This month’s Strategic Plan Goal Area highlight for this newsletter is Parental Involvement. Multiple studies have shown that the level of parental involvement in their children’s education and school has a direct impact on the success of children in school. I have always been pleased with the level of participation and involvement from Elwood parents and the community. I have always felt strongly that Elwood leads the charge in both of these areas. As a parent of four, I understand the time commitment that this requires and I am well aware of how draining it can be. It seems there is always a meeting to attend, a game or performance to be at, and homework to encourage and keep track of. Parenting is hard. Kudos to all of you who show up every day to be actively involved in the lives of your children – in other places, I don’t see that same level of commitment that I see here. Many times, it’s as simple as having conversations with our kids about their school day. That being said, having deeper meaningful conversations with them can take effort. Dig in beyond the pat “It was fine” responses they are inclined to give. Ask specific questions, follow up on projects and activities that you know are happening. Occasionally, it’s helping with homework and projects. Teacherease makes it easier to keep tabs on your kids’ classroom performance, behavior, and grades. We do what we can to facilitate parental involvement. If you have other ideas for us, please feel free to share them with me!
Our Strategic Plan Statement for this goal is to “Build collaborative relationships with parents
and community in order to enhance and promote student learning.” We work with our community by
partnering and promoting local organizations such as the Elwood Ukulele club, “Elwood Strummers”, EBSA – the Elwood Baseball Association, the local scouting organizations, the Elwood Community Garden, the Elwood Police Dept., and the Elwood-Manhattan Public Library. If you know of a local organization that we could partner with that would bring another benefit to our students, please let me know who they are and how to contact them. If you are looking for opportunities to be more involved, here are some upcoming activities:
February 18 - STEAM Night (Science, Technology, Arts and Math)
March 13 - Family Reading Night
Groups that could always use more help:
Elwood PTO – Their next meeting March 5 at 4:00PM.
Athletic Boosters – They are always looking for help manning the concession stand at home games
Community Opportunities:
Have you been to the new Public Library in Elwood?
Don’t forget about Elwood days and First Night each fall!
Dear Proud Tiger Families,
Kindness is truly in the air here at Elwood School. Each and everyday we can see acts of kindness big and small from students, staff, bus drivers, and parents in the community. Throughout February we will be diving deeper into all things that bring us happiness and spreading kindness to one another.
Winter weather updates will come from Superintendent Page and he will make the call for emergency days as early as he can. Please be aware that students will have indoor recess if the weather with the windchill is below 20 degrees. Students are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather when going outside in the winter months.
Our Kindergarten Roundup will be coming this February 21st from 9am-4pm and if you have families or friends with younger children that will be entering Kindergarten we ask that you call our main office to make an appointment and start the process of gathering information and support for a smooth registration process. Contact Mrs. Richardson at 815-423-5588 or k.richardson@elwoodschool.com
Did someone say Science Fair and STEM Night? That is right this year we will be rolling out a Science fair and STEM night for all families to take part in with hands-on activities, prizes, and of course lots of enrichment learning in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math. Food will be available for purchase for all families and students. This will be a free event for our Tiger families on Tuesday, February 18th from 5pm-6:30pm.
Spotlight on some excitement in February: Black History Month, Health in the Gym, Reading Therapy Dog Mr. Tucker, Junior High Spelling Bee, World Read Aloud Day, Valentine’s Day parties on Feb. 14th along with KINDNESS WEEK, girls and boys volleyball games, and more to come!!! Stripes, the school mascot, also wanted to say he is back from his long winter's nap and is excited to see the students.
Be sure to keep an eye out on our social media Elwood School Facebook page.
All the best and stay safe,
Mr. Ryan Rekruciak
Principal Elwood School
As many of you personally know this winter has been brutal for illness. Norovirus has mostly passed but now we are seeing a lot of Flu A and strep. As a friendly reminder:
If your student has a fever, is vomiting, or diarrhea they need to be home for 24 hours unless special circumstances exist that have been discussed with Nurse Michelle. If your student is sent home from school with a fever, diarrhea, or vomiting, they cannot return for 24 hours and if they return sooner they will be held in the office until an adult can pick them up.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me via phone at 815-423-4101 or email at m.burgess@elwoodschool.com
Every year we collect pop tabs and turn them in to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. We recently dropped off 29 pounds! Let’s see how much we can collect throughout the year to turn in on the next dump day! Send tabs to school with your child. There is a collection bin outside of Mrs. DeMaso’s room (Room 9) where students can dump the tabs. Let’s watch our collection grow!
We are looking for
Substitutes!!
Teachers and Aides (Paraprofessional)
What do you need to do??
Substitute Teacher: Hold a Bachelors Degree, register with the Regional Office of Education in
Joliet, complete a background check, and contact us to let us know!
Pay - $160/day
Substitute Aide (Paraprofessional): Have completed at least 60 Hours of College Credit (or
pass the Work Keys Exam), register with ISBE, complete a background check, and contact us to let us know you are interested and available!
Pay: $18.00/Hour
Questions??? Call (815) 423-5588
