October 2024

Happy October! As we move further into the school year, there are so many exciting events and opportunities to look forward to. From Halloween celebrations and special assemblies to the fall field trip and parent-teacher conferences, there’s no shortage of activities for our students and community. We’re also thrilled to continue our "Families Learning Together" series, offering valuable learning opportunities for all of us. Please take a moment to review the important dates and details for the upcoming events. We can’t wait to see everyone involved and making memories this month!

Saturday, October 5th - LHS Homecoming

Monday, October 7th - D70 Families Learning Together

Tuesday, October 8th - BFA Max's Food Day

Tuesday, October 8th - D70 Families Learning Together

Friday, October 11th - No School - Teacher Institute

Monday, October 14th - P/T Conference Signup Opens at 9AM

Tuesday, October 15th - BFA Pasta Food Day

Wednesday, October 16th - Wresting Info Meeting for 5th Graders

Friday, October 18th - Bulldog Brief Published

Monday, October 21st - School Board Meeting

Tuesday, October 22nd - BFA Taco Food Day

Wednesday, October 23rd - D70 Families Learning Together

Friday, October 25th - 5th Grade to LHS Musical

Tuesday, October 29th - BFA Pizza Food Day

Thursday, October 31st - Halloween

Friday, November 1st - D70 Families Learning Together

Friday, November 1st - Picture Retake

Friday, November 1st - School Board Meeting

Tuesday, November 5th - No School

Friday, November 8th - 1:15 PM Early Release

Friday, November 8th - BFA Bagels by the Book Day

Tuesday, November 12th - Culver's Day

Wednesday, November 13th - P/T Conferences 5:15-8:15 PM

Thursday, November 14th - P/ T Conferences 3:15-8:15 PM

Thursday, November 14th - 1:15 PM Early Release

Friday, November 14th - No School

Friday, November 22nd - All School Field Trip

Parent/Teacher conferences are an important opportunity to connect about your child’s progress. Fall conference sign-ups will begin at 9 AM on Monday, October 14th through SignUp.com. You can register for a conference time using this link: https://signup.com/go/sELcMMC.

The fall conferences will take place on Wednesday, November 13th (5:15-8:15 PM) and Thursday, November 14th (3:15-8:15 PM). Conferences happen twice a year—winter conferences will be held on February 12th and 13th, with sign-ups opening in January. Be sure to sign up early to secure a convenient time slot!

Butterfield’s 5th Grade students have been invited to a special performance of Disney's The Little Mermaid at Libertyville High School! On October 25th, our students will travel to LHS to enjoy this fall musical, which is being performed exclusively for younger audiences from the local feeder districts. Permission slips will be sent home on Thursday, October 10th—be sure to return them promptly so your child doesn’t miss out on this exciting opportunity!

Get ready for Butterfield's Halloween Celebration on Thursday, October 31st! Festivities will kick off in the afternoon with the all-school parade, followed by classroom parties. Here's what you need to know:

Event Timeline:

• 12:30-12:45 PM: Volunteer Check-in

• 12:45-1:15 PM: Party Set-up

• 1:00 PM: Parade Begins

• 1:30-2:30 PM: Classroom Parties

Parade Details:
All families are invited to join us for the Halloween parade! If the weather allows,, the parade will be held outside. Students will exit through the commons doors facing Lake Street at approximately 1:00 PM, proceed along the walkway to the bus lane sidewalk, and then circle around to re-enter the building from the south entrance. We invite families to find a spot along the route and enjoy the spooky, creative costumes our students have chosen! In case of inclement weather, families will be welcome to gather in the gym to watch the parade.

Classroom Party Information:
The classroom parties will begin after the parade, around 1:30 PM. To ensure student safety, we will be limiting the number of visitors for the parties to the head room parent and preselected volunteers. Volunteer names will be provided to the office in advance to confirm attendance. If you are a party volunteer and have not yet had your driver’s license scanned this school year, please visit the Butterfield office ahead of time to expedite check-in on the day of the event.

Costume Guidelines:
Students should bring their costumes to school on Halloween. There will be time to change before the parade. Please ensure that costumes are school-appropriate—avoid costumes with masks that restrict visibility, violent themes, or imitation weapons. We want all students to have a fun and safe experience!

We are excited for this special day and look forward to seeing everyone’s creativity on display!

Halloween is going to be such a fun day! In addition to all the fun afternoon happens we also have an activity planned for the morning. In the morning, students will be treated to an assembly, thanks to our BFA. The assembly will be “It’s Cool to be Kind” performed by Gincy.

Gincy is a singer-songwriter, and nationally acclaimed recording artist whose show is filled with original songs with lyrics designed to connect with students at all grade levels, but especially K-5. Our students will sing, dance, and interact with his songs such as "It's Cool to Be Kind", "Together", and "We Can Change the World". Every song hits important messages about kindness,

On Friday, November 22nd, our entire K-5 student body will be going on an adventure to see the latest Marriott Children’s Theater performance of the Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. This timeless story will be fun for all!

