoning abilities in each of the three systems most closely related to success in school: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and nonverbal reasoning. The Verbal Battery assesses students' abilities to use search, retrieval, and comparison processes that are essential for verbal reasoning. The Quantitative Battery assesses students' abilities to reason about patterns and relations using concepts that are essential in quantitative thinking. The Nonverbal Battery assesses students' abilities to reason with somewhat more novel questions that use spatial and figural content.

You can help your child do his or her best on the test by:

1. Making sure they bring working headphones and a charged device each day of testing.

2. Making sure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before testing.

3. Making sure, if possible, that your child attends school on the days of testing.

4. Providing breakfast on the mornings of testing.

5. Reminding your child to ask the teacher questions if he or she does not understand the test directions.

6. Letting your child know that you have confidence in his or her ability to do his or her best.

Thank you for your support!

Students that participated in various Butterfield activities will take a picture with their group for the yearbook this day.
Students that are new or were absent for the previous picture days can take their photo for the yearbook this day as well.

Parent/Teacher conferences are an important opportunity to connect about your child’s progress. Fall conference sign-ups will begin at 9 AM on Tuesday, January 21st through SignUp.com. You can register for a conference time using this link:https://signup.com/go/sELcMMC.

The Winter conferences will take place on Wednesday, February 12th (5:15-8:15 PM) and Thursday, February 13th (3:15-8:15 PM). Be sure to sign up early to secure a convenient time slot!

https://signup.com/go/sELcMMC

Valentine’s Day Parties will take place in classrooms Thursday, February 13th. Please be on the lookout for more information from your child’s headroom parent.

Please keep in mind the following…

With increased scrutiny regarding school security, we wanted to clarify our plans for Valentine’s Day in regards to keeping our students safe and the building secure. In order to manage the large number of visitors that attend these events, it is in the best interest and safety of the students to limit the number of guests in attendance. We ask that only the head room parent and the preselected party volunteers attend the classroom parties. Volunteer names will be sent to the office indicating you are allowed to attend the party. Check-in for party volunteers will begin at 8:30AM with access to the rooms beginning no sooner than 8:45AM

• Parties = 9:00-10:00 AM

• Volunteer Access to Classroom for Setup=8:45-9:00 AM

• Volunteer Check-in=8:30-8:45 AM

As the cooler weather settles in, please help us to ensure that children are dressed appropriately for the elements. Please label coats, snow pants, hats, gloves, boots, etc.

Just a reminder that students will be kept indoors for recess only when air temperatures fall below 10 degrees or when the wind chill temperature falls below 0. With this in mind, please have children dress appropriately for recess.

While it is always a goal to have students in school, when safety is an issue, there is no compromise to placing children at risk. With that in mind, when there is a forecast of inclement weather, television and radio stations, as well as reports from the National Weather Service and Weather Channel, are monitored.

When heavy snow or extremely cold temperatures are predicted, superintendents in neighboring school districts begin planning in the early morning hours of, and sometimes even the night before a storm. Communication is maintained with District 70's bus company representatives and the district's maintenance/snow removal crews as well.

Visit D70's website for more information to learn how school closure decision is made.

Libertyville District 70 may call a snow/emergency day where there is no school. The District would then ask students to attend an extra day at the end of the school year on a planned traditional emergency day. To learn more about district weather related closings please visit the page about School Closing Information

The other option is to enact an “eLearning day.” Please see the information below on how to engage remotely during eLearning instruction.

The District will likely call one or two emergency days prior to enacting eLearning as to not extend the school calendar too far into June.

Five things parents should know about eLearning

1. The school day starts at 8:15 for Grades 1-5 and 8:50 for 6-8.
2. Your child's teacher (grades 1-5) will communicate Google Meet codes by 8:00 am. In grades 6-8, Google Meet codes are the first initial and last name of the teacher (Ex: Michelle Langlie = mlanglie)
3. Little Sprouts and Kindergarten will have a packet to work on for the day, and the teacher will provide office hours for parent questions about eLearning..
4. Specials and student support (GTE, special education, intervention) will be scheduled for your child if they typically attend on that given day.
5. Samples schedules and more information are listed below.

The Family Association has created a wonderful opportunity for parents to share their appreciation and recognition with our amazing Butterfield staff! If you’d like to send a personal note of thanks, simply fill out the Google Doc they’ve provided. Whether it’s a teacher, custodian, or support staff, your kind words go a long way in brightening their day and acknowledging all the hard work they do. Let’s take a moment to show our gratitude and celebrate the incredible team that makes Butterfield such a great place for our students!

To send a teacher a thank you, click here

FLT/FAN Topic: Out of Your Mind: The Biggest Mysteries of the Human Brain

Presenters: Jorge Cham, Ph.D. and Dwight Godwin, Ph.D

Interviewer: TBD

When: 7 p.m. on Feb. 5

Zoom Registration Link: ZOOM COMING SOON

Program Information: Cham is the best-selling and Emmy-nominated creator of "PHD Comics", a popular ongoing comic strip about life in academia. He is the co-creator and Co-Executive Producer of the animated series Elinor Wonders Why, which airs on PBS Kids and in 78 countries. He is the co-author of the award-winning book We Have No Idea (and its follow-up FAQ-U), and the co-host of the iHeart Radio show Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe. Godwin is a Professor of Translational Neuroscience at Wake Forest University (WFU) and Senior Associate Dean of the WFU School of Medicine. This will be a lively, fun, smart program, and an intro crash course about all things brain!

FLT/FAN Topic: John Lewis: A Life

Presenter: David Greenberg, Ph.D.

Interviewer: TBD

When: 7 p.m. on Feb. 19

Zoom Registration Link: ZOOM COMING SOON

Program Information: A professor of history and of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University and author or editor of several books on American history and politics. Greenberg's biography of Congressman John Lewis (FAN '16, '17) has received overwhelming praise since its October release. "Monumental," exemplary," "lyrical," "profoundly moving, indefatigably researched, and absorbingly written'; that's just a small sample. The book landed on many 2024 Top 10 lists -- we're thrilled to host.

FLT/FAN Topic: The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing

Presenter: Mary-Frances O'Connor, Ph.D. (FAN '22)

Interviewer: Meghan Riordan Jarvis, MA, LICSW

When: 7 p.m. on Feb. 20

Zoom Registration Link: ZOOM COMING SOON

Program Information: A professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss, and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab. O'Connor's 2022 event for FAN for her book The Grieving Brain was a sensitive, thoughtful exploration of the neuroscience of grief. Her new book expands the topic to examine the impact of grief and loss on our cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems. This will be a fascinating program that touches all of us.

FLT/FAN Topic: Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will

Presenter: Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D.

Interviewer: Oliver Burkeman, FAN '24

When: Noon on Feb. 24, 2025

Zoom Registration Link: ZOOM COMING SOON

Program Information: Robert Sapolsky a giant in his field, and the book has been reviewed and debated everywhere. Sapolsky is a John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor of Biology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery at Stanford University, as well as a research associate at the Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya. He is also a NYT bestselling author of multiple books. Sapolsky so enjoyed his time this fall when he interviewed Jamil Zaki for FAN and subsequently reached out to see if we would be interested in a program for his most recent book about free will.

Please note the noon CT start time for this event, as Burkeman (interviewer) lives in England.

Website: https://butterfield.d70schools.org/
Location: 1441 Lake Street, Libertyville, IL, USA
Phone: 847-362-3120
Twitter: @Butterfield_D70