Permission slips will be sent home on Thursday, October 11th, and permission slips along with admission are due by Thursday, November 14th. Don’t miss this opportunity for your child to experience the enchantment and joy of this classic fairy tale brought to life!

5th Graders can join HMS Wresting!

Informational Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 16 from 3:45 PM to 4:30 PM at Highland Middle School in Room 109.

Wrestling season starts on Monday, December 2, and according to IESA will officially end on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

Checkout this promotional video.

Throughout the year, Butterfield School will offer opportunities for students to get involved in extracurricular opportunities. As clubs, intramurals, and other activities become available, students will be notified of the offerings by the sponsors. The morning broadcast and website is another place to find out about these opportunities. Be sure to tune in each day and checkout the website for more information about our extracurricular offerings!

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

September Events Offered by Families Learning Together Partners and Family Action Network

Families Learning Together is a District 70 initiative to provide learning opportunities for our parents, staff, caregivers and community.

This year District 70 has partnered with FAN. FAN is an organization that curates a high-quality speaker series for local school districts and other government groups. District 70, along with Lincolnshire, Barrington, Kenilworth, Winnetka and other local school districts and organizations are excited to bring families engaging and relevant speakers thru FAN. These events are free for our families and staff to attend.

Please be sure to check if the event is in-person or on Zoom.

October Events

FAN Topic: Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts

Presenters: Oliver Burkeman

Interviewer: TBD

Date: October 7, 2024 at 7:00 pm

Location: Zoom Link: www.bit.ly/BurkemanFANSponsor

Program Information:

Burkeman worked for many years at The Guardian, where he wrote a popular weekly column on psychology, “This Column Will Change Your Life.” His books include the New York Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking. He has nugget after nugget of insight and brilliance and compassion and humor about grind culture, the overlords of "productivity" and "success," the demands on our attention, the importance of "enough." His earlier book Four Thousand Weeks (the number of weeks you'll live if you are lucky to make it to 80) is a huge bestseller, with countless tributes from readers who liberated their lives from the dreary fantasy of getting it all done.

FAN Topic: "Rising Together: Crafting Connections Through Baking"

Presenters: Jürgen Krauss, Ellen King

Interviewer: TBD

Date: October 8, 2024 at 7:00 pm

Location: NSCD - North Shore Country Day in Winnetka (in-person only)

Program Information:

Well, who doesn't love a program centered on baked goods?! Krauss had a great run on the Great British Baking Show, a kind, low-key, skilled baker who wowed the judges many times. Local fave bakery Hewn Bread (our own local bread store in Libertyville) co-owner Ellen King has struck up a friendship with Krauss and invited him to the US for a few days of baking and learning. There will be yummy treats at the FAN event -- a great opportunity to come out with the family, relax, and enjoy yourself!

FAN Topic: The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World

Presenters: Allison Pugh, Ph.D.

Interviewer: Nick Hatzis, M.D.

Date: October 23, 2024

Location: Latin School of Chicago, Wrigley Theatre, 59 W. North Blvd., Chicago, IL 60610.

Program Information:

Pugh is a Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University whose research and teaching focus on how people forge connections and find meaning and dignity at home and work, and how economic trends – from job insecurity to commodification to automation – can make that harder. She is the 2024-25 Vice President of the American Sociological Association .A nice take by Pugh on the AI revolution from a sociological stance. She developed the concept of "connective labor," referring to work that requires emotional recognition and interpersonal skills. This book is about the primacy of "being seen," of listening with empathy towards understanding, and witnessing and reflecting. She argues for the importance of connective labor in the face of the army of chatbots and system reboots. A perfect program for those seeking human connection (i.e., all of us).

November Events

FAN Topic: Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me

Presenters: Glory Edim

Interviewer: Natalie Y. Moore

Date: November 1, 2024 at 7:00 pm

Location: Zoom Link: Coming Soon

Program Information:

Edim is a literary tastemaker, entrepreneur, and advocate for diverse voices in literature. In 2015, she founded Well-Read Black Girl, an online platform and book club dedicated to celebrating the works of Black women authors and creating a supportive online community for readers. Edim's new memoir is a homage to all the books (and libraries) that helped her to become the leader that she is. She traces her path through the inspirational words of the sisterhood of Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde, and others. We're excited that FAN fave Natalie Y. Moore will interview Edim -- she always brings nuanced questions and an easy manner.

FAN Topic: You are Not Alone for Parents and Caregivers: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Your Child's Mental Health

Presenters: Christine Crawford, MD, MPH

Interviewer: TBD

Date: November 18, 2024 at 7:00 pm

Location: Zoom Link: Coming Soon

Program Information:

Crawford is the associate medical director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the country’s largest grassroots mental health organization. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Vice Chair of Education at the Boston University School of Medicine and provides outpatient psychiatric care to children and adolescents at Boston Medical Center. Dr. Crawford has compiled an invaluable resource, and it includes many stories from patients and parents about their paths to recovery.

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